h t u o M f o d Wor Volume 10, Issue 4
Oak Hill Academy Student Newspaper
Inside this issue: 1000 and counting
2
Gold Aspirations
3
Meet the Team—Gold
4
Red Team on the Rise
6
Meet the Team—Red
6
JV—Ready to Battle
9
Meet the Team—JV
9
Meet the Team—Cheer 12
January 2016
Turning Adversity into Motivation By Kwande Bawa About one year ago, current Oak Hill Academy resident manager Mr. Joe Gagne was involved in a serious accident that almost paralyzed him and reduced his chances to continue to play the sport he loved, hockey. Mr. Gagne, being a fun and intriguing man, dove into a four to six feet deep lake from his friends dock and hit his head on a rock. The injuries involved Mr. Gagne fracturing his skull, and breaking his C-6 and C-7 which are vertebrae in the spinal cord. Mr. Gagne was quickly rushed to the hospital by his friends, and immediately went into a five hour surgery. In an interview with Mr. Gagne, he said, “From the minute my friends got me out of the water, till when I got to the hospital, everything was blank.” As if that wasn’t enough, after the procedure Mr. Gagne had to spend another week at the hospital due
to an infection between his skull and scalp from the lake water. Months later, Mr. Gagne got back to his normal life, but was left with a scar that will stay with him for the rest of his life. He has a metal plate inserted in his skull, and was told by doctors that nine out of ten people with his type of injury would’ve either been dead or paralyzed from the neck down. In an interview, he said, “I felt like I was the luckiest man on earth, and I also thanked God for saving me from death.” Most people would’ve been demoralized or even depressed due to this type of injury, but Mr. Gagne used this as a motivator to encourage himself in whatever he did in life. In a morning assembly at OHA, Mr. Gagne spoke to the student body about the “Travis Roy Foundation” that was established in 1997 to help spinal cord
injury survivors and to fund research for a cure. Mr. Gagne further explained that he will be running at the Boston Marathon in honor of those that are unable to run due to their injuries making them incapacitated. The student body at OHA had a very positive attitude towards the information that Mr. Gagne shared with them, and decided to participate in a dress down day that involved them financially supporting the foundation. Mr. Gagne explained that participating in the run meant a lot to him because of how appreciative he felt for
(Continued on page 2)
Page 2
Word of Mouth
1000 and counting By Josh Hatch Steve Smith is a multi-talented coach who has worked hard with the Gold Team. He is a 1977 graduate of Asbury University, a four year Christian liberal arts college in Wilmore, Kentucky. He recently reached 1000 wins and has won many awards. He reached his 1000th win at the semi-finals of the Les Schwab Invitational Tournament in Portland, Oregon, against West Linn High School, 77-47. Coach Smith is in his 31st year as head coach of the Oak Hill Gold Team, but has been at Oak Hill for 33 years. In honor of his 1000 wins, the floor in Turner Gymnasium is now referred to as Coach Steve Smith Court.
In March of 2015 Coach Smith was named the Naismith Boys High School Coach of the Year for the third time. He is also a four-time winner of the USA Today High School Coach of the Year award. “Obviously this is a great honor, but this doesn’t happen without having great players and a great season,” Smith said. His name was recently placed on the ballot for the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame.
Adversity to Motivation cont. (Continued from page 1)
being alive. The run starts in Hopkinton, Massachusetts and ends in the city of Boston. Over the past years, the “Travis Roy Foundation” has been very efficient and productive due to the financial and caring support it receives from around the world. The Oak Hill community continues to encourage Mr. Gagne as he looks toward his run, and hopes to support similar foundations that help people with serious injuries.
Volume 10, Issue 4
Page 3
Golden Aspirations By Lindell Wigginton In Coach Smith’s 33 years at Oak Hill, he hasn’t coached many teams as dedicated to winning as this year’s Gold Team. When asked about the season’s outlook, Coach Smith said, “This team is incredible. They can do unbelievable things together but we’re going to take the season one game at a time.” Oak Hill will be led by six seniors this year who will try to get Oak Hill back to the Dick’s National tournament where Oak Hill has fallen short the past two years. When asked about the past appearances at the tournament, Coach Meagher replied, “The losses at Dick’s still sting, but this team can definitely get us back there.” Oak Hill is scheduled to play another 28 games before the season ends. Each of these remaining games will bring a new challenge for the Warriors. When asked about the strategy of preparing for different teams Coach Conn replied, “In practice
we run a lot of 5-on-5 with different matchups and that really prepares the guys for the different play styles they’ll see against different teams.” Aside from the 5-on-5 a lot of time is spent on breaking down technique and plays separately between the guards and the bigs. Despite early season injuries that caused Oak Hill to fall in national rankings and lose two Top 100 players, Coach Smith has full confidence in his team. “The guys are just 10 hard playing fools and they always have each other’s backs. Where most teams would have stumbled after major injuries, the boys really stepped up especially our guards Matt, Lindell, Devontae, and Ty-Shon,” said Coach Meagher. “The team stepped up as a whole during our tournaments in Portland, Oregon, and Columbia, South Carolina.” The Warriors look to continue their success.
Page 4
Word of Mouth
Meet the Team—Gold By Alpha Diallo, Morgan Rumsey, & Sophia Miller Khadim Sy is a senior who has attended Oak Hill Academy for the past three years. He plays the forward and center positions and recently committed to Virginia Tech. Khadim was born in Dakar, Senegal and is the son of Mr. Mamadou Sy. He is 6’9” and rocks the jersey #31. “Khadim has been improving in his skills these last three years and he continues to improve. He is a good rebounder and a good mid-range shooter” commented Coach Smith. Khadim says his favorite thing about Oak Hill is the competition. His favorite athlete is Anthony Davis and he likes watching the Oklahoma City Thunder. His favorite movie is X-Men and he loves chicken wings. His favorite subject is English. Khadim’s favorite quote from Ben Hogan is “If you can’t outplay them, outwork them.” Lindell Wigginton is a junior and is in his second year at Oak Hill. Coach Smith said Lindell and Matt Coleman will be playing the majority of the minutes at the point guard position. Lindell is a 6’2” point guard who rocks the #5 jersey. He is from Nova Scotia, Canada. His favorite things at Oak Hill are the help that we get in the classroom and the skill work stations
on the court. His favorite team is the team with the Oak Hill guys and his favorite player is Derrick Rose. He also likes pizza and math and his favorite movie is Coach Carter. Lindell chose a Vince Lombardi quote, “It’s not whether you get knocked down. It’s whether you get up.” Braxton Key is a “key” component of the Warriors Gold Team. Braxton enjoys his precalculus class and had a great time participating in the One-Act play during the fall, where he vividly remembers the scene where Tori Levine slapped him across the face in front of the whole school. Braxton stands 6’8” and plays small forward on the court. He is a senior from Tennessee, but the only 10 he sees is amount of points the other team is behind on the scoreboard. Braxton considers himself sarcastic and funny. Ty-Shon Alexander, a junior at Oak Hill Academy, rolls into his second year with the Warriors as the shooting guard for the Gold Team. Ty enjoys watching his favorite NBA and hometown team,
the Charlotte Hornets. Ty is an excellent student academically and finds the people, students and classes his favorite part of Oak Hill. Ty-Shon’s favorite quote is “Once you have commitment, you need the discipline and hard work to get you there.” -Haile Gelbrelassie Matt Coleman is one of the top rated point guards nationally in the junior class. Matt’s favorite thing about Oak Hill basketball is players coming from all over the country and putting their egos aside and becoming brothers on and off the court. Matt’s favorite class is 21st Century Speech and Communications. Matt is only 6’2”, but he makes up for it through his excellent three point shooting. Matt’s from Norfolk, Virginia, and his favorite thing to do at Oak Hill Academy is hang out with his best friend Sandy Chen from China. When not working hard on his studies, Mario Kegler is on the court as one of the best defensive players on this year’s Gold Team. Mario is a senior standing at 6’7” and plays small forward on the court. Even though he’s from
Volume 10, Issue 4
Page 5
Meet the Team—Gold cont. Jackson, Mississippi, his favorite NBA team is the Oklahoma City Thunder. Mario’s favorite part of Oak Hill Academy is the community and his brothers on the Gold Team. Mario’s favorite quote is “Unless commitment is made, there are only promises and hopes…but no plans.” –Peter Drucker Sophomore Kenny Nwuba is 6’9” and plays forward and center for the team. He is from Nigeria and likes Oak Hill for the education he receives and his drive for basketball. He also has a passion for music and his favorite quote is “hard work pays off.” Rodney Miller is a senior and is from Queens, New York. He is 7’0 and plays center. A fun fact about him is that he is scared of heights. His favorite class is English 12. His favorite Oak Hill memory is playing at the Madison Square Garden twice. Rodney’s favorite quote is “Don’t misunderstand me.” — George Bush Montez Mathis is from Joppa, Maryland. He is in the tenth grade and is 6’4.” He is a very outgoing
guy and has an excellent drive for basketball. He is funny and loves science. His favorite memory at Oak Hill Academy is the picnic. The quote that inspires him is, “Only the strong survive.” Devontae Shuler is a junior at Oak Hill. Standing 6’ 3,” he commands the court at the point guard position yet considers himself to be a team player. Hailing from South Carolina, Devontae’s favorite sports team is the Cleveland Cavaliers. His favorite memory from ‘the Hill’ was playing in the Chick-Fil-A classic, which was a home game for Devontae. His favorite quote is, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” Brendan Cruz is a senior at Oak Hill Academy and is a gold team manager. Brendan is from Clifton, Virginia. His favorite food is orange chicken and rice and he really enjoys the movie Top Gun. His favorite subject is science. Brendan is also a big sports fan and his favorite team is the Golden State Warriors. His favorite player
is Cristiano Ronaldo. Brendan enjoys a lot of stuff on “the Hill” but more important he enjoys the diversity and friendships. Brendan’s quote is from Herschel Walker, “If you train hard, you’ll not only be hard, you’ll be hard to beat.” Mason Higgs is also a gold team manager and attends Oak Hill Academy as a senior. He really enjoys “the hill,” especially the community. Mason says he enjoys Steamed Tuna and movies like Nemo. His favorite subject is Anatomy. Mason is also a sports fan and LeBron James is his favorite player and the Cleveland Cavaliers, his favorite team. Mason’s favorite quote is “Do not let what you cannot do interfere with what you can do.” —John Wooden
Page 6
Word of Mouth
Red Team on the Rise By Brad Tyree When asked about the outlook for the season, Coach Hebold said, “Coach Burns and I have a core group of players whom we coached last year, and they have helped to set the defensive tone for this season by helping to teach our system to the new players.” He continued, “This is especially true for defense—which is our main focus, and it makes the outlook for a good start to the season more
promising. As we continue to grow, we will add more layers to what we do.” When asked about the best strategies for play, he said, “It’s all about setting the tone on defense. They like to trap and make the opponents worry about dribbling and passing. This leads to turnovers and fast breaks usually finishing in exciting dunks by Bushe, Will, and Jon.” The leadership of Oliver Lynch-
Daniels, Bushe Ramabu, and Will Watkins set the tone in practice and games. One of the highlights of the season was recently beating the team that they lost to earlier in the season. When asked, if you can tie a game and send it to OT or win by taking a three point shot what would you tell the team Coach Hebold responded, “Boys, we came here to win today.”
Meet the Team—Red By Lexie Stoltzfus, Nahum Belayhun, Tara Griffith, & Matt Coleman Umberto Brusadin is from Italy. He is 5’ 11 and in 11th grade. He is a point guard for the Red Team. His favorite class is Advanced Fitness. A fun fact about him is that he can never wake up by himself. His favorite memory so far at Oak Hill is the basketball tournament. His favorite quote is, “Remember upon the conduct of each depends the faith of all.” -Alexander the Great Noah Thomas is a junior from Australia. He is 6’1 and plays point guard and shooting guard. His favorite subject is English 11. A fun fact about Noah is that he loves eating Vegemite by
itself. His favorite memory at Oak Hill is when he played his first game as an Oak Hill Warrior. His favorite quote is “Not all who wander are lost.” --J.R. Tolkien. Kwande Bawa is from High Point, North Carolina. Kwande is 5’10 and is in 12th grade. His position is guard. His favorite Oak Hill memory is when he got to ring the bell in the college lab. His favorite quote is “We're here for a reason. I believe a bit of the reason is to throw little torches out to lead people through the dark.” -- Whoopi Goldberg Alex Stenner is from North Carolina and is 6’2”. His position
on the court is point guard. His favorite class is English. A fun fact about him is that he is an identical twin. His favorite memory while he has been at Oak Hill is Harry Giles signing day. His favorite quote is “Live as if you were to die tomorrow; learn as if you were to live forever.” -- Mahatma Gandhi Will Watkins, a 12th grader, from Southbridge, Massachusetts, sets the team on fire in the shooting guard position. He loves running really long distances and being athletic. His favorite class is Boys Advanced Fitness. His favorite quote is, “The unexpected journey
Volume 10, Issue 4
Page 7
Meet the Team—Red of life must be slow and steady for if you move too fast you will miss the importance of your expedition.” Jonathan Harris plays the forward position on the Red Team. He is 6’2” and from West Orange, New Jersey. His favorite memory at Oak Hill Academy is Saturday night movies with friends. A fun fact about him is that he has the best barber in the world. Bryce Radford is 5’10” and plays shooting guard. He is in 9th grade and from West Virginia. His favorite class is Weightlifting and his favorite memory is playing basketball for four years at the Oak Hill camp for basketball. His favorite quote is, “A winner is someone who recognizes his God-given talents, works his tail off to develop them into skills, and uses these skills to accomplish his goals.” Oliver Lynch-Daniels is one of the captains of the Red Team.
He is 6’2” and plays point and shooting guard. He is from Chapel Hill, North Carolina. His favorite class at Oak Hill Academy is Advanced Fitness. His favorite memory is playing ball with his friends. His favorite quotes are, "I want to succeed as bad as I want to breathe,” and “I don’t need an alarm clock, my passion wakes me up!" Senior Aaron Groves plays guard for the Warriors. He is 6’2” and as everyone at Oak Hill knows so well, his home is Mouth of Wilson, Virginia. His favorite class at OHA is Physics and his favorite memory is Red Team road trips. “If at first you don’t succeed, redefine success,” says our president’s son. Something fun about Aaron is, “I catch a lot of fish.” Shamar Henry from Bronx, New York is a guard for Oak Hill’s Red Team. The 6’1” junior said, “I'm cool and I'm always smiling.” Shamar’s favorite memory at Oak Hill is the time that he made Coach Knudsen fall, and his favorite class is English with Ms. Tobin. Shamar shares, “Be someone that makes everybody feel like a somebody.”
Aidan Stenner is a 6’3” junior. “If you ain’t hurtin’, you ain’t playin’ hard enough,” says the twin from Chapel Hill, North Carolina. His favorite class is Algebra 3 with Mr. Mackey. Of the memories Aidan has made at OHA, his favorite is going to the Red Team Tournament in South Carolina. Bushe Ramabu, a 6’6” forward from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, by way of South Africa is another senior on the team. A fun fact about Bushe is that he is, “goofy to be around.” His favorite class is Survival Skills with Mr. Riedl. Watching Kwande fail at doing a behind the back clap push-up is Bushe’s favorite Oak Hill memory. A word of advice from Bushe is, “Keep it real with your ‘dawgs’ no matter what.”
(Continued on page 8)
Page 8
Word of Mouth
Meet the Team—Red cont. Graeme Majors is 6’ and plays guard for the Red Team. Graeme is an 11th grader, and when he is not playing basketball he enjoys swinging a golf club. His favorite class is Gym. While being a Warrior, his most memorable time was going to the NACA tournament. Graeme believes, “Blood makes you related, but loyalty makes you family.” Hey, Mate! Kane Schrader from Australia stands 6’ 3.” He is a power forward for Red Team. Kane’s favorite color is purple. During school, he looks forward to learning in College Credit English and hanging around the store after school. Kane stated, “A wise man once said, ‘A journey of a million miles begins with a single step.’” “The early bird gets the worm,” Shaolong Wang said. The 6’ 4” junior plays whatever position coach needs him to play. Shaolong is originally from China and studied in New Zealand for three years before coming to Oak Hill. His favorite class is Creative Writing. Shaolong’s favorite memory while at Oak Hill is meeting his best friends, Bryan Wu and Oliver Lynch-Daniels.
Bryan Wu is 6’ and plays point guard for the Red Team. Bryan is in 10th grade and comes to OHA from China. His favorite class is Advanced Boys Fitness. During Bryan’s 7th grade year, he grew seven inches. Bryan remembers when Coach Knudsen encouraged him during his JV years. Bryan stated, “Coach K. pushed me and made me a better player.” While at Oak Hill, Bryan has learned to “just be yourself,” a quote he lives by. Tyler Whiteman is the cameraman for the Red Team. His favorite class is College Credit English. A fun fact about Tyler is that he is a DJ. His favorite memory at Oak Hill happened in 2013 when he and his friend had to climb into Ingram but first his friend had to stand on his shoulders to get through the window. His favorite quote is “Do what you love and don't let anyone tell you otherwise." Junior Connor Caffrey is a general manager for the Red Team. He is in 11th grade and his
favorite class is U.S. History. A fun fact about Connor is that he has visited Canada. His favorite memory since he has been at Oak Hill Academy was meeting Nahum Belayhun and his favorite quote is “If you can dream it, you can do it." -- Walt Disney. Josh DeLacerda is a junior and a general manager for the Red Team. His favorite class is Chemistry and a fun fact is that Josh works at Acadiana Paintball Complex. Josh’s favorite memory on ‘the Hill’ is working with Coaches Hebold and Burns and the Red Team. A favorite quote is, “Keep it loose.”
Volume 10, Issue 4
Page 9
JV—Ready to Battle By Abby Osho Coach Knudsen has coached the JV team for four years. “I think JV is a place where our younger players get the opportunity to represent Oak Hill in a meaningful way,” says Coach Knudsen. Each year has been good, but Coach said this year was even better. “This is the most talented team that I
have had for JV in my time at Oak Hill,” Coach Knudsen commented. “It’s a lot like teaching in that you see our younger students grow and develop.”
a lot of pace and space offense, we also like to play fast, while we use a lot of spread pick up and roll,” says Coach Knudsen.
The team works on many different parts of the game during practice. “We like to play
Meet the Team—JV By Nahum Belayhun & Shawn Roache Brad Tyree is in 8th grade and plays for the JV team. He is 5’11” and plays as a forward. He is from Virginia, and his favorite subject at Oak Hill is Earth Science. His favorite thing to do at Oak Hill is to get buckets and his favorite quote is, “It doesn’t matter where you are from, as long as you play hard people will notice.” Quwayne Brown plays as a point guard for Coach Knudsen. He is a 9th grader, and his home state is New York. His favorite subject is Weightlifting, and his
favorite memory at Oak Hill is the Christmas Dinner. He believes “Hard work beats talent, when talent fails to work hard.” Nahum Belayhun is an 11th grader and plays as a small forward. He is from Ethiopia and loves watching soccer. His favorite class at Oak Hill is Microsoft Computer Applications. His favorite quote is, “Never forget to be yourself.” Jaiden Lindsay plays point guard and shooting guard for JV. He is in the 9th grade. His favorite memory at Oak Hill is balling with his friends and his favorite subject is English. He likes the movie “Hunger Games” and whenever he plays basketball, he always tells himself, “Defense wins games.”
Salif Cisse is a 10th grader and plays the center position He is 6’6” tall and from New York. His favorite subject is Weightlifting. His favorite quote is “Go hard in everything you do.” His favorite memory at Oak Hill is the Dorm Life at Ingram 2nd Floor. Lotem Leinzon is a defensive oriented point guard who loves whipping out crazy passes and crazier shots. Lotem comes from Israel and plays with pride for his country and his school. His favorite class is Spanish 1 and his favorite memory at OHA has been seeing the skill of the Gold Team. He lives to never doubt his ability in anything he does. Drew Nixon is a 6’2” athletic power forward that has guard (Continued on page 10)
Page 10
Word of Mouth
Meet the Team—JV cont. potential. He’s a native of Miami, Florida and has a true love of the game. He also has a love for Ms. Sargent’s Geometry class. He believes that a person should always work for what they want, and that’s exactly what he’s doing to shine on the court. Fawaz Ilupeju is the JV’s secret weapon to adding points to the scoreboard. He’s a pure shooting 2-guard that can really knock it down when it counts. The Massachusetts native has been surrounded by basketball for most of his life and has developed a love for the game. Weightlifting is his favorite class and his most memorable time at OHA was how quickly he adapted to living away from home. Elijah Thomas is an “Aussie” that plays every position and leads the team in buckets scored. He is proud to play with Oak Hill across his chest. He’s lived in Sydney, Australia, his whole life and his favorite memory is just being on his own the first month of school. His favorite class is Weightlifting, and he believes that if a person talks it, they should prove it. William Rutherford, better known as “AB,” comes from Gainesville, Florida. Standing at
6’1”, he runs the ball well, makes the right passes and creates smoothly for himself. His favorite class is Weightlifting and his favorite OHA memory is the respect he received when he first arrived. A quote he uses a lot himself is “You can’t guard me!” Mike Poteat’s game is comparable to Paul Pierce’s. He has a nice and smooth touch on the ball that comes with a respectable jumper. The Washington native stands at 6’1” and plays the power forward position. His favorite memory at OHA was Coach Knudson’s motivational words in JV tryouts. His favorite class is Foundations of Basketball, and he believes he can do all things through Christ who strengthens him.
Markus Malleschitz, a 5’5” combo guard, really personifies the quote “Heart over Height.” This Englishman is JV’s “The Little Bucket That Could,” wowing crowds with his swish only pullups. His most favorite memory here was his buzzer beater in the first quarter of the squad’s first game. Marcus treats people with respect and believes everyone should do the same. Terrell Sharp is really sharp when it comes to the dirty work of defense. He’s even better at answering back at both guard positions. He’s from Elizabeth City, North Carolina, a place influenced by basketball. His favorite memory at OHA is actually witnessing what Gold
Volume 10, Issue 4
Page 11
Meet the Team—JV Team can do. He lives by the values of kindness and peace. Josh Mar-Fan is a 6’6” English center that can pull up from anywhere on the court. He has a nice feel for the game and this comes from his early introduction to competitive basketball in Feltham, England. He goes by a code of following your heart and believing in yourself. Shawn Roache, the Bahamian Bucket getter, hails from the island of Grand Bahama. At 6’2”, he loves scoring by converting rebounds to points and creating from outside the paint at the 4 and 5 positions. Although seen as a big, his athleticism and speed allow him to play any role. His favorite class is 21st Century Communications and his most memorable experience at OHA was the hospitality he was treated with when he first enrolled. A quote he goes by daily is “Doubt can be worse than failure.”- Unknown. Paul Inamala is from Hyderabad, India and is in 8th grade. He is a shooting guard standing 5’5” tall. Paul’s favorite class is Algebra I and his favorite memory is watching scary movies with his friends in the dorm. His favorite quote is, “Don’t be afraid of failure. This
is the way to succeed.” —LeBron James Ming Ogden has been very dedicated to the JV team. He’s developed a friendly relationship with Coach Knudsen that’s enjoyably displayed in practices or even the school building. He’s a Virginia native and believes “Peace is Love and Love is Peace.”
Miles Preacher is from South Carolina and carries his electrifying attitude wherever he goes. He cheers hard for the team and wishes the best for everyone in games. He remembers expecting people to just walk past him, but there were many people who showed such courtesy to him when he arrived at OHA in 2013. This memory makes him believe that people can either bring you up or bring you down.
Amanda Crenshaw is a Maryland native who developed a love for the game her junior year. It may be her first year being a manager, but she’s close with the team and works hard. Her favorite memory is the compassion everyone showed her here. Amanda feels that peace amongst those on this planet is significant for our future. Sam Mussen, a former player, is now a manager for the JV team. Sam enjoyed spending time with the team and Coach Knudsen. He is from Charlotte, North Carolina, and is a senior. His favorite memory while on ‘the Hill’ was beating Cornerstone Christian by 70 points last year. Sam’s favorite class is Horsemanship His favorite quote is, “You will miss every shot you don’t take.”
Page 12
Word of Mouth
Meet the Team—Cheer By Davi Lazard & Khadim Sy Gabby Mackey is originally from Santa Cruz, California, and now lives in Durham, North Carolina. Gabby had not cheered before coming to OHA, although she has done gymnastics for 10 years. She is in the 11th grade. A fun fact about Gabby is that she was a junior Olympic swimmer until she injured her shoulder. Horsemanship is her favorite class. Gabby explained to me that her favorite memory at Oak Hill Academy was “the day I toured the campus, everyone was so friendly and came up to introduce themselves.” Lexie Stoltzfus is from Lewisburg, Pennsylvania. She has cheered for one year and is in the 11th grade. She says that, “I’m very loud and goofy. I also live on a farm.” Lexie’s favorite class is biology. Her favorite memory at Oak Hill is traveling off campus all the time and the adventures that come along with it. Anna Croom is from Russia.
She is in the 11th grade and has cheered for six years. She says, “I love cheering.” Her favorite class is Spanish. Anna’s favorite memory at Oak Hill is walking into Mr. Stanton’s Spanish class every day. Maddi Mayeaux is from Florida. She is in the 9th grade and has cheered for two years. Maddi says, “I love anime.” She also loves being around her friends. Maddi says her favorite memory at Oak Hill is “my friends and me trying to sled down the mountain, but it didn’t work. So we got snow everywhere and went back to the dorm and drank hot chocolate.” Maddi’s favorite quote is “Find something that makes you happy and don’t let anyone take it away from you.”Luke Hemmings Davialle Lazard is a senior from New Orleans. She has cheered for two years and loved every moment of it. A couple of fun facts about her are that she always talks in third person and she is the shortest senior. Davi’s
favorite class is English 12. She says her favorite memory at Oak Hill was “watching Mr. Stanton run from a spider.” Davi’s favorite quote is “It might take a year, it might take a day, but what’s meant to be will always find its way.”Unknown Alice Wang is from China and she is in the 9th grade. This is Alice’s first year cheering. A fun fact about her would have to be that “she loves to rap.” Alice’s favorite class is math. She says her favorite memory is “cheering with all of her friends.” Alice’s favorite quote is, “I never cut class. I loved getting A's, I liked being smart. I liked being on time. I thought being smart is cooler than anything in the world.”-Unknown Sarah Folorunso was born in Houston, Texas, but she has moved several times. This is her first year as a cheerleader. Sarah is in the 8th grade. A fun fact about her is “she loves to dance.” Sarah says her favorite class happens to be physical education. Her favorite memory at Oak Hill is meeting her roommate.
Volume 10, Issue 4
Page 13
Meet the Team—Cheer cont.
Amber Deane is from North Carolina. She’s in 9th grade and this is her second year of cheerleading. She love to ride horses and her favorite class is math. Her favorite memories at Oak Hill are trail riding at Noonkester and going to the lake. Her favorite quote is, “The key to success is hard work and determination.” Abby Osho is in 10th grade and lives in London. She likes drawing and making game designs. Her favorite classes are theater and ceramics. Her best memory at Oak Hill is going off campus to cheer for the Gold team games. Her favorite quote is, “Imperfection is beauty, madness is genius, and it’s better to be absolutely ridiculous than absolute boring.”
Kristina Kennedy is from Long Island and has been cheering for four years. She’s in 10th grade and loves to have fun by going to the beach in the summer. Her favorite memory at Oak Hill is when she went to the first gold team game. Her favorite quote is, “You never know how strong you are until being strong is the only choice you have.” Tara Griffith is from Seattle but was born in Los Angeles, California. Tara is a senior and she has cheered for one year. She is now a manager for the squad. Tara loves basketball and pizza. Her favorite class is foundations of basketball. She says her favorite memory at Oak Hill is “Sitting on the track looking at the fields and hills which surround Oak Hill the first time I had a real conversation with my roommate and best friend, Hannah Bruck.” Tara’s favorite quote is “If you were a basketball I'd never shoot because I'd always miss you."Unknown
Newspaper Reporters Kwande Bawa Nahum Belayhun Matt Coleman Alpha Diallo Tara Griffith Josh Hatch Davi Lazard Josh Mar-Fan Sophia Miller Morgan Rumsey Abby Osho
Student Editors Shawn Roache Lexie Stoltzfus Khadim Sy Brad Tyree Lindell Wigginton
Photojournalist Sandy Chen
Chris Sears Tamsin Smith
Proofreaders Lisa Finklea Cyndie Richardson
Faculty Sponsor Mikki Haas
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.
Oak Hill Academy
2635 Oak Hill Road Mouth of Wilson, VA 24363 Phone: 276-579-2619 E-mail: info@oak-hill.net