Cub Roar Spring Summer 23 - Flipbook - Page 41
Clay Benton ’02
has the privilege of
working with two
fellow U-High alumni
at LSU’s Office of the
University Registrar:
Kristie Braud ’13 and
Brian Antie ’92.
of course, but also the framework for
building relationships. Core memories
include cheering on his school
when they won the state basketball
championship senior year and
gathering with his friends each day for
lunch in the courtyard. He offered this
advice to newer families: “The best
part of U-High is its ability to present
opportunities, but those opportunities
are worthless if you don’t take
advantage of them. Make sure they
get that holistic experience.”
While the Bentons have seen the
school evolve a lot over the years,
from changes in technology to the
expansion of the campus footprint
and student body, the elements that
first drew them in remain constant.
Barbara shared of her first visit, “The
facility was just overwhelming to see
those huge classrooms and those
strong teachers and the activities
that were going on in the rooms …
You walked in there and were like,
‘Oh, this is a good school. It was just
obvious visually.’”
The value of a “good school” again
showed itself when Dr. Benton
embarked on his freshman year at
LSU. He started college, as so many
ULS students do, having earned
course credit because he tested out
of several first-year courses. The
transition was seamless: “I grew up on
campus, so I wasn’t startled or afraid
to show up on a college campus.
And in my first year, I kept getting
information about study skills and
thought, ‘I know all of this.’”
Today, as the Bentons look back
on their decades of involvement
with ULS and the way their Cub
journey continues to impact their
lives, standouts are the relationships
among students and parents, the
experiences, and – leading the way –
the incredible faculty.
Barbara said of the teaching quality,
“You don’t apply there unless you
really want to make teaching a career
rather than just a job.”
Dr. Benton, now able to look
back from PhD to his educational
launchpad in kindergarten, chuckled
remembering making a papier mâché
pterodactyl in kindergarten, then
flying it over the classroom. “You look
back and it went by so quickly … in
the moment, it just felt right.”
Do you have an
interesting ULS
story? Please
share with us:
ulsfoundation@lsu.edu.
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