South Cameron Teachers of Year named

South Cameron High

Toni Kay Sibille has been named 2024-25 South Cameron High School Teacher of the Year.

Sibille is in her 20th year with the Cameron Parish School System. Her first year and half, she was a secretary at Cameron Elementary. During the Fall of 2005, while she was attending McNeese State University, we experienced the devastation of Hurricane Rita destroying the school. She was transferred to the position of secretary at the school board office. She graduated from McNeese State University with a Bachelor Degree in General Studies that year.

In May 2009, once life was back to somewhat normal, she was able to continue her elementary education studies and graduated from McNeese State with a Bachelor Degree in Education. The last 15 years she has been in the classroom. She taught 2nd and 3rd grade at Grand Lake Elementary until 2017 Later, she became certified as a Librarian and Family and Consumer Science teacher and moved to SCHS in 2017, where she is currently teaching and is co-librarian. She is a sponsor for 4-H, Middle School FBLA, and FCCLA. She is the chairperson for the Homecoming Alumni and Maid Social.

Sibille is passionate about inspiring students to explore new things. She especially enjoys teaching cooking and baking, and fostering creativity in the kitchen. I believe every child can learn – it just happens on a different day and in a different way for each of them. She is married to Cody Sibille and they have three children: twin girls Kinsley and Kiley, who both graduated from South Cameron High; and Kutter who is an 8th grade student at Grand Lake High School.

South Cameron Middle

Jill Manuel has been named 2024-25 South Cameron Middle School Teacher of the Year.

After graduating from McNeese State University with a BS in chemical engineering, Manuel spent five years working in industry. In 1985, she began her 39 years of teaching mathematics. Her first two years were in Calcasieu Parish but she has been teaching in Cameron Parish for the last 37 years. She taught high school math and science at South Cameron 1986-1998 and Grand Lake 1998-2023.

Recently Manuel returned to South Cameron to teach middle school math. In this parish she sometimes has the opportunity and privilege to teach her former student’s children. Teaching is something that she really enjoys because of spending time with her students and making math easy for all.

South Cameron Elementary

Hester Chesson has been named 2024-25 South Cameron Elementary School Teacher of the Year.
Chesson teaches 2nd grade, all subjects, at South Cameron High School. She is in her second year teaching. She is married to Jordan Chesson and they have three wonderful children along with one granddaughter. She has been in childcare/education since 2004. She graduated from McNeese University in 2022 with a bachelor’s in criminal justice and sociology. She decided to pursue a career in education after graduating. Her goal as a teacher is to help children learn and succeed in school.