Ruston High School October 21, 2010 Box Tops RHS Distinguished

Transcription

B-E-A-T N-E-V-I-L-L-E Week! See Page 32
FBLA Prepares for
Hot Halloween
Happenings
See Page 17
RHS Distinguished
Alumni and Teacher
Series—Part 1
See Page 2
Chatterbox
Ruston High School
Lincoln Parish Welcomes SACS!
Box Tops
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Outside Our Box (2)
Academia (3-6)
Teacher Spotlights (7-8)
Editorials/Opinions (9-12)
Homecoming (13)
Service and Social (14)
Clubs (15-17)
The Arts (18)
Senior Spotlights (19-24)
Student Center (25)
Fun Page (26)
Sponsors/staff (27)
Bearcat Spirit (28)
Sports (29-32)
October 21, 2010
by Amber Brown
Senior Editor
SACS stands for the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools. It is an organization which evaluates schools by an appointed committee that visits schools to determine if they may become accredited or
not. On October 5, 2010, two SACS committee members from Michigan, along with six others, came to
evaluate all Lincoln Parish Schools. Our two team members spent more than half a day at Ruston High
School. Students were not aware of this, but ever since the last school year (2009-2010), teachers and administration have been preparing what is called a ―Self-Study‖ report to be read and evaluated thoroughly
by the SACS agency, which is one of the main reasons that the committee chose to review Lincoln Parish
and see if the school‘s ―Self-Study‖ matched up to the real deal. Ruston High School and all Lincoln Parish Schools can proudly say that
we passed the accreditation. Mr. Milstead, Ruston High School‘s principal, had this to say about the matter: ―I never once doubted that
Ruston High and the schools in Lincoln Parish would pass the accreditation, because the parish has proactive leaders, excellent teachers,
and wonderful students.‖ One source also stated that two committee members indicated Ruston High was one of the best schools they have
ever visited, and they visit schools all over the country!
The SACS committee members reviewed documents, evaluated information, and visited the facility, staff, faculty, parents, and students.
The Ambassadors welcomed and greeted them at the door and introduced them to tour guides (a.k.a. Mr. Milstead and Mrs. Tatum). After
the ice was broken, Mr. Milstead took the committee members to the RHS faculty lounge to eat lunch before actually beginning their tour
of the school, which was only allotted thirty minutes of review. The SACS members informed Mr. Milstead that despite the construction
adjacent to the boulevard, RHS still managed to stand out above the rest. One of the members added that they were ―impressed with the
facilities‖ without an in-depth tour. Once the tour was completed, they proceeded to their mandatory interviews of four different groups to
test the ―Self-Study‖ once more: the School Improvement Team (SIT), a student group (pictured below), a teacher group, and a parent
group, who were asked a variety of school related questions. (Continues on page 3)
RHS Distinguished
Alumni and Teachers
information provided by the RHS Alumni Association
by Natasha Alva
News Editor
Last month, on September 24, the Ruston High School Alumni Association
held their annual awards luncheon at the Squire Creek Country Club. At the
luncheon, three distinguished teachers and three distinguished alumni were honored and recognized. The distinguished teachers honored were current teacher
Julie B. Stephenson, retired teacher Ruth C. Potts, and the late Mrs. Murrie Lee
Turnbow. The three Distinguished Alumni recognized and honored were as
follows: in the category of Commerce, Ruston businessman Johnny Maxwell;
as Humanitarian, Cherry Pratt Kirkpatrick; and as Physician, Scientist, and Educator, Dr. Joan Blondin.
The Chatterbox will be providing a more detailed report on each of these
distinguished alumni and teachers in a 6 part series, covering one distinguish
alumni or teacher each month. We begin our series on page two (2), covering
Dr. Joan Blondin.
SACS Students Interviewed: (From left to right) Beau Russell, Mary
Glen Lyons, Demario Mitchell, Taylor Kaufman, John David
Moore, Fre‘Drecia Payne, Jake Kyte, Neesha Sirawardane, Ashley
Davison, and Cyril Nolan (Pictured at Left: Aaron Boersma)
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Chatterbox
utside Our Box?
Ruston High School
Distinguished Alumni:
Joan Blondin, M.D.
Information provided by the RHS Alumni Association
by Natasha Alva
News Editor
Dr. Blondin graduated from RHS in 1955. In 1959,
she received her Bachelor‘s degree from Louisiana
Tech‘s School of Home Economics with a specialty in
Nutrition Sciences. Then in 1961, she attained her Masters Degree in Nutritional Sciences from Cornell University located in Ithaca, New York. After graduating
from Cornell, Dr. Blondin served as an Instructor of
Nutrition at the University of Alabama for a year, a Research Associate at Cornell for a year, and then as an
Assistant Professor of Nutrition at LSU for two years. In
1965, Dr. Blondin was accepted to the Louisiana State
University School of Medicine in New Orleans and in
1969 received her M.D.
After graduating from the LSU Medical School, Dr.
Blondin completed both her Internship and Residency in
Jindal’s Plans To
Improve LA Schooling
by Elizabeth Smith
Business Manager
Tuesday September 28, 2010, Governor Bobby Jindal
went to Dubach, Louisiana, to share his plans to for improving the school systems in Louisiana to the general
public. He stated his two goals and how he planned on
reaching them. He first plans on ―improving outcomes in
October 21, 2010
Page 2
Medicine in 1972, and
her fellowship in Nephrology at Washington
University, Barnes Hospital in Saint Louis, Missouri in 1974. From
1974 – 1978, she served
as an Assistant Professor
of Medicine at Washington University and was
on the admitting staff at
both St. Louis City and
Barnes Hospitals.
Dr. Blondin‘s field of
specialization is in internal medicine and nephrology. Her special interest has been intermediary metabolism of the kidney and mineral metabolism. Her
particular clinical interest has been in the progression of
chronic kidney disease. In 1978, she returned to North
Louisiana and opened her private practice of Nephrology in Monroe. Because of her interest in higher education in Louisiana, she accepted an appointment to the
Louisiana State Board of Regents and served as its
chairman.
Throughout her distinguished career, Dr. Blondin
has remained committed to research, the publication of
her findings from such research in many technical texts
and periodicals, professional lecturing, and classroom
teaching. Her expertise has been widely recognized by
her peers resulting in her being appointed to prominent
positions in numerous professional organizations from
the local to the national level. The list of Honor Societies into which she has been inducted reads like the entire Greek alphabet.
More important than all of Dr. Blondin‘s professional achievements and awards is the universal agreement
and often expressed sentiment that she is a wonderful
colleague and friend. Just one confirming example of
this is her having been selected by the students and faculty of the LSU Health Sciences Center at Shreveport as
the 2010 recipient of the Allen A. Copping Excellence
in Teaching Award. Nominators cited Dr. Blondin, a
faculty member since 1996, for the way in which she
uses every opportunity to mold students and young residents into both successful clinical physicians and responsible citizens. The Ruston High School Alumni
Association honored Dr. Joan Blondin by recognizing
her as its 2010 Distinguished Alumni in the field of
Medicine and Education.
higher education‖ by, ―enacting performance expectations
and incentives at colleges and universities‖. Secondly, he
plans on ―encouraging flexibility and accountability in K12 education‖ by, ―reducing red tape and bureaucracy in
the state‘s education system,‖ ―ensuring that every child
is taught by an effective teacher and that every public
school is led by effective instructional leaders‖ and
―better communicating public school performance‖.
After his speech, Governor Jindal answered two questions during a short interview on education.
Q: How will you implement better
communication of the school performance?
A: There is already a system in place;
we are just going to translate it to
where everyone can understand it.
Q: When are you going to enact the
new grading scale?
A: There is already one in place, we
will just translate it.
Flag Raising on Sherwood Drive
by Natasha Alva and Lauren Townsend
News Editor and Asst. News Editor
Saluting Outstanding Student
Achievement
Throughout the Bearcat Nation
On Friday, September 25th, residents of Sherwood Drive gathered at the end of their
cul-de-sac with members of the Veterans of Foreign Wars Post (VFW) and other friends
to pay tribute to former Marine Corps First Sergeant Bruce Spaulding. The flag raising
ceremony honored Spaulding and all veterans, and inspired patriotism for local citizens.
The ceremony began with a prayer, followed by a short speech by Earvin Ryland,
organizer of the event. Ryland explained the work that took place to make the event
possible. The flag used was actually received by Ryland by an anonymous sender.
Ryland called Col. Lynn Clark of Ruston‘s VFW for assistance, who coordinated with
the city of Ruston to assist with the flagpole. With a restored flagpole and a new flag,
Spaulding was given a memorial ceremony that will be honored by all patriots.
Bruce Spaulding was a twenty year Marines Corps veteran and a true patriot. He
served two terms as the commander of Ruston‘s VFW post. Both of his sons attend
RHS and his daughter is a Ruston graduate. Both sons raised the flag at the ceremony,
which would, as Ryland says, ―make [Bruce] very proud.‖ J.D. Harper, the current commander of the Ruston VFW post, stating ―Bruce was a great person… He was all about
spreading patriotism, so he would be thrilled by all of this. That flag will wave in his
honor and the honor of all veterans of our armed service.‖ Hopefully, the memory of
Bruce Spaulding and the American flag waving on Sherwood Drive will spread patriotism to all who look upon it.
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Ruston High School
Physics Students Step-up to Tech
by Amber Brown and Gray Taylor
Senior Editor and Graphics Designer
While most of the student body attended the Homecoming Assembly on September
24th, a select few of Mr. Elliott‘s Physics Honors students went to the Tech Step engineering program at Louisiana Tech. The students representing Ruston High were seniors Gray Taylor, Robbie Davenport, Will Byargeon, Walker Holmes, Michael Thompson, and Amber Brown.
Once everyone arrived at Louisiana Tech, the Tech professors provided donuts and
coffee for breakfast. From around 9:00 am to noon, the chosen ones constructed intricate model bridges simply using manila folders. The project took almost three hours to
build and required everyone in the group to work together. Mr. Elliott walked around to
the other schools‘ tables to see if anyone else needed help. At Noon, the students took a
lunch break and enjoyed pizza and sodas on the campus lawn. Afterwards, the students
went back to work on their bridges, using equations to configure how much weight their
bridge could support. This event was the first of three Tech Step meetings being held
this school year, the other two will be held in December and January.
October 21, 2010
Page 3
Lincoln Parish Welcomes SACS!
(Continued from Page 1)
by Amber Brown
Senior Editor
After speaking with Mrs. Tatum on this very special (and quite stressful) day, she
had this to say: ―SACS committee members seemed to really like Ruston High School.
The thing they commented on the most, to me, was how impressed they were with our
student body.‖ The student committee that was interviewed said that ―Mr. Art said that
we stuck out from the rest of the Louisiana schools- we‘re the best!‖
On October 6, 2010, the long awaited results were given. All principals were summoned to the LPSB (school board) and the Chairman (head) of the SACS committee
informed them of their school‘s accreditations. The results warrant a round of applause
as it is clear that Lincoln Parish students attend one of the top, well-rounded school
districts in the country. Ruston High School and all Lincoln Parish schools should be
proud to have this honor!
Speech and Debate at BPCC
submitted by Mrs. Olsen
Speech and Debate Coach
Physics students at Louisiana Tech Step plan and then build their bridge project.
Leading Lincoln Prepares Lessons
for I.A. Lewis
by Amber Brown
Senior Editor/ Leading Lincoln Member
Leading Lincoln‘s Goal: ―To instill in the 6th grade students at I.A. Lewis a desire to
become caring, confident, and contributing leaders in life.‖
Leading Lincoln is one of the newest organizations at RHS, seeing as it was just
created by the Classes of 2011 and 2012 (the now upper-classman) at the end of last
year, when students that were looked up to as leaders were invited to the OWL Center
located in Dubach, LA. Even though Leading Lincoln is still a ―baby‖ compared to
some of the older clubs like FFA, it still has many plans to put into action. Mrs. Letendre, the clubs‘ advisor, has already put the plans of Leading Lincoln visiting I.A.
Lewis almost every month into action. Leading Lincoln, with the help of Mrs. Letendre,
will be paired up to teach these 6th graders for 45 minute increments each month, starting in November with the lesson on ―Leadership‖ prepared by a group of six club members. These leaders were nominated and chosen last year by their actual ability to lead
by example and actions.
The 38 Leading Lincoln upperclassmen that will be providing the lessons for I.A.
Lewis are as follows: Myketrian Amacker, Reeves Barr, Miyata Bridges, Amber
Brown, Joseph Brunson, Lanette Buggs, Steven Caldwell, Mary Cox, Ashley Davidson,
Anna Fuller, Eric Goree, Jake Haddox, Brandon Hearn, Rachel Hill, Molly Humphries,
Bobby James, Taylor Kaufman, Chelsea Koonce, Nick Letendre, Danielle McCoy, Cyril Nolan, Caroline Oakley, Alex Osborne, Markia Patton, Fre‘Drecia Payne, Evan Puckett, Jordan Rushing, Beau Russell, Macie Sutherland, Chris Taylor, Ashlyn Thompson,
Casey Turner, Maggie Ward, Sidney White, Brittany White, Maddie Wiggins, Carrington Wilson, and Sidney Wilt. These students plan to represent RHS well while being
positive influences on their peers and the community.
At the BPCC Invitational, Ruston High took 9 students who brought home a 2nd
place Overall Sweepstakes trophy. Contributing to Sweepstakes award were the following student winners: Novice Lincoln Douglas Debate - 1st place - Brianna Worley;
Advanced Lincoln Douglas Debate - 1st place - Walker Holmes; Novice Cross Examination Debate - 4th place - Savannah Woods and Preston Ponder; Advanced Cross
Examination Debate - 3rd place - Stephen Zhong and Josh Phillips; Jr. Extemporaneous Speaking - 2nd place - Jonathan Verrett; and Sr. Extemporaneous Speaking - 3rd
place - Josh Phillips.
I would like to thank Ruston High‘s teachers for sharing your students with me.
New Tech Students
Build Catapult
by Christian Amos
Sports Editor
Two freshman New Tech students showed their craftsmanship by building a two
and one-half foot wooden catapult. The structure was constructed by Jordan Bruner
and Lucas Hashimoto for Mr. Savage‘s math class. ―It took one night to build it because we‘re just that awesome!‖
The catapult was put together with many materials such as: screws, nails, hooks,
bungee cords, sticky tacks, duct tape, a swim cap, and a measuring cup to hold the item
of shelling. Even RHS Student Council President Beau Russell stopped by to test out
the freshmen‘s work. This is just one of many projects the New Tech students will be
working on all year to test their aptitude.
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Chatterbox
cademia
Ruston High School
October 21, 2010
Eureka! A Math Play?
by Emily Moore
Arts Reporter
On Thursday, October 7, 2010, juniors loaded up on the buses
and headed out. All students enrolled in Mrs. Courtney Martin‘s
Algebra II class received the privilege of going to the Brown
Theatre at the Civic Center in Monroe. It was an exciting event
because math classes rarely ever get to go on field trips. Mrs. Martin didn‘t hide any of her excitement. The students all looked very classy and outshone all the other schools attending ―Eureka!‖,
the math play.
Ruston High juniors were just happy to get out of class and didn‘t expect to enjoy the play, but
they got a nice surprise. The play featured mathematicians such as Albert Einstein, Pythagoras, and
several others. The actors even threw in some comedy. The play emphasized the order of operations (P.E.M.D.A.S). The characters‘ way to remember the order was ―Pancake Explosion! Many
Deaths Are Suspected‖. Although, several Ruston High students stated that they thought ―People
Envy My Down-right Amazing Swag‖. The play also used other nifty ways to remember mathematics. This play proved to be educational and enjoyable. Viewers will remember prime numbers
and the triangle. Perhaps, the best point ―Eureka!‖ made was that math is found everywhere, even
in nature. It is used in everyday life and is really a beautiful thing.
After the play, students loaded up and headed to a crowded mall for some lunch. Upon arrival,
students split up heading to Yummy Japan, Chic-Fil-A, and various other restaurants. All Ruston
High students were told to be back on the bus and ready to leave at 1:15 p.m. sharp and then let
loose to eat. Many followed their noses to Maggie Moos. It was an educational experience as well
as a fun one and all those who attended will picture Einstein during any math test in the future.
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National Merit Scholar SemiFinalists and PSAT Testing
by Polly Michelle Gwan
Academics Reporter
On October 13, 2010, many Ruston High School juniors, sophomores,
and freshman participated in the national PSAT testing exam. The PSAT, an
acronym for the Preliminary Scholar Aptitude Test, is a test taken by almost
all juniors across the United States in hopes of being named a National Merit
Scholar and receiving scholarships offers to multiple schools all over the
country. In order to qualify for National Merit Scholars, junior students must
take the PSAT and must have one of the top 50,000 scores in the country, of
those 50,000 scores juniors are either chosen as one of the 34,000 Command
Students or one of the 16,000 National Merit Semifinalist. Of that 16,000,
only 15,000 will be chosen as National Merit Finalists. In the end of the process, 1,300 students will be chosen as Special Scholarship recipients and
8,400 will finally be chosen as National Merit Scholarship winners.
In recent years, RHS has been proud to have many prestigious students
be named as National Merit Scholars including: Matthew Moore and Wesley
Henderson (2006), Aubri Teague (2007), Anna Ward (2008), and Collin
Smith and Matt Robertson (2008-09). This year, Ruston High is again proud
to name two students, Valerie Wheat and Elizabeth Sawyer, as National
Merit Scholarship Semi-Finalist. Now, they will continue on in the process
towards being named National Merit Scholars.
El día de Brujas
by Stephany Arias
Senior Reporter
Los orígenes de Halloween se remontan a la cultura Celta en Irlanda. De acuerdo a su religión
Druida, el Año Nuevo era el 1 de noviembre. La celebración comenzaba el 31 de octubre y duraba
hasta el día siguiente. Los espíritus de todos los que habían muerto durante el año se levantaban y
deambulaban por las calles esa noche, la cual era considerada maligna. La costumbre de amenazar
con bromas u obtener caramelos (Trick or Treat) también tiene su origen en los irlandeses, ya que
ellos iban de puerta en puerta pidiendo a sus vecinos y amigos contribuciones para la celebración
de All Hollow‘s Eve.
Le Français au Lycée Ruston
submitted by Mrs. Greenwood
RHS French Teacher
Le Cercle français du Lycée Ruston a commencé l‘année avec grand
élan. On ne manque pas de projets pour cette année. Quelques activités
prévues sont :
1. La Table Française – Une réunion détendue des élèves du Français pour
parler français et pour s‘amuser. La première réunion a eu lieu mardi après
midi à Crescent City. Nous espérons que des élèves de Cedar Creek vont
nous joindre la prochaine fois.
2. Notre première réunion de Boules et Beignets va avoir lieu le 23 octobre,
où nous allons planifier pour La Semaine Française…et bien sûr, jouer
aux boules et manger des beignets.
3. La Semaine Française – le 4 – 10 novembre. Les activités seront annoncées.
4. Le Congrès d’ALCFES – le 4 - 6 février – un weekend de « FUN » en
français avec des élèves de toute la Louisiane (à Lafayette).
5. Un voyage en France et en Suisse – le 24 mars – 3 avril. Nous allons
visiter la belle Paris, les châteaux de la Loire, les plages de Normandie, et
le Lac Lucerne en Suisse.
D’autres projets prévus sont, le Bearcat World Tour avec les élèves en
espagnol et en allemand, et le Mardi Gras.
Les membres du Comité Directeur du Club Français
Co-Président
Elizabeth Sawyer
Co-Président
Meny Hernandez
Publicitaire
Shelby Giddings
Secrétaire
Mary Conly Hammons
Chef d‘activités Benecia King
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Ruston High School
October 21, 2010
Page 5
PTA Supports RHS
by Jocria Thompson
Social Reporter
The PTA is the Parent Teacher Association of Ruston High School. It was formed about 6 years ago by a group of parents looking to
support the teachers and students of Ruston High. The PTA Officers of 2010/2011 are Melinda McIntire-President; Tisdale McDonaldTreasurer; Ammi Schillinger-Secretary; Renee Davison-Sweatshirt Committee; Nancy Diaz-Newsletter Committee; Julie Kyte-Corporate/
Family Sponsorship (President next year); and Beth Craig-Membership.
This year, PTA will participate in a number of activities, including The Bridge Newsletter which comes out twice a year and "bridges"
the information gap between students and parents and The Christmas Coffee for Staff and Teachers. There is also Teacher/Staff Appreciation Week and many more. The PTA board meets once a month at RHS in the Teachers Lounge. Several of the board members are rotating off the board at the end of this year so they are looking for parents who would like to join our board. Please contact Melinda McIntire
for any information. Also, it only costs $10.00 a year per family to join the PTA. Please encourage your parents to join the RHS PTA as
supporters of our RHS teachers and staff so they can be the best high school in Louisiana and prepare the students for their future careers.
SHARP CATS
submitted by Mrs. Thomason
Freshman Academy
RHS Freshman Academy recognizes
October Sharp Cats!
The Ruston High School Freshman
Academy is proud to recognize some of
our outstanding students each month by
naming them Ruston High Sharp Cats.
The academy faculty feels that honoring
exceptional students is an important part
of supporting and encouraging our freshmen.
Each month, 6 students from the
Freshman Academy are nominated by
their teachers to join the ranks of the
Sharp Cats. Through their accomplish-
ments, the students selected for this program have set an outstanding example in
some aspect of campus life. Some students have exhibited an intense rigor for
academics or demonstrated their love of
learning. Some have enhanced their
grade point average standing while others
have shown exemplary attitudes and behavior. They are determined to learn and
genuinely lead and inspire others on our
campus. It is with great pride that we
present to you these students...for they are
truly Sharp Cats!
We are so proud of our freshmen, and
we hope that you will join us in our appreciation of these extraordinary students:
Chandler Haddox, Kaitlyn Heiden, Garrett Hipp, Ashley Reynolds, Chance
Rhone, and Deondray Spivey.
Polly’s Declassified Freshman
Survival Guide: Classroom Don’ts
Academics Reporter
NO….
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Walking on left side of the hallway! This is America - not England.
Hugging the opposite gender! Save that for church.
Getting attitudes with teachers and walking out on them! You will get a referral.
Revealing areas on your body that don‘t want to be seen! It‘s not your first birthday, so don‘t wear the suit.
PDA in the hallway! 3 FEET, 3 FEET!
Dirty words! *GASP* Your Mammy would be ashamed.
Tight, tight clothes! You‘re a RHS student, not Katy Perry.
Running in the hallways! It gives upperclassmen more reasons and chances to
trip you.
New Tech Announces VIPS
submitted by Mrs. Cox-Bonial
NT@R Coordinator
Where’s Rusty? . . . Cells to the Rescue! . . . Boo Who? . . . What Not to ‘Net . . . Patent Pending . . . What is Life? . . . How To Manual . . . New Tech Tool Kit . . .
Each of these cryptic phrases reflects a title from the first curricular projects recently rolled out by the New Tech @ Ruston staff. From Global Studies to Biology to
Animation and Visual Effects to Geometry and Algebra I, NT@R students have been
engaged in rigorous challenges that have resulted in a diverse array of project products.
To encourage the students to stretch themselves in creating and developing excellent products, the NT@R staff has begun the practice of naming its VIPS: Very Impressive Project Students. Each set of VIPS represent the student groups who did
the most outstanding work with the project products and presentation.
Consideration is given to the different components of projects, such as oral presentation, multi-media, product development, and group dynamics and success. The first
group of VIPS included the following:
ALGEBRA I:
Alicia Mitchell-Love, Tanner Stark, Jed Davidson, and Tyler Townsend;
Caleb White,
Katie Sawyer, and Emily Compton
ANIMATION AND VISUAL EFFECTS:
Best Video: Henry Thompson, Stephen Hall, Joey Franklin and Alexis White;
Best Audio: Britt Manning, Shelton Wooley, Melinda Martin, Michael Tolar,
and Darby Rowland;
Best Ad: Treigh Allen, Mary-Hollis Graham, Andrea Long,and Jeffrey Early
BIOLOGY:
Anna Claire Wyatt and Jack Lindsey; Josh Chrisman, Ryan Dooley, Jamarius
Washington, and Daniel Kimrey; Aranaye Clay, Caleb White, Sam McIntire,
and Charis Kennedy
GEOMETRY:
Jonathan Craig, Brianna Worley, and Erick Huynh
GLOBAL STUDIES:
Kristen Clark, JaMari Harris, Dusty Thomas, Jamarious Washington, Jermiran
Spivey and Michael Tolar; Lillie Perry, Tray Brown, and Nate Perry; Jonathan
Craig, Josh Chrisman, Montrel Davis, and Thristan Cecil
Congratulations to these outstanding students and their impressive work. The New
Tech @ Ruston staff looks forward to the continued growth and development of the
student body and the ongoing progress each will make in producing excellent work
worthy of recognition. Keep reaching higher!
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Ruston High School
Resume’s Reminders
October 21, 2010
Ruston High School Online Training
for Students and Teachers
submitted by Samantha Wilson
Ruston High Resume’ Staff
BUY YOUR 2010-2011 NOW! Pre-order sales for
this year‘s yearbook are available for $40 in Mrs. Strickler‘s room, 208. The 2009-2010 yearbooks are still available for $45 dollars.
SENIORS! Reserve a spot in your senior yearbook
today! Stop by Mrs. Strickler‘s room or ask a staff member about purchasing an ad as a senior to be placed in the
2010-2011 yearbooks. Last but not least, support your
RHS Resume‘ by purchasing baked goods for the Halloween bake sale on 27th, 28th , 29th. Thank you for your
continued support!
Website:http://lincolnschools.simplek12.com/
Students' User ID is firstnamelastname and the password
is password.
LOGIN EXAMPLE:Randy Foster would be randyfoster
and password.
Click CONTINUE to access online courses such as:
"What Students Need to Know About the Internet," Web
2.0 Tools, and Microsoft Office Training.
If questions, please email Debbie Pender
[email protected]) or call her at (255-1430).
Page 6
Rotary Club
Winners
Academics Reporter
Congratulations to the September 2010, Rotary Club
Winners! To qualify as a RHS Rotary Club Winner, you
must be a senior with a cumulative GPA of 3.5 or higher
and be an officer or a member of at least one RHS club
or organization.
September‘s Rotary Club Winners are Elizabeth
Sawyer and Valerie Wheat. Congratulations to both
girls for receiving such high honors!!
Rotary Club Winners
RIGOR, RELEVANCE, AND RELATIONSHIPS
Month
Students
RUSTON HIGH SCHOOL
2009-2010
September
Elizabeth Sawyer
Valerie Wheat
October
TBA
November
TBA
December
TBA
January
TBA
RECOGNIZED AGAIN FOR
EXEMPLARY ACADEMIC GROWTH
CONGRATULATIONS STUDENTS, FACULTY, AND STAFF
FOR PROVING THAT RUSTON HIGH SCHOOL PROVIDES
A QUALITY EDUCATION FOR A QUALITY LIFE!
T
Chatterbox
eacher Spotlights
Ruston High School
October 21, 2010
Name: Kellye Ratcliff
Position at RHS: 9th grade counselor
Family: Wade (husband), Marley and Sydney (daughters)
High school attended/year: Magnolia High School 1987
College attended/major: LA Tech Math and Speech Education, Masters in Counseling
Teaching experience: 3 years at RJHS, 11 years at RHS
Favorite team/sport: Arkansas Razorback Football, Bearcats all sports
Favorite Quote: ―What is right is not always popular and what is popular is not always right.‖
If you could have one wish what would it be? See all students be happy and do well
Is there anything you would like the students to know about you? I love Ruston High!
Pet peeve: Not treating others with respect
Name: Dawna Keys
Family: George (husband), Ryan, Justin, Seth, Adam, Quint (sons)
High school attended/year: Jonesboro– Hodge
College attended/major: LA Tech, Business and Counseling
Teaching experience: 21years at RHS
Favorite childhood memory: Getting up early on Christmas morning to see what Santa brought
Favorite team/sport: Ruston High - all sports
Pet peeve: Students who do not perform to the best of their abilities!
Name: Diana Humphries
Pet peeve: lazy students
Family: Ben (husband), Kelly, Molly, Maggie (daughters)
Teaching experience: 28 years
High school attended/year: Ruston High School 1980
College attended/major: LA Tech English, Masters in Counseling
Most embarrassing moment: I don't get embarrassed
Favorite childhood memory: I had the perfect childhood with two awesome parents!
Favorite team/sport: RHS Bearcats - all sports
Favorite Quote: ―To the world you may be one person, but to one person you may be the world.‖
Is there anything you want the students to know about you? I want the best for my students and will do all I can to help them.
Name: Kay White
Family: Russell White (husband), Jon and Graham (sons)
High School attended/year: Natchitoches Central High School– 1983
College attended/ major: LA Tech Bachelor‘s of Science, Business Education Major, Minor English,
Master of Arts: Secondary School Counseling
Teaching experience: 11 years at RHS, 9 years at Louisiana Technical College
Favorite team/sport: Supports all Bearcat teams!
Favorite quote: The most wasted day of all is that on which you have not laughed.
Pet peeve: Whining
Name: Jan Martin
Family: Stanton (husband), 2 children, 1 grandchild, and 3 dogs
Position at RHS: Guidance Secretary
High school attended/year: Ruston High School 1978
College attended/major: LA Tech, Business
Favorite childhood memory: Going to the beach in the summer
Favorite team/sport: RHS all sports!
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Ruston High School
October 21, 2010
Page 8
Name: Walter Moss
Family: Michee (wife) and two kids
Position at RHS: Band Director
High school attended/year: Ouachita High School back before Super Wal-Marts
College attended/major: LA Tech - music, ULM - Masters
Teaching experience: 18 years at RHS
Favorite childhood memory: I was never a child
Favorite quote: ―In God we trust… all others pay cash.‖
Name: Rebecca Strickler
Pet peeve: Lying, cheating, and stealing
Family: Jay (husband), Chris, Anna (children), Dan, Chris, Michael (step kids)
Position at RHS: Art 1
Clubs/organizations advised: Art Club, Yearbook (Resume‘)
High school attended/year: Homer High School 1983
College attended/major: LA Tech, Art Education
Most embarrassing moment: While in a European art museum, I hooked arms with a man who I thought was my husband, but wasn't!
Favorite childhood memory: Traveling with my family in my dad‘s plane
Favorite team/sport: New Orleans Saints… Who Dat!!
Name: Mindy L. Martin
Pet peeve: When people say ―at‖ at the end of a sentence!
Family: My dog Jasper
Position at RHS: Choir and piano
Favorite team/sport: Ruston High School Bearcats!
High school attended/year: Vanderbilt Catholic High School 2004
College attended/major: LA Tech, Bachelor in Music Education
Most embarrassing moment: I fell backwards in a chair while teaching and a student caught me.
Favorite childhood memory: All the camping/ hiking trips in the mountains with my dad
Favorite Quote: ―Nothing is more intolerable than to have to admit to yourself your own errors.‖ -Ludwig van Beethoven
If you had one wish it would be? Unlimited funds for traveling
Is there anything you would like the students to know about you? It would be great if I said ‗I‘m tone deaf.‖
Cats and Dawgs in Harmony
by Emily Moore
Arts Reporter
LA Tech Bulldogs and Ruston High Bearcats make our union stronger
through music. October 8, 2010, the Tech drum line came to Ruston High
during second period to speak with the Bearcat drummers. There were even
some Ruston High Alumni in the Tech band! The Ruston drum line took
away with it some great new techniques. Senior Matthew Sanders, a snare
drummer, said, ―It was AWESOME!‖ Another snare drummer, senior
Bradlee Martin, shared Matthew‘s enthusiasm saying, ―It was COOL!‖
Junior and first bass drum, Ora Cater, answered, ―It was nice and there was
one cute guy.‖ Most all percussionists stated that it was a good experience.
On Saturday, October 9, Ruston High‘s band, along with other local
high school bands, joined at the Tech stadium. Band members from Sterlington, Neville, Rayne, and others joined the Tech band in playing
―America the Beautiful‖ on the field at half time. The Tech drum line
joined forces again with the Bearcat band again on October 13, 2010, at
Tech‘s band room. With all of the time these two Ruston school bands are
spending together, there is no question that the Cats and Dawgs are most
certainly singing and playing in harmony.
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Chatterbox
ditorials/Opinions
Ruston High School
October 21, 2010
Page 9
Students Talk SACS
by Jocria Thompson
Social Reporter
On Wednesday October 5th, the students at Ruston High were told that there were many important
people visiting our school and that they were from SACS. The visitors would be touring our school,
interviewing students, and observing classes. Despite the significance of this visit, many students at
Ruston High School have no idea what SACS is. SACS is an acronym for the Southern Association of
Colleges and Schools. It is an organization developed to determine if a state‘s school systems, including
public and private schools, are accredited.
We asked one of the students interviewed by SACS, Fre‘Drecia Payne, how it felt to get chosen. She
told Chatterbox, ―It felt good when I got chosen to be interviewed. It felt like all of my hard work in
school paid off. To me, it was an honor to be chosen to represent Ruston High School at an important
time.‖ We also asked her if there was anything she would like to tell RHS students about SACS. She
told us, ―SACS is very important because it shows people and other schools how great Ruston High
School is. By passing, we let others know that we are capable of only the best.‖
All of the students who represented Ruston High School did a wonderful job. They represented every day kids at Ruston High. They also demonstrated that Ruston High has hard working students. We
should all try our best in everything we do as we never know when we are going to be called to step up
and perform. On behalf of the Ruston High School staff and students, we thank each of these students
for representing our school with character and integrity.
Respect Your Elders, Sonny
by Lauren Townsend
Asst. Editor
Ruston High School goes way back, way back to the
day of the dinosaurs! I‘m joking; Ruston High is just old,
not pre-historic. Ruston High School was started in 1921;
thus, our school has a long list of alumni that is continually growing as each year passes. Some alumni couldn‘t
leave RHS, so they taught here. One you may know is
Mrs. Julie Stephenson, who not only came back to Ruston
but also won the Teacher of the Year award. Another
SACS students interviewed relax after posing for the ―official‖ picture:
(Top row, from left to right) Beau Russell, Mary Glen Lyons, Demario
Mitchell, Taylor Kaufman, and John David Moore.
(Bottom row, from left to right) Fre‘Drecia Payne, Jake Kyte, Neisha
Sirawardane, Ashley Davison, and Cyril Nolan.
teacher who was a RHS student teacher was Mr. Ruth Potts, who is now retired. Other
alumni include Ruston businessman Johnny Maxwell, humanitarian Cherry Pratt
Kirkpatrick, and the Physician, Scientist, and Educator, Dr. Joan Blondin.
So why do alumni matter at Ruston High? Some students claim, ―It is nice being
able to talk to our teachers about school, especially since they experienced the same
school life and problems we are facing now. Teachers who went to Ruston High are
more comfortable to talk to because they are more familiar with our school life than
teachers who went to different schools.‖ Another reason could be that RHS alumni
have advice they can pass down to modern-day students. The best thing about alumni
is listening to their funny stories about the teenage drama they went through during
high school. So respect the Elderly Bearcat because he may just know something that
you could use in the future!
“Situation”: Head to the Gym for Safety
by Elizabeth Smith
Business Manager
On September 21, 2010 Ruston High was put under ―lockdown‖ because a
―situation‖ had taken place across the street. Many students on 1 st lunch shift
were enjoying their lunches, and 4th hour students were wishing it was their
lunch shift, when all were interrupted as students and teachers were instructed to
leave their classes or their lunch, make their way to the boy‘s gym, and sit in the
top sections. Many students, at first, did not know what was going on but that
their ignorance soon banished due to outside ―sources‖ (their cell phones).
Students and teachers reactions to this new and very different kind of
―lockdown‖ were witnessed by all those in attendance. Some students began to
panic but many others just did not care; they were happy to be out of class. Also,
while waiting to be informed, out of excitement and boredom students began to
randomly clap and do ―the wave‖. This took place for several minutes until Mr.
Milstead came out and said, there was a ―situation‖ across the street and that
Ruston was taking an extra precaution, because they did not know what the man
had or if he might decide to reap havoc onto the school. Thus, this is why students had to go the gym and miss 4th hour. After Mr. Milstead‘s announcement,
1st lunch went to class and 2nd lunch went on to lunch, because the situation was
over. Ruston High was safe once more!
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Chatterbox
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Ruston High School
Neville Never! Ruston Forever!
October 21, 2010
Page 10
by Gray Taylor
Graphics Designer
Crime Rates
by Shamario Daniel
Club Reporter
Have you ever wondered why crime rates have gone
up? I think I know one reason on why it has increased. I
think the crime rate has gone up because many people
don‘t have anyone to look up to or rely on during their
time of need. As such, we should open up to those in
need. Just as important, people need to take responsibility for their own actions and be held accountable at all
ages.
A Rayville police officer was shot and killed during a
burglary call. An officer in Ruston was shot while answering a call at a local repair shop; he now faces a long
recovery time after being in critical condition. It seems
we hear more everyday about increasing crime rates.
Police officers are very important and people should
treat them with more respect. I had two family members
who were policemen who were killed, and I have two
family members who are in the force now.
Instead of blaming crime on lack of police enforcement, let‘s remember that police officers can do just so
much. Reducing crime rates requires the police to enforce the laws, but even more, it requires that people
accept responsibility for their actions. We all need to do
what we can to help.
Yoplait; For Each Lid
YOU Can Make a Difference
by Lauren Townsend
Asst. News Editor
You scream, I scream; we all scream for… YOGURT? Not only is yogurt a healthy, delightful
treat for all, but it is also a hero to breast cancer
patients. Yoplait® is collecting its lids not to recycle but to donate 10 cents to Susan G. Koman for
the Cure® for each lid sent in. Each year Yoplait®
asks yogurt lovers to send in the tops by December
21st in order to donate a guaranteed sum of
$500,000.00; right now the amount donated is up
to $1.6 million! Every lid is a step toward saving a
life from breast cancer.
Yoplait® isn‘t just donating to any cancer cause
organization; Susan G. Koman for the Cure® has a
story and a purpose. Susan G. Koman was a woman who had love, friendship, and unfortunately,
breast cancer. Even though she was diagnosed
with this dreadful illness, she did not give in to
grief; she became a fighter. Throughout her sickness, she worked on ideas on how she could help
fellow breast cancer patients cope and fight against
the disease. She never did give up, even towards
the end of her life. Even though she did not entirely defeat breast cancer, she did leave behind hope
and the will to keep on fighting for all patients; her
legacy and war on breast cancer is now carried on
by her sister, Yoplait®, and fellow warriors
against the disease.
So what can you do to save a life? It is a very
simple process that anyone can do. First, you go to
any store in your area that sells Yoplait ® products, such as Yoplait® Original or Light yogurt.
Next, grab a spoon and chow down on your delectable, healthy treat. Finally, follow these three easy
steps: save, rinse, and mail to Yoplait®. For every
lid you send in, Yoplait® donates 10 cents to Susan G. Koman for the Cure® to help women with
breast cancer. Who knew that you could help save
lives by just eating yogurt?
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ditorials/Opinions
Ruston High School
Chatterbox
October 21, 2010
Page 11
Should Flash Drives be Allowed at School?
by Whitney Durrett
Photographer
Almost every student at Ruston High School uses a USB Flash Drive. The most popular brands used are SanDisk
Cruzer, HP v100w, Kingston Datatraveler, LaCieiamakey, and Transcend JetFlash. The great thing about flash drives is
that they are light-weight! You can take them anywhere and they weigh practically nothing. Another positive thing
about them is that they are removable. You can get data off of the computer and transfer that info to other computers
very easily! They also hold large amounts of data. Flash drives range from 1 GB to 64 GB in capacity.
Even though there are many positive points to flash drives there are also many negative points to them. They can
carry and spread viruses from computer to computer. If you save a virus- infected file onto your flash drive, it can infect your drive and the next computer you plug it up to. The virus can hide folders previously saved to the drive and
virus application files will appear as your other files.
Ruston High allows and some classes require flash drives for classes and assignments. If the files students save onto
the drives can infect the school‘s computers, why are they allowed and sometimes required for classes? If the students
are cautious about what they put on their flash drives the computers at RHS should be safe from viruses transported by
flash drives!
I Feel Like a Monster
by Emily Moore
Arts Reporter
Red Bulls, Monsters, Amps, Rockstars, Full Throttle, and Nos; the list goes on. Energy drinks have become very popular among teenagers and young adults, but what effect do these drinks have on consumers? Studies show that drinking one
a day may not be so harmful, but drinking more than one could be dangerous.
A sixteen oz. can of Full Throttle contains 144 mg of caffeine and 58 g of sugar; that‘s not the worst one. Many teens
drink energy drinks to make up for lost sleep, leaving them cranky and exhausted when the energy wears off. Some athletes actually drink energy drinks before a game, which can have the most dangerous effect. The way energy drinks work,
they cause the heart to beat faster, which pumps more blood. Running and being active does the same thing. Combined,
these two can have lasting effects. When combined, the heart beats twice as fast as it beats when active.
Energy drinks may taste good and leave you feeling
energized, but are they safe? As long as the consumer
controls his consumption, it shouldn‘t have many bad
side effects.
The three factors to watch when deciding to drink an
energy drink are:
1.) How much sleep is lacking
2.) What physical activity is going to be done
3.) Condition of health.
Beware of energy drinks!
How to Survive in the
Halls of Ruston High
by Patricia Duhart and Jocria Thompson
Social Reporters
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
You have to get to know your teachers.
You have to be on time to class.
You have to get to know your counselor.
You have to have a positive attitude.
Stand in your place, not someone else‘s.
Do not be in everyone‗s business; that can cost you a trip to jail.
Join a club and be active.
Instead of just looking at your homework, do it.
Try not to get so far behind because it will kick you in the behind.
The most important tip is to have fun and get in the school spirit.
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ditorials/Opinions
Ruston High School
October 21, 2010
Chatterbox
Page 12
Shout Out: Chatterbox Staff and Sponsors
by Stephany Arias
Senior Reporter
This year, we feel that Chatterbox is the best it has ever been!!!! This is due to our hard working staff, guest faculty and student writers, our adviser, advertisers, and our great
sponsors who have made this paper a success. If it were not for their hard work, Chatterbox would not be nearly as diverse and appealing. Getting this paper in each of our students‘ hands takes a great amount of time and hard work from each of our staff members, but it also takes a large amount of money to get it printed. As such, we are sending out
our love and a big ―Shout Out‖ to each of our sponsors. Chatterbox is simply the best, and without them it would not be possible.
Our current Platinum Level Sponsors for the 2010-2011 Chatterbox sponsors are Mark Bartlett,LLC; First National Bank, The Ruston High School Alumni Association, and
the Garrett Foundation.
Our Gold Level sponsor is Ruston High‘s own Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA), Chapter 617.
Our Silver Level sponsors include the Lincoln Parish Sheriff Office, the RHS Business Dept, and our adviser and his wife, Lloyd and Christy Bruner.
“Fallen” into This Book
by Emily Moore
Arts Reporter
Fallen by Lauren Kate is a wicked awesome story. This book will blow others in the teen fiction genre out of the water. The fictitious creatures in this
story are not so fictitious. In this book, angels, whom many people believe in, make for a more realistic adventure. As a forbidden love more memorable
than Romeo and Juliet, it has a way sick plotline and some seriously rad action that makes this book a five star and soon to be best-seller. Film industries
have already started plans to turn this gripping novel into a major motion picture and there is no question why.
Luce Price is a teenager with a heavy burden trailing her to the boarding school she‘s sent to. Sword and Cross is a reform school for troubled teens that
introduces a whole new world to Luce; it is a world where fiction becomes reality. Nonetheless, this isn‘t the Twilight series; there are no werewolves or
vampires. However, Luce does have her own ―Edward‖ and ―Jacob‖ to deal with in the form of Daniel and Cam. Daniel makes clear that he isn‘t interested
but Luce is sure there‘s something there. Cam appears perfect and he‘s available, and Luce is interested, but her connection with Daniel always comes between them. Something seems strange at Sword and Cross and Luce starts to wonder if there is something wrong with her. What she doesn‘t know is that there‘s a battle for her
heart brewing, as well as a much more significant battle unseen by humans. Some notable characters appear and bring with them some unforeseen twists. People Luce swore she
could trust betray her and her avowed enemy is actually on her side. Fallen leaves readers in high anticipation for the sequel Torment. This book is a MUST read and it simply
cannot be missed.
Beauty is Pain
Obsession
by Jocria Thompson
Social Reporter
by Shamario Daniel
Club Reporter
Beauty is pain when you have to wake up every morning,
Beauty is pain when you do not know how to do your hair,
Beauty is pain when you cannot find anything to wear,
Beauty is pain when you have ten minutes left,
Beauty is pain when your mom is shouting at you to get on the bus,
Beauty is pain when have no jewelry on your body,
What is beauty to me?
Beauty is when you have an hour to get dressed,
Beauty is when you can find that perfect outfit for that perfect date,
Beauty is when you have just enough time to put on that beautiful make-up,
And beauty is when your date tells you ―Honey, you look absolutely beautiful.‖
Obsession is something that makes you want to cry
Like drinking hot tea without any ice
It makes you want to holler like a toddler without his mama
Obsession is almost like a disease
And sometimes makes you want to fall to your knees
I wonder how bad it feels but sometimes the thought moves you like a wheel
Obsession couldn‘t get any more worse
Than an annoying four year old little brother
If you don‘t‘ know how this thing called obsession feels
You should go run through an open field
Obsession is something serious don‘t let it catch you
Or else it won‘t let you go, and that‘s a promise.
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ditorials/Opinions
Ruston High School
October 21, 2010
Chatterbox
Page 13
So You Think You Can Dance?
by Patricia Duhart
Social Reporter
There was a lot of dancing at the RHS Homecoming Dance on September 25, 2010, held at the LA Tech Student
Center. The band, Heavens to Betsy, kept the night rolling by playing familiar and entertaining songs despite the persisting electrical shortages. Everyone made their enjoyment known by singing along and dancing to almost all the
songs.
It wasn‘t just the music that made this Dancing through Life: the Emerald City of the Wizard of Oz themed dance a
success and the night one to remember. The Ruston High Keywanettes and Art classes provided astounding decorations. Their backdrop was captured by Photographer Tim Garlington, with Portraits Plus in Ruston. A special thanks
goes to all of those who put hard work into making this year‘s Homecoming one of the best yet!
Heavens To Betsy performs for RHS‘ Homecoming.
DRIVER’S EDUCATION
• 6 – Hour Pre-Licensing Class
• Course is State Approved
• Must be 17 or older
• Cost: Only $30
For information, call: 251-1234
submitted by
Rachel Huckaby
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Chatterbox
ervice and Social
Ruston High School
October 21, 2010
Page 14
Key Club
submitted by Mrs. Wages
Key Club Sponsor
Key Club is an international student-led organization which provides its members with opportunities to provide service, build character and
develop leadership. Our RHS Key Club is composed of sophomores, juniors, and seniors nominated by their teachers and is sponsored by the
Ruston Noon Kiwanis Club. Throughout the year, we will complete service projects to benefit children locally, nationally, and globally. Our first
service initiative this year is Trick-or-Treat for UNICEF. This is Key Club's 60th anniversary to assist UNICEF in fundraising to benefit children
across the globe. When you see a Key Club member with their UNICEF donation box, please give to support this worthy cause. Funds will benefit Operation Uruguay to provide support to the Mandalavos Center. This center provides teens in Uruguay with education and health services. In
honor of the 60th anniversary, help our Key Club reach its goal of collecting $600!
KOM October Focus: Goal-Setting
submitted by Aaron Boersma
Senior KOM Council Member
The month of October has been about goal setting for our mentors and their freshmen. But, what is this whole goal setting
thing anyway?
When our mentors met with their mentees earlier in the month, freshmen all set goals to span throughout the year for different things that are going on. Now, we are not talking ―who can prank the teachers the most‖ kind of goals. We are talking
about setting real goals that not only will help you in school but will also help you in everyday life as well. These could be
things like not having any C‘s on your report card, making all A‘s, or maybe not having a tardy for the nine weeks. By setting goals like these we commit to working towards something greater.
Goal-setting can be one of the most important steps towards a successful high school career. So whether you‘re a freshmen or a senior, I would encourage you to take aim and set goals. Who knows where it might lead you?
What is PYPM?
submitted by Prenicia Gant
PYPM Member
Did you know that the brain is the boss of your body? Well, if you didn‘t know, now you do; that is
exactly what 1st grade students of Ruston Elementary School have recently learned. This science lesson
is the first of eight lessons to be taught by the student teachers of PYPM. Student teachers taught this
particular brain lesson through stories read with great emotion, rhymes, raps, and cheers to emphasize
the brain‘s importance and how it needs ―extra protection‖. The young ladies who participate in PYPM
include: Vanessa Cano, Prenicia Gant, Margarita Hernandez, Morgan LaPraire, Lauren Slaughter, Morgan Stanley, and Brittany White. These students work to put children on a path that will lead them to
live alcohol, tobacco, and drug free lives.
Bearcats Plant Pansies
by Amy Gibson
Clubs Reporter
Looking for the perfect flowers for winter? Look no more!
Ms. S. Griffin and her Biology 2 Plant Science class are growing
a variety of pansies, dianthus, and snapdragons. The colors of
these beautiful flowers range from red, white, blue, and yellow.
The flowers planted by Ms. Griffin‘s class are all the way from
Colorado, and were planted on September 15th. Pansies, dianthus, and snapdragons are good for looks and thrive best during
cool weather. ―Pansies do better when planted while the weather
is cool, around the end of October, and during the course of November.‖-S. Griffin. Once the flowers are ready, Ms. Griffin and
her class plan to plant some of the pansies in the flowerbed under
the flagpole. If you would like to see the flowers, Ms. Griffin
suggests that once they've finished their project, you come on
down to the greenhouse and take a look.
Preparing the Pansies!
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Chatterbox
lubs/Organizations
Ruston High School
FFA Forestry Qualifies
for State Competition
submitted by Robert Gilbert
FFA Reporter
The Ruston FFA chapter has been training hard for the
annual Forestry competitions. With the first competition approaching, the team put in many hours of hard work. For a practice event the team entered Zwolle's invitational competition.
With over 70 teams present, Ruston wanted to make a good showing. Though it was just
a practice competition, Ruston did well by taking ninth place. Now the team had to look
toward District.
Working hard to get better in their performance, Ruston went off campus for
some practice. Also the team brought in the help of a friend, Toby Hammons, an actual
forester, to help teach and give advice. When District competition finally arrived Ruston
went down to Caney Lake in Jackson Parish to compete with 11 other local schools in
our District. After the three hour competition Ruston came away with District Runnerup. Also two students were awarded high individual awards for the day: Layton Richard
in Map Reading and Savannah Best in Sawlogs.
After District the team looked to the first qualifying competition at Area. This
competition was held at Louisiana Tech University where two of Ruston's teams participated. The Blue team consisted of Savannah Best, Will Edmiston, Zach Hannibal, and
Layton Richard. The Gold team was Chris Calhoun, Travis Morrow, Daniel Kimrey,
and Dusty Thomas. Again Ruston did well winning third and fifth places. This ranking
qualified the teams for State competition on November 3, 2010. Also Layton Richard
was named High Individual in Pulpwood. Good luck to both teams at State!
October 21, 2010
Page 15
4-H Club Reminders
submitted by Mrs. Thomason
Club Advisor
November Club Meeting: Don’t forget our next 4-H Meeting is on Thursday, November 4th during Advisory.
Enrollment Forms: 4-H Members, if you have not turned in an enrollment
form to Mrs. Thomason or Mrs. Tinsley, please do so. These forms let us know your
chosen project area and how to contact you. This form also must be signed by a parent. We need to have these forms ready to submit at our meeting next week so that
you can get your project book as soon as possible. If you have misplaced your form
or need a new one, please come see Mrs. Thomason (Rm 307) or Mrs. Tinsley (Rm
332) to get a new one.
Bulletin Board: Near Mrs. Tinsley‘s room on the 3rd floor is the 4-H Club
Bulletin Board. For 4-H news and upcoming events, please take a look here. Also,
at the beginning of each month, a new Clover Chat is placed on the bulletin board so
you can plan for the month‘s events.
Jr. Leader Meeting: Would you like to get more involved with the 4-H
Club? The 4-H Jr. Leaders, known as Sigma Lambda Chi, meet once a month at
various locations around town with high school students from other clubs in our parish and the 4-H agents. These students help plan and participate in parish 4-H events
in our area. The next Jr. Leader Meeting is November 8 th.
4-H Year at a Glance Calendar
OCTOBER 2010
21- Nov.7- State Fair of Louisiana
23 – State Fair Talent Show/Quiz Bowls
27- State Fair Livestock Sale
30 – Club Officer Training
TBA – Volunteer Leader Training
NOVEMBER 2010
3-5- AgMagic
8 – State Fair Items Pick-Up
Junior Leader Meeting
13 – LSU Football Game
25-26 Thanksgiving Holidays
(See our bulletin board for the rest of the 4-H calendar)
See You at the Pole
by Whitney Durrett
Photographer
2010 District II Runner-up Forestry Team
Standing (from left to right): Savannah Best, Antonio Wilson (State Vice President),
Adam Bryant, Layton Richard, Haley Grey, Will Edmiston, Zach Hannibal, and
Travis Morrow.
Kneeling: Daniel Kimrey, Dusty Thomas, Robert Gilbert, Chris Calhoun, Jacques
Mathews.
Advisors/Coaches: Mr. Mark Milstead (left), Mr. James Sandifer (right)
―See You at the Pole‖ is a nationwide gathering in which students from schools
across the nation gather at their school‘s flagpole and pray for their school. Many
students at Ruston High attended ―See You at the Pole‖ in the front of the school on
Wednesday, September 22 at 7 A.M. to pray for the school and the students in it.
―See You at the Pole‖ was lead by FCA and the student leaders of this club.
Over thirty students gathered around the flag pole sang Christian songs, prayed as a
group, and then broke up into small groups to pray about unsaved students and other things within the school.
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lubs/Organizations
Ruston High School
FBLA Officers Attend 5th
Annual Marbury Lecture Series
submitted by Jared Spiller
FBLA Reporter
On September 28, 2010, Cedar Creek School hosted the fifth annual Marbury
Lecture Series. Once again, the officers of the Future Business Leaders of America
(FBLA) had the privilege of attending. This lecture series was founded in 2006 and
takes its name from William Ardis Marbury, Jr. and his wife Virginia. Both Marbury and his wife graduated from Louisiana Tech and went on to start William A.
Marbury and Company, Inc.; an insurance agency. At its peak, this company was
the largest insurance agency in the state of Louisiana. Commercial Union bought
the company in the 1950‘s, and in that same decade, Marbury founded Bankers
Life of Louisiana, a credit life insurance writer. Both of these companies are still
thriving in Ruston. The purpose of this lecture series is to honor the Marburys‘
significant contributions to the Ruston community and to present an opportunity
for citizens to hear a lecture on the business ethics that the Marburys‘ applied to
their everyday lives.
The speaker for the 5th annual Marbury Lecture was Mr. Bobby J. Conville, Jr.
Mr. Conville is the Vice President of Investments at Wells Fargo Advisors, LLC.
Mr. Conville reminded the audience that you should always be ethical whether the
situation is business or life. He also explained how to decide if something was ethical or not, and informed listeners that your conscience was your best moral compass and that you should always follow it. In line with his beliefs, he also warned
students that if they decided not to follow their moral compass, karma would eventually catch up with them. Mr. Conville‘s speech was very interesting and informative. Ruston High FBLA officers appreciate and send a special thanks to Cedar
Creek for the invitation.
October 21, 2010
Chatterbox
Page 16
FBLA Chapter 617 Aims for Orlando
submitted by Amber Brown
FBLA Vice-President
Last year, Chapter 617 of Ruston High‘s FBLA captured seven State Championships and
qualified twenty-seven members for Nationals, far passing any other chapter in the state.
This year, members are already preparing to repeat that success as they aim for Orlando,
location of the National Leadership Conference next summer. With the bar set higher every
year for RHS, members will have to start early and practice often to repeat as top dog, or
should I say, Top Cat!
For the first time, RHS will place members into all four of the top individual honors competition. Brittany White will represent RHS for the Richard D. Clanton Memorial Scholarship; Natasha Alva will compete for Who‘s Who in FBLA for Louisiana; Jared Spiller will
test and interview for Mr. FBL; and Amber Brown will test and interview for Ms. FBL.
Winning any of these events will be tough as RHS tries to break into areas respectively won
by more established FBLA chapters in the state with years of experience in these events.
However, each of these represents our best chances yet. In addition to competing for Mr.
FBL, Jared Spiller will also be running for District Vice-President, hoping to bring RHS a
state office for the first time in about six years.
This year, Chapter 617 has a record membership of 165. Most of these members are busy
trying to decide on the event that they think will lead them to district and state championship, from individual to team events. Chapter officers are putting their teams together for
chapter projects and working hard on their Business Achievement Awards (BAA). With the
largest group of our members being freshman students, many chapters around the state are
probably assuming (and hoping) that this is a rebuilding year for us after last year‘s success.
Only time will tell, but the word on the street (well, Room 318), is that this year may be the
best year yet. Chapter 617 aims for Orlando this academic year, and after state, hopes to
have many members say the same thing that the Super Bowl Champion Saints said last year:
―We‘re going to Disney World‖.
This message brought to you
by New Tech @ Ruston
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Chatterbox
lubs/Organizations
Ruston High School
October 21, 2010
Page 17
FBLA Prepares for Annual “Hot Halloween Happenings”
submitted by Lloyd R. Bruner
FBLA Adviser
It‘s that time of year again – time for fire safety fun at Hot Halloween Happenings, brought to the public by the Ruston Fire Department with assistance from Ruston High
School FBLA, Chapter 617! As has been the case for the past four years, FBLA members from Ruston High School will work with Mr. Eric Brazzel and Ruston‘s finest firemen
to promote fire safety while entertaining the public. Last year, attendance was estimated at over 600 kids, and this year‘s numbers are expected to be even more.
The event kicks off at 10:00 a.m. on Saturday, October 30, 2010, at the Ruston Fire Department located on 920 E. Georgia Avenue. There will be twelve game booths set up to
entertain the kids, where FBLA members will encourage the kids to think fire safety as they play and win candy. Games include coloring, tossing games, an obstacle course, and
even a smoke trailer. Fire trucks and equipment will be on display, and there may even be an opportunity for some visitors to ascend to the skies in the ladder truck. Starting
around 11:30 a.m., hot dogs, chips, and drinks will be served in the Firehouse Café, prepared by the firemen and served by FBLA members.
The games and fun will last until about 1:00 p.m. Best of all – everything is free! The Ruston Fire Department and FBLA encourage everyone to take a few hours Saturday
and come enjoy some family fun while learning about fire safety. Bring your cameras - Sparky will be there! (Rumor is that Batman will be there too!)
What is PCI?
by Shamario Daniel
Club Reporter
Do you know what PCI is? PCI is a club also known as Pre College Initiative. PCI was started by the Louisiana Tech NSBE Club to equip and encourage students into going to college. The PCI club meets once a week to work on
community service activities, fun engineering competitions, and personal
growth activities. PCI‘s first meeting was Tuesday, October 5 th, in the girl‘s
gym. At the after school meeting, students in PCI participated in a boat building competition. Diamond Melton was one of the members who won the competition with a boat that held eleven bottles of finger nail polish. Congratulations to Diamond Melton.
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Chatterbox
he Arts
Ruston High School
October 21, 2010
Page 18
Muffins and Music
by Emily Moore
Arts Reporter
The Ruston High Bearcat Choir is busy as always preparing for upcoming events. They are getting ready for their annual ―Coffee and
Carols‖. They are also practicing for this upcoming year‘s events. The annual ―Bearcats on Broadway‖ is in the making. In addition, the most
exciting event coming up is their trip to Europe at the end of the year.
But how are they preparing? Besides practicing and organizing and preparing, they can be found every morning in front of the auditorium
entrance. Their coffee cart sells coffee, cappuccinos, and hot chocolate. They also have yummy banana nut, blueberry, and chocolate chip
muffins. Honey buns, fruit chews, rice crispy treats, and other snacks are available every morning before the first bell.
The choir did a beautiful job on their performance at the Homecoming assembly. They gave all people attending just a little taste of what
they‘ve got in the making. There‘s no doubt that they have left people excited and ready for upcoming choir performances.
Beginning Band
by Emily Moore
Arts Reporter
If you read ―What is Band?‖ in the September edition
of the Chatterbox, you were enlightened on what the
Ruston High School Band really does. This month, it is
the beginning band‘s turn to be in the spotlight. Band
members can always be seen practicing in the field, jamming out at the pep-rallies, and making spirit at the
games. But where are the beginning band members?
This year, Mr. Moss and Mr. Wood have recruited several new people for the beginning band. With
three freshmen and a junior baritone, three freshmen tubas, a freshman saxophone, and a sophomore
percussionist, the Ruston High Band will be set for next three years. Beginning Band is a great course
for any year. Even as beginners, players are accepted into the band family. On home game days, beginners have several jobs to do. ―Manual Labor Friday‖ is the name for game days. Beginners arrive at
class, grab the coolers, and head to the ice machine. They fill them up with ice then load them in the
truck.
Beginning Band members arrive at the school around 5:00 p.m. along with the band. Members have
their own uniforms, which is a red polo tucked into blue jeans with a belt. Beginners march in with the
band and help unload the instruments that can‘t be carried, then help to load them up afterwards. Beginning Band is a fun class to take. No one is refused and there is plenty of room. Learning an instrument is a good opportunity and can be done as credit!
Art Club
submitted by Mrs. Strickler
Art Teacher
Art Club is finally getting kicked off! Sponsors Ms. Ashworth and Mrs. Strickler have planned a
school year of rewarding service projects for members to be involved with that will benefit the school
as well as the community. Our first activity has already begun; members have been volunteering to
face paint at the home football games. Students of all ages have been visiting our booth and leaving
with a design and a smile on their faces!
Work days are taking place so that the Art Club can create their big
fundraising project…our ―paw print‖ ornaments! Last year‘s red and
white paws will have a new look for the 2010-11 school year. Be
watching for these to be on sale soon. They make great Christmas gifts
for teachers, friends, and even one‘s self! There will also be some with
Sr. ‘11 on them that would make nice gifts for those deserving graduates.
Members are in the process of choosing their officers who will lead,
delegate, and keep us all organized. Stay tuned for more news about
our awesome club, and remember, ―If you don't create change, change
will create you‖.
We have all your instrument
needs at
Piney Hills Music!!
214 N. Trenton Street
232-3002
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Chatterbox
enior Spotlights
Ruston High School
October 21, 2010
Page 19
Name: Trimeche ―Meche‖ Raymond
Age:17
Family: Breisha, Tori, Alexis, Tevin, Vee, and Ja
Favorite...
Subject: Prostart 1 and 2 Movie: Life Animal: Lions (I am a Leo) Color: Black Book/Magazine: Tears of a Tiger
Most embarrassing moment: Falling down the stairs sophomore year (two times)
What do you like best about RHS: Some of the teachers & the school spirit
Sports/Clubs/Affiliations: FBLA, BUMS, and COE
College plans: BPCC for Culinary Arts and then Culinary school
Your hero: Mrs. Maxwell and Mrs. Hammons
Name: Matthew Manning
Age:17
Family: Mom, Dad, sister
Favorites…
Subject: 6th hour Movie: Hangover Animal: Don‘t like animals Color: red Book/Magazine: Ruston Daily Leader
Quote: ―Grab a root and growl!‖ -Coach Frasier
Most embarrassing moment: Ha! Next question.
What do you like best about RHS: Sports
Sports/Clubs/Affiliations: Football and Baseball/FBLA :)
College plans: LA Tech
Your hero: Superman
Name: Beau ―The President‖ Russell
Age:18
Family: Skip & Carolyn, 3 sisters, 2 brothers (biological) Many more nonbiological
Favorites…
Subject: Meow Movie: Heavyweights Animal: Seanosorous Color: Red Book/Magazine: Bible...duh oh and Chatterbox :)
Quote: ―Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer & petition, with thanksgiving present your request to God. And the
peace of God will guard your hearts & your minds, in Christ Jesus.‖ Philippians 4:1-7
Most embarrassing moment: Anything Garrett Warren does in public.
What do you like best about RHS: All 1,111 students
Sports/Clubs/Affiliations: Football, Student Council, FCA, FFA, LYFE
College plans: Northwestern State/ SMU; Business Entrepreneurship
Your hero: Skip Russell and Diana Humphries
Name: Joshua Mayfield (R.I.O.T, Da Truth)
Age: ―Age ain‘t nothing‘ but a number‖
Family: Everybody who loves God & Da‘ Truth
Favorites…
Subject: English Movie: Prince of Persia Animal: Double dragons do exist- I‘ve seen one Color: White/gold
Quote: ―Whatever‘s done in the dark comes to the light‖
Most embarrassing moment: ONLY when the truth hurts
What do you like best about RHS: School spirit and the whole staff body
Sports/Clubs/Affiliations: Ruston High counts right?? LOL
College plans: LA Tech majoring in Criminal Justice
Name: Reghan Lopez
Age: 17
Family: Kim (Mom), Paul (Dad), Kendall (sister), Jack, Bella, and Chica (dogs)
Favorites…
Subject: Algebra Movie: Top Gun Animal: Dog Color: Pink Book/Magazine: All the Twilight books
Quote: ―Friends are Angels who lift us to our feet when we have trouble remembering how to fly‖
Most embarrassing moment: Tripping up the stairs
What do you like best about RHS: School spirit
Sports/Clubs/Affiliations: Cheerleading, Key Club, KOM, FCA
College plans: LA Tech/ Marketing
Your hero: Mama (my Grandma)
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enior Spotlights
Ruston High School
Chatterbox
October 21, 2010
Name: Ladarius Maxwell (Dre)
Age:19
Family: Shellt Maxwell
Favorite…
Subject: English Movie: How High Animal: Dog Color: Red Book/Magazine: Holes
Quote: ―It‘s not about how hard you can hit; it‘s about how hard you can get hit.‖
Most embarrassing moment: When Isacic was chasing me and I fell down the stairs and rolled down most of the stairs.
What do you like best about RHS: Pep rallies
Sports/Clubs/Affiliations: Football & FCA
College plans: Southern, major in Business
Your hero: God & Mother
Name: Demetrius Mays (D-Mays, Flomatic)
Age:17
Family: Latana (Mom), Desmond, Joshua, Justus (brothers), Jaszmine, Na, Latanisia (sisters)
Favorite…
Subject: Band Movie: Love & Basketball Animal: White tiger Color: Blue Book/Magazine: Only read when I have too
Quote: ―What‘s good‖
Most embarrassing moment: Throwing up all over Cypress Springs
What do you like best about RHS: My black ID
Sports/Clubs/Affiliations: Band G, and that‘s not for Geek
College plans: Army
Your hero: God and Mother
Name: Amanda Dunn
Age:17 1/2
Family: Claudine (Mom), Eric (older brother)
Favorites…
Subject: German Movie: Final Fantasy 7: Advert Children Animal: Pandas Color: Green Book/Magazine: The Book Thief
Quote: ―I will cut you! ...with my brain‖ –Garrett Mills
Most embarrassing moment: I don‘t have one
What do you like best about RHS: Nothing
Sports/Clubs/Affiliations: FBLA, German, Art
College plans: Art Institute / Graphics Design
Your hero: My older brother, Eric
Name: Kawaii ―Kiwi‖ Murphy
Age: 17
Family: Mary (Mom), Philip (brother), Phylicia (sister)
Favorite…
Subject: Advanced Math LOL! Movie: SALT Animal: Hamster Color: Purple! Book/Magazine: Seventeen
Most embarrassing moment: Being a Freshman
What do you like best about RHS: Fridays
Sports/Clubs/Affiliations: 4-H, PCI, LYFE, FCA
College plans: University of Illinois at Chicago (Forensics)
Your hero: My Grandmother
Name: Danielle McCoy/ Danibaby
Age:17
Family: Lounita McCoy (Mom), Alexandria Osborne, Jade Hardy, Samantha Wilson (sisters)
Favorite…
Subject: Math Movie: Friday Animal: Dog Color: Red
Quote: ―If you always do what you always do, then don‘t be mad when you always get the same results‖ -Bartlett‘s Poster
Most embarrassing moment: Falling going up the stairs Frosh year.
What do you like best about RHS: Athletics
Sports/Clubs/Affiliations: President of FBLA, Track & Field
College plans: LSU!!! Geaux Tigers; Accounting
Your hero: My Mom
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enior Spotlights
Ruston High School
Chatterbox
October 21, 2010
Name: Garrett Warren
Age:17 years, 302 days, 22 hrs., 54 min., 12 sec. (as of 9/8/2010 @11:49)
Family: Everybody knows
Favorite…
Subject: World History Movie: The Goonies Animal: Head lice or tapeworms Color: The color of the African elephant
Quote: ―I play for the team on the front of the jersey not the name on the back.‖ -anonymous
Most embarrassing moment: When I took the door off its hinges at school when I tried to open it .
What do you like best about RHS: Would definitely say Mrs. Humphries (AKA… Mama), and Mrs. White (BFF)
Sports/Clubs/Affiliations: Track, FCA, LYFE, FCCLA, FFA, Football
College plans: Becoming a Plumber and/or a professional speed knitter
Your hero: My Grandma
Name: Christian Amos
Age: Withheld
Family: RHS Band
Favorite…
Subject: Music Movie: The Core Animal: Horse Color: Orange Book/Magazine: Intune Magazine
Quote: ―The best players play hurt, the losers wallow in their own self pity‖ -George N.Parks
What do you like best about RHS: I will be leaving it in 7 months!!
Sports/Clubs/Affiliations: Band, Choir, FBLA, Chatterbox
College plans: University of Louisiana at Lafayette or University of North Texas; Music/ Journalism
Your hero: George N. Parks
Name: Rhuye Gabrielle Primm (left)
Age:17
Family: Mom, Dad, 2 half sisters
Favorite…
Subject: Financial Math - Mrs. Dunbar! Movie: The Hangover Animal: My barrel horse, Mia Color: Tickle Me Pink
Quote: ―You did it; You fix it.‖ -RhuyeNess
Most embarrassing moment: I walked into a Senior class—I was a Frosh.
What do you like best about RHS: The pep rallies
Sports/Clubs/Affiliations: Soccer, FCA, LYFE
College plans: ULM/ Nursing
Your hero: John Dison
Name: Kaishawn Carter (Lil Doe Boy)
Age:17
Favorite…
Movie: Friday Animal: White Tiger Color: Red
Quote: ―How you wanna do it‖ ―Yea dat‖ ―fasho‖
Most embarrassing moment: In 6th grade I tried to jump over a rail and I didn‘t make it
College plans: I want to go to Oregon or Cal. and major in Business
Your hero: Obama
Name: David Myree (Pun)
Age:18
Family: Connie (Mom), Pops (Dad), Ebony, Jackie (sisters), Tite (brother)
Favorite…
Movie: Friday Animal: Dog Color: Red
Quote: ―Keep your head up. Don‘t let anybody bring it down.‖
What do you like best about RHS: Football and Fridays
Sports/Clubs/Affiliations: Football and FCA
College plans: BPCC
Your hero: God, Dad, Mom
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Chatterbox
enior Spotlights
Ruston High School
October 21, 2010
Name: Shelby Griffith, Elba, EL, Elsy
Age:17
Family: Kim (Mom), Scott (Dad), Kaysee (sister), Maggie (dog)
Favorite…
Subject: Spanish with Mrs. Rivera!! Movie: 13 Going on 30 Animal: Hello Kitty Color: Blue
Quote: ―If you‘re not first, you‘re last!‖ -Ricky Bobby
Most embarrassing moment: I don‘t get embarrassed
What do you like best about RHS: I love our tradition! Everyone has their place in the Bearcat Nation
Sports/Clubs/Affiliations: Varsity cheer, Competition squad, FCA, FCCLA, LYFE, First Priority
College plans: University of Georgia-Go Dawgs! (undecided)
Your hero: My Daddy
Name: Maddie Wiggins
Age:18
Family: Ronnie (Dad), Carynn (Mom), Jordan (brother), Brennan (sister)
Favorite…
Subject: Lunch Movie: Heavyweights Animal: I‘m the animal Color: Green Book/Magazine: Outdoor Life, SI
Quote: ―Never take life to serious because nobody makes it out alive anyway.‖
Most embarrassing moment: I once had one to see what it was like
What do you like best about RHS: We get out early and none of you young kids will
Sports/Clubs/Affiliations: Football, Juggling, Student Council, Jumping Jack club
College plans: either MIT or Princeton, I haven‘t decided
Your hero: Coach Aultman, he is the man of all men
Name: Jessica Grace
Age:18
Family: Dorothy Wilson (Mom), Jimmy Lee (stepdad), Bubba Jon (bro[ duh]), Jennifer (sister)
Favorite…
Subject: Any science but math... Movie: Ponyo! Animal: Penguins! Color: Green Book/Magazine: Lock and Key
Quote: ―No man shall judge me on this earth but God on judgment day, so don‘t judge me!‖
Most embarrassing moment: I had to wear Spiderman underwear in pre-K because I peed in my pants because the teacher wouldn‘t let me
go to the bathroom.
What do you like best about RHS: The end of the day
Sports/Clubs/Affiliations: German club and FBLA
College plans: Go to Steven F. Austin/ major in Psychology/ Culinary Arts
Your hero: God
Name: Jeremy Robertson
Age: 18
Family: Karonda (Mom), Angelica and Rachel (sisters), Josh aka chopp (brother)
Favorite…
Subject: Lunch Movie: Da Block Party Animal: Pit bulls Color: Red
Quote: ―One Deep = Less Problems‖
Most embarrassing moment: Don‘t have a clue
What do you like best about RHS: Going home early
College plans: Grambling/ Business
Your hero: Drew Brees
Name: Shelita Collins AKA Lee-Lee
Age:19
Family: Antoinette (Mom), Alozo (brother), Alonia and Shalacy (sisters), La‘Rocky (dog)
Favorite…
Subject: Financial Math (thanks to Mrs. Dunbar) Movie: Lottery Ticket Animal: My pet dog Color: Orange
Book/Magazine: Sophisticated Black Hair Magazine (SBH)
Quote: ―100% real, get wit it or get lost, go hard or go home‖ –The Collins sisters
Most embarrassing moment: I asked if buffalo wings come from buffaloes in Coach Aultman‘s class Junior year
What do you like best about RHS: Getting out of school earlier
College plans: Get my CNA license and work from there
Your hero: Jesus
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Chatterbox
enior Spotlights
Ruston High School
October 21, 2010
Name: Lizzy
Age:17
Family: Regina (Mom), Darrell (Dad), Ebenae, Joy, Rickesha (sisters), Christian, Matthew, Jordan (brothers)
Favorite…
Subject: Spanish 2 Mrs. Cazenave Movie: Takers Animal: Elephant Color: Pink
Quote: ―Whatever you are, be a good one‖
Most embarrassing moment: Falling asleep at least 3 times in all of my 5th hours throughout my high school years
What do you like best about RHS: The Faculty and Staff
Sports/Clubs/Affiliations: Track & Field & Band
Your hero: My Mama, Marcie McTyer, Mkenzie Rhodes, Mercie Colvin, God, Jesus, Superman, Spiderman
Name: Nakendra ―Ken‖ Foster
Age:17
Family: Nikki (Mom), Tye, Kamara, Lou-Lou (sisters), Lekendrick (brother)
Favorite…
Subject: Lunch Movie: Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby Animal: dog Color: red
Quote: ―When I started flirting with the hustle, failure became my Ex. Now I‘m engaged to the game and married to success.‖ -Lil Wayne
Most embarrassing moment: I don‘t get embarrassed; everything is a joke to me!
What do you like best about RHS: Sports
College plans: GSU/ Nursing
Your hero: Lil Wayne
Name: Meagan Hammons (Meg)
Age:16
Family: Morgan (sister), Donna (Mommy), David (Daddy)
Favorite…
Subject: Marine Biology Movie: Breakfast Club Animal: Sea turtle Color: Yellow
Quote: ―That‘s what she said…‖ -Katherine Chisolm
Most embarrassing moment: When I fell going to the freshman parking lot and got mud on my knees
What do you like best about RHS: BEARCAT SPIRIT
Sports/Clubs/Affiliations: softball, FCCLA, FCA
College plans: Nicholls State/ Marine Biology
Your hero: My Daddy
Name: DeMarlo Carter
Age:17
Family: Earl K. Spencer Sr. (Dad), Tonya (Mom), Chauncey, Earl K. Spencer Jr. Obrian (brothers), Shanta, Alexis (sisters)
Favorite…
Subject: Basketball Movie: Coach Carter Animal: Dog Color: Black Book/Magazine: Holes
Quote: ―The difference between winning and losing is working‖ –Coach Dunbar
What do you like best about RHS: You reading this!
Sports/Clubs/Affiliations: Football and Basketball
College plans: Grambling State University
Your hero: Coach Bush
Name: De‘Andrea Roberson
Age:17
Family: Janice Middleton (Mom), Naeem, Timyreon, J‘Colby (brothers)
Favorite…
Subject: Civics Movie: ATL Color: Purple Book/Magazine: Chatterbox
Quote: ―Let the choices you make today be the choices you can live with tomorrow‖
Most embarrassing moment: Cujo stole my shoes and I had to walk around barefoot to find him with my shoes.
What do you like best about RHS: School spirit; My Senior year
Sports/Clubs/Affiliations: Pom Squad, Young Lawyers, German club, PCI
College plans: National Guard & SSU or GSU/ major either Social Worker or Criminal Justice
Your hero: God, my Mother & my Grandmother
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Chatterbox
enior Spotlights
Ruston High School
October 21, 2010
Page 24
Name: Hunter Stafford (Caveman)
Age:17
Family: Debbie (Mom), Mark (Step Dad), Chase (brother), Mallorie (sister)
Favorite…
Movie: The Hangover Animal: Snake Color: Orange
Quote: ―Git-R-Done‖
Most embarrassing moment: I don‘t get embarrassed
What do you like best about RHS: Seeing my friends
Sports/Clubs/Affiliations: Football
College plans: I have to have back surgery after I graduate but I‘m going to try to go to ULM or Tech for Wildlife Management.
Your hero: My Grandpa
Name: Xavier Bradford (PHAT PAT)
Age: 17
Family: Yancy (brother), Bieunkah (sister)
Favorite…
Subject: All Movie: Scar Face Animal: Dog– name: Kilo Color: All
Quote: ―Get it how you want it‖
What do you like best about RHS: Funny students
Sports/Clubs/Affiliations: FFA
College plans: GSU
Your hero: God
Name: Kiyanah Taylor (Keke & Cinnamon roll)
Age: 17
Family: Meshan, Shonda, Melvin, Melvin Jr., Karmen Parker
Favorite…
Subject: Sports medicine Movie: Blood Line Animal: Cheetah Color: Orange Book/Magazine: Seventeen
Most embarrassing moment: LOL, Really.?!
What do you like best about RHS: Deundre Davis
Sports/Clubs/Affiliations: ROTC (9-11) & FBLA
College plans: National Guard
Your hero: Shonda Parker (My mom)
Name: Ryan Moss (Lil‘ Moss)
Age:18
Family: Bryan Moss
Favorite…
Subject: Math Animal: Pit Bulls Color: Blue Book/Magazine: Joke books
Quote: ―I can‘t accept not trying‖ -Michael Jordan
Most embarrassing moment: I almost broke my leg Freshman year during Spring training.
What do you like best about RHS: All the energy
Sports/Clubs/Affiliations: I play Basketball for RHS
College plans: play basketball
Your hero: God & Dad
Name: Josh Phillips
Age:17
Family: Gregg (Dad), Andrea (Mom), Sam, Jacob, Caleb (brothers)
Favorite…
Subject: History/ Civics Movie: Inception Animal: Binturony (it‘s a Bearcat) Color: Ruston red Book/Magazine: To Kill a Mockingbird
Quote: ―Mrs. Sutton, they‘re making a sequel to 300. It‘s called 301.‖
Most embarrassing moment: When I was a freshman in a JV soccer game, I went to kick a ball and completely missed it.
What do you like best about RHS: It‘s big enough to make it fun but it is still small enough so that you know most everyone.
Sports/Clubs/Affiliations: LYFE, FCA, Spanish, Soccer, Debate, Football(9), Baseball(9 & 10), KOM, Water polo, Alpine Skiing
College plans: Harvard or Oxford or Grambling (BNFRT)
Your hero: Sydni Wilt, Mary-Kyle McDonald, and Sarah Gordon, (The Trinity) and Robbie Davenport, too.
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Chatterbox
tudent Center
Ruston High School
October 21, 2010
Ask Russell
Ask the Staff
submitted by Beau Russell
RHS Class President
by Kori Teague
Guest Reporter
What would you be for Halloween and why?
Most people want to be something scary or
ugly, well, meow that I would wanna be a billionaire so freakin bad! Buy all the things I never had,
be on the cover of Forbes Magazine… JK haha. I
would be Gerry the fat kid off of Heavy Weights
who likes to ride go carts!
What’s your favorite part of Beat Neville
Week?
This year it was after the game when everyone
and their pet dog was out on the field. BFRT the
highlight of my high school career! Thank all
y‘all for coming out! And for people‘s cars who
were vandalized… let the haters hate!!!
Attempt at Parental Peace
submitted by Victoria Wheat
RHS Freshman
Every normal teenager fights with their parents.
It is a part of life! Though it is not admirable to argue, I and many other adolescents find it a routine
thing. Whether lexical (vocal) or one of those unheard glare arguments, they leave us, emotion filled
teenagers, irate, upset, and/or possibly bewildered. I
know my parents confuse me often; never explaining why they say something.
More than likely parents do not say, ―Because I
said so‖ solely to exasperate you or leave you without an answer. I have found parents say it for one of
three reasons. The first is because they know you
will not understand why they feel a certain way about a situation. The second possibility is that your parents care about you and know something unsatisfactory may
come from the situation being discussed; maybe they know from personal experience. The third and standard reason in my family is because your parents do not want
to verbalize inappropriate content that may become a possibility.
No matter what the reason you receive from your parents, it is for your own good.
Do not argue or rebel, because doing one of those usually makes it worse and you
end up grounded if you are me. It is up to you. Allow your parents to be your foes or
let them be your friends, but do not ignore them. The outcome is consistently better
with them as your friends. If they know something from personal experience, trust
their answer. ―Because I said so‖ can be an impeccably logical answer. Accept it, but
only because I said so.
Page 25
What big events are happening around school?
Around this time of the year, Bearcat Friday is
always big. Many sports are preparing for their
games. The competition cheer squad is preparing for
their December competition. The RHS band has two
marching competitions by the end of October. The
Speech and Debate team has tournaments around the
state on some weekends. The fall season has brought
competitions for Bearcats of all sorts. So from all the
staff to the competitors: good luck Bearcats! We
know you can do it!
Chatterbox Online:
How to Get There
by Amber Brown and Natasha Alva
Senior Editor and News Editor
Already, we are making our way towards being paperless. Some say that when teachers finally stop giving
homework and tests, the world will be paperless. That stated, it‘s no surprise that many prefer we get rid of all paper
altogether and make everything electronic. With the average Internet user now online around thirteen hours a week,
the Internet must a great thing! It allows access to so much
information and entertainment at anytime of the day.
With newspapers, current information is easy to find
because it is all right there on the paper. However, one
may have to go back through a million papers to find one paper with the exact information or article needed. Unfortunately, stacks of newspapers do not have a search engine. These reasons are why the Chatterbox cordially provides you the school‘s monthly
news on newsprint, and then a few days later, on the Internet.
Now, that you know that the Chatterbox is online you also need to know how to get
there. For those of you who have problems accessing it at the site listed on page 27,
http://rustonhigh.lincolnschools.org/chatterbox.html, we planned ahead and have another
way for you to find us. Here are step by step instructions so that you can view the past
editions of the Chatterbox whenever you want; all you need is Internet access.
Step 1: Go to the Ruston High School website http://rustonhigh.lincolnschools.org/
Step 2: Select ―Extracurricular Activities‖ on the red sidebar to the left
Step 3: On the Extracurricular page, select ―Clubs and Organizations‖ then ―Go‖
Step 4: Select Chatterbox (it is one of the blue words on the fourth column)
Step 5: Select which monthly issue of the Chatterbox you want to view
If you are simply looking for the current edition of the Chatterbox, select ‗What‘s
New‖ on the main page after Step 1 above. Mrs. Garrison keeps this up for us so that everyone can enjoy the Chatterbox. If you have any questions or problems, let us know.
The Chatterbox reminds all students that everyone has a right to an opinion on issues. If you
have an opinion and wish to write an article, the Chatterbox reminds you that all submissions
are subject to staff, editor, and administrative review to ensure that the article provides information or promotes school pride, and does so without materially disrupting work, does not
cause substantial disorder, or does not invade the rights of these. If you would like your article
considered for submission, please email it to [email protected] or turn it in in
electronic format to one of our staff. Only signed editorials and articles will be considered.
F
Chatterbox
un Page
Ruston High School
October 21, 2010
Page 26
WARNING: This fun page has been BEETLEJUICE’D
SUDOKU PUZZLE
HAPPY
HALLOWEEN!
HALLOWEEN WORD SEARCH
IT’S SHOWTIME!!
SEPTEMBER ANSWERS
by Gray Taylor
Graphics/Design Editor
BLACK
BROOM
CANDY
CARVING
CHILDREN
COSTUME
FRANKENSTEIN
GHOST
GHOUL
MONSTER
MOON
MUMMY
OCTOBER
ORANGE
PUMPKIN
SPIDER
SPOOKY
TREATS
VAMPIRE
WITCH
S
Chatterbox
ponsors and Staff
Ruston High School
October 21, 2010
Page 27
2010-2011 Chatterbox Sponsors
Platinum Level Sponsors: ($200 +)
Gold Level Sponsor: ($100 - $199)
Silver Level Sponsor: ($50 - $99)
Mark Bartlett, LLC
First National Bank
Ruston High School Alumni Association
Garrett Foundation (Grant)
RHS FBLA, Chapter 617
Lincoln Parish Sheriff’s Office
Lloyd and Christy Bruner
RHS Business Department
2010-2011 Chatterbox Advertisers
Business/Organization
Owner/Manager/Contact Agent
Page of Advertisement
Lincoln ACHIEVE
Cathi Cox
2
BESTWAY
Michael Kolb
4
Seeker Springs
Tamie Slawson
6
The Strand
Christin Cross
11
Driver‘s Ed
Ricky Durrett
13
The Strand
Jessica Farris
14
Pow Wow
Manuel and Nilda Chinchilla
17
Piney Hills Music
Nick Goff
18
Geri G. Taylor
Geri Taylor
28
Nick Brown Show
Nick Brown
29
Ruston Locker Room
Yvonne Craft
31
Ruston PTA
Melinda McIntire
31
Please thank and support these businesses, organizations, and individuals for making your Ruston High School Chatterbox possible!
If interested in sponsoring or advertising in the Chatterbox, email us at [email protected]
2010-2011 RHS Chatterbox Staff
Senior Editor
News Editor
Assistant News Editor
Graphics/Design Editor
Senior Reporter
Sports Editor
Business Manager
Academics Reporter
Arts Reporter
Clubs Reporter
Clubs Reporter
Education Reporter
Social Reporter
Social Reporter
Sports Reporter
Sports Reporter
Photographer
Photographer
Guest Reporter
Amber Brown
Senior
Natasha Alva
Senior
Lauren Townsend
Junior
Gray Taylor
Senior
Stephany Arias
Senior
Christian Amos
Senior
Elizabeth Smith
Junior
Polly Michelle Gwan
Junior
Emily Moore
Junior
Amy Gibson
Junior
Shamario Daniel
Junior
Benicia King
Junior
Jocria Thompson
Junior
Patricia Duhart
Junior
Reed Malek
Junior
Arquisia Williams
Sophomore
Savannah Chrisman
Sophomore
Whitney Durrett
Sophomore
Kori Teague
Junior
Adviser/Sponsor: Mr. Lloyd R. Bruner, [email protected]
The Chatterbox is a member of the National Scholastic Press Association (NSPA).
The purpose of the Chatterbox is to provide information and to promote school pride. We strive to meet the criteria set by the National Scholastic Press Association for student journalism. In addition, if a reasonable basis or belief that a publication would materially disrupt class work, involve substantial disorder, or invade the rights of these, it
will not be published in keeping with the guidelines of Hazelwood School District vs. Kulkmeier (1998). Signed editorials may be sent to Ruston High School, 900 Bearcat
Drive, Ruston, Louisiana 71270.
Access the current edition of the Chatterbox at: http://rustonhigh.lincolnschools.org/whatsnew.html and archived editions at: http://rustonhigh.lincolnschools.org/chatterbox.html
B
Chatterbox
earcat Spirit
Ruston High School
October 21, 2010
Page 28
What’s Wrong with Showing True RHS Observes Breast Cancer
Awareness Month
School Spirit?
by Keekee Williams
Sports Reporter
submitted by Mrs. Reeder
Cheerleader Sponsor
Attending an awesome school like Ruston High provides such a rush of adrenaline
and excitement. There are loads of things to do and numerous activities to participate
in. The years of high school symbolize the bridge between your early days and approaching years of adulthood. Why not go all out and be all you can be? I think that
every high school student should get into the habit of making high school fun and
―repping‖ your class. For example, at every pep rally there are mini-games played
against each class for the class competitions. If you‘re feeling proud about being a
Bearcat, then you should get down from the stands and join the excitement that taking
part in these contests creates. It doesn‘t matter if your friends will think you are such a
dork and wonder why you even bother. It doesn‘t matter if you think your boyfriend
will be embarrassed and maybe not speak to you for 5 minutes. Just do it! Get out there
and have some fun by showing your support for the teams and Ruston High. Promote
school spirit by telling others to join you in cheering for the win. Make signs and hang
them around the school. Paint your face with that guy‘s football number that you secretly stalk. Just be involved in the exhilarating stimulation of school spirit!
October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month and the RHS Cheerleaders, Belles and
Pom Squad are honoring those who are fighting breast cancer, who have survived it,
and those who have lost their lives to this disease. Breast cancer affects one out of every eight women in America, and many Bearcats know someone affected by this form
of cancer. The Pepettes will start observing October as Breast Cancer Awareness
Month each year at one or two home football games and then continue to raise awareness during basketball season at one Lady Bearcats‘ home game.
RHS Varsity Cheerleaders were joined at the Neville game by the Tiger Varsity
Cheerleaders in a pink balloon release and the recognition of four breast cancer survivors on the field during pre-game. The cheerleaders and Belles have sold pink t-shirts
sporting a ―Bearcats Wear Pink‖ slogan and are collecting donations for the Susan G.
Komen Cure Foundation by going ―Passionately Pink for the Cure‖ with pink ribbons,
pink pom pons, and pink hair bows. Their goal is to raise $500 to help fund breast cancer research and education. Join them in helping fight breast cancer by donating $1 at
the Bastrop game to reach their goal of $500 and stay tuned for more ways throughout
the year you can be involved in the fight against breast cancer.
Rusty Continues
His Search for
Ultimate Bearcat
Fans
submitted by Mrs. Reeder
Cheerleader Sponsor
As football season continues, Rusty has
found many loyal Bearcat fans that sport their
red and white and cheer loudly for the Cats!
Rusty has selected three more Fans of the Week
since football season began: Ouachita game—
Marcie Wright, mom of #53 Austin Wright and
Bearcat Belle Baylee Wright; Sulphur game—
Brenda Millage, mom of #1, Chris Millage;
Neville game—Mary Glenn Lyons, senior.
Each fan of the week is recognized during
4th quarter of the game and wins an autographed certificate, t-shirt, and concession coupons. These Fans of the Week will also be featured on Channel 20 and in the Ruston Daily
Leader.
Rusty presents Fan of the Week
Certificate to Mary Glenn Lyons
S
Chatterbox
ports
Ruston High School
October 21, 2010
Freshmen Football Still Setting the
Record Straight
by Keekee Williams
Sports Reporter
With an outstanding record of 5-2, the freshmen football squad are setting even higher
standards in the game and representing Ruston High the only way they know how - winning.
On Sept. 27, 2010,in a battle against West Monroe, the young ‗Cats fell short of a glory with
by a score of 20-0. The next game was also played at home on Oct. 4,2010 against their
country opponents, the Farmerville Farmers. The ‗Cats were again out to prove that they
owned their own football field and they were dominant in all plays in the game. Jamarion
Harris, # 20, arrogantly quoted that ―This game posed no challenge and there wasn‘t a play
our team couldn‘t handle‖. Another tough opponent came on Oct. 11,2010 - the Ouachita Lions. This game was switched to the Bearcats‘ home field, where once again the Bearcats prevailed with a score of 24-6. This elite team of young warriors are setting examples for the
freshmen of next year, and we salute them on all their hard work and outstanding victories!
JV Football Face Tough Opponents
by Keekee Williams
Sports Reporter
The Ruston High Junior Varsity football team has been exerting great effort and skill when
it comes to facing the toughest opponents on the gridline. On Sept. 27, 2010, the junior varsity
players battled with the West Monroe Rebels in an ultimate face-off game. Unfortunately, the
‗Cats came home with a lost; but they gained mutual respect from their opponent. On Oct. 4,
2010, the challenger for the next game was scheduled to be the Farmers of Farmerville; but the
game was canceled. Next up for the ‗Cats were the Ouachita Lion nations. Despite a strong
performance by the ‗Cats, the Lions prevailed. Ruston High students and fans continue to
cheer, applaud, and support our junior varsity football team as they play hard and bring home
the victories and gain experience to prepare them for varsity!
Coach Brown: sideline calls.
Page 29
Two Students Chosen for
Academic Allstate
by Christian Amos
Sports Editor
Seniors Casey Turner and Nick
Richardson were selected to be on the
2010 4-A Academic Allstate list Friday, October 8,2010. To make it on to
this sacred list, one must have devotion on and off the field; most importantly in the classroom. Both students are active in many organizations
at RHS. Turner, an offensive lineman,
was broadcasted with a remarkable
3.7 GPA by lhsaa.org. ―I didn‘t know
I got it but I‘m proud of myself.‖
Richardson being surprised by his 3.5
GPA stated, ―It was surprising be-
cause I didn‘t know my GPA was that
good!‖ He goes on to boastfully add,
―It‘s a reflection of my hard work
during the past four years‖
Well done Casey Turner and Nick
Richardson for representing Ruston
High in a very academic way.
Ruston Runs as a Family
by Christian Amos
Sports Editor
Ruston boys and girls Cross Country defeated 17 advanced teams in Clinton,
Mississippi, at the St. Andrews Invitational. Among the 17 teams, one was the
Mississippi State Champs.
Junior Chase Millien ran to first in the boys division along with 3 other teammate finishing within the top ten. Further, Sophomore Anna Hall ranked in at
third and again 3 other teammates finished in the top ten behind the leader. The
Lady Bearcats defeated St. Andrews by 13 points with a score of 56.
Millien had this to say about his outstanding performance, ―I am really honored to run for such a great coach and be
the leader of the RHS cross country
team‖ At the Hamilton Invitational Chase
Millien grazed the trail to fourth. He goes
on to say, ―We are more than just a team,
we‘re family.‖ Anna Hall finished third
overall in the Hamilton Invitational to
lead the girls. Hall stated, ―I just enjoy
running for this awesome team; they‘re Anna Hall and Chase Millien admire
Jay Hilton‘s State Champion picture.
my family and inspiration.‖
Player of the Month:
Ja’Ren Johnson
Ja’Ren received recognition as an Aaron’s Ace on
KNOE TV for his performance in the Bastrop game!
by Christian Amos
Sports Editor
Senior Ja‘Ren Johnson proved his ability on the field this month by stacking
up 100 + yards per game. Ja‘Ren‘s favorite thing about playing the game of football is just being on the field. He proudly wears the number 21 as well as the title
Bearcat student-athlete. The amazing running back has received many fine
awards and recognition for his athleticism such as: LHSAA All-state honorable
mention in 2009 and first team all-district the same year.
Ja‘Ren is undecided in both a choice for college and a major. His favorite
thing about Bearcat Fridays is of course his favorite cheerleader, Mrs. Ratcliff,
running up and down the hallways screaming. Be on the look out for Johnson on
the field as he moves the chains and scores touchdowns for Ruston.
S
Chatterbox
ports
Ruston High School
October 21, 2010
Page 30
Cats Lose Homecoming Game to Tors
by Reed Malek
Sports Reporter
On September 24, the Bearcats played their Homecoming game
against the Sulphur Golden Tors and lost 25-15, giving Sulphur
their first win of the season and Ruston their third loss of the season.
The ―Tors‖ struck first blood with a seven yard touchdown pass
in the first half. Early in the second quarter, quarterback Chris
Millage threw a six yard touchdown pass to sophomore John David
Moore. A pair of interceptions by Sulphur in the second half put the
Bearcats in a 25-7 hole. Ruston quickly responded with a 65 yard
touchdown on a screen pass from Chris Millage to running back
Ja‘Ren Johnson. But that would be the end of the scoring from either side.
If there was any single factor that caused the Bearcats‘ defeat, it
was turnovers. Ruston turned the ball over three times, whereas
Sulphur went the entire game without doing so. This loss put the
Cats at a 1-3 record on the season.
Ruston vs. Sulphur
Ruston Routs Richwood 35-0
by Reed Malek
Sports Reporter
Ruston @ Richwood
In a completely one-sided affair, the Ruston Bearcats shut out the
Richwood Rams 35-0 on October 1st.
The game started slowly, with Ruston having only a 6-0 lead at
halftime thanks to a touchdown pass from Pierce Spangler to Matthew
Manning. The Bearcats absolutely dominated the second half, scoring
three touchdowns through the air and one on the ground. The Bearcat
offense attained a season-high 413 offensive yards on the game. Once
again, running back Ja‘Ren Johnson had a stellar game, with 177
yards rushing and a touchdown. In the Bearcats‘ opening drive John-
son ran the ball ten out of the eleven plays, racking up sixty-two rushing yards in that single drive. Quarterback Pierce Spangler threw three
touchdown passes and Chris Millage threw one.
Not only did the offense put up tremendous numbers, but the defensive contributed greatly to the outcome of the game, forcing three
turnovers. Junior Cyril Noland recovered a fumble, while junior Kentrell Brice and senior Madison Wiggins each intercepted a pass. It
seems like every time Ruston wins, it is a blowout victory. The Bearcats‘ two wins this season have been by an average of thirty points.
Ruston Holds Off Neville 20-19 in Epic Thriller
by Reed Malek
Sports Reporter
On Friday, October 8th, the second oldest high school football
rivalry in Louisiana continued when the Bearcats hosted and defeated their archrival, the Neville Tigers 20-19. In the middle of the
third quarter, Neville led 16-7 after a twenty-eight yard touchdown
run. On the ensuing kick off, Ruston‘s Kentrell Brice ran through
defenders to the end zone for a seventy-eight yard touchdown,
making it 16-13, Neville. Later in the quarter, Ruston forced Neville to punt.
Ruston quarterback Pierce Spangler promptly threw a thirtyeight yard touchdown pass to Toderick Jackson, giving the Cats a
20-16 lead, sending the Ruston crowd into a frenzy. Neville responded with a thirty-nine yard field goal, putting the score at 2019. Midway through the fourth quarter, Ruston‘s defense forced a
turnover on downs.
With 1:42 left in the game, Neville took the ball and drove
down into Bearcat territory. After a penalty against the Tigers, they
attempted a Hail Mary pass on fourth and sixteen, but it fell incomplete. The crowd erupted and students in the Cat Box stormed the
field, and the Friday Night Lights shone brighter than ever.
Ruston vs. Neville
Ruston Loses a Heartbreaker to Bastrop 44-41
by Reed Malek
Sports Reporter
On October 14, the Bastrop Rams held off a ridiculous Bearcat second half rally to
remain undefeated (6-0). This loss puts Ruston at a 3-4 record overall and 1-1 in District 4A play.
The Rams took a commanding lead early in the game thanks to several longyardage plays. In the first half, Bastrop scored on a sixty-nine yard touchdown pass,
sixty-two yard run, and a seventy-eight yard return touchdown. At the end of the first
half the scoreboard read 36-13, and it began to appear like the game was going to be
the much expected blowout it was supposed to be. But things didn‘t exactly turn out
that way.
The Bearcats came out strong after halftime with a 10-play, 69-yard drive that ended with a one yard touchdown run in which running back Ja‘Ren Johnson scaled a wall
of defenders and charged into the end zone. In their next drive, Ruston went fifteen
plays for seventy yards which ended in another rushing touchdown from Ja‘Ren Johnson. This touchdown was similar to the previous one he scored. On first and goal from
Bastrop‘s ten yard line, Johnson again ran into a pile of defenders and the play seemed
to be over. He broke free from the pile and scampered into the end zone to make it a 36
-26 game. Blowout? Forget about it.
Bastrop took over and was forced to punt, injecting a new optimism into the Ruston
crowd. The ‗Cats went nine plays for seventy-seven yards which ended in a touchdown
by who else? Ja‘Ren Johnson. He would finish the night with an astounding 185 yards
rushing and five touchdowns, all on twenty-nine carries.
The game was now 36-33. The Bearcats had scored twenty unanswered points, and
they were three points away from tying up a game that was a blowout just an hour earlier! However, Bastrop took the ball and scored a touchdown after a failed onside kick
by the Bearcats, dimming hopes of a Ruston comeback victory. With a 44-33 lead,
Bastrop kicked the ball off. Ruston drove sixty-five yards down the field and Ja‘Ren
Johnson scored with another one yard touchdown run. Quarterback Chris Millage
scored the two point conversion, making it 44-41 in favor of Bastrop.
Ruston tried another onside kick but it failed. Bastrop took over and let the clock
run out to hold on to a lead that they had held the entire game, even though at times it
seemed like the Bearcats were the ones who were winning. The bottom line is, it was
expected by almost everybody for Bastrop to beat Ruston. Even though the scoreboard
indicated otherwise, this game seemed more like a victory for Ruston rather than a
loss. The Bearcats never quit, and showed great heart and character.
S
Chatterbox
ports
Ruston High School
October 21, 2010
I Want To Get Bearcat Excited
The Homecoming
Queen being
escorted by Beau
Russell during the
homecoming
assembly.
by Patricia Duhart
Social Reporter
To kick off Homecoming week,
Ruston High experienced their first
lockdown. Despite the mishap in
the beginning, things got rolling
with the Ruston High School Homecoming Assembly and the presentation of the Homecoming Court and
Queen. During the assembly, they
introduced the court and presented
the Homecoming Queen to everyone. The court and their escorts
looked their best and gave the Bearcat students and faculty a taste of
what to look forward to as Homecoming got closer. Later that night
was the pep rally. The Bearcats got
loud and rowdy and showed their
Bearcat pride! With the acknowledgment of the 10th, 20th, and 30th
anniversary of alumni Bearcats,
RHS Homecoming showed the tradition our school is always trying to
portray. A special thanks goes to
Patrick Ramsey as our guest speak-
er. During his speech, he reminisced
on his past days as a Bearcat in 96‘
and he expressed his passion for the
game of football and the love he has
for Ruston High. This gave our football boys inspiration for the game
the next night.
While looking in the stands and
witnessing nothing but red, white,
and black, the varsity football team
knew that they had much support
behind them. Although it was a
tough loss, the Bearcats stayed in
the game and kept fighting! Despite
the heartbreaking result of the game,
everyone put the loss behind them
and danced the night away at the
Homecoming dance held on September 25, 2010. Homecoming
week had a series of events, including fans showing their spirit and
students getting jiggy with it at the
dance. In the end, RHS will always
live it up!
Page 31
Alex Cockerham
Beth Ramirez
Senior court (left
to right):
Lauren Prescott,
Sydni Wilt,
Mary-Kyle
McDonald,
Markia Patton,
Elizabeth Moore,
and Mary Cox
Courtnei Dunn
Alli Brasuell
Queen Markia
Patton being
escorted by her
grandfather and
Principal
Milstead.
Miyata Bridges
Margarita Hernandez
S
Chatterbox
ports
Ruston High School
October 21, 2010
Page 32
Seniors Win Beat Neville
Week
by Christian Amos
Sports Editor
The Class of 2011 represented well as they defeated the freshmen, sophomore, and junior classes. With an ending score of
fifteen points, just one point shy of their winning score from last
year, the seniors went on to win the Spirit stick at the ―Game
Day‖ Pep Rally.
Throughout the week, the senior class was represented by Byroneshia Santiago, Jemario Crowe, Matthew Manning, and Jonathan Jones. Manning ―crushed‖ the competition in the Orange
Crush competition. During Beat Neville week, the shirt competitions were a split battle between the juniors and the seniors, but
with the help of their creative idea of ―A Walk Through Time‖
the seniors surpassed the rest. On Monday, the competition involved a wheel barrow race. The sophomore class was represented well by Devin Price and Alex West as they were the first to
cross the finish line. In the egg toss game the junior class roused
some ―eggcitement‖ when Jake Haddox and Nick Letendre held
their eggs in hand throughout every toss.
RHS Will Get New $3.1 M Field House
by Christian Amos
Sports Editor
At a very important school board meeting on October 5, 2010, members of the Lincoln Parish School Board approved the
funding of a $3.1 million field house to grace the campus of RHS. Construction on the building is expected to begin in mid
2011. Experts say the entire facility is expected to be completed by the summer of 2012. If that holds true, two years from now
all the athletes of RHS will have a bigger and better facility to call their own.
The Lincoln Parish School Board voted 10-0 to approve the $3.1 Million project with two members absent. An architect in
Ruston has designed the much needed field house so that, if needed, add-ons can be made to the structure. This artist is Ruston‘s
Mike Walpole. Walpole will serve as Noah to Ruston High‘s Ark. Nearly 200 new lockers, a large weight room, and a large
training room are just some of the features to be included in the new luxurious field house.
Ruston‘s athletic director, Coach Laird, wants to thank the people that ended the drawn out, anticipated wait, the school
board. ―I want to thank the entire school board‖, Laird said ―I know we‘re in financial troubles, but they have found the importance of this for the RHS student body‖.
Soon, hundreds of RHS athletes will have a modern area to train and build body and character.
Accessed at www.rustonleader.com

Ruston High School October 21, 2010 Box Tops RHS Distinguished

Transcription

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