For all the blustering, flustering and hectoring associated with Byrd-Captain Shreve week we sometimes forget there are relationships that transcend a rivalry that’s been known to bring out the worst in one side or the other.
Consider the case of Captain Shreve senior Cade Davis and Byrd senior Nick Erwin – two guys who couldn’t be more dissimilar or more alike. Cade is tall, lean and favors the Gator nation, while Nick is shorter, stocky and inhabits the City of Byrd.
Nick is active at Broadmoor Methodist, Cade does his praying at Broadmoor Baptist.
Nick lives in Blanchard driving in a long way to attend Byrd, while Cade has a relatively short trip from off the Southern Loop to Shreve. More later on their unlikely friendship that isn’t expected to end anytime soon.
Davis and Erwin face off for the final time Thursday night at Lee Hedges Stadium during a District 1-5A showdown that will undoubtedly be worth attending.
It’s for your drinking convenience when you can’t leave class and it encourages you to drink more water. Living healthy.
Bring your phone charger
You are able to charge your phone when its low on battery or you can lend it to your friends who forget theirs. Especially if you work after school and you love your phone.
Ask your english teacher for an all year library pass
You can have it to use during the morning or after school when you need to finish homework or print something out for class.
Study during lunch
While eating your lunch you can study for a test that you will take that day, or finish homework you weren’t able to do the night before.
Bring your laptop
If you do this, you can work on assignments in class when you have free time. Also you are eligible to do last minute work that requires a computer.
Put your I.D in your backpack
Once you reach home, put your I.D in your backpack, so when the next day rolls around you would have it and you wouldn’t have to pay a dollar to get a temporary.
Band is more than just a class; it’s relationships built through music, especially for Senior Natalie Schafer. She has dedicated four years worth of afternoon and morning practices to the marching band and her instruments. Natalie is truly inspired and driven by her love for the arts. Shreve’s band may be smaller than other highschool bands but that does not affect the hype they build.
“We may be a smaller band but we can create the hype of a larger one,” said Natalie
Band has changed the life of Natalie. She has played in school bands since sixth grade and absolutely fell in love with it. Since then she has learned how to play several other instruments and is a highly skilled clarinet player.
“Music, more [for] those who are serious about it, is their life,” said Natalie.
Natalie loves the fun upbeat vibe that marching season has but also loves the dramatic music of concert season. Some of her fondest memories are of fun band trips on the bus. On those trips the band really gets to know each other and continues to become a closer knit group with every trip.
“Sometimes we have deep talks, sometimes we goof off, but bus rides are a lot fun,” Natalie said.
Natalie hopes to become a middle school band teacher and to eventually work for a high school band department. She wants to encourage future students to continue learning music just as she did in middle school. She hopes to inspire the next generation of musicians or help them find what they are passionate about. She understands that not everyone wants music to be their career but hopes that, through teaching, she may guide a student to what they are passionate about.
“I have always wanted to be a band teacher. Back in sixth grade my band teacher helped me fall in love with music and I’ve always wanted to help other people do that,” said Natalie, “ I just love music”.
Cross country is all about running. There is no score board or a ball that needs be placed in a goal. It only requires a willing participant and a decent pair of shoes. With that in mind, cross country is one of the most student involved sports in the nation and running is something that all humans have in common.
Coach Cary Hilburn and his daughter, Georgia, have been running for most of their lives and have no plans to stop.
“I plan on sticking with running, for sure.” Georgia said. “I feel reinvigorated after every year of practice,” Coach Hilburn said.
The Hilburns live and breathe cross country. Cary has had the opportunity to coach each of his three kids, along with many others, and says that it’s a “luxury” to be able to do that.
“It’s been about building a team of awesome kids,” Cary said, “They may not all be quality runners, but they are all quality people.”
Cross country is not meant to be taken lightly. According to Coach Hilburn, the common misconception is that all runners are “pansies” and “lightweights” simply because they aren’t like linemen or powerlifters. The truth is that these runners are some of the most strong willed people on the planet.
“Cross country is a lot of pain, emotion, and mental conflict, but most of all it’s about becoming a master of your own pain,” Georgia said “It’s not about winning the race, it’s about winning your race.”
From coach to student, there are very few differences in their goals. Both want to make it to the state competitions but each has a deeper goal in mind.
“I want to form bonds with the team,” Georgia said, “ It’s about the whole team crossing the finish line.” “I want to get people into a healthier lifestyle,” Coach Hilburn said.
With the season coming up and the team always accepting new members, there are a couple things that new and interested runners should know:
Come to practice
Be patient
Stick with it
Start off slow and work your way up
Push yourself when you need to
Keep it interesting
Running isn’t something that all people have a niche for, but it is very possible to train yourself to that point. You have to take everything one step at a time.
“New runners have a lot of willpower,” Georgia said, “That’s all you need to get through a race.”
Around campus lately, you may have noticed numerous brightly-colored campaign posters. These posters were made by students running for Student Council, the main leadership organization here at Captain Shreve.
Although it’s too late to run for this year, everyone should try running for Student Council at some point during their high school career. It’s a great hands-on experience, and it helps students get a feel for what’s going on in their school and community.
“I’ve been in Student Council since 8th grade,” Freshman Avery Bryan said. “I ran because I wanted to help with our school.”
You may be aware of our amazing Student Council, which has been named a National Gold Council of Excellence for the past ten years. This is the most prestigious honor a Student Council can earn. Shreve also hosted the Louisiana Association of Student Councils (LASC) last January. The theme was “Once Upon A Time,” and Student Council members from schools all over Louisiana attended. They learned many valuable leadership skills and tactics, and heard some inspiring words from motivational guest speakers.
“My favorite parts of LASC were meeting new people and working hard to be a good leader,” said Avery, who attended LASC as an 8th grader.
One of the best ways that Student Council helps our community is through various fundraisers and events throughout the year. Avery enjoyed participating in these activities last year, like collecting items for a canned food drive.
“I especially enjoyed donating and taking canned food to the children,” she said.
Student Council is set up in a very organized way. There are representatives, senators, and class officers for each grade. If a student runs for senator but does not win, then they are automatically appointed as a Representative. There are also executive officers, which are the main leaders over the entire school. The president this year is Jamarcia Broadway, and he has some wonderful things in store for the school. Student Council is looking forward to a great year.
“I’m excited to be more involved with my school,” Avery said. “I want to try to become a better part of our community.”
Schools all over the country are turning to student ID’s as a safety feature, and now Captain Shreve is one of them. Although wearing an ID may seem unnecessary or annoying, it all makes sense once you understand the reasoning behind it.
Shreve initiated the process last school year, when a group of teachers, administrators, and parents met several times with Roy Murry, the director of security for Caddo Parish.
“Throughout the spring we had meetings and visits, and ultimately made the decision together,” Mrs. Gustavson said. “We all came to the consensus that going to ID’s does enhance security and safety, and that Captain Shreve would be implementing students and staff wearing ID’s.”
Mrs. Gustavson understands that the new policy will take some getting used to, but she feels that the benefit is definitely worth it.
We know that it’s a big change,” Mrs. Gustavson said. “It’s one more thing to have to remember…and one more thing for us to check. Even though maybe we wish we didn’t have to wear them, we understand why we should and how it can help us.”
Freshman Georgette Berne gave her opinion on wearing ID’s. Her first thought when she found out about the policy was the stress of having to keep up with the ID.
“At first I was frustrated,” she said. “But now I’ve come to understand.”
We keep hearing about how ID’s enhance security, but how exactly does wearing an ID keep us safer at school?
We keep hearing about how ID’s enhance security, but how exactly does wearing an ID keep us safer at school?
“According to research, there are a couple of key ways to being able to identify students who should or should not be on campus,” Mrs. Gustavson explained. “And that would be wearing uniforms…or wearing ID’s.”
When faced with these two options, she says that this was an easy choice for them.
“We feel like, for us at Captain Shreve, going to the ID’s was a better fit than going to school uniforms,” she said. “We very much value students’…expression with wearing the clothes that they choose to wear within the dress code.”
Almost all Shreve students agree with this decision. Georgette would definitely rather wear an ID than a school uniform.
“I don’t like uniforms,” she said. “I feel like they keep me from being myself.”
What students may not know is that we will soon be using our ID’s for access control, meaning we’ll use them to open doors. We may even start this at the beginning of next school year. This is just one of the many security advantages of student ID’s. According to Mrs. Gustavson, an added benefit is that wearing ID’s actually strengthens the “Shreve is Family” experience.
“To me it really goes to enhance the whole camaraderie of the Shreve community,” Gustavson said. “This helps us put faces with names, and then we get to know each other better.”
Schools all over the country are turning to student ID’s as a safety feature, and now Captain Shreve is one of them. Although wearing an ID may seem unnecessary or annoying, it all makes sense once you understand the reasoning behind it.