Mansfield, LA-At its August meeting, the Louisiana State Board of Elementary and Secondary Education (BESE) and the Louisiana Department of Education recognized DeSoto Parish Schools as one of the top three school systems in the state for awarding STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) Diploma Seals.
In the 2024–2025 school year, DeSoto Parish awarded 121 STEM Diploma Seals to graduating seniors. These seals highlight students’ commitment to advanced study in the biomedical and pre-engineering pathways.
The STEM Seal is awarded at two levels:
Silver Seal – earned by students who successfully complete four required STEM pathway courses.
Gold Seal – awarded to students who complete the four required courses plus four additional pathway courses.
Students achieve these milestones through Project Lead The Way (PLTW) courses, which provide hands-on, real-world learning in science and engineering. This year, Mansfield High School and North DeSoto High School also received the PLTW Distinguished School Award, further spotlighting DeSoto’s commitment to excellence in STEM education.
“The STEM seals awarded to our students is a testament to the dedication and hard work that our students, teachers, and administrators put in every day,” said Student Learning Science/Social Studies Coordinator, Brandon Fontenot. “We want our students to have a jumpstart into the STEM related education and work that they will be investing their lives into. We would also like to give a special shout out to Ms. Descant, Mr. Manriquez, Mr. McCaffree, and Mr. Ziegler, as well as Project Lead the Way.”
STEM instruction in DeSoto Parish is made possible by the dedication of teachers Mr. Scott Ziegler, Mr. Robert Manriquez, Mr. Clayton McCaffree, and Mrs. Megan Descant, whose work continues to expand opportunities for students across the district.