Chris Dupuy announces for Clerk position

(Editor’s note: This is an announcement by a candidate in the Oct. 12 election.)
Dear fellow Avoyelleans,
I am asking the residents of Avoyelles Parish for their supporting vote as I am running for Clerk of Court.  Residing in Moncla since 2005, my wife, Desiree Orr Dupuy, and I have both been employed in fields that involve public service. For the last 25 years, I have been a proud servant of the State of Louisiana as a mentor to the youth of Avoyelles and I have proudly served Avoyelles Parish for the last 14 years as an educator.
I am a 1987 graduate of Marksville High and a 1994 graduate of the University of Louisiana at Lafayette. I am a veteran who enlisted in the Louisiana Army National Guard and served from 1991-1997, and was twice named NCO of the Year in 1992 and 1993.
Brought up with good old-fashioned family values, I was raised on our family farm.  I was taught the value of hard work and accountability.  I learned to drive a tractor before I learned to drive a car.
Over the course of my lifetime, I have worked many jobs and all of those jobs related to serving people. They include working summers at Paragon Casino Resort, being an armored car driver, and even working at local restaurants as well as being a member of the Sheriff’s Office back in the late 1980's. For the last year, I have even been employed, part time, by the Clerk of Court's office on Election Day. I am proud of all the jobs I have worked at in my life, no matter what title was entrusted to me.
For the first 19 years of my teaching career, I was a classroom teacher. I taught subjects from 7th and 8th grade ELA, psychology, American history and civics. I have been an honors teacher and a P.E. teacher. In addition,  I have been named Teacher of the Year in a previous school district. I am one of two instructors for the Avoyelles Parish School System in Handle With Care where I go around training other school personnel.  Handle With Care is a program that helps schools and organizations maintain safer environments.
About five years ago, I found a different calling in my teaching profession. I wanted to help children who needed more assistance than others. I became certified in Adapted Physical Education. I am now an accredited physical education teacher to special needs children and I couldn't be more honored. In effect, I feel compelled to continue to help people by serving as your Clerk of Court.
Moms, dads, aunts, uncles and grandparents, you have trusted me with the education of your loved ones. You have trusted me with their safety, and you have relied on me to be a good, honest, hardworking leader in our communities. I am now asking you to trust me again and elect me Clerk of Court.
Respectfully, Chris Dupuy