Monthly Archives: October 2011

October 7, 2011 · 12:30 pm

An apple a day keeps the debt away

Uncle Sam has met his match. According to the latest updates, Apple has become the new top dog.

By: Jenny Tran 

Watch out, President Obama! According to the June statement from the U.S. Treasury, compared to the U.S. government’s operating cash balance of $73.8 billion, Apple has a whopping $76.2 billion in cash and marketable securities. In other words, the world’s largest tech company now has more money than the world’s largest sovereign government. This symbolic feat – the world’s most highly valued tech company, surpassing the fiscal strength of the world’s most powerful nation – is just the latest pinnacle for Apple, which has been on an unprecedented roll.

This feat comes to no surprise seeing as Apple has been rolling out new electronics every few months. The federal government could probably learn a thing or two from Apple’s success. For the past few months, Congress has continued to remain embroiled in a debate over spending and whether the government, which currently owes trillions in debt, should be allowed to borrow even more. Not only that, international credit rating agencies have downgraded the national debt for the first time in the nation’s history if Washington doesn’t come up with a solution to lift the $14.3 trillion debt ceiling while implementing a concrete plan to get the nation’s financial house in order. In a recent address to the country, President Obama seemed to have the answer to such a crisis. Obama proposed the American Jobs Act to save the United States’ economy. “The purpose of the American Jobs Act is simple: to put more people back to work and more money in the pockets of those who are working,” President Obama said. Essentially, he plans to increase consumption within our economy through job growth. While I do agree that we must focus on job growth within the economy, how do we know this act will work when the 2009 stimulus package did not? In February of 2009, Obama proposed $787 billion in economic stimulus when unemployment was around $25 million. Now, more than two years later, unemployment is still around $25 million. Why, therefore, should Obama’s latest proposals to create jobs, consisting about half the size of the 2009 stimulus, expect to create jobs when the larger stimulus did not?

Compared to the government’s budget and spending money, Apple is valued more than $363 billion. With the rise in Apple’s spendable wealth, experts believe the company may use the money to secure more technology patents or make strategic acquisition of other businesses such as Hulu and Netflix. However, one thing is for sure: this news of Apple having more money than the U.S. government has not fazed the company at all. “We don’t let the cash burn a hole in the pocket or make stupid acquisitions. We’d like to continue to keep our powder dry because we think there are one or more strategic opportunities in the future,” former CEO of Apple Steve Jobs said. Offering Uncle Sam a short-term loan, however, is probably not one of them.

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· 12:00 pm

Movie/Book Review of One Day

By: JoAnna Gunnufsen, Staff Reporter

Dexter Mayhew and Emma Morley first meet on the night of their college graduation. After just one day together, they begin a 20-year friendship that withstands the tests of time, distance, and miserable life choices.  Clearly, Dexter and Emma are made for each other. However, like most love stories, their relationship just never seems to work out in a picture perfect way. Through life’s ups and downs, their only hope of happiness appears to simply be with each other.

David Nicholls wrote two novels before finding tremendous popularity with One Day. The book takes a different route than most romantic beach reads. He chronicles the anniversary of their college graduation for 20 years to see where life has taken Dexter and Emma.

Surprisingly, Nicholls manages to write a complex relationship between two main characters who seem like total opposites. At first, Dexter and Emma are frustrating. Dexter, a party-loving womanizer, spends his younger years chasing after a superficial career and abusing many mind-altering substances. Aspiring author Emma just wants to publish her own novel. They refuse to become romantically involved with each other because they want different things in life. Once they grow closer, the reader can’t help but finish. To all those who get emotionally attached to their main characters, One Day will leave you feeling heartbroken with its unexpected and tragic ending.

Like most best-selling novels, One Day was quick to sell out into big screen adaptation. The movie features Anne Hathaway as smart, headstrong Emma and Jim Sturgess, known for his role in Across the Universe, as the proud Dexter. The chemistry between them seems unrealistic, and their dialogue falls flat, coming across as simply scripted words.

The movie’s director Lone Scherfig worked with Nicholls to write the screenplay, but I was shocked at how far the movie strayed from the book. Emma is made out to be the predictable good girl who is waiting for Dexter to finally fall in love with her, even though the novel shows her faults.

Scherfig’s film falls short of the book’s high standards. To those who see the movie, beware: One Day will seem like a boring eternity.

Did you know..

  • that Anne Hathaway was born in New York but raised in New Jersey, has a seven-year-old chocolate Labrador named Esmeralda, and is lactose-intolerant?
  • that Jim Sturgess has played in three bands: Dilated Spies, Tragic Toys, and Saint Faith; and his breakthrough role was in the musical, Across the Universe?

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· 12:00 pm

GOP candidates battle for nomination

By: Will Pipes, Staff Reporter

Americans are about to make the choice which plots the future of their nation. The  2012 presidential election is near. This means campaigns, polls, and speculation galore about candidates, nominations, and possible victors. On one side of the aisle, the Democrats have a returning candidate, President Obama, who has officially announced his run for re-election. On the other side of the presidential nomination field, the Republicans, also known as the Grand Old Party (GOP), have several contenders with numerous ideas to offer. However, as with all political races, a few front runners have distinguished themselves from the pack.

The first is Michele Bachmann, the Congressional Representative for Minnesota. Bachmann’s mindset is one of a conservative Tea Party member. This may hurt or help her in the long run, depending on how well Bachmann can relate to the people on certain issues such as the lagging economy. Bachmann has started her campaign with a win in the Iowa Straw Poll, which measures a GOP presidential candidate’s popularity in the nation. Collecting attention from several media networks and magazines such as Newsweek, where she made the cover of the August 15th issue, has transformed Bachmann into a well-known public figure.

Next is Ron Paul, a former Texas Representative and Bachmann’s polar opposite. Although he is a member of the GOP, Ron Paul’s viewpoints consistently stray from those of his party and into more of a moderate standpoint, supporting a number of Democratic ideas as well as GOP ones. With 4,671 votes to Bachmann’s 4,823, he came in a close second in the Iowa Straw Poll. However, with news outlets choosing to cover Bachmann and other potential GOP candidates such as Rick Santorum, Tim Pawlenty, and Herman Cain, Paul has been given almost no coverage in the media. While his media coverage may be lacking, Paul is projected to have an advantage over the other candidates. Paul holds the lowest difference in approval rating against President Obama with 47.8% for Obama and 42.0% for Paul making for a difference of 5.8% .

Rick Perry is the last GOP front runner for the presidential nomination. Perry has served as Governor of Texas since December of 2000. While not as popular as the other two candidates, Perry’s strength lies in his image of being on the opposite end of the political spectrum in relation to President Obama. Perry recently suffered a loss to candidate Herman Cain in a Florida straw poll. Although daunted, a CNN poll released September 26th cites GOP (and independents who lean towards the GOP) as still being largely in support of Perry, with his support rating at 28%, 7% higher than his closest competitor, Mitt Romney.

These are the current front runners poised to challenge President Obama for the presidential office. As always, anything can change in a political race of such importance. As the election approaches, the people can only wonder who will come to represent the nation for the next four years.

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· 12:00 pm

Hattiesburg gets a blast from the past

By: Morgan Guess, Staff Reporter

Rocket City Diner has launched as the new dining hot spot in the West Hattiesburg area. Social networks buzzed with anticipation for the opening of the local diner months in advance. The diner was made popular in the early 90s and has been missed ever since its closing. Before the big lift off, crowds of invitation-only guests filled the diner for the soft opening of Rocket City on Tuesday, September 13th.

Guests enjoyed rounds of hula hoop contests and dancing to the “Hokey Pokey” while others snapped memorable photos in the photo booth and enjoyed some of Rocket City’s diner style food.  Hundreds of locals gathered outside the diner for the long awaited grand opening the next day. Employees and customers of the original RCD were among the hundreds of local guests anticipating that the new diner would have the same fun atmosphere and as good food as the original. New customers were eager to get a taste of the famous milkshakes and classic burgers they had heard so much about.

“There was no better place to work where you could have a little fun with the customers at the same time! I met my husband there so we are having a blast returning to the new Rocket City Diner,” Stacy Odom, former Daisy Mae, said about the new RCD. The outgoing wait staff and the bubbly hostesses added to the energetic 50s theme as they dance around to 50s music in between serving. Just like the original RCD, the wait staff wears 50s style uniforms and goes by fake names from that decade such as Daisy Mae, Peggy Sue, Opie, and Bubbles.

The main staples of the original Rocket City Diner menu such as wet fries, classic hamburgers, and blue plate specials are all offered at the new Rocket City. The blue plate specials include red beans and rice, chicken fried steak, pork chops, burger steak, fried chicken, and pot roast. The blue plate specials also include a choice of two sides: mac n’ cheese, mashed potatoes, corn, black eyed peas, green beans, fried okra or turnip greens. Even some of the desserts, including stra

wberry shortcake, fudge brownie, and pies, are offered in addition to some newer options such as bread pudding. For the health conscious, RCD offers some of Season’s former famous salads and Rocket City Grilled Chicken Sandwiches. Since many of Rocket City Diner’s fans are kids, there’s also a special menu for them that includes the famous Hailey’s Hot Diggity Dog.

Because of Rocket City Diner’s unique atmosphere and good food, it is assured to be enjoyed by people of all ages! The new Rocket City Diner is located at
Newpointe Shopping Center and is open Monday through Sunday from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Also, there’s good news for Oak Grove Warrior football fans, Rocket City stays open late after all home football games!

Many Oak Grove students are experiencing the 50s lifestyle as servers, soda jerks, and hostesses. Go say hello to Alexa Martin (Lola), Carley Robertson (Rizzo), Rachel Rogers (Bets), Dylan Carpenter (Jeb), Andrew Adams (Opie), Jacob Creel (Duke), Michael Shannon (Slick), Amelia Passer (Mary Jane), Willie Jean Lewis (Billie Jean), Mary Taylor Jones (Trudy), Cassidy Crampton (Frenchie), Caitlin Osborne (Ozzie), Brooke Carney (Pinkie), Will Glenn (Scooter), Jade Willis (Thelma Lou), Cole Lang (Fonzie), Sean Thomas (Frankie), Garneisha Jones (Wanda), Ty Creel (Bud), Addison Arroyo (Rosa Lee), and Hannah Coursey (Roxie).

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· 12:00 pm

Susannah Carpenter: fashionista turned drill sergeant?

By: Julie Robinson

Susannah Carpenter is that girl at school who looks cute every single day. Last year when the new dress code was implemented, she was the first one to figure out how to make the dress code look nearly fashionable. Even in weightlifting class, Carpenter’s hair and makeup are flawless. Usually, when Carpenter wears something new or different, everyone else starts wearing it; she’s a trendsetter if there ever were one. How would a girl like Carpenter be expected to spend her summer vacation?

To everyone’s shocked surprise, Carpenter accidentally spent a week of her summer at boot camp in Maryland at the United States Naval Academy.  What many people don’t know about Carpenter is that she is very interested in studying engineering and more specifically aerospace engineering in college. She thought she was going to get a week of classes on aerospace engineering when she signed up for the Summer Seminar at the Naval Academy.

When she got there, she realized that she would be spending a week in boot camp and had seriously misinterpreted the Naval Academy’s brochure. A few of the other ill-informed girls left early, but Carpenter chose to tough it out. Carpenter sharply stood out

from the remaining girls and guys at the Summer Seminar who were built for the army. She noted that the girls were probably all in the heavy division on their high school weightlifting teams. While Carpenter is athletic, she would never fit the criteria for a heavy division weightlifter. If the girls were muscular, then the boys might as well have been already in the army, and the ratio of boys to girls was four to one. There were 750 at the Summer Seminar in all.

An average day for Carpenter consisted of waking up at 5:00 a.m. to 30 minutes of physical activity, classes, and more physical activity. She did 300 push-ups a day for a total of 1,500 push-ups in five days. She was forced to run everywhere she went and totaled 35 miles for the week. One of the many activities Carpenter participated in during the week was called Sea Trials; this activity was comprised of 12 hours of non-stop physical exertion. Carpenter’s maximum number of push-ups, sit-ups, and chin-ups were tested and recorded, and her fastest mile was clocked. She had to wear a uniform of boy shorts and tucked-in t-shirts all week long.

When  asked  if, given the opportunity, she would participate in the Summer Seminar again, Carpenter replied, “I would definitely do the seminar again because I gained so much from it. The Naval Academy’s campus is beautiful. I am strongly considering going there for my undergraduate degree next fall.” Carpenter’s example warns us to carefully read the brochures we are sent advertising summer college camps but also proves that misinterpretations can lead to new challenges and new experiences that can shape who we will become.

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· 12:00 pm

Warrior football off to fast start

By: Austin Heusser, Staff Reporter

Oak Grove Warrior football stomped into the 2011-2012 games with a bang kicking off the season at home against the Sumrall Bobcats. The Warriors got their first hint of success in front of a screaming student section as they defeated the Sumrall Bobcats 52-0. After that victory, the Warriors traveled to their first away game against the Purvis Tornadoes where they continued their success by gaining another win with a score of 35-21.

The following week, the then 2-0 Warriors prepared for their next opponent, the Laurel Golden Tornadoes. Oak Grove defeated them 17-3. With a record of 3-0, Coach Barr began preparing his players for the hardest game of the season yet. Just coming off of a victory over the infamous South Panola High School, Gulfport High School set its crosshairs on the Warriors. Little did they know what awaited them on that Friday night. The Warriors, led by senior quarterback Steven Swindle, forced Gulfport into a submissive defeat of 31-14.

The Warriors then hopped on the bus and headed to Forest Hill High, where they brought their record to an impressive 5-0. The following week, the student body eagerly awaited the weekend game against the Warriors fierce rivals the Petal Panthers. On that cool Fall night, the Warriors charged into the stadium amidst screaming fans. The Warriors fought hard in the first half achieving three touchdowns and forcing a safety making the score at halftime 23-12 Oak Grove. Petal came back with a vengeance in the second half, expanding their score to a three touchdown lead. Oak Grove answered back with multiple touchdowns and increased their score to 37; however, the Panthers continued to score with an impressive 54 points.

After losing to the Panthers 54-37, the Warriors held their heads high as they walked off of the field. “We fought through the final whistle, and there’s no shame in that,” center Allen Cummins said after the game. Hopefully this mentality will go with the Warriors tonight as they travel to Meridian to face the Wildcats, ranked #3 in the state.

Christian Chauvin, senior, leaves Purvis defenders behind at the Warrior-Tornado showdown on August 26th.

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· 12:00 pm

Facebook VS. Twitter

Facebook

By: Will Pipes, Staff Reporter

“What’s on my mind? Something more than 140 characters!”

Social networking force has been connecting humans around the world in ways not seen since Alexander Graham Bell invented the telephone. That force is none other than the incredible Facebook. Created in a college dorm room by Mark Zuckerberg in 2005, Facebook has grown to encompass over 750 million people worldwide according to the Huffington Post. What makes Facebook so great is that it puts life online in a unique and interesting way. Users can have conversations, respond to the thoughts of another, or even post pictures of some of the memories they’ve made in order to show their friends all within a matter of minutes. Twitter tries to re-create the same effect, but the conversations aren’t the same when they are submerged in dozens of tweets from others. Pictures require several different sites to view while Facebook simply uses its own picture viewing system. After all, a “retweet” just doesn’t amount to a like or a comment.

What’s even more impressive about Facebook is how it has invaded our society. Today a message sent on Facebook is more likely to be responded to than a message on an e-mail account.While checking an e-mail account is seen as a chore by most, people find checking their Facebook more instinctual as Facebook is an extension of themselves. You can’t find that kind of personalization on Twitter, being limited in what your profile can have on it and having only 140 characters, spaces included, to express your thoughts. Even teachers have been looking into using the social networking site to post assignments via a Facebook group tailor-made for that class. Not only is Facebook useful for socializing, the site is also more than adequate for education.

Possibly the most amazing aspect of Facebook, however, is the reasoning behind this rethinking of social interaction. Mark Zuckerberg, along with partners Eduardo Saverin, Dustin Moskovitz, and Chris Hughes, changed the way we look at the world by creating a world of social interaction that is, to borrow from Tron a bit, for the Users. When they made Facebook, they didn’t know what it would become, only that they wanted to make something amazing. And according to 750 million plus people, Facebook is quite amazing indeed.

So at the end of the day, Facebook has more of a personal feel, a better way to display some of your favorite moments for everyone to see, and an easier method of interaction between users. So when I update my status tonight (and invariably comment on something funny I read while doing so), I’ll remember the uniqueness of the site of which I’m on, and I encourage you to do the same.


Twitter

By: Joanna Gunufsen, Staff Reporter

“#ThatAwkwardMoment when you realize that you tweet just to avoid the new Facebook.”

Five years ago, Twitter was just another word in the dictionary. What was once defined as “a series of short, high-pitched bird calls” has since taken on a whole new meaning. In the world of social networking, Twitter seemed to be a humdrum, copycat version of the popular Facebook. Of course, I came to this unfamiliar knockoff and refused to join. I considered myself above the Twitter fad and would tell you so with pride. Facebook had satisfied my social needs for years. What did Twitter have to offer? Basically, nothing new. One simply logs on, “tweets” a message in 140 characters or less, and posts it for others to see. “Following” replaced friending. “Retweets” were essentially “likes,” and replies were another way to comment on a status. Spring semester of my junior year, I was required to tweet once a week for my AP Statistics class. Kicking and screaming, and for the sake of my grade, I began to tweet. My world was forever changed.

Twitter was the answer to my pent-up Facebook frustration. It had all the attention-getting and knowledge-sharing ability of Facebook without the bells and whistles. There aren’t any flashy sidebar ads promising a lower credit score, perfect love life, or free college tuition. Unlike Facebook, Twitter isn’t plagued by risky, lawsuit-inducing privacy issues.With that said, Twitter has been gaining momentum among current Facebookers. Twitter, uncorrupted by college recruiters and nosy relatives, is a form of freedom. Change the privacy setting on your account and write without inhibitions. Complaints, teenage love quotes, and awkward moments are encouraged. You can say what’s on your mind, but you can also see what others are thinking. Celebrities, politicians, and journalists have been creating Twitter accounts to accompany their already popular Facebook pages. However, Twitter is not just a publicity tool used by the elite. On May 1st of this year, President Obama announced the death of Osama bin Laden but not before the news was leaked through a tweet by Keith Urbahn, a former Navy intelligence officer. The news spread like wildfire across Twitter’s website, and soon the rumor was confirmed. Twitter has nonetheless proven itself to be an efficient communication tool.

Of the 106 million Twitter users, around 742,000 are high school students. Start your tweeting. Follow me,

@jgunnufsen.

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· 12:00 pm

Volleyball spikes Panthers, advance to playoffs

By: Jordan Farrar, Staff Reporter

The Lady Warriors won Tuesday night’s game against the Petal Panthers. The Lady Warriors almost had a landslide victory of 3-0, but the Panthers gave a fight and won one of the games. The game against the Panthers gave the Lady Warriors a final record of 13-5 for the season. The team surpassed last year’s record by winning four more games than last year’s team. Head Coach Renee McInarnay (Mac) added, “These girls are just fantastic, no, fabulous. They’ve brought something different, and it’s great.” Coach Mac commended the Lady Warriors on their teamwork as the season progressed. “They have quite the fluid communication and work welltogether. Each girl has her own talent that she uses to better the team,” Mac said.

For most Warriors, ringing a cowbell in the student section at the Warrior football field on Friday nights is the extent of school spirit. Volleyball, however, has not always had the recognition like that under the Friday night lights. For those who aren’t familiar with the game, it’s played with two teams, each with six players. The goal is to ground the ball on the opposite court or to make the other team fault.

To begin the game, one player, the setter, will set up the ball. Another player will then come up behind to swat the ball over the net. The points are tallied by faults/kills. But volleyball requires much more than just hand-eye coordination. One must be a leader on and off the court.

Senior Dana Marx is one of the Lady Warrior’s leaders and has played in all positions. One quick kill made by Dana Marx during the Brandon game had some of the spectators do a double-take to see which girl had the shot. These kills are explosive hits over the net that the opposing team cannot reach in time to recover. Marx ended the game with three spikes, four kills, and two line shots, a shot down the opposing teams’ boundary line.

“My team really loves playing volleyball. It’s amazing,” second year player Samantha Knowles said. “It’s a pleasure to watch all of them on the court in front of everyone.”

Oak Grove has a definite spot in the upcoming playoffs. The Lady Warriors will take on Hancock on Saturday, October 8th for the first round of the playoffs.

Oak Grove has a definite spot in the upcoming playoffs. The Lady Warriors will take on Hancock on Saturday, October 8th for the first round of the playoffs.

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· 12:00 pm

Rapid growth leads to new schools in the district

By: Mary Ryan Karnes

More crowded hallways, longer cafeteria lines, and a fuller parking lot are all signs of the exponential growth at not only Oak Grove High School but also throughout the Lamar County School District. Last year school officials were in the midst of developing a five-year comprehensive plan to deal with the influx of new students in the district. Thanks to the work of the Lamar County School Board, these plans will be carried out starting with the construction of a new Oak Grove kindergarten building west of 4th Street and, hopefully, other buildings, classrooms, and cafeterias all over the district. School Board President Mike Pruitt explained that construction for the new K-5 building is expected to begin this October and end in about a year. “This means a mid-year move, but we’ve proven that our administrators, teachers, students, and parents can do this as we moved into the OGLE and OGUE in mid-year of 2010,” Pruitt said. There has also been talk among school board members of a 9th grade academy, which could be located on the Oak Grove High School campus and used for that grade only. Additional facilities that could potentially be built for the use of Lamar County Schools include a central track and field and tennis courts that would be used by all high schools in the district. Fortunately, no area of the Lamar County School District budget will be cut in order to pay for these new facilities; however, some debt will be retired over the next year or two to pay for the loan on this new school.

Lamar County Schools Superintendent Dr. Ben Burnett has realized the rapid growth within the district and made the commitment to take action before maximum school capacities were reached. “We conducted a ten year enrollment study a year ago to determine the long range needs of the school district,” Burnett said. “This study shows that our district could possibly double in size over the next decade and increase to as many as 17,000 students.  We have to build new buildings and new campuses to keep up with the growth.”  Both Burnett and Pruitt agree that without effective expansion, safety, scores, and the well-being of the student body could be jeopardized. “When classrooms are overcrowded, it diminishes the environment for learning, not to mention the comfort, safety, and convenience of using the public spaces such as hallways, the library, and the cafeteria. Our job as a school board is to continue to plan for our district in order to meet the needs of all our students,” Pruitt said.

Expansion at Oak Grove is causing and will cause many changes for both students and faculty. Fortunately, the administration is working to meet the needs of each individual. Pruitt asserted that one downside of Oak Grove growth is money that could be used for an auditorium must be used to expand classrooms. This issue of prioritization, however, is outweighed by the fact that new learners are being added to Oak Grove schools each year. Pruitt explained that many students are choosing Oak Grove over other nearby area schools because of all the awards it has received, which is an honor to the hard work of administrators, teachers, and students. “I believe schools are the most important component of a community’s economic development efforts and from that we have exciting new retail, restaurants, and offices,” Pruitt said. Even though certain aspects of expansion may be setbacks, the construction of new schools is expected to reduce the burden of overcrowding. “It will allow our students more room and will enable us to continue to increase our academic scores and to keep all of our students safe,” Burnett said. The exapansion of the Lamar County School District is sure to broaden education opportunities for all its students.

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· 12:00 pm

Zumba dances into Oak Grove

Kriste Lewis and the 1st block girls’ fitness class shimmy and shake their way through the morning.

By: Brittain Allgood

Most students dread P.E. fitness class at Oak Grove because they know what awaits them each morning: push-ups, jumping-jacks, and of course lifting weights. Strenuous activities, such as these, are not something that most girls qualify as fun; however, girls who enroll in P.E. fitness can now look forward to a lively Zumba class every other morning. Kriste Lewis began teaching first and second blocks Zumba classes around the end of August. The coaches, who normally teach the fitness classes, were looking for something new and fresh to keep the girls entertained while maintaining their health. Anna Lauren Weeks, a freshman in the first block class, knew that the coaches were looking for an instructor and did not hesitate to ask Lewis. “She teaches Zumba at Heritage United Methodist, a church that I go to sometimes, and I knew she would do a great job at Oak Grove,” Weeks said.

Lewis has been teaching Zumba for a little over eight months and normally teaches at her church. “I have enjoyed instructing the girls here at Oak Grove. It is giving me the opportunity to work with many different age groups,” Lewis said. Zumba is a dance fitness program created by dancer and choreographer Alberto “Beto” Perez during the 1990s. The program combines Latin and international music with dance in an effort to make exercise enjoyable. Zumba is Spanish slang for “to move fast and have fun.” In these classes, participants are in constant motion. It incorporates hip-hop, samba, salsa, mambo, martial arts, Bollywood, and belly dance moves. Squats and lunges are also included in choreography in order to tone muscles; participants are burning calories while having fun. Zumba has been referred to as a party rather than a workout, which is probably why over 12 million people of all shapes and sizes take part in weekly Zumba classes in more than 125 countries.

Many of the girls have found Zumba to be a new and exciting experience. “I actually look forward to first block now that we have Zumba classes,” senior Susannah Carpenter said. “It’s a fun way to stay in shape!” The girls are beginning to memorize some of the choreography and get excited when they hear one of their favorite songs begin to play. Even other groups such as Golden Spirits and the community-based classes take part in the Zumba classes.

Lewis’s goal is to show girls that fitness can be fun rather than stressful and strenuous. “Statistics prove that Mississippi is one of the fattest states, as well as one of the laziest states, so I want people to know that they don’t have to run laps or starve themselves in order to lose weight,” Lewis said. “The classes are easy and something new to take part in.” Lewis plans to continue her instructing at Oak Grove for the remainder of the year and hopefully for years to come.

Freshman, sophomore, and junior girls: talk to your counselor about next year’s schedule for “an exhilarating, effective, easy-to-follow, Latin-inspired, calorie-burning dance fitness-party that’s moving millions of people toward joy and health.”

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