2015 september word of mouth student newspaper

h t u o M f o d Wor Volume 10, Issue 1

Oak Hill Academy Student Newspaper

September 2015

Move In Day

By Matt Coleman

Inside this issue:

As soon as I arrived on campus at Oak Hill Academy, I was immediately greeted with refreshments and friendly people. I started off my day by meeting the administration in the main building so that I would have a better understanding of everything on campus.

Then Amanda, a returning student, guided my family and me around the campus. I then headed for the new Dixon Dorm, my home for the next two years. I got to meet my resident manager, Mr. Conn, and

a few other teammates that had arrived before me: Harry Giles, Joe Hampton, Khadim Sy, and Mario Kegler.

My family began to unload the truck full of all the clothes and essentials I needed to survive a whole year on “The Hill” away. While my mom and aunt decorated my room, I was downstairs laughing and joking with the team. Later on, we all set out to dinner where I was able to meet some new people. Shockingly, there were a few students that already knew of me.

President’s Picnic

3

Upgrades

3

Office Assistant

3

Opening Day!

New Faculty

4

By Lindell Wigginton

New Staff

5-6

Soccer

6

Volleyball

7

What do planks, beach balls, and buckets have in common? The exciting opening day activities involved all three items at three different community centered stations.

Students were able to see

and meet new people from many different states and countries.

Returning students made the activities fun and welcoming for the new students.

After dinner, my parents, brother, auntie, cousin, and grandma left for their hotel. The team and I spent the rest of the evening playing 5 on 5 in the gym. The games were extremely competitive and fun.

All in all, Move In Day was a success.

Everyone at Oak Hill couldn’t have made me feel any more welcome.

Now I’m just looking forward to having a good year and an even better season.

One of the activities required students to pass a bucket around in a circle using only their feet. The object of the game was to see how (Continued on page 8)

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Word of Mouth

President’s Welcome Back Picnic

By Abby Osho & Will Watkins The President’s Welcome Back to OHA annual picnic was held at Noonkester Park on Saturday, September 5th. Students, faculty, and staff gathered at the Mississippi Pavilion to enjoy a night of socializing and friendly advisory competitions.

Meriwether Godsey was in charge of the dinner. There was a bounty of bratwurst, hot dogs, corndogs, chili, grilled vegetables, barbeque ribs, watermelon, and a school wide favorite of peanut butter chip cookies. Canned beverages were available, as well as bottled water. It was a great evening for faculty, students, and friends to all relax and connect.

Each advisory team worked together to earn points for a day off from Saturday School. The advisory group with the most points at the end of the evening was deemed the winner. The activities included correctly

identifying states/ countries from which new students hailed, guessing the number of lollipops in a mason jar, building a miniature replica of the newly constructed amphitheater, creating a bust of Mr. Welch out of Play-Doh, playing a round of Cornhole, and eating a cookie which one had to get from his/her forehead to his/ her mouth without the use of one’s hands.

Ty-Shon Alexander masterfully ate the cookie off of his forehead in record time, while Ms. Haas’s advisory group constructed a beautiful replica of the amphitheater. There were numerous unforgettable PlayDoh busts of Mr. Welch created which Mr. Welch proudly displays on his desk in the Main Office of the Academic Building.

The overall winners and recipients of a day off from Saturday School (including a visit to Shatley Springs for breakfast) were Mr. Knudsen’s advisory group.

Volume 10, Issue 1

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Upgrades on ‘the Hill’

By Bree Thompson Oak Hill has many new additions and upgrades to the grounds of the Academy this year.

Students watched as old housing was removed and replaced with a beautiful amphitheater over the summer. This outdoor area was designed with tiered seating and a fire pit. Classes are welcome to use the amphitheater and teachers have quickly taken advantage of this beautiful new location.

Over the summer, Fletcher Dorm was removed and across the street, a new boys’ dorm was built.

The new dormitory will be

officially dedicated and named later this year. Current residents of the new boys’ dorm raved about the accommodations! The Gold Team players and managers reside in this dorm.

room at home. The residents can often be found in the lobby socializing, completing work, and relaxing with a good book.

The lobby of Hough Dormitory received a complete overhaul this summer! The ladies returned to campus to find the lobby of their dorm beautifully decorated with new lighting fixtures, paint, flooring, and furniture. The lobby’s upgrades made this space as comfortable as one’s living

Office Assistance is “A BEAST”

By Kwande Bawa The new office assistant at Oak Hill Academy could be called a man that ‘does it all.’ Matthew Richardson Welch decided to take on this task. Mr. Welch was born and raised in Washington, D.C., and spent most of his life there. He attended Providence College in Rhode Island and played lacrosse on the school team. According to Mr. Welch, he heard about OHA because of their outstanding basketball program. He also wanted to experience working at a boarding school. On August 8, 2014, Mr. Welch found his way to ‘the Hill’ and began working as a rotating resident manager for the boys’ dorms.

Soon, he also became the head coach of the Lacrosse Club. In an interview Mr. Welch said, “I enjoy my job as a dorm rotator because of the interactions I have with the kids. Also, the little knowledge I have, I get to share with them.”

This year, Mr. Welch decided to get out of his comfort zone in becoming an office assistant in the school building. His job is to process the after school information for students and staff.

According to Mr. Welch, “I like my administrating job; it’s mostly a bunch of paperwork stuff and processing of disciplinary issues.”

As if that wasn’t enough, Mr.

Welch is also a new geography teacher at OHA. Mr. Welch has always enjoyed teaching and desired to become a teacher at some point in his lifetime. A man like Mr. Welch who is a ‘jack of all trades’ still has long-term goals. One goal is to coach a debate team and become a permanent teacher. In his short time here, Mr. Welch already made a lasting impact on the student body. His kindhearted behavior and niceness have given OHA a different type of positive vibe.

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¡Bienvenido, Señor Stanton!

By Davi Lazard Mr. Stanton is from West Chester, Pennsylvania. As a child, he would often spend time with friends or go to the lake. While at the lake, he would kayak and read.

Mr. Stanton attended East High School and went to Mansfield University of Pennsylvania.

During his four years at college, Mr. Stanton studied political science and languages receiving his Liberal Arts degree in 2010.

Mr. Stanton is excited to be teaching at Oak Hill Academy!

During an interview, he stated, “I love the diversity of Oak Hill.”

Before coming to ‘the Hill,’ Mr.

Stanton taught in Mexico. In Mexico, he worked at Universidad Autonoma de San Luis Potosi where he taught grammar to adults. Mr. Stanton commented, “This is very different from what I am used to. In fact, this is my first time teaching in the states!”

wants to see his students grow and meet with great success. As his students learn the language, Mr. Stanton wants them to have fun! In his free time, Mr. Stanton enjoys hiking, looking at the mountain view, and drinking tea while reading.

Although he was a little shy coming to a new place without knowing anyone, he was enthused to receive the opportunity. Mr. Stanton is teaching Spanish 2,3, and 6. He expects to grow as a teacher and be a part of the community. He

‘Mathemagician’

By Josh Hatch Mr. Mackey joined the Oak Hill community on June 20th when he began teaching mathematics during summer school. He was impressed with OHA as well as the amazing scenery and very safe environment. He jumped right into campus life and truly enjoyed the interactions with students. His experience this summer at OHA was very fast-paced and super busy with on-campus events and activities. The Mackey family – wife, Michelle, and son, Max - fell in love with Oak Hill this summer.

Once the school year began in fall, the Mackey family soon expanded

to include new daughter, Kayla – born September 13th.

Prior to joining the OHA community, Mr. Mackey and his wife were trapeze artists. They even have some of their impressive trapeze work on YouTube. However, Mr. Mackey is truly known for being a STEAM

(Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics) teacher. His skill set includes being able to multitask while teaching a variety of subjects and levels. Mr. Mackey has been teaching for 12 years.

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Calling All Ladies

By Lexie Stoltzfus Miss Smith grew up in northern Virginia, right outside Washington, D.C. She went to Duquesne University in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania where she studied journalism and political science.

While attending college, Miss Smith worked for her college newspaper, college yearbook, three professional sports teams, and a fortune five hundred company. Upon completion of her

undergraduate studies, Miss Smith attended New York University.

While there, she studied digital media and publishing.

This is Miss Smith’s first year working at Oak Hill Academy. She is the resident manager of the second floor in Hough Dorm. She enjoys her job a lot. She makes sure that everything goes well in the dorm. Some of her responsibilities are dorm checks and making sure the girls are where they belong. She is always

there for any of the girls to talk also.

Miss Smith is looking forward to becoming more a part of the Oak Hill community, and making bonds and unique connections with coworkers. She is excited to get to know the girls on second floor better and plans to hike Mount Rogers. In the future, her ambition is to go on to “Teach For America.”

Fields’ Newest Hero

By Shawn Roache Mr. Laney is not like most resident managers. He is reserved, but his presence of comfort and calmness distinguishes him and relieves anyone whom he comes to speak with or offer assistance. As a former student on ‘the Hill,’ Mr. Laney brings a unique perspective to the dorm parent position. Fields Hall is even better than before because of Mr. Laney.

Mr. Laney described his senior year at Oak Hill as the ‘best time.’

Mr. Laney stated, “It was the high school ending activities that pumped me up.” He also spoke of making long lasting friendships while being here. “There were

unforgettable lessons learned in and out of class, on your own, or with whomever.” Before coming back to OHA, Mr. Laney served in the U.S. Army. He is a man of morals and solid character.

Mr. Laney is also a man on a mission, as he attends school along with being a resident manager.

There are a lot of things he looks forward to. He really wants to create unbreakable bonds with the students he guides as well as

become a better person.

Having an Oak Hill alumnus as a dorm parent is an intangible advantage.

Knowledge is the key, but learning which way to unlock the door is experience.

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Multitalented Resident Manager

By Emily Harlan Mr. Gagne is one of the newest resident managers at Oak Hill Academy this year. He works in the boys’ senior dorm, WilliamsBerry.

Mr. Gagne grew up in a small town called Orrington in Central Maine where history was his favorite subject in school. Mr. Gagne also played three sports while attending a boarding high school. He played soccer, hockey, and baseball through his senior year. He went to Elmira College in Elmira, New York majoring in business administration.

After graduating from college, Mr. Gagne wanted to be involved in a boarding school community once again. Once he found out about Oak Hill Academy, he said he knew it was the perfect place to get involved. Having always wanted to coach, once that opportunity came, he immediately accepted. Every day he wakes up excited and eager to begin his day on campus. Being the head soccer coach and making a lasting impression on the students are his favorite parts of working at OHA.

Some of his future goals and aspirations are to be the best that he can be as an individual and at his job. He said he would like to see himself firmly established as a working professional and either becoming an athletic director or headmaster at a boarding school. His biggest piece of advice for all young individuals is to shoot as high as you can in your life long goals.

Soccer Season is Upon Us

By Izrael Hayden Back for another year of school at Oak Hill Academy means back for another exciting year of soccer. The team this year consists of mainly juniors and sophomores with a few seniors, three of which are team captains.

The first game of the soccer season was September 8th, and the Oak Hill Warriors won by a score of 9-1. Kwande Bawa scored four goals in the game. Mutsukou

Hiyoshi also had four goals, and Aidan Hill put in another with a dramatic move that got the entire crowd excited. The game had great energy, and the support of the entire school uplifted the team to a win.

Last year, the soccer team went undefeated in the spring and this year hope to have a similar showing. Team Captain Andrew Hall commented, “I believe that we have a decent team. We are learning a new system with a new coach so team chemistry is something we need to work on. I think we’ll have it down by our tournament in Kingsport, TN.” Andrew won an award in the tournament for most goals stopped. This year’s

team includes: Mutsukou Hiyoshi, Michael Lovitz, Jeremiah Brenner, Aaron Groves (captain), Bello Razgallah, Bree Thompson, Alex Kulp (captain), Kwande Bawa (captain), Izrael Hayden, Jackson Ritter, Blake Kinnaman, Chase Vincent, Jaiden Lindsay, Jackson Pfeifer, Brad Tyree, Josh DeLacerda, Aidan Hill, Will Messer, Shiryu Kataoka, Andrew Hall (captain) and managers Michael Poteat and Drew Nixon.

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Bump, Set, Spike!

By Davi Lazard & Khadim Sy Volleyballs sailed through the air as September passed on ‘the Hill.’ Head coach Mr. Finklea and assistant coach Ms. Sargent coached this year’s team. When interviewed, Mr. Finklea said, “There are plenty of new players, and I am excited to teach each and every one of them how to play! I hope to have the girls advance their skills to help the team. This can make a great team.” This year the team had nine matches on the schedule. The first match was September 10, 2015, and the team showed great effort.

They came out ready to

play with a positive attitude.

The players cheered each other on making the game fun. Team members included: Hope Bernier, Hannah Bruck, Jingyi Cai, Amanda Crenshaw, Amber Deane, Tara Griffith, Kristina Kennedy, Natalie Leach, Tori Levine, Morgan Rumsey, Tamsin Smith, Anna Spencer, Tsehaye Vener, and Alice Wang.

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(Continued from page 1)

many times the group could get it around the circle without the bucket dropping.

Another activity involved the entire community group walking on several planks of wood. The object was to get the entire community group across the tennis courts walking only on the planks. If a student touched the pavement, he or she had to go all the way back to the beginning, slowing down his or her group. Speed was the motivating factor in completing this event.

Lastly, students made a circle in the gym where they had to see how long they could keep a beach ball in the air

without dropping it. The number of student ‘hits’ led to a winner in this activity.

Each community group signed this year’s banner announcing the theme for the year, ‘Invested.’ Students, faculty, and staff all signed the banner and included a note about his or her personal investment for the year. This banner is displayed in the entryway to the academic building.

Overall, it was a fun day and a great start to the year!

Volume 10, Issue 1

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Newspaper Reporters Kwande Bawa Matt Coleman Alpha Diallo Tara Griffith Emily Harden Josh Hatch Izrael Hayden Sallie Jones Davi Lazard Abby Osho Shawn Roache Lexie Stoltzfus Khadim Sy Bree Thompson Lindell Wigginton Will Watkins

Photojournalist

The Mission of Oak Hill Academy

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 college-preparatory 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.

Sandy Chen

Student Editors Chris Sears Tamsin Smith

Proofreaders

Oak Hill Academy

Lisa Finklea Cyndie Richardson

2635 Oak Hill Road Mouth of Wilson, VA 24363

Faculty Sponsor

Phone: 276-579-2619 E-mail: info@oak-hill.net

Mikki Haas