Bright young minds in Iberia Parish have been recognized as the school district’s cream of the crop with the announcement of 2010-11 Students of the Year.

Twenty-nine elementary, middle school and high school students represented their schools as top achievers for the parish title of Student of the Year, sponsored by the state Department of Education. 

Students were selected by a panel of people in the community for their academic achievement, extracurricular activities and involvement in the community. Of those students, three were selected as the top students to represent the parish in the regional competition on Jan. 26 in DeRidder.

High school

New Iberia Senior High student Hailey Hensgens, 17, daughter of Donald and Joan Hensgens, was selected as the High School Student of the Year. A straight-A student in all her courses including pre-calculus and physics, she also is an avid athlete and community volunteer.

“Academically she doesn’t slow down,” NISH principal Curt Landry said, noting that having a student selected from the school was “a pleasure.”

“You name it,  she’s involved in it” Landry said. “She is a phenomenal student. You can’t expect any better. In all my 24 years of experience she is one of the best I’ve come across.” 

The young athlete and scholar’s faith has been a big motivation to excel in school, her mother said.

“She is very self-driven. She always has been,” Joan Hensgens said. “She relies a lot on her faith and doing what God wants her to do and that is to always do your best.”

Hensgens is keeping an open mind about her future after high school but is considering studying architecture.

Middle school

Sarah Saunier, 13, a Delcambre High School eighth-grade student, was selected as the Iberia Parish Middle School Student of The Year. 

The 2010 Delcambre Shrimp Festival Junior Queen is the daughter of Leonard and Neely Saunier. She also is an accomplished cheerleader and has represented Delcambre in cheer competitions in several states. Since the first grade, she has maintained straight A’s and has been among gifted and talented students since she was in second grade.

Saunier has her sights set on graduating from Louisiana State University and becoming a veterinarian with the intention of opening her own practice in Delcambre, she said. She said she hopes the business could help promote more businesses to expand to the area and boost the town’s economy.

Delcambre High School Principal Cory Bourque said he expects Saunier to excel in the regional competition.

“She is a very sweet girl,” Bourque said. “I’m extremely proud of her.”

Neely Saunier said her daughter’s drive and focus are key parts of her character.

“She doesn’t jump into something halfway,” Neely Saunier said. “She goes into something giving 110 percent. Education has always been important in our home, but it always came natural for her. We are very blessed.”

Sarah Saunier said she has able to succeed in school by staying focused on her future and maintaining a close-knit circle of friends.

“We are all very supportive of each other,” Sarah said. “And I think just knowing what I wanted to do has kept me motivated.”

Elementary school

The elementary school Student of the Year title went to Abby Langford, a fifth-grade student from North Lewis Elementary.

Langford, 10, is the daughter of Aleece and Warren Langford. She has earned straight A’s in all her classes since first grade.

Langford has a keen interest in the arts and has received multiple state writing awards for poetry and fiction. She also won second-place for her artwork in the Gifted and Talented Lincoln Contest.

Langford also is active in the French Immersion program at North Lewis.

“As parents we have just asked of her to do her best and left it up to her,” Warren Langford said. “She does well because she wants to.”

He said Langford’s compassion and ability to put others before herself comes from her faith in God.

“I’m impressed with the amount of humility that she has even as a 10-year-old,” he said.

Abby said she enjoys the opportunities while attending North Lewis Street Elementary, particularly in the gifted program. She also said she appreciates the “homey” feel of the school and the lineage it carries in the community.

“You can walk by people in the street and they are either from North Lewis or have taught at North Lewis,” Abby said.

An avid reader, Abby said she would like to be a librarian or open her own restaurant because she enjoys cooking.

The three students will compete for a title in the regional competition with students from 15 different parishes on Jan. 26. Similar to the parish competition, students will be scored on their portfolios and a timed writing portion on an undisclosed topic selected by the Department of Education.