Independence Bowl presents $5K to Fairfield Elementary Magnet and Bossier Parish School for Technology & Innovative Learning
The Radiance Technologies Independence Bowl completed its nearly $56,000 in education funding on Monday – presenting $5,000 checks each to Fairfield Elementary Magnet and Bossier Parish School for Technology & Innovative Learning. The $5,000 grant was awarded to each school to support programs to promote teacher retention, recruitment and recognition.
The $10,000 donations are the second part of over $55,000 donated by the Radiance Technologies Independence Bowl to local teachers and education. During Extra Yard for Teachers Week in September 2022, the bowl donated $45,986 to 45 teachers in Caddo, Bossier, DeSoto, Red River and Webster Parishes.
Fairfield Elementary Magnet will use the $5,000 from the Radiance Technologies Independence Bowl to create a new, football-themed program focusing on all three categories – teacher recruitment, retention and recognition. The program will have three main goals – reducing barriers that isolate new faculty and staff members; creating a school culture that supports and nurtures team members that go above and beyond the call of duty by noting the extra responsibility they assume to help Fairfield realize their vision; and developing a program where administrators honor hard work and effort with a well-developed team member recognition program.
To improve the recruitment of teachers, Fairfield Elementary Magnet will aim to onboard new employees in a positive way and facilitate their transition into Fairfield team members. The retention aspect of the program will use football as its central theme throughout the year. Team members will be recognized monthly for achievements and accomplishments at monthly faculty huddles. They will receive field goal, touchdown and two-point conversion awards at those monthly meetings and a year-end teacher awards luncheon. If effective, the program will reduce the need for new faculty and staff by creating a culture for employees that respects and values their contributions.
Bossier Parish School for Technology and Innovative Learning will use the $5,000 grant to grow and support Educators Rising-Bossier – a district club for middle and high school students who have expressed interest in the teaching profession and embody the characteristics of strong educators. The club aims to recruit and support a diverse population of students through Bossier Parish Schools’ Grow Your Own teacher recruitment and retention initiative.
In the first year of implementation, Educators Rising-Bossier serves approximately 60 students in grades 8-12. Students representing each middle and high school in Bossier Parish attend monthly meetings at Bossier Parish School for Technology and Innovative Learning. Currently, student members are required to pay a $25 club fee, and some students need help to obtain the funding. The $5,000 grant from the Radiance Technologies Independence Bowl will support club activities that promote the teaching profession, connect students with a local and national community of aspiring educators, and position local students for future success in the field.
Michael J. Busada appointed chairman of the National Association of Bond Lawyers’ Governmental Affairs Committee
Butler Snow LLP attorney Michael (Mike) J. Busada as been named the chairman of the National Association of Bond Lawyers’ Governmental Affairs Committee. Busada previously served on the committee as co-chair and vice chair.
The National Association of Bond Lawyers (NABL) serves to promote the education of its members around public laws affecting public finance and the municipal bond market. The NABL Governmental Affairs Committee aims to encourage members to educate federal policy makers around the importance of tax-advantaged bonds and how they help state and local governments.
Busada has vast experience as bond counsel and as a public finance and economic development attorney in Louisiana, representing local governments; 501(c)(3) organizations; and other major corporations in the firm’s Public Finance, Tax Incentives and Credit Markets practice group. In addition to his new role as chairman, Busada is a member of Louisiana’s Committee of 100 for Economic Development and the Louisiana Industrial Development Executives Association.
With a keen eye for serving communities through development, Busada continues to advocate for the expansion of tax-exempt bond financing to aid economic recovery. Busada was appointed by the governor of Louisiana to identify the economic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic while serving on the Louisiana Commission’s Economic and Community Development Task Force.
Most recently, Busada has helped secure tax-advantaged financing for a boutique hotel in Monroe and wrote the law establishing the Louisiana Competes Regional Economic Development Program. In 2010, he helped amend Louisiana’s Payment In Lieu of Taxes (PILOT) program to provide more financial security to municipalities.
Lucie Thornton to join Centenary College Board of Trustees
Centenary College’s Board of Trustees approved the election of Shreveport attorney and Centenary alumna Lucie E. Thornton as a new member at its February 2023 meeting. Thornton began her four-year term on February 1.
Thornton graduated from Centenary in 1979 with a degree in sociology and went on to earn a law degree from Tulane University School of Law, where she was a senior fellow in legal research and writing. She has practiced law in Louisiana, primarily in the New Orleans area, for more than 40 years, specializing in medical malpractice defense litigation and commercial litigation. She is currently associate general counsel for Ochsner LSU Health-North Louisiana and is a member of the American Bar Association, Louisiana State Bar Association, and the Shreveport Bar Association.
In New Orleans, Thornton served on the board of directors of the Save Our Cemeteries organization and was an active member of the Junior League of New Orleans, serving as chair of the Public Affairs Committee and copy editor for the League’s Lagniappe publication. She was also an active member of both Christ Episcopal Church and Trinity Episcopal Church in New Orleans and currently serves as a eucharistic minister, lay eucharistic visitor, lay reader, lector, and member of the Garden Committee at Holy Cross Episcopal Church in Shreveport. In 2021, Thornton joined the board of directors of VIALink, a Louisiana organization providing crisis support and connecting people to resources and services.
