At Group Travel Network, we feel that everyone who crosses our path is intended to become a welcomed member of our extended family. These individuals come in many forms including clients, vendors, colleagues and more. We are so proud of our family, we decided to share some of the backgrounds to some of these incredible people. Each month we are going to spotlight a member of our family tree. One such GTN Family Member has accomplished so much, but not without major obstacles along the way.

Educator Spotlight - Craig Millet

Craig Millet is the Director of Bands at St. Amant High School, located in Ascension Parish, Louisiana. This notable band program has grown to become the largest non-magnet high school in Louisiana receiving numerous awards and accomplishments. It was in 10th-grade jazz band that Craig realized his calling to be a teacher and has now been pursuing his passion for almost 29 years! His high school band director, Ed Winston III, was a big inspiration to him. He admired much of what Mr. Winston did and the person he was. Craig went on to earn his Bachelor of Arts degree in Instrumental Music Education from Louisiana Tech University. While at Louisiana Tech, Craig participated in the college’s Saxophone Quartet, Marching Band, Jazz Band, Symphonic Band, and the Ruston Symphony Orchestra. Mr. Millet also gives a shout out to Carl Schexnayder who helped shape him into the outstanding band director he is today.

The bands under Craig’s direction (Symphonic Band, Concert Band, Marching Band and Wind Symphony) have distinguished themselves on a local, regional, state, and national level. But despite their successes, this Louisiana high school has had devastating downfalls. In August 2016, the school experienced extreme flooding - as high as 30 inches. Almost everything in the band rooms were damaged. Most of their instruments (school-owned and student-owned), uniforms, color guard equipment and a large number of electronics were negatively affected beyond repair and the 2016-17 high school band season looked bleak. Most students were without instruments and could not rehearse, putting them several weeks behind for their football game performances. Thanks to fundraisers, community support (even from rival schools!) and their never-ending hope, the St. Amant High School bands were able to get back on their feet and get back to creating high-caliber music. In fact, spring 2017 (only a few months after the tragic flooding), all of St. Amant’s bands received superior ratings at LMEA's State Band Festival!

Craig has been married for 29 years to his wife Julie and they have 2 children who are both currently pursuing careers in education. His favorite quote is “Keep God first, family second, everything else comes after”. In 2013, both of his children were in his band class together and he recalls that being one of his favorite memories as a teacher. You can tell that Craig is passionate about his pupils and their education because he looks forward to each spring when his band students receive their college acceptance letters, knowing that all their hard work has paid off. His wish for them is to understand that extremely hard work gets the job done and that they leave his classroom with a greater appreciation for the arts. In his free time, Craig enjoys fishing and rebuilding old cars, his most recent accomplishment being his refurbished 1970’s Chevy!
Mr. Millet received the Band Master of the Year Award for excellence in the field of music education from Louisiana Tech University. His advice to anyone seeking to become an educator is “to make sure you love what you do, don’t settle”.