Spotlight 4 Success

Send us Fan Mail The best conference takeaway is the one you can use on Monday. That’s exactly what we set out to capture in this conversation with Shayla Pandja, the English instructional coordinator for St. Landry Parish, recorded live at LACUE in New Orleans. We dig into the real work of supporting high school teachers: choosing a core curriculum that builds knowledge and skills, layering on ta...

Send us Fan Mail What happens when a first-year teacher pairs AI with a lesson on kindness—and sees her fifth graders raise their voices with empathy? We sit down with Bethany Collette from Concordia Parish to explore a classroom model that treats technology as a tool and human connection as the goal. From generating relatable reading passages to crafting quick exit tickets, Bethany shows how simp...

Send us Fan Mail Walk the LACUE floor with us and meet Lesley Moore, a first-year graphic design and digital media teacher from SPIMA Academy in East Baton Rouge, who’s navigating a new role while chasing the right technology for her students. From the buzz of New Orleans to the quiet of a classroom where a grieving student needed a listener, this conversation blends the promise of AI with the hea...

Send us Fan Mail The buzz of New Orleans sets a vibrant backdrop as we sit down with Emma Jones from Bogalusa City Schools to unpack how professional learning becomes real student impact. Emma has attended LACUE for five years, and she returns for one reason: to bring home resources she can use tomorrow. From technology that makes lessons click to ideas that elevate student projects, she shares ho...

Send us Fan Mail The floor at LACUE buzzes, but what stands out is a simple transformation: a teacher who once felt overwhelmed now walks with a plan to hand the mic to her students. We sit down with Lauren Domangue to trace how a yearbook program stretched into social media, and why podcasting is the natural next leap for a high school of 1,400 voices. Website: spotlight4success.com 

Send us Fan Mail Samantha David gives a testimonial about her experience with ABC Products.  Website: spotlight4success.com 

Send us Fan Mail What if your next conference trip rewired how your district learns? Sitting with instructional coordinator Samantha David at LACUE New Orleans 2025, we trace a path from librarian roots to a role that multiplies impact by teaching teachers, curating practical tools, and building the kind of network that turns ideas into adoption. Samantha brings a clear-eyed view of professional d...

Send us Fan Mail Curiosity is contagious when a classroom feels like a journey. We sit down with Louisiana Teacher of the Year Lorie Hutchins at LACUE 2025 to uncover how she turns social studies into immersive “mini field trips,” builds trust with the toughest kids, and uses technology to amplify—not replace—human connection. From ancient civilizations to local culture, Lori shares a playbook for...

Send us Fan Mail Anthony Swallor gives his testimonial about his experience with ABC products.  Website: spotlight4success.com

Send us Fan Mail A hallway chat at LACUE 2025 turns into a masterclass on making technology serve learning, not the other way around. We sit down with Louisiana educator Anthony Swallor, who teaches math and physics, runs Python courses, coaches esports, and keeps the school tech humming—proof that small campuses can deliver big outcomes with the right strategy. Website: spotlight4success.com

Send us Fan Mail What if state test prep didn’t feel like test prep at all? We sit down at LACUE in New Orleans with tech facilitator and veteran biology teacher Christina Verberne to unpack a simple, repeatable system that turns anxiety into confidence and practice into real learning. Website: spotlight4success.com 

Send us Fan Mail A school doesn’t climb a letter grade by accident. We sit down with Richwood Middle’s Errika McBride to unpack how intentional coaching, aligned resources, and purposeful technology helped move the needle on state assessments—and why the work continues after the first big win. Errika’s philosophy is crisp: grow teachers to grow students. She describes what daily support looks like...

Send us Fan Mail Errika McBride gives her testimonial about her experience with ABC products.  Website: spotlight4success.com

Send us Fan Mail What turns a struggling school into a rising one? We sat down with Richwood Middle School educator Roderick Hannibal at LACUE in New Orleans to unpack a practical blueprint: combine structured study, hands-on robotics, and clear career pathways so students see where their effort leads. Website: spotlight4success.com

Send us Fan Mail Curious how a zoo brings the wild into your local library? We sat down with Andrea Robichaud, education specialist at Riverbanks Zoo and Garden, at the South Carolina Library Association to share how summer reading themes transform into lively, hands-on programs for families. From last year’s exploration of color—how animals signal, hide, and communicate, and how keepers use color...

Send us Fan Mail Think a library is just shelves and a reference desk? Spend a few minutes with us and librarian Jenny Lao from Richland Library Northeast, and watch that picture shift. Recorded at the South Carolina Library Association gathering in Columbia, our conversation dives into how thoughtful programming and equity-focused leadership can turn a branch into a true community hub. Website: s...

Send us Fan Mail A gym full of kids, a stack of fresh books, and a mascot who can turn a story into a celebration—this is how reading becomes a lifelong habit. We sit down with Margaret Jackson of Cocky’s Reading Express to explore how a joyful, high-energy model brings literacy to Title I schools across all 46 South Carolina counties, powered by the University of South Carolina’s iSchool. Website...

Send us Fan Mail Big change doesn’t happen by accident. We sit down with Charleston County Public Library’s chief deputy director to unpack a county-wide transformation powered by a $108.5 million referendum, deep community trust, and a clear operational backbone. From five new branches and system-wide renovations to a main library redesign now underway, you’ll hear how a large system keeps polici...

Send us Fan Mail Imagine a picture book unfolding along a sunny park path, each page waiting around the next bend. That’s the magic behind story walk signs, and we sit down with Meghan Beehler from Lark Signs to explore how this simple idea turns movement into motivation for young readers and their families. Website: spotlight4success.com

Send us Fan Mail Ever wondered how a simple open mic can change the feel of a library? We sit down with Brittany Smith from Richland Library Sand Hills—freshly launched into her graduate studies at the University of South Carolina—to explore how handing the microphone to neighbors turns a quiet room into a vibrant community stage. From poetry and storytelling to music and student showcases, Britta...

Send us Fan Mail The future of work isn’t waiting, and neither are we. From a bustling floor at the South Carolina Library Association Conference, we sit down with Collin Robinson, executive director at 21st Century Ed, to unpack a simple idea with big ambition: bring STEM to every learner early, often, and everywhere. You’ll hear how a community-first approach that links school districts, public...

Send us Fan Mail A busy conference hallway can spark the best ideas, and our conversation with Tiffany Williams proves it. As the Children’s Services Manager at the Heard St. Andrews Library in the Charleston area, Tiffany has built a practical approach to child wellbeing that fits right between storytime and stacks. She walks us through Wellness in the Stacks, a program suite that uses kids’ yoga...

Send us Fan Mail Ever wonder how a career in libraries begins? We’re on the floor at the South Carolina Library Association conference in Columbia talking with USC student Bobbi Elmore about the moment a middle school volunteer shift became a calling and how that spark now guides her path through the Master of Library Science. It’s a short, lively conversation that puts heart and practicality side...

Send us Fan Mail Ever wonder how a six-year-old learns to think like a programmer? We sit down with Barbie Day of Pratt Elementary to explore what early computer science looks like when it’s playful, structured, and genuinely empowering. From color-matching commands to first steps in debugging, Barbie shares a classroom approach that builds problem-solving skills long before students write their f...

Send us Fan Mail A single smart board changed everything. That first taste of interactive teaching sent Jill White from a third grade classroom toward a master’s in educational technology and, ultimately, into the role of technology director for Porter Consolidated. We sit with Jill at the OKSTE conference in Tulsa to unpack how she bridges instruction, infrastructure, and daily classroom needs—wi...