NEWS & EVENTS | liveoakhigh

PowerLifting headed to State

Posted March 15, 2024
Written by Sarah Buford

The Live Oak High School Powerlifting team has had a very successful season so far. Coach Littlefield, who joined the Eagle coaching staff in 2023 as the boys and girls Powerlifting coach says that both the boys and the girls team has had a great season. “The team grew 2x as much as last year.” With a total of 46 people on the team they have really set the bar high for Live Oak High Powerlifting.

A few leaders this season include sophomore Dylan Rockett and Wyatt Tynes. Rockett placed 1st at the District 5-5A meet and also lifted the highest total for the entire meet with a total of 1540 lbs. Rockett is currently ranked 16th in the nation for his weight class. Some outstanding accomplishments from the boys’ team are led by Sophomore Kaden Cain and Dillon McAllister when they placed 3rd at the Woodlawn Invitational, Sophomores Billy Edmonston and Noah Navarro placed 2nd at the Woodlawn Invitational, Freshman Jackson Monistere placed 1st at the Woodlawn Invitational, Freshman and Sophomore Ben Hilbun and Hayden Norwood, placed 3rd at the District 5-5A Meet, and Sophomore Landen Roth placed second.

At regionals Dylan Rockett placed 3rd, won best lifter award, set the regional record, and qualified for state. Junior Wyatt Tynes placed 4th and qualified for state. Billy Edmonston placed 3rd and is the 1st state alternate for State competition. State will take place March 23rd at the Cajun Dome in Lafayette Louisiana.

A few outstanding accomplishments from the girls’ team are as follows: freshman Skylar Gurney, placed 3rd at the Woodlawn Invitational, sophomore Olivia Fontenot placed 3rd at the District 5-5A Meet, and sophomore Cally Plaisance placed 2nd at the District 5-5A Meet.

“When they compete, they compete as a team. They all learned, got better, stronger, and became more experience the more they practiced and competed. I couldn’t be more proud of them.” On behalf of Live Oak High School we would like to congratulate Dylan Rockett on being ranked 16th best male lifter in the NATION!

Good rally Tennis!

Posted March 16, 2024
Written by Sarah Buford

The Live Oak Boys and Girls Tennis team has had an amazing season so far. Joel Harrison, who is a Live Oak Tennis Alumni and the head coach of Live Oak Tennis says, “The team is stronger than it has been in the past. We have a lot of players contributing to the team on and off the court.” The girls team has beat the previous winning record with their current 6-3 record and the boy’s team have a record of 4-4. Senior doubles partners, Alex Rivers and Noah Snow are two games away from beating the all-time record of 10 games in a season for Live Oak Tennis history. Harrison mentioned senior Kailey Wallace, as she stepped up playing singles 1 this season. Her wins have been a big contribution to the girls 6-3 record. For the last two years Kailey has been a fringe player, meaning that she played every now and then, so her move up to singles 1 varsity have contributed a big role in this season. This season is the busiest schedule Harrison has had consisting of 18 games including pre-season games. With new faces on the court they have had many players stepping up to play varsity and exhibition while getting them ready for regionals. They have been developing the underclassman for next year in anticipation of graduating 12 seniors. We are very impressed with Live Oak Tennis so far consisting of 3 more home matches, March 18th versus Ascension Catholic, April 8th against Walker, and April 10th facing Denham Springs which is senior night. We would love to see as many faces out there as possible cheering the team on!

Soaring Eagles

Posted Mar 19, 2024

By Phoebe Pitre

Those who have gone above and beyond in their academic achievements are recognized at Live Oak High’s Soaring Eagles Banquet. These students are those who have a score of 27 or higher, are enrolled in at least one AP class with a cumulative GPA of 4.0 or above, passing AP Exams, and other instances of AP excellence like passing at least three AP exams with a score of 4 or more. Last year, over 300 students attended the banquet. Let’s do even better for the next one! Speeches are given by Seniors with cumulative GPAs of 4.3 and above with AP classes. This is led by the Senior Class Representatives and the Senior’s most influential teachers. We look forward to these speeches and the ceremony as a whole.

Cross Country Champions

Posted Oct 26, 2023

Cross country is a sport about running long distances in a short amount of time. Our cross country team has recently come home as Parish Champions while the girls’ team placed 3rd in the competition. Two members, Caleb Browning and Ben Cutbirth, managed to set new PRs recently as well. Mrs. Russo, the sponsor of the cross country team, was very proud of the team and doesn’t have any doubts that they will make it further in the coming competitions such as metro, regionals, and state. Jackson Root, a senior on the cross country team said that he was very proud of the team for winning, especially after losing so many seniors last year. When asked why he does cross country he said that the atmosphere of cross country is unlike any sport and it is amazing. The Eagles have high expectations for their next race at Regionals on Nov 2.

Football 23

Posted Oct 27, 2023
By Sarah Buford

With the 2023 football season coming to a close, the head football coach of Live Oak High School is determined to finish out the season with a win! Coach Hutch, who is the newest head coach for the Eagles 2023 season, was firm about shaping the Eagles football team to be the best of the best. To do that, the football team trained almost every day during the summer with conditioning, practice, and lifting weights. Preparing for the upcoming season the defensive and offensive coordinators and coaches devised a plan about how they were going to make this season a good season! With three amazing wins (including the win against Denham Springs) the Eagles have really shown the student body, faculty, staff, and the awesome Eagles fans who come out and support the team during the games, that they are willing to put in the work to be some of the best. Over the summer the Eagles created the phrase “Do the work” which means, “To do everything we ask of you, how you do it, the proper way, every day,” according to special teams coordinator Sal Diesi. Diesi states, “With only two regular season games left, the upcoming plan is to execute what we do best offensively, defensively and, on special teams.” To make it to playoffs the Eagles have to win only one more regular season game. The coaches are confident that if the team does the work, that they can make it!

State Legacy

Posted March 22, 2024

By Kyla Pertuis

As 2024 progresses, we follow the Live Oak Softball team into their season and congratulate the Seniors that have been signed on by colleges. Live Oak High could not be more proud of Paige Guhn, Kaitlyn Alello, and Haleigh Cushingberry for showing exemplary sportsmanship and proving that they were ready to play for a college team. I asked Paige Guhn how it felt to be a senior on the team this year and she responded that “It was exciting to be ending one era and looking forward to starting a new one at the next level.” These girls are ending this chapter of their softball careers at Live Oak and starting anew at their respective colleges. In addition, the school also extends their pride to the other 12 girls on the team who have been playing alongside their teammates since they have joined. For example, last year the team qualified for State and they went to the quarter finals and semifinals, and we will be watching their journey this year and are hoping for the State championship. But they should not have to play alone, having support from their classmates and families are essential to their game play. This is why it is important to show up for games but more specifically for some of the most important ones like the Seniors on April 8th for senior night, and the 9th because it is the last game of the season. So please, GO SUPPORT OUR GIRLS!

Talented Theatre

Posted Oct 27, 2023

By Kennedy Roblin

Theatre is one of many passions for people. The Live Oak High Talented Theatre group has sold out on their upcoming dinner show which features improv, skits, food, and music.

Talented Theatre students were interviewed recently and gave insight on their passion. “I am stoked for the dinner show! I think anyone who has the ability and money should come and see it,” said Haleigh Reviere, a senior at Live Oak. Her scene is a one woman show and based off the song “Hopelessly Devoted” from the popular 70’s movie, Grease. “I feel that the song has a deeper meaning; something that’s not really talked about, and that’s unrequited love.” And Reviere says theatre “never fails to bring a smile to her face.”

Sophomore Sarah Hurt said “I’m pumped! Our skit is number one. The Real House Robbers of Atlanta is the name of our skit. It’s about these four college students who rob a house, and it ends up being a dream!” Hurt feels that theatre is a big family, and it’s fun to participate in. “It teaches me a lot of things like public appearances and better communication.”

The Talented Theatre program is focused on productions and entertaining the audience. Whether theatre is dramatic or not, it always inspires at least one person.

Esports

Posted Oct 5, 2023
By Phoebe Pitre

Our e-sports teams have been working hard and recently placed 2nd in the Rocket League tournament and have placed in finals for Splatoon 3 and Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. The team consisted of Seniors Dominic Deshotel, Nathan Liebert, and Sophomore Hayden Tank. The Rocket League Team went undefeated in the regular season, falling in a close game 3-4 in the championship. Dominic now plays for the LA Tech Esports team, while Nathan plays for the ULL Esports team. The gaming club is working towards an E-sports lab. This would allow for players to play in tournaments from school and not have to rely on home internet. The season is returning in spring with spots still available for anyone who wants to join. Returning players include Thomas Lively, LapThien Trihn, Brennan Sibley, Callie Cody, and Hayden Tank. We look forward for new applicants.

AP Breakfast

Posted Oct 9, 2023

Congratulations to the AP scholars as they take a little time out to enjoy a morning breakfast for all their hard work throughout their studies.

Cross Country PRs
Posted Oct 9, 2023

The Cross Country team is hard at work setting new PR goals. District meet is soon at NorthPark on Oct 19, 2023.

The Drop Dance

Posted Aug 23, 2023

The drop was an incredible event sanctioned by Live Oak High School where students went to get back into the school spirit and have some fun with their friends. The Drop had a glow in the dark theme, filled with glow sticks and neon clothing to give the event a vibrant neon glow that made The Drop all the more fun. There was also music that everybody danced to and held their glow sticks in the air. The event really brought us together as an introduction to a new chapter for the school. Everybody got to socialize with their friends in a party with them.

STEM Center

Posted Oct 6, 2022
Written by David Gray | Livingston Parish News

A cornerstone of the Watson community for more than 100 years is preparing for the next century.

On Wednesday, Live Oak High and Livingston Parish school officials gathered for a groundbreaking ceremony to commemorate the school’s upcoming STEM center, which will increase the school’s offerings of 21st century learning.

igh, which has undergone much change over the last decade. The Watson school moved from its original spot on Old Highway 16 to its current 200,000-square-foot facility in December 2012, the result of a $30 million project. In 2018, the school launched a $6.8 million project to bring the baseball and softball programs on-campus.

School Board member Kellee Dickerson, who represents the Watson area, recalled some of the other expansions to the high school over the years but said that those usually pertained to certain groups of students.

But the new STEM center, she said, will impact “them all.”

“We’ve designed a lot of things in our community that we’re so proud of, the athletic facilities and expansions at other schools,” Dickerson said. “But this is something that, no matter what school they attend at Live Oak, they all come to the high school. And every child who walks through the doors at Live Oak will get to benefit from this amazing facility.”

Livingston Parish School Board member Kellee Dickerson speaks during a groundbreaking ceremony for the Live Oak Institute of Medicine, Aviation & the Arts on Wednesday, Oct. 5, 2022.

David Gray | The News

Livingston Parish Assistant Superintendent Jody Purvis, a former CTE teacher, said the STEM center will be one of the most popular areas on campus when it opens, saying it’ll give students a place to see their “academic skills blending with those technical skills.”

“This project is something where every student at Live Oak High is gonna want to be… try to enroll in, and participate in activities that will be with them for the rest of their lives,” Purvis said.

In preparation for the STEM center, Jones said teachers have undergone professional development “to make sure they’re ready” for when the facility opens. The school is also preparing students through “foundational classes” that’ll only be enhanced when the STEM center opens.

The ceremony gave attendees a preview of what students have been learning in those foundational classes — and what’s in store. Culinary students prepared and served a hearty breakfast for those in attendance; drone students filmed the ceremony; and graphic design students produced the banners that were on display.

“We’ve had a lot of behind-the-scenes professional development to get ready for this,” she said. “We wanted to have our foundations ready so when our advanced technologies get here, we are ready to go.”

A portion of the center will be named in honor of the district’s current Career and Technology coordinator, Staci Polozola. Polozola has been behind the district’s push to grow and expand career programs, allowing for certifications in healthcare, culinary arts, construction and manufacturing, business, entrepreneurship, IT, STEM, digital and graphic arts, and automotive and collision repair.