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The Voice of the Louisiana School for Math, Science, and the Arts Natchitoches, LA
Renaissance
Volume XXVI, Issue 1 Praecellemus 15 October 2008
Two Hundred Seven Students Matriculate
Amelia Hall
Staff Writer
A graduation-garbed
eagle bounced around
Prather Coliseum shaking
hands, slapping high fives,
posing for photographs,
and—most importantly—
welcoming parents and
students to the Louisiana
School’s 2008 matriculation
ceremony. On August 29,
2008, the Louisiana School
welcomed 207 new “chicks”
into its nest. Though fear
of the impending Hurricane
Gustav lurked in the back of
everyone’s minds, the matriculation
ceremony went
forward unhindered.
Students and their
families were welcomed to
LSMSA by SGO President
Cris Willis. Willis cited
the excitements and trials
students had already faced
after only two weeks at
Gustav Ruffles Feathers
Josh Callandret
Staff Writer
Despite the Louisiana
School’s northern position
in relation to many of its
students’ homes, hurricanes
still affect its operation.
Hurricane Gustav put a substantial
dent in the Louisiana
School’s schedule.
Gustav did a significant
amount of damage to
the entire state, displacing
thousands of people and
devastating many homes
and businesses. Many
homes remained without
The LSMSA Eagle gets excited about the new school year.
Photo courtesy of Rudy Hennigan
LSMSA and congratulated
new students for surviving,
saying, “All of you have
struggled, but none of you
have given up.”
The keynote speaker
was Louisiana District 31
Senator Gerald Long. Long
began his speech by promising
to find adequate funding
for LSMSA, then proceeded
power for a week or more,
and some even flooded. It
was an unfortunate event,
and Louisiana will be feeling
its effects for some time.
Gustav made landfall
in Louisiana on September
1st, during an extended
weekend. Originally, students
were supposed to
leave after the matriculation
ceremony on Friday and
return Monday.
When it became
apparent that Gustav was
going to be a stronger storm
than expected, the Louisiana
School administration
to address Louisiana School
faculty, parents, and students.
Long thanked the
school’s faculty for maintaining
a high standard
of education, and urged
LSMSA parents to encourage
their kids to “stay the
course” at LSMSA, and not
“take the easy way out.”
In his address to stu-
prepared to push the return
date from the extended until
Wednesday. After Gustav
passed through Louisiana,
it was clear that storm had
caused substantial damage,
and the return date was
postponed until the following
Sunday, almost a full
week later than expected.
Although the dorms did
not officially open until
Sunday, both Caddo and
Prudhomme halls opened
as a refuge to students on
Wednesday. A small portion
Continued as Hurricane
on Page 12
dents, Long compelled new
“students” to understand
the high level of expectation
now placed upon them.
Long beseeched students to
“stay true to one’s values”
even when “the going gets
tough.”
However, Long also
advised students to remember
their youth. He reminded
matriculates that they
should take a break from
their studies every once in
a while, to “enjoy the moment,
and the experience”
of LSMSA. Long concluded
his speech with a recitation
of his personal cell phone
number, a significant statement
to his faith in and support
of the Louisiana School.
(The phone number is (318)
663-1835.)
After Long’s speech,
Continued as Matriculation
on Page 12
In this issue...
2 Colloquim
Faculty
3 Summer
Book Awards
4-11 School Events
Faculty
12 Continuations

Volume XXV, Issue 1 Renaissance Page 2
Dr. Art’s Colloquium Exposes Plagiarism
Alexander Duchene
Staff Writer
Dr. Arthur Williams,
more commonly known
as Dr. Art, delivered the
first Colloquium of the
year, entitled “Plagiarism
in the Information Age,”
on September 24. Faculty
members and large numbers
of students, many
taking notes, attended. Dr.
Art explained that while
computers are making
plagiarism a growing problem,
“Computers are not
really where the problem
lies.” “Plagiarism is one
of the nasty little secrets
of academic life,” said Dr.
Art, describing plagiarism
as “a problem from which
no school . . . is immune.”
Shore returns to LSMSA
Melissa Utomo
Layout Editor
Although a new face
to current students, John
Shore is familiar to both
LSMSA staff and alumni.
For his sixth year as a staff
member at the Louisiana
School, Shore took the
positions of Academic Support
Coordinator, Assistant
Coordinator of Residential
Life, and Assistant Coach
for LSMSA’s tennis team.
Although LSMSA is undergoing
change, Shore’s presence
adds continuity to the
LSMSA community.
When you don’t
see him cooking or sitting
in his office by the SAC,
Shore spends his leisure
time reading non-fiction
books, writing songs, and
playing the guitar. He also
loves to travel. He trav-
“The problem has
grown, and the anxiety has
grown” warned Dr. Art. He
cited a “decline in traditional
forms of literacy” as one of
the main reasons in the United
States, United Kingdom,
and Australia. Students are
developing a “new literacy,”
but “the rules of academic life
are still predicated upon older
literacy.” The intersection of
these two forms of literacy
has produced new problems
with plagiarism.
Dr. Art stressed that
as the very “nature of texts”
is changing, schools need to
address the “educational”
aspect of plagiarism as well
as the legal and ethical issues.
“Students need models of
correct practice,” he said, and,
quoting Ashworth, that “the
message to students ought
eled to twenty five states in
only six weeks and watched
twenty one baseball games in
thirty days during that period.
Outside of the country, he
has traveled to Italy, France,
and Canada. His favorite city
of all time is Florence, Italy.
Born and raised in St.
Louis, Missouri, Shore attended
the South East Missouri
State University and completed
his Bachelor’s degree
in English Studies. During
his time there, Shore worked
for social services at a summer
camp. Ten years later,
he obtained a job at Hunter
College and set north to New
York City. For six years he
was part of the housing staff
at the university and worked
at the Green Chimney Children
Services.
Wishing to explore the
south, he visited Memphis,
New Orleans, and last but not
to stress reasons” for good
practices.
Dr. Art next said that
students need to be more responsible.
His warnings focused
on two related areas:
“patch-writing” and poor
note-taking skills. “Patchwriting”
is the practice of
mixing the source’s words
with one’s own. This is the
most common form of plagiarism,
and is a gray area.
Sometimes a student will
attribute some of her own
words to the source, and
sometimes she will attribute
some of the source’s words
to herself. Some theorists believe
that patch-writing is a
necessary step in intellectual
development, but one that
must be outgrown. Dr. Art
explained that this patchwriting
often occurs as a
John Shore feels happy to
be back!
Photo by Melissa Utomo.
least, the Louisiana School
in Natchitoches. “I like the
idea of working with students
who are motivated,”
Shore said. “When I got
there I found that that’s the
case.” He also emphasized
how much he enjoys the
close relationship that he
has with students. For five
years he was the Student
Life Coordinator in
Continued as Shore on
Page 12
result of poor note-taking
practices. Students will often
read a source without taking
formal notes and then mistake
an idea or phrase they
read for an original thought.
To combat this, students
should always be ready to
take notes before opening a
source, even Internet pages.
He finished by imploring
students to always “error on
the side of caution.”
Dr. Art also examined
the origins and history
of plagiarism, which has
been “around since antiquity.”
The word ‘plagiarism’
comes from a Latin word
meaning ‘kidnapper.’ The
Roman poet Marchall first
used extended the meaning
of the word to include the
contemporary definition.
In Medieval times, plagiarism
was largely a non-issue
because Medieval scholars
borrowed credibility from
their sources. The modern
conception of plagiarism
came about with the Romantic
notion of the creative
genius. Where as the Medieval
period had praised
imitation, the Romantic era
rewarded originality. Thus,
taking another’s ideas and
passing them off as one’s
own became lucrative. In the
1710’s, England introduced
copyright laws to protect intellectual
property. This was
the beginning of legal consequences
for plagiarism.
Many prominent creative
figures, including William
Wordsworth, campaigned
for and obtained more stringent
laws.
Dr. Art’s Colloquium
summarized the educational
aspect and history of a very
noticeable issue. good notes
and citing when in doubt.

Volume XXVI, Issue 1 Renaissance Page 3
Russian Scholar
Recognized
Stephanie Langlois
Staff Writer
The Louisiana
School’s Amanda Jones is
one of fifty students chosen
by the American Council of
the Teachers of Russian this
year to be a Russian Scholar
Laureate.
In order to be nominated
as a Russian Scholar
Laureate, the student must
have at least a year of experience
in Russian and must
be nominated by the school’s
director. The process involves
a letter of recommendation
from the student’s
Russian teacher and the
school’s Director. The letters,
the student’s academic
achievements, and the
student’s GPA are all taken
into account when the ACTR
makes their final decision.
The ACTR, whose goal is to
encourage the study and utilization
of the Russian language
in America, gives the
award in order to encourage
the Laureates to pursue their
interest in Russian.
Their efforts are not
wasted on Amanda. She
plans to continue studying
Russian in college, along
with a few other languages.
Her love of Russian may
even influence her career
path, as she hopes to work
for the United Nations on
affairs between Russia and
America.
Michael Explores England
Anna Johnson
Managing Editor
Senior Michael Turner
learned a great deal at the
University of Cambridge in
England this past summer,
both inside and outside of
the classroom.
Turner was enrolled
in the Cambridge College
Programme, a rigorous
academic summer program
taught at Cambridge by
Cambridge professors. For
one month, Turner took
British history and culture,
abnormal psychology, and
musical theater.
The “programme’s”
academics are excellent, but
Turner feels like he learned
just as much in the town
from the local people. “My
personal belief is that a
program in another country
without meeting the people
is worthless,” said Turner.
He observed that
Americans conceptions of
English people and foreigners
in general are often
incorrect. “Many of them
have very nice teeth,” said
Turner. Joking aside, he
believes that our ideas on
other countries and how
those countries view us are
generally misinformed.
“To really get to
know something, you have
to look into it yourself, you
can’t take anyone else’s
word,” said Turner.
Turner also found
that there’s something to
learn from the English.
“Overall, they care more
about themselves and others,”
he said.
Most of this wasn’t
news to him, however. He
spent the summer before
junior year abroad as well,
when he was chosen for the
Sound of America Honor
Band and Chorus European
tour, a highly selective program
for high school musicians.
Seen & Overheard
“Would you risk your life... for Diddy?”
- Dr. Link Hall
“I guess I’m kind of desensitized to the blood of children
by now”
- Dr. Batman
“Hey guys, are you ready for me to pass the clap?”
- Kate Riley
“I’ve never mistaken anyone for a pine tree!”
- Dr. Landry
Sadie Hawskins Court: Charles Park, Susannah Robichaux,
Bijal Patel, and Parish Tillman show off their Pokeballs
Photo courtesy of Melissa Utomo.
Book & Medal Awards
Alexander Duchene
University of Rochester Bausch and Lomb Honorary
Science Award and Scholarship
Anna Johnson
CalTech Alumni Association Signature Award
Parish Tillman
Yale Book Award
Amelia Hall
Sewanee Excellence in Writing Award
Mandy McNamara
Bryn Mawr President’s Book Award

Page 4 Renaissance 15 October 2008
Eagle Antics Promote
School Spirit
Ginger DeGravelle
Staff Writer
Who’s got spirit?
Students at the Louisiana
School do! Looking
for a way to get everyone
involved during the first
weekend of school, Cori
Parmenter, Ro Myers, Ms.
Emily Shumate, and Coach
Dale Clingerman hosted a
game-show themed event
titled “Eagle Antics.” Each
hall from the girls’ dorm,
Caddo, was paired with a
hall from the boys’ dorm,
Prudhomme, to make six
teams total.
The night started off
with Faculty and Staff Facts,
followed by Student Handbook
Trivia, the backwards
spelling game “Gnilleps,”
and the Price is Right. The
Roommate Game featured
roommate trivia, and Peanut
Butter Jelly Time was an
intense PB&J eating contest.
The final game, $100
Pyramid, was a competition
between the two teams with
the most points from previous
games to win cash for
their halls. It was a showdown
between Team 2 West
and 2 B and Team 2 East
and 2 C. In the end 2 East
and 2 C left with $50 each,
and 2 West and 2B left with
$40 each.
Aside from team
games, auditions for school
mascot were held during
the night in between events.
Tryouts involved participating
with the cheerleaders in
one of their cheers followed
by dancing to a humorous
mix of songs. Two of the
people who tried out were
selected to be main mascots,
but all of them will have
equal opportunities this
year to wear the suit.
Tornado Upsets Caddo
Nina Abon
Staff Writer
Two hundred girls.
Two narrow hallways. That
was the scenario on Saturday,
September 13, 2008.
Barely one week after Hurricane
Gustav hit Louisiana,
Hurricane Ike stormed
through Natchitoches. For
the students that stayed in
the dorms, it turned out to
be a chaotic weekend.
In Caddo, hall meetings
were held on Friday
night informing the girls of
the weather conditions and
the safety precautions that
were being taken. For the
next Saturday, no one was
allowed to leave the dorms,
and in the event of a tornado
warning, everyone would
have to file into the first
floor hallway.
It seemed like any
other weekend. It wasn’t
until around three or four
o’clock in the afternoon that
an all-call was made, telling
everyone to rush down
to the main lobby. Girls
grabbed their pillows, blankets,
food, and (most importantly)
homework.
When everyone was
gathered, Carolyn explained
that there was a tornado
watch and everyone would
have to remain on the first
floor. “It was really loud and
I couldn’t concentrate,” said
Sara Lafleur about the situation
in the lobby.
Within an hour everyone
was allowed to go
back up to their respective
floors.
Caddo Goes Under
Construction
Amelia Hall
Staff Writer
Imagine: You are
a new female student at
LSMSA. Shy, nervous, and
out-of-sorts, you lie down on
your bed in your room, relieved
to finally have moved
in all of your things—and
then you hear the whir of an
ominous machine, maniacal
laughter—and you see a
strange man’s f ace, peering
through your window.
The female students
of LSMSA were greeted
by exactly this surprise on
move-in day. After a few
frantic inquiries around
Caddo, it was revealed that
the men lurking about on
wooden platforms were, in
fact, supposed to be there.
They are construction workers,
and have been hired to
water-proof the outside of
Caddo. The ladies of Caddo
After another two to
three hours, another all-call
announcement was made,
this one more serious. Already
annoyed by the first
incident, girls furiously
marched back down to the
first floor to sit and wait in
the two first floor hallways.
Caddo is getting a facelift.
Photo by Joshua Callandret
are now expected to keep
their blinds closed from
morning until 11:00PM every
day.
Construction normally
begins at 7:00AM. This
has been met by indignation
among the female student
body, as the construction
often takes place two inches
outside their windows.
More effective than an alarm
clock, the grinding of a drill
bit is an efficient tool for
waking girls up in the morning.
The construction
should be completed by
early December, but delays
dues to heavy rain and hurricanes
may set the project
back. For now, the girls of
Caddo will simply have to
close their blinds and enjoy
waking up early. Who
knows? Maybe grades in
8:00 classes will even improve
as a result!
The hallways were jam
packed. “It was like a can of
anchovies,” said Courtney
Brandabur. One could barely
walk through with girls
Continued as Tornado
on page 12

Volume XXVI, Issue 1 Renaissance Page 5
Building Projects Show
Progress
Anna Johnson
Managing Editor
LSMSA’s building
projects, though temporarily
interrupted by Hurricane
Gustav, are moving along at
an exciting pace. Both the
renovation of the Annex and
the construction of the new
Center for Performance and
Technology have advanced
without any major setbacks.
“Everything’s pretty much
on schedule,” said executive
director Dr. Pat Widhalm.
The renovated Annex,
soon to be known as the
Music and Arts Building,
is not far from completion.
“It’s well along the way,”
said Widhalm. The renovation
is on hold currently
because the utilities of the
Annex, such as the lights
and the air-conditioning,
are tied to the new building,
so opening one without the
other is illogical.
Meanwhile, work on
the Center for Performance
and Technology, or the CPT,
progresses more every day.
On the inside, one can find
the beginnings of a recital
hall for the Chorale and the
shell of the new cafeteria
and kitchen, among other
things.
The new kitchen-cafeteria
is possibly the most
significant feature of the
building project, as it enabled
the school to “get its
foot in the door for money
from the state,” according to
Widhalm. LSMSA’s current
kitchen, though perfectly
sanitary, is actually an old
locker room. In the new cafeteria,
students will be able
to actually see their food
New SLC Plans to Unite
Dorms
Anna Johnson
Managing Editor
Fiona, the dog now
inhabiting Caddo, may be
hostile around strangers, but
her owner couldn’t be easier
to talk to. Carolyn McCants,
the new Coordinator of
Resident Life for Caddo
and Prudhomme, comes to
LSMSA with hopes of unifying
Caddo and Prudhomme,
while perhaps teaching her
dog to be friendlier.
Carolyn was born
and raised in Mobile, Alabama,
and received both her
Bachelor’s Degree in Secondary
Education and her
Master’s Degree in Counseling
at the University of
Southern Alabama.
Before LSMSA, Carolyn
worked in both counseling
and residential life. She
specialized in substance
abuse counseling while in
Alabama and spent time in
California as the resident
director and apartment coordinator
at California State
University in Monterey Bay.
She believes her work
in counseling and rehabilitation
will be useful in
residential life. “I think it
will help us recognize things
a little sooner,” she says.
And with all the craziness
in Caddo and Prudhomme,
both stress-induced and
inherent, her knowledge
should definitely come in
Dr. Pat shows off the new
building.
Photo by Anna Johnson.
being cooked, and work
service students won’t have
to wheel it anywhere.
The Arts and Music
Building was designed to
facilitate arts and music
better than the old Annex.
The Annex was originally a
trade school for NCHS and
therefore was not built with
the arts in mind. For a long
time, LSMSA used NSU’s
handy.
Her primary work,
however, deals more with
the residential staff than
with the actual students.
She’s in charge of both
Caddo and Prudhomme’s
faculties, and has big plans
for increasing efficiency
in residential life overall.
“We have to get Caddo and
Prudhomme staff working
as one staff together,” she
says. As it is now, the staffs
are relatively independent
of one another, and Carolyn
believes that both dorms
would benefit from more
cooperation.
So far, she’s loved
the experience at LSMSA.
She says that the dorms at
LSMSA are “very different
from college housing
– much better.” She’s liked
working with high school
students so far because,
facilities for arts classes, but
when that became impossible
around 1994 due to
NSU’s growing enrollment,
LSMSA’s arts were moved to
the Annex. There, the walls
were not sound proof and
the visual arts classes didn’t
have sinks.
The Arts and Music
building will have sound
proof practice rooms for musicians
and pottery facilities
and a printing press for the
visual arts students. There
will also be a gallery for peer
and teacher critiquing.
The project has been
going so well because of the
people working on it. “We
have a great contractor,”
said Widhalm. All those
involved, including Pat Williams
Construction Inc., the
New Orleans architect Ean
McNaughton, and the project
manager Tony McDonald,
have reportedly been
wonderful to work with.
Continued as Building
Projects on Page 12
among other reasons, they
don’t stumble drunkenly
down the halls late at night.
“The students are just fantastic,”
she says, “it’s amazing.”
Another reason she
likes life at LSMSA is that
she’s allowed to keep Fiona
in Caddo. Currently, Fiona
barks like crazy when approached
by students, but
Carolyn intends to change
that. “One of my pet projects
is to get her adjusted
to the students,” she says.
Should Carolyn be successful,
she’ll have yet another
tool for helping students
alleviate their stress. As
useful as counseling can be,
nothing relieves anxiety like
a interacting with animals.
Carolyn is definitely a
positive addition to LSMSA,
bringing with her relevant
experience, big plans, and an
adorable (if shy) doggy.

Page 6 Renaissance 15 October 2008
Chris is King
Joshua Callandret
Staff Writer
Chris King is the
newest addition to the arts
department, and he has a
background that is as colorful
as his tattoos.
King grew up outside
of Boston, and went
to the University of Massachusetts
where he took all
forms of studio art during
his undergraduate studies.
After four years he
earned his Bachelor’s Degree
in sculpture, and after
a fifth year earned a second
Bachelor’s in education.
After he graduated from
U. Mass., King embarked
on a ten-week trek though
Europe with two of his
friends. With about a thousand
dollars he traveled
through about 12 European
countries.
Upon returning
from Europe, King took up
residence in San Francisco
where he lived for about
six months. He then took a
bus to Los Angeles where
he began his studies at the
California Institute for the
Arts in 1993. According to
King, Cal-Arts was owned
by Disney and was modeled
after Andy Warhol’s Factory.
In 1994 the Earthridge
Earthquake crumbled the
Cal-Arts complex, and for
about a year classes were
held in tents. King graduated
from Cal-Arts with a
Master of Fine Arts in 1995.
The first job King held after
graduation was at the Museum
of Jurassic Technol-
ogy. However, he would
soon move back to teaching,
at Beverly Hills High School,
where he taught for 13 years.
While at Beverly Hills High,
King coached girl basketball,
and he was also the head of
the art department for six
years.
In addition to his
teaching responsibilities,
King also busied himself
with many other projects
to satisfy his creative side,
including working as a
concept designer for a custom
motorcycle shop. King
dabbled in television as
well, and in 2003 he was
part of the cast of an episode
of “Monster House,” a show
that was aired by the Discovery
Channel. In 2004 he
co-created a show that was
produced by Jon Bon-Jovi’s
brother, called “Chopper
Camp.” In 2006 King decided
to slow down a bit from
the Hollywood lifestyle, and
he started a band. His band
toured from Boise, Idaho to
Los Angeles, California.
The most recent chapter in
the King story is beginning
right here at the Louisiana
School. King found out
about the Louisiana School
through his sister, who suggested
that the Louisiana
School would be a prime
place for him to put his
creative drive to good use.
One of his goals as a teacher
at LSMSA is to better prepare
visual arts students
for admission selective
arts colleges. King shows a
promising effort to elevate
the visual arts curriculum to
a new level, and balance the
traditional academics at the
Louisiana School.
Construction Error Causes “Myspace” Withdrawls
Jonathan Billiot
Staff Writer
While students were
away this summer, construction
projects, including
the renovation of the
Annex, the water-proofing
of Caddo, and the construction
of the Center for Performing
Arts and Technology,
continued. On August
19, 2008, Louisiana School
students were welcomed
by an excited faculty and
no wireless internet.
The wireless internet
problem was discovered
in mid-July once the
King admires his students’ artwork.
Photo by Joshua Callendret
new dorm staff had moved
into the residence halls.
According to Mr.
Chuck Stoker, the Louisiana
School building manager,
both residence halls lost
their wireless capabilities
when a vehicle damaged the
fiber-optic cable box located
behind the construction for
the new Center for Performing
Arts and Technology.
Despite the faculty’s best
efforts to correct the problem
before students returned,
both residence halls
remained without wireless
internet about three weeks
after the fall semester began.
Shortly after, students began
to experience “MySpace
withdrawals.”
Because it was unknown
who caused the
damage to the fiber-optic
cables, the construction
company agreed to cover the
costs of the materials and
labor to correct the problem.
The construction projects
are approved and funded
by the state; therefore, the
paperwork on the $10,000.00
internet project had to be
approved by the state. After
the paperwork was correctly
completed, it sat on an ill
state legislator’s desk for
three days. Once the paperwork
was approved and the
project funded, the fiber optic
cables had to be ordered
from Virginia because the
cables are not sold in Louisiana.
Before the cables
could arrive in Baton Rouge,
Hurricane Gustav forced
businesses throughout
South Louisiana to close. Because
of this, the project was
delayed by a week. Once the
company reopened, the internet
project was completed
in a week. Although the
legislative process was fasttracked
for the technologi-

Volume XXVI, Issue 1 Renaissance Page 7
Billiot Pulls Through
Gustav
Melissa Utomo
Layout Editor
Although most students
recognize him as the
carefree Spanish club member
selling nachos, 17-yearold
senior Jonathan Billiot
certainly weathered his
share of tough times during
Hurricanes Gustav and Ike.
Although there was six feet
of water inside his house,
Billiot admits things could
have been a lot worse.
Located in DuLarg,
his family’s house was built
eighty years ago by his
great-grandparents. With
no flood insurance to back
up their house and family’s
one hundred acre estate, it
was difficult to repair the
damages caused by the hurricanes
that pummeled the
Houma area. Hurricane Andrew’s
storm surge brought
two feet of water into his
home when Billiot was only
a baby. In 2004, Hurricane
Katrina blew away half of
the roof, and Rita’s storm
Killers in Caddo!
Ginger deGravelle
Staff Writer
Smashed by homework
piles! Sat on by an elephant!
Mysterious caffeine
overdose! Sounds like a mix
of strange deaths, doesn’t it?
These methods of
“murder” constitute Caddo
Hall’s version of a game
called “Assassins,” which
began at 6:30 AM on Monday
during the second week
of school.
To play, each person
wrote her name on a piece
of paper and placed it in
a bowl. The SLA Cori Par-
surge brought five and a
half feet of water.
In preparation for
Hurricane Gustav, Billiot’s
family initially reserved a
hotel in Tunica, a city located
near the northwest corner
of Mississippi, to evacuate.
Unfortunately, mandatory
evacuations for Terrebonne
Parish were issued one day
earlier than expected and
forced them to spend one
day in Booneville, Mississippi,
about 100 miles east
of Tunica. Billiot’s family
returned home the Friday
after the storm had passed,
the day before Billiot returned
to Natchitoches.
Although Gustav’s winds
caused a tree to a fall three
feet away from his house,
on this occasion the storm
surge did not breech the
levee. Because the Gustav
caused power outages
throughout Southeast
Louisiana, Billiot’s home
became a heat-box and
trapped heat. That night,
he and his family decided
menter randomly assigned
a name to each person by
the luck of the draw. Players
“kill” their targets by
writing a cause of death on
a post-it and tagging them.
The winner is the last person
alive. Assassins cannot
be played in the high
school building, the Watson
Library, Prudhomme, the
courtyard before 5:30 PM, or
the Student Activities Center
(SAC) before 2:00 PM. The
assassin also can’t enter her
target’s dorm room unless
invited in by her target.
Sound hard? People
get eliminated much more
to camp in the front yard
and spent time looking at
the stars. “That night was
one of my most memorable
experiences,” said Billiot.
Less than two weeks
later, as Hurricane Ike took
aim at Texas and Louisiana
coast, Billiot received a
phone call from his mother
saying that his family was
once again under mandatory
evacuation and was expected
to leave the next day.
The day before Ike made
landfall, his family spent the
night at his uncle’s house located
safely in Houma. This
time, the levees were not
able to hold back Ike’s storm
surge, and more than seven
feet of water flooded the
bayou community of Du-
Large. According to Billiot,
the scene was reminiscent
of Hurricanes Katrina and
Rita.
Unexpectedly, the
family found paperwork
quickly than you’d think.
Some dedicated players
camp out by the lobby and
wait for their victim to pass
through; some even wait all
evening near their target’s
suite.
It’s not just a game of watch
and wait, however: there is
strategy involved. Eavesdropping
and networking
are key skills that are
mastered during the game.
Friends who have already
been killed may sit in the
SAC or Caddo lobby to listen
for assigned names and
create a flowchart of predator
and prey.
So why play such a
ridiculous game? It inspires
players to think on their
toes and develop social connections.
During the first
semester round, it’s particularly
hard to connect a name
with a face. A player may
have to meet several new
people in order to find her
regarding a flood insurance
plan Federal Emergency
Management Agency
(FEMA) placed on their
house from Hurricane Rita.
In total, FEMA’s insurance
plan will provide Billiot’s
family with $29,000 to begin
the recovery process. “It’s
kind of bitter sweet,” said
Billiot. “The plan was going
to expire this October.”
Luckily, the family was fortunate
enough to be insured.
Out of respect for preserving
his family’s house, Billiot’s
family has cleaned out the
old house and repaired the
some of the damages. However,
his family plans to
build a new home on pilings
twelve feet above sea level.
Billiot also drew up a floor
plan for the new home his
family plans to build. The
house will be rebuilt with
the assistance of church
groups involved with South
Louisiana’s recovery efforts.
target. Should there be any
worry of bitterness? Unless
an assassin “kills” her target
at an inappropriate time,
chances are the “deceased”
won’t be too upset over losing
something that’s just a
game; after all, we have bigger
things to worry about,
like Calculus III homework
or that Chemistry test next
week.
The final three players
in the first semester edition
of Assassins were Miranda
Sant, Karen Nershi, and
Alyssa Labat. Sant finished
the game and won a pizza
from Beaudoin’s by successfully
taking down the assigned
targets and strategically
staying alive.
Who will win next semester?
Because students are more
familiar with names and faces,
skill plays a much larger
role in the second round.
Fall Assassins is over. Caddo
girls, you’re safe…for now.

Page 8 Renaissance 15 October 2008
Caddo Welcomes Ro
Nina Abon
Staff Writer
Attention ladies of
Caddo Hall! There is a new
SLA roaming 2nd East, and
her name is Rolanda Myers,
otherwise known as Ro.
Ro is a graduate of
West Chester University in
Pennsylvania with a B.A.
in Communications. Her
hometown, Philadelphia,
is a polar opposite from
the city of Natchitoches.
“Natchitoches is much
slower and it’s taking me a
while to adjust,” Ro said. It
also doesn’t help that this
is her first time away from
her family, with whom she
shares a close relationship.
One can only wonder
why someone would make
such a drastic move from
fast-paced city living to the
much more relaxed country
lifestyle. Actually, Ro is
planning on using her housing
experience in LSMSA as
a stepping stone to achieve
her ultimate goal of providing
housing to victims of
domestic violence.
Ro also worked as
a Resident Advisor during
her college years, which
became one deciding factor
in moving to LSMSA. Before
even seeing Natchitoches,
she conducted research on
another important factor:
whether Natchitoches had a
super Wal-Mart and a spa.
“It was Joshua Callandret’s
video on the Cool
School section of the website
that sold me,” she stated.
Anyone who glances
at the board on Caddo’s
second floor can see that Michael
Jackson is Ro’s favorite
music artist. The ladies of
2nd East have actually tried
playing MJ’s music to try to
butter her up during room
check. “It doesn’t work,” Ro
commented, “but it’s still
hilarious.” On a side note,
a song that might work
would be “Row Row Row
Your Boat”, which a student
sang to her one night. “No
one knew it but that night
I wasn’t feeling very well,”
she said. “After that room
Award Winning Poet Visits LSMSA
Melissa Utomo
Layout Editor
During a normal day,
students taking Dr. Nahla
Beier’s Creative Writing Poetry
class learn how to compose
works of poetry and
non-fiction while adopting
techniques to enhance their
writing skills. For one class
period, these students got a
special treat when inspiring
and award winning poet Dr.
Julie Kane arrived as their
guest speaker.
Having made previous
appearances in Creative
Writing Poetry classes, she
is no stranger to the Louisiana
School. Dr. Kane has
written and published six
books (three poetry books,
one non-fiction, and two
edited anthologies) including
Jazz Funeral, to be in
published in spring 2009.
Out of the many honors
that she has received from
her writing, one of her most
notable accomplishments
is her sonnet “Used Book.”
It earned first place and
£1,4000 ($2,800) in the Open
Poetry International Sonnet
Competition in Cambridge,
England last summer.
Dr. Kane was born in
Boston, Massachusetts and
attended Cornell University
for her bachelor’s degree in
English. She got her master’s
at Boston University
and then moved to Louisiana
after marrying a native
of the state. Although her
marriage ended in a divorce,
she lived in Baton Rouge for
two years before moving to
New Orleans for seventeen
years. She used her technical
writing skills to write
procedures for workers at a
nuclear organization.
“Technical writing
is clear and accurate while
poetry is more economical;
you use the best and fewest
words,” stated Dr. Kane. “I
find both to be precise.” She
completed her Ph.D. at the
Louisiana State University
in Baton Rouge while living
in St. Gabriel for four years.
She moved to Natchitoches
and found a job at NSU as
an assistant professor, becoming
a professor at the
university a year later. Dr.
Kane sees Natchitoches as an
interesting place and enjoys
its historic background.
Even at the age of seven,
Dr. Kane enjoyed writing
poetry but was uncomfortable
sharing it with the public
until her college years.
Now she sees herself as a
new formalist poet who uses
rhyme and meter along with
sounds like spoken English.
Dr. Kane adds edginess to
her her poems, instead of
what she calls the old “moon
June flowers and nature ideals”
Dr. Kane sees poetry
as exciting yet mysterious,
a fascination that pulls her
to write more. Some of her
favorite poets include Robert
Frost, John Donne, Sylvia
Platth, and Ann Setxon. Her
spiritual goal as a poet is for
readers to be able to connect
with her writing.
When she competed
in the Open Poetry Interna-
check and others, I instantly
felt better.”
Just a caution ladies,
but Ro’s biggest pet peeve
is hair everywhere. If she
ever comes into your room,
she will most likely lash out
about a hot hairy mess on
your floor and demand you
clean it up immediately.
When asked if she
had any final remarks, Ro
just wanted to say that she
enjoys being here and getting
to know all of the students.
“I truly desire them
to be the best and embrace
who they are. Years from
now, when all of you become
famous, I want to be
able to say that I knew so
and so, and that she had a
messy room.”
tional Sonnet Competition
in Cambridge, the twenty
semi-finalists comprised
writers from places like
Australia, New Zealand,
Norway, and Great Britain.
Ironically, her first-place
poem, “Used Book,” was
inspired by her own experience
in a used bookstore
where she found a copy of
her first book on sale for one
dollar.
During Dr. Beier’s
Creative Writing class, Dr.
Kane recited her own poems
“Ville Platte Villanelle,”
“Used Book,” and “Kissing
the Bartenders.” Later, she
had the students experiment
with writing in triolet, a sonnet
consisting of eight lines
in which every other line
rhymes and two lines are
repeated in different parts of
the poem. Classmates then
shared their work by reciting
their triolet.
Dr. Kane also elaborated
on the changes of
styles in poetry throughout
the decades and the new
Continued as Dr. Kane on
Page 12

Volume XXVI, Issue 1 Renaissance Page 9
Eagles Adopt Their Own Santa Claus
Karla Frias
Staff Writer
With his rosy cheeks
and serene smile, T.C. reminds
some students of
Santa Claus. This similarity
is not too far-fetched.
Of course Theodore Veit,
or T.C., does not own a red
suit, isn’t best friends with
Rudolph, and he didn’t live
in the North Pole where he
could skate with snowmen.
T.C. is, however, like Santa
Claus, because his happiness
lies within the happiness of
others. He only feels successful
when he helps those
in need, and he is perfectly
fine being simply Theodore.
A New York native,
T.C. has always been interested
in making others feel
happy and living simply. He
admited that he finds “the
idea of being a vagabond
T.C.’s smile is sure to bring
joy to your life!
Photo by Karla Frias
intriguing because it is living
without the distractions of
possessions. They just enjoy
life as is.”
As a teenager he enjoyed
music, so he went to
Susquehanna University
in Pennsylvania to receive
a bachelor’s degree in mu-
Dr. Cagle Teaches
Stephanie Langlois
Staff Writer
After being the Coordinator
of Residential Life
at LSMSA for a year, Dr.
Amanda Cagle decided to
take another approach to
student interaction: teaching
them English.
While at the University
of Connecticut, Dr. Cagle
was the Coordinator of Residential
Life for the University’s
Honors program. She
returned to her home state
of Louisiana to interact with
some of Louisiana’s brightest
students.
Teaching and being a
CRL at LSMSA have proved
to be very different. Teaching
English at LSMSA has
provided more intellectual
interaction with students
than being the CRL. Dr.
Cagle is now teaching American
Literature and Studies
in Fiction.
Dr. Cagle encourages
her students to see
literature as a powerful tool
instead of a pesky chore.
She also feels that students
should take reading assignments
as opportunities to
read and interpret others’
thoughts and stories. With
her dissertation in American
Indian poetry and her fluency
in Choctaw, Dr. Cagle
brings a unique perspective
to her American Literature
class.
She learned Choctaw
from her grandfather, who
once lived on a reservation.
After she learned Choctaw,
Dr. Cagle worked on creating
a workbook with other
Choctaw speakers in order
to help preserve the lan-
sic. During this time he
also worked in residential
life. As time went by, he became
in charge of an entire
residential life program. He
realized that though his passion
of music was strong, his
passion for people and ideas
were stronger. He decided
to follow his passion by becoming
a Student Life Advisor.
He never saw himself
in Louisiana until August
29, 2005 when Hurricane Katrina
hit New Orleans. After
Katrina’s impact, T.C. volunteered
to leave his home and
aid those who were affected.
He never complained
about where he stayed those
months because, “Frankly I
enjoy sleeping on the floor.
This is the first time I’ve slept
in an actual bed in a long
time.” After all his work
was done he felt a connec-
guage.
Outside of the classroom,
Dr. Cagle can be
found tending to her milk
goats, her chickens, and her
garden. She is also a skilled
harmonica player and
enjoys spending time with
tion with Louisiana since he
had met many people while
volunteering. “The culture
here is so relaxed and friendly
compared to New York,”
he said. “After being here for
so long, I didn’t want to leave
so, I looked for a job until finally
I found LSMSA.”
Since he has been
here, T.C. has found his
place among all the diverse
personalities. “Some of my
goals are to create a recycling
program for the dorms
and to set up an active dorm
council of students,” he said,
“I think it is very important
to have a distinct leadership
program, because it will benefit
the students.” Another
one of his goals is to get to
know each student personally.
“I am very intrigued by
the ideas and opinions of others,”
he said, “I think it will
be really interesting getting
to know the students. I can
see that they are very personable.”
National Merit Semi-Finalists for 2008-2009
(front) Karen Nershi, Ginger deGravelle, Emma Fick, Anna
Johnson, Alexander Duchene, Amelia Hall, Timothy Keele,
Max New
(back) Elizabeth Florek, Evan Cordell, Jacob Houk, James
Kelly, Cristopher Willis, Alexis Ducote
Photo by Karla Frias
her husband, Benjamin, and
her son, Cypress. Dr. Cagle’s
widespread interests contribute
to her fresh perspective
and approach to literature.

Page 10 Renaissance 15 October 2008
“TK” Kennedy Can Get
You Into College
Daniel Foster
Staff Writer
LSMSA has long been
home to a diverse faculty
and staff from a variety of
backgrounds. Adding to
the group this year is John
Adam Kennedy, the new 1-C
SLA in Prudhomme.
Better known as TK,
he is just one of several new
faculty and staff members
joining the LSMSA family
this year. When asked about
his unusual name, the 1-C
SLA revealed that the moniker
evolved during his high
school years to distinguish
him from the three other
Johns in his class. He is not
related to John F. Kennedy
or any other Kennedy in-
Eagles Adjust to Changes
Alexander Duchene
Staff Writer
Returning Eagles will
quickly notice two changes.
Guided Study is now from
1:00-2:00 MWF. The privilege
system has been revised
by removing study exemption
and altering extended
curfew.
Guided study, which
was 4:00-5:30 Monday-
Thursday, is now from 1:00-
2:00 MWF. Instead of each
teacher having a specific
day to hold Guided Study
for his class, all teachers
will be available on all three
days. Most will treat Guided
Study like office hours, but
some teachers are planning
on reserving classrooms as
they have done in the past.
The new time has affected
the school’s entire schedule:
lunch is no longer available
until 1:15 and instead ends
volved in politics.
Born in Ithaca, New
York, TK moved around the
country as a child, living in
such places as Maryland,
Missouri, Arizona, and
Michigan, where he stayed
eleven years and graduated
from a magnet high school
similar to LSMSA in only
three years.
Disliking the snow
in Michigan, TK began his
pursuit of higher education
at Chapman University in
Orange, California, where
he started as a marketing
major. After transferring
to Hampshire College in
Amherst, Massachusetts
halfway through his college
career, the new SLA gradu-
at 1:00, MWF classes after
Guided have been pushed
back an hour, and sign-out
and speed-bump now both
begin at 2:00 (immediately
after guided).
This change in
guided study is not the first.
Guided study was originally
from 6:30-8:30 Monday-
Thursday, but student dissatisfaction
with a bisected
day forced a change to an
earlier guided.
This recent change
was primarily caused by
teacher dissatisfaction with
student use of guided. The
original 6:30-8:30 time was
first considered, but a student
suggestion led to the
new 1:00-2:00 time, said Ms.
Emily Shumate, Director of
Residential Life.
Also, the privilege
system has been changed.
The most obvious is the
“TK” Kennedy flirts with
the camera
Photo courtesy of Cori
Parmenter.
ated in May 2008 with a
degree in higher education.
Along the way, he changed
majors five times, feeding
his love of knowledge by
pursuing degrees in other
areas such as psychology,
art history, communications,
and transnational studies,
a create-your-own major at
Hampshire.
TK discovered his
passion for student affairs
while working at Hampshire
on school committees
and developing his senior
thesis entitled “Transfer
of Knowledge: Transfer
Students at Hampshire
College.” The thesis, inspired
by his own transfer
to Hampshire College, is
about the experiences and
attitudes of transfer students
at a small liberal arts
school. Taken to heart by the
removal of guided study
exemption, which was
caused by the new schedule.
Many students also noticed
a change in the extended
curfew option. The extended
curfew option, which previously
allowed students using
the option to sign out on
weekend nights until 12:30,
school’s administration, it
transformed the way Hampshire
handles its transfer
students.
Because of his experience
with higher education,
TK considers himself to be
well-informed on the college
application proccess, and is
willing to edit application essays
for anyone trying to get
into their dream school.
When
asked about his favorite
music, the new SLA revealed
that his favorite artists are
Guerrilla Rodeo and Daft
Punk, though country acid
house, a sort of mix of country
and techno music, is his
favorite genre. As far as the
big screen is concerned, TK’s
favorite movie is the 1986
film Power starring Richard
Gere and Denzel Washington.
While at LSMSA,
TK has become involved in
several student activities. In
addition to sponsoring the
school’s speech and debate
club, the SLA has become
known for what he aptly
dubs “no jerk hours.” During
this time, which takes
effect anytime outside of
normal LSMSA quiet hours,
1-C residents may not cause
disturbances and must
remain mindful of others
around them. The hours,
which TK first got of the idea
of from his RA’s at Hampshire,
are meant to bring a
sense of mutual respect to
the hall community. TK is
already a notable member of
the LSMSA community.
now allows students to go
to school-sponsored aftercurfew
activities. The change
was made because an extra
thirty minutes seemed to be
a useless option, said Ms.
Emily Shumate. After-curfew
activities could include
“sports or food runs,” as in
the past, she said.

Volume XXVI, Issue 1 Renaissance Page 11
LSMSA Welcomes a
Spider Expert
Jonathan Billiot
Staff Writer
One of the many new
teachers around campus this
year is biology instructor Dr.
Maggie Hodge. Although
new to the LSMSA faculty,
Dr. Hodge is no stranger to
Natchitoches. After moving
to Natchitoches from
Wooster, Ohio a couple of
years ago, Dr. Hodge became
a part-time biology instructor
at Northwestern State
University.
Dr. Hodge attended
graduate school at the University
of Cincinnati, where
she earned a PhD in Animal
Behavior. In her dissertation
about social spiders in Mexico,
Dr. Hodge discusses rare
species of spiders in Mexico
that colonize and work together
to capture food and
maintain shelter. “These spiders
are unusual because spiders
naturally are not social”
said Dr. Hodge. “Boiologists
are interested in what makes
these rares species social.”
Although currently
a fan of arachnids, Dr.
Hodge admits that she has
not always been fond of our
eight-legged friends.
After becoming afraid
of spiders in her teenage
years, Dr Hodge decided to
study spiders for a college research
project in an attempt
to overcome her “irrational”
fear. Her plan was a success,
and she fell in love with spiders.
Since then, Dr. Hodge
has been published in several
reputable journals for
her studies of animal behavior:
National Geographic Research,
Animal Behavior, and
the Journal of Arachnology.
Dr. Hodge’s unusual
bug interests have led her
Dr. Hodge loves LSMSA
almost as much as she
loves spiders!
Photo by Jonathon Billiot
to many interesting places:
Mexico, Ecuador, New
Mexico, Arizona, Florida,
and Georgia.
Dr. Hodge cannot
inagine getting tired of dicovering
new and exciting
animal behaviors. As a
teacher, Dr Hodge belives
the most rewarding part
about her job is sparking a
curiosity in her students—
one similar to the one that
has led her all over the
world.
When asked about
her adjustment to Natchitoches
and the Louisiana
School, Dr. Hodge smiled
and said, “I love this school
and Natchitoches…,” and
“I look forward to getting to
know the students and faculty
at LSMSA.” Dr. Hodge
also looks forward to seeing
her current sophomore
students graduate from the
Louisiana School and exemplary
universities.
When Dr. Hodge is
not discovering new animal
behaviors, she enjoys
cycling, kayaking, and
making pottery.
Jo is Brave Enough to
Live in Caddo
Laura Rocha
Staff Writer
Jo Brave, one of Caddo’s
new SLAs, really lives
up to her last name. In her
words, “Anyone that chooses
a life in residential life is certainly
a hero!” The 26-yearold
is from Bethalto, IL and is
assigned to the first floor of
Caddo. She joins the staff this
year because LSMSA is an
“awesome” place to work.
One could say that Jo
has led a pretty interesting
life so far. She holds a BA
in Political Science from the
University of Illinois Urbana-
Champaign. Originally, her
interest in American history
and government pushed her
towards a degree in political
science. She doesn’t plan on
pursuing this career path any
further, however. She wants
to go back to school and get
a degree in Higher Education
Leadership.
Jo’s father is a cop and
she grew up in a neighborhood
of “cop’s kids.” Her
mother is a high school English
teacher. She has always
considered following in her
mother’s footsteps and entering
the field of education.
Before coming
to LSMSA, she was a union
organizer for the AFSCME,
the American Federation of
State, County, and Municipal
Employees in Ohio. Working
as an SLA is a big change…
not that it’s any less exciting.
Jo says LSMSA is starting
to really feel like home
to her. “Everyone here is so
welcoming. I already feel
like a part of the community,”
she says. She finds the faculty
and staff friendly and
nice. This is helping her in
her transition, because she
Jo Brave knows how to
outsmart genies.
Photo by Anna Johnson
sometimes finds it hard to
be this far away from home.
Jo is unsure of whether she
will continue to work as an
SLA in the future. “It really
depends on how this year
goes.”
Jo really likes working
at Caddo and does a
good job making it a more
exciting place to live, with
little games posted on the
walls of the first floor and a
contagious smile always on
her face. She enjoys spending
time with the girls of the
first floor, and the feeling is
reciprocated.
When asked
for three words to describe
herself, Jo lists “awesomeness,
radical, and tubular.”
You can blame a childhood
raised on the Mighty Mutant
Ninja Turtles for that. Jessica
Huber of the first floor
chimes in, “Lovely, talented,
and beautiful, duh!” If a
genie could grant her three
wishes, Jo would wish for
a cure for cancer, an end to
poverty, and infinite wishes.
“See, you have to trick the
genie with those first two
wishes. He’s going to think,
‘Oh, this person is so selfless.
She’s the best.’ Then
you sneak up the infinite
wishes on him.” Indeed.

Page 12 Renaissance 15 October 2008
Matriculation
Continued from page 1
the new Eagles for the
classes of 2009, 2010, and
2011 matriculated. As
student’s names were called,
they signed the school’s
matriculation book, and
were officially inducted into
the Louisiana School. The
matriculation took substantially
more time than 2007’s
matriculation, because over
there were over 200 new students.
LSMSA is finally back
to its pre-Katrina enrollment
numbers, which all Eagles
agree to be a very good
thing.
Senior Class President
Sara Lang concluded
the ceremony with a reflective
anecdote. She confessed
that she had not fully
realized she was an LSMSA
student until she almost
got stuck in an elevator,
and worried about missing
“speed bump.” Lang urged
all students, new and old, to
enjoy their time at LSMSA,
proudly and fully aware
that they are eagles.
The Louisiana
School’s 2008 Matriculation
ceremony was a dignified
affair, ushering in what
Anna Johnson
Managing Editor
Renaissance
715 University Parkway
Natchitoches, LA 71457
Nina Abon
Joshua Callandret
Alexander Duchene
Dr. Arthur Williams
Sponsor
Daniel Foster
Jonathan Billiot
Staff Writers
promises to be spectacular
school year.
Hurricane
Continued from page 1
of the student body came
back early to seek shelter
from the damage that Gustav
had wrought upon their
homes. During the early return
period the dorms were
on lockdown, and students
could only leave the dorms
in groups of three or more.
Since it was an extended
weekend, the cafeteria had
closed, and any students
who returned early had to
bring their own food for a
few days. On Sunday, signout
procedures went back
to normal, and the cafeteria
opened again for dinner that
afternoon.
When school began
again, teachers scrambled
to get the schedule back
on track. Since classes at
the Louisiana School are
fast-paced, a lost week puts
a significant hole in class
schedules. As a repercussion
from Gustav, many teachers
have been pushing tests
back and rearranging their
syllabi to accommodate for
the lost days. As a result,
Melissa Utomo
Layout Editor
Karla Frias
Ginger deGravelle
Stephanie Langlois
Amelia Hall
Laura Rocha
finals week has been pushed
back a few days. Overall,
the Louisiana School will
probably be experiencing
the effects of the hurricane
until second semester.
Shore
Continued from page 2
Prudhomme before departing
in 2007. Shore sees this
year as a new opportunity
to interact with students on
a different level. Despite
the drastic changes made at
LSMSA, Shores think that
the spirit of the school is still
Tornado
Continued from page 4
hall and laptops and bags of
food taking any other available
space.
“Sitting in the first
floor hallway is the basic
precaution for tornadoes
and other severe weather
conditions,” said Andrea
Huggenvik (SLA). It is reassuring
to both parents and
students that LSMSA takes
the required measures to
keep students safe. “As far
as I know, we’ve never had
to evacuate,” said Andrea.
“But if we do, we’ll get a call
from Emily Shumate and
we’ll inform your parents
using the Alert Now System.”
The Alert Now System
is a new notification
system that alerts students,
parents and faculty to emergency
situations. “I know a
lot of students moaned and
griped about it but a decision
was made to go downstairs
and, because most of
you are minors, we have to
be cautious to show your
parents and the state that
we are keeping you guys
safe,” said Andrea.
Building Projects
Continued from page 5
The grand opening
should be around May 22-
24th alongside graduation,
but the graduating class may
be allowed an early sneak
peak. “I want to have something
for the seniors, before
the building is officially
open,” said Widhalm. The
juniors and sophomores will
be enjoying the new facilities
beginning next fall.
Internet
Continued from page 6
internet problem as an opportunity
to converse and
spend more time getting to
know the new faces on campus.
“Instead of spending
hours on MySpace, I spent
more time getting to know
everyone,” said Maura Herboldsheimer,
an incoming
junior. The internet problem
was inconvenient, but
students were able to experience
social and academics
or a different level. After
all, wireless internet has
been in the residence halls
for only three years. In our
fast paced world of text and
instant messaging, the lack
of internet capabilities in
the residence halls allowed
students to communicate on
personal level.
Kane
Continued from page 8
formalist movement that
occurred in the late 80’s.
She advises young poets to
“read a lot of poems widely,
notice things as you live an
interesting life and keep at
it.”
The winners of the Mr. and
Miss LSMSA Pageant, Sam
McCright and Baleay Jones
Photo by Anna Johnson