March 2014

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Renaissance The LSMSA

March 2014 Volume XXXI, Issue 5 The Louisiana School 715 University Pkwy. Natchitoches, LA 71457 Praecellemus

CenturyLink links digital immigrants and digital natives Johnnette Johnson Staff Writer

On February 27, Ms. Annmarie Sartor, External Communications Manager of CenturyLink, spoke to students for three hours about peoples’ use of social media and its pros and cons. A key point in her discussion was her theory of the New Order. Sartor stressed her belief that social media encourages the start of an entirely new language that revolves around acronyms such as LOL (Laugh Out Loud), 143 (I Love You) and LLPOF (Liar, Liar, Pants on Fire).

use of punctuation as a means of exhibiting a particular emotion. An example of an emotion is a colon and a closing parenthesis to exhibit a smiley face indicating that one is happy. In her discussion of the New Order, she also introduced us to her theory of recycled communication methods. Sartor gave supporting evidence for her theory by comparing modern examples of communication to ancient examples of communication. In doing so, she compared morse code to emoticons and abbreviations. While

Students Seirra Harris, Shiva Velingker, Carlie Procell, and Charlie Bordelon pose with Sartor and Dr. Delery after eating lunch. Taken by Will Smith

The New Order also involves the creation of a new way of expressing emotion. “In an effort to help stimulate non-verbal communication, we’ve developed the emoticon,” said Sartor. An emoticon is the

morse code uses a series of dots and dashes to represent letters, abbreviations use letters to represent words. She also equated hieroglyphics to branding. Sartor also stressed the fact that although

social media is great in the sense that it can be used to strengthen public relations, it is dangerous in the sense that it can be used to check up on any person’s public profile by an employer or administrator. Sources of social media regret or how social media can be dangerous include unintended audiences, underestimating consequences, and “oops” moments. The example of an instance of an unintended audience that Sartor used was a photo of a man’s hand holding a beer can while steering a vehicle. The caption for the photo was “Perfect way to end a hard day”. Sartor explained how this was a bad decision, because within minutes, this man was found and put in jail for drinking and driving. Sartor used “the tweet heard around the world” as an instance of underestimating consequences. After tweeting, “Going to Africa. Hope I don’t get AIDS. Just kidding. I’m white!”, a public relations professional was quickly left without a job. Sartor cited the consistent mistake of letting autocorrect adjust text messages as her example of an instance of an “oops” moment.

Students Aryiana Moore, Ashlyn Fabre, and Kiana Frederick pose with Sartor after receiving copies of her book. Taken by Johnnette Johnson

In closing Sartor exemplified good use of social media by showing her facebook and twitter fan pages as an author.

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In This Issue:

Editorial: The Importance of Respect Eric Cartman and Aretha Franklin, among many other celebrities, have endorsed this editorial. LSMSA gets Enviro-turnt I know of no better way to get turnt than to be in the vicinity of trees. Also, getting dirty by examining soil. Or something like that. Feminism #TheGreatDebate How much longer will this conversation go on? How many feminists does it take to change a lightbulb?

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Sartor also spoke with Creative Writing students while she was on campus about her side career as a novelist.

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Students participate at District Literary Rally I heard that some students raised the roof while they were at Lit. Rally. Good for them. Thomakos calls Phonathon a success If you don’t appreciate that brilliant pun, then I don’t appreciate you. LSMSA wins SLAMT yet again But winning in an athletic competition with other nerds doesn’t really mean that much. Oh well, #GoEagles2k14 ...and more!

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March 2014

Editorial: The Importance of Respect Brooke Mendoza Staff Writer

“Did those shorts come with a pregnancy test?” This “joke,” directed toward an LSMSA female student for wearing shorts that were “too short,” represents the disrespect circulating not only around our school, but also throughout society as a whole. The causes of this condemnation range from clothing to sexual From comedycentral.com behavior. The problem in society is not merely that people judge others, as it is a natural thing for humans to do; the problem is that many people pass judgment on others in an offensive or harassing way, which can be destructive to others’ self-esteem and to a sense of community. The latter is particularly a problem at LSMSA. That being said, people should not promote bad or “immoral” behavior, but they should accept someone’s decision on how he or she chooses to live. Personal choices sometimes yield unforeseen consequences, but it is necessary to be respectful and help people maintain their dignity. Retaliatory behavior may aggravate the situation and make things worse, possibly even worse than the original offense itself. Responses should be constructive and non-degrading. A community like that of LSMSA should accept and support all of its members, honoring the familiar phrase “do unto others as you would have them do unto you.” Here at LSMSA, the morale of the student body is fragile; students and faculty should deeply consider the impact of their comments. Thoughtless comments can be damaging both to individuals and to community morale.

Dr. Hall: “Does anyone know where the story of Adam & Eve came from?.” Student: “Well, I know it’s from a book...” “When I was your age, you know, back in the Devonian.” -Dr. Hodge William Ganucheau: “It seems like a lot of LSMSA classmates got married to each other back then.” Annalise Labatut: “That’s my greatest fear.” Dr. Atkins: “They did it in the Big Bang Theory” Siobhan Prasad: “So it’s justified.” Dr. Atkins: “Yes, it is.” “It’s not about me vs. y’all, it’s about math vs. the rest of us.” -Mz. Gleason “Just keep your eyes open; that’s how you win staring contests.” -Maggie Picone “Most people think Animal House is a comedy, but it’s actually a documentary.” -Dr. Findley

Solo/Small Ensemble Festival Soojin Lee Staff Writer

Comic by Soojin Lee

On Tuesday February 25, 2014, Private Voice students traveled to Alexandria to compete in the Solo/ Small Ensemble Festival. The students who participated this year were John Galatas, Marissa McCraney, Julia Landon, Nickolas Walling, James Rodrigue, Megan Chesal,

Isabela Walkin, William Smith, and Soojin Lee. Each student performed well for the judge, earning ones on their score sheets. A duet by Marissa McCraney and James Rodrigue even enticed the judge to cry from being overwhelmed by emotion. Now THAT’s something you can put on your resume.


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March 2014

LSMSA gets Enviro-turnt Allison Boudreaux Assistant Editor

Louisiana’s annual Envirothon took place on March 8 in Baton Rouge Louisiana. LSMSA took two teams, blue and gold, sponsored by Dr. Landry. The blue team which placed second in the

competition was made up of Jessi Pierce, Shiva Vellingker, Siobhan Prasad, Ariyanna Moore, and Ashlyn Anderson. The gold team was comprised of Allison Boudreaux, Meredith McManus, Tori Hebert, Christine Savoie, and Claire Marshall.

The competition is based on current issues, understanding of aquatic systems, forestry techniques, wildlife identification, and oral presentation. Students practiced weekly for months preceding the event, observing the flora and fauna on campus and learning forestry procedures. Louisiana State University held a career fair for participants on site which had representatives from several different natural resource management agencies. This allowed students to preview occupational opportunities in environmental science.

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Students win 3rd at state Science Quiz Bowl Tournament Allison Boudreaux Assitant Editor

Rather than enjoying the Sweetheart’s Dance, on February 15, 2014, two teams of five LSMSA students competed in the Department of Energy’s regional Science Bowl. Both teams placed in the top five of 23 teams from all over the state. After staying the night in Baton Rouge,

Boupapanh, and Alex Robertson competed as Team B which took 3rd place. Dr. Stephen Costin tagged along as a chaperone and even got into the competitive spirit as well. For the first time in the school’s history with the competition, both the A and B teams made it into the double elimination

The Gold Team consisting of Meredith McManus, Christine Savoie, Claire Marshall, Tori Hebert, and Alllison Boudreaux in a pit examining soil. Courtesy of Allison Boudreaux

Science Olympiad wins big Allison Boudreaux Assistant Editor

Ten students from LSMSA participated in Louisiana’s Region III Science Olympiad at Bossier Parish Community College on March 15. Students compete yearly in the competition which includes written tests, construction events, and practical lab exercises. LSMSA brought home first in more than five events from Astronomy to Forensics. Dr. Hynes and Dr. Dalling sponsored the team made up of Katherine Prutz, Ross

Team B consisting of Allison Boudreaux, Alex Robertson, Kesany Boupapanh, Marika Buchholz, and Abbie Dowd along with chemistry professor Dr. Costin. Courtesy of Allison Boudreaux

students awoke early to reach the competition at the University of New Orleans at seven that morning. Dr. Chris Hynes sponsors Science Club which sends students to compete yearly. Jourdan, Allison Bou- in at least one event, This year, William dreaux, Marika Buch- and most received Ganucheau, Katherine holz, Kesany Boupap- multiple awards for Prutz, Aaron Cao, Neel ahn, Will Smith, Alex a variety of competiReddy, and Ethan Robertson, Neel Red- tions. Tesnow competed as Students will move dy, Aaron Cao, and Team A which took Siobhan Prasad which onto the state compe5th place. placed third overall. tition on March 28 in Allison Boudreaux, Each student placed Hammond. Marika Buchholz, Abfirst, second, or third bie Dowd, Kesany

round. The 1st and 2nd spot in the tournament were taken by Baton Rouge High School’s two teams. “I think it’s just fun to be able to compete more than anything,” said Neel Reddy. Aside from some scientific disagreement among competitors and judges and an issue with the bracket layout in the second portion of the competition, the day went over very smoothly.


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March 2014

Students read poems out loud for competition Brooke Mendoza Staff Writer

Dr. Julie Kane, former poet laureate of Louisiana, along with Dr. Nahla Beier and Mr. J. Michael Kenny, judged four students who participated in LSMSA’s district Poetry Out Loud competition in the CPT

Recital Hall on the evening of Thursday, February 6, 2014. Participants Jordan Chauncy, Christopher Jackson, Julia Landon, and Aryiana Moore each read three poems from a list of about a thousand that the National Poetry Foundation provided.

Students Aryiana Moore, Christopher Jackson, Julia Landon, and Jordan Chauncy prepare to recite poems. Taken by Brooke Mendoza

Competition winner Jordan Chauncy recited “Domestic Situation” by Earnest Hilbert, “When You Are Young” by W.B. Yeats, and “After Working 60 Hours Again for What Reason” by Bob Hicok. “I participated in this competition mostly because I’m a sucker for a good slam poem,” said Chauncy. “I just think it’s a really neat art form, and I really appreciate it.” Poetry Out Loud, a national recitation competition, provides an opportunity for students to improve their publicspeaking skills while learning profound poetry. The LSMSA competitors were the students that participated in Dr.

Link Hall’s special project, which in essence was a preparation for the competition. The students memorized and recited three poems while their instructor and peers critiqued their performances. “All four of these students worked very hard to get to the finals and each performed wonderfully,” said Hall, sponsor of LSMSA’s Poetry Out Loud competition. “Unfortunately, we could only have one winner.” Chauncy also participated in the state competition which was held Saturday, March 8, 2014 in Baton Rouge. “I prepared for the local competition and the state competition in the same way,” said Chauncy. “Mostly, it

Feminism

#The Great Debate Allison Smith

Feminism. It’s a word that has been given many definitions throughout the passing centuries, but recently a Facebook post has given it an entirely different meaning. On February 5, 2014, sophomore Eli Langley made the brave endeavor of posting a status regarding the word feminism. He stated, “Be a humanist, not a feminist.” Six words. Six words caused the Facebook storm of the

lier to several pictures of sandwiches mocking the old adage of ‘women are only good for making sandwiches’ posted by student Josh Bright. It also spawned several quotes along the line of, “This is why I need feminism,” and, “That’s oppressive.” Soon after the feminism argument sparked on Facebook, three students advertised the formation of the Feminism Club which was already being made. Although

day spurring 42 likes and over 400 comments. These 400 comments ranged from intelligent debate between students such as Lauren Broussard and Mason Soude-

it was formed before the Facebook argument, it goes without saying that the controversy is what made the club so prominent. They took the proposi-

Staff Writer

tion of the club to the Inter Club Council (ICC) to vote on its status as a valid club. Usually, only a handful of about 20 club presidents attend ICC meetings, but the topic was of such interest that every club who could attend ICC sent a representative. Emails were even sent out specifying that only club presidents were allowed. Many students brought up questions such as, “Why can’t it just be a gender equality club?” or “Isn’t this what the club

EQUAL is for?” The spokespeople for the hopeful Feminist Club, Lauren Broussard, Sarah Bonvillain, and Caroline May, stood in the front of the CPT Recital Hall to answer these questions and more. The three emphasized that to achieve gender equality, one must focus on women in particu-

was a lot of walking in circles and repeating poems.” Chauncy recited two of his three poems at state, not making it to the third round. “There was some really tough competition,” Chauncy said. “I’m not disappointed in the way it turned out because there were obviously a lot of people who had made stronger emotional and artistic choices than I had with my poems. It was a good learning experience, and I’m looking forward to competing next year.”

lar, since they are being oppressed. They also mentioned plans such as hosting informational meetings and forums where people of all genders can discuss the issues surrounding feminism. Feminism is a bigger issue than just a school club or a Facebook argument. Women are constantly working for equal rights, and they approach the issue in many different ways. No matter what way it is approached, this issue has prompted several young women to make a change in the world, even if it starts with a mere school club.


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Students place at District Literary Rally Carlie Procell Editor in Chief

29 students rallied together in 29 different subjects to participate in the 2014 District Literary Rally on Feb. 22. Held at Louisiana Tech University, Dr. Mark Ward and Dr. Allison Landry accompanied the students on the two hour bus ride to Ruston, Louisiana. Out of the 29 students who participated, 26 will progress to the State Literary Rally which is to be held April 5 at Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.

different subjects ranging from Agriscience to World History. The 29 students who represented LSMSA at the competition were hand-chosen by faculty members in each subject. Only one student from each subject was chosen. Students take a multiple-choice test of approximately 40 questions in their subject and are judged based on how many questions they get correct. To progress to the state level in a subject, students must have scored

Students smile brightly for the camera in the beautiful city of Ruston after taking their tests at the District Literary Rally. Taken by Mrs. Ward

Paticipants in the 2014 District Rally

The Literary Rally is an academic competition designed for students accross the state of Louisiana to compete and showcase their academic prowess in 50

in the top percentage of people who tested in their respective subject at the district level. Generally, the top three in a subject progress to state.

Subject Accounting I Adv. Math: Precalculus Algebra II Biology Biology II Calculus Chemistry Civics Computer Science I English II English III English IV Environmental Science Fine Arts Survey French I French II French III Geometry Health Journalism I Physical Science Physics Principles of Business Psychology Spanish I Spanish II Spanish III Spelling 10 U.S. History World History

Student Claire Young Azum Beg Lacey Hines Aryiana Moore Bailey Dixon Shiva Velingker Neel Reddy Ny Pham Rhiannan Berry Emily Schultz Jordan Chauncy Chloe LeTulle Allison Boudreaux Christine Savoie Tiffani Smith Leia Bright Logan Osborn Kate Wheeler Ritcha Roy Carlie Procell Aaron Kastner Zachary Hall Saolam Nguyen William Ganucheau Joshua Poche Deborah Adeyemi Marissa Lausen Azum Beg Evan Hebert Marika Buchholz

Place 1st 1st 3rd 1st 1st 1st 1st n/a 1st n/a 1st 1st 1st 1st 2nd 2nd 1st 2nd 2nd 1st 2nd 2nd 1st 1st 1st 1st 1st 1st n/a 1st


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March 2014

Thomakos calls Phonathon a success Johnnette Johnson Staff Writer

On the evening of February 3, LSMSA’s fifth annual Phonathon took place. On behalf of the Louisiana School Founda-

tion, students met in the Language Lab and made over 1,100 phone calls to alumni, contributors to the school, parents of current students, and even grandparents

to ask for pledges for LSMSA. After four nights of voicemails, interesting conversations, and generous contributions, the foundation received $63,000 in

Students Lillian Poe, Selene Allain-Kovacs, Brandy Ledet, Lydia Grafton, and Emily Schultz make phone calls to get donations for The Foundation during the Phonathon. Taken by Johnnette Johnson

pledges, which excessively exceeded the goal of $50,000. These funds, along with revenue made from other fundraisers, go towards the Foundation’s Annual Fund. The Foundation contributes to many exciting projects to enhance our community. Recent examples of projects include the new wireless system for the residence halls, new calculators, upgraded sound equipment in Treen Auditorium, class materials for Dr. Allison Landry’s “Human Anatomy and Physiology” course, class materials for Dr. Jason Anderson’s “Modern Genetics” course, visual arts receptions,

and support for the Spring Arts Gala in Baton Rouge. Another example is the $30,000 architectural study for a new residence hall. “Without question, this wouldn’t have happened without donations received from events like the phonathon,” said Katja Thomakos, the Foundation Director. “Annual fund donations have become a critical component to the LSMSA Foundation’s ongoing support of LSMSA, and we are extremely grateful to our donors who help make this possible.” Next year, Thomakos’s goal for Phonathon is $63,000. Do you think we will exceed the goal?

dents were also allowed plenty of free time to explore the campsite, play hideand-seek, enjoy bonfires, or just relax. On the second day of the retreat, students even attended a Mardi Gras parade on the

camp grounds, where they received beads, candy, and even rubber ducks. Overall, it was a great retreat that contained many invaluable leardership skills for students to use in life.

Spring Leadership Retreat to teach students the balloons the students characteristics of lead- could keep from fallOn February 21, ers and importance of ing to the floor. 2014, a group of over communication. Some Leadership extended thirty students left to the kitchen, where their dorms behind students helped prefor a weekend at Lake pare meals and clean Bistineau State Park up dishes. Throughto participate in the out the retreat, stuLSMSA Spring Leaddents worked together ership Retreat. and learned from each The students spent other. the weekend in cabins, activities required stu“The leadership rechaperoned by Co- dents to communicate treat introduced me ordinator of Student effectively without to a set of peers that Engagement Jenny speaking. I would have never Schmitt and Student A few activities were talked to otherwise,” Life Advisors Susan repeated to see if stu- said Khalilah AlBernath and Jim Wil- dents would be more Amin. “It gave me an son. Sign-up was avail- successful if they were appreciation for the able to all students allowed time to plan various personalities wishing to improve and discuss. A goal among the LSMSA leadership skills. of one such activity student body.” Activities were a way was to see how many At the retreat, stuCosette Zacarias Staff Writer

Students attend a Mardi Gras parade at the camp. Taken by Cosette Zacarias


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LSMSA wins SLAMT yet again Soojin Lee Staff Writer

On Friday February 7, 2014, the Arkansas School for Math, Science, and the Arts (ASMSA) and the Texas Academy for Math and Science (TAMS) arrived at LSMSA to compete in the annual SLAMT tournament. This year was the 20th anniversary of this anticipated sporting event, lending this year’s SLAMT weekend more excitement than ever. Alumni from the classes of 2007, 2009, 2012, and 2013 flocked into Natchitoches to support the current Eagles. The Eagles have almost always dominated the tournament in previous years. In fact, LSMSA has lost the traveling trophy only three times since the first contest in 1994. This year’s Eagles (especially the seniors) were determined to protect the trophy and defend the home turf. SLAMT kicked off with billards and table

tennis tournaments in the Prudhomme second floor lobby. LSMSA racked up six points from the two tournaments by placing first in both. Then the first volleyball game also took place in the Gym, resulting in a victory for the Eagles against ASMSA. Then the tournament really began as TAMS managed to take first place in volleyball over LSMSA in a close game, and LSMSA wiped the flag football field with both ASMSA and TAMS. Then ultimate Frisbee games took place in the Eagle Field (by the CPT) and girls basketball in the Gym. ASMSA scored a win over LSMSA in ultimate Frisbee while TAMS defeated LSMSA in basketball. Chess was also taking place in the midst of all these events in the morning; leading to another second place victory for LSMSA. The soccer games

took place after lunch in Eagle Field. To everyone’s surprise and excitement, LSMSA made a last-minute comeback to score a victory over TAMS for the first time in several years. Meanwhile, LSMSA took second in tennis to TAMS. The final event began in the Gym: boys basketball. The stands were packed with students from all three schools as they cheered for each other. The rumor had it that the LSMSA vs. TAMS game would determine the winner of this year’s SLAMT tournament. Although TAMS had a significant lead on the Eagles, the boys managed to close the gap to make it a nailbiting game. Unfortunately, the Eagles came just short at the buzzer. At the end of the day, the results were announced at an assembly in the Gym. The group point standings were: 15 for ASMSA, 21 for TAMS, and 24

Sundar Pandian elegantly leaps to intercept the flying disk in the frisbee game against TAMS. Taken by Brandon Kongphongmany

for LSMSA! The travelling trophy would stay another year at LSMSA. As the LSMSA students celebrated yet another SLAMT victory, the assembly dissolved into the SLAMT dance. Between the bonfire be-

hind Prudhomme and the SLAMT dance, the students from all three schools dissolved their competitive tension towards each other. Congratulations to all athletes of LSMSA who helped to defend the Eagles’ pride!

Amir Shalabi has control of the ball in the soccer game against ASMSA Neel Reddy is ready to pounce on TAMS in flag football. Taken by Brandon Kongphongmany Taken by Brandon Kongphongmany


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ACROSS:

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The Fun Page

4. Another name for Mardi Gras 7. Capital of Ireland 8. “Mardi Gras” translation 9. Irish author of Dracula 10. First American city to have Mardi Gras parades 12. March zodiac sign 14. Roman god that “March” is named after 15. A national symbol of Ireland 16. Jewish festival held in March 17. Traditional Mardi Gras pastries 19. World famous beer that originated from Ireland 20. Location of the first St. Patrick’s Day parade

DOWN:

March 2014

1. March birthstone 2. March birth flower 3. Purple represents ___ pertaining to Mardi Gras 5. Special coins tossed from Mardi Gras floats 6. Mardi Gras is the last day of ____ season 11. Basketball tournament played by the NCAA 13. Ireland’s first official language 16. March 14th 17. Secret societies that organize Mardi Gras parades and balls 18. Date of International Women’s Day This month’s puzzle topic is “Mardi Gras, March, & More!” brought to you by Brooke Mendoza.


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