Louisiana School for Math, Science, and the Arts
Encyclopedia
The Louisiana School for Math, Science, and the Arts (LSMSA or The Louisiana School) is located in Natchitoches, Louisiana
on the campus of Northwestern State University
(NSU). It is a member of the National Consortium for Specialized Secondary Schools of Mathematics, Science and Technology
(NCSSSMST).
of Natchitoches and Robert A. Alost, president of NSU. The school was conceived to offer a unique experience to the state's brightest students while supplying Natchitoches with an influx of commerce and attention. On the heels of a fleeting surplus of state funds from oil revenues following America's oil crises of the late seventies, one-term Republican Governor David Conner Treen
approved the founding of the school, and as a result is largely credited for saving the fledgling community college. Treen named trustees of the school, including Democratic
State Senator
Donald G. Kelly
of Natchitoches.
Classes were originally held on the ground floor of Prudhomme Hall, an unused dormitory on the campus of NSU while female students lived in the upper floor and male students originally lived in Bossier Hall, another dorm. Renovation of the "High School Building," (known by no other formal title, but formerly the campus of Natchitoches High School) was completed in 1984, and the ceremonial ribbon was cut by then Louisiana Governor Edwin Edwards
.
The Louisiana School was the second state-supported residential school of its kind - the first being the North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics
, which opened in 1980. The school was founded in the early 1980s with the first class enrolling as juniors in the fall of 1983, graduating in 1985.
Academically, the school is similar to the North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics
(NCSSM). Studies focus on mathematics
, science
, and the humanities
. Like NCSSM math and science high schools, it has an arts
program, with instruction in music
, theater, visual art, and dance.
Among the various ensembles in both voice and instrumental, student musicians get the opportunity to perform music special to Louisiana through the Louisiana Composers' Consortium founded by LSMSA's own Dr. Al Benner. "Impulse," the school's dance company, travels across the state performing and also holds its own concert in the Spring of each year.
, it can be described as a statewide magnet school
. Prospective students apply during the fall of their freshman or sophomore year. Applicants submit application forms, grade transcripts, SAT
or ACT
results, and four letters of recommendation with one optional recommendation form. Applicants to the arts curriculum also submit a portfolio of artwork or audition. Also, a small number of students in their junior year may apply for admission for their senior year only. As of the 2007–2008 school year, LSMSA added its first Sophomore class, which composed of 40 students. 65 students have been invited to be in the 2008–2009 Sophomore class.
, away from their families, much like college students. The dormitories are single-sex: girls in Caddo Hall and boys in Prudhomme Hall. At Caddo and Prudhomme, students of the other sex are only allowed in the dormitory lobbies unless accompanied by an SLA (Student Life Advisor). Caddo Hall was renovated during the spring semester of 2011 and the girls lived in Varnado Hall for that time.
Rules regarding residential life are fairly stringent. Students have free time before 10pm during weekdays during which they can sign out to various areas within the city of Natchitoches. The Louisiana School provides a shuttle for transportation because students can only use their cars to drive home on weekends, unless they have high grades and a good disciplinary record, in which case they may use their cars for one day each weekend for a specified time period.
As LSMSA is located on a university campus, much of the residential life of LSMSA students resembles that of their university counterparts. Whereas a university has relatively little liability to bear when dealing with 18+ yr old adults, LSMSA must contend with a student body mainly of minors. The school tries to enforce rigorous discipline under terms of in loco parentis.
pledge:
Alleged infractions upon said honor code are put before an honor court.
Natchitoches, Louisiana
Natchitoches is a city in and the parish seat of Natchitoches Parish, Louisiana, United States. Established in 1714 by Louis Juchereau de St. Denis as part of French Louisiana, the community was named after the Natchitoches Indian tribe. The City of Natchitoches was first incorporated on February...
on the campus of Northwestern State University
Northwestern State University
Northwestern State University, known as NSU, is a four-year public university primarily situated in Natchitoches, Louisiana, with a nursing campus in Shreveport and general campuses in Leesville/Fort Polk and Alexandria. It is a part of the University of Louisiana System.NSU was founded in 1884 as...
(NSU). It is a member of the National Consortium for Specialized Secondary Schools of Mathematics, Science and Technology
National Consortium for Specialized Secondary Schools of Mathematics, Science and Technology
National Consortium for Specialized Secondary Schools of Mathematics, Science and Technology is an alliance of specialized high schools in the United States whose focus is advanced preparatory studies in mathematics, science and technology....
(NCSSSMST).
Background
LSMSA is the brainchild of State Representative Jimmy D. LongJimmy D. Long
Jimmy Dale Long, Sr. , is a former Democratic member of the Louisiana House of Representatives. He represented District 23 from 1968 until 2000, being the "dean" of the Louisiana House when he returned to private life. He is a recognized authority on educational policy. For sixteen years, he...
of Natchitoches and Robert A. Alost, president of NSU. The school was conceived to offer a unique experience to the state's brightest students while supplying Natchitoches with an influx of commerce and attention. On the heels of a fleeting surplus of state funds from oil revenues following America's oil crises of the late seventies, one-term Republican Governor David Conner Treen
David C. Treen
David Conner "Dave" Treen, Sr. , was an American attorney and politician from Mandeville, St. Tammany Parish, Louisiana – the first Republican Governor of the U.S. state of Louisiana since Reconstruction. He was the first Republican in modern times to have served in the U.S...
approved the founding of the school, and as a result is largely credited for saving the fledgling community college. Treen named trustees of the school, including Democratic
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
State Senator
Louisiana State Legislature
The Louisiana State Legislature is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Louisiana. It is bicameral body, comprising the lower house, the Louisiana House of Representatives with 105 representatives, and the upper house, the Louisiana Senate with 39 senators...
Donald G. Kelly
Donald G. Kelly
Donald Gene Kelly, usually known as Don Kelly , is a prominent trial lawyer and American Quarter Horse breeder in Natchitoches who served as a Democratic member of the Louisiana State Senate from 1976 to 1996. His tenure covered three of the four terms of Democratic Governor Edwin Washington...
of Natchitoches.
Classes were originally held on the ground floor of Prudhomme Hall, an unused dormitory on the campus of NSU while female students lived in the upper floor and male students originally lived in Bossier Hall, another dorm. Renovation of the "High School Building," (known by no other formal title, but formerly the campus of Natchitoches High School) was completed in 1984, and the ceremonial ribbon was cut by then Louisiana Governor Edwin Edwards
Edwin Edwards
Edwin Washington Edwards served as the Governor of Louisiana for four terms , twice as many terms as any other Louisiana chief executive has served. Edwards was also Louisiana's first Roman Catholic governor in the 20th century...
.
The Louisiana School was the second state-supported residential school of its kind - the first being the North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics
North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics
The North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics is a two-year, public residential high school located in Durham, North Carolina, that focuses on the intensive study of science, mathematics and technology. The school accepts rising juniors from across North Carolina and enrolls them through...
, which opened in 1980. The school was founded in the early 1980s with the first class enrolling as juniors in the fall of 1983, graduating in 1985.
Academically, the school is similar to the North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics
North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics
The North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics is a two-year, public residential high school located in Durham, North Carolina, that focuses on the intensive study of science, mathematics and technology. The school accepts rising juniors from across North Carolina and enrolls them through...
(NCSSM). Studies focus on mathematics
Mathematics
Mathematics is the study of quantity, space, structure, and change. Mathematicians seek out patterns and formulate new conjectures. Mathematicians resolve the truth or falsity of conjectures by mathematical proofs, which are arguments sufficient to convince other mathematicians of their validity...
, science
Science
Science is a systematic enterprise that builds and organizes knowledge in the form of testable explanations and predictions about the universe...
, and the humanities
Humanities
The humanities are academic disciplines that study the human condition, using methods that are primarily analytical, critical, or speculative, as distinguished from the mainly empirical approaches of the natural sciences....
. Like NCSSM math and science high schools, it has an arts
ARts
aRts, which stands for analog Real time synthesizer, is an audio framework that is no longer under development. It is best known for previously being used in KDE to simulate an analog synthesizer....
program, with instruction in music
Music
Music is an art form whose medium is sound and silence. Its common elements are pitch , rhythm , dynamics, and the sonic qualities of timbre and texture...
, theater, visual art, and dance.
Among the various ensembles in both voice and instrumental, student musicians get the opportunity to perform music special to Louisiana through the Louisiana Composers' Consortium founded by LSMSA's own Dr. Al Benner. "Impulse," the school's dance company, travels across the state performing and also holds its own concert in the Spring of each year.
Admissions
As LSMSA recruits students from all of LouisianaLouisiana
Louisiana is a state located in the southern region of the United States of America. Its capital is Baton Rouge and largest city is New Orleans. Louisiana is the only state in the U.S. with political subdivisions termed parishes, which are local governments equivalent to counties...
, it can be described as a statewide magnet school
Magnet school
In education in the United States, magnet schools are public schools with specialized courses or curricula. "Magnet" refers to how the schools draw students from across the normal boundaries defined by authorities as school zones that feed into certain schools.There are magnet schools at the...
. Prospective students apply during the fall of their freshman or sophomore year. Applicants submit application forms, grade transcripts, SAT
SAT
The SAT Reasoning Test is a standardized test for college admissions in the United States. The SAT is owned, published, and developed by the College Board, a nonprofit organization in the United States. It was formerly developed, published, and scored by the Educational Testing Service which still...
or ACT
ACT (examination)
The ACT is a standardized test for high school achievement and college admissions in the United States produced by ACT, Inc. It was first administered in November 1959 by Everett Franklin Lindquist as a competitor to the College Board's Scholastic Aptitude Test, now the SAT Reasoning Test...
results, and four letters of recommendation with one optional recommendation form. Applicants to the arts curriculum also submit a portfolio of artwork or audition. Also, a small number of students in their junior year may apply for admission for their senior year only. As of the 2007–2008 school year, LSMSA added its first Sophomore class, which composed of 40 students. 65 students have been invited to be in the 2008–2009 Sophomore class.
Residential Life
Students who attend LSMSA live in dormsDormitory
A dormitory, often shortened to dorm, in the United States is a residence hall consisting of sleeping quarters or entire buildings primarily providing sleeping and residential quarters for large numbers of people, often boarding school, college or university students...
, away from their families, much like college students. The dormitories are single-sex: girls in Caddo Hall and boys in Prudhomme Hall. At Caddo and Prudhomme, students of the other sex are only allowed in the dormitory lobbies unless accompanied by an SLA (Student Life Advisor). Caddo Hall was renovated during the spring semester of 2011 and the girls lived in Varnado Hall for that time.
Rules regarding residential life are fairly stringent. Students have free time before 10pm during weekdays during which they can sign out to various areas within the city of Natchitoches. The Louisiana School provides a shuttle for transportation because students can only use their cars to drive home on weekends, unless they have high grades and a good disciplinary record, in which case they may use their cars for one day each weekend for a specified time period.
As LSMSA is located on a university campus, much of the residential life of LSMSA students resembles that of their university counterparts. Whereas a university has relatively little liability to bear when dealing with 18+ yr old adults, LSMSA must contend with a student body mainly of minors. The school tries to enforce rigorous discipline under terms of in loco parentis.
Academic Integrity
Students must agree to the following honor codeHonor code
An honour code or honour system is a set of rules or principles governing a community based on a set of rules or ideals that define what constitutes honorable behavior within that community. The use of an honor code depends on the idea that people can be trusted to act honorably...
pledge:
As a student of the Louisiana School for Math, Science, and the Arts, I understand that I belong to an institution dedicated to the pursuit of learning. Thus, I promise to uphold the Honor Code that safeguards this pursuit. I accept my personal duty to promote an honorable attitude in my academic life by refraining from lying, cheating, stealing, plagiarizing, or vandalizing.
Alleged infractions upon said honor code are put before an honor court.
Notable alumni
- Rod DreherRod DreherRod Dreher is an American writer and editor. He was a conservative editorial writer and a columnist for The Dallas Morning News, but departed that newspaper in late 2009 to affiliate with the John Templeton Foundation. He has also contributed in the past to The American Conservative and National...
(1985) - The Dallas Morning NewsThe Dallas Morning NewsThe Dallas Morning News is the major daily newspaper serving the Dallas, Texas area, with a circulation of 264,459 subscribers, the Audit Bureau of Circulations reported in September 2010...
editorial writer, columnist, frequent contributor to National ReviewNational ReviewNational Review is a biweekly magazine founded by the late author William F. Buckley, Jr., in 1955 and based in New York City. It describes itself as "America's most widely read and influential magazine and web site for conservative news, commentary, and opinion."Although the print version of the...
, The New York Post - Trent DawsonTrent DawsonTrent Ashley Dawson is an American actor, best known for his role as Henry Coleman on the daytime soap opera As the World Turns. He was hired to play Henry for just a few days in 1999. Positive fan reaction to his character extended this first to several months, and finally an indefinite stay on...
(1989) - actor, played Henry Coleman on As the World TurnsAs the World TurnsAs the World Turns is an American television soap opera that aired on CBS from April 2, 1956 to September 17, 2010. Irna Phillips created As the World Turns as a sister show to her other soap opera Guiding Light...
. - Josh TickellJosh TickellJosh Tickell is a professional speaker, author, filmmaker, and enthusiast on alternative fuels. His specific experience and focus is on biodiesel, a diesel engine fuel based in vegetable oil and electric vehicles....
(1993) - Biodiesel pioneer and director of FUELFuel (film)Fuel is a 2008 documentary film directed by Josh Tickell. It won the audience award at the 2008 Sundance Film Festival. The DVD was released on June 22, 2010.-Editing:...
, which won the 2008 Sundance Film FestivalSundance Film FestivalThe Sundance Film Festival is a film festival that takes place annually in Utah, in the United States. It is the largest independent cinema festival in the United States. Held in January in Park City, Salt Lake City, and Ogden, as well as at the Sundance Resort, the festival is a showcase for new...
Audience Award for Best Documentary. - Michael HochbergMichael HochbergMichael Hochberg is an American physicist. He is an assistant professor of electrical engineering at the University of Washington. Hochberg was born in Ithaca, NY, and attended high school at the Louisiana School for Math, Science and the Arts. He obtained a BS in Physics in 2002 and a PhD in...
(1998) - award-winning professor of nanophotonicsNanophotonicsNanophotonics or Nano-optics is the study of the behavior of light on the nanometer scale. It is considered as a branch of optical engineering which deals with optics, or the interaction of light with particles or substances, at deeply subwavelength length scales...
at the University of WashingtonUniversity of WashingtonUniversity of Washington is a public research university, founded in 1861 in Seattle, Washington, United States. The UW is the largest university in the Northwest and the oldest public university on the West Coast. The university has three campuses, with its largest campus in the University...
See also
- North Carolina School of Science and MathematicsNorth Carolina School of Science and MathematicsThe North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics is a two-year, public residential high school located in Durham, North Carolina, that focuses on the intensive study of science, mathematics and technology. The school accepts rising juniors from across North Carolina and enrolls them through...
- Arkansas School for Mathematics, Sciences, and the ArtsArkansas School for Mathematics, Sciences, and the ArtsThe Arkansas School for Mathematics, Sciences, and the Arts is a two-year, public residential high school located in Hot Springs, Arkansas. It is a part of the University of Arkansas administrative system and a member of the NCSSSMST...
- Illinois Mathematics and Science AcademyIllinois Mathematics and Science AcademyThe Illinois Mathematics and Science Academy, or IMSA, is a three-year residential public high school located in Aurora, Illinois, USA, with an enrollment of approximately 650 students...
- National Consortium for Specialized Secondary Schools of Mathematics, Science and TechnologyNational Consortium for Specialized Secondary Schools of Mathematics, Science and TechnologyNational Consortium for Specialized Secondary Schools of Mathematics, Science and Technology is an alliance of specialized high schools in the United States whose focus is advanced preparatory studies in mathematics, science and technology....