The Renaissance
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SLA Kimberly Rogers runs it daily Emily Swisher-Anderson Staff Writer
Kimberly Rogers of the Louisiana School for Math, Science, and the Arts (LSMSA) will soon be running in Washington D.C. at the Marine Corps Marathon. Rogers has fundraised to attend the race. She is very grateful to the LSMSA community for the support they have given her. In fact, out of the 40 donations she was given to fund her trip, 15 of them were from the LSMSA community, which includes staff, students’ parents, former staff members, and alumni. This marathon is Roger’s second marathon following the Bank of America Chicago Marathon last October. She remarked that she enjoyed the large crowds cheering her on as she ran. Seeing all of the support throughout the different subdivisions she ran through gave her a motivation to continue to run, and she is looking forward to seeing those things at this upcoming race.
She is also looking forward to the great weather and the amusing sidelines she will be passing through. At the Bank of America Chicago Marathon, the route went through 29 neighborhoods, and each one was filled with cheering people, music, and excitement. Each one was diverse, and Rogers hopes to see similar things at this upcoming marathon. Rogers’ running career started when another Student Life Advisor (SLA) at LSMSA suggested Roger to run in LSMSA’s annual 5K. When this was originally asked of her, she claims that she could not even run a mile without being out of breath. That LSMSA 5K was a huge accomplishment for her at the time. After running in her first 5K, Rogers heard of the charitable Bank of America Chicago Marathon, which she ran in honor of her father. Roger’s parcipitation in the Marine Corps Marathon will also be in
October 2014
Kimberly Rogers running in her last race, the Chicago Bank of America Marathon. Courtesy of Kimberly Rogers
honor of her father. She will be running with the American Brain Tumor Association in her sixth race. “If I can do it, anyone can do it,” said Rogers.
She encourages anyone who would like to run for fun to do it. Fans can follow Rogers by keeping up with her social media. She uses her Facebook and Tum-
blr, but the main purpose of her Tumblr is for support. She also has a website that provides background information and more.
manager of his own team. He soon got wrapped up in the competition with his friends when they started playing for small prizes, and as they became more successful, they started playing for more money. Anderson has been successful in the past, winning in his league many times on a number of fantasy football websites. He has
participated in a variety of leagues with formats including standard drafts and auction leagues. In standard drafts, fans draft players to his team, one at a time. In the auction league, fans are given a certain amount of money to spend on the players of his choosing. Anderson believes that his league has a good chance of winning with
NFL stars such as AJ Green and Eddie Lacy.
Pay for play Brennan Johnson Guest Writer
Millions of Americans watch the National Football League (NFL) every Sunday, but some fans, like the Louisiana School for Math, Science, and the Arts’s (LSMSA) own Jason Anderson and Dale Clingerman take the experience to another level. They participate in fantasy football, in which they create a team
of NFL stars, and their success is dictated by how well the athletes perform. While LSMSA Basketball assistant coaches Michael Sumner and Blake Teekell, play for bragging rights and enjoyment, Anderson takes the experience a step further. Anderson started playing fantasy football in 2003 and enjoyed being the general
Dr. J enjoying fantasy football. Taken by Johnnette Johnson
The Renaissance
October 2014
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A history of LSMSA written by Dr. Bill Ebarb Dale Campo
Staff Writer
The Louisiana School for Math, Science, and the Arts’s former Director of Fiscal Affairs, Dr. Bill Ebarb, has recently finished a historical account of LSMSA’s first thirty years for publication. The chronology begins in 1981, and it incorporates stories from alumni as well as the developmental history of LSMSA. Mary Ellen Slater (’95), owner of Reputation Capital Media Services and Trustee of the LSMSA Foundation, and Barbara Bourgoyne (’88) are set to prepare the text for publishing under the auspices of the LSMSA Foundation. Distribution will be done electronically. On demand printing will provide hard copies of Ebarb’s book. “Louisiana School: The First 30 Years” will discuss LSMSA in its early years, when the school was in a fragile state and facilities were insufficient. The book explains the
origins of Bossier Hall— nicknamed by past students “Little Angola” and now obsolete— and Prudhomme Hall, which was then a girls’ dormitory and whose first floor was the setting of classes and teacher offices. It also covers the renovation of the gymnasium in 1992, after it was previously condemned. Also noted is the original plan to have a Student Activity Center and Cafeteria inside the gymnasium walls for a planned 750 students. Dr. Ebarb was inspired to begin this writing endeavor after the death of Joe Sampite, former mayor of Natchitoches, strong advocate of LSMSA, and friend of Ebarb. Ebarb recognized that a collective history of LSMSA would need to be written while valuable sources of information who could recall the school’s origins were still alive. The book relates how, between 1993 and 1994, the school was urged by the State Government
not to recruit a junior class. That request was ignored, and that junior class went on to gain scholarships between $7-8 million, previously unheard of in the state. Ebarb took great care in offering alumni stories to capture the history of the school. One example includes the shifting of a faculty versus girls’ basketball team match from full court to half court due to flooding in the gymnasium. Also included was the story of the mock assassination of President Bush, Sr. by a student in the High School Building, which helped to get students involved in the presidential election. Dr. Ebarb wants his book not only to provide a record of the school, but also to entertain his readers and tell a story. “I want people to read it and say, ‘What is this idiot coming up with next,’” said Ebarb. Ebarb also notes that the book will need a follow up. He challenges someone to take on the role of recording LSMSA’s
Dr. Bill Ebarb.
history from here on out. “If there are some blanks that I left and [you] want to fill them in, that’d be great. I would love to see more narrative information from more recent years,” said Ebarb. Ebarb comments that
Taken by Elizabeth Fontenot
the following years of LSMSA should be recorded in some way. “[I want to] get that record going,” said Ebarb. Contact Ebarb with any stories you care to share about the LSMSA experience.
Guest instrumentalists perform recital Brooke Mendoza
Layout Editor
Over a hundred people crowded into the 87-seat Louisiana School for Math, Science, and the Arts (LSMSA) Recital hall to watch a violin, piano, and cello concert. Northwestern State University (NSU) professor Paul Christopher hosted guest violinist Seojung Park and guest
pianist Haena Jee in the recital on Sept. 9, 2014. Mrs. Benner and Paul Christopher opened the recital, thanking people for attending and also apologizing for the last minute relocation of the recital. Park and Jee started off the recital with J. Brahms’s Violin Sonata No. 3 in D minor, Op. 108, which is composed
of allegro, adagio, un poco presto e con sentimento, and presto agitato. After the sonata ended, Passacaglia for violin and cello by HandelHalverson made for a great duo with cellist Paul Christopher and violinist Seojung Park. When Park and Christopher finished, there was a brief intermission.
The recital resumed with Park and Jee playing C. Franck’s Violin Sonata in A Major, which is composed of allegretto ben moderato, allegro, recitativo-fantasia: ben moderato, and allegretto poco mosso. Lastly, Park and Jee played P. Sarasate’s Zigeunerwisen, Op. 20. Although there were some complications in
relocating the recital from Northwestern State University’s Magale Hall to the Louisiana School for Math, Science, and the Arts recital hall, it turned out to be a great success; it was an amazing opportunity granted to LSMSA and NSU students and faculty.