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ONE JEFFERSON COUNTY EDUCATOR IS MAKING HISTORY AND USING HIS INFLUENCE TO UPLIFT STUDENTS. SUPERINTENDENT DOCTOR WALTER JOSLIN IS THE ONLY SUPERINTENDENT IN THE STATE TO RECEIVE A NATIONAL AWARD FROM THE SCHOOL SUPERINTENDENTS ASSOCIATION. �������� 13 S BRYCE OSELEN SPOKE WITH HIM ON WHAT THIS MEANS FOR THE STATE, AND WHY HE BELIEVES HE WON THE 2025 NATIONAL SUPERINTENDENT OF THE YEAR IS FROM ALABAMA. WALTER. IT PUTS THE ATTENTION ON THE WORK THAT WE DO HERE IN JEFFERSON COUNTY SCHOOLS AND IN A POSITIVE WAY. JEFFERSON COUNTY SUPERINTENDENT DOCTOR WALTER B GONSOULIN JUNIOR WAS NAMED NATIONAL SUPERINTENDENT OF THE YEAR. HE SAYS HIS STUDENTS ARE HIS BIGGEST INSPIRATION. IT MEANS THE WORLD TO ME TO BE RECOGNIZED AS THE NATIONAL SUPERINTENDENT OF THE YEAR FOR A COUPLE OF REASONS. GONSOULIN HAS WORKED FOR THE DISTRICT SINCE 2017. WHAT I LOVE THE MOST ABOUT IT, THE PEOPLE. YOU KNOW, WORKING WITH THE PEOPLE, WHETHER IT’S THE FACULTY AND STAFF THAT I’M WORKING WITH AND THE CULTURE THAT WE’VE CREATED HERE. THE DISTRICT EDUCATES MORE THAN 30,000 STUDENTS IN MORE THAN 50 SCHOOLS. GONSOULIN SAYS HIS WILLINGNESS TO PREPARE STUDENTS FOR LIFE BEYOND HIGH SCHOOL SEPARATES HIM FROM OTHER SUPERINTENDENTS. THE OPPORTUNITIES THAT WE CREATE THROUGH OUR ACADEMIES THAT ALLOW CHILDREN THE OPPORTUNITY TO GO STRAIGHT TO WORK, MAKING 50, 60, $70,000 STRAIGHT OUT OF HIGH SCHOOL, SIGNING THOSE CONTRACTS BEFORE THEY LEAVE HIGH SCHOOL. WHILE GONSOULIN APPRECIATES HIS ACHIEVEMENT, HE SAYS HIS WORK IS FAR FROM DONE. WHEN WE GIVE THEM THAT DOCUMENT, I WANT IT TO BE A DOCUMENT AS VALUABLE. THAT HIGH SCHOOL DIPLOMA, ONE THAT’S VALUABLE, ONE THAT CAN TAKE THEM SOMEWHERE, YOU KNOW, AND SO THEY DON’T HAVE TO WONDER, WHY DID I TAKE THAT MATH COURSE? WHY DID I TAKE THIS ENGLISH COURSE, SOCIAL STUDIES COURSE? THEY CLEARLY UNDERSTAND THROUGHOUT THEIR ACADEMIC CAREER. IN BIRMINGHAM, BRY