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
Focus
: Saluting Our National Merit Semifinalist and Commended Student; So...What Are You Reading Now; Class Officer Elections in Grades 7-12; High Adventure Summer Scouting Challenge; Seniors' Knowledge of U.S. Government Put to the Test; Numbers Game Makes Learning Math Facts Fun; Kudos and Notable Events; Thank Yous; Friendly Reminders; Weekly Photo Album; and Athletic Corner.
Correction
: In last week's issue we incorrectly announced that auditions for the fall play,
And Then There Were None,
were open to students in grades 7-12. Only students in grades 9-12 are eligible to audition. Junior high students will be able to try out for the play coming up in the spring. We apologize for the error.
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Congratulations to Our 2020 National Merit Students!
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Senior
Aubri Watts has been named a Semifinalist in the 2020 National Merit Scholarship Program, and Eric Ho, also a senior, has been recognized as a Commended Student.
As a Semifinalist, Aubri remains in the program to compete for Finalist standing and the opportunity to vie for more than $31 million in scholarships to be awarded in the spring. According to the National Merit Scholarship Corporation, less than one percent of U.S. high school seniors qualify as Semifinalists.
Finalists will be announced in February.
Though Commended Students do not continue in the competition, they do receive Letters of Commendation from the National Merit Program recognizing their outstanding academic promise and may receive special scholarships from corporations and businesses.
Aubri and Eric have had distinguished high school careers. Both are AP Scholars, Honor Roll students, and Writing Center tutors. Aubri, who appeared as "Chip" in last winter's production of Disney's
Beauty and the Beast,
is a member of the Thespian Club and has been in every high school play since tenth grade.
READ MORE ...
(Photo: From left are seniors Aubri Watts and Eric Ho.
)
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So, What Are You Reading?
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Did you know that just six extra minutes of independent reading per day can significantly boost your student's test scores? Help us as we encourage all of our elementary students to carry a free reader with them at all times to fill those extra minutes in carpool or when they complete an assignment early in classes.
We'll be asking some of our students what books they're reading right now -- not assigned books but books they're reading independently, purely for pleasure. Here's a title that fourth grade eager reader Lorelei Welch highly recommends.
"I'm reading
Diary of a Wimpy Kid, The Long Haul," Lorelei said.
"It's the ninth book in the series. I read one through eight already. It's a really good book and it has funny parts!"
Several copies of all 13 books in the series are available for check-out in the Elementary Library. A new installment titled
Diary of a Wimpy Kid, Wrecking Ball
is due to be published Nov. 5. Elementary Librarians Leah Pizzalato and Amanda Albin said they plan to order it for the collection as soon as it comes out.
(
Photo: Lorelei Welch with her current free reader.)
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2019-2020 Class Officers Elected in Grades 7-12
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The results from today's election of junior and senior high class officers just came in. Congratulations to all of the candidates and winners!
Grade 12
: Anna Manning, president; Catherine Bonaventure, vice president; Eric Ho and Ryan Ly, representatives.
Grade 11
: Madisan Milam, president; Preston Kyle, vice president; Mollybeth Wilkinson and Sophie Edwards, representatives.
Grade 10:
Ryan Roper, president; Sydney Worsham, vice president; Josh Freeman and Blaiklee Guillot, representatives.
Grade 9
: Sophia Horridge, president; Sadie Allelo, vice president; Eli Latiolais and Meredith Taliaferro, representatives.
Grade 8
: Olivia Chiasson, president; Alaysia Mandujano, vice president; Emma Felton and Annabelle Pepitone, representatives.
Grade 7
: Gibson Guay, president; Jenna Sheikha, vice president; Luke Hillman and Brendan Levins, representatives.
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High Adventure Summer Scouting Challenge
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Several Runnels Boy Scouts followed a road to adventure this summer that took them to the Philmont Scout Ranch in New Mexico.
They hiked and camped across more than 80 miles of rough terrain on a 12-day trek that included climbing Mt. Baldy! On the expedition, they also panned for gold, did some skeet and calvary action shooting, and even had the opportunity to give back by participating in a service project to create a new trail.
Located in the Sangre de Cristo range of the Rocky Mountains in northeastern New Mexico, Philmont is the Boy Scouts of America’s premier High Adventure base. It covers more than 140,177 acres of rugged wilderness. By area, it is one of the largest youth camps in the world.
On the expedition were seniors Cole Latiolais, Ricky Harrison, Sam Haase, Hudson Hillman, and John Spillane, sophomores Michal Gawronski and Robby Harrison, and freshmen Michael Hillman and Eli Latiolais. With them were adult leaders Derek Gawronski, Johnny Hillman, Everett Latiolais, and Joe Carey. Two scouts from other schools and one more parent completed the crew. All of the boys, who range in age from 14 to 18, are members of Scout Troop 203, which is chartered through St. Patrick’s Church.
READ MORE...
(
Photo: Members of Scout Troop 203 on Baldy Mountain.)
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Seniors' Knowledge of U.S. Government Put To the Test
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Students in our Civics classes recently got a taste of what it takes to become a naturalized U.S. citizen. Their teacher, Connie Point, asked every student to take the civics portion of the U.S. Citizenship test without any prior class preparation. Later in the year, they will be asked to take it again after working through the civics curriculum to gauge their progress.
The practice test, available online at uscis.gov, is composed of a random selection of 20 questions from a possible 100 about U.S. government and history. It turned out our students did all right on the test. "Nearly everybody passed,” said Ms. Point.
Along with taking the test, the students have been learning about the naturalization process, which includes several other requirements, including residency stipulations and a three-part English language test. Learning what it takes to become a citizen was a thought-provoking experience for some of our students. “It opened my eyes to the difficulty of the naturalization process,” said Julia Sager. “I knew it was difficult, but not exactly how hard. There's a lot to it, with the paperwork and testing."
Since our students normally take Civics in their senior year, Ms. Point said she offers extra credit to anybody who registers to vote.
(
Photo: Ms. Point's fourth hour Civics class.)
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Numbers Game Makes Learning Math Facts Fun
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Reviewing the multiplication tables was all fun and games in Christine Pousson’s fourth-grade math classes this week when students put their multiplication skills to the test in a game of dice. Using inflatable dice the size of beach balls, they played a game to practice their times tables.
Operating in groups of three with two big, bouncy dice cubes per team, students worked to get the right answers to multiplication problems and stay in the game. Here's what they did: Two students in the group took a turn at rolling the dice. Whatever numbers they rolled become the multiplication problem to be solved. The student who gave the correct answer first stayed in the game. The other student rotated out and the third member of the group rotated in.
“The third team member also checked the math. It’s a fun way to review and reinforce the multiplication tables,” said Mrs. Pousson, who recently found the big, puffy set of dice on a sale table at Target. “We used to have some,” she added, “but they were lost in the flood. I’m so glad to have the dice again. The kids love the game!”
(
Photo: Isabella Haselden rolls the dice to practice the times tables.)
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Young Entrepreneur
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Senior Bailey Hyatt was recently accepted to the Young Entrepreneurs Academy (YEA) Class of 2020, an after-school program
for students in grades 8-12 who want to learn the nuts and bolts of starting and running their own companies. Sponsored jointly by the Baton Rouge Area Chamber, Louisiana Economic Development, and LSU's E.J. Ourso College of Business, the Young Entrepreneurs Academy of Baton Rouge is an affiliate of the national YEA program.
Bailey, who has dreams of owning a yoga studio -- with a coffee bar and boutique that sells recycled items attached -- in Austin, TX has high hopes for the class, which will meet on the LSU campus one night a week for nine months. "I hope the class decides to back my business," she said. But it's not a foregone conclusion. The class will only pick a few business ideas to pursue. It's Bailey's job to pitch her yoga studio idea successfully to the group. "The whole class picks which businesses they want to work on," said Bailey.
If her yoga studio idea flies, it will get the full treatment -- a business plan, logo and website design, marketing, brand development, registration with the LA Secretary of State's Office, and more. In working on the start-up, the students will get hands-on practice in launching a company. They'll also learn business fundamentals and get practical advice from LSU instructors and local entrepreneurs. In the end, the group will pitch its start-up in a shark tank environment.
Bailey, who successfully ran her own business designing and selling burlap door hangings the summer before last, said she is looking forward to the class. "I want to be my own boss," she said. "I want to learn more about the behind-the-scenes aspects of running a business -- the marketing, financials, and personnel side of things. I'm very excited to be doing this!"
Bailey is the daughter of Melanie and Danny Hyatt.
(Photo: Bailey Hyatt)
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New After-School Art Class
... Starting Sept. 10, Runnels art teacher Sydney McGraw will be offering a studio art course after school for Runnels students in grades 2-6. In the weekly one-hour class, "Introduction to 7 Elements of Art," students will learn different art techniques through
drawing, painting, sculpture, and clay.
The class will focus on the 7 Elements of Art:
LINE, COLOR, SHAPE, FORM, TEXTURE, VALUE, and SPACE.
The course will run from 3:15 - 4:15 p.m. in Room 23 through the fall and spring semesters. Please contact Ms. McGraw at
s.mcgraw@runnels.org
for more information.
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Kind Words
...
Perhaps you've noticed the colorful assortment of Post-It Notes decorating the windows of the Elementary Library this week. The notes, which carry positive messages written by our third through sixth-graders, represent an idea they recently read about in a book entitled S
eeds and Trees
by Brandon Walden.
"The book is about a boy who gives seeds (or words) to those he encounters," explained Elementary Librarian Leah Pizzalato. "He begins to notice how dark trees (or words) are harmful to the green ones. He learns how to cut them down, uproot them, and replace them with green seeds (positive words). We are extending this lesson by creating a "Garden of Kindness" with Post-It Notes in the windows of our library for all to see."
(
Photo: Posting a positive message in the window of the Elementary Library is Gracie Doughty.)
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Kindergarten Gifts
... We sincerely thank
Stuart Roark
,
grade 8, for donating wooden blocks, LEGO sets, and LEGO books to our kindergarten classrooms. (
Photo: Kindergartner Emma Grace Salisbury makes good use of wooden blocks Stuart donated.
)
Elementary Chess Club, Back for Another Great Year
... Many thanks to the
Rev. Donnie Wilkinson
(Mollybeth, grade 11, and John Harper, grade 6) for volunteering to sponsor and coach our Elementary Chess Club again this year. There was standing room only at the start-up meeting this week!
New K-3 Robotics Team ...
A huge thank you goes to
Nicole and Ryan Roton
(Robbie, K, and Remi, Preschool 3s) for organizing and launching a robotics club for our kindergarten through third grade students. The FIRST LEGO League Jr. Robotics Club will meet weekly starting Oct. 7. For more information, contact Mrs. Roton: n.roton@runnels.org.
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In this week's album: Chemistry AP Hydration Lab, Seeds & Trees in Elementary Library, Math Dice Game, Class Officer Speeches and Voting, First Grade Sensory Activity, Preschool and Candids.
(Photo: In Nicole Reid's AP Chemistry Lab, juniors, from right, Garrett Rhinehart, Ben Stafford, and Grant Treadaway heat up a chemical compound in a crucible as part of an experiment on hydration.)
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Visit the Booster Club’s Spirit Store for Runnels Apparel Year Round!
Click below to enter store.
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CROSS COUNTRY
The Cross Country team
is competing in the West Feliciana Relays on Saturday in St. Francisville. This will be the team’s first meet of the season. The junior high team races at 9:00 a.m. and the varsity at 10:00 a.m.
Next Saturday, Sept. 14, the team will take on Episcopal at Highland Road Park.
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VOLLEYBALL
On Wednesday evening, the Lady Raiders volleyball
team played Madison Prep in their home opener. The Ladies played tough but fell 0-3 (12-25, 13-25, 17-25). Thursday, the team traveled to Northeast High. The Ladies fought hard but lost 1-3 (22-25, 25-17, 16-25, 18-25). The team was led by senior Karli Hebert with 6 assists, 3 aces and 2 digs. Jenna Carballo had 16 digs and Rachel Hargrove had 4 kills.
The Lady Raiders will play at home next on Sept. 16 f
or a three-game set against False River. Freshmen will start the night off at 4:00 p.m.
(Freshman Cassidy Wartelle, left, and senior Karli Hebert, right, are back-to-back practicing their bump.)
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NEXT WEEK
On Saturday
Cross Country
at West Feliciana—Junior High at 9 a.m. and Varsity at 10 a.m.
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RAIDER PARENTS ARE THE BEST FANS!
SEND US YOUR PHOTOS FOR THE FOCUS
Email photos to
n.latiolais@runnels.org.
Please include the date and location of the event and the students pictured
.
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Sept. 11 /
K-12 Picture Retakes
in the Gladys Hague Runnels Theatre, 8:30 a.m.
Sept. 13 /
Popsicle Friday
, for Grades 4-6 at recess on playground
Sept. 15 - 20 /
Library Used Book Sale
, in the Runnels Libraries - Sunday, 9/15 from 11 a.m. - 2:00 p.m. and Monday, 9/16 - Friday, 9/20 from 8:00 a.m. - 3:30 p.m. The Elementary Library will happily welcome donations of gently used books for the sale. Bring donations to either library during school hours. All proceeds from the Used Book Sale will go to our library program.
Sept. 18 /
Preschool Yearbook Picture Day
in the Activity Building, 8:30 a.m.
Sept. 20 /
Kindergarten Back-to-School Open House /
Friday, Sept. 20, 8:30 a.m., Theatre /Kindergarten Classrooms. (
This event is for Kindergarten students and their parents.
)
Sept. 28 /
Sadie's High School Dance
in the Catalano Gym, 7:30 p.m.
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