Word of Mouth Student Newspaper Volume 10 Issue 2
this issue Warrior Weekend p.2 Homecoming p.3 Gold Team p.5 Red Team p.7 JV Team p. 9
Speeks Hall Dedication By Carittah Cai Students, faculty, staff, the Board of Trustees, and guests gathered for the dedication of Harry Lee Speeks Hall, the dorm for 8th and 9th grade boys, on October 28th. Dr. Michael Groves, President of Oak Hill Academy, welcomed and thanked everybody for attending as well as recognized the architect, the builder, and the donors. Rev. Dr. Turnmire offered a prayer for the OHA community. Christen Reeves, a two year student at OHA spoke at the dedication. “The more I thought about community and how I was going to put my thoughts into writing, the less scary it seemed to stand up in front of the whole student body and give a speech. Being at Oak Hill has made community an easy thing to talk about and understand.” Christen said, “On behalf of all of the students, especially those of us who get to live here, thank you very much for allowing our community to grow just a little bit bigger.” Mr. Harry Lee Speeks, a former OHA student who attended from 1st through 8th grade, thanked his teacher who was at the dedication in addition to Mr. Joe Gigler and Mr. Tim Marburger, who named the building in honor of Mr. Speeks. At the conclusion of the speeches, Mr. Speeks, Mr. Gigler, Mr. Marburger, and Christen cut the ribbon to officially dedicate the dorm. Mrs. Bowen, Tobi Salami, Josh DeLacerda, Lydia Haimanot, Isabelle Mills, and Kelly MacLean, led the singing of the Alma Mater to end the dedication. After the dedication, everyone was given the opportunity to take a tour of the new dorm. The dorm has two floors. First floor has an apartment for the resident manager and one student room. The second floor has six student rooms. “It was very nice and clean,” said Alice Wang, a student who toured Speeks Hall. It was a special day for the community.
Warrior Weekend By Alpha Diallo
Dr. Groves and the OHA community organized Warrior Weekend activities and trips for the students to have fun both on and off campus in October. Throughout the weekend, students enjoyed four special on-campus activities and were able to choose from 15 offcampus trips. Chase Vincent stated, “I looked forward to going to the movies on Warrior Weekend. It was great being with my friends.” To kick off Warrior Weekend, Mr. Bunn took a group to Macado’s, a sandwich restaurant, and to Emory and Henry College to watch women’s soccer. Students enjoyed some Mexican food at Qdoba and frozen yogurt for dessert with Mr. and Mrs. Finklea. Another dinner trip choice was to Yummy Yummy in Marion, a Chinese/Japanese restaurant. This trip was led by Ms. Tobin and Ms. Sargent. Carittah Cai said, “I loved the fish! The salmon was so good. I was so happy!” Another group went to the Rio Grande restaurant for Mexican food with Mr. Moseley. The final trip on Friday was to a Haunted House with Mr. Conn and Mr. Meagher. “Never again,” stated Alice Wang. “It was too scary! I cried.” Many students and haunted house volunteers got Alice through the experience. Warrior Weekend continued
after Saturday School. Students golfed in Sparta, North Carolina, and ate dinner at a Mexican restaurant with Mr. Hebold and Mr. Burns. “We had a lot of fun. Bryce Radford was the best golfer on the trip,” stated Umberto Brusadin. After finding their way through a corn maze, students went with Ms. Sargent to Monte Del Ray, a Mexican restaurant located in North Carolina. Mr. Henry and Mrs. Phelps took students to Cha Da Thai for food from Thailand. Shawn Roache said that the meal was delicious. Mr. and Mrs. Crede accompanied students to the Ghost Train at Tweetsie Railroad. Hollis Cooner said, “It was very interesting and scary.” Ms. Bronson and Ms. Mabus went with students to Mellow Mushroom, an Italian pizza restaurant, and to Sweet Frog, a frozen yogurt shop. The last trip on Saturday was to Mr. and Mrs. Finklea’s house to watch football and have snacks. Sunday morning saw students headed to Shatley Springs for breakfast with Mr. Bunn and Mr. Pease. Mrs. Phelps and Mr. Henry took students to see the movie, Mastermind. Sam Fryling stated that the movie was ‘so funny’ that he laughed out loud in the theater. Students rode bikes on the Creeper
Trail with Ms. Bronson and Mr. Maass and then stopped at Subway, for dinner. Mr. Pease also took students to the movies to see Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children. Mr. Pease said, “The trip went well and everyone seemed to like the movie. We also went to Ciros.” The Warrior Weekend was a time for Oak Hill Warriors to be relaxed and enjoy trips offered to them.
2nd Annual Homecoming By Chase Vincent
Oak Hill Academy’s Homecoming was full of events for everyone to enjoy with students, faculty, and alumni able to participate in a number of events. The weekend kicked off with a 5k color run. The course started at the Noonkester sign, went to the Oak Hill Academy welcome sign, followed by a jog to the soccer field including two laps of the field, and concluded with two laps of Lake
Samuella at Noonkester Park. Color powder was thrown on the runners during the last lap. Runners that participated were K’Juan Williams, Alice Wang, Natalie Zhang, Bree Thompson, Cici Wang, Wendy Hu, Christine Green, Bridget Hoffman, Danielle Higgs, Chase Vincent, Gloria Lan, Sam Fryling, Nahum Belayhun, Connor McQuinn, Chris Evans, Corey Shupe, Mr. H. Crede, Ms. Haas, Mr. Maass, Mr. Knudsen, Mr. Wymer, Mr. Massey, Mrs. Rodgers, and Mrs. Conn with Taya. The color throwers were Madison VanEpps and Mark Fu. Sammy Surdu and Kelly
MacLean participated as course motivators cheering everyone on at each part of the course. When asked why he decided to participate in the color run, Corey Shupe replied, “It gets you involved in the Oak Hill community. It is a great way to stay active, and it’s fun!” The color run was an activity that allowed anyone who had a desire to run at whatever skill level to participate. The goal of the color run was to encourage healthy living on ‘the Hill.’ It certainly proved to do so. When asked what motivated him, Mr. Maass said, “I had a side stitch, but I was determined to win.” Mr. Hill and Mrs. Phipps helped to capture the moments of the run by taking pictures. Next on the agenda was the annual parade. The parade began with Dr. Groves, driven by senior Lexie Stoltzfus. Following Dr. Groves was the Gold Team: Ty-shon Alexander, Josh Hemmings, Matt Coleman, Eddy Kayouloud, Kenny
Nwuba, Lindell Wigginton, Devontae Shuler, Billy Preston, Benjamin Davis, and David McCormack. The Cheer Team performed the cheer “Warriors.” Cheer Team members included K’Juan Williams, Alice Wang, Natalie Zhang, Bree Thompson, Cici Wang, Wendy Hu, Christine Green, Bridget Hoffman, Danielle Higgs, Chase Vincent, and Gloria Lan. Following the cheerleaders was the Praise Band performing “Radioactive” by Imagine Dragons. Praise Band members included Eddy Kayouloud, Sammy Surdu, Kelly MacLean, Bree Thompson, Jake Kelley, Promise Sam, Emilio delValle Castro, Josh DeLacerda, Abby
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Osho, Alice Wang, and Hollis Cooner. They were led by Coach Conn. Spanish Club was next in line for the parade. Spanish Club VicePresident, Hannah Stowe said, “I’ve always been an avid Spanish speaker and finding a club that appeals to my passion and makes me grow is what OHA is about.” The members of Spanish club included Hannah Stowe, Kristina Kennedy, Sven Patzer, and Carittah Cai. Riding Mr. Bunn’s float were Davi Lazard (class of 2016), Jaiden Lindsay, and William Rutherford. The parade concluded with the Equestrian Team members Rachel Murphy, Lauren Oberman, and Amber Deane riding Molly, Ziggy, and Rocky. Horsemanship students
decorated most of the floats in the parade. Immediately after the parade, the tailgating began. A group of international students got together to make dumplings for the student body. Crisi Xu, Alice Wang, and Mark Fu all helped to create the dumplings. Mr. Bunn made chili with Fritos and cheese to go along with it. The kitchen staff also prepared hot dogs, corn dogs, ice cream, and cotton candy. For the annual Homecoming game, the Gold Team played Faith Assembly Christian Academy, from North Carolina. The game was exciting from start to finish. The stand out players for the game were Devontae Shuler, Billy Preston, and David McCormack. The final score of the game was 96 – 57.
During halftime, the alumni in attendance participated in a shooting competition and were successful in earning students a half hour late start to school on the following Monday. The contest consisted of a free throw, three-point shot, and a lay-up. This year’s homecoming was a great and fun-filled day. Students were able to participate in many activities by showing off their skills and talents to the rest of the school. Alumni were also invited to participate and were encouraged to visit current students and faculty.
Gold Team Fall Highlights By Umberto Brusadin
The Oak Hill Academy Gold Team is undefeated so far in this season with a team record of 9-0. Main contributors were seniors Matt Coleman, Devontae Shuler, Lindell Wigginton, Ty-Shon Alexander, Billy Preston, and Ben Davis from the bench. Junior David McCormack helped the team on both ends of the floor with his presence under the basket. Junior Kenny Nwuba helped on the defensive end being the leading blocker along with Eddy Kayouloud. Freshman Josh Hemmings is bringing great energy from the bench and improving game by game.
The first game was played against Believe Prep, and the Warriors won easily 102-56. Key players were Billy Preston, who scored 16, along with Lindell Wigginton and David McCormack. Also scoring double digits were Ty-Shon Alexander and Kenny Nwuba. The leading rebounders were David with 13 and Billy with
12. The assist leader was Matt Coleman with ten. The highlights of this game were Billy Preston showing off his athleticism going coast to coast for a dunk, David McCormack dunking on a defender, and Matt Coleman’s flashy moves and passes.
The second game against New Faith Christian finished with a score of 95-53. The Warriors had a good game and the key players were Devontae Shuler with 17 points and 7 assists, Matt Coleman with 16 points and 6 rebounds, and Lindell Wigginton with 15 points. David McCormack also added 13 points and 7 rebounds. The main highlight of the game was Devontae Shuler dunking on a defender. Lindell Wigginton had four dunks, and Kenny Nwuba had some monster blocks. The game against Moravian Prep was closer than the others, but the Gold Team had it under control the
whole time winning 63-42. Key players for this game were Devontae Shuler with 17 points and 3 steals and Matt Coleman with 8 assists. Billy Preston excited the crowd with a dunk on a defender. Lindell Wigginton also had some power dunks. The final score of the Combine Academy game was 91 -56. The leading scorers were David McCormack and Devontae Shuler with 16 points each. Leading rebounder was David with 14. Ty-Shon had 13 points, 6 rebounds, and 5 assists. Devontae had an impressive dunk along with a monster block, Billy Preston had a putback, and Kenny Nwuba made some key blocks. The fifth game was against Word of God and finished with the score of 74-63. The game was close, but the Warriors came out with the win thanks to a great fourth quarter. Billy Preston led all scorers with 28 points and 16 rebounds, Devontae Shuler added 18 points, and Matt
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Coleman had 13 points and 7 rebounds. Billy Preston was unstoppable, and Matt Coleman was a complete enigma for the other team’s defense. Devontae presented a threat from the 3-point line. The next game against Cannon School ended in a score of 84-55.
The game against Buckhorn saw the Gold Team win by 71 points with a score of 106-35. Leading scorer was Billy Preston with 22 points and 9 rebounds followed by Lindell Wigginton’s 13 points, five rebounds and four assists. This game was a complete blowout and got the crowd really involved.
Against Ridgeview High School, the Warriors won with the score of 96-49. Best performers were Billy Preston with 15 points and 13 rebounds, followed by TyShon Alexander with 11 points and 4 steals. Top highlights were David McCormack’s blocks, the connection between Devontae Shuler and Lindell Wigginton for the alley-oop, and Billy Preston’s dunks. The Warriors are looking very good and solid so far. As Matt Coleman said, “We grew a lot during these games and the group is finding our own rhythm.” We look forward to a great season from the Warriors and we wish them the best.
Red Team Fall Highlights By Graeme Majors
The Red Team is having a very successful year so far with a 4-0 record. The Red Team had some tough games throughout the beginning of the season and know that it will only get more
difficult as the year progresses. Key performances have come from many players on the team, and there will be more to come as the season continues. The team consists of 16 players, two coaches, and two managers. The players are: Oliver Lynch-Daniels, Graeme Majors, Aidan Stenner, Alex Stenner, Umberto Brusadin, Shamar Henry, Michael Odiana, Camden Hughes, Donovan Saine, Idrissa Sow, Damani McEntire, Akrum Ahemed, Sean Oberman, Bryce Radford, Josh Hall, and Logan Houle. The managers are Connor Caffrey and Connor
Cummings. The team is coached by Steve Hebold and Michael Burns. The first game of the season was at home against Believe Prep. The high scorer and player with the most threepointers in the game was Graeme Majors with 18 points and four three’s. Alex Stenner led the team in assists with 5. Donovan Saine led the team with 9 rebounds; seven of them being offensive to give the team another chance to score in the 74 -45 win. The key players of this game were Graeme Majors, Oliver Lynch-Daniels, and Donovan Saine. Commenting on the game, Oliver LynchDaniels said, “Graeme and I have been here for three years now, and the past two years we have lost in double overtime by one point. We told each other
before the game that this year was going to be a different story, and we were able to come out with the win.” The second game of the season was against Moravian Prep. It was a back and forth game throughout the first three quarters. The crowd was very energized, and the players easily fed off of that energy in order to come out with the win. Oliver Lynch-Daniels led the team in points, rebounds, and three pointers with 26 points, 8 rebounds, and 4 three pointers. Graeme Majors and Oliver led the team with 5 assists each.
Aidan Stenner, Umberto Brusadin, and Oliver were the key players of the game bringing tons of energy on both ends of the floor and providing
Red Team Fall Highlights cont. beneficial stats to help give the team the 85-63 win. Coach Burns said, “Moravian is always a tough opponent when we play them, and tonight our players stepped up to the challenge and battled. They played as a team and got the win.” The third game of the season was a home game against Mountain Mission. Michael Odiana was the leading scorer with 18 points. Josh Hall and Umberto Brusadin had the most three-pointers in the game with two each. Damani McEntire led the team in rebounding with five. The team played very well with each other, especially on the defensive end, totaling up 31 steals in the game. Key performances came from Michael Odiana as he played well on both ends of the floor, and
Damani McEntire who turned the defensive intensity up. The team came out with a 113- 48 victory before going into Thanksgiving Break. Coach Burns said “The team won the game with defense. They had 31 steals together and that is just amazing. The amount of steals led to easy fast-break opportunities that the team capitalized on and won the game.” The team appreciates the Oak Hill Community for coming to all the games and enjoys the energy they provide to the players.
JV Team Fall HighThe Oak Hill JV basketball team had their first game of the season against Ridgeview High School from South Carolina on November 17th. The head coach, Mr. Knudsen, and assistant coaches, Mr. Henry Crede and Mr. Mackey, instructed and encouraged the players throughout the game. The Warriors lost by a final score of 38-41. JV team members include Keith Williams, Liwayne Richardson, Axel Bassenda, William Rutherford, Ian O’Reilly, Aaron Stepanek, Luc Brittian, Wesley Shum, Jaiden Lindsay, Wilson Cheng, Jevon Andrew, Rhett Spencer, Malik Bell, and Markus Malleschitz. “I think the guys were a little bit nervous for the first game, so we started slow, but I was really proud of how we played in the second half,” said Coach Knudsen who has been coaching the JV basketball team for five years. “We were losing 24 to 16 at halftime and played better the second half.”
Wilson Cheng had two three-pointers. Keith Williams and Jaiden Lindsey had one three-pointer each. Keith Williams led the team scoring 13 points and Wilson Cheng scored 9 points. Both players contributed a lot to the team with their best efforts: Luc Brittian added 6 points; William “AB” Rutherford scored 4 points; and Jaiden Lindsay and Aaron Stepanek had 3 points each. “We played good defense even though we did not play very well for the first half,” said Keith. All players on the team encouraged their teammates
in the first game, which gave them confidence on the court. According to Coach Knudsen, “I am really excited about this team because I have great and hardworking players. They are willing to work together and help each other out as a team.”