Supriya Jindal, wife of Gov. Bobby Jindal, made her way around Mandeville Wednesday, stopping at a local elementary school and a nursing home.

At Magnolia Trace Elementary School, Jindal delivered six interactive white board systems, one for each of the school’s first-grade classrooms.

Across town, at Heritage Manor Nursing Home, Jindal provided residents with ornaments to hang on the facility’s Christmas trees.

Louisiana First Lady Supriya Jindal demonstrates how the interactive whiteboards work by playing a game of Jeopardy with students at Magnolia Trace Elementary. (Photo Courtesy of St. Tammany Parish Schools)

The ornaments provided by Jindal were made by school children from across the state and hung on the Christmas tree in the Governor’s mansion last year.

Residents were honored and thrilled to meet and speak with Jindal, who made her way around the facility’s dining room to shake everyone’s hand and personally wish them Merry Christmas.

“It is such an honor to have the governor’s wife recognize us by bringing her ornaments,” resident Rosalie Waller said, commenting that Jindal was very friendly and kind.

Claudette Long, who was at the facility visiting her husband, Frank, was touched that Jindal would take time out of her busy schedule “to visit with those that cannot go out.”

The Supriya Jindal Foundation, with charter member partner AT&T, had provided interactive whiteboard systems, like those delivered to Magnolia Trace Elementary, were provided to 60 classrooms across the state this month.

Each system includes a Promethean interactive whiteboard with speaker system, an interactive response system that allows students to actively participate in a lesson; everything needed to install the systems and training for all of the teachers.

“Interactive whiteboards are something we are beginning to see transform education across the country,” Jindal said, adding that studies show a 17-29 percentile gain in academic achievement in classrooms that use the systems over those that do not.

“The foundation is extremely proud to have partners such as AT&T who have helped to make this award to Magnolia Trace Elementary School possible. With hard work, we have the opportunity to make a lasting and positive difference in education.”

William Oliver, president of AT&T Louisiana, said “AT&T is proud to partner with the Supriya Foundation for Louisiana’s children to bring technology to the classroom.”

“It’s vital that we help students succeed in school, in the workforce and in life,” he said.

By using interactive whiteboards, teachers are able to download presentations from teachers in other state or from the classroom next door to help illustrate a lesson. Educators can write on them like normal whiteboards, but can also connect them to a computer and show a presentation, watch a video or teach a lesson where the students can go up, point to and chose an answer.

While at Magnolia Trace, Jindal demonstrated the boards’ capabilities by playing a game of Jeopardy with the students.