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Runnels Weekly E-Newsletter
from Head of School Marcia Mackay
Dear Runnels Family,
In this week's Friday Focus: Our National Merit Finalists; Jr. Beta State Convention Awards; Teacher Publishes New Book; Flying Kites; Historical Selfies; Student Ingenuity; New High School Courses; Used Book Sale Thank Yous; Friendly Reminders;
Weekly Photo Album; and Athletic Corner.
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Seniors Named National Merit Finalists
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From left: Andrew Mitchell, Regan Dean and Henry Forgey.
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Seniors Regan Dean, Henry Forgey and Andrew Mitchell have advanced to Finalist standing in the 2017 National Merit Scholarship Corporation Program.
As Finalists, they remain in the program to be considered for 7,500 National Merit Scholarships to be announced during the spring and summer.
Each Finalist will receive a Certificate of Merit from the National Merit Scholarship Corporation.
Congratulations to these students and their parents. Regan is the daughter of Diane and David Dean, Henry is the son of Lisa Diehl and Burl Forgey, IV, and Andrew is the son of Karen and Dennis Mitchell.
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Junior Beta Team Takes Top Award at Convention
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In the Cajundome with their award-winning "Tower of Power" entry are Jr. Beta members (from left) Brendan LeBlanc, Robby Harrison, James Power, Nick D'Gerolamo and
Omid Bousheri. |
Runnels won 1st place in the "Tower of Power" competition at the Junior Beta State Convention this week at the Cajundome in Lafayette.
Congratulations to our club and its "Tower of Power" team, Omid Bousheri, Nick D'Gerolamo, Robby Harrison, Brendan LeBlanc and James Power.
This win qualifies them to compete at the national convention in Orlando this summer.
The Runnels club also received the G.O.L.D. Key Award for achieving at least 10 percent growth in convention attendance. A record 35 students represented our school this year at the event.
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| Lee Brandt Randall |
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Just in time for Mardi Gras, art teacher and illustrator Lee Brandt Randall and her writing partner Todd-Michael St. Pierre bring us a colorful children's book about Southern traditions from the charming viewpoint of a mouse, two mice, in fact, named
Chicory and Roux.
Released this week by Pelican Press, Chicory and Roux offers a regional retelling of Aesop's classic fable of the city mouse and the country mouse. Set against the rural backdrop of Cajun Country and the urban elegance of Creole culture in New Orleans, the story serves up a heart-warming message about the value of cultural diversity.
Join Mrs. Randall for a book signing and launch party at the Citiplace Barnes & Noble on March 4 from 11:30 a.m. - 2:00 p.m.
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To help prepare for their upcoming spring musical,
Movie Magic, which will include the song "Let's Go Fly a Kite" from
Mary Poppins, the kindergartners enjoyed a kite flying lesson today. With their uniquely decorated white plastic kites in tow (made in volume by Kindergarten Director Paula Naquin), the children ran in wide circles around the playground, hoping to create enough of a draft on this windless day for their kites to take wing. With parents and teachers on hand to show them the ropes, the students quickly caught on to the pleasures of flying a kite "Up to the highest height."
This week, the kindergartners also created handmade get well cards for children who are in the hospital. The cards were sent to the nonprofit organization, Cards for Hospitalized Kids, for distribution to hospitals and Ronald McDonald Houses across the nation.
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Historical Selfie Project
Picture yourself as Napoleon, Cleopatra, Winston Churchill or some other historical figure. That's exactly what students in Norma Marsh's World History AP class did in their recent "Historical Selfie" project.
Each student photographed him or herself as an historical figure and created a Google Slide Show about the life and times of this eminent personage. The photos had to include eight objects that revealed something of historic relevance about the character, explained Ms. Marsh, but students were encouraged to become creative about the way the objects were chosen or depicted. "The projects turned out really well," said Ms. Marsh, "and I thoroughly enjoyed them."
"The assignment required multiple layers of research, first about the historical figure, and then about the objects that would have been in use at the time," Ms. Marsh added.
The class is now in the process of using Google Slide Show to create a "virtual museum," she continued. "The nice thing about the technology is that these slide shows are easily shared with the class so that all of my students get the benefit of learning more about historical figures."
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Fire Curtain Up, Thanks to Student Ingenuity
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Technical theater students (from left) Daniel Mayeaux, Joseph Armoney and Connor Thompson raise the stage fire curtain from its half-mast position. |
Sophomore technical theater student Connor Thompson repaired the fire/safety curtains in our theater when nobody else could. The fire/safety curtain, which is normally rolled up and secured in the rigging above the black stage curtain, had partially fallen and was visible to audiences.
Connor, who operates the lights for productions in our theater, was concerned because opening night for
The Importance of Being Earnest was fast approaching.
He hunted for information on how to raise the fire curtains on the Internet for several days, mostly during technical theater class, and eventually found a company that services systems like ours. The problem, he discovered, was a missing part.
We needed a hand crank, a part that keys into an input shaft and turns a hydraulic brail winch that works in conjunction with the hydraulic governor to control the descent of the fire safety curtain. Have you got that?
Connor, who said he likes to fix things, came up with a work-around to get the fire curtains moving again.
He used pliers as a substitute hand crank. "I held onto the pulley (above the assembly in the picture) to release the tension on the cable while the pliers were turned," Connor explained. This engaged the hydraulic brail winch and got the whole thing going.
It took a crew of student volunteers to maneuver the equipment. Many thanks to
Joseph Armoney, Brandon Kelfstrom, Daniel Mayeaux and Justin Reeves for pitching in to help.
Thanks to Connor and his team, the curtain is in place and the stage looks perfect for opening night of
The Importance of Being Earnest.
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New Courses for High School
Scheduling Meetings for current students in junior and senior high and sixth graders moving up to junior high are coming up next week. Course descriptions and scheduling forms are available on our school website. Original scheduling forms should be turned in on or before March 10.
Two new high school courses for students in grades 10-12 will be added to next year's curriculum: Social Justice, taught by Mrs. Chaisson, and Forensic Science (worth 1/2 credit) taught by Mrs. Reid.
Drama will now be offered as Theatre I, II, III and IV and Homemaking (Home Ec) will be renamed Consumer Science.
In addition, 21 AP courses and ACT Prep classes are scheduled for the 2017-2018 school year.
Feb. 21 - 23: Scheduling Meetings:
Current juniors - 10:10 a.m.
Current freshmen - 12:30 p.m.
Current sophomores - 10:10 a.m.
Current 7th graders - 12:30 p.m.
Current 8th graders - 10:10 a.m.
Current 6th graders - 12:30 p.m.
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Used Book Sale Thank Yous
The Elementary Library raised $1700 through the Used Book Sale, funds that will be applied toward replacing the children's tables and chairs lost in the flood. A donation of $170 will go to the CAA animal shelter, along with all canned pet food that was collected.
"Many volunteers made the Used Book Sale happen," said Elementary Librarian Joni Orgeron. All were led and coordinated by Meredith Wartelle. Sincere thanks go to Meredith and her crew, including Audra Collett, Kim Cox, Kasia Gawronski, Vallerie Myer, Shasta Felton, Wendy Dolan, Molly Hightower, Amanda Francois, Pat Rohal and family, Sylvan Taylor, Tee Comeaux, Annalee Campbell, Julie Martin, Mary Crowson, Rachael Garrison, Jennifer Leeper, Alecia Tate, Dana Kahn, Michelle Smith, Shana Drescher, Yvette Wiltgen, Carrie Czajkowski, and Savannah Wright. Many thanks go to Junior Beta members Cassidy Wartelle, Zeena Shammout, and Eddie Tunis and Coach Sam Coates and his 5th hour PE students for their help.
Junior and Senior High Librarian Wendy Herumin extends thanks to her helpers, Kyra Reeves, John Wiese, Sarah Stanfield and retired librarian, Dr. Gloria Giammanco.
We sincerely thank all who helped make the sale a success.
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Friendly Reminders
Feb. 17 - 19:
The Importance of Being Earnest,
Gladys Hague Runnels Theatre, 7:00 p.m. TONIGHT and Saturday, Feb. 18 and 2:00 p.m. on Sunday, Feb. 19.
Click here
to buy tickets online (MUST BE PURCHASED AT LEAST 12 HOURS BEFORE SHOWTIME).
Tickets are
$10 for adults and $8 for students and will be available at the door.
CLICK HERE FOR MORE PICTURES OF THE IMPORTANCE OF BEING EARNEST.
Feb. 17 - 24
: Preschool Spring Book Fair
Feb. 18: District Literary Rally, at Southeastern in Hammond
Feb. 21 - 23: Scheduling Meetings for Current Students - Gladys Hague Runnels Theatre
Feb. 24: Preschool Mardi Gras Parades:
2 Year Olds - 9:10 a.m.
Pre-Ks - 9:50 a.m.
3 Year Olds - 10:30 a.m.
Feb. 24: Elementary Mardi Gras Celebration - Coronation of the Krewe of Runnels Royale for Grades K-6, at 12:30 p.m. in the Gladys Hague Runnels Theatre.
Feb. 27 - March 3: Mardi Gras Holiday
March 6: School Resumes
March 8: Open House for Prospective Parents - K-12th Grade Students, Drama Room, 9:00 a.m.
March 10: Elementary Drama -
The Cheese Stands Alone: 1Y - 12:00 p.m.; 1X - 12:40 p.m.; 2B - 1:35 p.m.; 2C - 2:20 p.m.
March 10: Pictures in the Plaza -
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, 6:00 p.m.
March 16: Junior Class Ring Ceremony, Gladys Hague Runnels Theater, 11:20 a.m.
March 23: Preschool Open House for Prospective Parents, 9:00 a.m., Front Porch
March 24: Raider Rally!
ANNUAL SCHOOL CALENDAR FOR THE 2017-2018 SCHOOL YEAR - CLICK HERE
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This week's photo album includes: How To Blow a Bubble (Writing Descriptive Paragraphs in 2nd Grade); Heart Week and Building Dinosaur City at Preschool; 6th Grade Rehearses for Mardi Gras Performance; 3rd Graders Try Out Band Instruments; Metric Conversions Using Non-Standard Balances in 5th Grade Science, and Valentine's Day.
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BASKETBALL: BOYS
On Wednesday, the Raiders celebrated Senior Night with a 69-38 win against Springfield. This was a great finish to the regular season. Cade Tate led the Raiders with 5 three pointers and 21 points. There was a strong performance from the three seniors, Conner Raines, Douglas Gulley, and Paul Lukinovich. They led the way defensively and contributed a combined 25 points. Next up: the playoffs! The Raiders are currently seeded 8th; the official announcement will come on Monday.
BASKETBALL: GIRLS
On Thursday, the Varsity Girls Basketball team played the first round of playoffs at Riverside. The team played hard but was ultimately defeated.
BOWLING
The Bowling Raiders had an exciting victory this week: 17.5 to 9.5. It was down-to-the wire but the team came back to win, scoring 5.5 points in the last game. High scores went to Garrett Rhinehart with a 151, followed by Seth Miller with a 149, and Marisa Russo with a 133. High series went to Seth Miller with a 384. Great work from all our bowlers!
SOFTBALL
The Lady Raiders will have their season opener Monday, Feb 20 against Broadmoor at home at 5:00 p.m. STUDENTS and FACULTY will get FREE ADMISSION to this game with SCHOOL ID CARDS! The concession stand will have hamburgers, hot dogs, hot links, chili, nachos and more. The Runnels Cheerleaders will be cheering on the home team and tossing t-shirts during the game.
At the gate on Monday, a 12 home game pass will be available for purchase at $50; that's a $10 savings! (Cash or check made to Runnels Athletics, accepted.) Card must be presented at every home game and will not be replaced if lost.
Come out to Raider Field and show your RAIDER PRIDE!
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Our tennis team with LSU tennis players during a field trip to the university.
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TENNIS
On Monday, the Raiders defeated St. Thomas Aquinas, 5-3. Eric Huygues, Jeehan Mikdadi and Elizabeth Daigle all scored decisive wins in their singles matches. Doubles victories went to Natalie Justus and Rachel Wehbe and Ian Duke and Ryan Lam.
In Wednesday's match, Natalie Justus crushed her opponent, 6-0, 6-1 in the #2 singles position while Rachel Wehbe and Elizabeth Daigle showed great composure and resolve in defeating their opponents 7-6, 7-5 in the #1 doubles spot.
TRACK & FIELD
The Runnels Indoor Track team qualified 8 for the LHSAA Division 2 Indoor Track & Field Championship, which will be held Saturday, Feb. 18 at the LSU Maddox Field House. Competing are: Micah Roper' in the1600m; girls 4x800m relay team of Micah Roper', Kaylen Howe, Ryan Roper' and Annie Fink; Annie Fink in the 3200m; Sam Matthews in the 800m and 3200m; and the boys 4x800m relay team of Dean Campbell, Sam Matthews, Nathan Fairley and Adam Howe.
JUNIOR HIGH HIGHLIGHTS
Boys Basketball
The Junior High basketball team is currently competing in the ISAA or Independent School Athletic Association play-offs. The 6th grade boys advanced to the semifinals by beating Victory Academy Monday, 41-28, but were defeated by Iberville Charter Thursday, 26-36. On Saturday, the 7th grade advanced to the semifinals by beating Advantage Charter, 46-28. The team defeated Family Christian on Thursday, 34-27, and will advance to the championship on Saturday. Collin Coates led the team with 19 points. The 8th grade lost Monday to Hosanna Christian 38-28.
SPORTS THIS WEEKEND
Indoor Track & Field Division II Championship at LSU
Maddox Field House
Girls 1600m at 2:25 PM / Boys 800m at 3:55 PM / Girls 4x800m at 4:35 PM
Boys 4x800m at 5:05 PM / Girls 3200m at 6:20 PM / Boys 3200m at 6:50 PM
Junior High Basketball,
Independent School Athletic Association League Play-offs
Championship Game
7th Grade vs. Charter Academy, 5:00 p.m. at
Family Christian Academy
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17255 South Harrell's Ferry Road
Baton Rouge, LA 70816
225-751-2192 |
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PRESCHOOL THROUGH HIGH SCHOOL
