Word of Mouth VOLUME 9, ISSUE 6
APRIL/MAY 2015
Casino Night INSIDE THIS ISSUE:
By Percy Smith
Warrior Weekend #3
2
Parents’ Days
4
Knitting Club
7
Character Stage 8
Creative Innovations
8
Spring Sports
9
Senior Skip Day 11 Noonkester Social
13
The Senior Class of 2015 celebrated their last Spring Formal at Oak Hill Academy on Saturday, April 25th along with the rest of the student body. This year’s Casino Night theme was chosen by the committee with the help of Ms. Sargent. Preparation for the Spring Formal began many months before the event. On Monday, April 20th, the Spring Formal Committee and many of the faculty and staff began hanging wires on the ceiling and walls of the cafeteria. The decorating began as soon as dinner was over on Friday evening and continued until 9:30 p.m. By the end of the evening the cafeteria appeared to be a Las Vegas casino.
with white strands of lights which added an elegant ambiance in the room; and the tables were covered with a red and green overlay of gossamer as well as a custom glass and deck of cards for each guest. The glassware read, “Welcome to Fabulous CASINO NIGHT! Oak Hill Academy Spring Formal.” To finish the decorating, cardboard cut outs of poker chips, gold coins, slot machines, and large dice were placed throughout the venue.
The cafeteria was decorated using a variety of props, fabrics, and other decorations. The walls were covered in red, black, white, and silver star styled fabrics; the ceiling was covered
When thinking of Las Vegas their luxurious buffets come to mind, and the spring formal meal surely replicated that. The Meriwether (Continued on page 12)
Warrior Weekend #3 Friday Trips By LB Wingate The Final Warrior Weekend of this year was April 17-19. The Friday trips featured many different food and social options. There was a nail salon and dinner trip with Mrs. Bonham. According to Mrs. Bonham the highlight of the trip was taking student Brendan Cruz to get a pedicure. After visiting the salon, the group went to a Mexican restaurant in West Jefferson, North Carolina. Another group went to Chipotle which is a Mexican restaurant. According to Will Hall, “The trip was so good; there was enough food to bring back for later.” There was also a trip to Qdoba Mexican Grill with a stop at Sweet Frog for dessert. LB Wingate enjoyed the trip to Qdoba as it was a chance to try different food. Mr. Rodgers and Mr. Riedl took students to the movies to see Paul Blart Mall Cop 2.
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Another group of students went to dinner and the Koresh Dance Company performance at Appalachian State University. The final trip of the evening was to Osaka Restaurant with Mrs. Andrews and Ms. Kaufelt.
were able to set a record in the laser maze!” The laser maze was a game where students navigated through laser beams being careful to avoid touching the beams while making their way to the finish line.
Saturday Trips
In the afternoon, Mr. Finklea took students to fast food restaurants around the area. Some of the restaurants included: Taco Bell, Bojangles, Wendy’s, and McDonalds. Mr. Rodgers took students zip lining at the Hawk’s Nest Zip Line. Sean Spalding said that it was “an interesting experience.” Additionally, Mr. Henry Crede traveled with some students to a WinstonSalem Dash baseball game.
By Yonatan Belayhun On the second day of Warrior Weekend, Mr. Hunt took students to play Foot Golf. Foot Golf is a combination of golf and soccer. Instead of hitting a golf ball, you kick a soccer ball into a “golf style” hole. Mr. Julius and Mr. Riedl took some students to play laser tag at Bo’s Bodacious Entertainment. The students enjoyed laser tag, as it was one of the most popular trips on Saturday. Jackson Ritter said “I enjoyed laser tag. It was a lot of fun, and I almost got the highest score.” Students also enjoyed bowling, an arcade, a laser maze and mini-golf. Destiny Crickman said, “It was spectacular. Tara and I
The final trip for Saturday was to Osaka Restaurant and to see a movie. Ms. Luksic and Ms. Warta took this group to see Fast and Furious 7.
Warrior Weekend #3 Sunday Trips
Campus Activities
By Tamsin Smith
By Marie Crickman
On Sunday, Oak Hill students had a choice of going to watch “Guys and Dolls,” as well as going out for both lunch and dinner; going to a Virginia Tech Lacrosse match and lunch at Cookout; going to Olive Garden and Sweet Frog for dinner and frozen yogurt; a lunch and nails trip; and a dinner theater trip. The students really enjoyed the chance to get off campus and to spend time with their friends, favorite teachers, and staff members.
Though Warrior Weekend is known for the numerous off campus excursions, fun is experienced on campus as well. On April 18, 2015 Oak Hill experienced a unique Saturday social that had a little bit of something for everyone. Inside the gym, students could play basketball and volleyball. Along the walkway to the gym, students were able to compete against one another in a Cornhole match. In the parking lot, students volleyed a soccer ball among each other. Young’s Chapel Baptist Church provided tailgating to the students offering variety of drinks, pretzels, hot dogs, and more. On the decks of the campus store, students socialized at the tables as they listened to music. As the night progressed, two campfires were lit and students were able to roast marshmallows and enjoy each other’s company around a nice fire.
The “Guys and Dolls” play was held at the University of North Carolina School of the Arts in downtown WinstonSalem. The Tony Award winning play was about men who gamble and struggle with relationships due to their gambling problems. Before the play, the group went to a sit down lunch at Mellow Mushroom. After attending the play, they went to dinner at Jimmy Johns.
Mr. Welch and Mr. Rodgers took a group to the Virginia Tech Men’s Lacrosse game. After about a one and a half hour drive to Blacksburg, Virginia, students lined up to watch Virginia Tech take on West Virginia. The group had to leave around the end of the third quarter due to extreme rainy weather, but that did not stop them from enjoying a delicious meal at Cookout. Another trip offered on Sunday was to Olive Garden and Sweet Frog frozen yogurt. “The food was so tasty at Olive Garden that I had to bring some back for my roommate,” said Tori Levine. Everyone enjoyed another successful Warrior Weekend filled with a wide variety of off-campus adventures and on-campus fun.
Senior Frankie Knox put together a video game competition inside the campus store. Students loaned their televisions, video game systems, and video games. During the week students signed up to compete against each other. The video (Continued on page 11)
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Parents’ Days Art Show
Career Fair By Frankie Knox On April 2, 2015, Oak Hill Academy hosted a Career Fair that was open to all students. The Career Fair was sponsored by Mrs. Groves and held in Turner Gymnasium. Along the walls were posters listing the different occupations represented. Participating parents provided great insight on their particular occupations. There were three sections of occupations represented including medical, business, and miscellaneous. Under medical was John Arrowood (Physician, Ear/Nose/ Throat), Kyle Arrowood (Physician, Radiology), Allison Benson (Physician, Anesthesiology), Anne Barnwell Grayson (Physician, Sugeon), and Richard Sears (Physician, Gastroenterology). The Business participants included: Jerry Benson (Medical Sales), Patrick Curtin (Management), Shannon Holdaway (Pharmaceutical Sales, also involved in local government), and Gwen Pfeifer (Accountant). The
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miscellaneous tables were manned by: Wolfgang Kreutzer (Lawyer), Arlene Aranzamendez (Web Design/Fashion Jewelry), Toya Lazard (Amtrak Lead Service Attendant), Chris Maes (TV Writer/Producer), Beth Sears (Fitness Coach), and Brenda Williams (Engineer). The Career Fair was a great chance for students to ask detailed questions and learn about a variety of interesting jobs.
By Tamsin Smith On April 2nd and 3rd, Ms. Luksic and her students hosted an art show for Parents’ Days. This was the students’ chance to reveal to their parents, teachers, and fellow classmates what they worked on all year in art class. During the art show, everyone had the chance to vote on which pieces were their favorites. During homeroom Friday morning, the awards were announced. The Best in Show awards included Jingyi Cai and Hannah Bruck for their charcoal portraits in the Foundations of Art class, Michelle Guo for her selfportrait in Advanced Art, Miles Preacher for his piece, “Rodgers and Me,” in Graphic Desgin, and Christine Richardson for her piece, “Alice’s World,” also in Advanced Art. Chris Benson won an award for all of his work in Graphic Design and Intermediate Art. Bakh Pearl also received an award for all of his work in Ceramics 1. When asked what her favorite piece in the art show was, Hope Bernier stated,” I just couldn’t choose, because they were all so unique and creative.”
Parents’ Days Horse Show
Stage Crew
Spring Drama
By Amy He
By Will Hall
By Eden Sileshi
The horse show was one of the first programs of Parents’ Days. Parents, students, and faculty gathered at the track in front of the Hough Dorm to watch the exhibition. The Equestrian Show Team put on special outfits and rode their show horses. Team members riding were Sam Mussen on Gideo, Marie Crickman on Bayallday, team captain Linda Goins on Goldie, Chris Sears on Princess, and Amy He on Alejandro.
The Spring Drama Production was “Beyond Good and Evil” by D.H. Larson, directed by Mr. Pease. Behind the scenes was a group of individuals called the Stage Crew. This year’s members included Tyler Whiteman, Michelle Watson-Jones, Sean Spalding, Destiny Crickman, Aislinn Curtin, Jake Pensak, Christine Richardson, Frankie Knox, Linda Goins, Christine Sears, Sam Fryling, Kennedy Barber, Tara Griffith, and Abby Osho. They performed flawlessly working with Ms. Luksic the evening of the show. Being on Stage Crew for four years, Tyler Whiteman was able to help out this year’s newcomers. Michelle WatsonJones, Christine Richardson, Frankie Knox and Linda Goins were also set painters. The sets looked like a Chicago skyline at sunset, with a comic book store, and a doctor’s office. These groups helped bring the show to life with lighting, sound, props, and sets.
The annual spring play was “Beyond Good and Evil.” The play was directed by Mr. Pease, the English and Theater teacher, and narrated by Konstantin Kreutzer. The first act was called “Super Dead Man.” Actors and actresses in this scene included Amy He as Gem, Dani Kahn as Sarah, Meme Ogbuefi as Whinny, Trey Woody as Sidekick, Jailaygne Mayweather as the officer, Sean Spalding as Mezmero, and Tara Griffith as Tara. This act was about superheroes finally being defeated by a super villain. The characters debated the hero’s impact on each other’s lives and the super villain was defeated by a random person. The second act was called the “Superhero Support Group.” Actors and actresses in this scene were Eden Sileshi as Speedo, Michelle Watson-Jones as the doctor, Frankie Knox as Dog Boy, Cheyanne Molina as Catchick, Brendan Cruz as Smack, Quinn Arrowood as Shade, and Linda Goins as Caper. This act was about
The horsemanship class students also showed off their riding abilities. The participants were Veronica Hartley on Buckaroo, Sean Spalding on Rocky, Amber Deane on Teddy, Jake Pensak on Rocky, Maddy Mayeaux on Teddy, and Livy Maes on Buckaroo. Cheyanne Molina was the emcee for the event. Students, parents, and faculty enjoyed the show very much.
(Continued on page 6)
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Parents’ Days Spring Drama cont.
Musical Performances
an evil doctor who thought she was helping the superheroes by taking away their powers. At the end on the scene, the heroes defeat the doctor even though they don’t have their powers. The last act was called “Blinded by the Knight.” Actors and actresses in this scene were Josh DeLacerda as Joe, Tori Levine as Ashley, Chris Benson as Howard, Chris Sears as Ninja, and Christine Richardson as Doc. This scene was about a very shy and insecure guy that was in love with a girl that didn’t like him. Then a ninja girl falls over a bookcase and the shy guy helps her. They sit down and talk and he soon realizes that he was wasting his time being in love with the other girl. The lesson in this play is that you don’t need powers or good looks to be a superhero. There are superheroes in our lives every day.
By Aislinn Curtin Wearing yellow Hawaiian shirts the Pep Band started off the Parents’ Days Evening of Arts with a bang. The Pep Band played ‘Eye of the Tiger,’ ‘Fight Song,’ ‘Mortal Combat,’ and ‘Hey Song.’ As the group played, Ms. Callison invited everyone to join in and clap along with the beat. Pep Band members include Will Messer (guitar), Josh DeLacerda (clarinet), Hannah Bruck (piano), Brendan Cruz (drums), and Ms. Callison (guitar and drums). After the pep band performance the chorus took the stage. The first song was ‘I Will Rise’ by Chris Tomlin, performed by Chloe Lin and Chris Sears. Will Messer and Michelle Watson-Jones then came to the stage to play and sing ‘Ash & Clay.’ Ms. Callison played the guitar along with Will for this song. For the finale, the chorus performed ‘Hallelujah’ by Leonard Cohen. Chorus members include Quinn Arrowood, Chris Benson, Hope Bernier, Hannah Bruck, Jose Castro, Destiny (Continued on page 7)
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Field Day
(Continued from page 6)
Crickman, Brendan Cruz, Josh DeLacerda, Veronica Hartley, Amy He, Chloe Lin, Jailaygne Mayweather, Chris Sears, Eden Sileshi, Sean Spalding, and Michelle Watson-Jones. Hannah Bruck accompanied the choir on the piano. Parent Patrick Curtin said, “I really enjoyed the music and pep band. I am glad they performed and hope they will continue.”
Knitting Club By Frankie Culhane The Knitting Club was recently started by Ms. Tobin. Knitting Club is for students and faculty who want to learn how to knit. Students may work on different projects or together on the same pattern. The club meets once a week after school, and is open to anyone who would like to join. When asked about her favorite part of Knitting Club, Ms. Tobin said, “Being able to hang out with the students, while teaching them an interesting and fun skill is great.”
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Character Stage By Percy Smith “One's philosophy is not best expressed in words; it is expressed in the choices one makes... and the choices we make are ultimately our responsibility.”- Eleanor Roosevelt The school year has come to an end and the Character Team is sending everyone off with one last character trait, responsibility. Responsibility is defined as being accountable, showing commitment, showing trustworthiness, as well as showing perseverance. So remember with great success comes great responsibility. On behalf of the Character Team, everyone have a great summer and good luck to the seniors next year.
Creative Innovations By Anthony Benedetto “Creative Innovations is a collaborative course that requires students to work together in a team setting to solve short term and long term challenges as well as build 21st century skills,” stated Ms. Luksic, who has been the teacher and team manager for two years. The Creative Innovations class at Oak Hill Academy recently participated in a state level ‘Destination Imagination’ tournament. The challenge was to create an original fairy tale about a character that was dealing with a phobia. Other requirements included two pieces of artwork, an illusion, and two team choice elements. Team members who developed the ideas for this challenge included Lolo Ogbuefi, Miles Preacher, Oliver Lynch-Daniels, Frankie Knox, Henry McMahon, and Christine Sears. For the artwork, Frankie Knox created street art, and Miles and Oliver created a mirror in which a video played. For the team illusion, Henry and Frankie created a system which allowed cardboard buildings to rise up, representing the passage of time. Christine created a dragon costume using cardboard, hot glue, wire, and paint. Oliver also wrote a poetic, rhyming letter for the challenge. The team had only eight minutes to present and a $150 budget to create their ‘Fairy Tale.’ They placed 5th in the competition out of 170 teams.
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Spring Sports Track & Field
Baseball
By Hope Bernier
By Josh DeLacerda
Track and Field was one of many Spring sports offered at Oak Hill. The Oak Hill Track and Field Team was coached by Mr. Riedl and Ms. Sargent. Mr. Riedl coached the runners, while Ms. Sargent coached the shot and discus throwers. There were 13 students on the team. Reed Mingione, Hope Bernier, Samantha Kibble, Kennedy Barber, Lolo Ogbuefi, Justin Hill, Frankie Knox, and Jonathan Harris ran, while Josh DeLacerda, Anna Spencer, Jae Mayweather, and Destiny Crickman threw shot put and discus. James Lock both ran and threw. The track team participated in both the 100 and 200 meter dash, as well as the 400, 800, 1600, and 3200 meter runs. Over the course of the season, the team attended six meets.
The Oak Hill Academy 2015 Baseball Team hit the ball well this season. The team was coached by Mr. Henry Crede and Coach Bryan Meagher. Mr. Crede said his focus was on having fun; however, he expected fair competition for opposing teams. Both Coach Crede and Coach Meagher have past experience on the baseball field and used rigorous training to get the team prepared for the challenges of the season. Team members were as follows: Josh DeLacerda played catcher; Andres Rodriguez, Daniel Giddens, and Tara Griffith were at first base; Chris Richmond, Miles Preacher, and Bakh Pearl played second base; Connor Caffery and Daniel Giddens were at third base; Ty’shon Alexander, Jonathan Pysh, Andrew Hall, and Jake Levinson made up the outfield; and pitchers included Connor Caffrey and Henry Walker.
Throughout the season, Reed Mingione placed 1st and 2nd in the 800 meter run, as well as 4th in the 1600 meter run. Hope Bernier placed 5th in the 100 and 200 meter dash. Anna Spencer placed 5th and 6th in shot and 4th and 6th in discus. Josh DeLacerda placed 4th in shot. Lolo Ogbuefi placed 4th in the 100 and 200 meter dash. Jonathan Harris placed 6th in the 100 meter dash. The track team showed great growth throughout their season.
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Spring Sports Boys’ Tennis By Shaolong Wang Oak Hill Academy had a great season with the Boys’ Tennis Team this spring. The team was led by head coach, Mr. Landow, and assistant coach, Ming Ogden. Nahum Belayhun was the team captain. Other members of the team were Sam Mussen, Bello Razgallah, Bakh Pearl, Alex Kulp, Josh Yoon, Percy Smith, Quinn Arrowood, and Jake Levinson. The
Boys’ Tennis Team played hard, learned a lot, and built stronger skill sets. The team developed through many practices and matches during the spring season. Percy Smith stated, “This tennis team grew so much in skill level. I enjoyed the work with the team. We had a good time together.” It was another great season and sporting experience for the Boys’ Tennis Team.
Girls’ Tennis By Jae Mayweather The Girls’ Tennis Team was coached by Ms. Ann Brooks. This was her first year coaching Girls’ Tennis, and she said that it went well. The team had several new players, so they started off going over the basic skills, training, and learning how to play the game. When asked how she thought the girls would do this season, Ms. Brooks answered, “Since we do have several new girls, it will be about establishing a team of support for each other, continued improvement in the skills department, and having fun while still improving our game. It will be challenging, but the girls will do fine.” Ms. Brooks, a Hough Resident Manager, was asked how she managed being a dorm parent and a coach. She responded, “Well, as Duke Basketball Coach Mike Krzyzewski says, ‘I have a plan of action, but the game is a game of adjustments.’ In other words, I make
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adjustments where needed, on the court or in the dorm. It’s all about being flexible and knowing there will be challenges to meet. I try to do that with a positive attitude. It’s all about making someone see what they can be as opposed to what they are. We all have good in us.” The tennis team had four matches this season. They were 1-3, wins to losses. Their last match against Rural Retreat they lost 81. They also played a double header against Narrows High School and lost the first match but won the second match 5-2. The girls on the team were: Kennedy Barber, Hope Bernier, Marie Crickman, Christine Sears, Eden Sileshi, Anna Spencer, Sidney Thomas, and Natalie Zhang.
Spring Sports Soccer By Bushe Ramabu This year’s spring soccer season included three matches. The season met expectations by being both entertaining and successful. Whether it was on hot spring days or rainy cold evenings, the rather large group of 18 boys were ready to pass, strike, and take penalty shots. The team consisted of: Andrew Awantang, Austin Kloberg, David Lord, Ismaila Mbaye, Youssef Youssef, Aidan Hill, Bello Razgallah, Konstantin Kreutzer, Charlie Favor, Josh Yoon,
Peter Hatakeyama, Andrew Hall, Jackson Pfeifer, Jake Levinson, Kwande Bawa, Alpha Diallo, Xiaolin Sun, Brendan Cruz, and Yonatan Belayhun. They won three times against Rural Retreat High School 3-0, 9-0 and 13-1. Everyone had fun watching the players show their passion on the field.
Warrior Weekend #3 cont. games that were offered include: NBA 2k15, FIFA, Call of Duty, Super Smash Brothers, and Halo. Unfortunately the competitions lasted longer than intended so only two brackets were completed with a winner. Konstantin Kreutzer and Tyler Whiteman won the Halo 2 vs. 2 bracket. Reed Mingione won the Super Smash Brothers bracket. Mrs. Kaufelt, the campus store manager, rewarded the winners of the brackets with a $15 gift card to the campus store. Yonatan Belayhun, a senior, said, “It was the most fun social we have ever had. I wish social would always be like that!”
Noonkester Social
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Casino Night cont. Godsey staff created a wide array of famous chef inspired dishes and desserts for the evening. Once seated, one had a beautifully prepared spinach salad to start the meal. Appetizers included Edamame Guacamole served with tortilla chips as well as Baked Caprese Salad both inspired by famous chef Giada De Laurentiis. Dinner was served buffet style with a wide variety of chef inspired dishes including: Mario Batali’s Bollito Misto, Guy Fieri’s Polenta Cakes, Emeril Lagasse’s Vegetable Sauté, Emeril Lagasse’s Caramelized Sweet Potatoes, Wolfgang Puck’s Stir-Fried Vegetables, Gordon Ramsay’s Baked Chicken, Gordon Ramsay’s Baked Pork Chops, and Guy Fieri’s Crab Cakes. Dessert choices included Bobby Flay’s Pineapple Upside Down Cake, M&M Cookies, and a fruit plate consisting of strawberries, pineapple, cantaloupe, and honeydew. The 2015 Spring Formal Court included sophomore representative Jingyi “Carritah” Cai, junior representative Tara Griffith, senior girl representatives Jae Mayweather and Cheyanne Molina, as well as senior boy representatives Konstantin Kreutzer and Will Hall. Each girl was crowned with a small tiara and given a bouquet of white roses and the boys were given pins for their jackets. Once the court was presented, Mrs. Groves and Mr. Henry Crede announced the Spring Formal King and Queen. Taking the spotlight as king was Jose Castro and the queen was Oluchi Chigbu. Jose was crowned and given an honorary cape and Oluchi was given a large tiara and a bouquet of red roses. Once the whole court was announced the dancing began with the traditional first dance of the King and Queen. This year’s Spring Formal came to an end after many hours of music and dancing but not before letting the seniors go without one last gift. Every senior was called to the dance floor and given a “SWAG Bag.” These bags included a pair of sunglasses, a set of fuzzy dice, a poker chip necklace, a poker chip key chain, a dice keychain, and a bottle of bubbles.
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Senior Skip Day
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Alphabetically: Yonatan Belayhun, Anthony Benedetto, Hope Bernier, Marie Crickman, Frankie Culhane, Aislinn Curtin— , Josh DeLacerda, Will Hall, Amy He, Frankie Knox, Jae Mayweather, Sam Mussen, Terrence Phillips, Bushe Ramabu, Eden Sileshi, Percy Smith— , Tamsin Smith, Shaolong Wang, and LB Wingate. - also a Photojournalist
The Mission of Oak Hill Academy Proofreaders Lisa Finklea Cyndie Richardson
Faculty Sponsor Mikki Haas
2635 Oak Hill Road Mouth of Wilson, VA 24363 Phone: 276-579-2619 E-mail: info@oak-hill.net
Oak Hill Academy is a coeducational, Baptist affiliated, boarding/day school committed to excellence in education and adolescent development in a non-military setting. The mission of Oak Hill Academy is to offer a safe, secure, nurturing environment for girls and boys needing a change in school, peer, community, or family relationships. Oak Hill provides a structured collegepreparatory program to students in grades 8-12. Our curriculum challenges the brightest student and encourages those who are unmotivated, who are underachieving, or who are experiencing difficulties in their school setting.