GONZALES — Multiple Ascension Parish schools have new principals ahead of the 2026-27 school year. 

Ascension Head Start's new principal is Ali Gautreaux.

She previously worked at the Assumption Parish School District in various leadership and instructional roles.

Lowery Middle School's new principal is Jennifer Franklin, who previously taught physical education and health in North Carolina and East Baton Rouge Parish. She also taught various subjects, as well as working as an instructional coach in West Baton Rouge Parish.

Franklin joined Ascension Public Schools in 2017 as an EMR instructor at East Ascension High School, where she also served as a mentor teacher and Instructional Leadership Team member. She later served as a Teacher Coach for APPLe and Early College Option before completing an administrative internship at Lake Elementary School.

Most recently, she served as assistant principal at Donaldsonville High School. She also coached soccer for seven years at East Ascension High School after previously serving as head soccer coach at St. Michael the Archangel High School.

Galvez Primary School's new principal is Michele Courtney.

She has spent her entire career with Ascension Public Schools. In 2004, she started as a seventh-grade social studies and EXCEL teacher at St. Amant Middle School. She later taught sixth, seventh, and eighth-grade geography at Dutchtown Middle School.

In 2005, she joined Galvez Primary School, where she taught first grade, third grade and self-contained special education before serving as assistant principal.