News

Earlier this month, thousands of art lovers attended Luna Fête 2016, a unique festival that uses New Orleans’ iconic architecture as a backdrop for futuristic art installations using light and technology. Iconic buildings around Lafayette Square are lit up with lasers, LEDs, and other lights to create shimmering and scintillating art pieces contrasted against the dark night sky. One such piece was The Cave by Newman teacher Jenna deBoisblanc, an interactive installation that employed both social media and artificial intelligence.

Isidore Newman School has named the main administrative building at Green Trees Early Childhood Village the Robert W. Merrick Family Building in appreciation for a $1 million gift to the School by Robert W. Merrick and his family. Bob Merrick is Chairman and CEO of Latter & Blum, Inc., a former Newman parent, and current Newman grandparent.

This year’s Andrew Elkins Day experience had national and hyper-local significance: a professional touring company from the Kennedy Center gave two exclusive performances on the Henson stage for students in Green Trees and Lower and Middle Schools. The show they performed – Elephant & Piggie’s We Are in a Play! – is the creation of Mo Willems ’86, one of Newman’s most original and creative graduates, who once performed on the very same stage.

The eighth graders and chaperones are having a great time at Kanuga. The students have braved a long bus trip to arrive at the Mountain Trail Outdoor School in North Carolina. Over the next week, the children will spend three days on a mountain trail, and engage in several group activities, including ropes courses and whitewater rafting. Through every activity, participants learn the value of listening, observing – and most of all – cooperation. The challenge and new environment helps the students learn to work together and trust each other, which in turn helps deepen and strengthen their relationships. Many Newman alumni remember the Kanuga trip as the highlight of Middle School. Please enjoy these few pictures “from the mountain,” and wish our students well on the remainder of their trip.

The Newman Boys and Girls Cross Country teams both won district championships on November 2 at Audubon Park. This was 21st consecutive District Championship for the boys. Congratulations to Michael Brown ’17 and Jessi Rulh ’18, who were the individual champions as well.

Imagine an archaeologist searching for lost treasures in the Mayan jungle, discovering vine-draped temples, uncovering ancient artifacts, and rewriting the history of a vast and mysterious culture. Now imagine that that archaeologist is coming to your classroom because he is a Newman dad! The students in 5th grade Spanish enjoyed a visit from Dr. Francisco Estrada-Belli, in which he shared information about his latest archaeological find, the Holmul Frieze. In addition to being an accomplished archaeologist and Tulane professor, Dr. Estrada-Belli is the father of Newman students Manolo ’27 and Bella ’28 Estrada Nievens.

 

Earlier in September, Newman 7th grader Micah Pierce returned from the Junior Southern Cup in Chattanooga, Tennessee with a load of accolades for her performance at the junior tennis competition. 

Seven students in Isidore Newman School’s Class of 2017 were named National Merit Scholarship semifinalists. From left to right are seniors Jack Galliano, Srijan Duggal, Kevin Fitzmorris, Stephanie Rehkopf, Eric Margolin, Christy Mo, and Michael Brown. The National Merit Scholarship Corporation is a private, non-profit corporation with the mission to recognize, reward, and encourage academic talent and accomplishment. It uses the PSAT/NMSQT as the qualifying test to be recognized by the program. To be named a semifinalist is a high honor; finalists receive a significant scholarship and are officially named National Merit Scholars.

Today Newman recognized the members of the 2016 Homecoming Court in a ceremony for the Upper School. Homecoming Queen Sarah Lane joined Homecoming King Michael Brown and the other members of the Court on stage to be presented to their peers, and to hear remarks by Stanford Rosenthal ’09.

What’s better than finding out your history summer reading book is a cool, fast-paced, intelligent graphic novel? Returning to school and finding out that you get to meet the author – and he happens to be a witty, irreverent, and hilarious speaker! That’s the experience sixth graders had when author Nathan Hale came to Newman to speak. Hale, author of the best-selling series historical graphic novels called Nathan Hale’s Hazardous Tales, turns history on its ear with meticulously researched, exciting, and entertaining stories for young adults. On August 30, he spent the day speaking with Middle School students in each grade about writing, history, and some of the zanier parts of the journey of Lewis and Clark.

Isidore Newman School officially opened the Manning Family Athletic Complex on Thursday, August 25, with a ceremony and reception in honor of the Manning family, donors, and members of the Newman community. A brief rain shower interrupted the event but could not dampen the spirits of the hundred or more attendees gathered to mark the occasion. Head of School Dale M. smith addressed the crowd to announce the opening of the facility and to recognize the donors who funded the project.

Newman Varsity Basketball legend Randy Livingston ’93 has just scored a spot in the Allstate Sugar Bowl’s Greater New Orleans Sports Hall of Fame. The honor of being inducted to the Hall of Fame is reserved for New Orleans-born athletes who are widely recognized for their athletic achievements and athletes who gained fame during their time in New Orleans. The initiation ceremony will be held at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome on August 6, 2016. Livingston’s name will join other Newman icons such as Coaches Ed “Skeets” Tuohy, Tony Reginelli, and Billy Fitzgerald.

Members of the Newman Class of 2016 received their diplomas yesterday evening during Newman’s 108th Commencement in Tulane’s McAlister Auditorium. Head of School Dale M. Smith welcomed guests and delivered his remarks to begin the program. He was followed by seniors Lexie Gottsegen and Sam Schaefer, who were selected by their classmates to give the student Commencement addresses. The Class of 2016 then accepted their diplomas in turn from Smith and Ann Thompson, Chair of Newman’s Board of Governors. Finally, Upper School history teacher and Class Dean Andrew Bond presented the Class of 2016 to the assembled audience of parents, extended family, friends, and Newman faculty and staff.

On Friday, May 27, Newman’s Lower School students had a blast as they divided up into the Green and White teams to compete for their last assignment of the year: having fun. Each class was divided up into the two teams, spanning all seven grades, to work together on their last day of school to win the Spirit Stick, awarded to the team who showed the best sportsmanship on the Newman Way Field Day.

Breakthrough New Orleans (BTNOLA), part of the national Breakthrough Collaborative, is a program hosted by Newman designed to help at-risk middle school students with limited resources prepare for high school throughout the school year and summer. The kids are at the top of their class, but have limited access to the learning tools Newman students have grown accustomed to. They attend classes throughout the school year, as well as a summer program taught by volunteer high school and college students, many from Newman. Recently, the Newman student body mobilized to help the Breakthrough program through a book drive.

On their last official day on campus before Awards Night, the seniors joined the underclassmen to celebrate Move-Up Day and the countdown to the final bell.

 

On Friday, May 13, a small group of Newman 6th graders attended an event hosted by Welcome Table New Orleans geared towards discussing issues of race and inequality presently occurring within the city. Sixth graders from four different New Orleans schools (Newman, Crocker, McGehee, and ReNew Cultural Arts Academy) met together at the Ashe Cultural Arts Center to collaborate on solutions to help prevent and end inequalities plaguing New Orleans communities. Over the course of the day, our 6th graders met and heard from several speakers: Mayor Landrieu, local social rights activist Tom Quant, and Leon Waters, the Chair of the Louisiana Museum of African American History.

 

Last month, over the Spring Break holiday, Lower School Science Teacher Jennifer Williams and Middle School Science Teacher Lisa Swenson attended the annual meeting of the National Science Teachers Association in Nashville. There they participated in educational sessions and collaborated with leaders in science education, and both were asked to present at the prestigious conference.

This past weekend, the Newman choirs participated in the Music in the Parks competition in Gatlinburg, Tennessee, where they won top honors. The Middle School choir won Best Mixed Choir in the Small Schools division, while the Upper School choir won Best Mixed Choir in the Small Schools division and Best High School Choir overall. Senior Emma McAlister was named outstanding soloist. The choirs sang for a panel of judges at Heritage High School in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, then spent the afternoon in Dollywood for rides, food, and fun. The awards were presented at a ceremony at the Celebrity Theater in Dollywood later that evening.

Eight Newman juniors received prestigious University Book Awards today for academic excellence. The recipient of each award is a student in the junior class who has excelled in scholarship, and, in the opinion of the faculty, has also demonstrated leadership and good citizenship. The award recipients are as follows, from left to right: Christy Qiu Mo (The Harvard University Book Prize), Srijan Duggal (Yale University Book Award), Benjamin Harry Cohen  (The Jefferson Book Award; University of Virginia), Ellanor Grace Patton (Sewanee Award for Excellence in Writing; The University of the South), Shuzheng Zheng (Columbia University Book Award), Meredith Kuebel Mentz (Princeton University Book Award), Michael James Brown, Jr. (Dartmouth College Book Award), and Marguerite Abaunza Walk (Tulane University Focus Louisiana Book Award).

Consider this math problem: If you have three groups of 5 students and they compete against 11 teams from five schools, who emerges the winner? Answer: Newman. Last Saturday, 15 Newman fifth and sixth graders participated in the Math Olympiad Tournament hosted by Country Day. Newman Joined Country Day, Sacred Heart, St. Paul’s, Trinity, and St. George’s as the 14 teams competed in individual and team events.

Newman’s Speech and Debate team recently participated in the Louisiana State Tournament of Champions, where high school debaters compete against schools from around the state. Newman’s team was among 56 competitors at the Tournament of Champions. Many of our Debate team members distinguished themselves at the event and three returned home as champions. Below is the compete rundown and a post-game report submitted by coached Greg Malis and Alma Nicholson.

On March 24, Newman’s third graders staged a favorite tradition, Louisiana Character Day. Donning wigs, gowns, and all manner of colorful costumes, the members of the Class of 2025 dressed up as their favorite characters from Louisiana’s history. From the Baroness de Pontalba to Huey Long, Napoleon to Dorothy Lamour, or Marie Laveau and our own Isidore Newman, the students had great fun researching and portraying the most memorable characters from our state’s history. The students sang a selection of Louisiana-based songs, before visiting with their families and enjoying beignets. Please click below to enjoy a photo album and slideshow from the event. 

View Photo Album and Slideshow

The Upper School photography classes took a field trip to the Odgen Museum of Southern art last week to study the history of photography and its different methods throughout the years. Through discussion and hands-on demonstrations, the group developed an understanding of the major breakthroughs and improvements in photography in between the Civil War and World War II.

Just as athletic teams look forward to playoffs so they can measure themselves against larger state and regional powers, so too does Newman’s Speech and Debate Team. The team just finished its last regular-season event, in which several debaters won first place in their events and qualified for the state tournament. The team had a great year under the guidance of coaches Greg Malis and Alma Nicholson. A table in coach Nicholson’s room groans under the weight of the team’s accumulated awards. Read on for the coaches’ account of the last competition and an outlook on the post-season’s remaining events.

Long Vue House and Gardens hosted its first juried art exhibition in late February, Collective Media 2. This collection of 2D media features the work of high school students in the Orleans, Jefferson, and St. Tammany Parishes. We are proud to say that Newman senior Helen Hawkins placed 2nd in the multi-parish competition. Hawkins’ piece, a charcoal-on-paper portrait of a fellow student, was selected from hundreds of submissions in the competition. If you are interested in viewing the piece, as well as the entries from other area students, the art will be on display through March 6. Long Vue House and Gardens hours are 10:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m., Monday through Saturday, and 1:00-5:00 p.m. Sunday. Click here for a map and directions. Congratulations, Helen!  

The Newman Knights, the School’s K-6 chess team, has emerged on the New Orleans chess scene with a great opening foray last weekend. The team, composed of second to sixth graders, placed 4^th in a citywide competition. This is a great first showing, especially considering that the chess club is new this year and that all but two of members are in the second, third, and fourth grade. Jeff York, the team captain, feels that the students are off to an impressive start and show incredible promise. “The Newman kids displayed great team spirit and a courageous, enthusiastic attitude as they finished among the best and most established scholastic chess programs in New Orleans, and I simply couldn't be more proud of them. I see good things ahead for this great group of students as we build the Newman chess program further. Well done, Newman Knights!” he said. We look forward to watching the Knights as they continue to compete.

Newman’s Lower School students look up to their Upper School classmates, so when an opportunity arose for ninth and tenth grade French students to collaborate with their fifth grade counterparts, teachers Benoit Cransac and Alison Chanslor jumped at the chance. The two groups of students – about 20 Upper Schoolers and 30 fifth graders – are spending class time together as they prepare for a cross-divisional field trip to the New Orleans Museum of Art.

Newman’s Pre-K classes enjoyed a preview of Mardi Gras and a lesson in history as they took a field trip to Rex Den. Located in a nondescript warehouse on Claiborne Avenue, Rex Den houses the floats, costumes, offices, and changing rooms for the venerable krewe. Through an hour-long guided tour, the Pre-K students learned about the process of making floats, the history of Mardi Gras, and the work that goes into preparing for and carrying out the yearly Carnival parade.

On Thursday, January 14, The Loyola Girls Basketball Team hosted a mini clinic for Newman’s 5th grade. During the clinic, our students worked on basic fundamentals such as dribbling, passing, shooting, and defense. These fundamentals were practiced in stations run by the members of the Loyola Girls Basketball Team. After the clinic, the Loyola Girls Basketball Team spent 30 minutes with our Middle School Team. Each member of our team paired up with one or two Loyola players and did pre-game warm-ups by position. Our guards worked on ball-handling and outside jump shots, while our post players worked on drop-steps and rebounding. It was a unique opportunity for our students to get individual instruction from college-level athletes and coaches. At the end of the day, Head Coach Kellie Kennedy talked to our players about the importance of being a student-athlete, one who works hard in the classroom and on the court.

Three Newman Upper School students were recognized by the New Orleans Hispanic Heritage Foundation (NOHHF) and awarded scholarships in December. Newman students Christian Barahona ’17, Laura Arenas ’18, and Christopher Alonzo ’19 were selected as Hispanic Scholars by the foundation. Executive Director Raul Fonte and Vice President for Scholarships Alex Gershanik ’86 visited Newman to recognize the students and to present the School with a scholarship check on their behalf. The students were selected by meeting several criteria including academic excellence, extracurricular activities, community service, and a strong interest and involvement in Hispanic culture.

Each year Forbes creates its “30 Under 30” list, a collection of the 30 most outstanding and influential people in 20 different fields, ranging from art and style to science and business. We are pleased to announce that this year the list includes two Newman graduates, Anoop Jain ’04 and Alex Reed ’04.