November/December 2017 Volume 12 Issue 2
Word of Mouth Inside this issue: Fall Warrior Nights
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Gold Game Highlights
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Meet the Gold Team Coaches
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Meet the Gold Team Players
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Homecoming 2017 Color Fun Run By Blake Kinnaman The 5k Color Run took place on Saturday, November 11th at 2:30 p.m. The runners went from the Noonkester sign, down to the Oak Hill sign at the bottom of the road where Mr. Hill was waiting to direct them back up the
hill. After that they went to the soccer field where they had to run around the fencing, then to the school building, and down to Noonkester where they had to run down the
Special point of Interest Students enjoyed a formal dinner decked out in holiday attire and a dance on December 10th. Photos of the event are on page 11.
hill and around the lake to the finish line at the Mississippi Pavilion. All through the course, volunteers threw color over the runners. After the run, the participants received a free Homecoming T-shirt and had pictures taken. The runners of this race included Eyoab Knapp, Mr. Gloss, Coach Meagher, Mr. Knudsen, Shiryu (Continued on page 2)
Harvest Festival By Hannah Stowe, Sarah Smith, and Christen Reeves Goblins, cats, cheetahs, ghosts, cows, vampires, lions, chickens, and a caterpillar were sighted at Oak Hill Academy’s
2017 Harvest Festival. Following tradition, there was a costume contest for the students.
Kevin Kennedy won Most Traditional, sporting a cape and (Continued on page 5)
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Homecoming
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Kataoka, Elijah Butt, Bridget Hoffman, Kalab Haimanot, Sebastian Rojas Castelblanco, Simon Sun, Alice Wang, Ms. Haas, Blake Kinnaman, Raina Wang, Charlie Wang, Guobin Huang, Gloria Lan, Ms. Bronson, Cici Wang, and Candice Zhang. Though it was cold, the runners had a fun time and enjoyed the challenge. Cici Wang said that the Color Run was a great experience for all of her friends to do together. First place for the boys went to Eyoab Knapp, and second place went to Shiryu Kataoka. The first place girl was Bridget Hoffman, and in second place was Alice Wang. Winners received gift certificates to the campus store.
Parade By Kneiko Brimmer, Bailey Madison, and Ben Lugo Homecoming is an annual event that kicks off the basketball season and welcomes alumni back to campus. Before
an evening of tailgating for the student body, alumni, staff, and families, the parade got the evening’s activities started. Anna Spencer remarked, “Seeing people from last year was a great surprise.” The parade began with Dr. Groves driven by Chase Vincent on a decorated golf cart and Coach Smith riding in style in Mr. Bill Hill’s classic car. A float carrying the Gold Team followed; Akrum Ahemed, Maurice Calloo, Josh Hemmings, Keldon Johnson, Keyontae Johnson, Darrick Jones, Eddy Kayouloud, B.J. Mack, David McCormack, Jackson Redmond, and Will Richardson greeted the crowd before warming up for the game later that night. The Praise Band gave a performance of “Lord, We Lift Your Name on High” with Wolfgang Willard on guitar and Promise Sam on drums accompanying Kevin Kennedy, as well as Cici Wang and Sofia Xu. Promise Sam said, “I had a great time playing with the Praise Band and hearing performances from the other groups too.” Members from the Equestrian Team, including
Bailey Madison, Lauren Oberman, Katelyn Bogart, and Lauren Dellinger, demonstrated their riding skills, while Rachel Murphy drove a cart and Jada Clay, Jalysa Boldt, and Aly Marks waved from the Equestrian float. The Oak Hill cheerleaders including Cici Wang, Abby Osho, Chase Vincent, Morrissa Chandler, K’Juan Williams, Tobi Salami, Aarina Varpilah, Candice Zhang, Gloria Lan, Sofia Xu, Wendy Hu, Alice Wang, Crisi Xu, Raina Wang, and manager Montana Francis performed for everyone. Mr. Bunn’s “Spirit Float” included Olivia Simpson, Reggie Ekong, Erin Bunn, Josh Hall, Ben Lugo, Thomas Drakeford, Ian O’Reilly, Talib Diallo, and Liwayne Richardson. Students Jake Kelley, Lydia Haimanot, Bridget Hoffman, Danielle Higgs, Jackson Ritter, Maria Lovett, Lindsay Dastejerdi, and Bolu Salami wore giant heads such as unicorns and dinosaurs. Ty Franzus, wearing a basketball head and muscle costume, entertained fans. Maria Lovett said, “People were cold, so we (Continued on page 3)
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Homecoming
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just had to laugh and enjoy being silly.” The Leadership float rolled in next with Timi Tolu, Maria Lovett, Jackson Ritter, Jake Kelley, Lindsay Dastejerdi, and Bolu Salami. After the leadership float was the Spanish Club float with president Hannah Stowe, Promise Sam, Andy Kim, Christen Reeves, Sarah Smith, Connor McQuinn, and Danielle Higgs cheering alongside Ms. Brooks. Mr. Hill and Mr. Henry organized float decorators Mrs. Manuel, Sarah Smith, Hannah Stowe, Lindsay Dastejerdi, Jake Kelly, Connor McQuinn, Liam Hill, Andy Kim, Rachel Murphy, Bailey Madison, Lauren Dellinger, Katelyn Bogart, and Lauren Oberman to trim each ride with style. Their hard work the previous week made the whole parade sparkle and shine in red and gold. Hannah Stowe recalled, “Homecoming is one of my favorite events of the year; catching up with the alumni was great. It was fun to work together on decorating
floats and then see them during the parade.”
Tailgating By Molly Williams At the fourth annual OHA Homecoming, a variety of good foods were served. Mr. Bunn, along with his wife and daughter Erin, served chili and cornbread. Jake Kelley commented on the chili saying, “It was fingerlickin’ good.” Kalab Haimanot and Lydia Haimanot offered dumplings and spring rolls. Danielle Higgs particularly enjoyed the dumplings, saying “Those pot stickers were poppin’.” Hot dogs, nachos, barbeque, potato wedges, corndogs, and cotton candy were prepared by Meriwether Godsey. Promise Sam said, “The hot dogs, mmmm, always looking forward to it.” The snacks and foods were all highly appreciated and enjoyed by students, staff, and alumni alike. Though the evening was cold, Ms. Tobin said, “With live music being played, it was a great night to relax and enjoy hanging out with everyone before the game.”
Game Time By Liwayne Richardson Before the Homecoming game started, three Oak Hill players committed to colleges, signing their letters of intent to attend and play for universities next year. Keldon Johnson committed to The University of Kentucky; Keyontae Johnson committed to The University of Florida; and David McCormack committed to The University of Kansas. The three players were glad they could share the signings with everyone in attendance for Homecoming. The game against Bristol Prep itself was very exciting. The top scorer was Keldon Johnson, with 22 points, 4 assists, and 4 rebounds. Oak Hill won the game by 58 points, with a final score of 115 to 57.
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Fall Warrior Nights By Danika Keller Although Oak Hill Academy is in the country, the school still found many things to do this fall to keep the students from boredom. They offered many off campus trips to the students during special weekends of the fall semester called Warrior Nights. During Warrior Nights multiple trips take place on Saturdays. All students are eligible to sign up for the trips. The first Warrior Night was on September 16. On this date, there were three trips offered, including dinner at the New China restaurant in Galax, Virginia, and Mexican cuisine at the Gran Rodeo restaurant in Christiansburg, Virginia. The third trip was to play putt-putt at Sunrise Mountain Mini Golf in Boone, North Carolina. The second Warrior Night was on October 7. Students went to a trampoline park and finished the night off with dinner. The second trip went bowling at Cardinal Lanes in West Jefferson, North Carolina, while the last trip was to Ciro’s Pizza & Subs in Independence, Virginia.
The last Warrior Night of the fall was on October 14. One of the many trips that took place that day was to the Wake Forest men’s soccer game in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. Students were also able to go to Five Guys and Krispy Kreme in Boone, North Carolina. Lastly, the third trip that took place was a “fast food rodeo” that went to multiple fast food restaurants. Lindsay Dastejerdi attended the Five Guys and Krispy Kreme trip and said, “I enjoyed myself on this trip; it was nice getting food I enjoy. It was also a great time to go off campus and enjoy myself with my peers.” Warrior Nights help make weekends enjoyable for students and give everyone a chance to do something different off campus.
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Harvest Festival
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(Continued from page 1)
fangs as a vampire. Gloria Lan won Most Original wearing a black flower crown with horns and a handmade sword. When asked about her costume, she remarked, “I really don’t know. I just threw a bunch of things together creatively and this is it.” Molly Williams, who had been excited for the contest for some time, won Best in Show as
Absolem, the caterpillar from Alice in Wonderland. “It was very original and different from the other costumes,” Eddy Kayouloud pointed out. Lydia Haimanot won Scariest. She used special makeup to make her neck look like it had been slit. “I like Lydia’s costume a lot,” Dr. Groves commented during the Harvest Festival. “It is very
realistic. That was a very creative idea.” Overall, the costume contest gave students a chance to dress up and be something different for a night. During the Harvest Festival, dinner was served along with many snacks during the activities and games. Dinner consisted of a variety of food choices, including mini pigs in a blanket sausages, beef stew in bread bowls, rice, and many vegetables. The sides included tater tots, cornbread, and sauerkraut. “The mini corn dogs were good!” Lauren Oberman recalled. “The food was amazing,” commented Hannah Stowe. Candy apples, chips, popcorn, and even hot pretzels were available to the students during the games. Following dinner, there was a variety of games including cornhole, a basketball mini
game, ring toss, and—a crowd favorite—the cake walk. The games were very competitive as the winners got to have breakfast at Shatley Springs the following Sunday morning as a reward. Edson Knapp, Eyoab Knapp, Lydia Haimanot, Eddy Kayouloud, Reginald Ekong, Promise Sam, Akrum Ahemed, Alice Wang, and Easton Branch were the winners of the collective games and had a good time at Shatley Springs. According to Eddy, “Shatley had a homey atmosphere and really nice food. It was great to celebrate together.” .
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Fall Gold Team Game Highlights By Kneiko Brimmer, Bailey Madison, and Molly Williams Oak Hill Academy’s game against Faith Assembly Christian Academy on October 28 ended with an outstanding victory for the Warriors, and a final score of 101-55. The top scorer was Keldon Johnson with 22 points, Will Richardson had 5 assists, and Dave McCormack had an amazing 12 rebounds. Keyontae Johnson had this to say about their first game: “It was our first game of the season so, you know me, I had to put on a show.” The November 8 game against Moravian Prep was a smashing defeat for the opposing team, with Oak Hill beating them 91-45. Keldon Johnson was the high scorer with a staggering 27 points. Will Richardson had the most assists of the game with 6, and Keldon Johnson had the most rebounds with 9. Senior player Akrum Ahemed said, “Knowing you’re playing for the name across your
chest, you have to play every game like it’s your last.” The Warriors defeated Ridgeview Prep by a score of 96-60 on November 10. Keyontae Johnson led the team in assists with 10 and rebounds with 12; the top scorer of this game was Keldon Johnson with 23 points. Josh Hemmings stated, “It was a big win for the team and a lot of fans came to support. We just have to keep it going." The Northwood Temple Classic was hosted in Fayetteville, North Carolina on November 3 and 4, 2017. Oak Hill Academy’s first opponent was Northwood Temple Academy. In Coach Smith’s words, “The team played great as a whole.” Top in scoring was Keldon Johnson with a total of 23 points, who was also three for three in 3point shots. Will Richardson had
a total of seven assists, while David McCormack had eight rebounds. Oak Hill defeated Northwood by a score of 83 to 39. Oak Hill’s second game of the tournament was against Word of God Academy. David McCormack was the leading scorer with 23 points and 13 rebounds. Will Richardson had eleven assists, and Evan Johnson had two three-pointers. Oak Hill won with a final score of 100-70. Josh Hemmings said, “After playing a few scrimmages in October, our teamwork was really starting to come together for the tournament.” The Gold Team beat Washington Academy from Greenville, North Carolina on November 14 with a final score of 88 to 61. Will Richardson led in scoring with 20 points, while Keyontae Johnson contributed 19, and Keldon Johnson had 17. Seven rebounds by David McCormack
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Fall Gold Team Game Highlights helped the team frequently turn over possession as well. Eddy Kayouloud commented, “They are a team we play often, so we can play hard against them, play a lot of defense, and represent Oak Hill well.” In a game that wowed fans on November 16, Oak Hill defeated New Faith Christian Academy of Riverdale, Georgia 95 to 62. Keldon Johnson had 20 points; Keyontae Johnson had 19. Will Richardson posted 13 assists and 13 points. Maurice Calloo’s 8 rebounds and 8 points helped shoot the Warriors to victory as well. Ms. Bronson recalled, “Will had a really nice spin move that had the crowd on their feet.” In the game against EA Prep University (Charlotte, North Carolina) on November 29, student Jalin Dillard remarked,
cont.
“They were dunking like crazy against EA. Keyontae windmilled, Dave dunked against their defense, and Keldon caught an alley-oop.” Keyontae Johnson and Keldon Johnson both scored 16 points; David McCormack had 15 points and an astounding 10 rebounds, with Will Richardson bringing in 13 points and 11 assists. The final score was 88 to 59. The Gold Team traveled to the Marshall County HoopFest in Benton, Kentucky, on December 1st and 2nd where over twenty teams participated. Oak Hill played two games, winning both. Coach Steve Smith said, “We played great both nights. We played together, and with a lot of energy.” The first game against Hamilton Heights resulted in a final score of 84 to 63. Keyontae Johnson scored the most points (23), followed by David
McCormack (20), and Keldon Johnson (17). Will Richardson had the most 3-pointers in the game, with Evan Johnson following. Keldon Johnson was top in rebounds (10), while Keyontae Johnson was not far behind with 7. The final score of the second game, against Tennessee Prep was 97 to 67. Will Richardson was the top scorer bringing in 23 points. Keyontae Johnson (20), David McCormack (18), and Keldon Johnson (17) also had huge contributions to the final score, and David McCormack had 8 rebounds. Josh Hemmings said, “We looked like the number one team in the nation.” The tournament left the team in high spirits and with confidence.
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Meet the Gold Team Coaches By Eddy Kayouloud Coach Steve Smith is the head coach of the Gold basketball team. He has been coaching for forty years, thirtyfive of those years at Oak Hill Academy in Mouth of Wilson. His outlook for the 2017-18 season is to work toward a tenth national title. Coach Smith indicates that, “We are always trying to mesh our players together to compete for a Dick’s National Championship.” Coach Smith’s Oak Hill Warriors have been crowned “National High School Champions” nine times (1993, 1994, 1999, 2001, 2004, 2005, 2007, 2012, and 2016). Coach Meagher adds, “It has truly been a privilege to work for and learn from our legendary boss, Coach Smith.” He has earned a great track record and accumulated a lot of experience since he started as a coach. Coach Bryan Meagher is the assistant coach of the Gold Team. He is in his 16th season at Oak Hill and 15th coaching the Gold Team (his first year having been the assistant coach of the Red Team). He says, “I have been employed and coaching at Oak Hill ever since I graduated from college, and I couldn’t ask for a better place to work. During my time here, I have grown as an educator, a coach, a leader and most importantly as a person.” His outlook for this year’s team remains the same as every year: “We want to develop a team of young men of
character and empower them with the skills to be better students, better teammates, better basketball players and better people. I want our team to grow together as one, to handle adversity, and to embrace the process of getting better every day.” Furthermore, Coach Meagher says, “I have been happily married for four years to my beautiful wife Karli, and we have a 19-month old daughter named Mya.” Coach Taylor Conn feels blessed to be a part of the Oak Hill basketball family for the past ten years as an assistant coach under one of the best basketball coaches of all time, Coach Steve Smith. He explains, “I have been following the Oak Hill basketball team since I first watched them play in my hometown, Tazewell, Virginia. They came and played the local community college and beat them by 50 or more. After watching them play, I realized that I would never become an NBA player, so I did the next best thing and worked on becoming a basketball coach.” His expectations for the 2017-18 season are to help players improve at their skills, get them to where they want to be, and win the National Championship. He emphasizes, “I love working with the players and being around such a historic program as Oak Hill Academy.” Coach Conn has been married for the past three years to his wife
Kalyn. Of his family, he says, “I have the biggest Oak Hill fan, and my good luck charm, Taya Kayton, who was born on March 29, 2016, the day before we left and won Oak Hill’s first Dick’s National Championship. We are expecting our second child, Lyla Walker, to make her appearance at the first of the year. I know this year is going to be a great year for the Oak Hill Academy family.” Coach Cory Alexander has a history with OHA dating back to 1991 when he was an Oak Hill Warrior, a McDonald’s and Parade All-American, Gatorade Virginia Player of the Year, Mr. Basketball in Virginia, and an Honor Graduate. Coach Alexander continued as a basketball standout at the University of Virginia helping his team to a 1992 NIT Chanpionship as well as being Cavalier of the Year in 1992 and 1995. The NBA took notice as Coach Alexander was the 29th pick in the first round of the draft. He played eight seasons in the NBA. Coach Alexander is also an ESPN and ACC Network color commentator as well as a Studio Analyst for Comcast’s Wizards Post-Game Live. He also has an Emmy for his Kings of the Court series. In addition to coaching at OHA, Coach Alexander is an AAU Head Coach, an assistant for the USA Jr. National Select Team, and a court coach for the 2014 U17 World Championship team.
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Meet the Gold Team Players By Jevon Andrew Brian Mack (B.J.) is a 6’8” small forward from Charlotte, North Carolina. A junior, he is currently committed to Virginia Tech. This is his first year at Oak Hill. B.J.’s favorite class is AfricanAmerican History. His favorite foods are pizza and fried chicken. His goals this year as a player are to get in shape and to win the Dick’s National Championship. Evan Johnson, a first year Oak Hill student, is a sophomore 6’0” point guard from Durham, North Carolina. Evan enjoys math and social studies. His favorite artist and song is Travis Scott’s “Antidote.” His role model is Damian Lillard. He hopes to improve his game this year and win the Dick’s National Championship. Darrick Jones, a sophomore, is a 6’5” guard and small forward from Richmond, Virginia. This is his first year at Oak Hill. His favorite classes are
English and World Geography. Darrick’s favorite player is LeBron James because of his work ethic. His goal is to go undefeated this year. Sophomore Josh Hemmings is a 6’7” guard from Toronto, Canada, playing for a second year at Oak Hill. He most enjoys his math and history classes. He admires LeBron James as a player and hopes to emulate his career one day. He hopes to be undefeated this year and also to develop his skills as a player. Maurice Calloo is a 6’9” forward from Toronto, Canada. This is his first year attending Oak Hill, and he is a member of the class of 2018. His favorite player is Carmelo Anthony because he attended Oak Hill too.
Maurice’s goals this year are to win the Dick’s National Championship and earn a scholarship for college. Akrum Ahemed is a 6’3” shooting guard from Hackensack, New Jersey. This is his second year at Oak Hill, and his first year on Gold Team, having played on Red Team as a junior. His favorite classes are Algebra 3 and English 12. His favorite basketball player is Russell Westbrook because he plays hard. He is working this year toward a Division 1 offer. A senior attending his first year at Oak Hill, Keldon Johnson is a 6’7” shooting guard from South Hill, Virginia. His favorite player is Russell Westbrook because he has passion for the game. (Continued on page 10)
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Meet the Gold Team Players
He wants to play at the Dick’s National Championship and be chosen as a McDonald’s All-American. David McCormack is a 6’10” center from Chesapeake, Virginia. This is his second year at Oak Hill. His favorite classes his senior year are Bible and U.S. Government. He looks up to Shaquille O’Neal as a player. His goal this year is to go to Dick’s Nationals and win. Keyontae Johnson is a 6’5” shooting guard from Norfolk, Virginia. This is his first year at Oak Hill. His role model is
cont.
Kawhi Leonard because he has a simple game but leaves it all on the court. His expectations for the season are to win every game and win the Dick’s National Championship. He would like to be Virginia’s Gatorade Player of the Year and in ESPN’s top 100. A senior from SaintDenis, France, Eddy Kayouloud is a 6’6” small forward attending Oak Hill a second year. His favorite classes are Algebra 3 and English. He is working toward being a better all-around player this year and hopes to win the Dick’s National Championship. Connor Cummings, from Norfolk, Virginia, was manager for Red Team for two years and is a manager for the Gold Team
his senior year. His favorite classes are math and gym, and he admires Eli Manning because he is an underrated player. Team manager Shiryu Kataoka is from Kobe, Japan. In his third year at Oak Hill, Shiryu most enjoys English and Advanced Fitness. His favorite thing about being on the team is being friends with everyone and laughing together.
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Christmas Dinner and Winter Dance
Word of Mouth
Word of Mouth Student Newspaper
Reporters Jevon Andrew
Bailey Madison
Kneiko Brimmer
Christen Reeves
Eddy Kayouloud
Liwayne Richardson
Danika Keller
Sarah Smith
Blake Kinnaman
Hannah Stowe
Ben Lugo
Molly Williams
Layout & Design Team Duke Hext
Will Richardson
Edson Knapp
Sebastian Rojas Castelblanco
Faculty Advisors
Proofreaders
Mikki Haas
Lisa Finklea
Chris Tobin
Cyndie Richardson