Welcome to

Your Future.
The LSMSA Experience: A Choose
Your Own Path Adventure
Guided Independence
“With freedom comes responsibility.” -Eleanor Roosevelt

LSMSA students are given more freedom than the average high
school student. We trust that our students are ready for that level of
freedom and the responsibilities that come with it.

Students are expected to:

• Wake up for class and make it to class on time.
• Manage their time, prioritizing homework and study.
• Manage additional obligations, such as work service and room
cleanliness.
• Utilize faculty and staff resources when problems arise.

We’re here to help students adjust to the new environment and new
responsibilities, but you get to choose your own path…. What will
you choose?

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Chapter 1:
The Email

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Sweet!! You’ve been given a school email address. What do you do?
Option A:
• Check your school email account religiously
every day, maybe even a few times per
day.
• Carefully read all of the emails sent to you
by your faculty and staff.
• Send respectful and grammatically correct
emails to your faculty and staff from that
email account.
Option B:
• Rarely check your school email account.
• Block the nightly announcement emails
because they really aren’t important.
• Send emails that contain inappropriate
content from your school email account.
• Send emails to your faculty and staff that
reflect poorly on you.
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The Email
Option B: Hmmm. Not your best choice ever.

After arriving at LSMSA, you got busy making friends and sort
of forgot about your email account. And your work service
assignment. And the attendance policies.
Eventually, Ms. Emily tracked you down and asked you to
explain why you missed your meeting with Dr. Horton - the meeting
that he’d scheduled to talk with you about why you were missing
class and work service, and why you hadn’t registered for any
Connections Weekend sessions, and whether you were going to
make it here at LSMSA.
“No one told me about the meeting,” you replied. “Or the
Connections Weekend thing.”
Oh, but they had. They had told you. It was all in your email.

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The Email
We don’t have homeroom. We have email.

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We rely on email a lot to communicate with you. You’re responsible
for checking that email daily and doing what we ask of you in our
emails.

Later this weekend, we’ll help you access your shiny new LSMSA
email account, and we’ll start sending you emails almost right away!
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At this point in your life, school is your job. Checking your school
email should be part of your daily routine. And deadlines are a
real thing.

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Chapter 2:
The Roommate

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Every day your roommate leaves their wet towel on your desk. And their
backpack is regularly parked on your bed, sometimes alongside their Chemistry
book and their Snuggie. You’ve sighed loudly, tweeted about what a slob of a
roommate you have, sent a few Snapchats to mutual friends, and talked to your
mom A LOT about it, but they’ve not changed their habits...

Option A: Option B:

• Ask your SLA for a room change, • Act like the mature young person
but beg her not to tell your you are and talk with your
roommate why. roommate about the problem.
• Have your mom call and insist
your roommate be moved out
immediately.

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The Roommate
When you have a concern, begin your conversation at the source.

Have a question about something from class? Ask the professor.

Have a question about a policy? Ask your Student Life Advisor.
Need to reschedule your work service hours this week? Talk to your
work service supervisor.
Frustrated with your roommate? Talk to your roommate.

Let’s try this one again.

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Every day your roommate leaves their wet towel on your desk. And
their backpack is regularly parked on your bed, sometimes alongside
their Chemistry book and their Snuggie. You’ve asked them not to
spread their items everywhere, but they’ve not changed their habits...
Option A: Option B:

• Ask them one more time, and if
nothing improves, go speak to
your SLA about how to resolve
the conflict amicably.
• Ask them one more time, and if
nothing improves, drag every
item of theirs into the dorm lobby
with a “Free to a Good Home”
sign placed nearby.

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The Roommate
We cannot give away one another’s things.

Just nope.

Good Job in ‘using your words’ to talk to your roommate

and to your SLA. We can try to help with problems like
this, when we know that there is one.

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Talking about it (and Snuggies)

So, if you’re the student who spreads your stuff everywhere,

don’t be that roommate. 1 2

AND

And if you’re the student who needs their space better

respected, please talk with your roommate and your SLA.
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Also, don’t share Snuggies. Nurse Mary says it is a bad

idea. #bestchoice

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Chapter 3:
Time Management

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It’s early September. You’ve got a good handle on this LSMSA thing - six
classes, work service, Volleyball, new pals, a Chick-Fil-A literally across the
street...but the reading is getting tougher, the first round of quizzes was a
little rough, and it is time to take exams in three classes this week.
Option A: Option B:

• You realize you’re not getting • There really is a lot going on -

much done at night in the dorms,
so you choose instead to slip off
to Watson Library in between
classes to review notes. You also
start skipping Starbucks runs in
order to meet your professor in
their office hours.
practice, classes, and you have an
hour of Work Service to make up.
Plus there’s an Improv show that
you really want to go to. You
decide to pull an all-nighter to
prepare for the History test, and
try to squeeze in two hours on
Math before lunch.

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Time Management

LSMSA students are smart. Really really smart. And

maybe you haven’t had to work as hard at your home
school as we’ll ask you to work here.

But the smart choice was the Library, and the Office
hours, and the delayed gratification of Starbucks and
the Improv show. You passed both of your exams,
you’ve impressed your faculty with your visits to their
offices. They’ve asked you to be their work service
student next year!!!! #winning

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Time Management
This may be your single-biggest challenge in your first
semester.
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But you can do this.

Follow the 8x8x8 rule:

8 hours of work (classes and homework each day)
8 hours of sleep (at least) 3 4

and
8 hours of goodness (friends, relaxing, meals, exercise,
nature, wellness, HULA HOOPS)

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Chapter 4:
The Parents

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You’re in the middle of a heated debate about which dinner entree in
the cafeteria is the most disgusting. Your phone buzzes again. It’s your
mom. Again. You’ve already sent her to voicemail 3 times today.

Option A: Option B:
• Take the call. • Defend your argument for why
the hot dog casserole is totally
the grossest.

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The Parents.
You take the call.

It’s a good thing you answered the phone. Your mom was getting
fed up. She had already contacted your old school and started
getting information about how to get you enrolled for next week.

You get an earful about ignoring her earlier in the day, but by the
end of the call, you’re back in her good graces.

Maybe she’ll even put a little money in your account so you can get
a pizza tomorrow night. Turns out hot dog casserole is on the menu.

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Don’t Forget Who Got You Here
Your parents want to hear from you regularly.

Your parents are making a sacrifice to let you come to LSMSA.

They miss you. They worry about you. They like the sound of your voice 1 2
(most of the time).

Make a plan about communication expectations and stick to the plan.

Students sometimes find that the walk to or from classes is a good time to
connect with parents.
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Chapter 5:
The Paper

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It’s 3:00 am, and you’ve finally finished the paper that you had been
procrastinating doing all month. Well, it’s almost finished. You just
realized you haven’t included any citations or references.

Option A:
• Meh. Who needs ‘em, right? Most
of the ideas were yours - or
mostly yours - and for the ones
that weren’t you rearranged the
words a little.
Option B:
• Looks like you’re going to be up
for a few more hours - or turn the
paper in late. You can’t just leave
them out, though. You know that
would be plagiarism and
academic dishonesty is taken very
seriously at LSMSA.

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The Paper
Ms. Emily says sleep is important.
You decide to go to bed because you know you’ve already stayed up too
late and you think Ms. Emily might just be onto something with the sleep
thing…

The next day before class you go to your professor’s office to explain that
you procrastinated and will have to turn your paper in a day late. Your
professor certainly isn’t happy and she explains that you’ll lose points on the
paper for turning it in late, but she respects you for not making up excuses.

You spend your afternoon adding in all your citations and making sure your
paper is as good as it can be - so maybe you can still get a B after the
deduction of points.

You don’t get dismissed from LSMSA for plagiarism, and you start your next
paper way earlier.

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The Paper - The Plagiarism.

Not every faculty member is going to want to talk

1 2
about extensions with you… Asking regularly signals
a lack of seriousness about your entire course load.

BUT, making the desperate decision to plagiarize can

be disastrous. You made the better choice. Even at
3 am. 3 4

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Chapter 6:
Attendance

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It is late in the semester. You’ve only missed one or two classes here
and there. And your faculty haven’t said much about it… one morning
you awake to realize you’ve slept through breakfast and you’re going
to be five minutes late to class if you leave RIGHT NOW!
Option A: Option B:

• Roll over, set your phone alarm
for another 45 minutes, and tell
yourself that you’ll get the notes
from your prof later this
afternoon.
• Jump out of bed, gather your
backpack and sprint to the HSB.
You enter the classroom as quietly
as possible (everyone still turns to
look at you - GUH), and you’ve
missed the quiz that starts the
day.

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Attendance
Option B seemed sort of awful (less sleep, no breakfast,
hair a mess, everyone staring as you come in AND a
missed quiz)...

But…

Option A could have resulted in a much, much worse

outcome. So, once again, you’ve made a good choice in
a rough situation.

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Attendance
- Go to class, even when you don’t want to...

OR have to meet with Dr. Horton

OR fail the class (and still have to keep attending) 1 2

OR have to withdraw

3 4
After everything you’ve done to get here, don’t underestimate the
importance of going to class. It makes a huge difference in your
academic experiences.

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Chapter 7:
The Bad Decision

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You’re feeling pretty stressed out about classes. You’ve heard that a
kid on your hall has a stash of Vyvanse and is willing to share when
other kids need to stay awake and get stuff done.

Option A:
• Go see if that kid can help you
out. If you can just be a little more
productive for a few days, you’ll
be in good shape.
Option B:
• Schedule an appointment with Ms.
King to see if she can help you
figure out how to better manage
your time.

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The Bad Decision.
You get the pills.
You take one, but don’t really like how it makes you feel. You decide not to
take any more.

A few days later, Ms. Jenny tells you that you need to write a statement.
Another student has reported you and the kid who gave you the pills.
You’re busted. You have to have a really uncomfortable meeting with a
detective from NSU police. And your parents have to come pick you up for a
suspension, pending a final determination.

A disciplinary panel meets and determines that you (and that other kid)
have, indeed, violated Handbook policy. You’re required to withdraw from
LSMSA. And you’re not even allowed to come back for visits.

THE END

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Don’t Make REALLY BAD CHOICES
You’re probably gonna screw up sometimes. It’s usually okay.

We know students will make mistakes and, in many cases, mistakes can be
an opportunity to learn and grow. 1 2

Some mistakes, while still offering an opportunity for growth, will require
that said growth takes place at home, rather than at LSMSA.

When then Handbook is available in July, be sure to read it carefully.

Be aware that the cost for some choices is giving up your opportunity to
3 4
be at LSMSA.

And don’t make those choices.

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Take Responsibility
When you do make a mistake, own it.
Don’t lie. Don’t make excuses. Don’t try to shift blame. Don’t post nonsense on
social media.
1 2

Your reputation and relationships will suffer more from attempts to avoid
responsibility than they will from the initial mistake.
• You can be the kid who slept through a class (it happens). Or you can be the
kid who slept through a class and then lied to the nurse to try to get it
excused and made a big scene on social media. (Don’t be that kid.)
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LSMSA Student Pledge:
“As a student of the Louisiana School for Math, Science, and the Arts, I
understand that I belong to a community dedicated to the pursuit of academic
and personal excellence. I accept my responsibility to promote academic
honesty, mutual respect and civility, and to refrain from decisions that may be
harmful to myself, others, or the reputation of LSMSA. Thus I promise to uphold
the Code of Conduct that safeguards that pursuit.”
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Chapter 8:
You Can Do Hard
Things

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You Can Do Hard Things.
You totally can.
You’ve accepted the challenge to come to LSMSA. Doing so is the first brave
step towards your big, bright future. You’re here because we know you can
do this and because you know you need this.

Some days will be tough. Some days you’ll choose the path that takes you
face-to-face with the fire-breathing dragon.

But your faculty and staff and administration - and your peers - will be here
to support you. We’ll be here to remind you that you can do this. Your
parents are cheering you on from back home. They’ll remind you that you
can do this.

Use your resources. Ask for help.

Remember not to choose that path the next time.

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Chapter 9:
Your Future Begins
Here

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Your Future Begins Here.
Class of 2019: The paths they’ve chosen...

113 students:
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- Matriculating to 50 different colleges and universities
- 63 will stay in Louisiana
- attending 12 different colleges and universities
- 50 will go across the country (with 1 going to Canada and 1 to
Germany)
- attending 36 different colleges and universities
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- 100% qualified for TOPS
- Offered over 36MM in merit scholarships
- Earned over 3000 hours of Dual Enrollment and Articulated credit
- Studying Engineering and English, Photography and Physics, Art and
Computer Science and Psychology and Languages and Biochemistry
and Global Studies and Creative Writing and Business and...
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Your Future Begins Here.
You’re in for an adventure for sure.

Sure, there will be some rough days, but some days will be absolutely
incredible.
You’ll make lifelong friendships, discover and nurture your academic
passions, and develop life-skills that will prepare you for your next
adventures.
You can do this. And we can’t what to see what you’ll accomplish.
We are thrilled to start this path with you, and wherever the path leads,
know that you’ll have a second home here at LSMSA.

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Epilogue:
What’s Next?
What’s Next Today

A word from our LSMSA Parents’ Council

Parents of Summer Program Students: Parent Meetings

• CPT Recital Hall (EXCEL)
• Boardroom (STEM)
• CPT 219 (Summer School)
All Parents: Parent Reception in CPT Atrium, sponsored by the LSMSA
Foundation and Parents’ Council
All Students: Students stay here for the kick-off to our weekend!

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