2014 september student newspaper

Word of Mouth VO LUM E

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S EP T EM B ER

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OHA Turns 136 INSIDE THIS ISSUE: New Faculty

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New Staff

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Equestrian Team

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Leadership

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Presidential Picnic

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Volleyball

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Soccer

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Riedl’s Runners 9

Welcome to ‘the Hill’

By Nathan Berhanu A hot humid Sunday started with the 136th class of Oak Hill Academy walking up the hill to Young’s Chapel Baptist Church led by Rev. Turnmire. Students and church members spent an hour in worship together. Some students even participated from the choir loft.

After lunch, everyone headed back to the dorms to prepare for the

‘Welcome to OHA Activities.’ These activities were essential so that students and staff could get a chance to know each other. Groups of students participated in four different events.

The marble challenge included using PVC pipe to create a “straight line.” Students then attempted to pass as many marbles as they

could through the PVC pipes until the marbles reached the other side and dropped into a bucket. The key to getting marbles in the bucket was communication. Another challenge was to pass water balloons to each (Continued on page 3)

New Faculty Miss Guarino

By Percy Smith This year marks the 136th year of new beginnings at Oak Hill Academy. The new beginnings include (but are not limited to) the

introduction of new students, new teachers, new activities, and a new theme.

Mr. Julius

mosquitos are big as quarters, but the music and the people are grand.’’

Mr. Julius enjoyed playing guitar when he was younger, before moving to Georgia.

By Bushe Ramabu Mr. Dean Julius is a really quiet person in general. He teaches English 8, 9, 11, and Writing for College. He was born and raised in Indianola, Mississippi but later moved to Cleveland which he described as, ‘entirely flat, very humid, and the

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New Spanish teacher Maria Guarino is very excited to be teaching at Oak Hill this year. Working at OHA has made her dreams of teaching come true. Miss Guarino feels like she has been teaching all her life. Starting at the age of three, Miss Guarino began teaching and holding classes for all of her stuffed animals. Although she is

While he was in Cleveland, Mr. Julius graduated from Columbus High. He was asked to try out for the wrestling team, but he realized that his talents didn’t lie in sporting activities. He then went on to several different colleges starting with The University of Mississippi, then Delta State University, and finally finished off at The

originally from Orlando, Florida, Miss Guarino graduated in 2014 from Roanoke College with a Bachelor of Arts in Spanish.

She enjoys living on campus and currently has two pet cats. Miss Guarino treasures a good book, Oreos, and thoughts of peace and happiness.

University of North Carolina where he earned his B.A in English, M.Ed. in English, and Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing. He returned to The University of North Carolina for his first teaching job where he taught College Writing to freshmen.

Besides teaching Mr. Julius has a passion for writing and reading great poetry/literature. When he isn’t in the midst of all his marking tests or poetry, he likes to play golf, hike, go fishing, play his guitar, or hang out with his dog, Memphis.

Mr. Landow

By Shaolong Wang & Yonatan Belayhun Mr. Alec Landow is one of the new teachers at Oak Hill Academy. He is currently teaching College Credit Physics, Chemistry, Physical Science, and Algebra 2. Before he arrived at Oak Hill, he was teaching at the University of New Mexico, one of his alma maters. Mr. Landow attended the University of Virginia to obtain his bachelor’s degree in physics

with a minor in East Asian studies.

Originally from Northern Virginia, Mr. Landow was anxious to return to the beautiful mountains of his home state. He loves how Oak Hill is isolated by the mountains, greens, and trees and he definitely prefers it to city life. Mr. Landow’s parents still live in Vienna, Virginia with the family dog, Honey. In his free time he reads autobiographies of great people like Benjamin Franklin and Andrew

Carnegie. He also practices Kung Fu and plays tennis. Mr. Landow will be coaching tennis and would like for interested players to stop by and see him.

Welcome cont.

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other. Standing in a gauntlet formation, the water balloon was gently tossed across the divide and down the gauntlet until safely being placed in a bucket. A third challenge was the helium stick. Groups had to lower a stick to the ground without anyone letting go of the stick and with only a finger used to hold the stick. Lastly

groups participated in Mine Field. Pairs of students worked together to get through an obstacle course.

The difference maker was in the blindfold. One person in the group was blindfolded while the other person was only able to give verbal instructions to avoid the obstacles. Each activity worked to build teamwork and communication skills.

At the close of the day, students gathered at the track outside the girls’ dorm for a great picnic style

dinner. There was much laughter and a great start to year 136.

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New Staff Ms. Dickens

By Alex Collins Ms. Jacklyn Dickens may be a new face to the students but for the majority of the faculty she doesn’t need introduction.

She attended Emory & Henry College where she earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in physical education including health and driver’s education. She is very athletic and enjoys basketball, tennis, softball, and bike riding. She also came with her dog, Macy.

Her parents live just down

the road in Galax, Virginia.

Ms. Dickens previously worked on campus in the early 2000. She had many different jobs to do including being head coach of the girls basketball team, head coach of the girls tennis team, teacher for advanced girls’ fitness and

conditioning, resident manager, and substitute teacher. Since rejoining the Oak Hill faculty, she has taken up the job of rotating dorm parent for the girls’ dorm. She is excited about being back in a familiar place with people who treat her like family. Looking ahead, Ms. Dickens hopes to make a difference in young people’s lives as well as learn from one of the best basketball coaches out there.

Mr. & Mrs. Hunt

By Henry Walker Mr. and Mrs. Hunt are the new resident managers of Fields Dormitory. The young couple met at an adventure camp where they take kids on great outdoor excursions including white water rafting, rock climbing and more. They were married on August 16th. The great sights of the Blue Ridge Mountains captured their outdoor enthusiasm which mixed with their love of helping young people drew them to Oak Hill Academy.

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Excited to be here, they have made the most out of their free time during the day. Mr. Hunt is the head coach of the soccer team. The team will play ten games this season as well as a tournament.

Students of Fields Dorm enjoy the Hunts’ company and the ‘young’ approach to living in a community.

Mr. Hunt is from Flint, Michigan, and Mrs. Hunt is from Austin,

Texas. They love the atmosphere and community on ‘the Hill’ and hope to be here for a long time!

Mr. Welch

By Frankie Knox Mr. Matt Welch is the rotating resident manager at Oak Hill Academy. He grew up in Northern Virginia and lived for seven years in Washington, DC, but has lived for the past year in Raleigh, North Carolina.

Mr. Welch attended Providence College for his undergrad and majored in Political Science. He also studied Government at Johns Hopkins University for graduate school.

Mr. Welch graduated from college in 2005 and worked in the fields of state

and local campaign politics and federal legislative advocacy. Mr. Welch was involved in state assembly, state senate, and judicial campaigns and also served as a Field Director and Campaign Manager. He has worked with four different electoral campaigns each lasting from 4 to 5 months.

Mr. Welch has worked with four different nonprofit groups specializing in issues such as education policy, health care, campaign finance reform, and civil rights.

Mr. Welch came to OHA looking to start a new career in education, and his

position offered him a valuable opportunity to work in a private school environment. He hopes to use his Resident Manager experience to get a teaching position in government or social studies. He loves working with young people, and he is excited to see students grow and develop over the course

Starting Year 136

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‘Showing’ Off at Bland County Fair

By Destiny Crickman

The Equestrian Team kicked the year off to a great start Friday, September 5 and Saturday, September 6 at the Bland County Fair and Horse Show. The team had to have a lot of dedication to make this particular show possible.

Still settling into classes the first week of school, they were required to report to the barn for practice from 3 p.m.-6 p.m. On Friday, they had to load the trailer with their tack, cleaning and grooming supplies, feed and water buckets, show clothes, and many other necessities.

They also had to completely bathe, groom, and clip the horses, shave their feet, whiskers, and ears, and ultimately prepare them for the competition.

While at the show, the team participated in a variety of different classes: Walk/Trot/Canter, Walk/ Trot, Halter, and Driving.

Halter and Driving were a new experience for the girls.

These two classes involve miniature ponies. Halter class is leading the horse on foot to be judged. Driving class is when the miniature pony pulls a carriage. The results were fabulous as the girls showed Dusty and Black Betty.

Linda Goins and Christine Sears won 1st place trophies.

Cheyanne Molina won two 1st place trophies. Destiny Crickman placed 2nd twice, and

Michelle Watson-Jones placed 2nd and 3rd. Overall, the miniature horses were a huge success.

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Aside from the halter and driving classes, the girls also competed in walk/trot and walk/trot/canter classes. In these classes, the girls are judged upon how well they control their horses and maintain their postures.

Linda Goins won a 1st place trophy as well as 2nd and 3rd places. Christine Sears placed 2nd, 5th, and 6th.

Cheyanne Molina placed 3rd, 4th, and 6th. Destiny Crickman won a 1st place trophy dish and placed 2nd twice. Michelle WatsonJones placed 1st, 4th, and 5th.

Overall, the team placed exceptionally well and is excited to compete in the next show on September 20th. While speaking with Cheyanne Molina she said, “I am very proud of my team and can’t wait for the rest of the year!” The team also celebrated the 18th birthday of their captain, Linda Goins.

Leadership at OHA

By Aislinn Curtin The leadership program is comprised of a group of students who give tours for new students and families that are looking to join OHA. Students in the leadership program meet weekly for training.

Leadership is not just about

giving tours, it is also about making sure that you set a good example for the students on campus.

Leadership students clean up the campus, help around the dorms, and do other “small” things that make life

easier for the staff. In the dorms, leadership students help the dorm parents by locating students at various times. Leadership students also assist with special events on campus.

Presidential Picnic

By Sam Mussen & Isiah Neptune It was a cool rainy evening in beautiful the town of Mouth of Wilson, home of Oak Hill Academy.

Students from around the globe were greeted by Dr. and Mrs. Groves who wanted to formally welcome each and every one. The President’s Picnic started with the entire student body gathering down at Noonkester Lake. A fantastic dinner of BBQ chicken, bratwurst, and

many types of sides and drinks were served.

The competition that evening consisted of many games including Corn Hole, identifying where each new student was from, building a model of the Collins TriPlex, building a PlayDough bust sculpture of Mr. Julius, and moving a cookie from your forehead to your mouth without using your hands. Each advisory team was very competitive

throughout the evening.

Different advisory teams won each of the events with Ms. Tobin’s group winning the overall competition. As a result, Ms. Tobin and her advisory get to skip one Saturday school.

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‘Set’

By Jae Mayweather The volleyball team is coached by Mr. Sid Finklea and assistant coach, Miss Tommie Sargent. When interviewed, Mr. Finklea stated, “We have several new players who will help make the team better. Also the returning players should be improved from last year.

I hope to have the girls develop the skills to contribute to the benefit of the team. This makes everyone better.” Mr. Finklea is excited to be teaching skills to players for the first time. This year, there are eight matches on the schedule. The volleyball team’s first game was September 11th. The team showed great spirit in their first outing. The players are Michelle Watson-Jones,

Hannah Bruck, Anna Spencer, Eden Sileshi, Alex Collins, Meme Ogbuefi, Dalie Morales, Jailaygne Mayweather, Chris Sears, Oluchi Chigbu, and Carrita Cai.

‘Goal’

By Amy He & Percy Smith While students are still getting settled with a new school year, the soccer season is already underway.

Mr. Jerrid Hunt, the new soccer coach, hopes the team will win every game during the fall season. With the addition of the new coach, many new strategies and tactics are being implemented on the field.

The team is looking fiercer than ever and getting better each day. This fall, there are seven games and three matches in the Blue Ridge Soccer Classic Tournament.

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The OHA soccer team is a coed team. They practice every day, either in the afternoon or after dinner.

The players for the fall season are Adrian Linderman, Amanda Crenshaw, Alex Kulp, Matt Gruhn, Youssef Youssef, Brendan Cruz, Ismaila Mbaye, Peter Hatakeyama, Austin Kloberg, Xiaolin Sun, Andrew Awantang, Bello Razgallah, Olivia

Maes, Samantha Kibble, Josh DeLacerda, Erica Norwood, Frankie Knox, Jeremiah Brenner, Brian Wu, Joshua Yoon, Bakh Pearl, Jackson Pfeifer, Justin Hill, Lolo Ogbuefi, Yonatan Belayhun, Kwande Bawa, David Lord, and Konstantin Kreutzer.

Managers include Amy He and DJ Grayson.

Riedl’s Runners

By Frankie Culhane Riedl’s Runners is a running club started four years ago. He started this club because of his passion and love for running. The club is designed for students to have fun, and competition is not involved. It is for any boy or girl, with any skill

level. Mr. Riedl stated, “Running has always been a part of my life.” Riedl’s runners begins in early fall and ends in late November.

Mr. Riedl starts out with a light stretch, then they run at

least a mile down Oak Hill Road. They finish around 5 p.m.

Presidential Picnic

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Front Row: Alex Collins, Aislinn Curtin—

, Tamsin Smith, Destiny Crickman—

Second Row: Nathan Berhanu, Frankie Knox, Jae Mayweather, Percy Smith—

, and Yonatan Belayhun

, Sam Mussen, Henry Walker, and Ms. Haas

Back Row: Shaolong Wang, Frankie Culhane, Isiah Neptune. Terrence Phillips, Bushe Ramabu, and LB Wingate Not Shown: Amy He - also a Photojournalist

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

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 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.