By ROBERT L. LEE

RESERVE – For the past six years, a continuously growing number of students from Reserve Christian School have travelled to Tulsa Okla. and tested their talents and wits during a week-long retreat. Recently, the Eagles returned from this year’s event with trophies, medals and ribbons, and are already excited about returning next year. A total of 42 students from grades 9-12 made the bus trip to Oral Roberts University after raising money all year for the trip. The seven days were packed with time for prayer, competitive events and finished with chapel services and guest speakers.

The Eagles competed in an assortment of intellectual and athletic events against 40 high schools, ranging from in the United States, to Canada and Jamaica.

Academic events included quiz bowl, competitions in math, engineering and geography, as well as preaching and a bible challenge. Musical competitions were held in choir, orchestra and with other instruments, as well as art competitions with photography, pen and ink, on-site art and computer art. On the fields and courts of the University, the Eagles battled other teams in sports such as tennis, track and field, and boys and girls volleyball.

The prior two years the Eagles finished 16th and 13th, but Michael Marix, the Eagles’ softball and volleyball coach who was one of six faculty members to chaperon the students, said he expects a higher ranking this year.

“It was our goal to be in the top 10. We scored more points this year than the past years, so we should make it,” said Marix.

He said he should know the tallied points in the next few weeks and whether the Eagles accomplished their goal. A feat a gymnasium full of people witnessed, was when the Eagles’ boys basketball team, which included nine players from the championship team, defeated the top ranked team, from Victory Christian School, a 1,600-student school in Oklahoma. Marix said the Oklahoma team had won their state championship for the past nine years and compared their force to Baton Rouge’s Evangel football team. Guiding the team via a cell phone from his home, and with play-by-play from Principal Philip Brown on the sidelines, coach Tim Byrd led the team to trophy win. The boys volleyball team received a trophy for its third place finish, and the boys track and field team won third place in the 4-by-1 relay.

Individual students who won medals and ribbons included: Mary Venus, who won the discus event for the third year in a row and placed third in the shot put; Matt Jackson finished fourth in discus; Ryan Waguespack, placed second in pen and ink art and on-site art; Marshall Williams won first place in the 100 meter race; Jessica Rogers placed in poetry; Jessica Berthelot placed in cross stitching; Michael Nosacka placed in guitar solo with his own composition; and Tommy Rizzuto received a ribbon for designing the yearbook cover.

“A lot of kids were going because they loved it so much last year,” said Marix. “Quite a few of the seniors in the past wished they could go back.”