Bagwell named assistant superintendent

Teresa Bagwell will be the new assistant superintendent of St. Mary Parish public schools effective July 1 when Keith Thibodeaux retires.
Bagwell has 30 years of experience in education and is serving as the principal of Berwick Junior High.
Superintendent Donald Aguillard said the school system will immediately advertise for a new principal at the school “and we may be able to name that individual to be in place by early June. If so, Dr. Bagwell would migrate to the Central Office Complex to work with Mr. Thibodeaux through June 30.”
Thibodeaux has served as assistant superintendent for the past decade of his 36-year career in education.
Bagwell previously served as a social studies teacher at Morgan City High where she became one of St. Mary’s first National Board Certified teachers. In 2002, Bagwell was appointed assistant principal at Morgan City High where she served until being hired as a district instructional program manager in 2004.
Aguillard said Bagwell was selected after a rigorous interview process with four applicants.
“Ultimately, I selected Dr. Bagwell in part due to her strong knowledge of curriculum, recent work as a middle school principal, superior communication skills, strong problem-solving abilities and enhanced capacity to prioritize job responsibilities to meet deadlines and deliver tasks on schedule. Dr. Bagwell adds significant value in strengthening an extensively talented administrative team,” Aguillard said.
Bagwell said she is “honored and humbled” by the opportunity to serve as St. Mary’s assistant superintendent.
“The candidates for this position were highly regarded and dedicated leaders who I deeply admire. Additionally, Mr. Thibodeaux will serve as an insightful mentor, and I plan to dedicate long hours learning from him in the coming months. As an educator in St. Mary, I am exceptionally proud of the progress made in the last 10 years as curriculum standards and accountability requirements have been increasingly raised. I am looking forward to meeting the challenge of continued academic advancement and will strive to be a catalyst for ongoing achievement gains for our children,” Bagwell said.