Winter is well on its way to Silliman Institute! As the first semester is wrapping up, we would like to take a moment to reflect on the happenings that have occurred around our campus.

- Newsletter Editor - Orrin Noland

December 6 ~ No School

December 9 - 13 ~ Dead Week ( No Tests or Graded Assignments)

December 9 ~ Athletic Banquet (6:00 p.m.)

December 16 ~ 2nd Grade Christmas Program @ 6:30 p.m.

December 19 ~ JV & V Basketball Game Vs. CHEF

December 20 - January 6 ~ Christmas Break (No School)

With the end of the semester in two short weeks, I have encouraged students to be mindful of their preparations for their mid-term exams. Beginning Wednesday, December 11 our teachers will no longer assign tests or projects as we prepare for the upcoming exams. The mid-term exams will begin on Monday, December 16 and conclude on Thursday, December 19th. We will have early dismissal on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday of that week. Dismissal time on those days will be at 11:25. We will be closed from Friday, December 20 and will reopen on Monday, January 6th.

With the holidays fast approaching, I would like to take this opportunity to wish everyone a Merry Christmas and a happy New Year. For many of us, this is a time of year that is filled with many emotions, from the sorrowful feelings of experiencing a Christmas without the presence of a close friend or a family member to the joys of spending time with our loved ones. The culture in South Louisiana is filled with events that were born from the many traditions of our community, churches, or family. Whether it is bonfires, pig roasts, fireworks, or going to church with family, I hope that everyone takes a moment to reflect on how blessed we are to work and live in this community. Remember to keep faith, hope, and love in your heart, and you will possess the spirit of Christmas. May God bless you and your family during this holiday season.

Honor Society is sponsoring our first ugly Christmas sweater contest and Ugly Beard contest. The judging will be December 5th and the money is being collected as a fundraiser for charities that help human trafficking survivors. The Sweater contest will require a donation of $5 and the beard contest will require a donation of $20.

Below is the schedule for exams. We also will observe dead days on December 9th through the 13th.

2019-2020 Midterm Exam Schedule:

Monday (12/16/19)

7th period (1:40-3:10)

Tuesday (12/17/19)

1st period (8:05-9:35)

6th period (9:55-11:25)

Wednesday (12/18/19)

2nd period (8:05-9:35)

5th period (9:55-11:25)

Thursday (12/19/19)

3rd period (8:05- 9:35)

4th period (9:55-11:25)

Half-Day Schedule:

First Testing Period: 8:00-9:35

Recess: 9:35-9:50

Second Testing Period: 9:55-11:25

Dismissal: 11:25

Our courtyard always gets a make-over during the holidays. We decorate for Christmas and we need your help. If you would like to contribute a non-breakable ornament to help make our outside Christmas tree more festive, please send to Mrs. Armstrong or Mrs. Andress. Thank you.

The Book Fair's theme this year was "Arctic Adventure" for our Pre-K through 6th grade on Nov 4-8. It was an outstanding success. As always, our parents and grandparents were very supportive. This year we made $13,272.14. Some of these funds are used to purchase new books for the school library. Without the parent volunteers who work in the book fair, none of this would be possible. Mrs. Jane also appreciates the Fine Arts class for doing the door decorations and the Honor Society members for serving refreshments during Grandparents Day. It was definitely a team effort with great success.

On November 11th, we held a program to honor our veterans. Local veterans were also in attendance. Members of our student body spoke about how much we appreciate their service, sacrifices, and what it takes to defend our country. The 2nd grade sang, and the varsity dance and cheer teams performed a tribute to “God Bless the USA” by Lee Greenwood. We were honored to have Dr. Gary Jones as our speaker. He enlisted in the US Navy in 1964, while still in high school. He served three and a half years of active duty during the Vietnam war. He left the Navy to go to college and later on re-enlisted to become an officer in 1976. Dr. Gary was commissioned as a 2nd lieutenant in 1977 and returned as a Brigadier General in 2006. His total military services (active and reserve) in the US Navy and Army totaled for a career of 36 years. He is currently the president of the LA Board of Elementary and Secondary Education. Dr. Jones has spent the majority of his life defending our country, as well as helping other foreign nations restore safety and freedom. We would like to thank all of those who participated and showed up. We would also like to give thanks to those who are still serving, either actively or reserve. Thank you! - by Connor McKnight

These are Veterans Day posters that Mrs. Otwell's 4th grade social studies classes made in honor of our veterans. They were on display at our Veteran's Day program.

Matthew Day, a former student who graduated in 2009, came to give a talk to the 10th grade English students about his experience providing humanitarian support to South Sudan in Africa. Matthew works with the UN helping provide food and water to this country that has citizens who struggle daily with social injustice, war, and starvation. He described the different concerns the country encounters and how the community works to provide for their families and the economic concerns of that nation.

The junior class traveled to the Louisiana Renaissance Festival in Hammond, Louisiana on November 12 for their English III field trip. There they were able to experience a replication of life in an English Renaissance era village. There were dozens of shops and booths for the students to explore, as well as hundreds of actors and craftsmen. They met and conversed with Queen Elizabeth I, witnessed a realistic jousting match, observed skilled craftsmen exhibiting their talent in things such as glassblowing and candle making, and participated in interactive activities like sword fighting and archery. The class favorites were the jousting match and Rotten Tomato Revenge, where a student was able to throw a tomato at a comedian, and in exchange, the comedian hilariously made fun of them. Altogether it was an enjoyable field trip that goes to show that education can extend beyond the classroom. Some of the responses from the students were as follows: Kylee Blankenship said, "I liked the atmosphere and the entertainment and things I learned from the people who worked there." Bo Gilkison said, "It was a great experience to learn about that era and enjoy time with my friends during school." Theresa Stages said, “I enjoyed learning about the Renaissance culture and seeing what life back then was like, how people dressed, talked, and what they did for fun around those times. The presentation of the glassblowing was very eye-opening to the time period back then and how things were made without modern technology." - Mrs. Q's Junior Class

Kindergarten had happy Meals brought in to celebrate Thanksgiving. The students had crafts and games that focused on the Pilgrims and the Indians. They created a teepee and Pilgram hats and had a great time.

The Preschoolers at Silliman all gathered around the pretend fire and had a pow-wow and sang and danced to celebrate Native Americans and Pilgrims. They all were wearing Native American shirts and headbands. They have been preparing and learning about Thanksgiving for several weeks and were very entertaining. - by Connor McKnight

The third grade class learned about the Civil War before the Thanksgiving break. They had a guest speaker, Mr. Wendell Brian, come in and bring real items used in the Civil War, including a cannon that was used in the Battle of Port Hudson. This cannon is one of two left from the Civil War.

The Fishing team had Bassmaster Elite Pro, Derek Hudnall visit December 3rd to talk about going pro, the partnerships, finding their defining moments, and mastering the bait they may hate. Derek Hudnall is from Baton Rouge and the team was extremely grateful to have him visit. 8 teams/boats from Silliman will take to the water at Toledo Bend on Sunday, Jan.26th, 2020 for their first tournament of the season.

Basketball season is upon us again and the weather is starting to change. Both JV Girls and Varsity boys are coming off District 5 class 3A championships. All four teams started off strong with a win against the Eagles of Ben's Ford Christian School. Our JV girls are 5-0 coming off a big win against WCCA. Our JV boys are also off to a hot start. Our varsity girls are coming off a big win against WCCA and they were led by Senior Loren Higginbotham with 10 points. Our Varsity boys fell just short in a 49-44 loss to WCCA. Nevertheless, it was a great game, especially after having just recently finishing up football season. - by Justin Pace

Silliman had a bye week for being district champion. They would face the winner of the St. Aloysius and ACCS game. It was not a close game; ACCS blew out St. Aloysius 42-10. Silliman prepared for two weeks for this game. The temperatures dipped into the low 40s that night and it was a very cold day, dropping in the early 40s right before the game. The game started out as a defensive battle. Silliman had the ball at the 5 yard line and they ran a screen when ACCS ran a blitz. Brock Berthelot threw the ball and got picked off and they took it for a touchdown. After that, it was still a defensive battle, and with 20 seconds left in the first half, ACCS ran a fake spike and passed it into the end zone where the receiver caught it and scored. They went for a two-point conversion and scored with the first half ending at 15-0. The Wildcats were unable to mount a serious threat in the second half, with the game ending 23-6 with ACCS winning. The Wildcats had a great season and have a lot to be proud of. Four seniors were selected to the MAIS All-Star game from Silliman which is the maximum amount of players who can attend from each school: Brock Berthelot, Tyler Archuleta, Jack Jackson, and Holt McNabb. They will be representing the White Team at the MAIS All-Star game. The boys will leave for the All-Star game December 3 and the game will be played on December 6. - by Tyler Archuleta

Silliman Cheer wrapped up their cheer/football season and are heading into cheer/basketball season. They look forward to cheering at the varsity and JV basketball games. They are working hard preparing for Disney. Silliman Varsity Cheer team hosted a golf tournament as a fundraiser to raise money for their competition trip in Disney World. We had 14 teams and reached our goal of $6,500. - by Jillian Stringer

Silliman Dance also wrapped up their cheer/football season and are heading into basketball season where they will perform at some basketball games. They are working hard preparing for Disney where they will compete. The Kaper Kitten dance team will be delivering candy canes if you purchased one with a special message for your loved ones. This is a fundraiser for Dance and the candy canes will be delivered to your child at school on December 13. - by Joanna Cornette