When Renèe Pellissier's oldest child was nearing kindergarten age, she did not consider the local public school. It was too large, the Covington resident decided. "We were concerned about whether she would be getting individual attention," Pellissier says.

The Pellissiers put both their children in Cedarwood School, where they are in classes with a mere 14 other children. The personal attention boosts their self-confidence, she says.

"It's important to me that, when they are on the playground, every teacher in the school knows their names," Pellissier says.

For these same reasons, Gretchen and Kenneth Armbruster of Mandeville chose public schools for their two children. "The teachers are very one-on-one, very caring," says Gretchen.

The Armbrusters both went to private schools. Their daughter was in a private school in Baton Rouge, and they never thought their children would be educated in the public schools. Then they moved to St. Tammany Parish.

They enrolled their daughter in Woodlake Middle School as a temporary measure while they chose another school. But she was happy there, and they were pleased with the education she was receiving. Now their daughter is an eighth grader at Fontainebleau Junior High, and their son is a third grader at Magnolia Trace.

"I find that the schools are not small, but they have a small-school atmosphere," Armbruster says. "All of the people in the office know the children's names."

With top-scoring public schools and a variety of private schools, northshore parents have the luxury of choice. The public schools, with their exceptional resources and strong community and parental support, are one of the reasons people move to St. Tammany. The area also boasts respected private and parochial schools. So how do parents choose?

"It's important to select a school based on the needs of the individual child," says Beth Heintz, a St.Tammany Parish School Board member. She has chosen both private and public schools for her six children.

Private choices

Heintz's 15-year-old daughter switched from Pitcher Junior High to St. Scholastica High School when she entered ninth grade. "She was looking for a smaller school and was interested in the religious aspect of St. Scholastica," Heintz says. "I felt that she could get the best of both worlds."

For some parents, the prohibition on religious teaching can be a reason to eschew the public schools. "That would be the only thing missing, but my kids have other places to get that. Religion begins in the home," Armbruster says, "and their schools do teach kindness and the correct way to live your life."

Mike Howard of Slidell says that, although he's non-Catholic and a product of public schools, he wants his children to be able to pray in school. That is one of the reasons he and his wife chose Lake Castle North and Pope John Paul II for their two children.

"I like the structure and the beliefs and values," he says of Lake Castle North. "I like the discipline. And I like that there is no opposition to prayer."
The high school, Howard says, also has a high level of structure as well as a small class size and individual attention. The school reinforces discipline and moral character, he says, citing its comprehensive drug testing program and strong sports participation.

Public choices

A teacher at Salmen High School who has also taught in private schools, Caroline Wood of Slidell did not hesitate to put her three sons in public schools.
Her middle child would have done well with the structure that Lake Castle North provides, she says. He is thriving at Honey Island Elementary School, however, where he doesn't lack personal attention from his teacher.

"Public schools have funds that allow them to purchase proven education supplements. There is access to phenomenal programs," Wood says. "You look at the facilities of the public schools here and at the computers they use, and you know that in St. Tammany Parish, administrators get to pick teachers who are the cream of the crop."

"The public schools have a lot more resources at their fingertips," agrees Armbruster. While volunteering in her daughter's classroom, for example, she was amazed to see the middle school students pull notebook computers out of their desks for a writing project.

Pellissier, however, does not see any lack of resources at her children's private school. "They're not missing anything except a school bus," she says.
Both Wood and Armbruster praise the diversity found in a system required to educate any and all children. Armbruster likes that her children form friendships that cross racial, ethnic and social boundaries-and that children with special needs, whether they are gifted or challenged, can find a place in the public schools. "In public schools, everyone is going to find a niche," Wood says.

The right niche for a child may change with time, so parents should assess each child's educational needs every year, says Heintz. "We're really lucky here in St. Tammany," she says. "We have the choice of good public and private schools.