The Gata Data ST. AMANT HIGH SCHOOL 12035 HIGHWAY 431, ST. AMANT, LA 70774 SEPTEMBER 2023 Gator Rally boosts school spirit BY: SAVANNAH MATLOCK Gata Data Reporter From Fan Friday and an enthusiastic Pit Crew to bringing back old traditions like pep rallies, Gator Rally is reviving the school spirit that was lost during the pandemic. for a After losing the most social events three years ago, some students in Gator Rally agree that St. Amant High School pride is due or a resurgence. "I think with Covid school spirit has definitely decreased," says Junior Ali McCormick, a member of Gator Rally. "We couldn't have pep rallies, football games weren't a thing and a lot of times, people won't go to to homecoming dances since it has just been a tradition." McCormick emphasizes the importance of having school spirit, it is what students will saying that it is most remember about their high school experience. Dressing up for game themes, being in the student section, participating in Homecoming or EA week and to pep rallies, STA would not going be the same without its opportunities to show school pride. "If you have pride in something, then you respect it more and do everything you can to make it the best," says Joleigh Hartman, a sponsor of Gator Rally. "If we provide the campus a little spirit, The Gators home opener on Friday, September I was a blowout, with a 45-20 victory over G.W. Carver. Early in the game, starting quarterback, Cooper Babin, suffered an injury that left him out for the rest of the game. Luckily for the Gators, veteran Senior quarterback Chase Kelley came in for the save to lead the dominant offensive performance over the visiting Rams. Kelley completed 14 of 20 passes, and totaled 195 passing yards and two touchdowns by the end of the game. we hope that it inspires all students to have pride and spirit for the Gator Nation." Some revision is in process for Gator Rally this year. The continuation of Fan Fridays is a big push for the club, with some changes in the overall concept. A new partnership with the Pit Crew, St. Amant's section leaders, student is contributing to some of Gator Rally's new ideas f for boosting enthusiasm during games. Club members are hoping to bring back older traditions like pep rallies, which, if approved, would be held more often. Hartman even mentioned some surprises in store for students to be excited about this year. Five minutes into the first quarter, Kelley threw a 24-yard pass to Senior Easton Jarreau, completing the first of many touchdowns for the Gators." "New year. New members. New mindset," says Hartman, "We are keeping that the students are the ones whose voices are heard. Providing the faculty, staff and students of STA some pride and fun is what we are really all about." She adds that she loves seeing student ideas come to life and, as a former member herself, watching students have the passion as she did. Gator Rally is open for any student who wants to join, which can be done by texting @stagatora to #81010 to join the Remind. Hartman recommends any student who wants to find their voice on "Chase Kelley has been a soldier for us. Coming in off the bench after starting for us last year, I can't say enough about that guy," says Oliver. "The hardest thing to do once you join a team is to sacrifice for a teammate and he did that...and I'll tell you what, he came up huge tonight. I was thrilled." Kelley steps in for injured Babin in 45-20 victory over G.W. Carver BY: SAVANNAH MATLOCK AND HANNAH ROGILLIO Gata Data Reporter The Gator defense held Carver scoreless for most of the first half, while the offense amassed me three consecutive touchdowns. "I was really pleased with the intensity of the first half," Oliver says. The defense asserted their dominance as they recovered three Carver "DJ" Smith. Senior defensive lineman Jaiyh Joseph forced two Carver fumbles. Just four seconds into the second quarter, Senior running back Kyron Craft ran in a second touchdown, and three minutes STAFF PHOTO BY HANNAH ROGILLIO later Junior receiver Senior Chase Kelley leads the Gator offense in dominant. Timothy STAFF PHOTO BY HANNAH ROGILLO The Gator student section at the Friday, September 1 football game. Johnson hauled in a Kelley 26-yard pass, giving the Gators a 21-0 lead. G.W. Carver finally scored their first touchdown with eight minutes left in the second quarter, GATOR TERRITORY campus to become a member. If students are not interested in joining Gator Rally, even just contributing to STA's many school-spirited events is encouraged. McCormick says, "Attend football games, repost flyers, dress up for the themes and go all out, don't be embarrassed." fumbles, one from Senior Braxton Trabeau and two for Senior Damon down when but Craft responded with a rushing touchdown just three minutes later putting the Gators up 28-6. The Gators weren't done yet. With just 26 seconds left in the first half, Jarreau kicked a 25-yard field goal, giving St. Amant a 25-point lead going into the half The slowme it entered the third quarter, but halfway through, Junior Tyree Williams snagged the fifth touchdown for the Gators. "I thought we lost a lot of intensity in the second half and started playing at their tempo instead of our tempo," Oliver said. "We're gonna have to work on that intensity in the second half." However, Williams had a successful outing, amassing 95 yards on 11 carries and scoring two touchdowns for the Gators. Hartman urges students to do the same, "Be a kid and have fun. This is the time of your life when you can laugh at yourself. Scream for the Gators. Dance at lunch during Fan Fridays and simply have fun." The Rams took their second touchdown in the fourth quarter, but their high note didn't last long because just four minutes later Williams quieted the visiting Rams with an impressive 54-yard touchdown, giving the gators a commanding 31-point lead. More than half way through the last quarter, the Rams scored S STAFF PHOTO BY HANNAH ROGILLIO Senior Jaiyh Joseph forces fumble. their third and final touchdown, but it was too little too late as the Gators closed with a 45-20 defeat over Carver, a promising start to the 23-24 football season for St. Amant High School. "I am happy that we got a win," Oliver said. "There is some stuff we definitely need to clean up...but it's always easy to fix these things after a victory." The Gators look to continue their streak this Friday, September 8 at The Pit as they take on visiting B.T. Washington, who are looking to bounce back from a 43-34 loss to the Salmen Spartans.
September 2023 DECA season is arriving BY: XYAN DOBARD Gata Data Reporter With the new school year kicking off, clubs and sports are starting up again, and one of St. Amant's emerging clubs is the DECA club. DECA is the business club here at St. Amant that covers nearly all aspects of business. This is a great introduction into the world of business and entrepreneurship for all grade levels as it covers marketing, finance, business administration. DECA is often misunderstood as just the club that just makes cookies or a club where you have to dress up in a suit and tie all the time. But DECA is an opportunity to introduce students into the world of business and entrepreneurship. DECA attends multiple conferences throughout the year, providing club members with various networking opportunities and an introduction into the world of business. One of these conferences includes the all the leadership conference at the end of October, to prepare DECA leaders. To do this, BY: DANIELLE DARVILLE Gata Data Reporter Flag football is a variant of American football where. instead of tackling plavers to the ground. the defensive team must remove a flag or flag belt from the ball carrier "deflagging" to end a down. Flag football for girls refers to a modified version of football where plavers wear flags or belts that are pulled by defenders in lieu of tackling, as previously mentioned. First and foremost, introducing girl flag football It is officially volleyball season at STA and the Lady Gators are hoping to repeat last year's successful season by taking home the district championship for the second year in a row. The volleyball program is highly respected in the community and this can be accredited to Head Coach Chandra Ewen, who has been head of the program for the last three years. In order to prepare for the 23' season, the team spent all summer in the weightroom, held practices 3-4 days a week, and even attended team camp at Berry College in Georgia. All of this was done in efforts to start gelling and meshing together as a team before the season starts," says Ewen. students will participate in team events to develop necessary skills to be a leader of DECA. With the loss of nine seniors last year that made up most of the starting lineup, the team has had to make many adjustments not only in skill, but in leadership. "This year, the team is very receptive to coaching and while we lost some skill and leadership with the seniors last year leaving, other people have stepped in pretty quickly to fill those spots." says Ewen. All students are welcome to join DECA, as club sponsor Claudia Gremillion explains, "As long as they show up when they need to, like at the competitions... but they can do as much or as little as they want." Some strengths of the new team include communication between players and teamwork. This is really important in the game of volleyball because every skill performed on the court can't be done without the help of the other players. Ewen says, "I think that I can't really pinpoint any dominant players since no player can OPINION Should flag football be an official school sport? promotes gender equality by providing equal opportunities for girls to participate in sports. It encourages inclusivity and breaks down traditional gender stereotypes, allowing girls to explore and excel in a sport that has typically been dominated by boys. Mrs. Gremillion also shared her experiences with past students who were active in STA extracurriculars. She spoke about last year's student of the year, Ephraim Craddock's, experience with the club. "The student of the year that was a part of DECA... he was involved with Gymnastics wrestling, he was involved with every club on campus so he couldn't make the meeting when we had it... but he showed up at the state conference, and won both of his competitions." Gremillion's example goes to show that regardless of how busy your schedule may be, DECA is still a great opportunity for young entrepreneurs and business minded students. Furthermore, participating in flag football helps girls develop important physical and mental skills. Flag football improves their overall fitness, promotes coordination, and enhances their teamwork and communication abilities. It also instills discipline, resilience, and GATOR GYMNASTICS TRYOUTS STAMANT THURSDAY SEPTEMBER Senior Amaya Evans serves. do their job without passers, setters and all hitters in the front row. I think we are very well balanced skill-wise this year and every player contributes differently." 21ST @ 6:30 PM Where: AIM Ewen used to be the assistant volleyball coach at Dutchtown, which has played a part in creating an exciting rivalry. "The natural rivalry we have with EA makes for a fun game but the tension we have built with Dutchtown over the years is probably the main focus for the girls." Dutchtown is always a close match and the competitive energy is high. In order to take the title of district Volleyball is ready to serve up another winning season BY: MIA WEBB Gata Data Reporter champs this year and beat the biggest rivals, "we need to improve on the defensive side of the ball," says Ewen. "The team is working on blocking more in practice and putting more hands on the ball, and getting more consistent in setting since one of our setters is a freshman and the other is a returning junior just coming off of an injury. SVE THE DATE UPDATED PHYSICALIS NEEDED. SCAN THIS QR CODE TO COMPLETE THE TRYOUT GOOGLE FORM perseverance attributes that are valuable both on and off the field. Introducing girl flag football at school also fosters a sense of belonging and community. t creates a supportive environment where girls can engage in healthy competition and learn important life lessons such as sportsmanship and fair play. Moreover, adding girl flag football benefits educational institutions. It offers another avenue for students to showcase their talents and represent their school in competitions, boosting overall pride and camaraderie among students, Page 2 Overall, the Lady Gators and Ewen are excited for this season and hope that student support improves at the games this year. "The girls think that student support is really important, says Ewen "when we travel to local games and our own crowd is there, it absolutely makes a difference in the energy of the game." The Lady Gators hope for a good season, but are expecting a slow start with lots of adjustments needing to be made in the parents, and the community. Adding girl flag football in school is a progressive step towards gender equality, fostering physical and mental development, building inclusive communities, and promoting a lifelong commitment to physical well-being. By embracing this opportunity, schools car empower girls, promote diversity, and create a more inclusive and balanced society. Head volleyball coach Chandra Ewen. earlier games. Ewen encourages the crowd to "have patience in the beginning, but be hopeful that we will finish strong. www
September 2023 Page 3 Motives and goals for the upcoming Cross Country season BY: ELIZABETH LANGSTON Gata Data Reporter St. Amant High School's Cross Country team is preparing for their upcoming season and working toward meeting new expectations for the year. Head Coach Tanya Whitney has been in of the Cross Country team since the charge 2000's. Whitney speaks upon her goals for he early team in the upcoming 2023 Cross Country season. Whitney says, For my returners I just for the want to see improvement. For my newcomers I just want to see them be able to run the 3 miles, and work on on getting their times down." Whitney also says, "Runners strive in making goals and them". achieving t Cross country is made up of a series of hard dedicated runners, and it is not without its challenges. Whitney expresses, "It's a sport where you have to do your best, it's not a team sport." Individual runners are challenged in tasking themselves on running to the best of their ability and chasing their goal times. "You're in charge of how good or how bad you do,” Whitney says. "You can't hold anyone else responsible for doing bad." BY: AVERY LAMBERT Gata Data Reporter AP vs. DE At St. Amant High School, there are several Advanced Placement(AP) and Dual Enrollment (DE) courses provided for students who are looking to advance their future college career. However, most students are unaware of what these classes are about and the benefits they have. AP, advanced placement classes, allow for students students to earn college credit prior to graduation. With these courses, students will learn about a college-level class for a semester with their high school teacher before taking a final exam that will determine whether or not they gain the college credit. With DE, dual enrollment classes, students are also able to earn college credit and get a head gaining college credit start with while still being in high school. However, wit the DE courses, students are given an actual college instructor who will assign college quizzes and assignments. Instead of focusing on one college take your you regular high school class along with your college class. PHOTO BY ELIZABETH LANGSTON Sophomore Gage Cook and Junior Tristan Bailey compete in the Bayou Boogie Race. Junior Jacob Angel, a student who's taken both AP and DE courses, focuses on the advantages of taking these challenging courses while in high school. Having a high school teacher focus on a small group," Angel says, "is so much easier than having 600+ students in your class." Runners are tasked with preparing themselves to run three miles on a variety of AP, there is a test and the test gives you college credit, whereas DE is going to have a series of activities, essays and assignments that completion above or at adequate, gives you a letter grade for college," says Feigles. "For AP, you can earn college credit, but there's no letter grade. DE you earn college credit with a letter grade. aught bourse, so your both a These courses can also differ when it comes to the teaching style. Your high school teacher is responsible for teaching an AP course and has full control when it comes to mes to how the material is taught, whereas with DE, you're school so your high school teacher will be be allowed to teach your high sch school course, but not the college course. DE college courses are taught by actual college professors, but with high school teachers only being able to facilitate what's being taught by profess with Advanced Placement AMANT and courses, the AP test is typically taken in order to receive college credit, which is done by scoring a 3 or higher. In some DE courses, the College-Level Examination Program is given to receive college credit you score a 50 or higher, depending on a student's University or College. ver, in other DE courses, a CLEP test is not necessary and you get college credit regardless. CLEP isn't only for DE courses. "You can can always, with AP, take a CLEP test, and that too can earn earn you credit. So in the AP the courses, if If you take a CLEP and score a 50 or higher, then that does, in many cases, give edit." you college says Feigles. With Dual Enrollment classes, the Kristen Feigles, a teacher GPA always follows you to at STA, teaches AP Language and college so keeping track of your and grade is extra important. Composition, English DE 161 Prep. When asked about the I definitely challenge educational benefits students to take an AP of taking AP and DE classes, Feigles says, "It's class," says s Feigles. If you're the challenge that it presents to interested in taking an AP or DE and they are course, you can visit St. Amant's curriculum guide online at prepared for the college environment and stamanthigh.ascensionschools.org to view all of STA's available courses and decide if Advanced Placement or Dual Enrollment is for you. Angel also mentions the similarities between the courses. "The workload is almost the same with both involving very difficult questions. I'd say the people in your classes are also the same in the sense that only a portion of kids take AP and DE courses. or as rigor and deadlines rience as far AP and DE are also very different from one another. "With different terrain. The terrain that follows the upcoming race days are grassy fields, hills, gravel roads, softball parks, Cain fields and many more. Cross Country season ranges from the first day of school to the beginning of November. Some challenges the runners have faced this upcoming season are the high temperatures. The temperatures have affected the team's ability to run at the scheduled practice time. It's important to understand the many aspects needed to be a successful runner. When going into a race you not only have to be physically fit, but you have to have a clear mindset. Senior Runner Caleb Willams says, "Being a runner is mostly physical fitness, but how tough you are mentally can control your outcome." The difference of being focused as opposed to being not, according to Williams, can make all the difference for a cross country athlete. Being a part of a team is filled with its challenges. The 2023 Cross Country teams goal is to face these challenges this upcoming season. Homecoming at STA Sweet Moments in Gatorland Saturday, September 30, 2023 8:00pm - 11:00pm St. Amant High School Commons Bracelets $10 per person in advance; available for purchase September 20, 21, and 22 during both lunch periods. Cash or credit/debit (credit/debit payments will be charged and additional $1 transaction fee) Tickets will be $15 per person at the door. (if available) One STA student ID must be shown per couple. NO RE-ENTRY Sponsored by the STA Band Boosters HOMECOMING WEEK 2023 Sweet Moments Tuesday Wednesday Monday 3 Musketeers SQUAD DAY Starburst DRESS AS A CELEBRITY Sweet Tart OPPOSITES DAV DRESS AS ROYALTY Thursday Candyland Friday Skittles CLASS COLOR WARS FRESHMEN - YELLOW SOPHOMORES - RED UNIORS - GREEN SENIORS-PURPLE
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