Aug 16, 2021
Cross Country Head Coach Tim Spruill is beginning his second year in the program. After a first season in which his program saw continual improvement, he is looking for bigger and better things this year.
“Our number one goal this season is to increase the size of the teams to allow for a better breakdown by ability within the teams,” said Coach Spruill. “Athletes need comparable athletes to train with in order to grow. Right now we have too much diversity and too few athletes to allow diversification.”
While the size of the team is important, Coach Spruill did not forget to stress that he looks for his team to get better.
“The number two goal is to see someone break the boys and girls school records for our sport,” added Spruill.
Carolina Alvarado is the returning captain for the Lady Panthers, and seems to be the most likely candidate to achieve the second goal. Alvarado was consistently the Lady Panthers’ highest finisher last season.
Joining her this season are two newcomers that Coach Spruill has been impressed with in the early part of the season. Jaden Sylvester is joining us from football and baseball.
“Jaden brings a can-do attitude, a smile, and a ton of grit. He will be a great addition to the team,” said Spruill.
Kennedi Kullman is a freshman that Coach Spruill pointed to as a possible contributor as well.
The Panthers are excited about traveling to diverse meets this season. The unpredictable courses are fun and vary from their home course.
Over the past two years, the Cross Country program has worked a lot on consistent training and positive attitudes. This season looks to be the best yet in both regards, and fast times are expected for this group.
Aug 13, 2021
As the fall sports seasons at Woodlawn High begin, the Woodlawn Lady Panther Volleyball Team will be the first to take the courts. The Lady Panthers are looking to improve on last year’s 9-9 record in a season that was full of setbacks and delays.
Long-time Head Coach Nelson Malpica looks for leadership from six returning Lady Panthers. Leading the way is Junior Reagan McDowell, who was named to the 2020 All-District Team. Reagan will be joined by juniors Elyse Pitts and Marie Sierra, who look to add valuable experience to the Lady Panthers.
Senior Isabella Schamber and sophomores Branderia Graham and Kelis Conley are also expected to lead the Lady Panthers in the early parts of the season as other players gain experience.
“We need to work on improving early in the season, and hopefully peak in the playoffs,” said Malpica. “At the varsity level, we do not have a lot of depth aside from the six players we discussed. We will need others to step up on the varsity level.”
Coach Malpica looks to a talented freshman class, led by Lacie Sierra, to perhaps contribute early.
“Lacie played club and has experience from Woodlawn Middle. We think she can contribute very early in the season.”
The Lady Panthers are once again hosting two tournaments at Woodlawn. The Southland Invitational will be held September 3rd and 4th. The Rumble in the Jungle will be held September 24th and 25th. Outside of the tournaments, the Lady Panthers are looking forward to their District schedule as they look to improve from last year’s playoff experience.
The Lady Panthers will be on the court for the first action of the season in a scrimmage on Saturday, August 14th at 9 am. All tickets must be purchased online.
Season tickets can be purchased for the Lady Panthers by clicking here.
May 20, 2021
You Can’t Go Home Again. Not only is this the title of one of Thomas Wolfe’s most memorable works, it has also become a well-known and common phrase. However, Alicia Dedeaux is ignoring this advice and doing the exact opposite: Coming Home.
Woodlawn High School is excited to announce that Dedeaux has been named the head coach of the girls’ basketball team. In addition to her duties as head basketball coach, she will take on the role of PE teacher.
Dedeaux, a native of Baton Rouge, graduated from Woodlawn High School. She was a star-athlete during her time as a Panther, participating in basketball, softball, cross country, and tennis. She was recognized as an All-District and All-Metro basketball player.
“Timing is everything. To be able to return home to your Alma Mater as a head coach and former student-athlete is very special,” explained Dedeaux. “I desire to bring back Panther Pride through fostering healthy relationships with colleagues, parents, students, and the community. Together we can meet students where they are and ensure that they are able to continue to excel both academically and athletically.”
“I’m ecstatic to be back and looking forward to helping young ladies to reach their full potential on and off the court.”
Dedeaux has spent the last 16 years in the East Baton Rouge Parish School System. After beginning her career as a head coach in Jackson, Mississippi, Dedeaux was named the head coach of the girls’ basketball program at Lee High School (now Liberty Magnet High School).
In the fall of 2009, Dedeaux was named the head coach of the girls’ basketball program at Glen Oaks High School. After spending one year at Glen Oaks, she was named the Athletic Director. Dedeaux has remained in both roles at Glen Oaks since that time.
“I think we have hired a high-quality, high-character coach to run our girls’ basketball program,” said Elmo Fernandez, Woodlawn High’s Athletic Director. “Coach Dedeaux comes to us with a great deal of experience and she has a proven record.”
Dedeaux resides in Baton Rouge with her husband and two children. She can be reached via email at [email protected].
May 12, 2021
For the first time in the school’s history, Woodlawn High School has claimed the 4×200 Meter Relay 5A State Championship.
The team of J’Marcus Sewell, Jordan Matthews, Lanard Harris, and Jay’veon Haynes out raced the field at Saturday’s LHSAA/Allstate Sugarbowl Class 5A Track and Field Meet. The team won the District Championship at Catholic High on April 22nd with a time of 1:27.90. On April 29th, the Panthers ran a 1:26.99 at the LHSAA Region II Meet, which put them second in the Region and the State behind Zachary.
However, the Panthers did not let the underdog status deter them. After the second leg of the relay, the Panthers found themselves in fourth place, behind Ruston, Zachary, and Dutchtown. It was at that point that senior Lanard Harris received the stick. Harris made up the deficit, and put anchor Jay’veon Haynes in a virtual tie with Zachary going into the final 200 meters.
Haynes did the rest of the work, out-sprinting the other competitors to the finish line. The final time of 1:26.14 shaved nearly a second off of their time at the Regional Meet. The time ranked the Panthers as the fastest 4×200 Meter Relay team in the state of Louisiana this season, and also placed them as the 17th fastest time in the nation!
In addition to the 4×200 Meter Relay, Harris placed second in the two individual events in which he qualified. Harris ran the 110 Meter Hurdles in 13.95, which was a PR in the event. In the 300 Meter Hurdles, Harris ran a time of 36.91. Any other year, that time would have not only made Harris the State Champion, but also the state Composite Record Holder. Unfortunately, the gold medal winner from Ouachita ran a 36.42. Both times broke the previous record of 37.40 from 2007. Harris’ time in the 110 Meter Hurdles ranks him 17th in the nation, and his 300 Meter Hurdle times ranks him eighth.
Sewell was also able to score points for the Panthers at the State Meet. As the only sophomore running against eight seniors, Sewell came in fifth with a time of 10.63.
With only four athletes, Woodlawn High finished seventh out of 38 teams who scored points.
The Panthers return a solid core of track athletes for the 2022 season. Student-athletes who are interested in participating in track should contact Athletic Director Elmo Fernandez at [email protected] or Kristin Guidry at [email protected].
Apr 30, 2021
For the first time in the history of the REAL-LIFE EXPERIENCE, a student at Woodlawn High School was awarded Best in Show, the competition’s top recognition. Junior Naya Smith was selected as Best in Show for her piece titled My Past Life. In addition to a $500 cash prize, Naya and Woodlawn High School received a trophy to display at Woodlawn High School.
“I just decided to do this piece because I wanted to do something that represented me,” said Naya about her award-winning work.
Every April, Baton Rouge Gallery opens its doors for its annual REAL-LIFE EXPERIENCE Juried High School Exhibition. This year’s exhibition shines a light on over 70 works of original art produced by students from East Baton Rouge public and private high school students. This year’s works were selected from a pool of over 150 works by students from across EBR.
The exhibition is made possible by the support of Cordell & Ava Haymon. The goal of the exhibition is to share the talents of area students with the Baton Rouge community while encouraging the students to continue pursuing their artistic talents outside the classroom.
The exhibition also draws attention to the importance of arts education, celebrating both its positive effects on the youth of our community and the efforts of the educators that challenge their students on a daily basis.
Baton Rouge Gallery started the REAL-LIFE EXPERIENCE Juried High School Exhibition in the early 1990s. The idea was to give students a “real life” experience so that they knew what it was like to be a professional artist outside of the school. Each year, the works that are chosen are juried by three professional artists.
The following students from Woodlawn High School had artwork included in this year’s exhibit.
Angel Caine, (2 pieces), Xiangjun Cui, Brianna Cutforth (2 pieces), Christopher Delcid, Rachel Ezell (2 pieces), Isaiah John, Destiny Leger, Joann Mayeux (3 pieces), Thomas Sauce, Naya Smith (3 pieces), and Kerrin Whitley (2 pieces).
Some information for this article was taken from the Baton Rouge Gallery website, which can be viewed by clicking here.
