Louisiana School For Math, Science & The Arts - Natchitoches, Louisiana/LA

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Louisiana School For Math, Science & The Arts

715 College Avenue, Natchitoches, LA, 71457-9990 -

tel: (318)357-3174
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Definition of Terms

Louisiana School For Math, Science & The Arts

School Level

High school

School Type

Other/alternative school / Magnet School

Grades Offered

Grades 11 - 12

Parish

Natchitoches Parish, LA

Students & Faculty

Total Students

315 students

% Male / % Female

44% / 56%

Total Classroom Teachers

53 teachers

Students by Grade

Grade 11 - 197 students

Grade 12 - 118 students

This School

( LA ) School Average

Teacher : Student Ratio

1:6

1:16

Students by Ethnicity

This School

( LA ) School Average

% American Indian	2%	n/a
% Asian	13%	1%
% Hispanic	2%	2%
% Black	10%	50%
% White	72%	44%
% Unknown	1 %	3%

Additional Student Information

This School

( LA ) School Average

% Eligible for Free Lunch

14%

62%

% Eligible for Reduced Lunch

% Migrant Students Enrolled

n/a

n/a

( LA ) Statewide Testing Performance

School Statewide Performance

View Education Department Test Scores

School District Name

Louisiana For Math, Science & The Arts School District

This School's Agency

( LA ) District Average

Number of Schools Managed	1	10
Number of Students Managed	315 students	5,371 students
District Total Revenue	n/a	$46,945,000
District Expenditure	n/a	$47,498,000
District Revenue / Student	n/a	$8,740
District Expenditure / Student	n/a	$8,843
District Graduation Rates	n/a	80%

The Louisiana School for Math, Science, and the Arts (LSMSA) is a two-year, public residential high school located in Natchitoches, Louisiana on the campus of Northwestern State University. It is a member of the NCSSSMST.
LSMSA, the brainchild of State Representative Jimmy Long of Natchitoches and Robert A. Alost, president of the then-failing Northwestern State University. The school was thus conceived to offer a unique experience to the state's brightest students while supplying Natchitoches with a well-needed 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.
Classes were originally held on the ground floor of Prudhomme Hall, an unused dormitory on the campus of Northwestern State while female students lived in the upper floor and male students originally lived in Bossier Hall, another dorm on the NSU campus. Rennovation 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 famously infamous Louisiana Governor Edwin Edwards.
"The Lousiana School," as it is commonly called, 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.
A new "high school building", as well as new dorms, will be built in the spring of 2008.
Academically, the school is similar to the North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics. Studies focus on mathematics, science, and the humanities. Unlike other math and science high schools, it has an arts program, with instruction in music, theater, visual art, and dance.
Student musicians perform in the Louisiana School Chamber Ensemble, under the direction of world-renowned composer/conductor Dr. Albert Benner. Benner is the founder and sustaining force behind the famed Louisiana Composers' Consortium, and his LSMSA Ensemble serves to perform native works in dramatic, poignant performances biennially. "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 Louisiana, it can be described as a statewide magnet school. Prospective students apply during the fall of their sophomore year. Applicants submit application forms, grade transcripts, SAT or ACT results, and three letters of recommendation. 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 will add its first Sophmore class, which will be composed of about 50 (25 males, 25 female) students.
Residential Life: Students who attend LSMSA live in dorms, away from their families, much like college students. The dormitories are single-sex; girls in Caddo Hall and boys in Prudhomme Hall. Intervisitation between dormitories is not allowed, except in the dormitory lobbies.
Academic Integrity: Students must agree to the following honor code 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.
Notable alumni: Rod Dreher (1985) - The Dallas Morning News editorial writer, columnist, frequent contributor to National Review, The New York Post.
Hai Bui (1985) - well-known retail clothier.
Andre Dehon (1986) - Nanotechnology pioneer, assistant professor of computer science at Caltech.
D. Stephen Voss (1986) - Federal Elections Project principal investigator, assistant professor of political science at University of Kentucky.
Keith Nicewarmer (1986) - Robotics engineer at NASA Ames Research Center, supervisor of Personal Satellite Assistant robot designed for the International Space Station.
Stephen Lazarus (1988) - Senior Policy Associate at the Center for Public Justice.
Trent Dawson (1989) - actor, played Henry Coleman on As the World Turns ; picture of Dawson at LSMSA.
Heidi Gomez (1992) - U.S. diplomat;
Mary Ellen Slayter (1995) - Career advice columnist for the Washington Post.
Notable Former Directors: Dr. Arthur Williams, PhD; Dr. Richard Brown, PhD; Dr. Robert Alost, PED.
The first class of LSMSA was given the option of voting for the school's mascot. However, the administration vetoed the student choice of "The LSMSA Platypi".
Alumni claim that many of the rules in the student handbook have particular people or situations attached to them, as much of the handbook was built as the school developed over the years. Various alumni can recount rules that resulted from their classes or classmates. The handbook contains a "catch-all" rule for situations which may not directly violate an existing rule, but "violate the spirit of the handbook."
Students of the school proudly refer to themselves as "gifties".
Source: Wikipedia; it is used under the GNU Free Documentation License. You may redistribute it, verbatim or modified, providing that you comply with the terms of the GFDL
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About This Zip Code (71457)

School Zip (71457)

(LA) State Average

Population (Approximate)

27,247 people

4,372,444 people

% (age 25+) w/College Degree

25%

16%

Population Average Age

27 years old

34.0 years old

Average Household size

2.6 persons

2.4 persons

Median Household Income

$25,905

$31,856

Avg. # of Rooms in Household

5.2 rooms

5.1 rooms

Median Age of Housing Structure

35 years old

40 years old

View current housing listings in 71457

Median Value of Housing Unit
Zipcode (71457)

What's a Zindex?
Subject to Zillow Terms of Use

% Owning / % Renting

58% / 42%

64% / 36%

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Note: Data has been gathered from several government and commercial data sources. School data reflects years 2002-04 statistics (most recent years available). Area and demographic data reflects year 2000 statistics. Public School Review does not ensure the timeliness or accuracy of the information on this site.

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