Mary Ellen Donatto, principal at East Elementary, has once again made a name for herself and her school, being named “Elementary State Principal of the Year.”

This is the second time Donatto has earned top state honors, having been named Principal fo the Year in 2006 as well.

Donatto’s honors were announced last weekend at the Louisiana State Department of Education’s “Education Excellence” celebration in Baton Rouge.

The celebration of acheivements by educators across the state were recognized. One of the categories was that of “Elementary Principal of the Year,” for which Mary Ellen Donatto was awarded.

The State Elementary Principal of the Year competition involved more than 600 elementary schools in the state.

The process began when Donatto was recognized as the St. Landry Parish Principal of the Year.

She went on to be honored at the regional level, earning the nine-parish Region IV title.

The nine regional winners then competed for the state title.

This level of competition consists of a 30-minute PowerPoint presentation followed by a 15-minute question-and-answer session which takes place in the presence of three judges.

Donatto has served as principal at East Elementary for the past 11 years; under her leadership the school has excelled.

East Elementary has been recognized as a “High Performing/High Poverty” school in two consecutive years. A High Performing/High Poverty school is one in which more than 65% of its students come from a low income setting and its School Performance Score is 100 or above.

Two other Eunice schools received the same recognition, Eunice Elementary and Glendale Elementary.

East Elementary has also been recognized by the state for academic growth in 1991, 2001, 2004, 2005 and 2008.

The school was recognized twice on a national level for its academic program, in 2001 by the Washington Apple Commision and again in 2003 by Georgia Southern University.

Donatto said that East Elementary’s success is due to, “Its people, the students, parents, and staff.”

Donatto added a “litany’’ of praises for the school’s employees, saying, “My staff, teachers, aides, secretary, cooks, custodians, and bus personnel are knowledgeable, dedicated, and hardworking. They believe in what they do and are experts at it. I recognize that I am blessed to spend my work day in such a positive atmosphere. I am Louisiana’s Elementary Principal of the Year only because I have the staff of a lifetime!”

Donatto expresseed great pride in being part of St.Landry Parish’s Public School System. Prior to serving as principal she was a first grade teacher and an Instructional Specialist at East Elementary.

She also considers herself fortunate to be a citizen of Eunice, and is grateful for the city’s support of her endeavors.