Joni J. Smith has accepted the position of Johnson Bayou High School principal and brings with her 28 years of experience in education. Having grown up in a rural setting in Idaho ranching and rodeoing, she attended the College of Southern Idaho on a basketball and track scholarship and completed her education at Boise State University competing on the rodeo team. After graduating, she won the title of Miss Rodeo America and toured the United States, Canada, and Australia promoting the culture of the cowboy, cattle, and western way of life.

She met and married a McNeese Cowboy from New Iberia, Mike Smith, and raised four children. Along the way she has worked in the educational systems of rural Idaho, Calcasieu, Ascension, West Feliciana, and Lafayette Parishes and she is excited to bring her experiences to the community of Johnson Bayou. As a lifelong learner she is half way through her doctorate on family engagement in education, loves learning new things, reading, riding, hiking, hunting, fishing, and all things outdoors.

She believes extracurricular activities and student involvement are of paramount importance for growth and student self-efficacy. All of our students are all of our students all of the time. Getting to know and support every student’s passion is a goal she has already set for herself. She is excited to build a culture of positive relationships with families, teachers, and community stakeholders to help all students realize and act on their potential which in turn, will lead them to be successful self-regulating graduates that can navigate as adults in today’s world.