RenaissanceThe LSMSAJanuary 2014

Volume XXXI, Issue 4The Louisiana School715 University Pkwy.

Natchitoches, LA 71457

Praecellemus

Snow way! Hell freezes over with snow day & delayAllison Boudreaux

Assistant Editor After receiving a few inches of snow the night before, North-western State Univer-sity and most of cen-tral Louisiana canceled classes on Friday, January 24, due to the inclement weather. However, the Loui-siana School admin-istration never fails to put education first, so LSMSA students rejoiced in their two-hour class delay that day. Students sadly slipped on their way to classes on Friday morning, but little did

they know that some-thing even better was in store. An email sent from Dr. Patrick Widhalm on Monday evening had everybody say-

ing, “Snow way!” yet again. “One might think that hell has frozen over because we have decided that it is best to close school tomor-

In This Issue:2 Honoring Dr.

King and his work Dr. Mar-

tin Luther King Jr. dreamed of racial equality, but all I dream of is tacos.

Students turn up the fun at LAN party Some

high schoolers turn up at parties with beer and grinding, LSMSA students turn up with Mtn. Dew and League.

LSMSA partici-pates in Christ-mas Festival

Parade How many LSMSA students does it take to make a float?

3

4

Student Life Advisors I’ve learned that

things change, SLAs leave, and life just doesn’t stop for any-body.

Mr. Burkman’s lending library J. Bradford Burk-

man: mathematician, bow-tie enthusiast, tea cup carrier, and librar-ian.

Special Projects Week: a special week at The Lou-

isiana School If you don’t have fun during Special Projects Week, you’re doing something wrong.

6

7

The High School Building just got cooler.Taken by Christine S.

1. Leia Bright and Rachel Sheffield sled in the snow. 2. James Rodrigue makes a snow angel. 3. Snow gathers on top of the benches in the courtyard.4. Khalilah Al-Amin, Cosette Zacarias, and Hyeyon Kim pose in the snow.

Courtesy of Rachel S., Helena P., Christine S., and Cosette Zacarias respectively.

row.” Along with closing school on Tuesday, January 28, Dr. Wid-halm also made an executive decision to delay classes on Wednesday, January 29 due to meteorologi-cal predictions of even more snowfall. As snow is fairly unusual in the state of Louisiana, students became incredibly excited regardless of having classes or not. As soon as the snow started falling, stu-dents ran outdoors to send photos to their loved ones and friends. The fun continued with different activities throughout campus. After receiving

permission from the university’s football coach, some students relished in the fresh snow on the Turpin Stadium field Thurs-day night. Others could be seen throwing snowballs, building snowmen, and making snow-angels. At Caddo Hall, some students got resource-ful and sledded down the hills in laundry baskets while others simply rolled with the changes in weather. With classes can-celed, tests pushed back, and snow on the ground, it was a fairly jovial week for LSMSA students and faculty alike.

1. 2.

3. 4.

5

Feb. 2 Groundhog Day Feb. 3 - 6 Phonathon//5:45-8pm//HSB 213 Feb. 7-8 SLAMT Feb. 9 Dr. Sulton Piano Recital//3pm//CPT Recital Hall Feb. 14 Valentine’s Day Feb. 15 Sweetheart’s Dance//8-11pm//Gym Feb. 21 Spring Dance Concert//7-8:30pm//Treen Feb. 22 Spring Dance Concert//7-8:30pm//Treen Literary Rally

For more information on any event, contact us at: newspaper@student.lsmsa.edu

Page 2 January 2014The Renaissance

Coming Soon:

Every year, LSMSA holds an assembly to cel-ebrate Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. since we stay in class on MLKJ Day; and every year, I hear the groans of students as they complain about having to attend school on MLKJ Day. I admit, going to class is not one of my favorite things to do. In fact, I’m usually the first to complain about it. But I heard some wise words from a few professors this past week that made me more appreciative of Dr. King and his work than any guest speaker at an assembly has ever made me. On MLKJ Day, I groaned in one of my math classes about prospective students and how everyone at my old school got out of school that day, Mz Gleason retorted something along the lines of, “Wouldn’t Dr. King want us to give prospective students the opportunity to visit our school on this day rather than us use it as just an excuse to sleep in?” It didn’t really hit me until Dr. Findley got up to speak at the assembly hours later. His words somehow managed to break through my thick skull un-like any other speaker we have had at any MLKJ Assembly. As he recounted some instances of the segregation in Natchitoches that he witnessed, I realized that the idea of segregation was present in these exact halls not so long ago. Giving prospective students of many different races the opportunity to come visit our school, which is also full of so many different races, is something that could not have happened a short time ago. I’m thankful to know a lot of diverse people, but I’m even more thankful that I have the ability to know them. That’s all thanks to Dr. King and all of the other civil rights revolutionaries.

Editorial: Honoring Dr. King and his work

From nationalgeographic.com

“There are three type of clauses: independent clauses, dependent clauses and Santa Clauses.”

-Dr.Art

“Aren’t you a little young to be experimenting on seed germination?” -Dr. Benner

“I’m still not a player, but you’re still a hater.” -SLA Kim Rogers

“Long after I’m dead. You know two or three years from now.” -Dr. Feske

“Five to seven years is the same as four years of undergrad and three years of law school, and you get the same thing: a worthless piece of paper.” -Dr. Findley on indentured servitude

“I like to roll because rolling is continuous in-stead of discrete.” -Mz. Gleason

Sundar Pandian: “Wow, it just keeps going!”Nickolas Walling: “Well, it is a fractal.”

Claire Young and Hannah Skinner participate in the Community Service Special Project. (Read more about Special Projects on Page 7.)

Courtesy of Hannah S.

Carlie ProcellEditor in Chief

January 20 Page 3The Renaissance

Students turn up the fun at LAN party

Carlie ProcellEditor in Chief

Computer Science Club and Conclave Club join forces yet again to throw one of the most awaited events of every semes-ter--the LAN party.

of Dec. 7, a date which did not live in infamy for LSMSA students in 2013. As past parties have provided, an abun-dance of pizza and caffeinated beverages was prepared to fuel

games like Guitar Hero and Just Dance in the atrium. Tournaments also took place in the CPT Recital Hall, games that were played included Super Smash Bros. and Call of Duty.

Astronomy class has students shooting for the stars

From pearsonhighered.com

How better to un-ravel the mysteries of the universe than to sit at a desk and listen to lecture? Luckily, physics professor Dr. Scott Atkins’s astronomy class allows students to learn all about the cosmos at 2:45 p.m. every Tuesday and Thursday afternoon. Relatively new to LSMSA, as this is its second semester as a course offering, As-tronomy offers a de-scriptive approach to the subject including a study of the solar sys-tem, the Milky Way, comets, asteroids, star types, dark matter, the big bang, and the evolution of life in the universe.

Atkins uses visual aids as well as media to add to his lecture and more thoroughly explain each topic. The textbook for the course is The Cosmic Perspective by Bennett, Donahue, Schneider, and Voit. Students enrolled in the class are graded on homework, in-class assignments, web projects, participation, and three exams.

Allison BoudreauxAssitant Editor

Students gather in the Cafe to relax while watching movies like Office Space.Taken by Collin S.

Lasting from 12 to 8 a.m. on a Saturday morning towards the end of each semester, LAN parties mange to attract around 100 LSMSA students eager to spend time post-curfew together. This past semester’s LAN party took place in the CPT during the early morning hours

students. Students could be seen playing the popular computer game League of Legends all around the CPT. FIFA 2014 was another game that many stu-dents could be seen playing. Students who weren’t as video game-savvy played

For those who wanted to just relax with their friends, movies were played in the CPT Cafe includ-ing Pacific Rim and Office Space. There was even music being DJ’d by Aaron Cao, Allison Boudreaux, and Kyle Welch. Music played ranged from electroni-ca to rap. A few adults somehow rise up to the grueling task of chaperoning the wild LAN partiers. The two clubs gather professors, SLA’s, and residential life interns alike to take on the challenge. Members of the Computer Science and Conclave Clubs were allowed free entry, while others paid a $3 fee.

Competitors and on-lookers watch as students battle it out in a Super Smash Bros. tournament.

Taken by Collin S.

Gamers Kyle Welch and Allison Boudreaux shout-cast the Call of Duty: Black Ops II tournament together.

Taken by Collin S. The clubs made a net profit of over $200 by the end of the night. Alex Fontenot and Collin Shelton, presidents of Comput-er Science and Con-

clave Clubs respec-tively, each agreed that the event was a major success, not only in profits but also in the fun that their fellow peers had.

Page 4 January 2014The Renaissance

Natchitoches celebrates Christmas Festival of LightsAllison Smith

Staff Writer Natchitoches, Loui-siana is known as a small quiet town where tourists come to spend a peaceful weekend. However, every year af-ter Thanksgiving passes, the city puts up a daz-zling display of lights for the city to enjoy. This Festival of Lights started in 1926 when Max Burgdof decided to string Christmas lights up and down Front Street. This was the start of what is now

a series of weekends that include live bands, a parade, and multiple firework shows. Although the weather was colder than usual this year, the festival still had a good turn out. People from all over come in to see the display of over 300,000 lights day after day. The town events included a Christmas Gala put on by North-western State Univer-sity, the Natchitoches “City of Lights” 5K, the

Mrs. Clause Christmas Parade and the Santa Claus Parade, and sev-eral fireworks displays which occurred every Saturday night through-out December. Overall, LSMSA stu-dents use the festival to get away from all of the stress of the finals loom-ing ahead, but more importantly, the Natchi-toches Festival of Lights has put the city on the map as one of the top festivals in the world.

To find out more about the Natchitoches Christmas Fes-tival of Lights, go to www.christmasfestival.com

From natchitoches.net

LSMSA participates in the Christmas Festival Parade

LSMSA cruised through downtown Natchitoches on an ‘Elf Christmas’ themed float during the Christmas Festival Parade of the 87th Annual Festival of Lights on December 7, 2013. The float, decorated with candy canes, wreaths, and snow, fea-tured LSMSA students on a float in the parade for the first time. It was a project sponsored by

ICC with donations made by the Economics Club and Beta Club. Coordinator of Stu-dent Engagement Jenny Schmitt and Student Life Advisor Andrew Nieman accompanied students for the ride during a cold December afternoon. “It was cold, but the looks on the faces of the crowd made it worth it,” said William Smith. The group of students who were invited to be on the float included

Cosette ZacariasStaff Writer

Peter Uli, Ethan Tesnow, Neel Reddy, Annal-ise Labatut, Katherine Prutz, Alex Robertson, Will Smith, and Na-thalie Trow-McDonald. During the parade LSMSA students en-joyed throwing to both kids and adults alike. William Smith recalls an interesting moment when the candy supply ran out and the students on the float got people in the crowd to throw to them.

LSMSA represents itself with a float in the city parade for the first time.Taken by Cosette Z.

Rep. John Schroder meets with students

It’s not unusual to see important looking people in suits walking around LSMSA, but it is unusual to be able to find out who they are by sitting and talking with them. State Representative John Schroder visited campus on Jan. 17 and met with interested stu-dents at Guided Study. Dr. Widhalm gave an introduction about Schroder, stating his af-filiation with LSMSA as being one of its strong supporters in the State House of Representa-tives in terms of budget. Pres. Rick Nowlin of

Carlie ProcellEditor in Chief

Natchitoches Parish, who Schroder men-tioned was one of his close friends, was also present. Schroder then in-troduced himself and spoke about his family, job history, and then his political views. He believes that the biggest issue facing Louisiana is public edu-cation, then he empha-sized the importance of LSMSA students staying in Louisiana and help-ing to make it a better place. To find out more about Schroder and the issues he supports, visit his website at www.johnschroder.com

Alex Fontenot with Rep. John Schroder.Taken by Mrs. Crystal Evans

January 2014 Page 5The Renaissance

Student Life Advisors#BoardingSchoolPerksAllison Smith

Staff Writer When students come to LSMSA, they give up a lot of luxuries in their life. Things such as their own room are not available anymore, and they have to learn how to cope with these changes. Another thing they have to live without is their parents/guardians. For some students, it is an added bonus, but for others it is difficult to cope with.

“Sports... is it a game anymore?” Special ProjectSoojin LeeStaff Writer

Coach Dale Clinger-man and Dr. Jason An-derson’s special project class was filled with LSMSA athletes. From the very first day, friendly banter quickly escalated into a heated debate as Cling-erman pitched the ques-tion, “What is a sport?” Many words were thrown around while trying to find a fitting definition, including terms such as “competi-tion”, “rules”, “physi-cality”, and “skill”. Then Clingerman threw a curve ball: “Then what is a game, and how are these two things different? Keep in mind that all sports started out as a game.” Students struggled to answer. Some ideas including history, com-

munity, and officials were suggested, and generally agreed upon. The debate continued to grow fiercer as the two instructors began questioning some ac-tivities in which some participating students took part. Some were ques-tioned because they were judged while others were because they were self-officiated games. The next day, Cling-erman and Anderson introduced the main topics of the course: money and corruption. The students watched two long documentaries about college football and the NCAA league. Both documentaries showed instances of very expensive corrup-tion. The students were disgusted by the adults in the videos who, with their money and greed, took away the most important aspect of a game: fun. The students watched as past players shared similar stories of losing educational opportuni-ties, being threatened about their yearly con-

tracts, and being bribed on multiple occasions to simply play a game. These videos also covered the problem of athletes not being qualified to attend the university in the first place. College sports, it

horrified as they watched parents fist-fight at the children’s games. Students watched as these small children were bribed and given money for their talents, and as some children even suffered paralysis and death due to boun-ties. Three very inspi-rational stories were shown in the afternoon of the same day. Each had a message to share and was encouraging in every way. With restored spirits, the students then made their way to the Gym and began to brain-storm. The assignment was to develop a game using the equipment found there to be played on Friday. On Thursday, the group piled into the bus once again and went to the North Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame on Front Street. The workers there ar-ranged a scavenger hunt for the students, allow-ing them to explore as they pleased. Friday, the students presented and played

their games. One game was called Towerball. The objective of the game was to hit the grey area of a makeshift tower to gain one point or to toss the ball into the tower for five points. Another was Stickball. It was by far the most violent game created by the students, resembling dodge ball. The ultimate objec-tive was to push the opposing team’s agility sticks to the back wall by knocking them down with the dodge balls in each “zones.” Throughout this spe-cial project, the students learned not only about the topic, but also about life. They also learned to truly appreciate the athletics program at the Louisiana School with its lack of corruption and scary coaches.

seemed, are definitely no longer a game played simply for recreational purposes. The material covered the next day was even more disheart-ening. The students watched multiple You-Tube films about overly aggressive parents, gambling, and bounties in youth sports. If the students were disgusted by the college sports before, they were absolutely

Each dorm is equipped with a staff of Student-Life-Advisors (SLAs) who help students adjust to dorm life, and get used to the quirks of liv-ing with others. Having a good re-lationship with one’s SLA can make the dorm experience much more enjoyable. They do great things such as provide food runs, do activities for the halls, and talk to their hall members whenever

is needed. Without SLAs there would be no one to bring issues to, and students would lack an adult

figure in their day-to-day lives. Although SLAs are the adult figures, most students feel like they

are more like cool aunts/uncles who are there to make sure students have fun while still being safe. Not only do the SLAs keep everyone safe, but they make the dorms feel more like home. It is common to walk through the front doors and have an SLA greet you by name, no matter what hall they are from. Without their constant devotion of time to our lives, and increased involvements with their halls, the school would not be as great of an experience.

All of the Caddo & Prudhomme SLA’s.From lsmsa.edu

Page 6 January 2014The Renaissance

Science Fair showcases exemplary student workAllison Boudreaux

Assistant Editor

Unlike the usual aro-ma of adolescent per-spiration, the LSMSA Gym was filled with the aroma of science on Thursday, Dec. 5. The annual school-wide Science Fair brought together over 70 students from around the school across differ-ent fields of science and allowed them to share some of the work that they had completed over the course of this

semester in their science classes. Members of the sci-ence faculty were the judges, but faculty from all subjects could be seen at the Science Fair eager to see what research students had been conducting. Students competed in groups or on their own in four categories: Introductory Biology, Advanced Biology, Chemistry, and Physics. The top three in Introductory Biology,

Advanced Biology, and Chemistry were award-ed with medals along with the first place win-ner in Physics. The respective first, second, and third place winners were as follows for Introductory Biol-ogy: “Seed Germination in Specific Temperatures with Little to No Wa-ter,” a project by Chris Carter, Chris Jackson, Justin Goff, and Anto-nio Milton; “Effects of Lemon Juice on Seed Germination” by Isa-bella Killeen, Rebekka Nichols, Lacey Hines, and Hannah Vincent; “The Effects of Constant Motion on Seed Ger-mination,” by Jessica Hinote, Alexia Desoto, Cody LaCaze, and Katie Gonsoulin. Advanced Biology winning projects were: “What do Ostracods Prefer to Eat?” by Ga-briel Chappell in first; “Ground-Dwelling Invertebrate Terres-trial Biodiversity in

Hardwood vs. Conifer-ous Tree Stands,” by Meredith McManus in second; and “Seasonal Variation in Prey of the Barn Owl,” by Allison Boudreaux in third place. Chemistry winners were: Neel Reddy and Jong-Ho Lee with “Dry Ice Sublimination,” Haley Robinson and Jordan Williams with “The Toothpaste Egg-speriment,” and Glenda Winfield and Deborah

Adeyemi with “Manip-ulation the Variables of Aspirin Synthesis.” Finally, Andy Labra-da-Gonzalez and Ron-ald Cossich, Jr. took first place in physics with their project called “Wil-son’s Cloud Chamber.” Some of the competi-tors along with others who did not compete intend to participate in the regional science fair in the spring.

Chemistry professor Dr. Hynes speaks to Jessi Pierce about her project.

Courtesy of the Rubicon staff

Rebekka Nichols, Lacey Hines, Isabella Killeen, and Hannah Vincent pose with their project which won sec-ond place in Introductory Biology.

Courtesy of the Rubicon staff

Mr. Burkman introduces lending libraryJohnnette Johnson

Staff Writer

If you ever feel like you are overloaded with homework and bored with Netflix, there is a solution. Read a book. Don’t have a book to read? Go to Mr. Brad Burkman’s Lending Library on the second floor of the HSB. The library started off as a single bookcase filled with textbooks mostly pertaining to Mathematics and Computer Science, as Burkman is a lecturer in mathematics at LSMSA. However, Burkman’s girlfriend, Kathleen Guinnane, who is a

librarian at Lakewood Elementary School of Lulling, started donat-ing books that were too mature for the elemen-tary kids. Not only did Guin-nane contribute to the cause, but also students as well as other fac-ulty members are now donating to the never-ending Burkman Lend-ing Library. With the library expo-nentially expanding in size every day, Burk-man questioned where the books could be kept. He soon realized that the school, contain-ing approximately 300 students, has nearly 800

lockers. Creative think-ing led to Burkman getting permission to use the bottom lockers as showcases for more books. Burkman is currently debating on whether or not he will move the books to an entirely separate room; however, he is certain that the library with continue to expand. In the future, Burk-man hopes to inspire students as well as fac-ulty to think creatively in order to fulfill desires on a budget.

Mr. Burkman with his extended lending library, avail-able for student use on the second floor of the HSB.

Taken by Johnnette J.

January 2014 Page 7The Renaissance

Special Projects Week: a special week at The Louisiana School

Carlie ProcellEditor in Chief

Attending an elite residential school located in the heart of Louisiana that is devoted to learning can sometimes be a struggle. With the countless exams, lab reports, and hours of lost sleep studying, Louisiana School students some-times question the passion for learning they so eagerly ex-pressed in their appli-cations. Administrators real-ized that the joy of learning can begin to fade when a student endures two long, agaonizing semesters of mostly lecture-filled classes. After brainstorm-ing, they came up with a remedy to the problem: a week devoted to learning about a subject of a student’s choosing in a non-conventional way.

And so Special Proj-ects Week was born. Teachers, and even SLA’s, pick a subject that they too are in-terested in and cre-ate a fun, week-long “course” about it. The term “course” is used lightly, as spe-cial projects are meant to be different from the typical Louisiana School course. Subjects change based on the year and they always vary vast-ly. Projects this year ranged from learning about the history of sports (see page 6) to exploring the relation-ship between philoso-phy and film. Special Projects Week has taken place during the week fol-lowing spring semes-ter finals for the past three years, but ad-ministrators decided to revert to the old tradition of placing Special Projects Week right after Christmas break.

• 007 and Chasing Societal Views• Advanced Advanced Improv• AIDS: Where did it come from?

Where is it going?• Bioethics• Building and Administering a

Computer Cluster• Community Service• Eating Disorders and Body Image• Flavors of India• Fluid Mechanics• Genealogy• Giving a Scientific Presentation:

From Compiling Data to Public Speaking

• Hollywood and Revisionism• Improv for Dance• Ikebana• Introduction to Opera• Introduction to Visualization• Natchitoches Tri-Centenniel• Native American Studies Through

Film

• Neo-Noir: A Hisotry of Modern Filmmakers Who Have Been Influenced by the Cirime

• Philosophy Through Film• “Poetry Out Loud”• Programming the TI-83/84

Graphing Calculator• Sport Strategy, Art of Breaking

Down Film Against An Opponent• Sports... Is it a Game Anymore?• Startup Week at LSMSA• Story Time• The Science of Star Trek• Two American Naturalists: Aldo

Leopold and Caroline Dormon• World War Two and Memory• Barbarian Week• Mock Trial• Yearbook Exploration• From the Third Reich to the

Federal Republic in Film

Special Projects Week Offerings 2014

Switching the time of Special Projects Week had both ben-efits and drawbacks, but one great benefit that many students expressed is that it gave them time to

ease back into dorm life after nearly a month of academic dormancy. Regardless of the placement of Special Projects Week, most students agree that it

is a learning experi-ence that they would have never been able to experience at their old schools.

LSMSA students participate in Special Projects Week.Photos are all courtesy of the Rubicon staff

Introduction to Visualization Bioethics Improv for Dance

Ikebana Advanced Advanced Improv Story Time

The Fun PagePage 8 January 2014The Renaissance

This month’s puzzle topic is “Biology Terms.” By Allison Boudreaux

ACROSS:2. Sexual spore-bearing cell in ascomycete fungi4. The sepals of a flower7. Scraps of food remaining from a meal10. The two-layered, cup-shaped embryonic stage13. Solic excreta of insects16. Subphylum which contains the spiders and horseshoe crab.17. Organism that acts as a decomposer by absorbing nutrients from dead, organic matter19. The scientific study of animal behavior20. Middle section of the small intestines in most higher vertebrates21. Unicellular algal protists that live symbiotically with coral22. A young swan23. Intersection of the frontal and two nasal bones24. A hairlike appendage on the surface of many bacteria25. Bundle of fibers which cover the brain26. The explosion of seeds from cool-season plants suddenly ex-posed to warmth

DOWN:1. Wing covers in the coleopterans3. A fold in the inner membrane of the mitochondria4. A wet area of deciduous scrub or woods grown from swampy soil5. White blood cell6. Type of structures that have lost most of their previous function in a given species, but still persist8. Structure that releases seeds when wet9. Capable of grasping11. Natural blue, purple, or red pigments dissolved in the cell-sap vacuole of plants12. Ring-shaped reef made primarily of coral14. Type of fish that live and feed primarily along the bottom of a body of water

Comic by Soojin Lee

The Center for Performance and Technology (CPT) glistening in the snow.

Taken by Christine S.