BY MATTHEW ALBRIGHT | Staff writer Valedictorians don't just end their high school career with a speech — they leave campus with some of Louisiana's brightest futures. But how do the decades in "the real world" actually treat them? We've tracked down 17 valedictorians from the class of 2003 to see how their lives have unfolded over the past 20 years. Here's an explainer of the series we'll be running over the next month or so, and here's our first story, about how a 10-year-old boy went from not speaking English to a state environmental engineer. Schools closed Monday across St. Helena Parish as educators held a "sick out" to protest the failure of a tax that would have supported their pay and the district's finances. It's just the latest parish to face turmoil over teacher pay. Here's an explanation of what's causing the tension. A proposal to build a mental health hospital for patients who are involuntarily committed has faced steep opposition from neighbors who fear it could be unsafe and could undermine their property values. But state officials say the facility is badly needed because a shortage of treatment beds has left people who need help languishing in jail. Now a compromise may be in the works. Here's the new plan. | 