<html><head></head><body><div class="ydpf6da7717yahoo-style-wrap" style="font-family:Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;font-size:16px;"><div></div>
</div><div id="ydpac8c22c5yahoo_quoted_2703738186" class="ydpac8c22c5yahoo_quoted"><div class="ydpac8c22c5yahoo-style-wrap" style="font-family:Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;font-size:16px;"><div style="font-family:'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;font-size:13px;color:#26282a;border-left: 1px solid #ccc;padding-left: 8px;margin: 0px 0px 0px 8px" class="ydpac8c22c5inline_reply_quote_container" data-split-quote-node="true"><div><br></div>
<div><div id="ydpac8c22c5yiv4438032715"><div><div style="font-family:Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;font-size:16px;" class="ydpac8c22c5yiv4438032715yahoo-style-wrap"><div dir="ltr"><div><div style="margin:0in;font-size:12pt;font-family:New serif;color:rgb(0, 0, 0);letter-spacing:normal;"><div style="text-align:center;"><img title="Inline image" alt="Inline image" src="cid:2cdb4d3c-97b7-92ab-1b19-e12c2da31140@yahoo.com" style="color:rgb(38, 40, 42);font-size:11pt;max-width:400px;width:50%;" class="ydpac8c22c5yiv4438032715yahoo-inline-image" data-id="<2cdb4d3c-97b7-92ab-1b19-e12c2da31140@yahoo.com>"></div><span style="font-size:11pt;color:rgb(38, 40, 42);"><br></span></div><div style="margin:0in;font-size:12pt;font-family:New serif;color:rgb(0, 0, 0);letter-spacing:normal;"><span style="font-size:11pt;color:rgb(38, 40, 42);"><br></span></div><div style="margin:0in;font-size:12pt;font-family:New serif;color:rgb(0, 0, 0);letter-spacing:normal;"><span style="font-size:11pt;color:rgb(38, 40, 42);">March 20, 2025 </span></div><p style="margin:0in;font-size:12pt;font-family:New serif;color:rgb(0, 0, 0);letter-spacing:normal;" class="ydpac8c22c5yiv4438032715ydp56866704MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11pt;color:rgb(38, 40, 42);"> </span></p><div style="margin:0in;font-size:12pt;font-family:New serif;color:rgb(0, 0, 0);letter-spacing:normal;"><b><span style="font-size:13.5pt;">LAKE FOREST ELEMENTARY CHARTER SCHOOL NATIONALLY RECOGNIZED FOR EXCEPTIONAL ACHIEVEMENT AT 2024 ESEA NATIONAL CONFERENCE</span></b></div><div style="margin:0in;font-size:12pt;font-family:New serif;color:rgb(0, 0, 0);letter-spacing:normal;"><b><span style="font-size:13.5pt;"><br></span></b></div><div style="margin:0in;font-size:12pt;font-family:New serif;color:rgb(0, 0, 0);letter-spacing:normal;"><b>NEW ORLEANS, LA</b> – Representatives from <a href="https://www.lakeforestcharter.org/" style="color:blue;text-decoration-line:underline;" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><span style="letter-spacing:-0.25pt;">Lake Forest Elementary Charter School </span></a><u><span style="color:blue;letter-spacing:-0.25pt;"> </span></u>recently traveled to Austin, TX, to attend the <a href="http://www.ESEAnetwork.org" style="color:blue;text-decoration-line:underline;" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><span style="letter-spacing:-0.25pt;">The National Association of ESEA State Program Administrators (NAESPA)</span></a>. At the conference, NAESPA announced that Lake Forest Elementary Charter School has been named a National ESEA Distinguished School by the Louisiana Department of Education. This prestigious honor recognizes Lake Forest’s exceptional student achievement and marks the third time the school has received this national distinction for Exceptional Student Performance and Academic Growth.</div><div style="margin:0in;font-size:12pt;font-family:New serif;color:rgb(0, 0, 0);letter-spacing:normal;"><br></div><div style="margin:0in;font-size:12pt;font-family:New serif;color:rgb(0, 0, 0);letter-spacing:normal;">Lake Forest was one of only 100 schools nationwide to earn this recognition in 2024.</div><div style="margin:0in;font-size:12pt;font-family:New serif;color:rgb(0, 0, 0);letter-spacing:normal;"><br></div><div style="margin:0in;font-size:12pt;font-family:New serif;color:rgb(0, 0, 0);letter-spacing:normal;">“The 2025 National ESEA Conference offers invaluable insights into best practices for addressing educational equity,” said Lake Forest CEO Mardele Early. “We were thrilled to attend, gain new tools for meeting the needs of disadvantaged students, and celebrate alongside outstanding schools from across the country.”</div><div style="margin:0in;font-size:12pt;font-family:New serif;color:rgb(0, 0, 0);letter-spacing:normal;"><br></div><div style="margin:0in;font-size:12pt;font-family:New serif;color:rgb(0, 0, 0);letter-spacing:normal;">The National ESEA Distinguished Schools Program, a project of NAESPA, honors federally funded schools demonstrating extraordinary student achievement. Since 1996, the program has recognized hundreds of schools nationwide that have made significant academic improvements.</div><div style="margin:0in;font-size:12pt;font-family:New serif;color:rgb(0, 0, 0);letter-spacing:normal;"><br></div><div style="margin:0in;font-size:12pt;font-family:New serif;color:rgb(0, 0, 0);letter-spacing:normal;">As the highest-performing K-8 public charter school in Orleans Parish, Lake Forest Elementary Charter School continues to set the standard for academic excellence. The school has consistently maintained high student achievement by providing a rigorous and supportive learning environment that challenges students to perform beyond mastery levels.</div><div style="margin:0in;font-size:12pt;font-family:New serif;color:rgb(0, 0, 0);letter-spacing:normal;"><br></div><div style="margin:0in;font-size:12pt;font-family:New serif;color:rgb(0, 0, 0);letter-spacing:normal;">Recognized as an “A”-rated school, Lake Forest ranks as the 2nd highest-scoring K-8 school in Louisiana and the top-performing K-8 school in Orleans Parish. It has also been honored as a “Top Gains Honoree” for exceptional academic progress.</div><div style="margin:0in;font-size:12pt;font-family:New serif;color:rgb(0, 0, 0);letter-spacing:normal;"><br></div><div style="margin:0in;font-size:12pt;font-family:New serif;color:rgb(0, 0, 0);letter-spacing:normal;"><span style="color:rgb(38, 40, 42);">Lake Forest Elementary Charter School is celebrated for its legacy of excellence, earning recognition as the Best Elementary Charter School in Louisiana by U.S. News & World Report. The school has achieved numerous national accolades, including being named a National ESEA Distinguished School three times (2009, 2016, 2024) and a National Blue Ribbon School twice (2013, 2021).</span></div><div style="margin:0in;font-size:12pt;font-family:New serif;color:rgb(0, 0, 0);letter-spacing:normal;"><span style="color:rgb(38, 40, 42);"><br></span></div><p style="margin:0in;font-size:12pt;font-family:New serif;color:rgb(0, 0, 0);letter-spacing:normal;" class="ydpac8c22c5yiv4438032715ydp56866704MsoNormal"><span style="color:rgb(38, 40, 42);">For more information about Lake Forest, go to: </span><a href="http://www.lakeforestcharter.org/" style="color:blue;text-decoration-line:underline;" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><span style="letter-spacing:-0.25pt;">www.lakeforestcharter.org/</span></a><span style="color:rgb(38, 40, 42);"></span></p><p style="margin:0in;font-size:12pt;font-family:New serif;color:rgb(0, 0, 0);letter-spacing:normal;" class="ydpac8c22c5yiv4438032715ydp56866704MsoNormal"><span style="color:rgb(38, 40, 42);">For more information about ESEA, go to: </span><a href="http://www.ESEAnetwork.org" style="color:blue;text-decoration-line:underline;" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><span style="letter-spacing:-0.25pt;">www.ESEAnetwork.org</span></a><span style="letter-spacing:-0.25pt;"></span></p><p style="margin:0in;font-size:12pt;font-family:New serif;color:rgb(0, 0, 0);letter-spacing:normal;" class="ydpac8c22c5yiv4438032715ydp56866704MsoNormal"><span style="color:rgb(38, 40, 42);"> </span></p><p style="margin:0in;font-size:12pt;font-family:New serif;color:rgb(0, 0, 0);letter-spacing:normal;" class="ydpac8c22c5yiv4438032715ydp56866704MsoNormal"><br></p><p style="margin:0in;font-size:12pt;font-family:New serif;color:rgb(0, 0, 0);letter-spacing:normal;" class="ydpac8c22c5yiv4438032715ydp56866704MsoNormal"><b> <img title="Inline image" alt="Inline image" src="cid:9e766117-a075-43cd-1043-dd041854080d@yahoo.com" style="max-width:400px;width:50%;" class="ydpac8c22c5yiv4438032715yahoo-inline-image" data-inlineimagemanipulating="true" data-id="<9e766117-a075-43cd-1043-dd041854080d@yahoo.com>"><br></b></p><div style="margin:0in;font-size:12pt;font-family:New serif;color:rgb(0, 0, 0);letter-spacing:normal;">Lake Forest Instructional Facilitator<b> </b>April Hartman; Lake Forest Executive Director of School Quality Dr. Ryan DeRousselle; and Lake Forest CEO Mardele Early.</div><div style="margin:0in;font-size:12pt;font-family:New serif;color:rgb(0, 0, 0);letter-spacing:normal;"><br></div><div style="margin:0in;font-size:12pt;font-family:New serif;color:rgb(0, 0, 0);letter-spacing:normal;"><img title="Inline image" alt="Inline image" src="cid:62f72095-d77b-eb45-8a6c-415a7b085b69@yahoo.com" style="max-width:400px;width:50%;" class="ydpac8c22c5yiv4438032715yahoo-inline-image" data-inlineimagemanipulating="true" data-id="<62f72095-d77b-eb45-8a6c-415a7b085b69@yahoo.com>"><br><br><span style="font-size:12pt;">Burnell Cook, LDOE; Lake Forest CEO Mardele Early; Lake Forest Instructional Facilitator</span><b style="font-size:12pt;"> </b><span style="font-size:12pt;">April Hartman; and Lake Forest Executive Director of School Quality Dr. Ryan DeRousselle.</span></div><p style="margin:0in;font-size:12pt;font-family:New serif;color:rgb(0, 0, 0);letter-spacing:normal;" class="ydpac8c22c5yiv4438032715ydp56866704MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:9pt;font-family:Helvetica;"> </span></p></div><br></div></div></div></div></div>
</div>
</div></div></body></html>