“Pitcher, left field, and first base.”

How many years have you been playing baseball at Ascension?”

“This is my fifth year playing.”

Other Sports: “Football”

Team you’re most excited to play: “VC”

Pre-game ritual: “Chew gum”

Pump up song: “Youth of the Nation” by P.O.D.

Best moment so far this season: “Hitting a walk-off home run against Cinnerville”

What is your favorite thing about Coach Lonny?

“He ‘doesn’t  sugar coat it’.”

Who makes a great teammate and why?

“Kane, because he makes me stride to be a better hitter”

Do you have any advice for the underclassmen players?

“Never skip an opportunity to put in extra work.”

All students are encouraged to come out to the field and support your gators. All of the students who go to the game will enjoy free tailgating with hamburgers and hotdogs. Come out to the field today. The softball game starts at 4:00, and the baseball game is at 4:30. GO GATORS!  

The team consists of two students, Miles Carrier and Mark Hodge, and both have competed in the regional meet and have both qualified for the state meet in West Monroe. Miles and Mark will travel to the state meet on March 14th, 15th, and 16th to compete.

In the qualifying meet, Miles came out second in his weight class with a combined lift of bench, squat, and dead lift of 1,000 pounds. On his bench he lifted at 240, on squat he lifted 350, and on dead lift 410. 

With their 22-5 season, the boys came out 13th in the class 1A power rankings. Pointe Coupee Central will come into the game with a 12-13 season record, and they are ranked 21st in the power rankings.

This season has really been one to remember, not only with having the best record in school history, but also with close games and last second three point shots to win games.

Wear white and pack the gym to cheer on the boys in their first home playoff game in school history. GO GATORS!

When the movie begins, it is in Afghanistan with Dan (Jason Clarke) in a room with a captive terrorist,  pretty much torturing him for information about the next attack. Dan is the man in the first half of the movie who took control of everything and did not care who was in his way. 

Jessica Chastain, as Maya, was recruited into the CIA right out of high school and was sent to Afghanistan to help with the search for bin Laden. After a few years Dan decided to go back to the U.S., so Maya took over the search. 

After 10 years Maya believes 100 percent that she has found the house that bin Laden has been living and hiding in. Maya cannot prove that he in the house because she has not seen him in any pictures that the CIA has, but she has a gut feeling.

Finally, Maya gets the president to authorize an invasion. Seal Team 6 was the Marine team that was responsible for dropping in and killing bin Laden. At first the team was not to sure about going on this mission because they had tried this once before and have lost a few men in the attempt.

The Team Goes on the mission and was successful in killing bin Laden. When the mission was done the leader of the team said the famous words “For God and country.”

I feel that this movie is and will be one of the best movies of the year. People don’t really realize what the service people who are overseas do for our country, and this movie helps show us only part of it, but it will open your eyes. I highly recommend that everyone should see this movie at some point in their lives.

One of our own blue gators, Amanda Rabalais, was honored with an acceptance to this program. Amanda says she “is thrilled for this amazing opportunity and the chance to study with other talented writers in the Lafayette area”.  For her application, she had to submit a six to twelve page story, an explanation of what she hopes to gain from this program, and a counselor recommendation.  The first day of the workshop is in early February.

Amanda has won The Authored Ascension sponsored Halloween Short Story contest in eighth and ninth grade, and she has also represented our school at District and State Rally for English. Amanda hopes to one day carry over her success and writing skills into a career in journalism or mass communications.

Because these students placed in an area tournament, they will be competing at the state tournament in New Orleans April 4 – 6.

Many other students competed in various categories at the STM tournament, including:

Michael Dalman – Debate

Jacob Broussard – Debate

Tyler Malbreaux – Debate

Logan Throndson – Debate

Cate Stevens – Duet Acting

Carson Sanders – Duet Acting

Preparing for competitions takes a lot of work, but the students involved really enjoy it.

“I really enjoy speech because it provides me an opportunity to develop my acting skills, both dramatic and humorous, and meet new people who share the same interests,” said Luke Butcher.

Participants also enjoy getting to meet students from other schools who share their interests. Hannah Robideaux said that all the people she has met have been “really nice and supportive”.

The Speech and Debate Team will have another tournament this weekend at Comeaux.

The team has played in three tournaments this season and came out first in the AES Invitational and also came second in the Vermilion Catholic tournament.

“The team has done amazing this year,” said Forward Skye Mejia.  ”We have the best record in AES basketball history. We are currently ranked 7th in 1A power ratings. It has all been a complete team effort. We are a completely different team from last year. We are one win shy of having the same amount of wins we had last season, and we have not even reached district yet. This is definitely a season to remember.”

The team start district play last week where they went up against Gueydan, who comes in with a record of 2-10. The Gators won and are now 1-0 in district.

Today is the first District home game, and it is against #1 Central Catholic. The boys would really like the entire schools to come to the swamp and cheer them on the road to the playoffs! GO GATORS!

Causes: Three years of high school. Caution: If senioritis does not automatically set in when you first step onto campus in August, first signs will definitely begin to appear after students are accepted into college.

Signs and Symtoms:  - Consistent tardiness, Glazed, half-awake look in patient’s eyes, Dropping grades, Chronic fatigue, Extreme migraines when faced with tests, poor concentration, regularly absent from school, lack of caring.

Prevention:  - It’s hopeless. Senioritis is coming, and it’s coming for you.

Treatment: – Increased caffeine intake can aid slightly with day-to-day symptoms.

Transmission: – This disease is highly contagious. Beware of large groups of seniors.  Senioritis progresses faster when around other infected students.

Cure: Graduation.

Just after the lights dim, the screen pans out to reveal a middle aged man and another younger man sitting on a park bench. The younger man tells him that he doesn’t believe in God and that another man said he had a story that could make him believe. It is then that the older man confirms all suspicions; he is Pi. After inviting the younger man over for lunch, Pi begins telling his story, beginning with how he received his name and then introducing Richard Parker for the first time. The man looks on, intrigued, as Pi solemnly recants the night of the shipwreck that killed his family and sent him out to sea with only an orangutan, a hyena, a zebra, and a bengal tiger for company.

Pi then continues to tell the stranger about his 227 days at sea. He tells him about the events that left him and Richard Parker as the only ones left on the boat, the struggle for food and water, and finally, the “magical” island that saved his life. Not only that, but the movie also touches lightly on Pi’s internal struggles as a vegetarian who must kill animals to keep himself and the tiger alive.

When it seems like Pi has finished with his story, the man turns to him with a skeptical demeanor. “That’s quite a story,” he says with a disbelieving face. “But what does that have to do with me not believing in God?”.  Pi smiles lightly and offers to tell him the same story that he told the coastline officers who didn’t believe his story. He tells the story of four people who were in a shipwreck and lost at sea: a cook, a sailor, Pi, and his mother. After telling this story, he asks the man which version of the story he prefers. The man says, “well the one with the tiger of course”. Pi responds by saying, “and so it is with God” and suddenly everything makes sense to the younger man.

Overall, while I think it was a great book, the movie is just as spectacular. Having heard that the graphics were of the same standards as Avatar, I’m inclined to agree. The film moved quickly enough to set a good pace, but its incredible clarity kept my attention when boat life got a little stale. And, while there was never a definite climactic scene, the building action and continuous conflict made it a movie worth watching again.