Neville High School - Monroyan Yearbook (Monroe, LA)

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Bengal Belles Gain Recognition For Neville High School Mary Hunt presents trophies to Mr. Loftin at assembly. Bengal Belles add ZEST to Basketball half-times. 20 B lsssl B m y t A' s f affix 4- 3,22 ai 1. H1 K K . k,.,. K xr H kk,,, 1 2 fi . A ii L 'Y E .. '- W -- ' ' 5 L11 W kk V 9:3 'ii-i -, 8' 5' i . I i vi A L K t t t ssns sll,s ssjn ,X Q y gg g at B B alllss Q B Bengal Belles take 2nd place in Natchitoches. 1 High kicks are among the things that The Bengal Belles are noted for. I ll VLJ k:iijH1'l gv : -- The performance by the Bengal Belles at the Thanksgiving night assembly was exceptional. 1 Bengal Belles prepare to board the plane for Los Angeles, California for the national team competitions.

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4'- Tb High Academic Standards Traditional at Neville in During the Summer three Neville Students, Annette Braud, Ashley Wilkins, and Chris McHenry, par- ticipated in Girl's State and Boy's State at L.S.U. The purpose of the convention was to learn more about the state government and how it operates. The students were able to participate in their own state government by running for state wide offices in the elections held by the students. After writing their own campaign speeches, Annette Braud was elected Commissioner of Health, Ashley Wilkins was elected to the House of Representatives, and Chris McHenry was elected District Judge. The participants in Boy's State and Girl's State were separat- ed during the week, until a joint convocation, where they heard Governor Edwin Edwards and Senator Gillis Long speak, to Girls State and Boys Statei Chris McHenry, Ashley Wilkins, and Annette Braud. ,pw STP' Debate Team: William Erwin and Steve Nordyke The Debate Team works long and hard throughout the year. They represent Neville in debate tournaments held around the state. This summer William Erwin and Steve Nordyke attended camp at Georgetown University in Washington, D.C. They have attended tour- naments at Byrd High School, Acadiana High School, New Iberia High School, Captain Shreve, La. State University in -Shreveport, and the Tournament of Champions. Members ofthe debate team spend hours in the library researching for their competitions. They pore through magazines making notes of items of importance. They have accumulated hundreds of notecards on subjects ranging from the Russian influence to the Third World. 19

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qt: Mary Hunt shows her Tiger spirit on dress-up days. Sylvia Wilkins and DeeAnna Pee paint the gym during the summei. For the past ten years, the Bengal Belles have been a tradition at Neville. The 21-member dance team has continued to improve over these years, Their achievements have won them the respect and admiration of their fellow classmates and rival drill teams. Such feats can only be achieved through hours of dedicated practice. The Bengal Belles started practice early in April, only days after tryouts had been completed. The six girls who had been Bengal Belles the previous year already knew what was expected of them--Perfection! The new members found that perfection was not easily obtained. It meant getting to practice at 6:00 every morning and usually staying late during evening practice. The results of this extra effort were shown in Dallas at the S.M.U. Drill Team Camp, where they won a first place trophy in the Intermediate Division and the Show-Off Award on Talent Night. While not hard at work practicing, the Bengal Belles found time to do special projects for the school, such as painting the gym and placing the big Welcome sign in the lobby. They also provided entertainment at assemblies and during half-time at football games. The end of football season did not mean the end of practice. The Bengal Belles had to prepare for competition against northern Louisiana drill teams at Northwestern University in Natchitoches. Again their practice paid off as they brought home two second place trophies, which qualified them for national competition. December also brought basketball season, Apart from performing for basketball games at Neville, the Bengal Belles also gave excellent performances during the News Star and Pacemaker Tournaments held at Northeast. Practice continued, and on February 2, the Belles traveled to New Orleans to compete against drill teams from all over the state. The highlight of the year for the Bengal Belles was their trip to California. For weeks they worked to raise money by asking local businessmen to sponsor them. Finally on February 5, after weeks of waiting, they boarded a plane bound for Los Angeles. There they competed against teams from all over the country in the Los Angeles Sports Arena. Although the trip was filled with' more practice and tough competition, they managed to get in some sightseeing. All good things must come to an end, and so it was for the '79-80 Bengal Belles. As they removed their white boots and black and gold uniforms for the last time, they wondered if the past year had been worth all the extra effort. But as they remembered the standing ovation they had received at the Talent Show, their last performance before the school, they realized that it had indeed been worth all the tears and sweat. Pa l 5. N I i 3 up , N E 5 an F i .- ...ss T WL.. e .att . .. A f Becky Kight, Laura Neill, and Debbie Hearn rest after their half-time dance. High, straight kicks are important in every dance performed by the Belles. :Q S515 Becky Kight, Carol Russel, Tish Bailey, and Linda Wolff relax after a long practice on the The Bengal Belles march into the football stage. games to the beat of the drums. 21