ASH/Centric: February 2022

FEBRUARY 2022

ASH CENTRIC

MAGAZINE

ASH/CENTRIC MAGAZINE STAFF AND CONTRIBUTORS EDITORIAL DIRECTOR: MRS. DOWNEY A S S I S TA N T M A N A G I N G E D I T O R : A S H LY N N B A I L L I O EDITORIAL TEAM: JULIA HARRINGTON JORDAN DUNLAP E M I LY H A R R I N G T O N MEGAN JEWELL KENNEDI WOODS A S H / C E N T R I C S TA F F : S A LWA A .

E M L E E Y. MAGGIE M. JULIA H. JORDAN D. MEGAN J.

ART AND PHOTOGRAPHY COV E R D E S I G N & A RT: BEN FUSELIER CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS: E M I LY F LY N N KENNEDI WOODS

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CONTENTS

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ACT: Real Talk

Valentine's Day: DIY Treat Yourself!

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ASH Gardens: Growing More Than Just Plants

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ASH Theatre presents: LEGACY

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What Makes A Trojan: My Perspective

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Alumni Spotlight: Stephen Williams

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Meet ASH Media

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Beta Club Begins

T H I S S E RV I C E C L U B G I V E S N E W O P P O R T U N I T I E S TO F R E S H M E N A N D S O P H O M O R E S .

By: Jordan Dunlap Beta Club was founded in 1934 with the intention of promoting the ideals of academic achievement, character, leadership, and service among elementary and secondary school students.The organization has helped nearly 7 million students learn how to make a life for themselves and it has also awarded over $6 million in scholarships. National Beta prepares today’s students to be tomorrow’s leaders.

Our Beta Club sponsors, Mrs. Chapin and Mrs. Beck, are excited about the start of Beta here at ASH. They are looking forward to growing as a club and providing service to our school and community.

This organization is a great way for students to grow as leaders amongst their peers. Beta will also give its members a sense of pride and ownership of our school. The organization encourages and rewards academic achievement, promotes those qualities of character that make for good citizenship, and teaches members to lead by serving others.

Things to do in Beta nation-wide are National Conventions, Leadership Summits, and Summer Leadership. Things to do in local Beta are volunteering, competing in local conventions, and many more activities.

Congrats to Mr. & Miss ASH H O N O R A N D R OYA LT Y C O U R T M E M B E R S W E R E R E C O G N I Z E D O N F E B . 9 , 2 0 2 2 .

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ASH Gardens

H O W T H I S S PAC E I S G R O W I N G M O R E T H A N J U S T P L A N T S .

By: Megan Jewell In the fall of 2020, Mrs. Amanda Iles, embarked on the journey of making her quarantine-inspired vision a reality: a garden that would not only grow plants, but also initiate growth in her students. ‘’I wanted to find a healthy way for my students to be outside and gardens are a good way to see growth and relieve stress’’ Mrs. Iles says.

Students find purpose and enjoyment from working in the garden while learning valuable life skills and finding healthy ways to alleviate their stress.

When asked about their favorite parts of helping maintain the garden, students answered: “ The garden helps me a lot this year to relieve stress’’, says Honesty. G.‘’ My favorite part [of working in the garden] is watering the flowers’’, replies Zaryah G. ‘’I like pulling weeds,’’ answers student Kamerion S. In the same way that students water flowers and pull weeds in order for the flowers to grow effectively in the garden, Mrs.Iles’s class along with working in the ASH garden ‘’waters’’ and helps students learn to ‘’pull weeds’’ out of their own lives as students learn how to prioritize and develop useful life and study skills that set a foundation for their growth that continues far beyond their freshman year. “ I only teach freshmen. The first freshmen I taught are now seniors. It’s good to see them grow and do something with their lives”, Mrs. Iles says.

Iles loves seeing her students anxiously await their day to work in the garden; everyday she has students ask her when their class would be going outside to the garden. ‘’Academics and school are not for everyone, and it is a struggle for a lot of days. Having something at school that we are looking forward to- something we can see success in- is really impactful. The greatest benefit is giving those students something to look forward to everyday’’, shares Mrs. Iles.

Returning to teaching once all of her kids reached school age was one of the best moves for Mrs. Iles: ‘’I love central Louisiana, and I love being part of the community. Teaching in a public school, you get to know people from all walks of life and all over Alexandria, and I love that. I love my students. My students are like my kids’’.

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In the future, Mrs. Iles’s class hopes to have a farmer’s market and to add seating to their garden with picnic tables where the class can go outside to do their school work sometimes. They also hope to plant foods such as tomatoes, carrots, peppers, and possibly even watermelon this year. One thing is for sure: students will experience growth and feel loved and encouraged by their creative, caring leader: Mrs. Iles.

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Legacy

A C E L E B R AT I O N O F B L AC K C U LT U R E : A N O R I G I N A L P R O D U C T I O N By: Kennedi Woods Legacy, a celebration of Black history and culture brought to the community by ASH’s Theatre Department. Legacy was created to empower,encourage, and appreciate the African American community of Alexandria through the use of dance, acting, poetry, and singing. This production follows an African American family full of bold personalities as they all attend a family reunion.

Through this reunion, the audience will be educated on topics such as black love, HBCUs, and African American history.

“I want the audience to understand why we come together in barber shops or sing church hymns or even come together at family reunions. I want the audience to understand how we survive,” Price expresses.

Former ASH student and Legacy choreographer Talon Dearbrone communicates her love for this production by stating,”To have something that celebrates my culture, my people, celebrates parts of me is so incredibly wonderful”.

“I want Black people to leave feeling empowered, encouraged, and appreciated,” Price says.

This show is the brainchild of Price’s, who seeks to create experiences that were otherwise not here at ASH or in Central Louisiana. This mission is what drives him to push his students and his program to new heights through creative expression and originality.

Tickets are available for this show online. Please visit the ASH Theatre website at: bit.ly/ashtheatre or their social media accounts.

Instagram: @ash.theatre Facebook: @AlexandriaSeniorHighTheatreDepartment

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WHAT MAKES A TROJAN

A F I R S T- P E R S O N AC C O U N T O F W H AT M Y F O U R Y E A R S AT A S H H A S TA U G H T ME ABOUT SCHOOL PRIDE AND CONFIDENCE. By: Ashlynn Baillio The harsh lights beam on the football field as the players slam into each other. My heart beats fast and my eyes are glued on the scoreboard, with only seconds left in the game. Finally the buzzer sounds and the roar of dozens of teenagers fill my ears as we all run onto the field.

This was my first experience of tradition and school pride at Alexandria Senior HIgh. That feeling of excitement and joy is a feeling that stuck with me for the next four years of my high school experience.

Our school's emphasis on hard work and school pride is what sets us apart from the rest. The relationships and memories one can gain during his or her time is unique to each student.

Being a Trojan is much more than just attending ASH; it's the experiences and relationships we build during our time here. These relationships with not only my peers, but my teachers, and the administration have guided me and shaped me into the person I am today.

My time at ASH has not only taught me the importance of hard work, or getting involved but it has prepared me for what the rest of my life has to offer. During my brief four years at ASH, I have learned and experienced so many incredible things that I will never forget. These experiences have guided me to my future by helping me reveal my strengths and my weaknesses.

As a freshman, I came into ASH from a small school with an 8th grade class of about 40 people.

I walked around the halls with my shoulders up to my ears– terrified of doing or saying the wrong thing. But as the years passed my shoulders relaxed, and I developed friendships with peers and teachers that encouraged me to be comfortable and confident with who I am.

ASH has offered me not only an education but a multitude of opportunities and experiences.

These experiences throughout these four years have led me to discover my passions and talents.

Being a Trojan is coming to ASH and taking complete advantage of the experiences it has to offer.

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ALUMNI SPOTLIGHT: STEPHEN WILLIAMS By: Julia Harrington As a child, Stephen Williams always wondered how things worked. As he grew, so did his curiosity towards learning about science. With a science teacher as a mother and a father who was in the Air Force, Williams' childhood was an early introduction to his future career.

Williams attended ASH from 1991-1995 and he says the schools “culture, diversity, teachers, sports, and student government” was the most memorable part of his high school career. He remembers that there were “a lot of opportunities for involvement” for the students at ASH. Unfortunately, during his junior year in high school, his father passed away. However, this setback only pushed him further in his studies and sports. While attending ASH, he played baseball, basketball, and was crowned Mr. Alexandria Senior High in 1995.

Williams’ graduated and attended Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge, La. where he earned his Bachelor’s of Science Degree in Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering. He then attended the University of New Orleans in New Orleans, La. where he earned a Master’s of Science Degree in Engineering Management.

Williams currently serves as an International Operations and Logistics Lead for NASA’s Cargo Mission Contract. He is responsible for full-spectrum logistics operations for domestic and international shipments that provide NASA’s engineers, scientists and astronauts with mission essential cargo and ground-breaking experiments that support both human spaceflight on the International Space Station and deep space exploration.

He was awarded the Space Flight Awareness Team Award for his role in delivering the COVID19 vaccine to key astronauts part of the Russia Action Team serving overseas. “As a result of this effort, my team protected two NASA astronauts from the scourge of the COVID-19 pandemic, safeguarded the mission readiness of the entire crew, and assured the health of numerous individuals in Russia who were supporting an upcoming mission to the ISS,” Williams says.

Williams’ was recently nationally recognized as the “2022 Black Engineer of the Year” (BEYA) Modern-Day Technology Leader Outstanding Achievement Award. He will be honored at the BEYA STEM Conference on Feb 17, 2022in Washington, D.C. His newest project is a collaboration between NASA and LEGO. The hope is that this project will engage kids in STEM from an early age. Students will be able complete a ten-week, interactive course that will teach them about the process of going to the moon. The course will introduce students to real-world problems that NASA engineers, scientists, and astronauts face when trying to launch a new shuttle into space. This collaboration is set to “launch” alongside NASA’s Artemis I mission in March or April of this year.

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[Image 1] Stephen Williams sits outside his office in Houston, Tx. [Image 2] The Williams family.

[Image 3] Stephen takes a look at the Legos that will be packaged and sent on the Artemis I mission. Image credit: NASA

[Image 4] The Lego figures in front of the European Serivce Module. Image credit: NASA

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Know of an ASH Alum who would make a great spotlight candidate?

Drop us a line at ash.media@rpsb.us 15

MEET ASH MEDIA

O U R T E A M D O C U M E N T S A N D C E L E B R AT E S T H E P E O P L E A N D C U LT U R E O F A L E X A N D R I A S E N I O R H I G H . W E A R E DRIVEN BY DELIVERING ENGAGING CONTENT TO OUR S T U D E N T B O D Y A N D C O M M U N I T Y. WE CONNECT WITH ALUMNI, MEMBERS OF THE C O M M U N I T Y, A N D S T U D E N T S O N A D A I LY B A S I S .

O U R C O N V E R S AT I O N N E V E R E N D S W I T H T H E P E O P L E WHO MAKE ASH THE DISTINCT PLACE IT IS. THE ASH MEDIA TEAM IS COMPRISED OF STUDENTS WHO H AV E A K E E N I N T E R E S T I N P H O T O G R A P H Y, J O U R N A L I S M A N D P U B L I C R E L AT I O N S . O U R P R OJ E C T S R A N G E F R O M P R I N T T O D I G I TA L C O N T E N T. W E M A N A G E A L L S O C I A L M E D I A P L AT F O R M S A S W E L L A S O U R S C H O O L' S W E B S I T E A N D A P P.

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