January—March 2018 Volume 12 Issue 3
Word of Mouth Inside this issue: Winter Warrior Nights Campus Activities Meet the Red Team Coaches Red Team Season Highlights Meet the Red Team
4 5-6
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7-8
9-10
Meet the JV Team Coaches
11
JV Team Season Highlights
12
Meet the JV Team
13-14
Meet the Cheer Team
15-17
Wrestling Team Debut
18-19
Gold Team Spring Season Highlights
19-21
2018 Spirit Days Dress Up Fun By Gloria Lan During each of the four spirit days, there was a special dress day. The first was the Spirit Dress Day on February 7th, as well as the last dress down day on March 9th. On these days, students were able to wear any combination of our school colors of black, red, gold and white. Students could also
wear jeans with an Oak Hill shirt. Many students also painted their faces for the Gold Team games on these nights. The second spirit dress day was Pajama Day on February 14th. On this day, teachers and students were able to wear their pajamas, sweats, and robes to school. Some wore adorable animal pajamas, such as giraffes, insects and many others as well. Everyone looked
relaxed and enjoyed wearing their pajamas and slippers. Some of the students even brought their stuffed animals with them! The third spirit dress day was Twin Day on February 21st. Students and faculty dressed up as twins by wearing identical clothes on this day. People also wore the same shoes or had the (Continued on page 2)
Lynne Ham OHA Community Cancer Healthcare Fun By Liam Hill Lynne Ham, school nurse and alumna of Oak Hill Academy, was a fixture at the school. Always smiling, she was a constant caregiver to Oak Hill students each
day. As her cancer treatment wore on, she did not let it dampen her spirit or her dedication to our community. She battled cancer day-to-day, but came to work with a
smile on her face and continued to put others first. She worked at Oak Hill for 25 years before tragically losing her battle with cancer. The Class of 2018 (Continued on page 4)
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same hairstyle with their twin. The most impressive work was done by junior girls, dressed up in a yellow T-shirt and a red and black tutu skirt. The last spirit dress day was Wacky Day on February 28th people could dress up in any wacky fashion they preferred. Wearing mismatched shoes and socks, backwards pants, shirts and tawdry accessories were some of the more common ways that people dressed up. It was a lot of fun to see people dressed up in fashions that were considered bold and awkward, especially when people dressed in a way that was unexpected and unimaginable. Mr. Duranko dressed up Issac Newton style, and surprised all of his students as they walked into the classroom. Both the student body and faculty and staff enjoyed the spirit activities and showed great enthusiasm dressing up. It was a great memory that should be treasured for all the fun and laughter it brought to us.
Minute to Win It Games By Lauren Dillinger On February 14th, Oak Hill Academy held the annual “Minute to Win It� games. Competitors from each grade raced to gain first place in various timed activities. First, there was the stocking foot head. Competitors put a stocking on their head that is weighed down by a tennis ball and knock down water bottles as fast as possible. The juniors won this activity! Second, was the Oreo stack. There is a bowl of Oreos for each grade on one side of the gym. Each competitor must race to the bowl and pick up an Oreo using only his mouth. Then one must run back to the starting place and neatly stack the Oreos. Whoever had the most stacked Oreos won. The seniors took the win for this contest! Third, was the egg roll. Competitors used a pencil in their mouths to roll an egg across the gym floor to their partner who rolled the egg back to the start. The seniors also won this contest! Fourth, was the ping pong catch. This is when one person bounces a ping pong
ball on the floor to their partner who catches it in a cup. The sophomores took the win for this event! The fifth game was the 52 card pickup. Playing cards were spread on the gym floor. Competitors were wrapped in duct tape and then rolled on the floor to get as many cards to stick on their tape as possible. The underclassmen won this round! Sixth was the ping pong cup challenge. Similar to the ping pong catch game, competitors raced to bounce the ping pong ball on the floor and into numerous cups before the other grades. The sophomores also won this Ping-Pong affiliated match! Seventh was the pen in the bottle game. Participants had a string with a pen on the end attached to the back of their pants with a paper clip. They crouched or moved their body to get the pen inside of six different water bottles. The juniors won this activity! Last but not least, there was the group 4 shot. Four students in each grade had to make four layups, three free-throws, two 3 pointers, and one half court shot. The sophomores shot their way to victory! Overall, everyone played fair and enjoyed the unique games.
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Spirit Days
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Trivia Bowl By Anna Spencer The 2018 Trivia Bowl was played Plinko style. Participants dropped a ball to determine the amount of points gained or lost. For the senior class, Mr. Wymer, Bolu Salami, Mikun Adewole, and Anna Spencer competed. For the junior class Ms. Sargent, Blake Kinnaman, Timi Tolu Ogunkoya, and Molly Williams competed. Competing for the sophomore class were Mr. Duranko, Rhett Spencer, Christen Reeves, and Tobi Salami, and for the underclassmen, Ms. Bronson, Ariel Bland, William Brannon, and Erin Bunn participated. The underclassmen came in first with 30 points which earned them 12 points toward their total. The seniors came in second and got 29 points which earned them 10 points. The sophomores came in third place with 20 points which earned them 8 points toward their total. The juniors came in fourth place and got 17 points which earned them 6 points.
Feats of Strength By Jackson Ritter On March 7th, classes competed against one another in the final set of Spirit Days events: the Feats of Strength. There were six different events including the iron lady, the bat relay, battle ropes, jump rope, free throw, and tug of war. The sophomores took the victory for the iron lady. In the bat relay, every team tried hard and gave the rest of us some good laughs, but the freshmen spun and ran their way to victory leaving the other classes in the dust. In the jump rope competition, each competitor jumped for 45 seconds and tried to get as many jumps as possible. The junior boy and freshman girl took a hop, skip, and jump to victory. In the free throw competition, each player got one minute to make as many shots as possible. The winners were the senior boy and sophomore girl. The tug of war was a seemingly easy victory for the seniors as they pulled the other teams to their
defeat. The last two events were the class cheer and the singing of the Alma Mater. Although the official winners of these events were never told, every class put in their full effort and showed true school spirit on the last and most exciting spirit day of the 2017-2018 school year.
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Winter Warrior Nights By Hannah Stowe The tradition of Warrior Weekends, where students can get off campus and eat at restaurants and other fun activities, has been changed this year. Instead of having two or three significant Warrior Weekends a year, Oak Hill has gone in a new and more convenient direction. This year, Warrior Nights offer three or four trips that occur more frequently throughout the year and provide more flexibility. "I like how the Warrior Nights are this year," said Anna Spencer. "If I don't get a chance to sign up for any trips or they're full, I know I will have more opportunities to get off campus in a couple of weeks." According to Mr. Hill, the organizer behind all of the trips, "there are more off-campus trips
Lynne Ham Fund
this year than there have ever been at Oak Hill. Having them smaller, but more frequently gives students more accessibility to leave campus on the weekends." The first Warrior Night of second semester kicked off with three trip opportunities and a total of 33 spots. These trips include Ciro's Pizza, Kyoto Japanese Restaurant, and a fast food rodeo to Pizza Hut, Bojangles, Burger King, Subway, KFC, McDonald's, Taco Bell, and Wendy's. The second Warrior Night of the semester followed only two weeks later. These trips included ice skating and dinner, a co-ed nail salon trip, and another fast food rodeo. Promise Sam said, "Ice skating was so much fun. I fell so much, but it was worth
it."
difficult time of a severe health crisis. This fund was established by the Class of 2018 with the goal of passing it on to each senior class with a focus on growing the fund. Thus far the senior class has raised $1,200 by initiating a dress down day. Collection points have also been established at the Alumni Campus Store, Young's Chapel
Baptist Church, and at the game gate for continued donations and support. The senior class will initiate another fundraiser sometime in the late spring.
The third Warrior Night's trips included Five Guys and Krispy Kreme, Tokyo Japanese Restaurant, an Escape Room Adventure, and dinner and a movie. "The Escape Room was cool," Sarah Smith said. "We found a few hints and had to find a key to unlock a box. We had to use a lot of resourcefulness." The Warrior Nights gave kids opportunities to have off-campus trips and have fun. Oak Hill will continue the tradition of Warrior Nights.
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created the Lynne Ham Community Cancer and Healthcare Fund in her name to permanently link Nurse Ham to the school and in honor of her dedication to Oak Hill Academy and the mission of the school. This fund will benefit the community as a whole, providing funds for families in need as they work through the
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Activities on Campus By Mikun Adewole At Oak Hill Academy, there are a plethora of clubs students can immerse themselves in to build new relationships and develop new skills. These clubs consist of activities such as the Debate Club, paintball, and Ski Club. The Oak Hill Debate Club, as the name implies, is a club in which students carry out various debates about some cases that are presented to them. The Debate Club formed a team that recently participated in the North Carolina High School Ethics Bowl. The students, Chase Vincent, Hannah Stowe, Bolu Salami, Tobi Sonaike, Christen Reeves, Sarah Smith, Molly Williams and Mikun Adewole, engaged in debates with students from other schools and finished with a record of 1-2. “Participating in the competition taught us a lot and better prepared us to compete next year,” said Ms. Chris Tobin, the club's sponsor. “We took tough ethical questions and discussed them in a highly effective way.” Anyone who is ready to show initiative and passion for debating can sign up with Ms. Tobin in her classroom and begin preparation for next year's Ethics Bowl.
Paintball is an activity run by Mr. Gary Crede in which students can participate in the thrilling shooting game of paintball on Saturday afternoons. The Paintball Club was started by former student Matthew Weed. Students can come and play with parents' permission on most Saturdays when the weather permits. Students are divided into two teams and play until one side emerges victorious and is the only team with players remaining after the game has been played. Paintball will commence once again after spring break with a new speedball course. Sign-ups can be done with Mr. Crede in his office. The Oak Hill Academy Ski Club is the club in which students leave campus during the winter to ski and snowboard. Ski trips at OHA take place from the first week in January until spring break begins in March. Trips usually take place on Thursday afternoons, and the chosen group travels to Appalachian Ski Mountain in Blowing Rock, NC, which is
about an hour and 15 minutes from campus. Any student with parental permission is allowed to sign up for these trips. Snowboarders are required to have their equipment, but skiers can rent their gear at the mountain. Sign-ups for the trips are posted in the academic office on Monday mornings, and the final list is posted at 2:00 pm on the day of the trip.
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Activities on Campus By Chase Vincent Throughout the year Mr. Butt, the new Director of Student Affairs, has brought two new clubs to the Oak Hill Community. These are the Board Game Club and Lego Club. These activities are usually offered after dinner on any given day of the week. The purpose of these clubs is to help students relax and kick back after a long day of school. Some of the board games that are offered are Monopoly and Life. These classic games help some students connect with their younger self in a cozy setting. Flag football and the Fishing Club are also run through Mr.
Butt. Both of these clubs are currently on a hiatus due to the weather and will pick up after spring break. Fishing Club students go to Noonkester lake and attempt to catch the biggest catfish. Most students like to fish because of the calm atmosphere that the lake exudes. Also, flag football has been a hit on campus. Boys and girls gather on the soccer field to play flag football combined with some friendly competition. The A Team has been doing amazing things this year. This includes skits
in homeroom periodically reminding students things that we should be doing better by telling us to always be on our best behavior during church. The members of the A-Team are Bailey Madison, Katelyn Bogart, Tobi Salami, K'Juan Williams, Lydia Haimanot, Lauren Oberman, Timi Tolu, Mikun Adewole, Bolu Salami, Lotanna Anene, Reggie Ekong, and Jake Kelley. Tobi Salami said, “The A Team is a fun learning experience where I can discuss issues with a group of my peers. It also has allowed me to serve my community is a more direct way."
Red Team Coaches By Donovan Saine Coach Hebold is the Head Coach of the Red Team. He has been a member of the Oak Hill community for eight years. Before Coach Hebold came to work at Oak Hill, he coached professionally in Europe. This season Coach Hebold’s expectation was for each player to grow and develop and for the team to come together and enjoy the opportunity they have. He expected to be competitive in every game. One of Coach
Hebold’s quotes from this season is, “Always looking to compete for national championships. It should be a successful season.” Coach Burns is the Assistant Coach for the Red Team. He has been a part of the Oak Hill community for five years. His family lives in Kentucky and consists of his mom, dad, sister,
brother-in-law, and two nephews. Coach Burns’ expectation for this season is for each player to challenge himself.
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Red Team Fall Season Overview By Idy Sow At the beginning of the season, the Red Team was looking for their identity. Coach Hebold and Coach Burns pushed the focus on using defense to win games. The team struggled at first defensively, but got the hang of playing defensively and
working together as a team. The games that stood out were those at the Millennium Financial Classic where the team won three big games to bring the final record for the first semester to 9-4. The top scorer was Christian McCray who averaged 20.8 points per game and also led the team in rebounds averaging 7.1 rebounds. Josh Hall led the team in assists
averaging 4.3 assists per game. The Red Team was led from the perimeter by Christian McCray and Josh Hall combining for a total of 48 three-pointers: Christian with 27 and Josh with 21. The Red Team ended the first semester strong and had high hopes for the second half of the season.
Red Team Spring Season Overview By Jeremy Eng The Red Team kicked off the spring semester with a tournament in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina where they defeated Cheraw High by a score of 62-52 (Josh Hall had had a team high 25 points). They defeated Myrtle Beach Christian by a score of 72-52 in their second game (Christian McCray had a team high 28 points). The team then traveled to Alpharetta, Georgia where they went 2-0 defeating Dawson Christian 9187 in overtime. Christian McCray led the way with 31 points. They resumed play the following day with a 54 -43 victory against Cumberland
Christian. Christian McCray led the team again with 20 points. Following these two tournaments, the team traveled to Martinsville to face off against Carlisle School. The team struggled without two starters and ended up losing by a final score of 49-65. Donovan Saine had a team high 19 points. The Red Team then traveled to Fort Mill, South Carolina where they went up against Comenius School. The team played well, but ended up losing the game at the end by a final score of 56-63. The team was led by Josh Hall with 15 points. The team rebounded as they traveled to Bristol, Tennessee to play Bristol Prep. The team won 68-
55 and was led by Josh Hall with a team high 15 points. The Red Team then had their first home game of the semester as they faced off against visiting team Chilhowie High School. They trounced them easily by a final score of 87-48 as Christian McCray scored a game high 30 points. The team then had their second game of their three game home stand against Eastside High School. Eastside played well and took advantage of their momentum to win 53-65. Donovan Saine led a balanced scoring night with 10 points. The team then hosted Bull City Prep the next day to finish out their (Continued on page 8)
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home stand. The team played hard and gave all their energy, but in the end lost an incredibly close game by a score of 49-50. During open weekend the team traveled to Rabun Gap, Georgia with only 8 of their 17 players and won in a comeback against Rabun Gap School with the final score being 47-42. They held the opposing team to 12 second half points. Along with the teams all around defensive effort they were led by Markus Malleschitz with a team high 13 points. The team returned to play following open weekend and faced off against Carlisle School at home. The team played well throughout, but lost in the final seconds with a score of 77-79 where Christian McCray had a team high 35 points. After this the team traveled to Hickory, North Carolina to play Moravian Prep. The team was off and struggled all night which resulted in a 50 -76 loss. Idrissa Sow had a team high 10 points.
The team responded to the loss and beat Knoxville Christian in Knoxville, Tennessee with the final score being 45-44. Donovan Saine led the team in scoring with 16 points as he hit two crucial threes down the stretch. Steven Eng sealed the deal hitting two free throws with 12 seconds to put the team up 3. Following the end of the regular season, the team headed to the NACA Tournament in Dayton, Tennessee. The team opened up the first day with a good win against Saints Academy (FL) with a score of 64-31. Christian McCray and Donovan Saine led the team in scoring with 13 points each. The team defeated Lighthouse Christian (TN) in a close game with the final score being 51-48. Christian McCray had a team high 23 points. The team faced off against another tough opponent later in the day. The team beat Covenant Christian (GA) 61-53. Christian McCray was again the leading scorer with 27 points. Winning all three pool games assured the team that they would be competing for their third consecutive NACA Division 2
Championship. In the championship game the team faced off against a familiar opponent in Knoxville Christian (TN), a team they had beaten by one point in their last regular season game. The team jumped out to an early lead and was able to maintain it throughout to win their third straight NACA Division 2 Championship with a final score of 61-46. Idrissa Sow had a great game as he led the way for the team scoring 23 points. Christian McCray, Donovan Saine, and Idrissa Sow were named to the alltournament team. Christian also earned offensive MVP for the tournament. The Red Team finished out the second half of the season12-6 winning their last five games which included, four at the NACA where they 3peated as champions.
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Meet the Red Team By Steven Eng The 2017-2018 Oak Hill Red team was composed of many gifted, talented, and skilled individuals. The team was balanced with five seniors, eight juniors, one sophomore, and three freshmen. Of the seventeen players, three were returners to Oak Hill Red, and the other fourteen were new to the team. The Red Team players by grade were as follows: Donovan Saine is a 6'4 senior guard/forward from Detroit, Michigan. This is Donovan's second year on the team and he is one of the two team captains. Donovan's favorite food is pizza, and his favorite athlete is James Harden. Idrissa (Idy) Sow is a 6'6 senior guard/forward from San Francisco, California. Idy is a returner to Oak Hill Red, and he is also one of the two team captains. Idy's favorite food is pasta, and his favorite athlete is Lebron James. Christian McCray is a 6'6 senior
guard/forward from Weston, Florida. Christian is a new member of the Red Team. Christian's favorite food is cheeseburgers, and his favorite athlete is Kevin Durant. Steven Eng is a 5'10 senior guard from Elon, North Carolina. Steven is also a new addition to the team. Steven's favorite food is pizza and his favorite athlete is Bradley Beal. Jeremy Eng is a 5'10 senior guard from Elon, North Carolina. This year is Jeremy's first season on Oak Hill Red. Jeremy's favorite food is pizza, and his favorite athlete is Kyrie Irving. Josh Hall is a 6'8 junior guard/ forward from Durham, North Carolina. Josh is a returning player to Oak Hill Red. His favorite food is sushi, and his favorite athlete is Giannis Antetokounmpo. Brandon Dornevil is a 6'0 junior guard from Miami, Florida. Brandon is a new addition to this year's Oak Hill Red Team. Brandon's favorite food is pizza, and his favorite athlete is Lebron James.
Thomas Drakeford is a 5'9 junior guard from Charlotte, North Carolina. This is Thomas's first season as a member of the Oak Hill Red Team. Thomas's favorite food is macaroni & cheese. His favorite athlete is Kobe Bryant. Lotanna Anene is a 6'4 junior forward from Abuja, Nigeria. He is in his first season with the team. Lotanna's favorite food is chicken. George Paul is his favorite athlete. Timi Tolu Ogunkoya is a 6'7 junior forward from London, England. Timi is a new addition to Oak Hill Red. Timi's favorite food is chicken wings. Timi’s favorite athlete is Usain Bolt. Aaron Teal is a 5'11 junior guard from Charlotte, North Carolina. Aaron is in his first season with the team. Aaron's favorite food is steak. His favorite athlete is Steve Nash. LiWayne Richardson is a 6'10 junior forward from Anguilla, Caribbean. LiWayne is a returner to Oak Hill, but he is in his first season as part of the Oak Hill Red Team. LiWayne's favorite food is tostones. His favorite athlete is Tim Duncan. (Continued on page 10)
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Meet the Red Team
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KJ Jones is a 6'1 junior guard from Brooklyn, New York. KJ is in his first year with the Oak Hill Red Team. KJ's favorite food is cheesecake and his favorite athlete is Russell Westbrook. Peyton Breaux is a 5'10 sophomore guard from Lafayette, Louisiana. Peyton is a new member of Oak Hill Red. Peyton's favorite food is boudins. Odell Beckham Jr. is his favorite athlete. Ariel Bland is a 6'4 freshman forward from Eden Praire, Minnesota. This is Ariel's first season with the team. His favorite food is Fruity Pebbles. His favorite athlete is Kevin
Markus Malleschitz is a 5'9 guard from Maria Lanzendorf, Austria. Markus is not new to Oak Hill, but he is new to the Oak Hill Red Team. Markus's favorite food is schnitzel. His favorite athlete is Neymar Jr. Ke (Kevin) Lai is a 6'3 freshman guard/forward from Shanghai, China. Kevin is in his first season with the Oak Hill Red Team. Kevin's favorite food is beef, and his favorite athlete is Kobe Bryant. Aside from the 17 talented players listed above, the team also has two outstanding managers who help make things go much smoother for the team.
Mikun Adewole is a senior student manager from Lagos, Nigeria. Mikun is a returner to Oak Hill, but this year is his first as a manager for the Red Team. Mikun's favorite food is chicken, and his favorite athlete is CĂŠsar Azpilicueta. Bolu Salami is a senior student manager from Lagos, Nigeria. Bolu is an Oak Hill returner, but this is his first year as a student manager for the Red Team. Bolu's favorite food is Orange Chicken. Eden Hazard is his favorite athlete.
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JV Team Coaches By Bolu Salami This year, the JV team was a very new team that came under the charge of the two coaches: Coach "K" Knudsen and Coach Doan, his assistant. The team as a whole was focused on one goal: The development of individual skills to play roles within a team more effectively. Coach K is a sixth-year employee at Oak Hill Academy who teaches mathematics. He has two children: Taryn, his fifteenyear-old daughter in the tenth grade who plays soccer and volleyball, and Aidan, his twelve-year-old son in the sixth grade. Coach K played basketball for his entire high school career, coached coming straight out of college and has coached for his six years at Oak Hill. His outlook toward the season was one of awareness about the level of talent in some of his players and the potential of the others. He expected each team member to put in their best for his teammates. Coach Doan is a second-year employee at Oak Hill Academy and serves as a resident manager. He has been in charge of three dorms in his somewhat short time at the school: Ingram First, Ingram Second, and
Williams-Berry. He is originally from Ridgeway, Ontario, Canada where both his parents still live along with his brother Jacob. He is engaged to his fiancĂŠe, Stephanie, to whom he plans on getting married in July this year. Before his arrival at Oak Hill Academy, Coach Doan was an assistant coach of a high school basketball program back in Canada where he coached a boys' and a girls' basketball team each of which he led to a National Championship. Coach Doan had a very positive outlook on the season and expected the very best effort from his players as well as improvement in how well they were able to move the ball around with each other on the court.
At the end of the season, both Coach Doan and Coach K were well pleased with how things went with the JV team, their record of wins and losses, and the improvement displayed by their players throughout the season. When asked to describe his experience with the team, Coach Doan said that, "it was fun" and that he was, "happy with how the JV team played and took to the coaches' instructions and directives." He said that their receptiveness, "was what won them games." Coach K concurred saying that, "It was an enjoyable team to coach and they started playing much better towards the end of the season."
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JV Team Fall Season Overview By Carittah Cai JV basketball tryouts were held in October. After three days of try-outs, fifteen players were named to the team. With only three returning players, Jevon Andrew, Rhett Spencer, and Malik Bell, the team was a bit inexperienced. The team played well on defense because the coaches believed that playing good defense would allow the team a chance to win any game. However, there was room for
improvement on offense. "It took us until January or February to become a good offensive basketball team," said Coach Knudsen. Coach Doan joined the JV team this year and was responsible for defense. The game against Mountain Mission was the best for the team this season. The final score was 66-28 and eleven different players scored. Malik Bell scored 18 points, Charles AmoYartey scored 9 points, and Rhett Spencer scored 8 points. "We played our best when we were unselfish," said Malik. In
JV Team Spring Season Overview By Sven Patzer Oak Hill JV basketball made tremendous strides throughout the season improving its overall level of play and cohesiveness as a team. This year's team was led in scoring by junior Cian Samuels and sophomore Jay Young, who also led the team in assists. The
team was inspired by the hard work of Anna Spencer, score keeper. Anna brought energy to the group throughout the season because of her positive attitude and willingness to learn. From the first week of practice, the entire team's progress regarding skills, floor awareness, and execution were remarkable. Each player had a criti-
the fall season, Cian Samuels led the team in points and assists, Malik Bell led in three-point shooting, and Rhett Spencer was leading rebounder. Rhett was also the captain of the team. "We did well, but we could improve in various areas," said Rhett. Coach Knudsen also mentioned Jalin Dllard was excellent at driving to the basket, and Lioul Woldemariam was a good defensive player and shot blocker.
cal spot on the team and showed improvement throughout the season. At the end of the season, the team felt they had improved as a unit, and it showed in their record. Go, Warriors!
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Meet the JV Team
is chicken wings, and rap is his favorite music.
By Sarah Smith The 2017-2018 OHA JV basketball team included: Eric Ma is from China, and he has been at Oak Hill for one year. He enjoys classical music, his favorite food is beef, and his favorite class at Oak Hill is English. Eric's position on the team is power forward. Jevon Andrew is from Antigua and he has been at Oak Hill for two years. His favorite music is rap and his favorite food is French toast. His favorite class at Oak Hill is math, and his position on the team is shooting guard. Eyoab Knapp is from Ethiopia and lives in Homer, Alaska. He has been at Oak Hill for one year. His favorite food is pizza and his favorite class at Oak Hill is geography. Eyoab's positions on the team are point guard and shooting guard. Joe Walker is from Delaware, and this is his first year at Oak Hill. His favorite food is pizza, and his favorite class at Oak Hill is math. His position on the team is small forward.
Simon Sun is from China, and he's been at Oak Hill for two years. His favorite music is pop, his favorite food is Chinese food, and his favorite class at Oak Hill is algebra. Simon's position on the team is the shooting guard. Cian Samuels is from New York, and he has been at Oak Hill for two years. His favorite music is rap, his favorite food is pizza. His favorite class at Oak Hill is African American History. His position on the team is point guard. Daniel Carter, point guard and shooting guard, is from Baltimore, Maryland. This is his first year at Oak Hill. His favorite classes are Earth Science and World History. His favorite foods are chicken and pizza. His favorite music is rap. Charles Amo-Yartey is from Hamilton, Canada, and this is his first year at Oak Hill. His position on the team is small forward. Earth Science is his favorite class at OHA, his favorite food
Anber Chen is from Taiwan, and this is his first year at Oak Hill. His favorite food is sushi. His favorite song is “If We Don't Belong Together.” Anber's positions on the team are power forward and center. William Brannon is from Columbia, South Carolina, and this is his first year at Oak Hill. His positions on the team are shooting guard and small forward. His favorite classes are Algebra II and World Geography. His favorite foods are macaroni and sweet potato soufflé, His favorite music is rap. Jay Young is from Washington DC, and this is his first semester at Oak Hill. He plays the shooting guard on the team. His favorite class is English 10, his favorite food is pizza, and his favorite artists are A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie and PnB Rock. Lioul Woldemariam is from Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, and this is his first year at Oak Hill. His position on the team is (Continued on page 14)
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center. Lioul's favorite class here is College Credit Pre-Calculus. His favorite food is chicken tenders. Lioul's favorite artist is J Cole. Malik Bell is from Chicago, Illinois, and this is his second year at Oak Hill. He is a guard on the team. His favorite classes at Oak Hill are weightlifting class and math. Malik's favorite foods are pizza and chicken wings. Rap is his favorite music. Jalin Dillard, shooting guard, is from Atlanta, Georgia. This is his first year at Oak Hill. His favorite class is advanced fitness, his favorite food is chicken, and his favorite music is hip-hop. Rhett Spencer is from Winston-Salem, North Carolina, and he has been at Oak Hill for two years. His position on the team is power forward. His favorite class is
chemistry. His favorite food is pizza. Lydia Haimanot is a team manager from Ethiopia. She has been at Oak Hill for two years. Her favorite song is “Burn,� her favorite food is pizza, and her favorite class at Oak Hill is math. Another manager is Kalab Haimanot from Ethiopia. He has been at Oak Hill for two years. His favorite food is pizza. His favorite class at Oak Hill is PE. Becca Woolums is also a manager and is from King William, Virginia. This is her first year at Oak Hill. Her favorite class is Spanish, and she loves Mexican food.
Also a manager is Jingyi Cai from China. She has been at Oak Hill for four years. Her favorite class is art. Her favorite food is noodles. Pape Faye is a manager from Senegal. This is his second year at Oak Hill. His favorite food is chicken wings. His favorite class is Boys Advanced Fitness. His favorite artists are Niska and Quavo.
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Meet the Cheer Team By Alice Wang Oak Hill Academy’s 20172018 cheer team has done a great job. The cheerleaders have contributed their time and effort to the OHA community. This cheer season has been filled with laughter and enjoyment from the cheerleaders who came from various cultures. There are twelve cheer team members, one manager, and Coach Yvonne Rodgers who has devoted a lot of time and effort to the team.
She is also the dance team coach, uniform manager, and academic registrar at school. She has been working at Oak Hill Academy for three years, but has lived here for fourteen years. She also coached the OHA cheer team in 2005-2006. Mrs. Rodgers wanted to have a fun squad that enjoys expressing their talent. Her goal was to motivate and have the girls get outside of their comfort zone to be a positive part of Oak Hill athletics. She enjoys dance and always stays active. Her husband is Mr.
Rodgers who has worked at Oak Hill Academy for fourteen years. He is the Director of Admissions and is also an alum of Oak Hill Academy. Mrs. Rodgers has four children. Her two daughters, Khelan and Alexandra, graduated from Oak Hill Academy. Khelan was a cheerleader and was in the class of 2006. Alexandra played basketball at Oak Hill Academy and graduated in 2010. Her two sons grew up on campus. Oak Hill is a family to them. Mrs. Rodgers said, “Enjoyment, smiles, and fun spirit is something that motivate me to continue working with OHA cheerleaders.” Chase Vincent is a senior and is one of the captains of the team. She comes from Wayzata, Minnesota. This is her third year
at OHA and her second year in cheerleading. Her favorite class is psychology. Her favorite music artist is J. Cole. Chase loves chicken wild rice soup and supporting the teams and showing her school spirit. Xian “Alice” Wang is a senior and also a captain of the cheer team. This is her third year at the school and in cheer. She is from Chengdu, China. Alice loves to laugh and share funny stories with her friends. Her favorite class is College Credit English. Her favorite music artist is PG One. Alice enjoys Korean food and snacks. She has a huge passion for cheering and wants to try to continue cheering in college. Morrissa Chandler is a senior on the team and is from Virginia
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Beach, Virginia. This is her first year at Oak Hill. She likes her math class. Her favorite food is pasta. She wants people to know that she is timid, which is the opposite of what most people think. Morrissa likes to travel to different places and meet new people. She chose to cheer because she loves to represent the school and wear the cheer uniform.
Abby Osho is from Laurel, Maryland, but lives in Ashford, England. This is her fourth year at Oak Hill Academy. She has been cheering for three years. Abby’s favorite food is Chinese food. She enjoys music in general and likes to watch movies. Abby enjoys cheering with her friends on the team. In her free time, she likes to draw and write.
Senior Xinhui “Gloria” Lan is from Beijing, China. This is her second year at Oak Hill Academy. Her favorite class is US history. Her favorite music artist is Rasmus Seebach. Gloria likes tiramisu, loves hanging out with her friends and cheering people up. A positive attitude to life means a lot to her. Gloria enjoys every second cheering with her teammates. This makes her Oak Hill life more fun.
Legend, and Big Sean. She likes drawing and modeling. Aarina likes to cheer because she loves to support Oak Hill Academy. Aarina said, “I don’t cheer because I see people cheering. I cheer because I have passion for cheering, and I love my school, Oak Hill Academy.” The four adjectives that describe her: cooperative, cheerful, committed, and friendly. She loves fashion and beauty pageants.
K’Juan Williams is from the Bahamas and is a senior at Oak Hill Academy. Her favorite foods are conch salad, chicken and rice, and plantains. K’Juan likes all kinds of music. She likes to dance with the music. Her favorite class is physical science. She likes to bring a happy spirit to the school through cheering. She is positive and has a passion for cheer.
Yuqing “CiCi” Wang is a junior from Xi’an, China. Her favorite class is AP Art Studio. This is CiCi’s second year here. She likes to cheer with her friends. CiCi’s favorite music artist is Ariana Grande. She likes to eat cheese and her favorite sport is basketball. That is why she chooses to cheer and continue her passion for basketball.
Aarina Varpilah is from Monrovia City, Liberia. This is her first year at Oak Hill Academy. Aarina’s favorite food is chicken and rice. Her favorite artists are One Direction, John
Guangnan “Sofia” Xu is from Shanghai, China. She has been at
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Oak Hill Academy for a year and a half. Her favorite class is Algebra 3. Her favorite music artists are Tizzy T& Jony J. She likes to eat fried chicken. Sofia joined the cheer team because she wants to share her talents in cheering. Zihan “Crisi” Xu comes from Shanghai, China. This is her first year on the cheer team and her second year at the school. She joined cheer because all her friends love to cheer. She had a lot of fun cheering this season and had a great time with her teammates. Crisi’s favorite food is ice cream. She likes to work out, so her favorite class is advanced fitness. She wants to be stronger and healthier through all activities she does. Zhiwen “Wendy” Hu is from Hangzhou, China. This is her second year at Oak Hill Academy. Her favorite class is
English 10. Her favorite food is chicken tenders, but she likes Chinese food a lot. She is motivated to cheer because of her passion in doing things for her school and the cheer team. Wendy likes to be around many people and enjoys cheer a lot. Tobi Salami is a sophomore who was born and raised in Lagos, Nigeria. She now lives in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. She likes all kinds of food. Tobi has been at Oak Hill for two years. Her favorite class is Honor’s World Cultures with Mr. Bunn. Her favorite artists for now are Beyoncé and PNB Rock. She likes to cheer because it brings her closer to her friends, so that they can spend time outside of the dorm to have some fun. Tobi has a beautiful voice and loves to sing, write songs, and dance.
Montana Francis is a senior who has been at Oak Hill for two years. She is the manager of the team. She helped Mrs. Rodgers and the cheer members in arranging uniforms and the cheer equipment. Her favorite class is sculpture and she likes to listen to all types of music. Montana is also the manager of the dance team. She enjoys the time working with Mrs. Rodgers.
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Wrestling Team Debut By Reggie Ekong Oak Hill fielded its first wrestling team during the 20172018 school year. With Kevin Kennedy's experience and newcomer Edson Knapp's willingness to work, this season looked promising. As a whole, the wrestling team was based on "growth," which was their slogan for the year. The wrestlers strived to perfect their crafts through hard work. Edson Knapp, being the youngest member of the team and a newcomer to wrestling, had a lot to prove. Born in Tampa, Florida and growing up in Homer, Alaska, coming to Oak Hill was a massive change in environment for Edson. Edson's favorite classes at Oak Hill are geography and biology. His favorite music genre is pop. His favorite song is “Counting Stars” by One Republic. Overall, his experience at Oak Hill has been exhilarating and his favorite part of it seems to be the food; chicken tenders, corn dogs, chili and roast beef. Edson
aimed to "show everyone what he is made of" this season. Returning student Kevin Kennedy from Verona, Virginia, had set goals to achieve, not only as team captain but as an impactful leader. He enjoys Mr. Bunn's United States History class. Kevin is also a humorous guy who enjoys nature and has a deep passion for country music. His favorite song is “The Last Goodbye” by Jeff Buckley. Kevin also likes to get groovy at times and listens to Pharrell Williams when he is in a dancing mood. They both share the same birthday, April 5th. Kevin also aimed "to prove everyone wrong" this season. Head coach, Mr. Wymer wanted to spend his second year at Oak Hill "building a core of solid wrestlers to build upon for the future and teaching the lessons wrestling has to offer." Coach Wymer also aimed to make the sport fun and provide a feeling of family through the season. He stated that "It's difficult to start a program at a small private school, but if we do it right, Oak Hill wrestlers can and will achieve their goals, become stronger physically and
mentally and have fun in the process. Mr. Wymer has been involved in the sport since he was 12. He was the captain of his high school wrestling team and took 3rd place in Virginia his senior year. He wrestled for NCAA Division I Campbell University for the NCWA club team at VCU, and competed in the US Olympic Trials process. Mr. Wymer has coached at all age levels throughout the last 16 years including 7 years as head coach at Massanutten Military Academy. Indeed, Mr. Wymer's drive for the sport is backed up by his accomplishments and his family has played a prominent role in the molding of Mr. Wymer's wrestling career because they were always supportive of him and his little brother in their time in wrestling. Whether it was bringing food to
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matches, cleaning up after them at hotels, driving them to camps and off-season tournaments, spending what they could afford on sending them to camps and tournaments, sitting on stiff bleachers all day watching them wrestle and encouraging both of them, they were always there.
"When I first started wrestling, my father thought the sport would be too tough for me and that I would probably quit. When I told him that I was going out for the team, that I was going to start my first year and that I would get a pin in my first match, he suggested that I perhaps not get my hopes up. In my first ever match, I pinned my opponent in 27 seconds. My father came down from the stands, gave me a giant hug and said that he would always believe anything I said from here
on out and that he was so proud of me," Mr. Wymer recalled. That was the moment that fueled his ambition for the sport and created the experienced wrestler we have as the wrestling team's coach this year.
Spring Season Gold Team Highlights By Dave McCormack, Easton Branch, Promise Sam, & Jackson Redmon In Oak Hill's game against Ensworth, Keyontae Johnson played tremendously well. He led the team with 22 points and two rebounds. It was an overall team effort with Keldon Johnson finishing with 19 points and ten assists, Will
Richardson ended the game with 17 points and nine assists, and David McCormack completed the game with 10 points and 16 rebounds. With a strong team bond, the Warriors won the game by 26 points. When the Warriors took on Bull City Prep at home, Keldon Johnson put on a stunning performance scoring a massive 28 points. The Warriors managed to bring energy the
entire game and kept the crowd intrigued with their style of play. The team won the game by 17 points. The Gold Team was strong this season especially during the end of January. They had a close game against St. Petersburg to start off this stretch but won it 78-72. Keyontae Johnson (Continued on page 20)
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sparked this game with 24 points. David McCormack said, "His scoring made everyone want to do better." They won the Virginia High FCA Classic winning two games in a row. First, they played Mountain Mission and won by a score of 64-54. Keldon Johnson finished the game with 25 and led the team to victory. The second game was against Teays Valley where they beat the team 7556 to win the championship. David McCormack had 20 points and 12 rebounds recording a double-double for the final game of the tournament. After the tournament, the team went right back to work facing St. James. It was a tough game, but the team won 62-52. David McCormack said "This was a difficult game, but the team pulled together in the fourth quarter and ran away with the win." Will Richardson and
Keldon both recorded 14 points in the game. The team returned home for a game against Christ School. The score of 94-54 says it all. David McCormack had 15 rebounds while Keyontae Johnson scored 26 this game. During February, they won all but one of their games. A tight contest between Sunrise Christian on February 10th led to Oak Hill's first loss of the year. Will Richardson led the team with 23 points and five assists. David McCormack had an explosive start, scoring the first four points of the game. The team went back to practice with their mind set on winning it all. On February 20th the team played against Washington Academy and won by a final score of 87-51. Akrum Ahemed was a huge asset to the team as starting point guard. Keldon Johnson and Keyontae Johnson went head to head to see who could rack up the most points. Keyontae scored 24 points and Keldon had 22 points. According to Keyontae, "Sometimes
competing with a teammate makes room for improvement and team building experience." Evan Johnson scored 12 points and Jackson Redmon assisted a highlight dunk by Keyontae Johnson. After the Jordan Brand Classic in Los Angeles was canceled, the Gold Team finished out the season with a stretch of four homes games to end the month February, which they handled without much competition. The first of these was against Washington Academy from Greenville, North Carolina. Keldon Johnson and Keyontae Johnson both went off in this game, each racking up 24 and 21 points respectively, alongside Will Richardson (16 points) and David McCormack (15 points). The final score ended up being 87-51 with the Gold Team taking the win. The next game was against Top Flight Academy, who came all the way from Ottawa,
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Canada. The first half of the game was a battle, with the score at halftime being a difference of 8 points. The Gold Team dominated in the second half to win the game by 37 points. This was highlighted by Keldon Johnson's 21 points, Evan Johnson's 20 points, and David McCormack's 15 points and 15 rebounds. Will Richardson also contributed to the win, adding 10 points and eight assists, as well as Keyontae Johnson with 13 points and six steals. The following day, another win was added to the record against Legacy Charter School from Greenville, South Carolina.
With another shaky start in the first half, the Gold Team came out gunning in the second half, with a final score of 86-60 in favor of the Warriors. Eddy Kayouloud had 12 points in this game, as well as Keyontae Johnson with 21, Keldon Johnson with 20, Will Richardson with 16, and David McCormack with 12. The final game of the month was against Believe Academy from Athens, Tennessee. Keyontae Johnson and Keldon Johnson each had 20 points, Will Richardson had 18 points, and David McCormack finished with 14 points and 13 rebounds. While Believe Academy offered slightly more competition, the Gold Team finished off the
month of February strong, winning by 14 points.
Word of Mouth Student Newspaper
Reporters Mikun Adewole
Gloria Lan
Sarah Smith
Easton Branch
David McCormack
Idy Sow
Carittah Cai
Sven Patzer
Anna Spencer
Lauren Dellinger
Jackson Redmon
Hannah Stowe
Reggie Ekong
Jackson Ritter
Chase Vincent
Jeremy Eng
Donovan Saine
Alice Wang
Steven Eng
Bolu Salami
Liam Hill
Promise Sam
Layout & Design Team Edson Knapp
Will Richardson
Faculty Advisors
Proofreaders
Mikki Haas
Lisa Finklea
Matt Pease
Cyndie Richardson
Sebastian Rojas Castelblanco