[StBernard] Chalmette High 2002 salutatorian and Miss Chalmette High is now assistant principal at the school

[Westley Annis]

Chalmette High 2002 salutatorian and Miss Chalmette High is now assistant
principal at the school
Print Barry Lemoine By Barry Lemoine 
on July 09, 2014 at 8:01 AM, updated July 09, 2014 at 8:14 AM

In 2002, Kelli Roussell Watson was Chalmette High's class salutatorian and
voted Miss Chalmette High - two of the school's highest honors.  This month
Watson earned another honor at her alma mater - being named as the newest
assistant principal at Chalmette High.  Watson joins the administrative team
after several years as an outstanding teacher and school leader.

Watson said she always knew she wanted to be an educator. "I loved school
even before I ever went to kindergarten," she said.  "I played school with
my cousin and older sister, and I developed a love of learning and couldn't
wait to go to "real" school.  Once I did, I immediately knew that teaching
was what I wanted to do when I grew up.  I acted as teacher to my stuffed
animal students and even kept a grade book."

Watson said she would pay attention to the material being taught, but also
to the way it was presented. "I took mental notes in every class about the
type of teacher I wanted to be," she recalled.

Watson said math was always her favorite subject, and two of her most
influential teachers in high school, Pam Cassar and Kim Campbell, were math
teachers.

"It was after being a student in their classes that I realized that I wanted
to be a high school math teacher," she said.

After graduating from Loyola University New Orleans with a bachelor of
science degree in mathematics and a minor in secondary education, Watson
began her teaching career at Chalmette High School.

"I started teaching the first year Chalmette High School opened as a high
school again after Hurricane Katrina in 2006," she said. "Since then I've
taught Algebra I, Algebra II, Advanced Math Functions and Statistics,
Pre-Calculus, and Intro to Engineering Design."

During her varied teaching career, Watson also married her hometown
sweetheart, gave birth to two beautiful boys, and earned a master
ofeEducation degree in educational administration from The University of
Southern Mississippi.

She said she is looking forward to this latest challenge.

"I feel privileged to have the opportunity to serve in a leadership role,"
she said.  
"I love Chalmette High School and being an assistant principal gives me the
opportunity to make an even greater positive impact on the school."   

Watson said she will miss the classroom, but knows she will still connect
with the students.

"I know I'll miss teaching, but I also know that I will be in and out of
classrooms a bunch," she said. "So, I'll still get to watch students learn
and experience those "ah-ha" moments that we educators live for."

Watson also knows she'll be learning a lot from the talented and experienced
team of administrators at Chalmette High.

"Mr. Warner and Ms. Mundt have been icons at CHS, and I feel privileged to
be able to join their administration team and learn from such great
leaders," she said.