My first year at Oak Grove was also my first year of many other things. It was my first year in the United States, it was my first year at an American high school, and it was the first year of my life in which I realized that school could actually be fun. Now, at the end of my senior year – my last year – at Oak Grove, I have come to realize that this will also be my last year of many things I‘ll miss.

When I first arrived in Hattiesburg, Mississippi, it was difficult for me to think of it as my home (traveling  10,000 miles from another country in hopes of living the elusive American Dream can have that effect on people). However, whether I wanted it or not at first, Oak Grove High School became a home for me.

I started my relatively short-lived stint at Oak Grove my junior year, and by the end of it, my experience consisted of a lot more than learning Pre-Cal or U.S. History or how to cut Salisbury steak with a plastic fork. I would never have imagined that I would be able to make such a great first impression on my teachers, but I did (so I’ve been told), and at the time I put it all down to luck. But now I understand that luck had nothing to do with it (well, maybe a little). It was actually the incredibly cool people at Oak Grove – the teachers, the students, and the in-betweens – that made my time at Oak Grove so great and memorable.

Right. That whole embarrassing outpouring of emotion and gratitude towards Oak Grove has left me quite wordless. I’m done. And it’s not as if I’m never seeing Oak Grove again; I’ll be sticking around at USM for quite some time more. But to be fair, everything that happens to me after Oak Grove is and will be a result of what happened to me in Oak Grove. I could never have imagined a struggle for survival could actually be fun. I mean, seriously, have you ever heard of a Bangladeshi immigrant making Hattiesburg, Mississippi his first choice of residence? Me neither. But it turned out all right, didn’t it? (Yes it did.)

Trust me, I’ve had experience in leaving behind memories and taking risky life decisions – I’m living proof of that myself. But leaving Oak Grove, even if only after two years, is a bittersweet experience unlike any other. I’m glad to start a brand new, unread chapter in my life, but I know for sure that the last chapter was truly awesome. Thank you Oak Grove, for being my guide and my home. See you later.

There is probably only one name in the Oak Grove School District that is synonymous with the words “math,” “calculus,” and “trig.” WELCH… Suzie Welch is the head of the Math Department at Oak Grove High School, and teaches Pre-Calculus, Trigonometry and AP Calculus. She has been teaching at Oak Grove for 25 years, ever since she first started with General Math and Pre-Algebra. While most of her students are only familiar with her rigorous homework routine and confounding test questions, an exclusive interview with the fabled Queen of Math revealed some interesting insights.

Suzie Welch grew up in Mendenhall, Mississippi and attended Simpson Academy, a very small local private school. As far back as she can remember she always loved school, ever since the first grade. She developed an interest in teaching in eighth grade, and her choices were narrowed to either math or English. “I was so glad I chose math… because I enjoy it and learned to love it.” As for college, Welch studied at the University of Southern Mississippi and earned both her bachelor’s and master’s degrees from there. “I had fun in college,” she said. And contrary to common perception, she was not at all studious before her graduate years. “College doesn’t teach you anything about teaching,” Welch said.

Welch’s teaching career began in Oak Grove High School and has remained here as of today. She even finished her student teaching at Oak Grove. Her first years of teaching were very hard. “Trying to acclimate yourself to the pressures of teaching was very difficult at first.” About her most significant lesson as a teacher, Welch said “I learned about the ‘art’ of teaching… there’s always a lot to learn, and it can never be perfected, but I am working towards that goal.” Besides that, Welch speaks about the differences in teaching methods during her early years. Back then she used chalkboards, and had no graphing calculators. Now, she has mastered four different types of graphing calculators and any and all of her students already know about her expertise with a Promethean smart-board. “Apart from the technology, I also learned a lot about how to work with teenagers,” she said. But Welch’s classes often involve more than math, although just the math by itself is no doubt quite enough for her students. “Math is the hardest subject in the world… but it also teaches students to work for something, as well as good work ethic, responsibility, working with other students and being able to think… If the subject matter isn’t hard, then there’s not an opportunity to learn these life skills,” Welch said. And the opportunity to teach these life skills is Welch’s greatest reward.

Welch loves math, a fact only too obvious to her bleary-eyed early morning students, who fight to keep up with her seemingly unlimited energy and vitality. But there have been times when even Suzie Welch felt a few bumps along the road. “Sometimes I am extremely frustrated with some students’ apathy towards education,” she said. “But I don’t let that bother me or those students who are actually here to learn.” As for her brightest moments, she cherishes the feeling of appreciation when her former students e-mail her to tell her how she helped them go through college, or when a parent expresses his or her gratitude. Welch’s best advice to her students is “Do your homework, and always, always be nice and do the right thing. And if you don’t know what the right thing is, come ask me!” *ding*

In Welch’s “free time,” if such a thing exists, she enjoys spending time with family and friends, working in her yard, going to the movies, playing golf, reading, and restocking her supply of Animal Crackers (available to students for $0.25 per packet).

Suzie Welch has much recognition and several awards to brag about, although she will never be found doing so. This year she was selected as one of three state finalists for the Presidential Awards for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching (PAEMST) – the nation’s highest award for K-12 math and science teachers. The awards program is hosted by the National Science Foundation on behalf of the White House. Welch was nominated for the award last year by former colleague Ann Sullivan. Ann Sullivan was a recipient of the PAEMST in 2005. Welch had to complete an extensive application process to evaluate her performance as a teacher. The teachers selected for the national award receive $10,000, a presidential citation, and a trip to Washington, D.C. State finalists were recognized on February 19, 2010, by the Mississippi State Board of Education at an awards ceremony in Jackson. As for Welch’s feelings, she said she felt very honored and proud, and like “a queen for a day.” Welch is hopeful for the national award and without a doubt, deserves it.

For their senior projects, James McLaurin, Tavin Bullock, Hunter Hope, and Christopher Arroyo have decided to take learning beyond the research paper and the classroom. They have signed up for the Voluntary Fire Service Program at Oak Grove Fire Department. The program involves a course over several weeks designed to give insight into the fire fighting service. It aims to give students a general understanding of the fire service with a practical approach. This is the first time the Oak Grove Fire Department has officially hosted a program for high school seniors as part of their senior project.

James McLaurin was first interested in the idea when he received an email offering the course. Soon he was joined by three more interested candidates. For him, inspiration came from the idea of learning about such an important part of the community and gaining hands on experience about firefighting. Senior projects typically involve a research paper, a hands-on project, and a presentation of the entire project to a panel of judges. McLaurin’s senior project research paper is about the importance and proper uses of fire extinguishers. In addition to the fire service program, he plans to make a presentation to a group of children from his neighborhood demonstrating various fire safety techniques and information. Tavin Bullock became personally interested because of an unfortunate fire accident last summer that resulted in his grandmother’s house being burned down. Bullock wanted to learn as much as he could about fire safety. His research paper is about education, and he plans to put that to use as he hosts an after-school training program for young children about fire safety. Hunter Hope and Christopher Arroyo are both researching arson investigation. Hope finds the forensic science behind arson investigation fascinating, which was part of his motivation to enroll in this program. Among the four, Arroyo is the only one who is seriously considering a career in firefighting, and expects this basic experience to be very valuable in the future.

The students now go to the fire department every other week for two to three hours. They need to spend a total of 20 hours as per senior project requirements. Oak Grove Resident Firefighter James Phillips is conducting the course. The fire service course enables the students to learn the history of firefighting, the qualifications one needs to be a firefighter, duties of a firefighter, the dangers associated with being a fireman, vehicle accidents, operating firefighting equipment, donning protective gear, and various types of fires and their causes. They will also get to participate in a simulated scenario where they have to extinguish a live fire in a controlled environment. Being able to use actual firefighting gear seems to be the most exciting experience for the four seniors. “It’s really cool,” Hope said, “Putting on seventy-five pounds of gear under two minutes, getting on the truck, learning to use the equipment… it’s a great experience.” McLaurin finds the physical aspect of learning most enjoyable as well. “It gets your adrenaline running” he said.

Greek gods, titans, mythical heroes, gorgons and man-goats. And all that artfully fitted inside a familiar modern world. Such is the imagination of Rick Riordan, author of The Lightning Thief, Book One of the Percy Jackson & The Olympians series. As an avid fan of Greek mythology and fantasy, I felt I had found my perfect medley. The story follows the life of Perseus “Percy” Jackson, high-school misfit and teenage underdog. Living with his single mother in New York City, Percy struggles to cope with the pressures of switching schools and being a prime target for all forms of teenage torture. That’s when the fun starts.

On a regular summer trip to a beach house, Percy discovers that he is – surprise – not entirely normal. He is a demigod: half Greek god, half human. His father is Poseidon, God of the Seas, and only when he comes of age does he realize his powers. Yes, powers. And we all know what comes with great power–demons and monsters and evil masterminds out to conquer the world. Turns out those Greek gods of old aren’t all that dead. In fact, as human civilization moves from one sphere of dominance to another, so does Mount Olympus. So what better place for the home of the gods than the top of the Empire State Building, New York City?

Percy, along with his satyr friend Grover, seeks refuge and demigod training in Camp Half-Blood, along with other demigods of dubious (but significantly powerful) parenthood. Except Percy is not only an ordinary human, he’s not an ordinary demigod either. Enter the Oracle. The legendary Oracle of Delphi makes a prophecy that Percy must embark on a quest to fulfill. Accompanying him is best friend Grover the satyr, and Annabeth, a daughter of Athena. Such begins the epic journey of Perseus Jackson. As for what happens next, you’ll have to read the book to find out.
The similarity of the plot with Harry Potter is glaringly obvious. Awkward teenager discovers special abilities and a world within another world, attends school/camp for other likewise extraordinary children, befriends girl and boy, has his destiny dictated by a cryptic prophecy, and of course, sets out on a quest to foil the plans of an evil villain returning from the dead. Nevertheless, it is not the plot that makes The Lightning Thief such a great read. Rather, it’s the extremely natural feel of merging both mythological and modern worlds. That in itself is one of the most original concepts I have experienced in a long time. The tone is at times sardonic and sometimes side-splitting. One of Riordan’s best skills seems to be expressing the character and nature of Percy, the main character. We are able to see inside his mind and share in his troubles as well as triumphs. The narration is from Percy’s point-of-view, and is quite fluid and easy to follow. The pace is fast and the story adapts neatly to fit the constantly changing circumstances (or as neatly as possible inside a pubescent boy’s mind). There are interesting twists and turns in the story, complicated and subtle enough to make you read just one more page before closing the book.

A word of caution: don’t judge a book by its movie. The recently released screenplay of The Lightning Thief by Chris Columbus reportedly follows a slightly different storyline, and is a novelty in itself. My advice is to always read the book first, if you can find it. And hold on to your pegasi, because this is just the beginning of the legend of Percy Jackson. The next book in the series is The Sea of Monsters, an equally – if not more – exciting read.

The 2010 Winter Olympics, being held at Vancouver in February, promises to be a truly momentous event. This year’s theme, “With Glowing Hearts,” (taken from the Canadian national anthem) represents “the pride that results from outstanding achievement; be it an athlete’s performance of a lifetime or the valuable contribution of a dedicated volunteer,” according to John Furlong, CEO of the Vancouver Organizing Committee.

The Winter Olympics consist of 86 medal events in seven categories: Luge, Skiing, Skating, Ice Hockey, Biathlon, Bobsleigh and Curling.

Ninety-seven countries are participating, with Ghana, Bahamas, Gabon, Colombia, Pakistan, Peru, Serbia, Montenegro and the Cayman Islands debuting this year.

Some athletes to watch this year include five-time medalist short-rink skater Apolo Anton Ohno, snowboarding superstar Shaun White, skier Lindsey Vonn, luger Erin Hamlin, favored speed skater Shani Davis, and figure-skaters Evan Lysacek and Tanith Belbin to name a few. Team USA is going after the gold much more aggressively this year. After the last Winter Games at Torino in 2006, the U.S. walked out with nine gold medals and 25 total – the second highest number won that year. The most exciting events this time around for the U.S. will be figure-skating, speed skating and hockey. The hockey team is much younger than last time, and hopes to improve significantly from their previous appearance when they finished in eighth place. Some other events to watch out for include the face-off between long-time figure-skating rivals Kim Yu-Na of South Korea and Mao Asada of Japan.

The games start on February 12, with the opening ceremony starting at 6 p.m, and will be aired consistently on WDAM-TV until they end on February 28. A complete and detailed schedule can be found on nbcolympics.com/tv-listings.

The recent earthquake in Haiti almost two weeks ago had its effect felt far beyond the borders of the small island nation. All over the world, people saw one of the deadliest quakes of the century cripple one of the poorest countries in the world. An enormous relief effort began, as aid was rushed to the damaged nation, in the form of food, water, medical supplies and manpower. Governments, organizations and even individuals recognized the event as an international crisis, contributing as much as possible to help the Haitians not only to get back on their feet, but also to get back their normal lives.

But the collective effort of the entire world still had one major obstacle to overcome: how to collaborate and actually get aid to where it was needed most, in an organized, efficient manner. Natural disasters in small poor nations always present that added difficulty of being almost inaccessible to aid efforts. How can you get hundreds of tons of food and basic supplies to a population living in the midst of rubble and collapsed buildings? With a tiny airport and a crippled seaport, Haiti is trapped within its own borders. The news reports show how badly the aid attempts are failing, and how much money is going to waste. The fact of the matter is that yes, relief attempts are indeed fraught with failure and obstacles, and aid is not moving fast enough. But is the entire aid operation a failure, and our money gone to wasted food and for oiling bureaucratic machines?

Not quite. Giving aid is a slow process, and justifiably so in the case of Haiti. The relief efforts are just that: efforts. After almost four weeks of utter chaos, hope is beginning to show on the faces of Haitians, as more and more are rescued from the rubble and given proper medical treatment. Every penny donated to the cause adds up, one way or another. Not everyone’s money ends up buying a bottle of water or a child’s blanket. There are hundreds of thousands of dollars going to overhead costs like airplane fuel and food for volunteers. That money is far from wasted. Some people have understandably spoken out, saying that money is only secondary to actual contributions of clothing, non-perishable food and other supplies. But there is always a huge difficulty in forwarding used items out to a country in crisis. There is the question of actually going around and collecting those materials from people, evaluating the useful from the useless, organizing similar items for shipping and finally getting them through a small airport already operating beyond its capacity.

Money, surprising as it may seem, has its virtues. Money is universal, meaning it can be used to buy in bulk whatever relief organizations determine is needed most at the moment by Haitians, and used all over the world by any such organization. Besides that, money is much easier to donate and to collect. The Clinton-Bush Haiti Fund makes it very easy to donate your $10 towards Haiti’s recovery; all you need to do is text “HAITI” to 90999. Several organizations such as the American Red Cross, CARE, Oxfam America and the World Health Organization also allow people to donate online using a credit card or checking account. Money also covers overhead expenses associated with relief efforts. And perhaps best of all, most donations are tax deductible.

Food and water is certainly what is needed most at the moment. However, that can only alleviate the problem, not solve it. The next long-term challenge faced not only by Haiti but also the international community is to get Haiti’s shattered economy up and running. That calls for investment and jobs, and in turn more aid – this time in the form of finance.

Keeping with the American tradition of pouring money into problems can help sometimes (most certainly not always). So keep donating your money. Relief is only for the immediate crisis, but Haiti is still a long way from actual recovery. Millions, perhaps billions of dollars will be needed to get the country back on its feet, but as a wise reporter once said, money spent for humanitarian purposes is money well spent.

Oak Grove recently saw two of its best debaters compete in the Princeton Classic Debate Tournament last December. Will Bedwell and Steven Wild, Varsity debaters of the Oak Grove Forensics Team, participated in the Public Forum event in one of the most prestigious high-school debate tournaments in the country. The Princeton Classic tournament is hosted each year by Princeton University and Princeton High School in New Jersey. Last year was Oak Grove’s first time in competing in the tournament, and was the only school to go from Mississippi.

With 125 teams in the Public Forum event alone, the Princeton Classic is one of the largest high-school debate tournaments. The tournament offers bids to go to the esteemed Tournament Of Champions held each year at the University of Kentucky.

The “Bed-Wild Duo” (coined by WB staff) has been debating since the 10th Grade. Ever since the two debaters paired up and qualified for Nationals last April, they have been unstoppable. “Bedwell and I had been looking for a national circuit tournament in which we could feasibly compete, and I was simultaneously planning a trip to visit William at Princeton during December. The weekend conveniently fell into both of our schedules and we were able to make the trip.” Wild said (William Wild, former Oak Grove debater, is currently a freshman at Princeton University). Shane Cole, Oak Grove’s debate coach and Forensics Team sponsor, said “This was an opportunity for [Will and Steven] to keep competing in the National Circuit, and I was more than happy to sign all the paperwork… They wanted to do it.”
The duo went all the way up to Quarterfinals (Top 8), finally giving out to Regis High School of New York City. “They did very well…I was shocked at how well they did.” Cole said. The two did not stop there. This past weekend Bedwell and Wild competed in the Emory-Barkeley Debate Tournament in Atlanta, Georgia, another similar debate tournament in the national circuit. They won all the way up to Top 16 from a pool of 120 teams. The duo now has two bids to the Tournament Of Champions, one from Princeton and one from Emory, making them the first ever debaters from Oak Grove eligible to participate.

Bedwell and Wild make the perfect debating powerhouse. An interview with debate coach Shane Cole revealed a few insights into the two debaters’ amazing chemistry. “When debating, Steven has a one-track mind – he is super-focused on winning that round, and nothing else,” Cole said. “Bedwell is the perfect opposite. He sees the big picture and the entire debate… they complement each other perfectly.” According to Cole, “a good debater needs to be able to see both sides of the argument clearly… [Wild and Bedwell] can now debate mentally; I don’t even have to tell them anything. Debate is mental, not emotional.”

In the words of Bedwell himself, “Steven is more uptight and factual; I’m laid back and smooth-talking. It makes for a great debating combo.” According to him, Wild is “almost as good as me [Bedwell].” Wild gives another explanation: “Predictably, Bedwell doesn’t do any of the work, but somehow we work well as a team. He does what he can and, for some odd, unexplainable reason, we just click…I taught him everything he knows, clearly. Don’t let him tell you any differently.”

Another point of note is that despite Oak Grove Forensics’ brilliant and consistent performance, this was the first time Oak Grove was represented at Princeton. “It’s the money. The school has a small budget, so we can’t take the team to compete anywhere we want…I would love to, but it’s just too expensive,” Cole said. When asked about the recent success at Emory and participation at the TOC, Cole said “We just need the money.” Bedwell and Wild themselves are confident of success.