WOM Student Newspaper Sept. 2013

h t u o M f o d Wor Volume 8, Issue 1

September 2013

135 and Counting Oak Hill Academy Student Newspaper

By Tracy He The annual Welcome Back activities were held on September 1st, 2013.

All of the students were put into three groups.

Each group completed three stations that were set up around the OHA campus. Each group took

their turn earning points at the various stations.

Points were earned by making free-throws in the gym, getting the Frisbee closest to the Disc Golf target, and by hitting the longest distance in a golf shot.

Each member of the group participated at each station. A sudden downpour brought the gathering to a temporary halt. Students completed the events by signing a Character banner on display outside the main office in the Academic

building.

The reward for all of this hard work was a dress down day for the first Saturday school.

Outfits ranged from basketball shorts and t-shirts to jeans and dressy shirts. Students were very happy to let their personalities shine.

Food and Fun

Inside this issue:

New Faces in the Academic Building

2-3

New Faces in Residential Life

4-5

The President’s Welcome Back Picnic started with a prayer offered by Mrs. Groves.

Each student entered a receiving line to be greeted by Dr. and Mrs. Groves. The Meriwether -Godsey staff prepared a wonderful array of picnic foods, including

Bratwursts, hotdogs, corndogs, coleslaw, chili, grilled vegetables, and pasta salad. Desserts included watermelon and cookies.

Students were then organized into their advisee groups for the Welcome Back competition. This year’s

competition included a matching sheet with student names and their (Continued on page 7)

Page 2

Word of Mouth

New Faces Join the Academic Building Ms. Tobin

By Alex White

Ms. Tobin grew up not too far from Oak Hill Academy in Martinsville, Virginia. Just previous to coming to Oak Hill, she lived in Greensboro, North Carolina. Ms. Tobin studied English at Roanoke College and later studied Creative Writing at UNC-Greensboro. At Oak Hill, Ms. Tobin is teaching tenth and eleventh grade English.

In her spare time, Ms. Tobin finds herself writing.

She is either

writing in her journal or writing poetry. She also likes going for walks, swimming at the beach, gardening, and quilting.

Ms. Tobin is looking forward to meeting and getting to know everyone who makes up the OHA community. She enjoys spending time with the staff and taking advantage of the beautiful surroundings.

Mrs. Thompson

By Angie Klein Mrs. Thompson grew up in Charlotte, North Carolina. She attended Sun Valley High School where she enjoyed English, math, and band. Mrs. Thompson is an athlete at heart having played softball in both high school and college. She attended Clarion University graduating with a bachelor’s degree in Science and Communication, with a minor in French. Her family includes her husband, Bryan, and two-year old son, Grant, who moved to Oak Hill

crochet, and sew. Her favorite food in the dining hall is fried pickles.

Mrs. Thompson is looking forward to helping all students succeed as well as assisting the seniors with finding the best fit for college.

from Atlanta.

When she has some free time, Mrs. Thompson likes to read,

Volume 8, Issue 1

Page 3

More New Faces in the Academic Building Mr. Hill

By Mamoon Bukhari Mr. Hill, former student, dorm parent, and art teacher, has returned to ‘the Hill.’ Mr. Hill graduated from Oak Hill Academy in 1994, returned as a dorm parent in 2001-2002, and returned again as the art teacher from 2006-2010. Mr. Hill currently teaches ESOL as well as World Geography.

Mr. Hill is originally from Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida. He has a Bachelor’s degree in Geography and a Master’s degree in Secondary Education. Mr. Hill

was an aquatics manager and swim coach back in his hometown before returning to Oak Hill this year. He simply could not stay away from the “the community, the ever changing student body, and the physical landscape. It’s just a beautiful place.”

Mr. Fulbright

By Ray Lewis One of the new teachers joining us on ‘the Hill’ is Mr. Fulbright. Born in 1984, he was raised in Hickory, North Carolina.

After middle school, he moved to Boone, North Carolina. He attended UNC at Chapel Hill, Appalachian State University, and the City University of New York.

Mr. Fulbright has a Master’s in Music from Appalachian State, and is currently working on his Master’s Degree in Education

Director for the Jefferson Methodist Church in Jefferson, North Carolina.

through the University of Arizona.

Along with working as the Music and Sociology teacher, Mr. Fulbright is also the Music

In his free time, he enjoys outdoor activities such as fly fishing, hiking, kayaking, and off -roading. Mr. Fulbright was formerly a professional musician.

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Word of Mouth

New Faces Join Residential Life Ms. J

By Destiny Crickman Jussara Ave-Lallemant, also referred to as Ms J., is one of the new Dorm Parents in Hough Dorm. Previously, she was a Special Ed teacher. After eight years, Ms. J. was ready for a change. She loves to work with kids, and she has always thought working at a boarding school would be really exciting.

to speak Portuguese, it was her first language. She was adopted at the age of five by a pastor and a former travel agent. She then moved to Omaha, Nebraska, with her two brothers and two sisters.

As a result of her aunt and uncle being stationed in Panama, she has travelled to more than nine countries.

Ms J. was born on July 7, 1980, in Saó Paulo, Brazil.

Although she can’t remember how

When she was younger, she was very adventurous. After breaking her nose twice, her

mother refused to let her participate in soccer any further.

She and her siblings tried to dig a hole to China with their mother’s good silver. Ms. J. lost both of her front teeth while attempting to learn how to ride a bike. Now Ms. J.’s hobbies include reading, playing golf, and watching the Braves.

Ms. Brooks

By Christine Richardson Ms. Brooks was born on December 23, 1961, in Saltville, Virginia. She is a Dorm Parent for the girls on the 2nd floor of Hough Dorm.

Ms. Brooks likes a lot of sports but her favorite ones are football, tennis, volleyball, and softball.

Along with sports, she likes

listening to music, hot air balloons, and dogs.

Her favorite color is blue. In her spare time, Ms. Brooks enjoys being outside and looking at the scenery. When

interviewed about her favorites, Ms. Brooks commented, “I like to mow the lawn.” Ms. Brooks also wanted to give some advice to all the students: “Study hard and participate in class so that you will go far because all dreams can come true.”

Mr. Philyaw

By Yonatan Belayhun Mr. Philyaw is a Resident Manager for the second floor of Ingram Dorm. He has two children, Aton and DiAnte. They have both finished high school. Aton is at North Carolina Central and is playing baseball while DiAnte works in a

factory. Mr. Philyaw is from Raleigh, North Carolina.

Mr. Philyaw has a Bachelor’s degree in History. In his free time, he likes to play any outdoor sports but mostly tennis. He also likes to

travel a lot. His favorite part of OHA is the community. His favorite foods are pizza, onion rings, fries, and sushi. His favorite sport to watch is college football.

One message Mr. Philyaw would like to send to all the students is, “Don’t let anything stop you from your goals.”

Volume 8, Issue 1

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More New Faces Join Residential Life Mr. Burns

By Shawn Haas Mr. Burns is a new resident manager at OHA. He is a rotator, meaning he fills in vacancies for other Resident Managers on days off. He enjoys this aspect of the

job saying, “I like being able to work in all of the dorms. It gives me a chance to meet more of the student body, and build up many different relationships, all the way from freshmen to seniors.”

He loves the sense of family that is prevalent at Oak Hill Academy. He feels included in something very special. Mr. Burns looks forward to developing relationships at Oak Hill Academy. These are the kinds of relationships that last a lifetime.

As an ordained minister in Sports Ministry, he is a huge fan of sports. He really is looking forward to the opportunity to see a national phenomenon, the Oak Hill

Coach Conn

By Tony Anderson Taylor Conn, better known around the Oak Hill campus as “TBone,” is the Resident Manager of Fletcher Dorm. T-Bone is an assistant coach for the Gold team.

Coach Conn is originally from Tazewell, Virginia. After graduating high school, he went on to attend Radford University. Coach Conn majored in Exercise Sports Science. To finish his degree, he had to complete an internship which actually was the start of his

career at OHA. Ever since the offered internship hours, Coach Conn never left ‘the Hill.’

“I like the family atmosphere here at Oak Hill,” he stated during an interview. This year, Coach Conn is looking forward to another Gold team National Championship. T-Bone helps to make life in Fletcher feel like a home away from home.

Academy Gold Team. Mr. Burns earned his degree in Sports Ministry from Campbellsville College. Due to his studies he enjoys watching almost any sport.

His favorite teams include the New York Yankees, Nashville Predators, Tennessee Titans, Michigan Wolverines, and the Kentucky Wildcats. Mr. Burns’ love of sports does not just stop with a television screen. He plays golf, too.

At 23 years old, from Hartford, Kentucky, he certainly enjoys the mountain atmosphere. His mom and dad still live in Hartford and his sister in Owensboro.

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Word of Mouth

Volume 8, Issue 1

Picnic Fun! (Continued from page 1)

respective hometowns, creating a Play-doh bust of a staff member, constructing a replica of the new Lenore Equestrian Center, and earning points with a round of Corn Hole. After all of the points were totaled, Mr. Hill’s group won the competition by a margin of one point. As the winning advisee group, they received ‘off’ from Saturday School on September 14th.

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Editor-in-Chief Shawn Haas Staff Journalists Tony Anderson Leah Baucom Yonatan Belayhun Mamoon Bukhari Destiny Crickman Tracy He Angie Klein Ray Lewis Christine Richardson Alex White Staff Photographers Mariah Ashley Carly Bronikowski Juliani Lee Courtney Mitchell Sallie Jones

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

Proofreaders Lisa Finklea Cyndie Richarson Faculty Sponsor Mikki Haas

2635 Oak Hill Road Mouth of Wilson, VA 24363 Phone: 276-579-2619 E-mail: info@oak-hill.net