Mar 4, 2020
A group of Woodlawn High students, families, and faculty members were fortunate enough to visit the nation’s capital over the Mardi Gras holiday. Over 40 members of the Panther community traveled by bus to Washington, D.C. to enjoy some of the history that the city had to offer.
The group left Baton Rouge on February 19th and made the overnight drive to Washington, D.C. While on the trip, the group toured the city and surrounding area non-stop. They visited many of our nation’s museums, monuments, and historical buildings. Highlights included visits to the White House, the United States Capitol, Arlington National Cemetery, George Washington’s Mount Vernon, where the group celebrated George Washington’s 288th birthday. The group also visited the Supreme Court, Ford’s Theater, the Federal Reserve, the National Archives, the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, the National Museum of African American History and Culture, the Lincoln Memorial, and the National Air and Space Museum.
The group left Washington on Monday, February 24th, stopping at the American Civil War Museum in Richmond, Virginia. They arrived back in Baton Rouge on Tuesday morning and returned back to school on Wednesday.
Students Harrison Breland-Triche and Yolani Dickens enjoyed the trip, stating that they stayed busy the entire trip, learned a lot, and met lots of students that they did not know before the trip. They each thanked Ms. Hauptman and Ms. Smoorenburg for spearheading the trip.
The group had support from many local businesses, and the trip could not have been as successful as it was without the help of the people at these wonderful establishments: All-Star Automotive Group, Coca-Cola of Baton Rouge, Costco, Cracker Barrel, Five Guys, Hi Nabor Supermarket, McDonald’s Valluzzo Companies, and Modern Acupuncture.
To see more pictures and trip specifics, follow @woodlawnapgopo on Twitter!
Mar 4, 2020
Junior student-athlete Lanard Harris placed second in the Division I 60 Meter Hurdles at the 2020 LHSAA Indoor Championships held in February at the LSU Carl Maddox Field House. Lanard crossed the finish line at 8.12 seconds.
Lanard’s second-place finish comes on the heels of his run in the 2020 LSU High School Last Chance Qualifier, in which he ran a 7.97. That run placed him fourth in the nation at the time of the meet.
Lanard participates in Track and Field and Football at Woodlawn High. He won the 2019 Class 4A 300 Meter Hurdles State Championship. Lanard was also named to the 2018 and 2019 All-District Football Teams.
Nov 1, 2019
The Louisiana Department of Education sends out a monthly Counselor Connect Newsletter. The publication is for Louisiana’s Professional School Counselors. In this month’s issue, Woodlawn High School Counselor Christianne Ricard was featured in the Counselor Spotlight. The feature from the spotlight is below.
My recent transition from elementary to high school counseling has been a learning experience. Thankfully, I have colleagues who have been a great help to me as I learn my new role-fellow counselors with the common goal of supporting all students and providing them with quality resources that can help them make informed decisions throughout their high school years and beyond.
One of the ways we support our seniors is by helping them complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). Completing the FAFSA form has a number of benefits that are not limited to four-year college entrance. In addition to grants and loans for university study, the federal dollars students can access through the FAFSA can fund many other postsecondary options: community colleges, online and technical schools, and comprehensive transition and postsecondary (CTP) programs for students with intellectual disabilities. I know that, without completing the FAFSA, my students cannot access federal grants or certain scholarships. That’s why I share several resources from the Federal Student Aid website, including this adaptation of their list of the three types of federal student aid:
- Grants: financial aid that doesn’t have to be repaid (Pell, FSEOG, TEACH, and Military Service Grants)
- Work-study: money students earn through a work program
- Loans: borrowed money for college or career school, must be repaid with interest
The Louisiana Believes website has been a resource for me for years, and now it is helping me learn new information and better advise my high school students. For instance, I didn’t have considerable experience with Jump Start pathways, so I relied heavily on the information I could find online. Some of the most useful to me are the Jump Start Graduation Pathways Spreadsheet, STS-Code Matrix, Jump Start Updates document, and the Students With Disabilities Resources web page. I also gained a lot from the May 2019 C.A.T.E. webinar. I’m learning more about Jump Start every day and can’t wait to go to my first Jump Start Convention in January to see what’s new in Jump Start 2.0!
I am proud to be working alongside passionate and knowledgeable counselors who are in the business of doing what is best for students. They share their time, energy, and expertise to help me be a resource to the students of Woodlawn High School. Thanks to our entire school counseling team, I am truly looking forward to seeing great student outcomes in 2020.
Christianne Ricard, Ed.S, NCC, PLPC
School Counselor
Woodlawn High School
Woodlawn High would like to congratulate Ms. Ricard, and administration would like to encourage all of our students to visit their School Counselor regularly. Students may set up an appointment with their School Counselor by visiting the Counseling Department during their lunch shift. Parents may contact the Counseling Department by calling 225-753-2665.
Oct 23, 2019
Five hundred fifty-one students at Woodlawn High School completed the first nine-week period of the 2019-2020 school year with a 3.0 GPA or higher.
With an enrollment of over 1300 students, the number of students achieving at least a 3.0 GPA represented 42% of the student population. Freshmen and sophomores each had 148 students on the list, followed by seniors with 135 students on the list. There were 120 juniors with at least a 3.0 GPA.
Twenty percent of the students on the list achieved a 4.0 or higher. Students must be enrolled in an advanced class, such as Gifted, Great Scholars, Dual Enrollment or Advanced Placement, in order to achieve an additional quality point and have a GPA higher than 4.0.
Forty-five students on the list are currently on pace to be placed on the Principal’s List, which means that the student has straight A’s. Eighteen of those students currently have above a 4.0 GPA.
Sophomore Seema Kawji currently boasts the highest GPA of the 2019-2020 school year. Seema has a current GPA of 4.75. She is enrolled in six classes that give her an additional quality point.
The East Baton Rouge Parish School System releases progress reports after each nine-week period at the high school level. Grades on progress reports are not final, as the official transcript grade is cumulative based on the entire semester grading period. Woodlawn High School sends progress reports home at the end of each nine-week grading period as well as at the beginning of each month.
