Feb 9, 2021
Despite a shortened season, the Lady Panther basketball team improved their season win total from 5 wins during the 2019-2020 season to 12 wins this season. The Lady Panthers finished the season with a 12-7 record, just falling short of the LHSAA Class 5A Playoffs.
The Lady Panthers were led by five underclassmen this season. Brianna Johnson, who is the Lady Panthers only senior, will be missed; however, the Lady Panthers will continue to build with the returning underclassmen.
“I am very excited about the future of this program,” explained Coach Kohn. “We are only losing Brianna Johnson. I am hoping we can build on the success we enjoyed this season and have an even better season next year.”
Sophomore forward Regan McDowell averaged a double-double for the Lady Panthers this season, averaging 14 points and 10 rebounds a game. Junior Quaindra Bell and sophomore Celine Thomas, along with the freshman duo of Ra’Nya Smith and Tralyn Riley, all helped to lead a balanced offensive attack for the Lady Panthers.
“We have five underclassmen who led us this year,” added Kohn. “We finished the season with eleven girls in the program, and we hope to continue to build with those girls.”
Included in the Lady Panthers 12 wins were two overtime wins. The Lady Panthers defeated Family Christian and Catholic-Point Coupee in games that showed Coach Kohn and the Lady Panthers that they were learning to win.
Feb 1, 2021
There is a new club available to students seeking to mix athletics with leadership opportunities.
The Community Sports Leadership Club is a new school club that provides opportunities for Woodlawn High School, Woodlawn Middle School, and Woodlawn Elementary School students to collaborate in community and sports leadership activities and career exploration.
The club plans to host special guest speakers who can share positive information from their athletic, educational, career, and community leadership experiences.
Members of the club will be invited to participate in Coed Intramural Sports and Community Outreach Events. These events will be an opportunity to engage students in fun, collaborative activities while touching on important teen related issues, information, and resources.
The Community Sports Leadership Club held its first even on Sunday, January 31st. Members of the club were able to participate in the Coed Basketball Battle. Shannon Clavelle, who played with the Green Bay Packers in Super Bowl XXXI, was the special guest speaker.
Club members also have the opportunity to be awarded a $200 scholarship through the Mitchell Basketball Lab. Members can find information on the scholarship on the Club Google Classroom.
For more information on the Community Sports Leadership Club, students are encouraged to contact Ms. Mitchell at [email protected].
Jan 6, 2021
Senior Harrison Breland-Triche has been named the 2020-2021 Student of the Year at Woodlawn High School. Harrison, who is a part of the Academically Gifted program and a School Ambassador, has distinguished himself as an academic scholar and leader at Woodlawn High. His high aptitude and intrinsic motivation helped him to achieve academically, and his innate leadership abilities and selflessness shaped his involvement in school and community activities.
His academic achievements include being named an AP Scholar for the 2019 and 2020 school years and achieving the rank of first in his cohort. Harrison was on the Principal’s List for honor roll every semester of high school and was named a district finalist for Student of the Year this year. He has scored at the highest level on all standardized assessments and maintained nearly perfect attendance, only missing a single day in his high school career. Harrison has continually challenged himself academically by taking Advanced Placement, Dual Enrollment, and Academically Gifted coursework, and he has achieved a current GPA of 4.57 from successfully earning straight As in these courses.
Harrison has exhibited academic strength in all core areas. He has served as Captain of the Woodlawn High Quiz Bowl team for the past three school years. However, Harrison has a passion for STEM with plans to possibly pursue a career in a science or math-related field. Early in his high school career, he played an integral role in the STEM program at Woodlawn High, serving as Build Captain for the FIRST Robotics Team as a sophomore and helping facilitate the Red Stick Rumble, one of the largest robotics competitions in the state.
His talents extend well-beyond the academic classroom to his involvement in athletics and the arts as well. As the Varsity Swim Team Captain, he has led his team to qualify for the state swim meet multiple seasons, where he has set personal and school records. His swim coach praises his natural ability, both in the water and with helping his teammates improve their techniques. This peer leadership can also be noted in his participation in the school’s marching and concert bands, where he serves as Trombone Section Leader and First Chair. In a normal year, Harrison would spend his Friday nights leading his peers in the football stands and on the field at half-time. Similar to the swim team, the marching band has received many accolades at festival, regional and state competitions.
Harrison has a more reserved demeanor, but his desire to openly serve his school and community is clear through his involvement as a Gifted School Ambassador, member of National Honor Society, and organizer of an American Cancer Society’s Relay for Life team. As a Gifted School Ambassador, he represents the school at recruitment events, gives school tours, and advocates for the Academically Gifted Program. Through NHS, he has played a major role in the school’s recycling campaign project, volunteered at pet adoption events, and assisted with the Louisiana Special Olympics competition. By organizing his own Relay for Life Team, year after year, Harrison has been able to organize and facilitate events that have raised thousands of dollars to support cancer research for the American Cancer Society. Harrison believes giving back to others has played an important role in shaping him into the person he is today.
Dec 15, 2020
The Woodlawn High School ICare Club used their meeting time during Club Days discussing how they could help the local community. They decided to sponsor a Food Drive.
With the help of their ICare sponsors, Mrs. Singletary and Mrs. Tietje, members of the club discovered that the Baton Rogue Food Bank was in desperate need of food items. Several devastating hurricanes and COVID-19 had taken their toll on the Food Bank’s supplies.
Students in the club promoted the Food Drive on their own, creating digital art, posters for the campus, and by spreading the word. They also decided to sponsor a competition between first hour classes, promising free dress and donuts as rewards!
After two weeks of collecting goods, our Panthers had donated over 2,000 non-perishable goods to donate to the Baton Rouge community during the holidays.
Mrs. Singletary expressed how pleased she and Mrs. Tietje were with the results of the drive.
“We are so proud of the ICare students for how hard they worked, and of Panther Nation for giving to those in need this holiday season. 2020 has not been the best year, but hopefully our Panthers can bring some joy this holiday season.”
Dec 15, 2020
Congratulations to Cadet Captain Idaneth Garcia-Rodriguez, who earned accolades as the Top Leadership, Education and Training Level III Cadet in East Baton Rouge Parish. Cadet Garcia competed against and was triumphant over five other Cadets from JROTC programs throughout the East Baton Rouge Parish School System. Even more exciting is that this is Cadet Garcia’s second consecutive year winning Cadet of the Year.
Cadet Captain Garcia and Col. (R) Keys.
Cadet Captain Garcia-Rodriguez is a junior at Woodlawn High School and in her third year in the Woodlawn JROTC Program. She has a cumulative 4.41 Grade Point Average, plays violin in the WHS Orchestra, and is a Company Commander in the JROTC program.
After high school, her plans are to attend Louisiana State University and either major in chemical engineering or pursue a law degree, with a minor in music. While her life’s goal is to become a chemist, working on alternative fuels, she has also been intrigued with law and may consider pursuing a law degree.
Col. (R) Keys, Woodlawn High’s JROTC III & IV instructor, has nothing but praise for Cadet Captain Garcia.
“What an awesome accomplishment by Cadet Captain Garcia, especially to win the Cadet of the Year, two years running. Cadet Garcia is the type Cadet that any program would be proud to have. She’s bright, energetic, and willing to put in the hard work to be successful. We are extremely proud of her.”
