1www.runnels.org April 2013

Runnels Preschool6455 Jefferson HighwayBaton Rouge, LA 70809

225-927-5803

April 2013

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

www.runnels.org Reporter

Space Educator Wins Teaching Award First-grade science teacher Paula Gar-rett has been named the 2013 winner of the Frank Brewer Memo-rial Aerospace Education Award for Louisiana Aerospace Education Members. In granting the award, Lt. Col. Kathy Beauford, of the Civil Air Patrol, commended Mrs. Gar-rett on her significant contributions to aerospace education: “Your knowl-edge and enthusiasm for your aerospace education endeavors and training teachers in aerospace at-tests to your expertise and professionalism.” Mrs. Garrett has been involved in teaching space science since the late 1980s, when she sponsored a Young Astro-nauts Club as a third-grade teacher in East Baton Rouge Parish. Her enthusiasm for the subject led to the creation of the “Space Chicks,” a teaching team, to which she belongs, that focuses on offering workshops for educators on how to teach space science to elementary students.

The name “Space Chicks,” Mrs. Garrett explained, came from NASA. “We were

always there -- at the Space Center in Houston for the Annual Space Exploration Educators Conference -- always presenting, and always fo-cused on getting students turned on by science. Our NASA friends started call-ing us the ‘Space Chicks,’ and I guess it stuck.” Mrs. Garrett and her fellow “Space Chicks” have been presenters at the yearly seminars, which draw educators and scientists from around the globe, for the last 15 years. At Runnels, Mrs. Garrett and her students recently participated in the “Plants in Space” and “Spiders in Space”

programs conducted in affiliation with the International Space Station and sponsored by the Baylor College of Medicine’s Edu-cational Outreach Program and NASA. She will accept her award plaque and a monetary grant at the 2013 Civil Air Patrol Wing Conference Awards Banquet at the Mariott in Baton Rouge on May 4.

Wearing her NASA jacket, Runnels science teacher Paula Garrett helps first-grade students Rossi Harrison (left) and Hope Oubre with their “Spiders in Space” observation journals.

Runnels Junior State JCL President ... Matthew Mitchell, a junior at Runnels High School, was named Louisiana Junior Classical League (JCL) president at this year’s annual state convention, held Feb. 22-24 at the Baton Rouge Holiday Inn

- South. As state president, Matt will attend the national JCL conference in Las Vegas this summer and preside over the 2014 state convention in Baton Rouge. Matt, who is also the current president of the Runnels chapter of the JCL, was the top finisher in seven academic competitions at this year’s state convention. He won first-place ribbons in Latin Grammar, Roman History, Roman Life, Latin Derivatives, Mottoes, Academic Decathlon, and the Individual Academic Sweepstakes. He also led the Runnels Upper Certamen (Quiz Bowl) team to a first-place victory with fellow JCL members Rachael Shockley, Connor Matthews, and Amelie Kharey. Many other Runnels JCL members earned a plethora of (See JCL Convention Awards and Accolades, page 4.)

Fairy Tale Princesses

A quartet of “Snow Whites” (Lilah Wartelle, Leyna Huynh, Bailey St. Romain, and Isabelle Kennedy) curtsey for the camera at the kindergarten’s annual Fairy Tale Foods Lun-cheon on March 22. Visit us online at www.runnels.org for more pictures and coverage.

Matt Mitchell takes up the gavel as new LJCL President.

Setting a Record ... When seniors Alden Cartwright (above left) and Josh Morris stepped onto the Runnels baseball field the afternoon of Mar. 14 to play Broadmoor High, it was more than just another game. It was, in fact, their 125th consecutive game as members of our varsity baseball team. According to Head Baseball Coach and Jr./Sr. High Athletic Director Tookie Johnson, that’s a record for the Raiders. Alden and Josh have worn uniform numbers 22 and 24, respectively, in the Run-nels line-up since they started playing for the varsity baseball team in eighth grade. This fall, both will head off to college as signees for university teams. Alden will wear the purple and gold of LSU, and Josh will play for Northwestern State. Just for the record, their 125th game went into the win column, with an 8-3 vic-tory against the Broadmoor Buccaneers.

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Sharing the Vision - RPO’s “Out of the Box - 2013” We’re off to a fantastic start. The RPO spent a beautiful spring evening under the stars at the 2013 “Out of the Box” fundraiser on Mar. 9 at the Baton Rouge Gallery in City Park. With over 230 at-tendees, we raised more than $22,000 toward our goal. The evening was spent with friends and family. We enjoyed delectable creations by Gene and Rebecca Todaro and an incredible solo acoustic perfor-mance by Nashville recording star David St. Romain. While strolling through the Baton Rouge Gallery guests bid on selections from our silent auction, which included “priceless” art created by our children, as well as jewelry, spa delights, gift cards galore, door prizes, a raffle and much more. This event did have something for everyone! Our efforts kicked off a new campaign to begin a large scale improvement of our outdoor space being designed by Chad Danos with Duplantis Design Group. The expansion will include a multi-use Pavil-ion for dining out and outdoor class time, additional covered walkways, shaded seating areas, and an amphitheater with inclined lawn and retaining wall. It will take two to three years to complete this project, but it will benefit our children for decades to come. We appreciate all the support of the parents, friends, and all of our student artists. The RPO is especially grateful to the volunteers and visionaries who made this event possible and the countless man/woman hours that they contributed!

Thank You,RPO President Nicole Duet Latiolais

Grand Raffle: Winners of the Grand Raffle (St. Tropez Outdoor Furniture - 4 piece Deep Seating Set, Courtesy of Louisiana Nursery, Mitch and Kristy Mayes) were Dr. Dariusz Gawronski and Kasia Baranska. Auction Items with the Highest Bids: 1) NHS T-Shirt Quilt (with assistance on “finishing” by the Red Stick Quilt Shop). 2) Metabolic Anti-Aging Center of LA, courtesy of Dr. Emma Kruger. 3) City Social Ad, courtesy of Janell O’Halloran. 4) Runnels High School Parking Spot won for Erin Dean. 5) Capitol City Cyclery, courtesy of Rafael and Kim de Castro. 6) Jack Joubert Print, courtesy of Judy Burke. 7) Home Harp and Flute Concert, courtesy of Rebecca Todaro and Shanna Drescher. 8) Ann Con-nelly Framed 18th Century French Documents, donated by Ann Connelly. 9) Copper Mill Golf Club Gift Certificate, donated by Copper Mill. 10) A Night at the Westin, donated by the Westin Hotel. Student Art Challenge: (Won Pizza/Ice Cream Party by earning the highest number of bids in each category.) Jr./Sr. High: NHS T-Shirt Quilt; Elementary: 4th and 5th Grade Faux Batik Birds Collages; Preschool: 3 year olds’ Large Hand Painting; Teams: Signed Photo of Serena Williams at Wimbledon Sign with framing by Ann Connelly. We sincerely appreciate and gratefully acknowledge the generosity of the following businesses and individuals in contributing to this event. The Fundraising Committee: Nicole Duet Latiolais, RPO President, Karen Rhine-hart, RPO Treasurer, Kim Britt , Kim and Rafael de Castro, Lisa Gibbs, Gina Golda, Ally Guay, Sarah Haase, Caroline Hader, Jona Hughes, Jackie Lurker, Debra Khalid-Abasi, Kristy Mayes, Caroline Messenger, Wendy Milam, Lynn Oehrle, Laura Roark, Debbie Schacht, Dana Schlotterer, Camillia Smith, Colleen Spillane, MC Stewart, Alecia Tate, Rebecca and Gene Todaro, Adaina Watson, and Brooke Yura.Our Fabulous Student Groups and Artists:Preschoolers 2s, 3s, Pre-kindergartners, Kindergartners, 4th grade art students and Janine Kharey, 5th grade art students and Janine Kharey, Athletics, Drama Department, Girls Volleyball, High School Art and Rachel Klein, High School Painting and Danna Wiese, Jr. Beta Club, Jr. High Art and Pam Gyan, Naturalism Club, NHS with Red Stick Quilt Shop, Photography Class and Trina Carruth, School Honors Art (7th-12th) and Lee Ran-

Kindergarten teacher and Fundraising Committee member Sarah Haase makes a Silent Auction bid.

Enjoying the RPO fundraiser at the Baton Rouge Gallery Mar. 9 are (from left) Elemen-tary Librarian Joni Orgeron, elementary teacher Renee’ Miller, and Fundraising Com-mittee members Lisa Gibbs, and MC Stewart, who is also a Runnels kindergarten teacher.

Top left: Attending the fundraiser were Anthony Williams, Beth Williams, Caroline Hader, and Jeremy Hader.

Above: Enjoying the RPO’s “Out of the Box - 2013” fundraiser at the Baton Rouge Gallery Mar. 9 are (from left) Fundraising Commit-tee member Kristy Mayes, Mitch Mayes, Rick March, and Runnels Founding Headmaster Dr. L.K. Runnels.

Left: Chad and Sherry Roper’ and Nelson and Debbie Davenport.

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High School Athletic Awards CeremonyRunnels Auditorium: Sunday, May 5, 2013

Session I, 4:00 - 5:30 pmSwimming

Cross CountryVolleyball

Girls BasketballBoys Basketball

Girls SoccerBowling

Powerlifting

Session II, 6:30 - 8:00 pmBaseball

GolfBoys Soccer

Indoor Track & FieldOutdoor Track & Field

TennisSoftball

R Award Presentations

The Runnels Booster Club will host a reception in the Runnels Gym from 5:30 - 6:30 pm, between Sessions I and II.

Junior High Athletic Awards CeremonyRunnels Auditorium: Monday, May 6, at 6 pm

dall, Senior Class, Sr. Beta, Tennis Team, and the Technical Theatre Class. Corporate: 1st Choice Home Furnish-ings, Alexander & Sanders Insurance Co., Altar’d State, Ambrosia Bakery, Ann Connelly Fine Art, Artistic Dentistry, Bally’s Total Fitness, Bar Method, Baton Rouge Music Studio, Baton Rouge Soc-cer Association (BRSA), Baton Rouge Symphony Orchestra, Bayou Bling, Benny’s Car Wash, Big Bang Fireworks, Billy Heroman’s, Body-Mind Connec-tion: Vallerie Myer, RN, BSN, LMT, Burgundy Brumfield, artist, Capitol City Cyclery, Children’s Music Studio, City Social, Comfort Suites - Natchitoches, LA, Community Coffee, Cookies by Design, Copper Mill Golf Club, Cullen’s Babyland, Dixon Smith Interiors, Gilded Lily, Grand Cinema, Grandmother’s But-tons, Head Over Heels, Heaux Jeaux’s, iCatchers, Immediacare, JKL Salon, Jefferson Hwy. Animal Hospital, Jump N Jive, Keeping Room, Kit-A-licious, Kyle Kennedy, DDS, LASM, Laura Roark and de la Bouteille, Louisiana Nursery, Manship Theatre, Mary Kay by Suzanne LeBlanc, Metabolic Anti-Aging Center of LA, Napmat.com, Nothing Bundt Cakes, O’Halloran’s Photography, O’Halloran’s

Fine Jewelry, Oh Baby, Painting with a Twist, Party Playground, Pearce Photogra-phy, Petz Plaza, Playmaker’s, Portobello’s, Qdoba, Rage Hair Salon, Rebecca Penni-man Pilates, Red Stick School of Fencing, Red Stick Spice Co., Renee Hoeprich, Ric Seeling, Richard Cangelosi, DDS, Sassy Clasp, Serendipity Gift Shop, Skate Galaxy, Spectrum Fitness, Stage Presence, Stoma’s Furniture, Sweet on Silver by

Rhonda Postlethwait, The PAK Store, Tutti Frutti Frozen Yogurt, Varsity Sports, Via Veneto, Westin New Orleans, Whole Foods, Woman’s Fit-ness Center, Wonder Cuts, and Young Chef’s Academy. Individuals: Beth Appleton, Edie Bender, Kim Britt, Jill Bryan, Judy

Burk, Stacie Burke, Jennifer Carpenter, Alden Cartwright, Jennifer Cassin, Shanna Drescher, Carol Haase, Renee Hoeprich, Janine Kharey, Rachel Klein, Brent Lax, Jessica Bollinger Miller, Laura Roark, Rebecca Penniman, Carolyn Pittman, Gladys and Kelly Runnels, Blake Ste-venson, the Stevenson Family, Rebecca Todaro, Gene Todaro, and Laura Welch. Very Special Thanks To:David St. Romain, Entertainment; Rebec-ca and Gene Todaro, Wine and Catering; and Mestizo’s, Catering.

Selling raffle tickets at the RPO’s “Out of the Box” evening at the Baton Rouge Gallery Mar. 9 are Fundraising Committee members (from left) Dana Schlotterer, Colleen Spillane, Brooke Yura, and Karen Rhinehart.

A Key Donation ... In our Drama Room, new home to a beautiful Baldwin piano recently donated to our school by the Roark family, are kindergarten music teacher Laura Roark (right) her son Stuart, 1b, and Assistant Head of School and Preschool and Elementary Principal Gladys Runnels.

Runnels Chess Club members senior Avery Enete and freshman Jordan Morris won a second-place trophy in the 9th-12th grade boys’ division at a United States Chess Federation (USCF) sanctioned tournament held March 2-3 in New Orleans. Eighth grader Stephen Watson, also com-peted in the 6th-8th grade boys’ division and won two rounds. The boys are now USCF-rated chess players! Prior to the tournament, Avery, Jor-dan, and freshmen Clay Harned, Heather Edwards, and Drake Fromenthal, and seventh-grader Lyle Bordelon-Walker attended the Susan Polgar Chess Camp, which was held in affiliation with the New Orleans match. The camp, according to Avery, “did show (us) tactics to employ in certain cir-cumstances and some interesting subtleties in the game.” Runnels Chess Club sponsor Rita Hunt said that the group has 41 members, with 10 to 15 regularly participating in practice games, club tournaments, and fundraising events.

USCF-rated chess players (from left) Avery Enete, Jordan Morris, and Stephen Watson.

RPO’s “Out of the Box - 2013” (continued) Winning Tactics

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Junior High Thespians To Stage Kipling’s Just So Stories

JCL Convention Awards and Accolades (continued from page 1)

In costume for the Spirit Contest, Runnels Junior Classical League (JCL) members get ready to hop on the bus for the 2013 state con-vention at the Holiday Inn-South in Baton Rouge.

awards and accolades at the convention, including: First-Place Awards - Elle Pickrell, grade 9, Jewelry (Lower) and Greek Pentathlon (Level 1/2); Amelie Kharey, grade 11, Individual Graphic Arts Sweepstakes, Sculpture and Pottery (Upper); Luc Kharey, grade 9, Sculpture, Pottery, and Mosaics (Novice); Mary Katherine Koch, grade 12, Impromptu Art (Upper); Rachael Shock-ley, grade 12, Girls Long Jump (Upper). Second-Place Awards - Connor Matthews, grade 10, Games (Upper); Elle Pickrell, Dolls (Upper); Anna Morgan, grade 10, Maps (Lower); Matt Mitchell, Individual Academic Sweepstakes, Academ-ic Decathlon (Advanced), Latin Grammar (Advanced), Mottoes (Ad-vanced), Roman History (Advanced), and Roman Life (Advanced); Andrew Mitchell, grade 8, Latin Meter (Level II); Amelie Kharey, Mosaics (Upper), Maps (Upper), and Greek Pentathlon (Level III). Third-Place Awards - Amelie Kharey, Chart, Illustrated Quote, Pencil/Charcoal, and Girls Long Jump (Upper); Andrew Mitchell, Boys Marathon (Lower); Marisa Russo, grade 9, Greek Pentathlon (Level 1/2); Jesse Stephens, grade 9, Mottoes (Level II); Heather Edwards, grade 9, Girls Costume, Pastel (Lower); Mary Katherine Koch, Slogans (Upper); and Amelie Kharey and Connor Matthews, Couples Costume (Upper). The Runnels Club also won first place in Website Design, second place in Local Publication, Girls Relay, and Overall Graphic Arts Sweepstakes, third place in Classical Drama, fourth place in Overall Olympia School Sweepstakes, and fifth place in Overall Creative Arts Sweepstakes and Overall Academic Sweepstakes. (For a complete list of award winners, visit us online.) Kudos to our JCL members and club sponsors, Maggie Wrenn, Ann Ostrom, and Michele Richardson.

The Runnels Jr. High Drama Department will present a stage adaptation of four whimsical tales from Rudyard Kipling’s Just So Stories in the Runnels Theater for the Performing Arts on Thursday, April 18, at 7 pm. (There will be an additional performance for grades 1-6 at 1:30 pm in the Theater April 18.) Said to have been invented as bedtime stories for his young daughter, Kipling published the Just So Stories as a book in 1902. Each selection is a fanciful tale pretending to explain the origin of animal or human characteristics such as how the leopard got his spots. The junior high production brings four of these stories to life on the stage: “The Cat That Walked by Himself,” “How the Camel Got His Hump,” and “How the First Letter Was Written,” and “The Elephant’s Child.” Runnels Theater Program Chair Neena Kelfstrom directs the show, featuring a large cast of 7th and 8th grade students. Their unique spin on these exotic yarns will ensure an entertaining eve-ning. Call the Runnels High School Office at 225-751-2192 starting April 8 for tickets or purchase them at the door for $10.

Six of our students recently had their artwork accepted for the “Real-Life Experience Juried High School Exhibition” which will be held at the Baton Rouge Gallery starting Mar. 31 through Apr. 25. They are seniors Suzannah Burke, Isaac Phillips, Julia Mc-Connell, and Kartik Raj, junior Sarah Garrett, and sophomore Rio Gauthier. Prizes will be awarded to first-, second-, and third-place winners and honorable mentions at a reception Wednesday, Apr. 3, from 7 - 9 pm at the Baton Rouge Gallery. At Runnels, Suzannah, Isaac, Julia, Kartik, and Sarah study art with Lee Brandt Randall, and Rio is in Danna Wiese’s painting class. The “Real-Life Experience Juried High School Exhibition” will be open to visitors from 12 pm to 6 pm, Mar. 31 - Apr. 25 at the Baton Rouge Gallery.

The “Just So Stories” cast.

Artists (front row, from left) Rio Gauthier, Sarah Garrett, Suzannah Burke; (back row) Kartik Raj, Julia McConnell, and Isaac Phillips will have their work on display at the Baton Rouge Gallery.

Six from Runnels Selected for Juried Art Show at B.R. Gallery

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Runnels High School seniors Suzannah Burke, Madelinn Fink, Elizabeth Forgey, Ashley Kumler, and Callie Tucker were among 20 young women honored Mar. 9 at the National Charity League Senior Soiree held at the Baton Rouge Marriott. The seniors of the River Road Chapter of the National Charity League (NCL) together have volunteered more than 625 hours of service in their final year of high school, and more than 2,500 hours of volunteer time to charitable agencies in the Baton Rouge area during their years as members. The National Charity League, estab-lished in 1947 and incorporated in 1958, has 149 chapters in 15 states throughout the United States. Its mission is to foster mother-daughter relationships in a philan-thropic organization committed to com-munity service and leadership development, and to provide opportunities for social and cultural experiences. During their careers with NCL, the graduating seniors served as volunteers for such organizations as Alzheimer’s Services, the American Diabetes Association, Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, Sweet Dreams Shelter for Women and Children, Bishop Ott Shelter for Men, Baton Rouge Green, Cancer Services of Greater Baton Rouge, Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA), Cenikor, Connections for Life, and Vol-unteers of America, Parker House, and Group Homes.

National Charity League Honors Volunteers

Being honored for their hours of volunteer ser-vice with the National Charity League at the organization’s Senior Soiree held Mar. 9 at the Baton Rouge Marriott are (from left) Suzannah Burke, Elizabeth Forgey, Callie Tucker, Ashley Kumler, and Madelinn Fink.

“Swinging from the Heart” ... The Runnels High School Softball Team raised more than $500 for the Louisiana Pediatric Cardiology Foundation (LPCF) with its first ever “Red Game” and “Home Run Derby” held Mar. 12 on the Harrell’s Ferry Rd. campus. The charity helps Louisiana families with children fighting heart disease pay for surgeries and other costly medical treatments. Special guests at the game were Hannah Englert, Christopher Arton, and Jean Paul Bourgeois and their families, who have been assisted by the foundation. The three chil-dren served as bat boys and a bat girl for the softball players. The winners of the “Home Run Derby” were senior Ashley Kumler for the Girls’ Di-vision, and eighth grader Dean Campbell for the Boys’. Both received cash prizes of $35. Wearing bright red socks especially for the game, the Lady Raiders romped past the Lady Tigers of Dunham to claim a 12-2 victory, ratcheting up their record to 6 and 0, and their Division 2A standing to 10th in the state. The Lady Raiders and coaches Nicole Dufour and Michelle Middlebrook sincerely thank those who contributed items for the raffle and bake sale, the umpires of the Baton Rouge Softball Umpires Association for donating their fees for the game to the charity, and everyone who came out to support the event.

Grace Carruth-Taylor, a freshman at Runnels, has received one of Girl Scout-ing’s most prestigious honors, the Silver Award, for a letterboxing campaign she and her troop created to help animals in need. She, along with her troop, received the award, which is the highest honor a Cadette Girl Scout can earn and the second highest in the organization, during a ceremony last fall held at LSU’s Greek Amphitheater. The Silver Award project involved creating “letterbox” sites at City and In-dependence Parks to bring attention to the plight of area animal shelters. Letterbox-ing, an activity combining art and treasure hunting, is in vogue around the world. The Scouts wrote letterbox clues about where they had hidden “treasures” in the parks and then posted them online at Atlas-Quest.com. Anybody interested in participating in the let-terbox quest logs into the website and cracks codes and follows clues to physically locate the buried treasures in the parks. For their campaign, the Girl Scouts made stamps in the shape of animals from eras-ers. The letterbox campaign moves from cyberspace to real estate -- in this case the parks -- where the treasures, or prizes, are recovered, put to some use (for this project, the animal stamps were inked and stamped in notebooks), and returned to their hiding places for the next letterbox participant to find. The Girl Scouts also did volunteer work at Yelp!BR and Cat Haven as part of the project. To participate in Troop 10437’s “let-terbox” campaign, visit AtlasQuest.com.

At the ceremony held at LSU’s Greek Amphitheater, where she received her Silver Award last fall, is Girl Scout Grace Carruth-Taylor (right) and her troop leader Elisa Vinson.

The Lady Raiders and the Dunham Lady Tigers after the “Red Game” with Bat Girls and Boys Hannah En-glert, Christopher Arton and Jean Paul Bourgeois, whose families have been assisted by the Louisiana Pediatric Cardiol-ogy Foundation.

Freshman Wins Girl Scouting’s Silver Award

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We Sincerely Thank .... World renowned harpist Emily Mitchell, for participating in our recent “Going for Baroque Harp Festival” by sharing her expertise with harp students during their regular school day classes on Friday, Mar. 22, and in a four-hour Master Class on Saturday, Mar. 23. She also performed a concert in the Runnels Theater the evening of Mar. 22, sharing the stage for part of the performance with the Baton Rouge Symphony String Quartet. We sincerely thank Ms. Mitchell and string quartet members Dan Cassin, Jennifer Cassin, Borislava Iltcheva, and Aaron Farrell. We also thank Harp Choir Director Rebecca Todaro for arranging and organizing the festival, master class, and concert. ... Dr. David Spivak, father of Spencer, 6c, and Steven, 6b, and an LSU chemistry professor, for once again vis-iting Julie Fink’s classroom on Mar. 12 to perform experiments, one of which created polyurethane, a polymer commonly used as packing material. ... Dr. Steve Krul, father of Sarah, grade 12, husband of elementary science teacher, Cyndy Krul, and LSU geologist, for bringing his extensive rock collection to school recently to share with the third-and fourth-grade science students. ... Violinist Joel Wilson, for visiting with the students in Dan and Jennifer Cassin’s 5th-period Strings class this February to offer inspiration and information. ... Dr. Wilfred Major, a professor from LSU’s Department of Foreign Languages and Literature, who recently spoke to high school and junior high Greek, Latin, and Drama students, and 6th-grade Social Studies classes, about “Masks on the Big Stage: What It Was Like to Watch Ancient Greek Theater.” ... Khalid Shammout, father of Zeena, 2b, Waleed, grade 9, and Leila, grade 11, for hosting the members of the Spanish Club at his Las Palmas restaurant on Coursey Blvd. ...Runnels Tennis Team members freshmen Samantha Sieberth and Waleed Shammout, sophomores Brad Sherman, Vivian Ji, and Emma Fix, and juniors Jordan Tiras, Leila Shammout, Sean Ji, and Abi Moussa, for volunteering to assist with retrieving tennis balls at the Cajun Wheelchair Tennis Championships held at the Lamar YMCA Mar. 22.

Many thanks to their coach, Kathrin Sieberth, for organizing her players’ participation in the event.

Harpist Emily Mitchell (right) coaches 8th grade harp student Rachel Yura during a Master Class in the Theater Mar. 23.

Above: Runnels Tennis Team members Vivian Ji (second from right) and Emma Fix with a competitor at the Cajun Classic Wheelchair Tennis Championships at the Lamar YMCA in March. Above right: Members of the Spanish Club and sponsor Morelba Broussard (second from left, second row) enjoy their field trip to Las Palmas in March.

Kudos To... Junior Sarah Gar-rett, for qualifying as a finalist in the Sa-vannah College of Art and Design’s Junior Two-Dimensional Challenge. Winners will receive scholarships to attend one of SCAD’s pre-college programs and have their work featured in a permanent on-line exhibit. ... Spelling Club member Kayla Evans, 6c, for winning a medal at the Regional Spelling Bee sponsored by the Louisiana Children’s Discovery Center and held at Southeastern University Mar. 9. She finished eighth in a field of 71 contestants, who were vying for a chance to compete in the Scripps’ National Spell-ing Bee in Washington, D.C. Kayla was chosen as the Runnels representative by spelling more words correctly at a series of spell-ing bees held by the Spell-ing Club, which met weekly prior to the regional meet to practice and drill. The runner-up was sixth grader Afnan Shah. The club sponsors are Lisa Haller, Colleen LeBlanc, and Alison Nikitopoulos. ... Amelie Kharey, grade 11, for spear-heading our recent Used Bike Drive for the homeless. Amelie, a member of the Youth Advisory Board, the govern-ing body for the Youth Volunteer Corps, which sponsored the drive, reports that the Runnels School community contributed 19 bikes to the campaign. ... The entire Runnels kindergarten, for its outstanding spring musical, “Movie Magic,” directed by Laura Roark and staged in our theater Mar. 15.

Spring Blood Drive: Monday, April 15, 8 am-2 pm

The Our Lady of the Lake Bloodmobile is coming to the Harrell’s Ferry Road campus for our annual Spring Blood Drive April 15. Call the Elemen-tary School nursing staff, 756-5837, or visit us at www.runnels.org for more information.

Stellar speller Kayla Evans, 6c, represented Runnels at a regional Spelling Bee held at Southeastern in Hammond.

Singing “The Unbirthday Song” in the kinder-garten musical are, from left, Zeb Tate, Gibson Guay, Davis Aucoin, and Dylan Barback.

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Preschool Adventures ... The preschool is blooming with fun-filled activities this spring. On Mar. 4, the students celebrated “Dr. Seuss Day,” with reading activities centered around his delightfully zany children’s books. On hand as assistant readers -- dressed in full Seussical splendor -- were members of the Senior Beta Club. Other recent activities included a trip to a “Stephen Fite Concert” at Independence Park, a visit from a gopher tortoise, compliments of Runnels mom Shannon Guidry, and St. Pat-rick’s Day bagpipe music kindly provided by Nancy Davis, and Marty and Julie Bergen In addition, the pre-kindergartners presented their spring performances at the preschool, which included “The Hand Jive” from the musical, Grease.

Informative Visit ... With guest cellist Craig Hultgren (third from right), who presented an “Informance” for grades 4-8 and high school music students in the auditorium on

Mar. 5, are (front row, from left) Runnels String Or-chestra members William Harrell, Sean Parker, Luc Kharey, Anna Daigle, Peyton Collett, Ani Dixit, Hannah Boutwell; (back row) String Orchestra Director Jennifer Cassin, cello instructor Dan Cassin, Julia Power, and for-mer Craig Hultgren student, Jackie Johnson.

Above: Lions and Tigers and Preschoolers! Oh, my! During their field trip to the Greater Baton Rouge Zoo, preschoolers take in the sights from an “insider’s” point of view. Top right: Sr. Beta president Taylor Morris and Kiera Slayton (PS3) celebrate “Dr. Seuss Day” together at the pre-school. Above right: Pre-kindergartners Alex Griffin, Laura Golda, and Damien Tinsley do “The Hand Jive” in Dianne Daquano’s class

Pi Day ... Math students and teach-ers were literally running in circles Mar. 14 to catch up with the many exciting activi-ties honoring International Pi Day on our campus. (Pi is the circumference of a circle divided by diameter, or 3.14.) During the lunch hour, 7th-12th grade students competed in Pi-related competi-tions such as the “Speed Unit Circle” contest, won by Matt Mitchell; the “Poetry” contest, requiring the use of the same number of letters in each word found in the value of pi. (The first word has three letters, the second, one letter, the third word, four letters, etc.) Sophomores Olivia Arboneaux and Tazkia Shah were the winners. We also had a “Pi Recitation” contest, in which students orally listed as many digits of pi from memory as they could. Tazkia also won this match. Everybody’s favorite Pi Day game, the “Calculate Pi by Throwing Frozen Hot Dogs contest,” was also a big hit. In Koenig Hall, students in Lisa Haller’s el-ementary math classes held their own competi-tion to see who could memorize the most digits of pi. The winners were fifth-graders Ellie Russo (73), Eric Ho (62) and Eli Todaro (51). Mu Alpha Theta also raised $500 for lo-cal animal charities, Friends of the Animals Baton Rouge and the Baton Rouge Animal Shelter, with its “Pie a Teacher in the Face” campaign. High School English teacher Sherry Wilks attracted the most donations, and she graciously went to her “Pi(e)-ing” dressed in a plastic rain cape and hood, saying it was all for a “good cause.” We sincerely thank Mrs. Wilks as well as the math faculty and the countless teachers and students who helped organize Pi Day events.

On International Pi Day, high school teacher Sherry Wilks volunteers to take a pie in the face to raise money for area animal advocacy groups. Administering the “Pi(e)-ing” is fel-low English teacher Rebecca Coursey.

... Learn about this year’s com-mencement speaker. Here’s a clue: “12.”If you have news for The Reporter, please contact Allison Wrenn at a.wrenn@runnels.org.

Correction ... In our March 2013 issue, the “Making a Game of Science” story on page 6, contained an error in the caption. Fifth-grade student Taylor Koontz was incorrectly identified as Phoebe Koontz. We sincerely regret the error.

Chopstick Champs ... After mastering the ancient art of using chopsticks, the junior high students in

Yvette Wiltgen’s (at right) Introduction to Foreign Lan-guage classes practiced their newfound skill at lunch Mar.

19 when they were treated to a banquet of Chinese food. They all proved to be champions at using chopsticks, which

was a good thing, because no silverware was allowed at the meal. At their annual Chopstick Contest, Jack Penni-

man, grade 7, was the winner, followed by Lainee Alfonso, who is also in 7th grade. Many thanks to Mrs. Wiltgen for

organizing the activities and providing the meal. IN OUR NEXT ISSUE:

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Non-Profit Org.U.S. Postage

PAIDPermit No. 270

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Sunday, April 21, Runnels Gym, 2:00 - 4:00 pm

Featuring Student Art from Runnels Preschool through Senior HighLight refreshments provided, with music by the Bill Kimbrell Trio.

SPRING ART SHOW