Chatterbox - Ruston High School - Lincoln Parish School Board

Chatterbox 

Ruston High School March 18, 2010 

Box Tops 

Academia (2-6) 

Editorial/ 

Opinions (7-11) 

Teacher 

Spotlights (12-14) 

Clubs (15-17) 

The Arts (18) 

Senior 

Spotlights (19-21) 

Senior News (22) 

Entertainment (23) 

Student Center (24-26) 

Sponsors/ 

Staff (27) 

Fun Page (28) 

Sports (29-32) 

Key Club Pageant 

Page 2 

FBLA Future Award 

Winners 

Page 16 

New Tech @ Ruston High School 

written by Catherine Letendre, Julie Stephenson, and Mike Milstead 

submitted by Mike Milstead, Principal 

Senior Ads 

Page 22 

New Tech @ Ruston (NT@R) is one of the two instructional programs which will be offered to incoming freshmen at Ruston 

High School. As a 21 st Century school, NT@R embraces rigor in both traditional core learning areas and in skills typically not 

taught as a part of a traditional curriculum. New Tech has adopted Project Based Learning (PBL) as a means of delivering both core 

area knowledge and 21st Century skills, which emphasize a real-world application of knowledge. Students in the model are called 

―learners‖ because they are active in the education process and are in charge of their education. Teachers are ―facilitators‖ because 

they assist learners through projects, but are not the sole source of information. In addition, the learning is technology- rich, mimicking 

the workplace where all participants have access to the technological tools they need to complete their work. When projects 

are completed, external evaluators from a variety of business and education fields come to grade learner presentations and final 

products. All learners will also complete a job-shadowing experience their junior year and a job internship their senior year in 

preparation for working successfully in a 21st Century career. 

Students at NT@R learn curriculum material through the completion of several projects throughout the year. Through the core 

projects, students are learning to solve problems by beginning with the end in mind. Classes at New Tech are student-directed with 

teachers as facilitators rather than lecturers. It all begins with an entry document highlighting the tasks and the learning that will be 

discovered, and end with a presentation before a panel of professionals from the community. 

We feel that this program offers to our students a method that will best accommodate more individual learning styles. 

Mana from Heaven Redux 

by Seth Bentley 

Reporter 

Hark, readers! On the wind! Do you smell it? The gentle tinge of 

ginger masked by the powerful scent of rosemary. It‘s in the air. 

Money. It‘s gathered here again. You know them, you love them, 

they‘re… grants! But the smell is dampened this time. It is tainted. 

Forbidden magicks have diverted the One True Fund away from its 

rightful destination at the Chatterbox. But I understand that other people 

need money sometimes. How else would they support the Chatterbox? 

So I will be the bigger person and let this transgression pass. The 

PTA has once again let a portion of their heavenly grace trickle down 

to our humble coffers. Said coffers are less humble now and are possessed 

of a certain Mrs. 

Givens, Mrs. Reeder, and 

Mrs. Wooley. So if any 

of you readers are so fortunate 

as to be affiliated 

with these newly blessed 

persons, you will no 

doubt notice a few new 

toys. Enjoy the fickle 

flavor of the Fund while 

you can, for Her Eye is 

ever-shifting. 

CONGRATS TO JULIE AND SUSAN! 

SENIORS 2010! 

We are proud of you and we love you! 

Dad and Mom! 

Bearcat Haiti Collection Drive 

by Alyssa Moore 

Reporter 

FBLA Campaign 

State Reporter 

Page 26 

The RHS language clubs recently held a Haiti Collection Drive in which various 

necessities were gathered to send to Haiti during their time of need. The RHS students, 

clubs, and staff gathered items ranging from bottled water to bed sheets, filling 

a large SUV. Miss Toria Miles with the Louisiana Tech Business School arranged to 

deliver our items to Tech on February 19 th . The donated items will be shipped to Haiti 

at the end of this month. The RHS language clubs would like to thank all the participants 

who helped contribute to this cause. Your generosity is greatly appreciated! 

Students from many organizations helped load up the items for Haiti!

Academia 



Garrett Warren: Miss Bearcat Beauty! 

by Jessica Herren 

Senior Reporter 

On Tuesday, March 2 nd the Ruston High Auditorium was filled with the proud 

family, friends, and teachers of the lovely gentlemen who participated in the Miss 

Bearcat Male Beauty Pageant. The contestants were escorted down the aisle and onto 

the stage where they performed the opening dance. The crowd then watched as the 

guys showed off their not-so-manly talents. Phillip McClain got the whole crowd involved 

with his performance of Miley Cyrus‘s ―Party in the U.S.A.‖, and Reeves Bar, 

decked out in a cheer uniform, did the ―Beat ‗em, Bust ‗em‖ cheer. Next, the contestants 

were interviewed. When asked to choose between saving the whales and saving 

the polar bears, Bevan Cline struggled to decide because ―there aren‘t any whales or 

polar bears in Haiti, and Haiti is what we need to be focusing on right now‖ before 

choosing the whales. Chase Borden told judges he would rather be a blender than any 

other kitchen utensil because he ―likes[s] to mix things up.‖ 

After careful consideration, the judges (Mrs. Stephenson, Mr. Elliott, Mrs. 

Humphries, and Mrs. Sutton) made their decision and Emma Norton, the night‘s emcee, 

announced the winners. Coming in third place was Ryan Barker, who was oh-solovely 

in his purple evening gown. Ryan performed a beautiful ballet piece that 

clearly won over the judges. Second place winner Ian Burse also looked gorgeous in a 

purple evening gown. His inspirational singing and dancing tugged on the hearts of 

not only the judges but the audience as well. It was the indescribably beautiful 

Garrett Warren who took the crown and was named Miss Bearcat Beauty. Garrett 

definitely put himself out there with his entertaining performance of Beyonce‘s 

―Single Ladies.‖ He wore a lovely red dress accessorized with a cowboy hat and boots 

and changed into a black sparkly outfit with a ‗G‘ on it for the talent portion of the 

competition. The pageant, put on by the Key Club to raise money for the Special 

Olympics, was a huge success. Congratulations to Garrett, Ian, and Ryan as well as all 

the other guys who had the courage to put on dresses and wear wigs to make this 

event the entertainment of the year! 

Peer Leaders Plans 

submitted by Derrick Williams 

Peer Leaders President 

Page 2 

Peer Leaders has a whole line of events planned for RHS between now 

and the end of April! On March 13, 2010 Peer Leaders went to the Princeton 

Place Nursing Home for a day with the elderly. We will also be hosting 

the annual Soul Food Luncheon, the Cars for Cancer Carwash, and we 

plan to host a Pizza Pig-Out to raise money for the victims of Chile and 

Tokyo. Peer Leaders are also big RHS sports fans; we are now supporting 

track, baseball, softball, and tennis. Two of our own members, Jameka 

Franklin & Breanna Currie, assisted the Lady Bearcats to the third round 

of the playoffs! Congratulations! 

―Miss‖ Bearcat Beauty Contestants Take the Stage

Academia 



Année scolaire en France 2009-2010 

submitted by Mrs. Greenwood 

French Advisor 

En France, les élèves ont deux semaines de vacances en 

hiver. Pourquoi? Parce qu‘ils veulent faire du ski! Mais 

tout le monde à la montagne en même temps?? C‘est 

trop! 

Alors, la France est divisée en trois zones et chaque 

zone prend ses vacances dans différentes semaines. 

Voilà le calendrier des vacances en France pour cette 

année. 

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 

Rotary Winners 2009-2010 

September 

October 

November 

December 

January 

February 

March 

Page 3 

Collin Smith 

Matt Robertson 

Lea Anna Cardwell 

Mary Taylor Carwile 

Carlos Wilson II 

Caroline Weir 

Ryan Pate 

Stephanie Dickerson 

Ryan Barker 

Linda Cross 

Lauren Fuller 

Mary Arthur Thompson 

Morgan Hammons 

Hannah Wheeler 

Los últimos Meses Del Ano 

Escolar 

by Stephany Arias 

Reporter 

Ya se acerca el final de este aňo escolar, así que tienen que 

empezar a dar lo mejor de ustedes para: Primero irse de aquí con 

los mejores recuerdos; Y segundo para darle a sus padres la mejor 

de las ilusiones, pero no solo una ilusión también un sueňo hecho 

realidad. ¡La Graduación de su querido/a hijo/a! Así que arriba, 

¡Bearcats! Estos últimos meses pueden ser los que necesitamos 

para saber hacia a donde avanzar. El camino es largo y el tiempo 

es corto.

Academia 

Ruston High School 

Chatterbox In Search of New Talent 

by Lloyd R. Bruner 

Chatterbox Adviser 


March 18, 2010 

Page 4 

Chatterbox is actively seeking new talent for next year‘s newspaper. If you can write, know how to edit, love photography, excel in graphic design or making 

ads or cartoons, or can sell advertising or manage our business – we are looking for you. Chatterbox is limited to 20 members on our staff. Next year, we 

are allowing up to four of these members to be sophomores. The other members must be juniors or seniors. For students interested in joining the Chatterbox 

next year, assisting with the special senior (June) edition will be a prerequisite to join us next year. This is required as our senior staff will be graduating. 

If interested in joining us next year, see Mr. Bruner and pick up an application today. The application process includes a short writing assignment and requires 

applicants to obtain recommendations - so don‘t wait until the last minute. See a Chatterbox member or Mr. Bruner in Room 318 and get started today! 

ROTC’s Cadet Creed 

submitted by Jasmine Buggs 

ROTC Member 

As a class of integrity, honesty, and responsibility, ROTC‘s Cadet Creed is teaching the cadets how to become more responsible and successful throughout 

the rest of their high school years, and is preparing the senior class for college and the real world. I bet you are thinking ―What is the Cadet Creed?‖ Well, the 

Cadet Creed goes like this: 

―I am an Air Force Junior ROTC Cadet. I am connected and faithful to every Corps of Cadets who serve their community and nation with patriotism. I earn 

respect when I uphold the Core Values of Integrity First, Service before Self, and Excellence in All We Do. I will always conduct myself to bring credit to my 

family, school, Corps of Cadets, community, and to myself. My character defines me. I will not lie, cheat, or steal. I am accountable for my actions and deeds. I 

will hold others accountable for their actions as well. I will honor those I serve with, those who have gone before me, and those who will come after me. I am a 

Patriot, a Leader, and a Wingman devoted to those I follow, serve, and lead. I am an Air Force Junior ROTC Cadet.‖ 

For all you students that are not in ROTC, you are probably thinking that this is only for the students that are in ROTC, and it doesn‘t mean anything to you. 

Well, IT DOES!!!! You have a decision to make and it is not hard. Either you make the right decisions in life and better yourself, or make the wrong decisions 

in life and live with the consequences. The choices that you make in life are not only affecting you and your life, but you are also affecting the people that love 

you and the people that surround you everyday. You have a choice to someday grow up and become a successful person that everyone likes to be around, or 

grow up and be nothing that no one likes to be around. So, as you read this Cadet Creed, think about how life would be much easier and better if you were responsible, 

honest, trustworthy, and had integrity. And think how your life would be if you lied and stole all the time and were faced with the consequences for 

the rest of your life. 

4-H Upcoming Activities 

submitted by Fre’Drecia Payne 

4-H Club Reporter 

Attention 4-H members! Below are a few of the upcoming activities for our club: 

Pet Show: Bring your dog or cat to compete in various competitions. This will be held on March 16, 2010 at Railroad Park. The registration begins at 

5:30 and the show will start immediately at 6 p.m. 

Extreme Makeover Home Edition: Participate in the real-world obstacle course and the scavenger hunt on May 7-9, 2010 for 7 th -9 th graders. The cost is 

$65 to attend and is due on April 1, 2010. 

4-H Dance: Help chaperone the dance at Glen View Elementary for the 4 th and 6 th graders on April 23 from 6 p.m. until 8:30 p.m. 

Achievement Day: This is coming up sooner than you think! It is time for all 4-H members to make sure you participate in your two parish events to be 

eligible to attend Achievement Day in May. 

Day at the Capitol: Spend time in Baton Rouge for the end-of-the-year trip on June 2 nd .The activities will begin at 10 a.m. 

4-H U: Held on LSU‘s campus in Baton Rouge from June 22- June 25, you have the opportunity to meet other 4-H members from Louisiana. You can 

participate in project area contests in order to win trips and prizes. 

Please call the 4-H office, talk to a 4-H officer, Mrs. Thomason, or Mrs. Tinsley for more information about any of the 4-H activities. 

March Sharp Cats 

submitted by Mrs. Alisia Thomason 

Freshman Academy 

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. 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: Fredie Acosta, Sid Billberry, 

James Castle, Christian Dillard, Kiarstin Johnson, Sarah Lanigan, Ty Mason, Shalaressa Mattox, Barrick Torbor, Chardarrell Towns, Shelby Webb, 

and Amber Wyatt.

Academia 



There is a Rally in the District… 


Reporter 

We‘ve all seen the sports trophies. Athletics is defined by competition, whereas 

it is often pushed aside in academics. However, literary rallies are the time for the 

nerds to champion their school. No athletic ability is required, as the competition 

is limited to the classes that don‘t involve gratuitous sweating. So brandish your 

GPAs and shine your pocket protectors for March 20 th . Our wise instructors have 

determined who will best represent RHS‘s academic excellence and the brightest 

of us will venture to Tech and battle the barbarian hordes of other 4-A schools. As 

we are the champions of justice and the light, we have been successful at all of 

our attempts for the past five years. Let it be known that Ruston High School will 

never surrender to the tyranny of ignorance and that we will ensure that our light 

of knowledge shines brightest. In other words, best wishes to all participating. 

RHS Poetry Contest! 

by Anna Garland 

Reporter 

Got your pen ready? Well you‘d better, because April is National Poetry 

Month. In honor of National Poetry Month Ruston High will be hosting our very 

own poetry contest! Poems can be any style and do not have to rhyme. As long as 

it‘s school appropriate, you can write about whatever inspires you. To enter the 

contest, turn your poem into your English teacher by April 9 th . This is your chance 

to show off those poetry skills, Ruston High, so go get busy writing some of the 

best poetry this school has ever seen! 

Chatterbox Flashback – Test Prayer 

The following was originally printed in the May 1982 edition of the Chatterbox. 

The author was not credited. Who knows – if you say this prayer the night before a 

big test, it just might bring you good luck! 

Now I lay me down to study, 

I pray the Lord I won‘t go nutty. 

And if I fail to learn this junk, 

I pray the Lord that I won‘t flunk. 

But if I do, don‘t pity me at all, 

Just lay my bones in the study hall. 

Tell my teacher I‘ve done my best, 

Then pile my books upon my chest. 

Now I lay me down to rest, 

To pray I‘ll pass tomorrow‘s test. 

If I should die before I wake, 

That‘s one less test I‘ll have to take. 

Relay for Life is Coming! 

submitted by Tiffany Lewis 

National Honor Society Member 

Page 5 

Did you know that over 11.1 million people are currently affected by cancer 

and it is predicted that 1,479,350 people are expected to be diagnosed in 

2010? This is a serious epidemic! The American Cancer Society has acknowledged 

this dire dilemma and has dedicated itself to find a cure and to 

eradicate cancer. This organization is funded mainly by donations and fundraisers. 

Relay for Life, an annual fundraiser, is held nationwide and is described 

as ―a fun-filled overnight event designed to celebrate survivorship 

and raise money for research and programs of your American Cancer Society. 

During the event, teams of people gather at schools, fairgrounds, or 

parks and take turns walking or running laps. Each team tries to keep at least 

one team member on the track at all times.‖ 

This year, RHS is participating in Relay for Life. National Honor Society 

members and other RHS students are organizing 

fundraisers for this event. Raine Blunk and 

Will Douglas are the captains of the RHS 

committee. Meetings have been held where 

various committees have organized fundraising 

ideas, promotional campaigns, and tents. 

Relay for Life t-shirts will be sold in late 

March and early April. Relay for Life will be 

held on April 16 th , 2010 from 6:00 P.M.-1:00 

A.M. at James Stadium. No, you do not have 

to stay the entire time. But you should definitely 

come out to support your classmates 

and the cause!

Academia 



STEM Students Succeed in the Science Fair 

by Drew Boyd 

News Editor 

Page 6 

On February 17 th , several RHS students who are a part of the STEM program, as well as some honor students, competed in the Science Fair. Following is a list 

of every student who brought home a 1 st , 2 nd , or 3 rd placing and their respective events. 

Behavioral Science: 1 st Elizabeth Moore, 2 nd Taylor Condie, 3 rd Darby Guinn. Biochemistry: 1 st Braden Hilton, 2 nd Dinah Diaz. Chemistry: 1 st Mary Taylor 

Carwile, 2 nd Dara Smith, 3 rd Parker Carwile. Computer Science: 1 st Steven Zhong, 2 nd Matt Robertson. Energy and Transportation: 1 st Neesha Siriwardane, 

2 nd Savannah Woods. Engineering - Material: 1 st John Herren, 2 nd Caroline Oakley. Engineering – Electrical and Mechanical: 1 st Linda Cross, 2 nd Clark 

Pierce, 3 rd Casey Turner. Environmental Sciences: 1 st Taylor Kaufman, 2 nd Arrian Christian, 3 rd Andrew Thompson. Mathematical Science: 1 st Chad Leachman. 

Medicine and Health Science: 1 st Anna Hall, 2 nd Hannah Rose McIntire, 3 rd Jake Kyte. Physics: 1 st Megan Huckaby, 2 nd Ryan Barker, 3 rd Hunter Hathorn. 

Plant Science: 1 st Kaleigh Carroll, 2 nd Lain Kranz. Animal Science: 1 st Paige Ward, 2 nd Brandi Griffin. Microbiology: 1 st Hannah Tinsley, 2 nd Maria Creamer. 

Every student that placed was eligible to compete at Regionals, which took place at Tech on Friday, March 12 th . Regional winners will be listed in the April 

issue of the Chatterbox. State competition will take place March 29-30. Congratulations to all winners! 

STEM Day a Success 

by Logan Taylor 

Senior Editor 

On February 4, Ruston High played host to one of the biggest STEM exhibitions of the year. 8 th graders 

from both Ruston Junior High and A.E. Phillips came to see the wonders of Ruston High‘s STEM program. 

―The goal of it was to introduce 8 th graders to what STEM was and to give them a taste of STEM in high 

school, and hopefully to be an incentive for these students to score well on their LEAP tests,‖ says STEM 

day director and STEM science teacher, Missy Wooley. 

In order to give an idea of what STEM classes involve, the 8 th graders formed groups and competed 

against each other in competitions that involved different scientific fields, but engineering took the forefront 

in the different projects. These included building as tall a tower as possible using only one sheet of paper 

and some tape, building a device that launches a ball as far as possible, flipping a blanket over that everyone 

is standing on without any stepping off the blanket, and constructing a make-shift cage to protect an egg 

from a twelve-foot drop. 

Along with competitions, the 8 th graders also got a chance to hear from Tech professors about robotics 

and see examples of remote-controlled Boe-Bots. And whoever said learning isn‘t fun never saw a chemistry 

lesson from Dr. Deese that involved plenty of juggling and chemical explosions. 

―STEM day really helped us recruit 8 th graders who weren‘t sure if they were going to Cedar Creek or 

Ruston High; this wasn‘t an intended result, but it was a good result nonetheless‖ stated Mrs. Wooley happily. 

The publicity surrounding STEM day and the positive feedback from the 8 th graders made this year‘s 

STEM day one of the best ones yet! 

Librarius 


Reporter 

Computers are useful tools. They allow us 

access to a wide variety of utilities to find and 

create information. Therefore, it only makes 

sense that libraries should make use of them. After 

all, what‘s a library for except to house information 

resources? They can also provide entertainment, 

as reading is a very old hobby. Computers 

do this as well. It all fits together. Unfortunately, 

there are a great many more objectionable 

uses for computers and their use is regulated in 

our particular forum. No, this article isn‘t about 

censorship. I do not wish to disturb that particular 

beast. Instead, I wish to discuss alternatives to 

computers, specifically libraries‘ original responsibility: 

books. Yes, I know paper is passé‘. But 

consider: the books are always there. In our current 

society, books, along with all other print media, 

are becoming increasingly obsolete. Our library 

is used almost exclusively for its internet 

access, with most people ignoring the shelves. 

But finding information from books does work. 

The same information can be found within the 

pages of a book without the annoyance of it being 

blocked simply because it‘s ―uncategorized‖. 

Of course, there is always fiction for simple enjoyment. 

No plugs required. No monthly fee, no 

wireless connection, no special knowledge beyond 

the use of your hands and eyes. In fact, with 

the Braille system, all you need is your hands. So 

the next time Google fails you or the site you 

need is forbidden, remember: books are always 

there for you.

Editorials/Opinions Chatterbox 


Academic Awards Day is Coming 


FBLA Adviser 

Ruston High School presents an Academic Awards Day presentation every year 

in the auditorium for all to enjoy. This is usually done the last week of April or the 

first week of May, so the time to start submitting any of your academic accomplishments 

has begun. The presentation is already being set-up! 

The PowerPoint Presentation will include the names and pictures (when feasible) 

of all the outstanding academic achievements that Ruston High School students 

have earned. The student of the year, students who are recognized for National 

Merit, 4.0 GPA Seniors, Rotary Club winners, NHS members, and district and state 

literary participants cover just some of the awards. In addition, all organizations that 

have district, state, regional, or national academic competitions are also included – 

such as FBLA, FCCLA, and FFA. Bottom line – if it‘s related to true academics 

excellence – we will probably include it. Sorry – classroom-specific or in-house 

competitions can not be covered. 

Teachers, sponsors, guidance, and administrators need to email Mr. Bruner with 

any nominations for the presentation. Although he will be sending out requests, 

there is no way that one person can know all the names and have pictures of all the 

students who deserve recognition. If in doubt – send it in anyway. Don‘t wait until 

the last minute. Club officers and students – please have your teacher or sponsor 

send in any information to avoid duplication. Let‘s do our part to recognize all of 

our academic successes. 

Debate at Nationals and State 

submitted by Nina Breeland 

Speech Member 

A four tournament run didn‘t bog down the Speech and Debate team. February 19-20, 26-27, and 

March 5-6, 12-13 were big weekends for the Speech and Debate Team. The whole team has qualified 

to go to the Tournament of the Champions to be held April 8-10. 

Clark Pierce, Elizabeth Sawyer, Jonathan Verrett, Raine Blunk, Sam Phillips, and Walker Holmes 

are going in Extemporaneous Speaking. Clark Pierce, Neesha Siriwardane, Linda Cross, Morgan 

Wilfong, Emma Norton, Josh Phillips, Josh Pate, Sam Phillips, Avery Woodard, Conner Haskins, 

Stephanie Arhin, Raine Blunk, Tiffany Lewis, and Stephen Zhong are going in Cross Examination 

Debate. Ashlyn Thompson, Rebekah Barnes, and Darby Guinn are going in Declamation. Elizabeth 

Sawyer, Gursimran Bola, Prenicia Gant, Walker Holmes, and Jared Spillers will compete in Lincoln 

Douglas Debate. Walker Holmes and Raine Blunk will compete in Student Congress. Tiffany Lewis, 

Stephanie Arhin, Carlos Wilson, and Baraka Murimi are qualified in Public Forum Debate. Ashlyn 

Thompson, Savannah Woods, and Layton Garlington are going in Dramatic Interpretation. Nate 

Cardinez, Layton Garlington, and Raine Blunk are going in Oral Interpretation. Nina Breeland and 

Savannah Woods are going in Duet, and Nina Breeland and Layton Garlington will be competing in 

Duo Interpretation. 

On March 5-6 four seniors were sent to the Grand National Catholic Forensic League qualifier, all 

of whom will be representing Ruston High School in Omaha, Nebraska on May 29 th and 30 th . Stephanie 

Arhin is competing in Original Oratory, Raine Blunk will be showing off her skills in Extemporaneous 

Speaking, Nina Breeland will perform her Oral Interpretation, and Layton Garlington will 

present his Dramatic Performance. Congratulations Speech and Debate, and good luck ya‘ll! 

Also of note, the National (not Catholic) Forensic League qualifier was held on March 12-13. The 

results will be reported in the April issue of the Chatterbox. Congratulations to all who have qualified 

for State and National Competition. Members - knock‘em dead!!! 

Page 7 

RUSTON HIGH SCHOOL 

PRESENTS: 

2010-2011 ACADEMIC 

AWARDS CEREMONY 

BROUGHT TO YOU BY: 

FUTURE BUSINESS LEADERS OF AMERICA (FBLA) – CHAPTER 617 

College Tips for Seniors 


Reporter 

Graduation countdown has begun. Are you ready for 

next year? While there‘s still time to get those last few 

scholarships, by now you should know where you‘ll be 

going next year. And it‘s just about time to finish those 

dreadful housing forms. Most important is getting registered 

for your classes. Find out when your school‘s earliest 

orientation is and sign up for it before those spots fill 

up. You usually get the better classes and times (no one 

likes 7 A.M. classes!) if you sign up early. Trust me, the 

sooner you register, the better you‘ll feel and the less 

stress you‘ll have on your shoulders. And I know we can 

all do without stress in our lives right now! So take care 

of your business seniors, time is running out!



Calling All RHS 

Students! 



You get home from school and the answering 

machine is blinking. You push the button and hear a 

prerecorded voice from the school informing you 

that you failed your math test. Your mom received 

the same call on her cell phone this morning, as did 

your dad who was at work. Many of you can relate 

to this scenario and may wonder why you are receiving 

these calls from the school. Ruston High has set 

up a new automatic phone system that calls to inform 

parents what is going on at school and many 

students have a lot of questions about it. I spoke with 

Mr. Milstead about the new system and got answers 

to some commonly asked questions: 

1. Why did our school adopt this new system 

and what is the purpose of it? 

Mr. Milstead says the system was put into action 

because ―the more communication between the 

school and parents, the better.‖ He does not want to 

hide anything from parents and believes they have 

the right to know what is going on at our school and 

with their child‘s education. 

She Works Hard for Her Money 


Senior Editor 

2. What exactly does the system call about? 

―Parents are notified about grades that are problems, 

discipline that is a problem, and unexcused absences‖ 

says Mr. Milstead. Problem grades are considered 

to be any grade that is an F; you do not get 

called for a D. It does not matter how small the 

grade is; the system will still call. For example, a 5 

out of 10 receives the same phone call that a 50 out 

of 100 receives. All referrals are worthy of phone 

calls, but calls are not made for any dress code violations. 

All unexcused absences are called about, but 

not excused absences. If you receive a call about an 

excused absence it is because your parent or guardian 

called you in sick after the absences were already 

put into the system for that day. 

3. Is it possible to remove any or all of my 

contact numbers from the system? 

Yes. If your parents wish to be removed from the 

calling list they can call to speak to Mrs. Tatum, 

who handles the system. Certain numbers can be 

removed, such as parent cell numbers, or all numbers 

can be removed. However, be aware that in the 

case of an emergency the system will be used to 

send out a mass call informing parents of the situation 

and if all of your numbers have been removed 

from the system, your parents will not receive the 

call. 

It hasn‘t been too long since Ruston High started giving away valuable prizes to students who did 

well on their spring testing, but they have upped the ante this year in terms of prizes for good test 

scores! 

This year, the school-wide prizes will be forty $25 gift cards, four $25 Bearcat Bucks for the concession 

stand, and two athletic passes for an entire season. The drawings for each grade level are a little 

more lucrative; there will be a $100 drawing for basic test students, $200 for mastery test students, and 

$300 for advanced test students. If you improve in one or both testing categories this year you will receive 

a one-year jeans pass. Finally, the incentives from spring testing will also affect a student‘s 

grades on their finals. CP classes can increase their letter grades on their finals by one letter if they 

score basic, two letters if they score mastery, and their final test grade will become a 100 if they score 

advanced. Honors classes will go up one letter grade on their finals if they score mastery, and get a 100 

if they score advanced. 

Test incentives are a great way to motivate students to do better, and even teachers are getting in on 

the action. Mr. Bruner of the business department stated (with a characteristically serious tone), ―I completely 

endorse incentives to help people succeed. Too many times mediocre people get rewarded for 

doing nothing. It‘s about time people who actually deserve rewards get them.‖ And remember everyone, 

the higher your test scores, the more times your name is put into the drawing, so the likelihood of 

you getting your name drawn goes up exponentially. So let‘s all do great on this year‘s spring testing! 

4. Does the school plan to 

change or improve the system, Page 8 

and if so, what can we expect? 

Right now the phone system is controlled by the 

company who developed it, but Mr. Milstead expects 

that to change giving him ―more specific control 

over what grades it calls home about.‖ With 

more control, Mr. Milstead could program the system 

to only make calls for major grades rather than 

every 5 out of 10 you fail. He also hopes that by next 

year the system will be web based allowing him to 

access the system from home. The benefit of this 

would be that on bad weather days he could inform 

students that school was canceled by putting out a 

mass call.



Ruston High School: What You Don’t Know 

Page 9 

by Amber Brown 

Reporter/Photographer 

I have gone around asking teachers that have been here longer than others to see if they know of anything just plain weird about RHS off the top of their head 

Here are some things I have learned: 

1. All stairs do not have the same number of steps. (Yes, a student actually counted.) 

– Mr. Bruner 

2. Students have to walk through a classroom to get to another class, but only on the business wing of the 3 rd floor; it‘s very disrupting! 

– Mrs. Lewis 

3. The elevator goes up and down without anyone being in it. 

– Mrs. Martin 

4. Many clocks at RHS are stopped at a certain time (11:42), and are stopped like that because of the big fire years ago in the auditorium. 

– Old Chatterbox edition 

5. Finally, a little history tidbit: Did you know that RHS used to be located where the Civic Center is now? 

Is Debating a Sport? 

by Christian Amos 

Sports Editor 

To answer this question, I‘d like to offer you a rare glimpse into the daily 

goings-on behind the curtain in the Chatterbox Pressroom. In here, friendly debating 

is a very vigorous (and perpetual) event. Our Business Manager, Sarah 

Kilpatrick, and Senior Reporter, Jessica Herren are our source of entertainment 

when their innocent banter turns into a boxing match with their mouths. 

Whether these two ladies are arguing or agreeing with one another, they never 

fail to bring the heat to the room. This is why we call them the ―Gilmore Girls.‖ 

Drew Boyd and Logan Taylor on the other hand are the ―Gilmore Guys‖; 

they are even worse than girls when it comes to debating a topic. First of all, no 

one in the world ever knows what these two are talking about. It‘s like the ageold 

question - How many licks does it take to get to the center of a Tootsie Pop? 

…the world may never know. These fellows have the intelligence to write articles, 

duke it out with words, and severely aggravate Mr. Bruner all in one sitting. 

Seth Bentley is the kind of person that can easily argue with himself or an 

inanimate object, and that‘s considered ―entertainment‖ for some odd reason. 

Whenever the Chatterbox Pressroom has a guest, be it a teacher or a student, 

they never leave without a ―What the heck just happened?‖ look on their faces. 

My point is that debating is a sport because debating is a form of entertainment 

that can interest a large crowd, or at least, anyone nearby who happens to 

be watching. This is similar to how the majority of people who turn up for 

sporting events show up to be entertained. Also, fighting with words can be 

very impressive. For instance, Sarah multitasks very well. She breaks her opponents 

down while simultaneously sipping on her Smoothie King that she bought 

as a refresher while out selling ads. This girl is a pro. Jessica uses the sweet and 

innocent approach when tackling her opponents. She‘s light but will strike at 

any given moment. The least athletic, yet still arguable Drew Boyd is the MVP 

of pointless debating. Drew especially likes to argue about his favorite subject – 

food. His most recent argument concerned a nine-pound gummy bear and how 

long would it take to eat the entire thing. I suppose what I am trying to say is 

simply this: debate amongst Ruston High students IS a sport, maybe not the 

most extreme sport, but it‘s like a tennis match that has no ending. 

What’s Your Status? 

by Natasha Alva 

Reporter 

To make yourself feel famous and let 500 plus ―friends‖ know what you 

are doing/thinking/feeling, put your status on Facebook. (For example: Christian 

Amos Is going to have an awesome time at the concert tonight!). If you 

have a Facebook, you‘ve got a status, but what is it and what is its purpose? 

Farryn Cooper says that she always puts how she did in soccer, like what the 

score was for a game. She also looks at her friends‘ statuses to see what 

they‘re doing. On the other hand, whatever song lyrics are stuck in her head 

and describe her current emotions is usually what ends up as Kori Teague‘s 

status. 

Isn‘t it just amazing?! There are so many things you can type or text as 

your status to let the world know just a little bit more about you. And when I 

say ―the world‖ I pretty much mean it. In a survey of the 500 top colleges it 

was found that 10% of admissions officers said they looked at socialnetworking 

sites to ―evaluate applicants.‖ Out of these colleges looking at that 

information, 38% said that what they saw "negatively affected" their views of 

the student, and only 25% of the schools checking out the sites said that their 

views were ―improved.‖ Also, possible employers check out your profiles to 

see if they think you are what they want in the workplace. This is not illegal 

for them to do; there have been no laws passed not permitting them to do so. 

So remember, what you place on the web is what those who use the web 

will see you as. Try to remember to always put things that you feel describe 

and compliment you in a positive way.

Editorials/Opinions 



Happy Endings...HA! 

Page 10 

by Amber Brown 

Reporter/Photographer 

Let‘s think back to when we were little and imagine all those Disney movies…you know the ones I‘m talking about, with princes and princesses riding off into 

the sunset while the words ―The End‖ appear on the screen out of nowhere. Now that you remember what movies I‘m speaking of, you are going to see how Disney 

(and all other movies with ―happy endings‖) brainwash us into honestly believing that we all have our prince/princess somewhere ―over the rainbow.‖ But 

what really happens after the ―happily ever after?‖ Does the Just Married couple actually spend their life happily together forever, or is the ending not quite as 

happy? 

From a female perspective, we are raised to believe that all there is to life is to fall in love and find your ―one and only‖ as depicted in movies. But recently, a 

movie has come out depicting not only the truth, but the solution. It‘s called He‘s Just Not That Into You. That movie provides a lesson to us all, including males. 

Sometimes, what we all need is a serious slap in the face, and then, we will magically see reality clearly. That reality being that normally, guys that are jerks 

simply don‘t like you… however, each and every one of us was made to believe that when a boy or girl pushes you down (or is otherwise mean to you), it must 

mean they like you. HA! That is so Kindergarten, and it really wasn‘t even true back then. The reality is that, as women, we have an obligation to fulfill for ourselves: 

to be and do the best that we can without a man in our lives 24/7. 

Movies can so easily depict falsities that it almost seems natural to just fall in love, get married, and live happily ever after. If you have ever seen that work out 

for someone in real life, that person is the exception, while over 90% of us are the ―rule.‖ (You can thank the movie I mentioned earlier for sharing that fragment 

of useful information with us). Mind you, I am not saying it is not possible for your life to be a fairy tale; I am only saying that it is unlikely and that you should 

depend on yourself as much as you possibly can. Just because many of us haven‘t had our ―The End‖ scroll across the screen, doesn‘t mean you can‘t enjoy yours 

if and when it comes. But when you do get your ―Disney romance‖ and not your Lady GaGa ―Bad Romance,‖ smile and say ―I do believe in fairies!‖ (Just because 

Disney makes them too…) 

The Butterfly Effect 

by Alyssa Moore 

Reporter 

Why do we choose to make the decisions we do? Whether the 

choice is what to wear to school or whether to obey our parents, to 

do what you want or maybe even which boy or girl to date. Should 

you do your homework tonight or should you make up some lame 

excuse to tell your teacher tomorrow about how ―your dog ate it‖? 

Every decision has a cause and effect factor behind it. Every day 

in life we are faced with hard decisions to make; they could be ones 

that will affect our lives dramatically or maybe hardly at all. Making 

the right choices can be difficult as a teenager, but our decisions 

now reflect on the choices we will make later in life. When you‘re 

young you tend to feel like it‘s the end of the world when the boy 

or girl you like breaks up with you or when you make a bad grade 

and get grounded when it‘s brought up. Most of us live by the 

motto of ―live life to the fullest,‖ but the real meaning of that isn‘t 

what we have made it. Living your life to the fullest doesn‘t always 

mean ―do what you want no matter the consequence.‖ It just means 

that you should love strong, laugh hard, and live everyday like it‘s 

your last. Don‘t go a day without telling the people you love that 

you love them, and learn a lesson from everything you do-- good or 

bad. 

The decisions we make are like the process in which a caterpillar 

changes into a butterfly. The time that‘s spent being a caterpillar 

and forming in our cocoons makes all the difference when we become 

beautiful butterflies. All of our decisions affect who we become 

and how we decide to get there. So be wise with your decisions 

while in your cocoon, for your butterfly years depend on the 

decisions you make today. 

Tips for Test-Taking 


Reporter 

Standardized Testing. Two words that when placed together and said aloud by a teacher can 

cause some students to break out in a nervous sweat, while others begin to groan, whine, and curse 

their #2 pencils. Unless you are Carlos Wilson, of course, then you will just say ―Standardized tests 

are legit because I take them.‖ I don‘t know any other student, besides myself, who actually likes 

taking these long and boring tests. And I understand why, but according to state law these tests are 

essential. Since they are essential it is best that we put in all the effort to score well on them. Here 

are some tips to remember when you take your standardized tests: 

First, be physically ready to take the test. Make sure that you had enough sleep the night before 

and that in the morning you had a good, wholesome breakfast. Breakfast is the most important 

meal of the day and what you eat or don‘t eat can determine how you feel during the rest of the 

day. Mint gum or peppermints are great things to have during the test. 

When you are taking the test, maintain a positive attitude throughout the whole test and try to 

stay relaxed. If you start to feel nervous, take a few deep breaths to relax. Keep your eyes on your 

own paper; you don't want to appear to be cheating and cause unnecessary trouble for yourself. Do 

the easiest problems first. Don't stay on a question that you are stuck on, especially when time is a 

factor. Don't rush, but pace yourself. Read the entire question and look for keywords. Write legibly. 

If the grader can't read what you wrote, they'll most likely mark it wrong. Always read the whole 

question carefully. Don't make assumptions about what the question might be. If you flat-out don't 

know an answer, choose ―a letter of the day‖ and use that as the answer to all multiple choice questions 

you don‘t know (most commonly either B or C). Go on with the rest of the test and come 

back to them later, if you have time. Other parts of the test may have some information that will 

help you out with that question. Don't worry if others finish before you. Focus on the test in front 

of you. If you have time left when you are finished, look over your test. Make sure that you have 

answered all the questions; only change an answer if you misread or misinterpreted the question 

because the first answer that you put is usually the correct one. 

Those are only a handful of the many test-taking tips, but these work and if you apply them 

when you take your standardized tests, or any test for that matter, you are a lot more likely to score 

high. Pay attention to the reviews that your teachers are probably doing right now and try to cram 

as much information into your head as possible. Good luck and remember, it is only a test and it 

should be afraid of you: The Ultimate Test Taker!

Editorials/Opinions 



How the Cats Will Spend Their Break 

Page 11 



With one week remaining until Spring Break, many Ruston High students have begun planning how they will spend their week off. Freshman Vinicia Albritton 

―might be going to Arkansas‖ to see family, and Zach Bertrand is ―going on the Arkansas Mission Trip with Cook Baptist Church.‖ When asked what he 

plans to do over Spring Break, Daniel Cason said ―I am going on an artic adventure with Matt Robertson, Scott Pumphrey, and Taylor Young.‖ Baraka Murimi 

plans on ―sleeping and running.‖ Others have similar relaxing plans for their break, like Melanie Maxwell who also plans on getting a lot of sleep in. Still others 

are quite ambitious like Josh James, who is going to ―try to make some money‖ as well as ―chill and hang out with friends and family.‖ Whatever your plans may 

be or even if you don‘t have any plans at all, I hope you have a relaxing and fun week off. 

St. Patrick’s Day – 

The Pinching Problem 

by Drew Boyd 

News Editor 

As many of you know, yesterday, March 17 th , was St. Patrick‘s 

Day. Many of you doubtless celebrated it by doing one 

thing – pinching anyone who didn‘t wear green. It seems harmless 

enough on the surface. But when closely examined, the 

very concept is rather frightening. Think about it – by pinching 

anyone who doesn‘t wear green, you are essentially saying 

―Conform and be like everybody else, or I‘ll hurt you.‖ 

As many of us are teenagers struggling to be individuals, 

doing anything we can to stand out and be different from our 

peers, surely can you understand why I take such offense to this 

particular social custom. It goes against everything we (should) 

believe in. Why is it that we spend all year trying to be individuals, 

but on one particular day we decide to hurt those that 

are not following such a silly rule? It makes no sense. It‘s utterly 

absurd. 

You may be thinking that I‘m over-dramatizing the situation 

just a bit. I am. But I do so only to get my point across. Many 

of us dislike the fact that we must all wear the same school uniform, 

yet on St. Patrick‘s Day we do the same thing, only this 

time, we do it to ourselves. What‘s the difference? It seems 

hypocritical to complain about uniforms, and then turn around 

the next day and ridicule those who…don‘t wear what they‘re 

supposed to. 

But if you‘re still not convinced, forget everything I‘ve just 

said, and let me put it into a different perspective. Imagine what 

it is like for people who don‘t wear green on St. Patrick‘s Day. 

They dread going to school because they know they will get 

pinched incessantly. They choose not to wear green for the reasons 

detailed above, and they pay the price. Quite frankly, it‘s 

incredibly annoying and, for some (myself), infuriating. 

As St. Patrick‘s Day was yesterday, I can‘t exactly ask you 

not to partake in this tradition. I only hope that you were able to 

see it for what it is – a pointless act that epitomizes conformity 

and causes great annoyance. At any rate, if you were a pincher 

this year, I hope I convinced you to change your evil ways and 

to not be one next year. 

What’s Easter All About? 



When you think of Easter, what images play in your head? Do you see fluffy white rabbits 

in a pasture nestled with colorful eggs? Maybe your mouth waters at the promise of 

sweet goodies the Easter Bunny will leave behind. Not many love Peeps and chocolate bunnies 

as much as me, but that is not the true meaning of the holiday. The Easter Bunny and 

corporate America‘s need to sell things has masked the real reason for the season. We have 

replaced the true hope and joy that Easter brings with egg hunts and a big bunny. While 

most of us are familiar with the true story of Easter, sometimes it is good to be reminded of 

what it really is about. 

A Christian holiday, Easter is the celebration of the death and resurrection of Jesus 

Christ. Wait. That was a long, long time ago. Like, over 2,000 years ago! Why does something 

that happened so long ago even matter anymore? In the Old Testament of the Bible, 

God gives us the Ten Commandments (Exodus 10). You may be familiar with some of them 

– do not lie, honor your parents, and do not covet, or envy, what your neighbor has. I admit 

that I have broken all three of these Commandments as well as others, but what does that 

mean? Well, Hebrews 9:27 says that ―Man is destined to die once, and after that to face 

judgment.‖ That means that any little thing I‘ve done to break even one of the Commandments 

is going to be judged one day. Because the punishment for breaking God‘s Commandments, 

or sinning, is eternal death, I have a lot to be concerned about right? (Romans 

6:23) Well yeah, but that‘s where Easter comes in. 

Thirty-three years after Jesus came to Earth as a baby, He was hung on a cross and 

killed. Thankfully, hope came when He was resurrected from the dead three days later. The 

Old Testament talks a lot about the animal sacrifices the people had to make to cover their 

sins, but in the New Testament of the Bible this is no longer required. This is because Jesus‘s 

death on the cross paid for all the wrong mankind would ever do. Hebrews 10:10 says 

―We have been made holy through the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ once and for 

all‖. No matter how hard we try, our good deeds cannot and will not save us from the judgment 

of God. Ephesians 2:8 tells us that ―It is by grace you have been saved; through faith – 

and this not from yourselves.‖ Grace means that we get something we don‘t deserve, in this 

case, eternal life in Heaven. 

So who does this apply to? Are we automatically saved and does everybody get to go to 

Heaven for sure? No, we have to believe in God and give our life over to Him so that He 

can be glorified through us. John 3:16 says that ―For God so loved the world that He gave 

His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.‖ 

But it‘s not just a matter of strictly believing; it‘s a matter of truly trusting God. This is the 

real reason for Easter. It‘s the reason I celebrate and I encourage you to look past the candy 

and bunnies this Easter season and consider that the God who created the universe died to 

save your life!

Teacher Spotlights 



Name: Jessie Bryan 

Family: TJ (husband), Madison 

Pets: Molli and Macy (dogs) 

Favorite subject: 

Sociology, Psychology 

Position: 

Counselor in the Career Center 

Clubs advised: 

Freshman Cheer Sponsor, Student 

Council Co-Sponsor 

College/Major: LA Tech 

Favorite childhood memory: 

Growing up in Colorado and spending 

time with my family, camping in 

the mountains, hiking, skiing, and 

riding horses. 

Favorite restaurant: 

Outback 

Favorite team/sport: 

The Bearcats! 

Favorite thing about RHS: 

The wonderful students and faculty. 

Favorite quote: 

―Our lives are not determined by 

what happens to us but by how we 

react to what happens, not by what 

life brings to us, but by the attitude 

we bring to life. A positive attitude 

causes a chain reaction of positive 

thoughts, events, and outcomes.‖ 

Message to students: 

My door is always open. If there is 

ever anything that I can do to help 

you, I will try. 

Name: Jane Tatum 

Family: Danny (husband), 

Tyler and Ryan (sons) 

Pets: Shep and Doc 

(Miniature Dachshunds) 

Favorite subject: English 

Position: Career Counselor 

Clubs advised: 

Student Counsel and Ambassadors 

High School/class year: 

RHS ‗78 

College/Major: 

LA Tech—English Education; 

Masters– English 

Teaching Experience: 

27 years at RHS. 

Favorite restaurant: Pasadas 

Favorite sport: Football 


―I can do all things through Christ 

who strengthens me.‖ 

-Phil. 4:13 


The people. 

Pet peeves: Whining 

Name: Ann McKenney 

Family: Gary (husband), 

Matthew and Eric (sons) 

Pets: Babysitting my son‘s cat. 


Position: Librarian 

High School: Neville—yes, NHS. 


Louisiana Tech: 

Elem. Ed./ Special Ed. 

Teaching experience: 

Ruston High School, 

Ouachita Parish High School, and 

Simsboro High School 

Most embarrassing moment: 

Too many! 

Favorite team: 

N.O. Saints– Who Dat! 

and all RHS sports, of course! 

Pet peeves: 

Laziness; having my picture taken. 


I‘m here to help. 

Page 12




Name: Shirley Boyd 

Family: Haskel (husband), 

Montana (son), and Merideth 

(daughter-in-law) 

Position: Self– Contained teacher 

Favorite subject: History 


LA Tech 30+ ; LSU -masters 


Years and years 


I fell in a parking lot with many 

people around. I had on white pants 

and black oil covered me. 


Having my Dad around. 

Favorite Restaurant: 

Foxy 

Favorite team: 

LA Tech, LSU, Saints 

If you had one wish, it would 

be… to keep my health. 


In time, this too shall pass. 


Teachers and Students. 

Pet peeves: 

Being late and having to wait for 

someone. 


I love them and will take 

care of them. 

Any last words: 

RHS is awesome. Be thankful you 

have such a great place to get an 

education. 

Name: Reba Daniel 

Family: Bobby (husband), 

Johnathan, Joy, John, Jasmine 

Position: Special Ed. Teacher 

(study skills/math/ELA/science/ 

social studies) 

High School/class year: RHS ‗78 

College: LA Tech/ GSU 

Teaching experience: 15 years as 

the Para, 5 years as teacher at RHS 


Living overseas in Korea, going to 

the beauty salon to have my hair 

de-afrotized only to come out with 

a larger Afro. 


Salt Grass at the Boardwalk 


In elementary school, I was always 

the teacher‘s helper. 

Favorite quote: ―If you don‘t like 

something, change it. If you can‘t 

change it, change your attitude.‖ - 

Maya Angelou 


I attended RHS, I‘ve worked here 

for 20 yrs.; so, it feels like RHS is a 

second home to me. 

Pet peeves: 

Disarray—things must be in order, 

students must have a seat. 

Message to students: ―While I 

know myself as a creation of God, I 

am also obligated to realize and remember 

that everyone else and everything 

else are also God‘s creation.‖ 

- Maya Angelou 

Name: Jill Murphy 

Family: Steve (husband), 

Caleb and Ethan (sons) 

Favorite subject: ALL 

Position: Inclusion teacher for the 

Freshman Academy 


Captain Shreve ‗92 


LA Tech– Bachelors of Arts 


13 1/2 years 


Any place I don‘t have to cook. 


Finding four leaf clovers. 


―Do all the good you can, by all 

means you can, in all the ways you 

can, in all the places you can, at all 

times you can, to all people you 

can, as long as you can.‖ 

- John Wesley 

Pet peeves: 

People not doing their best. 

Fun Facts: 

1) In college, I lived in the dorm 

room with… 

-Mrs. Olsen, (speech and 

debate) 

2) When I was first married, I lived 

in a duplex on Bonner Street. A 

young man lived in the other half of 

the duplex and used my washer and 

dryer all the time. Who was the 

young man? 

- Mr. Moss, band director 

Page 13




Name: Faith Alexander 

Family: Greg (husband), 

Dustin and Daniel (sons) 

Pets: 

Patches, Bella, Jasmine (dogs) 

Position: Librarian 

High School/class year: RHS ‗81 


LA Tech– English Education; 

Minor-Library Science 


25 years at RHS. 


Had a wonderful childhood; all of 

my memories are good. 

Favorite Restaurant: 

Any Mexican restaurant. 

Favorite team/sport: COLTS! 

If you had one wish, it would 

be… for my children to be 

healthy, happy, fulfilled, and 

good Christian men. 


The students! 

Pet peeves: 

I hate parades and game shows. 

Name: Linda Fowler 

Family: Michael (husband) 

Pets: Maddie (mini dachshund) and 

Amp (Heinz 57 dog) 

Position: Special Ed. Co-Dept., 

Asst. Softball Coach 

Subject you teach: 

Inclusion English II and 

Inclusion Read 180 

High school/class year: 

Quitman High ‗83 

College/Major: LA Tech– Health 

and Physical Education, Social Studies, 

and Special Ed. Mild/Med. 

Teaching Experience: 

This is my 21st year at RHS. 


―Bombing out‖ at my first powerlifting 

meet for Tech at Lamar 

University. 

Favorite team/sport: Colts, Braves, 

Nascar, Notre Dame 

Favorite quote: ―I complained 

when I had no shoes, until I saw a 

man who had no feet.‖ 

If you had one wish, it would be… 

win the lottery, so I can start a 

boarding school/home for at-risk 

kids which are usually the ones that 

just need someone to love them and 

believe in them. 

Pet peeves: Immaturity, 

irresponsibility, or laziness. 

Any last words: ―What you are is 

God‘s gift to you, what you make of 

yourself is your gift to God.‖ 

Name: Catherine Letendre 

Family: Sgt. 1st Class Chris Letendre 

(husband), John, Nick, and Matthew 

(sons) 

Pets: Duke, Chevy, and Pete (dogs); 

Miss Priss and BJ (cats) 

Favorite subject: History 

Position: Initiative Coordinator– I 

manage the grants and work on the 

New Tech at Ruston. 


Byrd High School ‗81 


LA Tech– B.A., M.A., and +30. 

Teaching experience: 22 years, grades 

1-12. Have been a principal. 


In 1st grade, my teacher told me to wait 

my turn to go to the bathroom, and 

when I couldn‘t wait anymore, I asked 

again– then wet my pants! 

Favorite restaurant: Chili Verde 

Favorite team/sport: Baseball and 

football. RHS Bearcats, Atlanta Braves, 

N.O. Saints, LSU and Tech. 

Favorite quote: ―Learn from yesterday, 

live for today, hope for tomorrow.‖ 

If you had one wish, it would be… for 

people to see everyone as equals and 

not to judge by what they wear, the 

color of their skin, or where they come 

from. 

Pet peeves: 

Hypocrites, and rule-breakers. 

Page 14

Clubs 



FCCLA Gets 

Ready to Run 


Reporter 

FCCLA has been staying 

especially busy this month, 

with State taking place on 

March 14-16. Those competing 

in STAR Events competed 

against FCCLA members from 

all over the state. The winners 

will be announced in the April 

issue of the Chatterbox. 

Ruston High FCCLA is 

also having a 5K marathon. 

We‘re raising money for Children‘s 

Miracle Network. To 

sign up go to http:// 

rustonfccla.blogspot.com. The 

marathon will take place on 

April 10, 9:00 A.M. at James 

Stadium. If you register early, 

you‘ll be guaranteed a T-shirt! 

So come out and support Ruston 

High FCCLA. 

L . Y . F . E . 

by Sarah Kilpatrick 

L . Y . F . E . P r e s i d e n t 

Hey L.Y.F.E. members! 

I would like to thank you 

for a successful meeting 

last month. On behalf of 

myself and the other group 

leaders, I would like to say 

that we are glad that you 

spoke up and shared your 

opinions. I would also like 

to thank you for your sock 

donations. As you know, 

the socks you donated will 

be given to an organization 

called The Hub. The Hub 

will provide homeless people 

in Shreveport with the 

socks you donated. Thank 

you for your participation 

and see you next time in 

L.Y.F.E! 

Prom – A Night to Remember! 



Page 15 

Prom night. It‘s finally arrived. You‘ve been waiting all year long and now it‘s just around the corner. 

The girls all have dresses and the guys have their tuxes. Flowers have been ordered and reservations made. 

You just know it is going to be perfect, a night you will remember for the rest of your life! Eating, dancing, 

and posing for pictures will all be part of the evening‘s events. But don‘t forget your after-prom plans. 

Since most people do something special with friends after the dance, I assume you will too. But keep in 

mind that if you want your prom night to be a night to remember, drinking needs to stay out of the picture. 

An adult who gets pulled over for drinking and driving has to have a Blood Alcohol Concentration 

(BAC) of 0.08% to be considered legally drunk, but did you know that the first or second drink will get 

someone to that level? If you are under 21, the BAC level that will label you legally drunk and land you a 

DUI is 0.02%. Everyone reaches this point by the first drink, even if you are larger than most, while 

smaller people (under 130 lbs) can reach a BAC of 0.08% with their very first drink. If you get pulled over 

and are asked to take the breathalyzer test, be aware that the test does not just inform the officer that you 

have been drinking but also how much you‘ve been drinking. That‘s right, the breathalyzer is quite hightech 

and is actually testing your blood for its alcohol level rather than just your breath. 

It does not matter how little you think you drank; driving under the influence of just one alcoholic drink 

is not only illegal, but also incredibly dangerous. You may think that such a low BAC for underage drivers 

is simply an attempt to enforce the legal drinking age, but more than that, it is a safety issue. According to 

the LA Highway Safety Commission, fourteen drivers in Louisiana were in crashes last year with only a 

BAC of 0.01-0.02%. Eight of these drivers were killed. This data does not include deaths of passengers or 

injuries from crashes that were not life-threateningly serious. People often worry about riding with someone 

who has been drinking a lot, but they should be just as worried about the people who have been drinking 

a little! A designated driver is not the person in the group who has had the least drinks. Riding with 

someone under the influence is not safe, no matter how many drinks they have had. 

With Prom this weekend, I encourage you to make safe decisions. Drinking and driving or riding with 

someone who has been drinking is very serious. Prom night is a night to remember, but it should be remembered 

for the fun we had with our friends, not because our friends were in a fatal crash. I encourage 

you to exclude alcohol from all of your Prom festivities and have a safe night you will want to remember.

Clubs 



FBLA – Business Achievement Awards 

Winners and Requirements 

submitted by Elizabeth Ashley Smith 

FBLA Sophomore Affairs Officer 

Page 16 

A new requirement for the Ruston High School Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA) is that 

anyone who plans on running for an office must complete at least the Future Level of the Business 

Achievement Award (BAA). Once elected, officers must then earn the Business Level of the BAA. The 

President, Vice President, Secretary, Historian, and Reporter must earn the Leader Award during their 

time in office. In the future, candidates for President and Vice President must have already earned the 

Business Level of the BAA to even run for office. 

The Future Award is the entry level. The projects are designed to make members familiar with FBLA, 

with most projects consisting of worksheets and tests. Candidates must write essays and summaries of 

select projects. For the first time at our school, Ruston High School has three students who have now 

earned this award - Amber Brown, John Herren, and me, Elizabeth Ashley Smith. I am the first member 

from Ruston High to ever earn this award. RHS also has six others working to achieve this level as well 

- Brittany White, Stephany Arias, Octavia Payton, Trimeche Raymond, Sheniqua Moss, and Allison 

Tryon. The second level is the Business Award. This award‘s projects are more complex than the one 

before; they consist more of essays and presentation tasks. The current Future Award recipients are 

working on these now. Both the Future and the Business awards are presented at the local level. The 

third level is the Leader Award. This award is even more difficult than the first two. This award builds on previous knowledge and expands on it with more intense 

projects and involvement in FBLA goals, and is presented at the state level. The fourth and highest award is the America Award. There currently are no students 

enrolled at this level yet. This is a very prestigious award and is presented at the national level during the National Conference. 

In order to be enrolled in the BAA awards program, one must be in FBLA and the adviser must approve and enroll you. Our chapter has high standards, so do 

not ask to be enrolled if you do not plan on trying hard and doing your best. Be forewarned - achieving theses awards is not an easy task. They require hard work, 

time, and a lot of dedication. See me if you have any questions.

Clubs 



FBLA Crushes Competition at District 

by Mr. Lloyd R. Bruner 

FBLA/Chatterbox Adviser 

Page 17 

Ruston High School proudly announces that Chapter 617 of the local Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA) excelled at the recent District II conference 

held at ULM on Feb. 5, 2010. The chapter sent 66 members. Their efforts and additional work on state projects will allow the chapter to send 50 members to the 

State Conference in Baton Rouge on Mar. 28-30, 2010, the most students that have ever represented Ruston High School. 

Ruston High FBLA had 16 excellent placements: 14 individuals and 2 teams. Individuals earning excellent ratings were Peter Adeyemi, Maxwell Cook, DJ 

Hardison, John Herren, Don Ho, Tae Kinsey, Talia Millage, Grady Sanders, Jared Spiller, Elizabeth Smith, Michelle Standifer, Jonathan Verret, Brittany White, 

and Nick Yarborough. In team competition, the Banking and Finance Team of Shelby Stinson and Elena Till earned an excellent rating and the Current Events 

Team of Josh McIntire, Dylan Windsor, and Jack Woods placed excellent as well. 

Ruston High FBLA broke all previous records with 21 superior placements: 18 individuals and 3 teams. Superior ratings qualify for the State Conference. The 

individuals and the events they placed superior in are: Daniel McCoy - Accounting I, Ryan Barker – Accounting II, Amber Brown - Business Law, Jarod Mardis 

– Business Law and Personal Finance, Jonathan Amy – Computer Problem Solving, Tae Kinsey – Cyber Security, Nick Parks – FBLA Principles and Procedures, 

Darby Guinn – Intro to Business, Kori Teague – Intro to Business Communication, Jonathan Verret - Intro to Technology Concepts, Raine Blunk – Job Interview, 

Christian Amos – Marketing, Don Ho – Networking Concepts, Stephanie Arhin – Public Speaking II, Peter Adeyemi – Sports Management, Alex Osborne 

– Spreadsheet Applications, and Savannah Chrisman – Word Processing I. In team events, superior ratings were earned by the Business Ethics Team – Tiandra 

Gipson, Michelle Standifer, and Carlos Wilson II, the Desktop Publishing Team – Amber Brown and Logan Taylor, and the Parliamentary Procedure Team – 

Jonathan Amy, Tiandra Gipson, DJ Hardison, Latoria Whitehead, and Carlos Wilson II. 

To continue this year‘s record performance – Ruston High FBLA had 9 1 st Place District Champions: 6 individuals and 3 teams. District Champions and their 

events were: Ryan Barker- Accounting I, Danielle McCoy – Accounting II, John Herren – Business Math, Dylan Windsor – Cyber Security, Grady Sanders – 

Economics, and Raymond Walker – Sports Management. District champion teams were: Emerging Business Issues Team – Drew Boyd, Logan Taylor, and Raymond 

Walker, the Entrepreneurship Team – Josh Critselous and Collin Smith, and the Global Business Team – Stephanie Arhin, Raine Blunk, and Layton Garlington. 

All of the students demonstrated that the business department at Ruston High School continues to produce a quality business education for our students. With 

this year‘s record number of District Champions and superior ratings, Ruston High FBLA looks forward to having its largest number of students ever to qualify 

and attend Nationals. The students would like to thank their parents, the Ruston High faculty and staff, and the Lincoln Parish School Board for their support.

The Arts 


Bearcats on 

Broadway This 

Month 



Bearcats on Broadway will be held Thursday, 

March 25 th and Friday, March 26 th at 

7:00 PM at the Dixie Theatre. The choir has 

been working hard practicing after school 

since January and has over 250 costumes 

prepared for the show. Look forward to hearing 

excerpts from Grease, The Music Man, 

Dream Girls, Mulan, The Little Mermaid, 

and many other musicals. Tickets are on sale 

now for $10 and will be sold for $15 at the 

door. Because the show is expected to sell 

out, you need to plan ahead and buy your 

tickets in advance. Bearcats on Broadway is 

going to be huge this year; you will not want 

to miss this impressive production! To buy 

tickets see Mrs. Tinsley, Mrs. Givens, or 

Mrs. Flucas in the front office. 

The Band Dominates at Festival 


Business Manager 


March 18, 2010 

Page 18 

When Christmas holidays came to an end, and the new semester began, both the Concert and the Symphonic 

Bands began to work hard on their competition music. Each morning the sounds of Ruston High School's Bands' 

preparation for District Festival rang out from Rooms 210 and 211. The Concert Band tirelessly prepared the 

songs "Eagle Command March", "Carnivore", and "Cahokia.‖ The Symphonic Band worked hard perfecting 

"Reverberations", "Prairie Songs", and "Semper Fidelis." Even after school, when many students rush home, we 

hurried to the band room to avoid being late for practice. 

All of our hard work and dedication finally paid off last Thursday, March 11 when we went to District Festival. 

Sebastian Pisciotta has this to say about Festival: "We are always on edge and were not exactly how sure 

the judges would react." But we had nothing to worry about. The Concert Band received an excellent rating and 

did a very good job playing their music. The Symphonic Band received a Superior Rating with an almost perfect 

score. We won Sweepstakes and are headed to State Festival sometime in April. All of the afternoon practices 

and hard work were worth the trophy we brought home! Listen to what freshman John Herren has to say 

about his first District Festival competition: "It was awesome, and we are State-bound!" Go Band!

Senior Spotlights 


Sarah Kilpatrick 

Age: 18 

Family: Karen (Mom), Kevin 

(Dad), Christoper, and Britian 

(Brothers) Jenn (Sister-in law) 

Hobbies: Facebook, babysitting, 

and hanging out with 

friends and family 


Favorite animal: Monkey 

Favorite movie: 27 Dresses 

Favorite color: Pink 

Hero: Elizabeth Elliot 

What do you like best about 

RHS: The people! 

College/ major: LA Tech/ Elementary 

Education 

Quote: ―But those who hope in 

the Lord will renew their 

strength, they will soar on 

wings like eagles; they will run 

and not grow weary, they will 

walk and not be faint.‖ Isaiah 

41:31 

Advice: Just be you. Life is 

way more fun that way. 

Kelvisha Reed 

Age: 17 

Family: Kelvin (Dad), Quinita 

(Mom), Josh, Jaylon and DeMarcus 

(Brothers), Shahara, Katelyn, and 

LaMarcyah (Sisters) 

Hobbies: 

Texting, Facebooking, reading, 

and singing 

Favorite subject: Biology 

Favorite movie: Wanted 

Favorite color: Anything bright 


RHS: 

When the bell rings for me to jet. 

High school clubs and affiliations: 

German club, PCI 

Hero: God and my family 

Quote: What the devil meant for 

bad, God meant for good. 

Advice: Don‘t let immature people 

stop what good you have going with 

immature things, Your kindness 

will kill them faster. 

Arrian Christian 

Age: 17 

Family: Grandmère, Laura, 

Connie, Do-daddy, Aaron 

Pets: Balto (Dog), Kenneth (infant), 

Tiffany (infantile) 

Favorite movie: 

The Care Bears Movie 

Favorite subject: 

Math (Daniel is in there) 

Favorite animal: Freshmen 

Favorite color: Green 

What do you like best at RHS: 

Daniel Cason 

College/Major: LSU/ Double 

Chemistry and Biology 

Clubs: NHS 

Hero:Grandmère 

Quote: ―I don't mean to be 

stupid it just happens.‖ 

- Laura Christian 

Advice: Love God. 


March 18, 2010 

Page 19 

D’ Angelo Roane 

Age: 18 

Family: Nikki Parker (Mom) 

Hobbies: Good times 

Favorite subject: AG 

Favorite movie: Paid in Full 

Favorite animal: Pits 

Favorite color: Purple 

What do you like best about RHS: 

Fridays 

College/ major: Delta/ Welding 

Clubs: FFA 

Favorite Book/ Magazine: Jets 

Hero: Mannie Fresh, Mouse on the 

Track, Rodnae 

Quote: ―Get rich or die trying.‖



Lauren Hearn 

Age: 18 

Family: Bob (Dad), Sally 

(Mom), and Brandon and Clayton 

Pets: Drake and Rex 

Hobbies: Babysitting and 

Scrapbooking 

Favorite subject: Biology 


The Ultimate Gift 

Favorite animal: Dog 

Favorite color: Pink 

Hero: Sarah Kilpatrick 

Clubs: FCCLA, LYFE, BUMS, 

FCA, and Band 

College/ major: 

LA Tech/ Kids PT 


RHS? The people. 

Quote: ―Love is patient and 

Love is kind.‖ -1 Cor. 13-4 

Advice: Don‘t wish away these 

four years, it‘s gone before you 

know it.‖ 

Craig Raines 

Age: 18 

Family: Chris (Uncle), Cindy 

(Aunt) 

Hobbies: Baseball, T.V., and 

sleep! 


Remember the Titans 

Favorite color: Red 


RHS? Baseball team and 

lunches...not, and Mrs. Boyd 

High school clubs and affiliations: 

Baseball 


Dallas Baptist/ Education 

Hero: My mom 

Quote: 

―If you're not first you‘re last.‖ 

-Willis 

Advice: Don‘t ever take things or 

people for granted because they 

can disappear just like that. 

Quintisha Jackson 

Age: 17 

Family: Elizabeth Dunn (Mom), 

Gregory Dunn (Dad), Talorean 

and Porchia (Sisters) 

Pets: A pit bull 


My homies 

Favorite subject: Math 

Clubs: 

ROTC– Senior class leader 

If you had one wish what 

would it be? 

To have everything back 

like it was. 

Quote: 

―You can‘t get to the top by sitting 

on your bottom.‖ 

Advice: 

Nobody loves you after you 

graduate except your 

parents. 


March 18, 2010 

Page 20 

Bre Currie 

Age: 17 

Family: Wanda (Mother) 

Hobbies: Play Sports, eating, and 

sleeping. 

Favorite movie: Waiting to exhale 



Tripping up the stairs my freshmen 

year. 


Practice with coach Durrett and 

Coach Fowler harassing me. 

College/ major: Criminal Justice 

degree/ Grambling or NSU 

Clubs: Basketball, softball, FCA, 

and Peer Leaders 

Hero: My mom, God, and family. 

Quote: ―Pain is weakness leaving 

the body.‖ 

Advice: If you think you have been 

defeated, you have! Trust and know 

that God is with you every step of 

the way.



Chelsea Swain 

Age: 18 

Family: Wendy (Mom), Kristin 

(Sister), Hart (Brother) 

Pets: Jade (Pit Bull), Beaudraux 

(Cocker spaniel) 

Hobbies: Spending time with 

my boyfriend, Bradley, Riding 

four-wheelers, grilling, and 

sleeping. 


Favorite movie: Ladder 49 



RHS: School Spirit 

Hero: Bradley 

Quote: ―I could have you 

dreamin‘, when you ain‘t even 

sleepin‘!‖ -Wayne 

Micah Kennedy 

Age: 19 

Family: Tim and Random Kennedy, 

Josiah, Caleb, and Charis 

Pets: Shiloh, Otis Cambell 

Hobbies: Music, playing guitar, and 

hunting 

Favorite movie: Saving Private 

Ryan 

Favorite subject: Ag 



Clubs: FFA 

Hero: God 

College/Major: What I would love 

to happen is to become famous and 

sing and play guitar all over the 

world but if not that, Psychology at 

Tech. 

Quote: ―It‘s not the problem that 

you worry about, it‘s what you do to 

fix it.‖ - J.M. Kennedy 

Advice: Every small decision you 

make now, effects you greatly in the 

future. 

Taylor Baskin 

Age: 18 

Family: Jerry (Dad), Allison 

(Mom), Conner (Brother) 

Pets: Kacy and Fergie (Dogs), 

Doc (Horse), Peanut butter 

(Fish) and Jelly (Frog) 

Hobbies: Reading and horse 

back riding 


Favorite movie: Finding Nemo 

Favorite animal: Zebra 

Favorite color: Red 

Clubs: BUMS and COE 


The spirit for our sports teams 

Hero: He‘s always there for me. 

College/Major: BPCC then 

LSU med. 

Quote: ―When somebody tells 

you nothing is impossible, ask 

him to dribble a football.‖ 

Advice: High school flies by, so 

have fun but also get your work 

done. 


March 18, 2010 

Page 21 

Kaleigh Carrolll 

Age: 18 

Family: Phillip (Dad), Alnita 

(Mom), Brooke and Lisa (Sisters) 

Pets: Gracie (Dog) and Champ 

(Horse) 

Hobbies: Piano and singing 


Favorite movie: The Lion King 

Favorite color: Purple 


I only have a month and a half left. 

College/ major: LSU/Pre-vet/ 

Animal sciences 

Clubs: Swim team 

Hero: Jesus! 

Quote: ―I was lookin‘ feelin‘ like a 

million bucks.‖ -Katie Hipp 

Advice: If you don‘t like something 

change it. If you can‘t change it, 

change how you think about it.

Senior News 



Time for Ads for the Senior Edition 

of Chatterbox 


Chatterbox Adviser 

Page 22 

The final edition of the 2009-2010 Chatterbox will be published in June. To make this truly special, senior ads will be available for purchase as 1/8 page ads 

for $15 and 1/4 page ads for $25. As an incentive to help promote school spirit and the Resume, any senior who purchases a yearbook ad this year and provides 

proof at the time of their order to the Chatterbox will receive $5 off their Chatterbox ad. Chatterbox ads must be turned in by May 1 st ! The maximum number of 

1/4 page ads that will be accepted is 28, and the maximum number of 1/8 page ads is 32. Applications have been mailed and are available in Room 318. 

As reported last month, the senior edition will include complete coverage of graduation, including a list of all graduates, honors, scholarships, and awards presented 

to all seniors, along with many other special features to close out the 2009-2010 school year. We also plan to highlight the accomplishments of all Ruston 

High School students who excelled in academic pursuits, similar to our end-of-year Academic Awards presentation. Also featured will be our senior sports section 

and recognition of sports teams/individuals that earned district/state awards. We are looking to include any student, organization, group, or team that excelled 

at the State level and above this year, so ensure that your sponsor or coach sends us the information in event to make sure that we catch it all. 

Distribution of the Chatterbox will obviously be different for this edition as all students and staff will be out of school for the summer. For seniors who purchase 

ads, copies will be delivered or mailed to the address on the order form. For everyone else, a distribution plan is in the process – most likely a list of all 

students will be provided to the office and students can pick up their copy during a week period assigned, or order them to be mailed for $1 a copy. The exact 

manner of distribution will be detailed later as we want to ensure that every student at RHS has an opportunity to receive a copy. 

Again, the selling of ads has started on a first come – first serve basis until May 1 st . Don‘t forget to purchase your Resume ad first if you want the $5 discount. 

Our rates are more than reasonable and there are no limits on how many ads you can run until we are out of space. You can even order extra copies of the Chatterbox 

to send to all those kind family and friends who attend your big day, especially for those who give you those great graduation presents, or better – cash! 

An example of a Senior Ad we built in one minute is provided at the bottom right of this page. Remember, it‘s your ad, so be creative or simple. It‘s up to you! 

Resume Reminder for Seniors 

Senior outdoor pictures are past due and need to be brought to Resume (Room 230) as soon as possible. If you didn‘t get a chance to order your ad, see us immediately 

as well. Prices are as follows: 

ATTENTION SENIORS 

The Chatterbox Staff has requested that all Senior Cap and Gown 

photos be sent to chatterbox@lincolnschools.org by April 1 st from: 

Portraits Plus, Kevin Beasley Photography, Hawkins Photography, 

Ruston Photography, and Sherry Owens Photography. If they took 

your actual cap and gown photo—they will send them to us. 

Full page: $140, 1/2 page: $90, 1/4 page: $75, 1/8 page: $50 

If you have your own pictures or used another photographer, please 

ensure that your picture is sent as well if you wish to be included in 

RHS coverage in the Ruston Daily Leader. 

Remember— your picture submitted must be with the cap worn— 

not held. Pictures sent must be in electronic format! 

Portraits Plus will be doing make-up cap and gown pictures the first 

week or so of April (TBA). Dates will be announced when we know 

them. The cost will be $10. These will be accepted after Apr 1st as 

they will send them directly to us. 

CONGRATS TO JULIE AND SUSAN! 

SENIORS 2010! 

We are proud of you and we love you! 

Dad and Mom! 

EXAMPLE ABOVE—SENIOR AD FOR JUNE EDITION!

Entertainment 



Bearcat Box Office 

Page 23 


Senior Editor 

Alice in Wonderland 

What happens when you take one of western civilization‘s most iconic (and slightly messed up) children‘s tales, and put it into the hands of Tim Burton, who 

is known for his ability to transform his macabre imagination into popular mediums that have cult followings? You would think it would be a more mature and 

twisted version of Alice in Wonderland that has a sprinkling of awesome throughout. Well, I‘m not saying Alice in Wonderland isn‘t a good movie; it just isn‘t 

what I expected from something made by Tim Burton. 

Due to Burton‘s involvement with the movie, I definitely had preconceived notions of the children‘s tale being a lot less kiddy, despite its PG rating. However, 

I was sorely disappointed to discover that the movie I was hoping parents would consider too dark or mature for their kids was too whimsical for my tastes. 

That‘s not anything against the movie, because it‘s not the movie‘s fault that I was tricked into thinking it was more mature than it really was. However, this is 

not to say that the movie was entirely free of mature elements. There was a surprising number of eyeballs poked out and one head chopped off at the end that 

seemed out of place for a PG movie. In terms of the story, a lot of it is already known from the Disney version, so some of the movie can feel tedious and repetitive. 

Burton attempts to combine both of Lewis Carrol‘s stories ―Through the Looking Glass‖ and ―Alice in Wonderland‖, while at the same time wrapping them 

around a story that he created to simulate if a 3rd book had been written. This adds some level of originality to a well-known story, but doesn‘t really save the 

movie from mediocrity. 

Alice in Wonderland isn‘t all bad... far from it actually. The world created by Burton appeals to both the imagination and the visual senses. All of the characters 

are fun and have a unique appeal, and Johnny Depp as the Mad Hatter definitely ―makes‖ the movie with his more human approach to the usually overlyzany 

character. The story of ―Alice in Wonderland‖ still holds up quite well today, but the lack of anything substantially new added makes me wonder why a 

remake was even warranted in the first place. Alice in Wonderland would be a great movie if you watched it below the age of ten, or if Burton did more to set his 

version apart from the other medium. Sadly, none of those criteria were met when I watched it. 

A Second Opinion 

by Drew Boyd 

News Editor 

Alice in Wonderland, Tim Burton‘s latest entry in his series of delightfully offbeat and quirky films is, in 

a single word – odd. Granted, this is the word most commonly used to describe his films and his style, and is 

usually meant as a compliment. But this time, it‘s odd for all the wrong reasons. 

With his adaption of the classic children‘s book, Burton attempted to think outside the box in order to 

distinguish his version from the many others that already exist. This is both commendable and unsurprising. 

To simply re-hash what has been done countless times before would be pointless, and it is very clear that 

Burton thought so as well. So what did he do? He changed the story. The setting is more or less the same, 

and all the characters we know and love make an appearance. But the actual plot is new, adventurous – and 

sort of a misfire. 

Tim Burton is certainly unique. He has his own style that no one else could hope to emulate. Because of 

this, I doubt that I was the only one who suspected that his Alice would be different than what we‘re used to. 

However, I don‘t think anyone was prepared for just how different it is. I knew the plot was going to be altered, 

but not to this degree – not to the point that it‘s an entirely new story. (You may be wondering why 

what I am saying directly contradicts what Logan said above - we disagree on just how much the story 

changed in this version. We invite viewers to make up their own minds on the matter). 

To be perfectly honest, I can‘t decide whether I like it or not. Burton should be applauded for his willingness 

to put a new spin on it, but at the same time, I feel like it‘s a little bit too different. A happy middle 

ground could have easily been reached, but Burton either didn‘t consider this or didn‘t care. The result is a 

film that struggles to maintain its identity. 

However, I do recommend this film to anybody curious enough to see it. The acting offered by Johnny 

Depp (Mad Hatter) and Helena Bonham Carter (the Red Queen) is top-notch and often humorous. In addition, 

as noted by several critics, it is visually stunning. If you can get past the altering of the story, the acting 

and general feel of the movie should make for an enjoyable experience. Give it a 

chance; just don‘t expect it to coincide perfectly with your childhood memories.

Student Center 



To Research or Not to Research? 


Business Manager 

Page 24 

As we continue to plunge into the world of controversy, we must stop and discuss stem-cell research. There are two types of stem-cells, embryonic and adult 

stem-cells. In order to create an embryonic stem-cell a human embryo must be destroyed, hence the controversy. Adult-stem cells are found in all adult tissues, 

but are not as effective at curing disease. Even though it is ―better‖ for research purposes to use embryonic stem cells, is this wrong? Well, yet again, the question 

is: When does life begin? If you believe life commences after the screaming and pushing and with the cry of the new born child; then stem-cell research is perfectly 

fine. After all, in that case, the embryo is just a mass of cells, not a human life. However if you believe that life begins at conception, then this research 

would be wrong. 

I believe that embryonic stem cell research is wrong because I know that life begins at conception. The Bible says ―For you created my inmost being; you knit 

me together in my mother's womb … I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.‖ (Psalms 139:13-14) The Bible says 

that God created you while you were in your mother‘s womb. Not only did he create your body, but the person inside. He created your inmost being; he created 

who you really are. He did all of this while you were still an embryo growing in your mother. You are a beautiful creation because the Lord‘s works are wonderful. 

So, how could stem-cell research be right? How could destroying an embryo be okay? For God has a plan for that embryo; it is a beautiful work of art. 

But don‘t take it from me. Listen to what two of your fellow Bearcats have to say about the controversy… 

While it may surprise you, I do oppose embryonic stem-cell research. 

I would like to follow this by saying I have recently 

changed my opinion on this matter. Unused embryos were once 

thrown away or used for research, but recently ―embryo adoption‖ 

has been developed to assist families who‘ve had trouble 

conceiving or starting a family. Previously, I believed that 

aborted embryos should be used for research rather than thrown 

away. No matter what the law states about creation of new embryos, 

private companies will always have the option to do so, 

which leaves the research open to scientists who feel it is acceptable. 

I believe that human life begins at conception, but I didn‘t 

factor that into my opinion—research states that adult stem-cells 

show the most promise, and we have the potential to help more families through 

embryonic adoption rather than spending money on research that could prove unfruitful. 

– Raine Blunk 

Personally, I‘m all for stem-cell research and 

here‘s why. There are countless diseases and 

ailments in the world that can be cured with the 

help of stem-cell research. While many people 

believe the stem cells only come from aborted 

fetuses, those miracle cells can also come from 

miscarriages and still-borns. As long as we‘re 

not killing babies for those stem cells, then I‘m 

totally for it. I mean, imagine a world where just 

about every disease known to man can be cured 

through stem-cell research. I think it‘s a miracle and a blessing, 

really. I just don‘t see the point in people saying it‘s an evil or unethical 

practice when fetuses are not being aborted just for stem-cell research. 

(That choice is completely up to the mother, in my opinion). 

Give stem-cell research a chance! – Josh Critselous 

Now it’s up to you. Right? Or Wrong? You decide. 

Want to express your opinion? Please email me at 

chatterbox@lincolnschools.org with your name and I 

will tell you next month’s topic.




Ask Carlos 

submitted by Carlos Wilson 

Student Counsel President 

How Should I Dance at Prom? 

Well ya see, it just depends. Most people believe you should dance accordingly and appropriately 

to the song; HOWEVER, I am in most affirmation that you should do your own 

thing. Thus, if Lady Gaga comes on, feel free to ―Moonwalk‖ and if Thriller comes on, by 

all means, ―Crank Dat Souljaboy.‖ And if Hannah Montana starts climbing mountains, then 

go ahead and FLEX! If the music is jerk‘in then start a trend and do the Hokey Pokey – Be 

different. Be yourself. Have fun. 

LISTEN UP: Ok, as many of you may or may not know, I have been an active advocate 

of the words SYLLOGISM, LEGIT, and my many SPARTAN allusions. It is time for a 

change. SYLLOGISMS are as of now overrated, and some of you aren‘t using the word correctly 

(*cough Mrs. Stephenson cough*). So now it is time to stop syllogizing and start employing 

legit METAPHORS (Meh‘Tah-Fors). Begin small and simple and use easy ones to 

compare things, then as you mature, start making in-depth metaphors that are deeper than 

oceans (that was a metaphor right there). Now to combat LEGIT- we are substituting it with 

―RIGHTY MITCHEOUS‖ (Ri-Tee-My- 

Chus). It is saying ―Mighty Righteous‖ but 

switching the word beginnings. For example: 

Yo, that test was righty mitcheous (hard). Yo, 

I did righty mitcheous on that test (good). Oh 

my gosh, that dress is so righty mitcheous 

(cute). Yeah man, I‘m in love, that girl is so 

righty mitcheous (amazing, beautiful, etc). 

And to put an end to this SPARTAN trend, 

we will now kill that with….psssh… oh wait! 

You can‘t kill a Spartan, so Spartan stays! 

Ask the Staff 

answered by Kori Teague 

Guest Staff Writer 

Q: Why do we have to turn in dance contracts? 

Page 25 

A: Well, mainly so that the administrators know that they can trust 

you at the dance. By signing the dance contract, you are agreeing to 

follow the rules and regulations on the night of the dance. Not only 

do you have to agree, but your parents do too. Therefore, you and 

your parents are accountable for what you do at the dance. It‘s not 

so bad. Just sign it, turn it in, follow the rules at the dance, and everything 

will be peachy.




FBLA – State Reporter Candidate 

submitted by Elizabeth Ashley Smith 

FBLA Sophomore Affairs Officer 

Hello RHS! My name is Elizabeth Ashley Smith, Ruston High School‘s candidate for FBLA State Reporter for the 

2010-2011 year. I am also running for our local chapter Secretary position for the 2010-2011 year. As Sophomore Affairs 

Officer of this current school year, I am honored to be considered for both positions by my adviser. This year has required 

much work, but it has really been a lot of fun. Mr. Bruner challenged me to run; I love a challenge, and I think that I am up 

to it! 

I will be devoting a lot of time preparing for my state campaign. By the time you read this, I will have already spent a 

few weeks preparing my speech, practicing my delivery, and establishing my agenda to earn the votes of the many delegates 

at the State Conference. I will also have prepared articles as a guest reporter for Chatterbox, and I will have already 

submitted my application to join Chatterbox next year. Until Spring Break, I will continue to work on this. 

During Spring Break, while many of you are vacationing (or just sleeping in late), I will be at the FBLA State Conference 

trying to win! Assisting me will be my campaign manager, Alex Osborne, and a host of supporters from both Ruston 

and Dubach High School. If I am successful at the State Conference, I intend to serve my chapter and Louisiana well as the 

Louisiana FBLA State Reporter. I know that I will be facing many more challenges as I become responsible for the publication 

of the Louisiana Leader and push to get Louisiana more coverage in our FBLA national publication, Tomorrow’s 

Business Leader. 

I look forward to representing Ruston High School and am proud of my chapter‘s accomplishments this year. I hope 

that I can bring one more accomplishment to Ruston High FBLA. To all of my fellow FBLA members who will be attending 

the State Conference – let‘s represent our school to our best ability – for ourselves, our advisers, and our school. 

Vive le Rapture 

By Seth Bentley 

Reporter 

Page 26 

Bioshock 2 Review 

If you care about video games at all, you already know and love the original Bioshock. If you don‘t, then you are the lowest kind of scum and most likely 

lack the faculty to even know that I‘m insulting you. So, the people that are still reading this do not need to be told that Bioshock 2 has arrived. It would be understandable 

if you have been nervous about the sequel‘s quality. After all, how could it ever hope to achieve the resonance of the first? Sequels in all mediums 

have a long history of disappointing fans of the original. I am pleased to report, however, that this is most certainly not the case with Bioshock 2. 

All the unique personality of the original is retained while still feeling like a different game. The biggest difference is probably the character you control. 

Subject Delta is the first functioning Big Daddy. And he is everything you might have hoped for. Unlike the Big Daddies from the first game, Delta is light and 

agile, and capable of using plasmids. He is also capable of using a weapon and a plasmid at the same time. The combat is familiar, albeit with the great improvement 

of melee capability with all weapons. Personally, having to switch to the wrench for melee was a tad irksome. This time, however, you will want to use the 

wrench. And by wrench, I mean the hand-mounted pneumatic drill made famous by the Bouncers. Enough said. 

One of my favorite improvements is the new hacking mechanic. The first game‘s pipe dream puzzles became very 

tiresome by the end of the game. This time around, the hacking game is simply to stop a moving arrow within a green or 

blue segment. It now happens in real time, however, so you must be aware of your surroundings. Another fun feature is 

the ability to upgrade your favorite plasmids to gain new effects. Upgrading Incinerate! will turn it into an explosion or 

a flamethrower, while improving Telekinesis will let you grapple live Splicers. 

Amongst your greatest concerns, I‘m sure, is whether or not the narrative meets the bar set by Ken Levine‘s masterful 

storytelling in the first Bioshock. While 2K Marin is the new developer, they have faithfully transitioned the original‘s 

theme. The storyline is quite distinct from the original and has its fair share of plot twists. I found it to be very satisfying, 

though of course such things are a matter of taste. 

You may have also heard that Bioshock 2 also has a multiplayer option. It was developed by Digital Extremes, 

whom you might recall as the producers of the PS3 port of Bioshock. It is a well-crafted experience, but nothing spectacular. 

It has a very Bioshock flavor, however, so is still quite enjoyable. It‘s a great way to get your Bioshock fix without 

playing through the single player game multiple times. 

So the bottom line is that Bioshock 2 is a worthy successor to the franchise. If you loved the first game, you‘ll love 

this one. If you didn‘t love the first game, you are an abominable monster who does not belong on this earth. So would 

you kindly return to Rapture?

Sponsors/Staff 



2009-2010 Chatterbox Sponsors 

Platinum Level Sponsors: ($200 +) Mark Bartlett, LLC 

First National Bank 

RHS PTA (Grant) 

Alan and Penny Boyd 

Gold Level Sponsor: ($100 - $199) RHS FBLA, Chapter 617 

Silver Level Sponsor: ($50 - $99) RHS Business Department 

Lloyd and Christy Bruner 

Bronze Level Sponsor: ($25 - $49) Caleb and Adrian Seney 

Sharon Bentley 

Page 27 

Business/Organization 

2009-2010 Chatterbox Advertisers 

Owner/Manager/Contact Agent Page of Advertisement 

Project Achieve Cathi Cox 2 

Blue Wire Electronics Richard Marie 2 

Driver‘s Education Coach Durrett 3 

BESTWAY Michael Kolb 5 

Portraits Plus Tim Garlington 15 

Pizza Inn Scott Braswell 16 

Pow Wow Manuel and Nilda Chinchilla 17 

Follette Pottery Libby Follette 17 

Piney Hills Music Nick Goff 18 

Kevin Beasley Photography Kevin Beasley 18 

Ruston‘s Locker Room Yvonne Craft 29 

Nora‘s Flowers Carren Craft 31 

Rapid Signs Mike Stevens 31 

_____________The House of Flowers___________ _______________Lenae Bell________________ ___________________31___________________ 

Ruston MMA/ATA 

Shaun McKay 

32 

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 chatterbox@lincolnschools.org 

2009-2010 RHS Chatterbox Staff 

Senior Editor Logan Taylor Senior 

News Editor Drew Boyd Senior 

Graphics/Design Editor Devin Easley Senior 

Senior Reporter Jessica Herren Senior 

Reporter Seth Bentley Senior 

Reporter Anna Garland Senior 

Business Manager Sarah Kilpatrick Senior 

Sports Editor Christian Amos Junior 

Reporter Natasha Alva Junior 

Reporter Stephany Arias Junior 

Reporter/Photographer Amber Brown Junior 

Reporter Alyssa Moore Junior 

Adviser/Sponsor: Mr. Lloyd R. Bruner, chatterbox@lincolnschools.org 

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 Louisiana Scholastic Press for student journalism. 

In addition, if a reasonable basis or the 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 

Dr., Ruston, LA 71270. 

Access the current edition of the Chatterbox at: http://rustonhigh.lincolnschools.org/whatsnew.html 

Access archived editions of the Chatterbox at: http://rustonhigh.lincolnschools.org/chatterbox.html

Just For Fun 


Can you figure out the restaurant sign? 

St. Patrick 

Leprechaun 

Clovers 

Green 

Pot of gold 

Rainbow 

Luck 

Pinch 

Irish 


March 18, 2010 

Page 28 

♣ ST. PATRICKS DAY ♣ 

L O N G L H V C P P 

L E A E S U L R A O 

G V P I E O C Z T T 

K V R R V R B K R M 

P I L E E W G I I H 

T H R M H C R C C C 

M S G O L D H F K N 

W O B N I A R A J I 

Z I G P N E Q Z U P 

B T Q Z H T V H D N

Sports 



Butler and Richardson Dominate 

Page 29 

Indoors 

RHS Baseball is Smoking! 


Sports Editor 


Sports Editor 

Ruston Track and Field got off to a great start with two Bearcats earning 

fine results at the High School Last Chance Qualifier and LHSAA Indoor 

State Championship meets hosted by LSU. Senior Colleen Butler has a current 

personal best in the high jump (4‘ 8‖) and in pole vault (10‘ 6‖). Butler 

met the national silver standard at the High School Last Chance Qualifier 

with a season best of 11‘ 0‖. Butler also placed 3 rd in pole vaulting. At the 

LHSAA Indoor State Championship this Lady Cat again met the national 

silver standard with a season best of 10‘ 10‖. She earned six points while 

pole vaulting through the air. 

Along with Colleen Butler, junior Nick Richardson earned a season best 

of 12‘ 4‖ at the High School Last Chance Qualifier, finishing in 7 th . Richardson 

improved one place to 6 th at the LHSAA Indoor State Championship. He 

repeated a season best of 12‘ 4‖. Richardson then improved his current personal 

best to 13‘ 6‖ at the NSU meet. 

**For more info on RHS Track and Field see Page 30. 

Lady Bearcats Scare Competition 


Sports Editor 

The Bearcat diamond is smoking with excellent plays from RHS‘s very 

own Baseball Squad. The guys have been capturing some promising victories 

the past couple of weeks, with only a small rough patch. At their season 

opener the Bearcats out-hit the Haughton Buccaneers 6-2. With Senior 

Pitcher at the mound it was indeed a promising win. After losing three 

straight matches at the East Ascension Tourney, the Bearcat Squad 

bounced back and smacked Captain Shreve 12-2. In the very first inning 

Ruston scored five points on Haughton. Ruston finished the sixth inning 

by rolling in two runners to end the game and sent the Bucs packing. The 

Cats will be traveling to Ouachita to bring the heat to the Ouachita Tourney. 

The next home match will be March 25 at 6:00 against rivals Neville. 

Good luck Bearcats on your future games! 

It‘s been a great start for the RHS Lady Cats softball team. On February 15, a sunny Monday afternoon, the Airline Lady Vikings traveled to the Bearcat 

Diamond for a great match. Airline lead off with a few runs but it didn‘t take the Lady Bearcats long to come back and sink the Lady Viks. With hard 

hits from seniors Katie Johnson, Kelby Smith, Karley Newsom, and 

Allison Christian, Ruston set the final score to 8-3, a Lady Cat victory. 

After an unsetting trip to Marshall, Texas (9-4), the Ladies bounced 

back as they traveled to Winnfield, LA and defeated Alexander Senior 

High. February 25 th was another promising victory for the squad as they 

hosted Captain Shreve. The Lady Cats were lead by Katie Johnson with 

strike-outs all over the diamond. Northwood was another victim to the 

Lady Cats‘ threat in a home match scored 8-0. Junior Jessica Goulart 

pitched a stunning game, only letting one hit go by and striking out the 

rest. Good job Lady Cats.

Sports 

At the NSU State Relays held March 6, the first outdoor track meet for 

Ruston‘s Track and Field, our girls‘ sprint medley relay team broke the old 

record by five seconds. This team consisted of four Lady Cats: Chasidy 

Criswell, Chelsea Jenkins, Madison Meyer, and Anna Hall. With fifteen first 

place victories and Ruston possessing some very impressive freshmen runners, 

these Bearcats and Lady Bearcats displayed their athleticism on the 

campus of NSU. 

The girls 4,000 meter distance medley team came in at second place with 

a time of 13:38:57. In the girls triple jump, senior Jasmine Rooks got first 

place, jumping 34 feet. Junior Elizabeth Eddy used her strength to throw the 

shot put 28 feet 6 inches, finishing in third place. Eddy also placed second in 

discus throw (81 feet 2 inches). Ruston‘s girls 4x200 meter relay team bypassed 

Captain Shreve, Northwood, and Evangel, running a time of 1:45.18. 

In the 4x400 meter category Ruston obtained second place with a time of 

4:33.70. First place in girls 1600 meter sprint goes to RHS, with a time of 

4:31.90. Senior Colleen Butler pole vaulted 10 feet 6 inches. Along with taking 

first place, Butler met the National Silver Standard at the NSU relays. In 

girls javelin, junior Mary Glen Lyons threw for 96 feet 4 inches for first 

place. Another junior, Haven Shroeder, placed first in the girls 1600 meter 

run, running 5:55.84. Sophomore Tracy Evans placed first in the girls low 



Borsema Places Fifth 

Page 30 


Sports Editor 

Congratulations to junior Aaron Boresma for placing 5 th in the Frenchman‘s Bend Golf tournament. Boresma was 

one of several other Bearcats that participated in the tournament on March 5th. He represented RHS well at the tourney 

among other schools. Be sure to support your Bearcats and Lady Bearcats in their upcoming tournament at Calvert 

Crossing Country Club to be held March 25th at 1:00 p.m. GO CATS! 

Bearcat Track and Field at Northwestern State Relays 


Sports Editor 

God Cares 

submitted by Kate Warner 

FCA Leader 

Your biggest problems in life seem to hit you 

the hardest when you least expect it. For example, 

you‘re feeling great because you just got 

home from a conference in Washington D.C. You 

met some awesome people who clearly have the 

same ideals as you. You have some great friends 

who wanted to hang out as soon as you got home, 

and plus, it‘s summer! Life‘s great. But before 

you hang out you have a doctor‘s appointment. 

You go to the doctor and find out you have a lifethreatening 

disease. If not treated properly, you 

could undergo serious health problems in the future. 

This news hits you like a wall, shattering 

many of your plans for the rest of the summer. 

These kinds of things happen all the time; in fact, 

it happened to me. I was diagnosed with a kidney 

disease in late July, after undergoing surgery to 

be sure of it. My life was turned upside down. I 

have had to take extremely high doses of prednisone 

since August of 2009. My diet changed because 

I cannot eat foods with salt and protein in 

it. (I can only have certain amounts of salt and 

protein a day). Also, I have to take Lisinopril 

which is a blood pressure medicine. When I received 

the news, I was shattered and broken. If I 

did not take care of myself, I would have to have 

B 

E 

A 

R 

C 

A 

T 

S 

hurdles. Evans obtained another first place in the girls 100 

meter hurdles with 18.03 seconds as her time. Overall, the 

RHS girls Track and Field got a total of seven first place victories! 

Not only did the Ruston girls have some impressive scores; the boys stood 

out well also, starting off with having three freshmen claim top honors. 

Freshman Dylan Maud claimed first in the boys 3200 meter run with a time 

of 11:20.32, just five seconds ahead of his teammate Jessie Joyner (11:25.94). 

Maud dashed past upperclassmen from numerous schools in this category. 

Freshman Dominique Cheffin came in third in the 1600 meter run with 

5:02.02 as his time. Freshman Devin Price, brother of Senior Don Price, competed 

in two events: long and high jump. Devin Price got high ratings as he 

claimed third place in the high jump (5 feet 8 inches). Senior Baraka Murimi 

claimed first in the boys 110 hurdles (15.35 sec). In the finals of the boys 

pole vault, Nick Richardson soared first place at 13 feet 6 inches with fellow 

junior Davon Jones right behind him in second. Don Price proceeded to first 

in the boys triple jump and junior Matt Poole to third. Last but not least, senior 

duo Greg Malek and Josh James (with only a few feet between each other) 

came in first in the discus throw (125 feet) and second (123 feet) respectively. 

Ruston proved not only to have excellent senior leadership, but also contains 

many high hopes in the freshman, sophomore, and junior classes. 

a kidney transplant if the disease worsened. 

Thankfully my disease is treatable even though it 

is a very rare case of kidney disease. Through this 

hard time, God has kept me on my knees. I am 

realizing I am not in control of my life. God 

brought me to this verse: 2 Corinthians 12:9 says 

―my grace is sufficient for you, for my power is 

made perfect in weakness.‖ So, because of my 

disease God has made me perfect. He works 

through me still. I realize I may have medical 

issues, but my Father loves me and has a plan for 

me. He is always there for me, and He is for you 

as well.

Sports 



End of Season Soccer Stats 

Page 31 


Reporter 

The Bearcat soccer season has come to its conclusion. Both the boys‘ and girls‘ soccer teams had successful seasons. The Lady Bearcats finished with 

a final record of 16-6 and a 2-1 record in regionals. During the season, a total of 68 goals were scored. Interestingly, only 16 goals were scored against 

our teams. Congratulations go out to Cecilia Acosta, who is the first Lady Bearcat to sign on to play soccer for Tech. This opportunity is completely deserved 

as Cecilia was a very hardworking and valuable player for the team. Hopes and wishes to her success! 

Also, we say farewell to this year‘s departing seniors: Cecilia Acosta (#13), Keigan Duckett (#14), Katherine Hill (#20), Katie Hipp (#4), April Salsberry 

(#10), Destiny Roberts (#19), Daniel Cason (#3), Joel Gwan (#24), Tae Kinsey (#2), Josh McIntire (#17), Francisco Medina (#5), Scott Pumphrey 

(#12), Bruce Rushing (#11), JoJo Siegmund (#14), Carlos Wilson (#25), Bevan Cline (#7), Baraka Murimi (#23), and Raymond Walker (#35). Thank you 

for your contributions to your teams and to the school, and for all players who have soccer in their futures, good luck!

Sports 



Girls Basketball Ends in 3 rd Round 


Sports Editor 

Congrats are in order for Lady Bearcat Basketball for finishing 

strong in the 4-A state championship race. The Lady Cats 

finished 1 st in district 2-4A. Unfortunately, the Lady Bearcats 

lost to number one state-ranked Vanderbilt Catholic in the 3 rd 

round of playoffs on February 25 th . The final score of the game 

was 29-52. 

Two weeks before the loss to Vanderbilt, the Ladies faced 

Minden at home. The Lady Bearcats ―ROLLED‖ the Tide back 

down the interstate with a 55-38 victory over Minden. The next 

week Ruston hosted Beau Chen. The Lady Gators brought their 

choppers, the Bearcats brought their claws, and it was a great 

game to see. The Lady Gators came out scoring. The Bearcats 

quickly responded with By‘ronisha Santiago going into ―beast 

mode‖ against the frame. In the last fifteen seconds of the game 

the score was Ruston 51, Beau Chen 52. With the support of Nakedra 

Hendrix, Chantia ―Pokey‖ Spivey, Brittany Buggs, and 

Jamekia Franklin, Ruston won in overtime when Santiago made 

two for two of her free throws before the final buzzer. The Lady 

Cats defeated Beau Chen 53-52. 

Ruston ATA MMA 

205 North Service Road East 

Ruston , LA 71270 

318– 513-9853 

One Free Week to first 10 

Ruston High students. 

Page 32 

Rule the Cage and the Streets

Chatterbox - Ruston High School - Lincoln Parish School Board

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