Scholarly Saints

StM Students Earn Academic Recognition

Three Members of the Class of 2019 Earn National Merit Honors

Seniors Elise LaFleur, Jessica Pickens, and Madelaine Pickens have been recognized as National Merit Semifinalists by the National Merit Scholarship Corporation. Elise LaFleur is the daughter of J.J. and Charles LaFleur of River Ridge. Jessica “Jessie” Pickens and Madelaine “Lainey” Pickens are the daughters of Dr. Shannon Conatser ’84 and Richard Pickens of Kenner.

These three Saints were among the nation’s top 16,000 high scorers, including just 41 in Jefferson Parish. In May, Jessie and Lainey were named scholarship winners, drawn from a pool of 16,000 semifinalists and 15,000 finalists.

Saints Earn Numerous Top Three Finishes, One Overall at State Rally

Several Middle and Upper School students placed in the top three in Division IV (enrollment of 151-250 students) of the 2019 State Literary Rally, hosted by the Louisiana High School Rally Association, in April at Louisiana State University.

Twenty-six students from St. Martin’s qualified to participate in the State Rally after top district finishes in February. St. Martin’s posted an overall winner in a category for the fourth consecutive year: Jessie Pickens was an overall state winner in the English IV category.

Several Saints also won their subjects or earned Superior ratings: Bharat Solanky (Advanced Math Functions & Statistics), Tristan Karno (Algebra I), Brandon Stokes (Biology I), Lainey Pickens (Biology II), Rico Coleman (Computer Science I), Lydia Greene (French II), George Mueller (Latin I), Elliot Peyton (Spanish IV), Clara Conatser (US History), and Andrew Gary (Speech: Extemp Speaking).

Latin Students Post Excellent Scores On National Exam

Several students in Mr. Keith Schwarz’s Middle School Latin class earned stellar scores on the National Latin Exam. The exam, which is taken by students around the globe, is sponsored by the American Classical League and the National Junior Classical League. It includes questions on grammar, comprehension, mythology, derivatives, literature, Roman life, history, geography, oral Latin, and Latin in use in the modern world.

Eighth grader George Mueller earned a Summa Cum Laude distinction and a gold medal. Ian Linden earned a Maxima Cum Laude distinction and a silver medal. Harris Huber, Kiley Salge, and Caroline Spiers earned Magna Cum Laude distinction, while Conner Nicoladis earned a distinction of Cum Laude.

Seventh graders Cole Angerer, Maia Christina, Ashley Gaspard, Kaitlyn Hall, Ethan Kann, Gabrielle Rubin, Carter Scheuermann, Kaitlyn Tillery, and Ian Todd each earned a purple ribbon and certificate of outstanding achievement. Seventh graders Zachary Gary and Arthur Schott each earned a certificate of achievement.

Speech and Debate Team Competes in National Qualifier

The StM Speech and Debate Team traveled to Shreveport, Louisiana to compete in the National Speech and Debate Association (NSDA) National Qualifier in March. Junior Brandon Stokes was named a finalist in United States Extemporaneous Speaking, placing sixth in the event. Junior Andrew Gary placed ninth in International Extemporaneous Speaking. Sophomores Renee Angerer and Camila Figueroa competed in Public Forum Debate, and their performances improved from last year.

This marked the first year that an StM team member made the finals since the reinstatement of the program at St. Martin’s in 2016. Overall, the results showed tremendous growth in the young team.

Junior Makes a Difference on Youth Legislative Council

Junior Andrew Gary was once again tapped to serve on the Louisiana Legislative Youth Advisory Council (LYAC) for the second year in a row. In May, Gary conceptualized a piece of state legislation, SB 43, that allows for a student voice in school crisis management and response plans. It was officially signed by Governor John Bel Edwards on June 1 as Act No. 44. The bill was sponsored by Senator Conrad Appel, parent of two StM alumni. Gary is also a student-member of St. Martin’s Safety and Security Committee.

Two Saints Receive Accolades in Essay Contest

Sophomores Clara Conatser and Grace Fleshman finished second and third respectively in this year’s Churchill Society of New Orleans essay contest. The Churchill Society of New Orleans sponsors a yearly essay contest for the purpose of encouraging young people to learn more about Winston Churchill, and thereby absorb some of his wisdom, his courage, and his masterful use of the English language. In this year’s contest, 24 essays were submitted from students at five high schools.

Cum Laude Society Inducts New Members

Modeled after Phi Beta Kappa, the Cum Laude Society was established in 1907 to recognize scholastic achievement on the secondary school level. Each year, St. Martin’s chapter of the Cum Laude Society inducts into its membership those seniors and juniors who are academically in the top 20% and 10% of their classes, respectively.

Seniors: Ben Bone, Natalia Bourg, Rico Coleman, Samuel Kellum, and Richard Whitney III. Juniors: Andrew Gary, Harry La, Lindsey LaForge, Bharat Solanky, and Brandon Stokes.

Girls’ State and Boys’ State Delegates Announced

Each year the faculty nominates students to attend the Louisiana Girls’ and Boys’ State programs during the month of August. These programs train our young people in the practical mechanics of government. Girls’ State delegates: Elyse Kann and Sophia Warren. Boys’ State delegates: Andrew Gary, Nic Lobrano, and Brandon Stokes.