Mar 11, 2024
Every few years, JROTC units nationwide undergo a rigorous evaluation known as the JROTC Program of Accreditation (JPA). This evaluation, mandated by the U.S. Army Cadet Command, serves as a benchmark for assessing the program’s adherence to standards and its overall effectiveness.
Recently, on March 7th, the Panther Battalion embarked on this pivotal journey. Students were tasked with showcasing their Continuous Improvement Program, highlighting their Service Learning Project, presenting their achievements through Cadet Portfolios, and demonstrating precision and unity through marching as a cohesive unit and Color Guard team.
In the face of this challenge, the Panther team rose to the occasion, exceeding expectations and reinforcing their status as an Honor Unit with Distinction. This prestigious designation, symbolized by the coveted Gold Star on their JROTC Uniforms, speaks volumes about their commitment to excellence.
Reflecting on their remarkable achievement, Col. Eric Keys expressed profound pride in the cadets’ unwavering dedication and collaborative spirit:
“I am very proud of our Cadets. Their hard-work, dedication and teamwork paid off with a highly successful showing. They set high standards for themselves and excelled at accomplishing their goals. ‘Hats Off to the Panther Battalion!’ Way to make us proud.”
While awaiting the official results, Mr. Burton, the 6th JROTC representative during the JPA, conveyed his heartfelt congratulations to the Panther Battalion, affirming their continued possession of the Gold star and their esteemed status as an Honor Unit with Distinction.
The Panther Battalion’s triumph serves as a testament to their indomitable spirit, unwavering dedication, and unwavering pursuit of excellence. Their success in the JROTC Program of Accreditation exemplifies their commitment to embodying the highest standards of leadership, discipline, and teamwork.
Mar 7, 2024
If you were on campus this week, you probably saw students in groups running through the halls in a frenzy searching for clues hidden around campus.
These students were members of Mrs. Huguet’s Anatomy classes. Mrs. Huguet kicked off their Cardiovascular System Unit by participating in a school-wide scavenger hunt – “Survivor” style! Each block had several groups of students working together to solve clues which brought them around campus. Once at the dedicated location, students read and gathered information about various topics such as blood types, blood pressure, structures of the heart, and hemostasis, just to name a few.
“When I came across this activity, I knew my classes just HAD to do this! It was such a fun and unique way to introduce and engage students in this learning adventure,” said Mrs. Huguet. “You know it was a great experience when students were asking to do this again!”
One of the students who participated, junior Mya Montgomery, had an especially good time.
“Mrs. Huguet allowing us to leave the normal learning environment helped make this activity fun and exciting,” said Mya. “We had to think outside of the box and work together to solve the problems! I hope that we have more activities like this soon!”
Mar 4, 2024
Three years after taking over the Woodlawn Lady Panther basketball program, Alicia Dedeaux has led her team to the best finish in the 75 year history of the school. Woodlawn finished the season with a record of 25-10 and played in their first State Championship Game.
It was a playoff full of firsts for the Lady Panthers. After completing the regular season with a 22-9 record, Dedeaux’s Lady Panthers earned the fifth seed in the Division I Select playoff bracket. After a first round bye, Woodlawn hosted 12th seeded Northwood High School from Shreveport. The Lady Panthers cruised to an easy victory in the Regional round with a 71-38 final. This win was the first Regional round victory in school history.
Junior Guard Amijah Price averaged 26 ppg in the State Tournament.
The Quarterfinal round saw Woodlawn travel to Covington for a matchup versus fourth-seeded St. Scholastica. While the Lady Panthers were the lower seed, they led by two at half. The lead quickly ballooned to 10 in the second half. Woodlawn continued to pull away to a final score of 64-42.
The state semifinals were next up for the Lady Panthers, and #1 Huntington loomed for Woodlawn in Hammond. While many felt that Woodlawn would be outgunned by Huntington’s guards, Dedeaux and the Lady Panthers had other plans.
Led by an amazing effort by junior guard Amijah Price and unmatched defensive intensity, fifth-seeded Woodlawn knocked off the top seed, 71-58.
“Sometimes when you play teams that pressure, they don’t like the pressure,” Woodlawn coach Alicia Dedeaux said. “You have to return the favor and see how they respond. The girls truly took care of business. When it counted, my girls got the job done.”
Woodlawn, in their State Tournament debut, scored 19 points off of turnovers and made 30 of 35 free throws.
Price scored a team high 33 points and grabbed 10 rebounds. She was perfect from the free throw line, going 20 of 20.
She had help from sophomore guard Mariah Scott, who added 13 points, and junior forward Mya Montgomery, who added 12 points. The Lady Panthers outrebounded Huntington 48-21.
After leading by two at the end of the first quarter, Woodlawn went cold offensively and could not stop the top seed, who went on a 16-0 run. The Lady Panthers trailed by nine at the half.
Junior forward Mya Montgomery added invaluable production off the bench during the playoff run.
However, after chipping away at the deficit in the third, Woodlawn outscored Huntington 26-9 in the final quarter for the final score. The win set the Lady Panthers up to face John Curtis Christian in their first title game appearance ever.
The second seeded Patriots proved to be too much for Woodlawn, going wire-to-wire with the lead. The final score of 60-46 came only after several second half runs by the Lady Panthers put them in striking distance.
A final surge by Woodlawn put them within seven at 47-40. Two field goals that could have put pressure on John Curtis did not find the bottom of the net, and the Patriots finished the game on a 13-5 run.
Price led Woodlawn again in the championship game, scoring 19 points and tallying 10 rebounds. Junior guard Zyriah Williams added 11 points, and Montgomery grabbed 8 rebounds to go with her 5 points.
Despite the loss, the Lady Panther basketball team has a bright future ahead of it after the record-breaking 2023-2024 season.
Mar 4, 2024
Each week the Panther Play by Play will review the athletic contests from the previous week and look forward to the coming week’s action.
Want to come out and cheer on the Panthers? Tickets for all home events can be purchased online.
Bowling:
Our bowling team fell in their match versus East Ascension last Thursday by the score of 19-8. The Panthers are now 4-3 on the season.
Next up for Bowling: Our bowling team’s next match is against Baton Rouge High on the 5th. They will also compete against Denham Springs on the 6th. All matches will be bowled at All Star Lanes beginning at 3:15 pm.
Girls’ Basketball
For the first time in program history, the Lady Panthers went to the state championship! They first traveled to Hammond on the 29th to play Huntington in the semifinals and achieved an amazing 71-58 win.
Junior Amijah Price had 33 points, 10 rebounds, 5 assists, and 4 steals. Sophomore Mariah Scott has 13 points, 3 rebounds, and 2 steals.
In the finals on Saturday, the team played John Curtis Christian. While they ultimately lost 60-46, the Lady Panthers accomplished what no other Lady Panther basketball team has been able to accomplish in Woodlawn’s history. Congratulations to Coach Dedeaux and the team!
Tennis
The Panther tennis teams played Live Oak on the 26th. The girls lost 4 matches to 2 and the boys lost 3 matches to 1. The doubles team of Lily Ingalls & Amelie Lemaire won 6-2, 6-0, while Miriam LIndsay & Krystel Amo won 6-2, 6-1. Levi Lindsay won his singles match 6-1, 6-0.
On the 28th, the teams played Baton Rouge High. The girls ultimately lost 0-5, while our boys lost 1-3. However, Levi Lindsay won his singles match 6-0, 6-1.
Next up for Tennis: The Panther tennis teams will play St. Michaels on the 4th at Highland Road Tennis Center (3 pm), Parkview on the 6th at The Legacy at Bonne Esperance (3 pm), and Live Oak on the 8th at LSU (2:30 pm).
Track
Our track team began their outdoor season with a boys’ second place win at Brusly on the 28th. Liam Dowdy finished first in the boys’ 3200 meter race, Lillie Allen came in 2nd in the girls’ pole vault, Alex Collins placed first in the boys’ shot put, and Brianna Graham placed 2nd in the girls’ shot put.
Additionally, D’kobe Chesterfield placed second in the boys’ javelin, our 4×400 relay team came in first (D’kobe Chesterfield, Couren Norman, Kydell Miner, and Darius Chesterfield), and Khamory Gipson came in 1st place in the boys’ discus.
Next up for Track: Our track team will host a JV meet on the 6th starting at 2:30 pm. On the 7th, they will travel to Baton Rouge High to compete in the Clarence Antoine Relays.
Baseball
The Panthers traveled to Ascension Christian on the 26th for their only game last week, and got hit hard by a 21-8 loss.
Next up for Baseball: The Panthers will host Madison Prep on the 5th beginning at 3:30 pm. On March 7th, the team will travel to Port Allen High for a game beginning at 5 pm. On Saturday the 9th, the team will play White Castle at home at noon.
Softball
Our softball team dominated Madison Prep on the 27th, winning by run rule in 5 innings with a score of 11 to 1. Amy Kirk was on the mound and hit a triple, Kinsley Madison hit a double, and many other players hit singles.
On the 29th, the team did it again against Ben Franklin by winning in 4 innings with a run rule of 20-5. Amy Kirk hit a grand slam and a triple, Aerion Lange hit a homerun, and Brooklyn Potter hit a triple. The team is on a 3-game winning streak and working hard toward having an undefeated season.
Next up for Softball: Our softball team will host Liberty on the 5th and Broadmoor on the 6th, both games beginning at 4 pm. The team will then travel to play Baker High on the 7th at 4 pm.
Powerlifting
Our Powerlifting Team has continued to prep for the state powerlifting meet, which will be held on March 22nd and 23rd in Lafayette.
Next up for Powerlifting: The state powerlifting meet will take place March 22-23 at the Cajundome in Lafayette.
Mar 3, 2024
The Woodlawn High Youth and Government Club attended the Louisiana Model United Nations Conference as four separate countries on February 29 and March 1, 2024.
Helena Liljeberg, Paul Pittman, Kit Russell, and Eddie Hasson represented Sweden, Taylor Albert and Trenen Prater represented Micronesia, Tyriq Cooper and Jalen Olinde represented Jamaica, and Wesley Porter and Kholbie Nethery represented New Zealand.
Woodlawn High’s YAG Club brought home two joint resolutions combating global issues from global waste management to a possible global technology crisis.
Woodlawn MUN enjoys dinner at their 2024 Model UN Conference.
New Zealand, represented by Kholbie Nethery and Wesley Porter in General Assembly Blue Council, passed a joint resolution concerning a global technology crisis. This was an even more impressive feat considering both students had additional extracurriculars they were participating in during the conference, which forced them to miss portions of the conference.
Tyriq Cooper and Jalen Olinde, representing Jamaica, fell just short with a tie of “yay’s” and “nay’s” for their General Assembly Gold Council resolution on the global homelessness crisis.
Sweden’s Eddie Hasson and Helena Liljeberg authored a joint resolution on how to deal with the Earth’s growing waste issues by burning and storing the emissions to make bio fuel. This resolution won the Best Resolution Award from the Economic and Social Council of the UN.
The club would once again like to say “thank you” to all the teachers and students that helped them fund raise during Mardi Gras!
