1www.runnels.org March 2015

March 2015

Runnels Preschool6455 Jefferson HighwayBaton Rouge, LA 70809

225-927-5803

Grades K through 1217255 S. Harrell’s Ferry RoadBaton Rouge, LA 70816225-751-5712

www.runnels.org Reporter

50 Years of Excellence in Education

(SEE “ZIP FIT LOGS” PAGE 2)

The oldest independent school in Baton Rouge, Runnels has always been the school for all races, religions and national origins.

National Merit Finalists (left) Caleb Man-ning and Connor Matthews.

Congratulations to Our Merit Finalists! Runnels National Merit Semifi nalists Caleb Manning and Connor Matthews have advanced to Fi-nalist standing in the 2015 National Merit Scholarship Program competition. As National Merit Finalists, they remain in the run-ning to compete for approximately 7,600 National Merit Scholarships valued at nearly $33 million to be awarded in the spring. To become a Finalist, Semifi nalists must maintain an outstanding academic record throughout high school, be endorsed and recommended by their high school principal and earn SAT

scores that confi rm the student’s earlier performance on the qualifying test.

Merit Scholars are selected on the basis of their accomplish-ments, skills and potential for success in rigorous college studies. Scholarship awards to Finalists will be made begin-ning this month. Caleb, a Run-nels student since preschool, is the son of Kristen and Don

Manning, and Connor, the son of Karen and Kenneth Matthews, has attended Runnels since 1st grade. Congratulations to our National Merit Finalists, their parents, families and teachers.

Gettin’ Our Zip Fit On

Turning in their Zip Fit Challenge mileage logs for February are (from left) Alyssa Oubre, Emmy Scott and Reilly Wilks.

The enthusiastic response of the Runnels community to the Zip Fit Challenge has been quite impressive! Congratulations to everyone who has participated. A few reminders and additional information about keeping track of mileage follow:• Please include your name on the

log sheets so that your mileage will be included in team totals.

• Remember that the conversion factor of 1.5 miles should be used only for 30 minutes of continuous activity. For example, a person who has spent 2 hours at dance or gymnastics class or soccer or swimming practice has probably not been in motion continuously and would not have covered the equivalent of 6 miles.

• If mileage reported is greater than 5 miles per day, please report the activity in which you have been engaged.

• Remember that the Zip Fit Chal-lenge is about what you can do! Please challenge yourself to become more active to the extent possible for you.

• If using a pedometer, use the fol-lowing conversion factors:

<4th grade 3000 steps = 1 mile; >4th grade 2500 steps = 1 mile

Tickets Still Available ... The fabulous crew that produced our hipster ver-sion of A Midsummer Night’s Dream is about to raise the curtain on a new show in the

Gladys Hague Runnels Theatre! This time they’re taking us to the streets of ancient Rome in the rollicking musical comedy A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum. The Runnels production, with music and lyrics by Stephen Sond-heim, will feature a live band directed by Jill Swetnam. The “Forum” musicians are Alex Acosta, violin; John Baird, bass: Bob Cameron, tuba; Sam Day and Emma Shupe, trombone; Luc Kharey and Sean Parker, cello; Brandon Kelfstrom, baritone sax; Andrew Mitchell,

percussion; Jordan Morris, electric bass; Marisa Russo, fl ute; Austin Stansbury and Ross Stephens, trumpet; and Gwen Thompson, piano. Tickets are still available in the high school offi ce for all three performances: Friday, March 13 and Saturday, March 14 at 7 p.m. and Sunday, March 15 at 2 p.m. All tickets are $10. For more information: 225-751-2192.

Raider Pride ... Congratulations to the Raiders, head coach Ben Young and assistant coach Justin MacKay for a remarkable season of basketball. After claiming bi-district and regional wins in the LHSAA Boys’ Basketball Playoff Bracket, the Raiders lost 92-57 to the No. 1 seeded Riv-erside Rebels in the quarterfi nals in Reserve, LA on March 6. On the court, Grant Welch led Runnels with 20 points and Hampton Hudson and Mohammad Pirzadah scored 11 each. The team wraps up the year with a district record of 9-1 and an overall standing of 20-13.

Headmaster Greg Brandao congratulates Garrett Deshotels following the Raiders’ regional win against Archbishop Hannan on March 3.

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4.

• Current rates of participation and miles covered (based on log sheets submitted) are:

Gray 29% with 2239.18 miles Blue 25% with 1994.18 miles White 27% with 2048.5 miles It’s not too late for anyone to participate. We’re hoping to report higher per-centages each 10 days. Let’s go, Raiders!

Calling All Would-Be Wilderness Explorers! The RPO presents Disney/Pixar’s “Up” for the next Picture in the Plaza. Family fun begins at 7:00 p.m. on Saturday, March 28. As always

the movie is free and Runnels families and friends are welcome to attend. Movie snacks and jambalaya will be available for pur-chase as part of the RPO’s ongoing fundrais-ing for the Plaza Project. Come enjoy an eve-ning under the stars and help raise money for the Plaza Project.

Caroline Henning and Anna Claire Pousson have won 2nd place in the 2014-15 Bishop Stanley J. Ott Knights of Colum-bus Patriotic Essay Contest, which drew more than 275 submis-sions from public and private schools in the Baton Rouge area. This marks the 6th consecutive year that junior high students from our school have placed among the top three fi nishers in the annual writing contest. This year’s theme, “How Do You Show Your Patriotism for Your Country?” proved a meaningful one to Anna Claire and Caroline. “In my essay,” said Caroline, “I explained how some people show patriotism by shooting off fi reworks or cheering for Olympic teams, but for kids my age, it’s sometimes hard to show patriotism. For me, it’s feeling thankful for the freedoms we have in America.” Anna Claire said that the focus of her essay was giving back to members of the armed forces in the community with kind-ness in small ways. “Small deeds -- like opening a door for a disabled veteran -- can be more important that big deeds,” she said. Caroline and Anna Claire wrote their essays as an assign-ment in English, and their teacher, Kylie Harbin, submitted them, along with those of their classmates, to the contest. At a Knights of Columbus Essay Contest recognition banquet on March 21, Caroline and Anna Claire will receive plaques and cash awards in the amount of $100 each. Caroline is the daughter of Sarah Wagner and Chris Henning and the stepdaughter of Jonathon Wagner, and Anna Claire is the daughter of Marty and Christine Pousson.

Caroline Henning

Anna Claire Pousson

Junior High Writers Win Awards

“Zip Fit Logs,” cont’d. from p. 1

Congratulations to the junior high and high school students selected to represent Runnels at the 2015 District Literary Rally at Southeastern Loui-siana University on March 21. Our representatives and their subjects are: Grant Connor and Ammar Essajee, Advanced Math Functions and Sta-tistics; Jack Tooraen and John Howe, Advanced Math Precalculus; Daniel Mayeaux and Micah Roper’, Algebra; Garrett Miller and Kaylen Howe, Al-gebra 2; Amelia Adams, Sadie Kraft, Evie Axelrod, Grace LeBlanc, Julia Power, Aidan Heck, Emily Britt and Jasmine Felton, Art; Andrew Mackay, Biology 2; Sean Parker and Jeehan Mikdadi, Biology Honors; Andrew Mitchell and Ryan Baird, Calculus; Alex Matthews and Sam Matthews, Chemistry; Joseph Curtis, Computer Applications; Robert Law and Drake Fromenthal, Computer Science; Alex Acosta and Rosie Pham, English I; Regan Dean and Luc Kharey, English 2; Robbye March and Will Lurker, English 3; Connor Matthews and Taz-kia Shah, English 4; Heather Edwards and Anna Arceneaux, Environmental Science; Maddy Sutton and Catherine Henning, French 1; Savannah Sand-ers and Rachel Yura, French 2; Eva Kruger, French 3; Brandon Kelfstrom and Austin Stansbury, Geography; Emma Tooraen and Kayla Evans, Geometry; Henry Forgey and Taylor Schoen, Health; Eric Huygues and Ryan Lam, Physical Science; Wesley Harris and Kelsey Mayes, Psycholo-gy; Thomas Worsham, Spanish 1; Jena Bordelon and Anna Daigle, Spanish 2; Lee Parker, Spanish 3; Louise Cramp, Spelling; and John Wiese and Anna Morgan, World History.

District Rally Ready

Spring Scholastic Book FairMarch 9-13

Elementary Library If you have news, please send it to news@runnels.org.

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Crowns, Floats and Fun Usher in Mardi Gras Good times rolled on both Runnels campuses in February as we celebrated Mardi Gras with a gumbo of traditional events. Kindergartners who have been learning about our state were treated to a “Taste of Louisiana” luncheon on Feb. 6. Students feasted on jambalaya, red beans and rice and other local fare provided by kindergarten parents and teachers. At Preschool, our youngest revelers, glittering with beads, rode tricycles, bikes and “fl oats” made from wagons and buggies in their annual Mardi Gras Parade on Feb. 16. Members of the Senior Beta Club and sponsor Michele Stanfi eld were on hand at the Preschool to assist with the festivities. At “big” Runnels, the Coronation of the 2015 Krewe of Runnels Royale headlined the elementary school cel-ebration. The fun started with music, as 6th-12th grade band members, under the direction of Jill Swetnam, formed a “marching” band and paraded through the campus rounding up K-6th grad-ers and leading them into the Gladys Hague Runnels Theatre for the corona-tion ceremony and “tableau.” Two Royal Courts were named at the event, a Petite Court for grades 1-3 and a Grande Court for grades 4-6. All court members were selected by random drawing. On the Grande Court were Queen Savannah Fekete, King Alex Val-laire and krewe members MacKen-zie Blanchard, Jake Haase, Baron Stevenson and Taylor Woods. Petite Court members were Queen Lily Hayden, King Rossi Harrison and krewe members Matthew Campbell Cameron Stevenson, Sofi a Dodd and Mason Pizzalato. Mardi Gras festivities also included a parade of royalty, performances by Runnels bands, songs, cheers and dances performed on stage by each elementary grade and, of course, plenty of king cake provided by the RPO. Many thanks to “ball captain” Cris-tin Ponjuan for organizing the elemen-tary activities and to emcees Jennifer Cassin and John Baird.

1. The 2015 Krewe of Runnels Royale. 2. Kindergartners on stage to perform the “Tooty Ta.” 3. Band students lead the way to the Gladys Hague Runnels Theatre for the elementary Mardi Gras corona-tion. 4. RPO volunteers plate up the King Cake for elementary revelers. 5. Runnels Band member Benjamin Stafford. 6. Third graders in “Iko, Iko.” 7. Leo Morgan in the Pre-school’s Mardi Gras Parade. 8. Mr. Baird joins the 5th grade in its performance of “YMCA.” 9. Enjoying Mardi Gras at Pre-school are Leo Morgan, Camille Naquin, Brynne Chapoton and Sebastian Peak. 10. Michelle Bar-nett (2nd from right), on campus Feb. 16 as “Elementary Principal for a Day,” an honor she won at our 50th Anniversary Gala auction, drops in on 6th graders as they re-hearse for their Mardi Gras dance.

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New Recruits for Junior Beta ... Thirty-seven 6th, 7th and 8th graders were inducted into the Runnels chapter of the Junior Beta Club at a ceremony held Jan. 28 in the Gladys Hague Runnels Theatre. The organization promotes academic excellence, leadership and community service. To be eligible for membership, students must have at least a 3.0 GPA. Congratulations to new members Sophie Ar-ceneaux, Evan Beoubay, Gabriel Bettencourtt, Margaret Campbell, Jenna Carballo, Sierrah Causey, Caroline Daigle, Sophie Edwards, Zane Gillie, Sean Grady, Audrey Guess, Anna Kadi, Thea Knowles, Preston Kyle, Jenna LaBonne, Sophie LeBlanc, Muskaan Mahes, Sydney Markham, Madisan Milam, Zack Morrison, Erin Oeh-rle, Kate Oehrle, Hannah Page, Dino Pellisier, James Power, Maddie Root, Emma

Schlotterer, Grace Scott, Wesley Ste-venson, Sophia Torres, Ellerie Tregre, Lilly Tullos, Chace Williams, Nina Woodward, Cameron Wright and Christopher Yura.

The fl ag was fl own at half mast on Feb. 25 at Run-nels in memory of beloved preschool teacher Christy Lawrence, who passed away that day following a long illness. Below, Preschool Co-director Karen Runnels shares her thoughts and memories of Christy, who was with us at the Preschool for four years. Our hearts are heavy with grief for Christy Law-rence, a woman loved by many. We knew Christy as our 3s social studies teacher from August 2010 – May 2014. In her short time with us, she made many friends, young and old, and touched many hearts with

her wit and joy for life! Christy was an excellent listener and storyteller. She loved sharing stories our little ones shared with her or she overheard in the course of her day. These stories always came with a smile. She was a true professional teacher and learner! She was happy to share what she knew and also enjoyed learning from others. She was always ready for an adventure any little one or co-worker wanted to take her on. In her last months, Christy seized the opportunity to cherish what is most important in life -- the people and relationships she formed along her journey on this earth. Christy was married to Bill Lawrence and they had twins Adam and Ellie Lawrence. Ellie and Adam joined Runnels School as sophomores in 2009-10 and graduated from RHS in 2012. In lieu of fl owers, donations will be accepted for a memorial discovery garden at Runnels Preschool. The garden will be an outdoor learning and discovery environment for the students Christy loved to teach so much. Dona-tions may be sent to Runnels Preschool, Ms. Christy’s Discovery Garden, 6455 Jefferson Highway, Baton Rouge, LA 70806. Mrs. Runnels added that an anonymous donor stepped forward with an of-fer to help us raise funds for Ms. Christy’s Discovery Garden. If we can raise $5000 for the garden, this donor will match it.

Christy Lawrence

We Sincerely Thank ... Michele Smith, mother of Hannah Cassano, for donating two DVD/VCR com-binations to our elementary school. ... For donating books to the Andy Mack Memorial Library in memory of Ms. Shan-non: Dr. L.K. and Gladys Runnels (The Norton Anthology of World Religions); Bill and Marcia Gregg (Hans Christian Anderson’s Complete Fairy Tales); Jim and Dr. Gloria Giammanco (Grimm’s Complete Fairy Tales); and Mike and Charlotte Lock-hart, parents of Michael (Aesop’s Illustrated Fables). ... Blue Cross and Blue Shield for contributing 300 pedometers to Runnels for the Zip Fit Challenge and Dr. Wendy Holden-Parker, mother of Sean and Lee, for facilitating the donation. ... Molly Hightower, grandmother of Sadie and Lance Kraft, and the Junior Beta Club for assembling and distributing Zip Fit Challenge packets. ... Dr. Mike Harris, a local industrial hygienist who consults with Exxon Baton Rouge Refi nery and other companies on workplace health matters, for sharing his expertise with Environmental Science and Environmental Science AP students in Dave Marschall’s classes. ... John Bryan for presenting informa-tion on robotics to members of the Future Scientists and Engineers club. ... “Pop Rick,” the stepfather of Kelly Vicknair, mother of preschool student Ca-leb, for providing live entertainment for the Preschool Mardi Gras Parade and the close of the Preschool Book Fair. ... State Troopers Michael Talley and Jared Sandifer for making a stop at Run-nels on Feb. 23 to offer information about Internet safety and cyber bullying to our 5th graders. “The students,” said 5th grade social studies teacher Tana Cramp, “were enthusiastic and curious about ways to be proactive in securing their own safety.”

State Troopers Jared Sandifer (far left) and Michael Talley with 5th graders Katie Carpen-ter, Blaiklee Guillot, Taylor Pippin, Thomas Betancur and Emma Allerheiligen.

In Memoriam

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— — — — — — — —

All Star Line-Up — — — — — — — — 2014 - 2015 ––––––––––––––––––––––– Wednesday, March 4th Western Regionals (Salads) — — — — — — — — BREAKFAST SPONSORED BY 4TH & 7TH GRADES

LUNCH SPONSORED BY KINDERGARTEN & NHS

––––––––––––––––––––––– Wednesday, March 11 Midwest Regionals (Meats) — — — — — — — — BREAKFAST SPONSORED BY 3RD & 8TH GRADES

LUNCH SPONSORED BY 1ST GRADE & SR. BETA

––––––––––––––––––––––– Wednesday, March 18 Eastern Regionals (Italian) — — — — — — — — BREAKFAST SPONSORED BY 5TH & 9TH GRADES LUNCHEON SPONSORED BY 6TH, 11TH WITH 12TH GRADES

––––––––––––––––––––––– Wednesday, March 25 Southern Regionals (Cajun) — — — — — — — — BREAKFAST SPONSORED BY 2ND & 10TH GRADES

LUNCH SPONSORED BY RICE & ROUX (Preschool schedule will vary.)

–––––––––––––––––––––––

WE’VE GOT SPIRIT! YES WE DO!

WE’VE GOT SPIRIT! HOW ‘BOUT YOU? Every Wednesday (Hoop Day) in March, the Runnels

Parent Organization (RPO) will host RAIDER MADNESS

with “pep rallies” in the teachers’ lounges celebrating our

all-star players (teachers & staff). With YYOUR help we will

award each teacher and staff member a commemorative

t-shirt and gift card... so break out the pom-poms and

bring on the slam dunks for the RAIDER version

of March Madness.

• SSend $15 (per student) to any school office in an

envelope marked “Teacher Appreciation”

(cash or checks made to CASH or RPO)

• Sign up online to bring something for your

grade’s sponsored meal at runnelsrpo.org

(Menus will be posted Feb. 2)

• And, donate a gift card or special item to be used

in the weekly “HOOP DAYS” giveaways.

GEAUX RAIDERS!!

runnelsrpo.org

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Attention Coaches and Club Sponsors: We would like to include a picture

of your group in the 2014-15 Runnels yearbook. Please email news@runnels.

org or call the yearbook offi ce (225-751-2192) to make arrangements for

your group photo to be included.

Music, Books and Pets Headline Preschool Events

... Shanna Drescher, who directs the Fourth- and Fifth-Grade Bands at Runnels visited the Preschool during Music Week in January to introduce students to instruments in the brass and woodwind families. “We got to meet Florence the Flute, Clarence the Clarinet and Sammy the Saxophone in the woodwind family,” said Preschool Co-director Karen Runnels. “We also met Timmy the Trumpet and Tommy the Trombone from the brass family. The kids and adults all loved it!” Music Week also brought guest art-ist Gladys Runnels and her harp to the Preschool. She played a few songs for

the students and gave them a chance to see what it felt like to “play” the harp. Preschool Co-director Janice Leger reports that the Scholastic Book Fair in February was a great success. Pro-ceeds from the event will go toward the Preschool Garden Project. Many thanks to Book Fair Committee mem-bers Kelly Vicknair, Kristen Morgan, Caroline Messenger, Kimberly Calcote and Dianne Albarado. Pet Week in late February was also a popular event at Preschool. Shan-non Guidry brought animals from the Bluebonnet Swamp, and veterinarian Adam Albarado stopped by to talk about pet care. In addition, the chil-dren enjoyed a visit from Preschool nurse Vallerie Myer’s cuddly little guinea pigs.

Preschoolers try their hand at the harp when Gladys Runnels pays a visit during Music Week.

Tennis Program Powers Ahead ... With 18 players on the var-sity tennis team this year, the program at Runnels continues to grow. “The majority of the kids have never played tennis before,” said head coach Kathrin Sieberth, “but we are having fun learn-ing and developing our skills. These are great kids and I’m having a ball!” So far, the team has won two matches, de-feating Central and Walker. On March 4, Runnels tied with Lutcher, a team Coach Sieberth described as a “very tough opponent.” She added that “All four of our singles won, with Sarah Coner posting a win in her fi rst singles match ever.” The varsity team also traveled to LSU on March 1 to watch the Tigers play Kentucky at Dub Robinson Stadium.

Varsity Tennis team members at LSU’s Dub Robinson Stadium on a chilly, wet morning to watch some high powered Tiger tennis.

Geologic Time Scale ... Students in Jessica Ashraf’s Earth Science classes (6th hour class pictured at right) recently dug up facts about geologic history and used modern technology to present their research in class. Imagining they worked for an advertis-ing agency, the students cre-ated PowerPoint slide shows describing various eras of the geological time scale as vacation spots. In her Power-Point promoting the Paleocene Epoch (about 66 million years ago), Kayleigh Nicholson pointed out the absence of dinosaurs (slide, above right), the presence of mammals and a generally warm climate. Each student’s presentation con-sisted of six PowerPoint slides explaining major events in a particular portion of the geologic time scale.

Advocating Bike Safety ... Runnels High School student Jack Tooraen was cast in both television and radio commercials announcing the Capital

Region Planning Commission’s high school video contest promoting bicycle and pedestrian safety. The “Can You See Me Now?” contest is open to 9th-12th grade students in East Baton Rouge, West Baton Rouge, Ascension, Livingston and Iberville parishes. To participate, teens are asked to create an original video (alone or as part of a team) delivering a mes-sage about safety on the roads for bicyclists and pedestrians. Submissions are due March 31. For more information: www.canyouseemenowcontest.com. Jack Tooraen

What’s Happening ...

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Awards Roll in for LadyRaider Soccer Team In addition to winning the district title for the fourth consecutive year, many players on our girls’ varsity soc-cer team earned All District Honors. Congratulations to the following players: Overall District Most Valuable Player (MVP) Sadie Kraft; Defensive

MVP Olivia Arbo-neaux; First Team All District Play-ers Sadie Kraft, Olivia Arboneaux, Morgan Evans and Shannon French; and Second Team All District Players Ally Garrity, Molly

Johnson and Kaylen Howe. Head Coach Angie Mitchell, in her inaugural year directing the Lady Raiders, was named District Coach of the Year.

Powerlifters Pick Up Bronze ... Runnels powerlifters Nabil Essajee and Joey Fairley brought home bronze for placing 3rd in their weight classes at the 2015 LHSAA East Regional Powerlifting Meet held Feb. 28 at Walker High

School. Participating in the tournament were teams from Ascension, Assumption, East Baton Rouge, East Feliciana, Iberville, Livingston, St. Helena, St. Mary’s, Tangipahoa, West Baton Rouge and West Feliciana parishes. Run-nels powerlifter Max Sager fi nished 4th in his weight class and set personal meet records in squat, bench and deadlift. Also represent-ing Runnels at the meet were Dillon Dodgen, Anthony Emiliani, Christian Martin, Justin Reeves, Garrett Rhinehart, Aaron Taliaferro and Justin Taliaferro. The team qualifi ed eight stu-dents to compete at the state meet set for March 21 at Pope John Paul High School in Slidell: Essajee, Fairley, Sager, Dodgen, Emiliani, Mar-tin, Reeves and Aaron Taliaferro. The coaches

are Lonnie Leger and Tom Babcock. Congratulations to our powerlifting team!

Exploring State Police Crime Lab ... Members of the Future Scientists

and Engineers club took a fi eld trip to the Louisiana State Police Crime Lab in Baton Rouge on Feb. 10. “We were given a wonderful tour of the facility by the lab manager, Howard Pentes, who also happens to be a Runnels dad,” said club sponsor Anita Reeves. “We saw the toxicol-ogy lab where specimens are tested for unlawful chemicals and drugs and learned how and when specimens are collected.” The tour also included a look inside the new DNA testing lab where students learned about ballistics and how footprints and tire tracks are used to place criminals at crime scenes. Taking the tour were club mem-bers William Harrell, Kyndal Babin, Jeehan Mikdadi, Julia Justus, Robert Law, Rose Law, Michael Reeves, Christian Martin, Nathan Fairley, Con-ner Raines and Clay Harned.

Nabil Essajee on his way to winning a bronze medal at the LHSAA East Re-gional Powerlifting Meet on Feb. 28.

In the Tub You Go! ... Kindergartners enjoyed their yearly visit from one of their favorite storybook characters, Mrs. Wishy-Washy, on March 6. Dressed in a grey wig and carrying a scrub brush and bucket, kindergarten director Paula Naquin, as a Cajun version of Mrs. Wishy-Washy, offered to “scrub” clean any kindergartner who jumped into her “tub.” Needless to say, there was a long line of giggling and shrieking volunteers. In language arts classes, the students have been reading about old Mrs. Wishy-Washy, who loves to clean everything, including the muddy pigs, ducks and cows living on her farm. She washes them in an “old tin tub/where all the animals go for a scrub.” During her visit, the kindergartners gleefully took turns hopping into “Mrs. Wishy-Washy’s” bucket for an old-fashioned, make-believe scrub down.

Master Class at LSU ... Runnels strings students Alex Acosta (violinist), Harrison Bonaventure (viola player) and Sean Parker (cellist) participated in a Mas-ter Class presented by the internationally acclaimed Attacca String Quartet in the College of Music and Dramatic Arts at LSU on Jan. 28. The group’s viola player,

Luke Fleming, is a for-mer student of Runnels strings teacher Jennifer Cassin.

Kindergartner Alyssa Lee laughs through her turn in the tub with Mrs. Naquin as Mrs. Wishy-Washy.

MVP Sadie Kraft

What’s Happening ...

From left are Runnels students (with instruments) Alex Acosta, Harrison Bo-naventure and Sean Parker with Attacca String Quartet members Amy Schroeder, Luke Fleming, Andrew Yee and Keiko Tojunago.

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Champion Bowlers ... Congratulations to the Run-nels Bowling team for a blockbuster season. As we go to press, the team stands 8-0 with only a few games left to play before regionals get underway on March 23. Most recently, the team beat St. Thomas Aquinas 26-1, with high scores going to Drake Fromenthal, with 205 pins, and Jordan Johnston, with games of 202 and 201. In addition, Connor Matthews scored a 502 series. Also on the team are Joseph Armoney, Ryan Baird, Clay Harned, Alex Matthews, Sam Matthews and Marisa Russo. Their sponsor and coach is math and science department head Karen Matthews.

A Win-Win Attitude ... Students in Sunny Vallaire’s Strategies for Success classes have been exploring concepts in Sean Covey’s bestseller The 7 Habits of Highly Successful Teens. During February they present-

ed group projects based on Habit 4, “Think Win-Win,” a mental approach to help teens deal with success or the lack of it in a proactive way. For their presen-tations, students chose pithy say-ings from Covey’s book such as

“Life is one big obstacle course” or “Win-Lose -- Totem Pole” and explained how they related to Habit 4. For their project, Grace Asevedo, Brennen Grady, Jesse Griffin and Cade Tate picked “Win-Lose -- Totem Pole” and used a stack of yogurt cups to illustrate the idea. The problem with the totem pole is that some folks get crushed, explained Grace, so you have a “Win-Lose.” The idea of Habit 4 is that everybody comes out a winner and nobody gets crushed. Other presentations included skits, cakes, cookies and a model of an obstacle course.

Friends to the Animals ... Our Kindergarten Daisy troop held a pet food drive in January and collected the items piled up on the table (above) for the Companion Animal Alliance (CAA) in Baton Rouge. Julia Golden is holding Little Willow, a puppy from the shelter.

In Strategies for Success (from left) Cade Tate, Brennen Grady, Jesse Griffi n and Grace Asevedo present the ‘Win-Lose Totem Pole’ scenario from ‘The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Teens.’

Connor Thompson and Mason Mayes built an obstacle course for their pre-sentation.

On the Road ... The Runnels Thespian Club traveled to Natchitoches the weekend of Jan. 24 to take part in the Louisiana Thespian Festival. Students participated in workshops on acting, musical theatre, technical theatre and make-up and competed in five individual event pieces: Savannah Sanders sang “Home” from Beauty and the Beast; Micah Danos sang “Notice Me, Horton” from Seussical; John Wiese and Jarrett LaBonne sang “Pretty Women” from Sweeney Todd; Jena Bor-delon and McKenzie Mayeaux performed a scene from La Dispute; and Caleb Manning, Allie Nicholson and Everett Hibner performed a scene from The Com-plete Works of Shakespeare, Abridged. The scenes performed by Jena, McKenzie, Allie, Everett and Caleb qualified them to compete at the national convention in Lincoln, Nebraska. Congratulations to the club and sponsor Neena Kelfstrom.

Runnels Community Scrapbook

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MARCH 9-13 Spring Scholastic Book Fair 9 Leukemia and Lymphoma Fund Raiser Kick-off (10:10 a.m., grades 1-3; 11 a.m., grades 4-6) 10 National Latin Exam 11 Teacher Appreciation Day 11 Elementary Drama, grades 4-6: The Greek Olympiganza (8:35 a.m., 1st period drama students; 9:25 a.m., 2nd period drama students; 10:15 a.m., 3rd period drama students; and 11:05 a.m., 4th period drama students.) 12 Open House for Prospective K-12 Students 12 College Planning Presentations for 7th Grade Social Studies Classes 12 Biology II Field Trip to LSU Museum of Natural Science 13 Raider Star Drawings (8:30 a.m., grades 1-3; 10:10 a.m., grades 4-6) 13 Pre-K Spring Performance (Butterfl ies, 9 a.m.; Blue Catfi sh, 10:30 a.m.)13-15 A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum - musical production (3/13 and 3/14, 7 p.m.; 3/15, 2 p.m.)16-20 Achievement Testing for Elementary Grades 18 Teacher Appreciation Day 20 LSU Theatre Production for grades 6-8: A Short History of Nearly Everything 20 Pre-K Spring Performance (Green Frogs, 9 a.m.; Red Crawfi sh, 10:30 a.m.) 21 District Literary Rally23-25 Junior and Senior High Cheerleading Tryouts (3:30 p.m.) 25 Teacher Appreciation Day26-27 8th Grade Field Trip to Turtle Cove 27 Mu Alpha Theta Convention 27 Kindergarten Musical for Parents 27 Pre-K Spring Performance - Dragonfl ies 28 RPO’s Picture in the Plaza - Disney/ Pixar’s Up, 7:00 p.m.APRIL 1 Strings and Harp Solo and Ensemble 2 Band Solo and Ensemble Festival 2 Sr. Beta Field Trip to Preschool 2 Preschool Easter Egg Hunt (9:10 a.m., 3s; 9:50 a.m., 2s; 10:30 a.m., Pre-Ks) 2 Spring Fling Parties (12:10 p.m., grades 4-6; 1:20 p.m., grades 1-3; 2:00 p.m., K) 3-10 Spring Break 13 School Resumes 13 Zip Fit Challenge Pep Rally 14 Field Trip to WWII Museum for, grade 11 15 Field Trip to Magnolia Mound, grade 7 15 Biology II Field Trip to Baton Rouge Zoo 15 Fourth Grade Reading Carnival 20 Youth Legislature Convention, grades 7-820-21 Senior Fun Day at Mango’s

For complete calendar information, go to the Runnels Master Calendar at www.runnels.org.

March 12 Open House ... We’re hosting a Spring Open House on Thurs-day, March 12 at 9 a.m. in the Elementary Drama Room for families interested in seeing what Runnels has to offer. This will be a school-wide open house not limited to one grade. As members of our school family, please take a few minutes to spread the good word about the benefi ts of a Runnels education. Invite your relatives, friends, neighbors and business associates to join us for Open House. For more information, call Admissions Director Sarah Haase at 225-215- 5706 or visit www.runnels.org.

... Local Mardi Gras Royals: Meg Cassidy, a princess in the Mystick Krewe of Louisianians; Taylor Kennedy, Queen Guinevere in the Krewe of Tucamcari’s “Camelot” ball tableau, and her brother, Griffi n Kennedy, a chariot attendant; and Devyn MacDonald, an Artemis Royal Maid. ... Art department head Lee Brandt Randall for ap-pearing on LPB’s Art Rocks! on Feb. 14. Mrs. Randall, who designs the zany get-ups for the Krewe of Yazoo (“Precision Lawnmower Drill Team”) in the Spanish Town Parade, was interviewed about her work as a costume designer. Mrs. Randall’s husband David, who leads the krewe, and lawnmower drill team members and Runnels alums Katie Rogers (‘06) and Matt Rab-alais (‘05) also appeared on the show. Catch it online at LPB.org/artrocks. ... Runnels graduate Suzannah Burke (‘13), now an LSU sophomore, for having one of her sculptures se-lected for display in the university’s Sculpture Garden.

... Irene Lewis, co-founder of our Free the Children club, for being recognized in the “Kudos to Kids” column in the March issue of Baton Rouge Parents magazine for her exten-sive service to others. In the publication, Irene, who volun-teers as a church pianist, a youth cheer coach and secretary of the Senior Beta Club, was saluted for her efforts to improve “the lives of those she knows and those around the globe.” ... The Senior Beta Club for

being recognized by Wreaths Across America for fundraising efforts on behalf of that organization. Wreaths Across America representative Phil Collins visited our campus on Jan. 21 to present club mem-bers with a Certifi cate of Appreciation. Senior Beta also raised money for ALS with Valengram Sales in February, an activity spearheaded by Regan Dean. Both the Junior and Senior Beta clubs participated in the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure on March

7 on the LSU campus. ... Emily Mack for winning 1st

place in this year’s English-Speaking Union (ESU) National Shakespeare Competition held at Runnels on Jan. 29. The 2nd place winner was Allie Nicholson. Emily went on to represent Runnels in the ESU New Orleans Branch competition held at Tulane on March 1.

... Everett Hibner for winning 1st place in the National Endow-ment for the Arts competition (held in tandem with the ESU Shakespeare competi-tion at Runnels on Jan. 29). John Wiese came in 2nd and Hayden Ponjuan was 3rd.

Runnels alums (from left) Katie Rogers, Matt Rabalais and Morgan Richardson (‘06) work on Krewe of Yazoo costumes.

Irene Lewis

Wreaths Across America’s Phil Collins presents a recognition plaque from his organization to Senior Beta president Alex Stansbury.

Emily Mack

Kudos To... It’s a Date!

10 www.runnels.org March 2015

Junior Class Ring CeremonyJunior Class Ring CeremonyFeb. 6, 2015 Gladys Hague Runnels Theatre

... The Runnels Theatre Department will hold a summer production camp, Annie, Jr. Camp will be held June 15-26 from 9 a.m. - 3 p.m. on the S. Harrell’s Ferry Rd. campus. Two camp performances and one public performance will be presented in the Gladys Hague Runnels Theatre on June 25 and 26. Aspiring actors and actresses entering 2nd – 9th grades in the 2015-2016 school year are invited to participate. We’ll have many roles for boys and girls and tons of fun singing, dancing and acting! The camp will be led by three experienced theatre professional and teaching artists: Neena Kelfstrom, Cristin Ponjuan and Jorge Ponjuan. Camp tuition includes a t-shirt, DVD of the production and two complimentary tickets to the Friday public performance. The early-bird rate (until May 1) is $350.00 for the fi rst child and $340.00 for each additional sibling. After May 1, the camp rate is $375.00 for the fi rst child and $365.00 for each additional sibling. Need more information? Email: runnelstheatre@runnels.org

Annie, Jr. Camp