Riverside Academy has announced its Teachers of the Year for 2022-2023.

Lindsay Guidry is the Elementary Teacher of the Year, Oneida Tanguma is the Middle School Teacher of the Year and Darryl Clement is the High School Teacher of the Year.

All three said they were surprised and honored to be chosen.

“Every day I work alongside the most hardworking, dedicated, and caring teachers so it is such an honor to have been chosen as the Elementary Teacher of the Year,” Mrs. Guidry said. “I was in shock when Mrs. Holly called out my name.  So many other teachers are also so deserving of this award.   Many of them inspire me and motivate me to do my best.  Over the years I’ve learned so much from my fellow coworkers.  I know I wouldn’t be the teacher I am today without their support and guidance. Receiving this award makes me just want to keep doing what I’ve been doing.  I am truly blessed to be able to have a job I love, at a school that I love.  I get to spend each day with some pretty awesome kids and coworkers that I call my friends. Teaching is so much more than a job. It’s so rewarding to see how much the students grow.”

Mrs. Tanguma is new to Riverside, having only been here a year, and she was taken aback.

“Being nominated is such an honor.,” Mrs. Tanguma said. “My family and I have only lived in Louisiana for a year and a half, and Riverside is the only school I have worked at, so being the new kid on the block and earning Teacher of the Year from colleagues who hardly know me is amazing. Teaching has been my passion for many years, from owning my own dance studio at 14 to earning a Masters degree in Education Administration. I truly love what I do and sometimes it doesn’t feel like work. I will forever continue to show my passion for teaching with not only colleagues but my students as well. It’s like I tell my students:  if it feels like work and you’re not having fun, then you should find another path.”

Mr. Clement has been at Riverside for a long time, first as a student. 

“It felt incredible to know that the people I worked with had given me this opportunity and that I was named Teacher of the Year. This is the best feeling any teacher can have because I didn’t expect to get it, but getting it makes you feel so good, and knowing my hard work brought me here allows me to appreciate everything.”