ST. MARTIN PARISH, La. (KLFY) — Students and staff in St. Martin Parish celebrated their first day of the school year today.

St. Martin STEAM Academy and St. Martin Early STEAM Academy were welcomed back with music, smiles and a strong sense of community.

The schools emphasize arts programs such as science, technology, engineering, arts and math. News 10 spoke with the principals at each school who say they are preparing for a year of success.

“I’m very excited it was really joyful to see the students get off the bus,” said Jessica Wiltz, assistant principal at St. Martin Early STEAM Academy. “We greeted them with pom poms and music and we’re just excited to have another great year.”

Erin Gray, principal of St. Martin STEAM Academy, also expressed enthusiasm about the new school year. Gray says staff spent the summer in trainings and will launch a new drama program to expand the arts instruction.

“We learned so many things about the implementation of our program and we’re excited to see what the teachers can do and to see our students and to see the joy that our school brings,” said Gray.

At St. Martin STEAM Academy a pep rally was also held for their students’ first day. As another magnet program, the curriculum provides core subjects with an emphasis on arts and technology. Principal Erica Pitre says the hands on coursework helps students stay engaged.

“We saw an increase in our attendance last year, which is why our students are excited to come to school because they know they are offered ways of more engagement through the arts as well as their content in the classroom with more hands-on activity,” said Pitre.

Pitre says the focus on student creativity and innovation continues to drive their success.

“We’re a staff that’s very close, very tight knit, because we all share one vision and that’s educating our students and making sure they’re loved and they’re happy and cared for,” said Pitre.

With the introduction of new programs and a strong community spirit, Saint Martin STEAM Academy aims to continue fostering student engagement and success through its STEAM-focused curriculum.

All facts in this report were gathered by journalists employed by KLFY. Artificial intelligence tools were used to reformat from a broadcast script into a news article for our website. This report was edited and fact-checked by KLFY staff before being published.

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