PRESCHOOL THROUGH HIGH SCHOOL
Runnels has always been the school for all races, religions, and national origins.
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In this week's
Friday Focus
: Record Setting "Pasta for Pennies" Fundraiser; AP Physics Students Take on Simulated Search and Rescue Mission; Poems Penned by Freshmen in Teen Magazine; Professional Development Conferences; Standardized Testing Next Week; Celebrating Pi Day; Raider Star Assemblies with St. Patrick's Day Twist; Thank Yous; Kudos; Friendly Reminders; Weekly Photo Album; and Athletic Corner.
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2018 "Pasta for Pennies" Fundraiser Sets School Record
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Elementary students raised more than $6,400 in donations for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society’s annual “Pasta for Pennies” campaign this year! That is the most our school has ever collected for the charity.
"The kids exceeded their original goal of $5,000 and more than doubled the amount raised in the last Runnels 'Pasta for Pennies' campaign," said event sponsor and elementary lead teacher Renee Miller. "I'm so very proud of them."
(Photo: Students in lunch section 5C were the top fundraisers in this year's record-breaking "Pasta for Pennies" campaign. They will be treated to a special pasta lunch compliments of the Olive Garden in May.)
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Physics Camp Takes Students on "Search and Rescue Mission"
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Runnels AP Physics students Kaylen Howe, Garrett Miller, Humza Pirzadah and Parker Rhinehart traveled to Pensacola last weekend to participate in a simulated Coast Guard search and rescue mission at the Naval Air Station Flight Academy.
The seniors joined a group of students from the LSU Lab School
(See "We Sincerely Thank" below.)
for a three-day hands-on session at the Naval Air Station's Physics Camp where they took part in a search-and-rescue scenario that vigorously exercised their STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) skills and abilities.
(Photo: At the Pensacola Naval Air Station Flight Academy are, from left, Garrett Miller, Humza Pirzadah, Kaylen Howe and Parker Rhinehart.)
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Teen Magazine To Publish Freshman Poems
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Six of our freshmen have had their poems accepted for publication in the national online and print magazine,
Teen Ink
. One poem was designated “outstanding” by the magazine staff and received an “Editors’ Choice” award.
The writers and their poems are Ansley Brown,
Judgement Day
; Barrett Couvillon,
Rip Off the Page
; Kaylee Caillouet,
Corrupt Love
; Madisan Milam,
July 4
; Jacob Folse,
Ink Prison
; and Mia Alfonso,
Liquid Ink
.
Madisan Milam’s poem
July 4
was recognized as an “Editors’ Choice” selection on the magazine’s website. In a letter to Madisan, the
Teen Ink
editorial staff wrote: “We have reviewed
July 4th
and feel that it deserves special recognition as an outstanding work.”
(Photo: Freshmen whose poems will be published in Teen Ink are, front row, from left, Kaylee Caillouet, Barrett Couvillon, back row, from left, Madisan Milam, Mia Alfonso, Ansley Brown, and Jacob Folse.)
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Faculty Members Attend Professional Conferences, Workshops
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Our faculty members often participate in professional conferences, seminars and workshops to enhance and expand their professional expertise. This month, several Runnels teachers and administrators took advantage of opportunities to network with educational leaders and peers at educational conferences in our city and a bit further afield.
Head of School Marcia Mackay traveled to Atlanta for the 2018 National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS) Annual Conference March 7-9. Presenting the keynote was Adam Grant, a professor at the University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School and co-author (with Facebook's Sheryl Sandberg) of the bestseller,
Option B
. He spoke on "Givers Take All: Creating a Culture of Productive Generosity."
Attending a conference in Baton Rouge on March 8 about strategies to improve student behavior and development were Kindergarten Director Paula Naquin and kindergarten and lower elementary teachers Alice Aucoin, Beth Alfonso, Stephanie Ezell, Lisa Latona, Tiffany Mouton, Stacey Smith and Ashley Stevens.
High school English teachers Kylie Harbin, Michele Stanfield and Sherry Wilks traveled to New Orleans in early March to participate in a conference on "What's New in Children's Literature."
(Photo: Teachers and March conference-goers Kylie Harbin and Sherry Wilks.)
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Standardized Testing Next Week
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Annual achievement tests will be administered next week to students in grades 1 through 10.
Testing for grades 1-6 will take place March 19-23.
During testing week, homework will not be assigned in elementary grades. Students in grades 1-6 will take a full battery of nationally norm-based tests in all subject areas.
Testing for grades 7 and 8 will be on March 20, and testing for grades 9 and 10 will be on March 21.
S
tudents in 7th and 8th grades will take the ACT Explore test, and those in 9th and 10th grades will take the ACT Plan test.
You can help by making sure your child eats a good breakfast and is well rested on test days. You may also send a snack for your student to eat during the short morning break.
Please remember that it is important for your child to get to school on time on testing days. Attendance will be taken at 8:30 am, and testing begins right after that.
Thank you for helping us make testing days a positive and successful experience for our students.
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National Pi Day Activities Add Up To Fun and Discovery
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Along with the rest of the world, we celebrated Pi Day on March 14 (3/14). Pi, as any math teacher will tell you, is the symbol used in mathematics to represent a constant, specifically the ratio of the circumference of a circle to its diameter, which is approximately 3.14.
In some elementary math classes, students competed to see who could memorize and recite the most digits of Pi. Evan Ho, grade 4, recited 81 digits and won the $10 prize.
Upper elementary students in Renee' Miller’s, Christine Pousson’s and Michelle Harper’s classes took the party outside to the basketball court for Pi Day activities. Students practiced measuring the diameters of a variety of circular objects and multiplying the results by Pi or 3.14 to find their circumference. They also decorated and ate Pi shaped cookies and made beaded bracelets using 3 beads of one color, one bead of another color and four beads of yet one more color to represent 3.14.
In high school, Mu Alpha Theta honor math society members celebrated National Pi Day by feasting on a delicious assortment of pies. (
Photo: Fourth grader Evan Ho wins the prize for reciting more digits of Pi than any other elementary math student at Runnels.)
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St. Patrick's Day Flavors Raider Star Assemblies
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Cabbage rolling and potato bowling headlined today's St. Patrick's Day themed Raider Star assemblies for grades 1-6 in the Elementary Drama Room.
Directing the games on stage were emcee John Baird in his Irish green(ish) derby hat and stage assistant Ashley Stevens disguised as a rather tall leprechaun.
Students fished for rainbows and shamrocks in bowls of Lucky Charms cereal, rolled green cabbages down stage with their heads, and competed in bowling matches using potatoes for bowling balls. Our thanks to the many teachers and volunteers who make this quarterly event, which celebrates positive behavior, sparkle with Raider spirit.
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...
Alumni parent
Frank Rusciano
, principal at the LSU Lab School, for inviting Runnels to participate in the Physics Camp in Pensacola last weekend. The Lab School was awarded a grant from the Pensacola Naval Air Station Flight Academy to cover expenses for 16 students. When the Lab School was unable to fill all the spots, Mr. Rusciano offered them to Runnels. We sincerely thank Mr. Rusciano for providing this opportunity to our students.
(Photo: Runnels seniors, from left, Kaylen Howe, Humza Pirzadah, Garrett Miller and Parker Rhinehart at the Naval Aviation Museum in Pensacola while attending Physics Camp at the
National Flight Academy
.)
... Elementary Pi Day celebration cookie bakers Rachel Evans, mother of Dylan, grade 5, and Kayla, grade 11; Wendy Dolan, mother of Maeve, grade 4; Michelle Harper, mother of Ashlynn, grade 5, Jonathan, grade 7, and Nicholas, grade 2; and Sara McCann, mother of Ava, grade 6, and Abram, Preschool 3s; and cookie activity table volunteer Meredith Wartelle, mother of Lilah, grade 5, and Cassidy, grade 7.
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... Congratulations to Alex Morgan, a junior at Runnels High School, for being elected 1st vice president of the Louisiana Junior Classical League (JCL) at this year's state convention held March 9-11 at the Baton Rouge Holiday Inn - South. As 1st vice president for the state, Alex will be responsible for reaching out to schools to encourage them to start JCL chapters and coordinating intra-school communication. He also will attend the national JCL conference in Ohio this July. At the state convention, Alex ran on the platform, “Elect Alexander ‘The Great’ for 1st VP.”
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Postponed
/
Raider Rally
(The new date is April 10.)
Mar. 19 /
Tickets for
The “R” Factor - Runnels Talent Show Now Available.
The Talent Show will be held Tuesday, April 10 from approximately 2:00-3:00 pm in the Gladys Hague Runnels Theatre. Students in grades 7-12, parents, guardians and friends are welcome to attend. Tickets are $5 per person. The last day to buy tickets is Monday, April 9.
Mar. 19-23 /
Standardized Testing
, Elementary Grades
Mar. 20 /
Standardized Testing
, Grades 7 and 8
Mar. 21 /
Standardized Testing
, Grades 9 and 10
Mar. 22-29 /
Elementary Spring Scholastic Book Fair
(books only), Elementary Library, 8:00 am - 3:30 pm
Mar. 23 /
Kindergarten Spring Musical,
Gladys Hague Runnels Theatre, 9:00 am
Mar. 23-24 /
Mu Alpha Theta Convention
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Rock & Roll Forever:
The Upper Elementary Chorus presented a musical salute to rock and roll in an energetic concert held in the Gladys Hague Runnels Theatre on March 13. The singers revived that rock 'n' roll feeling of the '50s with songs by Little Richard and Elvis and got us longing for the '60s with hits by The Beatles and the Beach Boys. Congrats to our talented singers and their director, Johnice Thoms.
In this week's album:
High School Sculpting, Physics in Florida, Elementary Chorus Concert, 2nd Grade Leprechaun Traps, 1st Grade Science Rainbows, Preschool Farm Week, and Candids.
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POWERLIFTING
At the State Powerlifting Championship Meet held Mar. 15 in Alexandria, four Lady Raiders and three Raiders won medals, and the girls team was awarded the 2018 State Runner-Up Trophy!
Senior Sam Day won gold in the Super Heavy Weight class.This is his second state win in two years in two different weight classes! He also set a new Division V record for Total Weight lifted in his class in a single meet. His combined lifting total in the squat, bench and dead lift was 1,600 pounds!
Also bringing home gold was junior Micah Roper who took 1st place in the 105-pound weight class. Finishing 2nd were Justin Taliaferro in the 198-pound weight class, Julia Sager in the 123-pound weight class, and Meredith Taliaferro in the 114-pound weight class. Third place winners were Justin Reeves in the 275-pound weight class (his 3rd state medal) and Ryan Roper in the 97-pound weight class.
On the boys team, Seth Chiasson placed 4th in the 148-pound weight class. Aaron Taliaferro was 6th in the 165-pound weight class, and Caleb Reid placed 10th in the 181-pound weight class.
On the girls team, there were two 4th place winners, Natalie Justus in the 123-pound weight class and Emma Schlotterer in the 114-pound weight class. Natalie also was honored for making the All-Academic Composite Girls Powerlifting Team. Ashley Stansbury placed 6th in the 132-pound class, and Catherine Henning finished 10th in the 148.
(Photo: State Powerlifting Meet medalists, back row, from left, Justin Taliaferro, Sam Day, and Justin Reeves; front row, from left, Julia Sager, Meredith Taliaferro, Ryan Roper and Micah Roper.)
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BASEBALL
The varsity baseball team is 3-3 so far this season. The Raiders lost to False River, 11-3, on Tuesday. Colin Bonine pitched a great game and went six innings, only giving up one earned run. Runnels was up the whole game and led 3-2 going into the 7th inning; unfortunately, we could not hold the lead. Bonine led the way with two hits and an RBI.
On Thursday, the Raiders fell to St. James, 20-12, in a slugfest. “There was a lot of offense and a back and forth game, but the Raiders fell short,” said Head Varsity Baseball Coach Ben Young. Collin Bueche led the team with three hits and four RBIs.
TRACK AND FIELD
Judy Baehr Relay Results:
London Deshotel 3rd in the High Jump; Micah Roper, 3rd in the 1600m, and 2nd in the 3200m; Kaylen Howe, 3rd in the 800m; Annie Fink, PR (Personal Record)/2nd in 800m; Blaiklee Guillot, PR/200m; Ryan Roper, PR/ 3200m.
Live Oak Relay results:
Eric Ho, PR in 100m; Kaylen Howe, 1st in 800m; Kyra Reeves, PR in Discus; London Deshotel, 3rd in High Jump, 2nd in Javelin; Angelle Lansing, PR in Shotput; Annie Fink, 3rd in 800m, 3rd in 1600m; Kaylen Howe, 1st 800m.
SOFTBALL
Currently 9-2 for the season, the Lady Raiders softball team ended its winning streak this week. The Ladies suffered two losses to the #7 ranked Maurepas team. In both games, Sophie Treadaway batted a perfect 1.000 average with a single, 2 doubles, and a triple. Sophie also had 5 RBIs and scored 4 times.
The Raiders will play again this Saturday in the the Episcopal Tournament. The first game against McGehee will begin at 9:00 am and later at 1:00 pm against Slaughter CS.
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BOWLING
Congratulations to senior bowler Alex Matthews for making the All-Academic Composite team for his 4.0 GPA.
The regular season for the Bowling Raiders came to a close with three games last week. Karli Hebert ends the season 3rd on the leaderboard for the high girl game of the season (174) and high girl series (435).
Alex Matthews had a season high game of 174 against Woodlawn and a high series of the season at 472. Other high scores were by Karli Hebert (151) and Seth Miller (139). This week also brought a high game of 166 for Rachel Hargrove (vs Brighton), where she had a 4-bagger (4 strikes in a row). Other high games against Brighton were scored by Seth Miller (160) and Alex Matthews (150), with a high series by Seth Miller (399). Our final game of the season was against Lee High School. High scores were by Seth Miller (160), Jenna Carballo (146), and Josh Freeman (137), with high series to Seth Miller (397).
Most of the bowlers improved their averages: Jenna Carballo by 23 points, Rachel Hargrove improving by 20 pins, and Seth Miller by 15 points.
Monday the Raiders take on St. James at the regional bowling tournament at 11 am.
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TENNIS
Last Monday, the varsity team scored another big win by defeating Walker High School 7-2.
Senior Kyle Sieberth led the Raiders with a tough win at #1 Singles. Coming off of an ankle injury, Kyle struggled in the first set, but came back strong to defeat a tenacious Walker opponent in the 3rd set tie-breaker. At #2 Singles, junior Eric Huygues continued to dominate with an easy win, 6-0, 6-0.
In Boys #1 Doubles play, Daniel Mayeaux and Ryan Lam crushed their opponents 6-1, 6-3. Evan Beoubay and Austin Stansbury came up a little short at #2 Doubles. According to Head Tennis Coach Kathrin Sieberth, “They gave a very solid performance and worked really well together as a team.”
In Girls #1 Singles play, senior Natalie Justus played strong with consistent ground strokes, winning 6-2, 6-0. In all 3 Doubles games, the girls won with a steady and powerful net game. Rachel Wehbe and Catherine Bonaventure won 6-3, 6-1 at the #1 spot. In the #2 spot, Hannah Barback and Kalyee Freiberger won 6-3, 6-2. Amelia Jennings and Anna Kadi won a tight fight 6-2, 6-4 at the #3 position.
(Photo: Kyle Sieberth)
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VOLLEYBALL
The junior high volleyball team started its season last week.
(Photo: Eighth grade Volleyball Team - Lindsey Huynh, Emma Allerheiligen, Taylor Ngo, Bailey Ourso, Ellie Hader, Izzy Yan, Natalie Fairley, Farzeen Wahid and Coach Kourtney Khalid-Abasi. Not pictured: Ryn LeBleu.)
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THIS WEEKEND
On Saturday
Baseball
at Ascension Christian - 11:00 am
Lady Raider Softball
at Ascension Episcopal High School - 12:00 pm and 2:00 pm
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RAIDER PARENTS MAKE THE BEST FANS —SEND US YOUR PHOTOS FOR THE WEEKLY NEWS
Please include the date and location of the event and the students pictured
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