Aug 29, 2022
Maria Gonzalez is understandably excited to be back on the bench this season for a wide range of reasons.
The Woodlawn High volleyball coach missed — in both senses of the word — some time with her team last year as she underwent chemotherapy for her battle with ovarian cancer.
But she returned this fall enthusiastic not only for reunion and sense of normalcy with her players, but for the opportunity she and her staff see for a potentially special Lady Panthers group this season.
“I’m so happy to be back,” she said. “It keeps me distracted from thinking about feeling bad or thinking about going to chemo… And they have so much potential, man. They can be so good. And like I told them today, ‘I’m giving y’all everything I’ve got, so y’all better play hard for me.’ I want to be here for them this season. And some days I may be feeling bad, but I’m making it through the season.”
Gonzalez takes the reins of the program back from her father, Nelson Malpica, the Lady Panthers’ longtime head coach who worked with assistant Luis Mendoza to lead the squad through 2021.
And the roster returns a wealth of bodies, talent and experience, as well as some key new faces expected to make immediate impacts.
“We only had one senior last year, so these girls have played varsity and have experience from last year,” Malpica said. “And we have a lot of kids this season. We have a bench now. Before, we’ve had years where we started with only seven or eight girls, and this year we have 32 locked in. And this is basically the first time that we’ve had a lot of people that play club. In the past, we’ve had one or two people, but we’ve got a lot of the girls this year that play club. So that’ll help us.”
Seniors Marie Sierra, Elysa Pitts and Reagan McDowell headline the key group of returners.
McDowell earned District 4-II MVP honors as a junior, and the coaches expect big strides and potential breakout performances from Sierra and Pitts this fall after strong summer showings.
“Then we have our two juniors that have been playing since they were freshmen, Kelis (Conley) and Brander (Graham),” Gonzalez said, continuing to list players to watch. “And then we got a transfer in, senior Karma (Kasubaski) from South Carolina, that last week was her first time playing. And she’s going to help us tremendously once she gets the groove knowing our team. That’s someone we weren’t expecting that I think’s going to help us out a lot.”
The coaches listed a pair of liberos, sophomore Krystel Amo and freshman Katelyn Reed, among the additional leaders of a talented underclassman group.
“(Amo) played last year, played club and came back, and, boy, she is a ball of fire,” the coach said. “And then we’ve got Katelyn Reed, who was student of the year from Woodlawn Middle, and she’s come in, like wow, playing varsity and stepping in pretty well and smart of course.
“We had a very good group of freshmen last year, and we have a bench. We haven’t had a bench in a long time, so we’ve got a lot of options. So, for me, I think we’re gonna surprise a lot of people. We are in a new district this year, a tougher district than we were in the past. But I think we’re gonna surprise a lot of people.”
Woodlawn’s increased attendance in recent years has returned the volleyball program to Division I, the LHSAA’s highest classification level for the sport.
And the Lady Panthers now have a District 4-I slate that includes St. Joseph’s Academy, Zachary, Central, Scotlandville and Baton Rouge High.
Early-season challenges such as Monday’s season opener against Parkview Baptist will test — and hopefully prepare — the team for what lies ahead.
The coaches praised their girls’ performance this summer and overall chemistry, but now want to see those dynamics come together in action on the court with consistency and against top competition.
And their messages to that end are clear.
“Fulfill your potential,” Mendoza said. “They haven’t fulfilled that. They’re not even close. We told them to hustle and show desire.”
Added Gonzalez: “I think in the jamboree, we got out-hustled… And that’s when I was telling them don’t give up. We were winning and then got down, and they stayed down instead of fighting through it. So we talked a lot about that. Be consistent. If you’re consistent, we’ll be fine.”
Aug 15, 2022
Woodlawn High opened the new school year this month overflowing with a record number of students and palpable excitement.
Principal Scott Stevens and the faculty and staff welcomed an enrollment of approximately 1,500 to campus — an increase of almost 25% during a five-year span — with a wide range of academic and extracurricular opportunities.
“Hearing from the kids, they like the fact that they get to wear spirit shirts every day and not wear the polos,” Stevens said. “They’re excited about the return of pep rallies, but that’s something, too, that we have our pep rally committee working on, because there’s no way we can feasibly fit 1,500 kids into our gym at once.
“So having so many students presents some challenges with space. But we’re working on ways to combat that and make sure everybody has a good experience.”
Woodlawn’s enrollment was reported as just over 1,400 last year and just over 1,100 five years ago.
And while that sharp rise in numbers can lend itself to some complications, Stevens said the school has taken measures to still prioritize personalized and tailored instruction to help facilitate student success.
“Obviously there are a lot more bodies in the halls,” he said. “With so many students, every room is used at all times. There is no empty space. But we’ve hired more teachers, so that’s helped us out some to still cut down on the class sizes.”
And to continue to provide courses and programs to meet the diversity of students’ needs and help better prepare them for varied paths after graduation.
“Having all the classes that we do, all the different programs, such as Gifted, Magnet, Great Scholars, Talented — you name it, and we’ve got it,” Stevens said. “So we’ve focused on making sure we meet all the requirements for those, making sure we get the kids what they need for graduation requirements, but also still giving them the options that we have like journalism, athletic marketing and things that let them expand on areas that they’re interested in.”
Outside of class, several student organizations, including sports teams and other clubs, have already launched into regular practices and meetings in the first two weeks of class.
The football and volleyball teams have both already competed in scrimmages against other area schools and will participate in jamborees this week before opening regular-season play next week.
“Kind of getting past some of the impacts of COVID the past two years and being able to do a lot more to allow the kids to be able to get involved is a big deal,” Stevens said. “It should feel back a lot closer to normal — should being the operative word,
“But there’s a lot more stuff we’d like to do this year. For instance, there are some PBIS (Positive Behavioral Interventions and Support) and TSS (Therapeutic Staff Support) aspects we’re going to be implementing along with the Social Emotional Learning through the counseling office, some different activities during the lunch periods and all those things.”
As students and parents get back into the routine of the new school year, Woodlawn High is excited to once again have an in-person Open House. Open House will be held Monday, September 12th, beginning at 6 pm.
