John Mayer has become exceedingly more popular since his first album was released.  I attended his latest concert at the Amphitheater at The Wharf in Orange Beach, Alabama, and it was incredible.  The festivities started at approximately 7:00 p.m. and lasted until about 11:00 p.m.  The amphitheater has three sections of seating: the floor, the middle, and the risers.  Out of the estimated 3,000 seats, only about 50 seats were still available.  The sun was setting and there was not a cloud in the sky, while anticipating one of my favorite artists, John Mayer to take the stage.  What more could I ask for?

Owl City was the opening band and honestly I like the song “Fireflies,” but I was not so sure if I would be able to endure an entire hour and a half of songs that sound exactly the same.  Surprisingly it was great, and I was completely entertained the whole time because of their futuristic style and their incorporation of a cellist and violinist.  The only problem was that I had to wait another hour and a half for John Mayer to finally make his appearance.  He did have enough time to update his Twitter before giving us the concert we all paid for though.  When he finally did make his appearance on stage, the crowd went wild as was anticipated, but many of us were somewhat shocked at his appearance.  He was wearing a white muscle shirt and black sweatpants, not to mention he looked like he had not showered in months.  This was not at all what I had expected, but he did not let me down in the least bit because his music is incredible and he sounded so much better live than he does on his recordings without a doubt.  He played his own cover for “Ain’t No Sunshine,” and I think he sang it better than Bill Withers, the original artist.  My favorite song by John Mayer is “Edge of Desire,” and it was the song I had waited for him to perform all night.  I waited patiently until he announced that he was about to play the last song of the night.  As usual, it was not the song I had hoped or expected but it was close enough, instead he performed “Half of My Heart,” which I should have expected considering all of the T-shirts being sold at the concert had something portraying to that song.  I was disappointed by that fact when he walked off the stage until the crowd started screaming “encore” and he returned to the stage for one final song.  He started the intro and immediately I recognized what song it was; “Edge of Desire.” He even made a personal video that was shown on the screen to go with the song.  Since he performed all of my favorite songs, I thought his concert was absolutely perfect.  Every fan walked out of the amphitheater ecstatic and pleased.

Mayer is truly one of the most talented artists in the music world, and I encourage everyone to go to at least one of his concerts.  I have been to many concerts, but John Mayer’s is by far my favorite.  It was a life-changing experience because he really is such a down to earth guy.  He’s not interested in all of the glamour of being a celebrity, he just wants to play his music and be heard, doing what he loves to do, by millions of people.  I had fun at his concert because he is so entertaining, and I can tell that he is having fun performing and that he actually appreciates his fans.  Next time, though, I do hope he looks a little cleaner because I need some pictures of him live that do not quite repulse me as much.  Even though he looked pretty terrible, he sounded absolutely unbelievable and that is all a devoted fan could ask for.

For Jordan Papas, playing college soccer has always been one of her biggest dreams. Papas was first discovered at the team camp held at the University of Alabama at Birmingham last summer. At the camp, Coach Benji Walton of Birmingham Southern College was assigned to watch her play. At first he underestimated her because of her height, 5’1”, but after Walton saw her play he told Papas’ coach that he had to have her on his team at Birmingham Southern College. Papas went to look at the campus at Birmingham Southern College and fell in love with it. She loves the scenery of the campus, and also that it is an arts-oriented school because she has a passion for art and music. “If I went to a bigger school, I would not be able to take art or any other fun classes that I am interested in because soccer would be so time consuming,” Papas said. She signed with Birmingham Southern College, which is the top Division III school in Alabama, as the goal keeper of their team.

“To be offered a scholarship by a Division III school is a great honor because Division III schools do not usually give athletic scholarships. I was given the opportunity of a lifetime and it was an offer I absolutely could not refuse,” Papas said. Originally, Papas wanted to attend a division one school, such as the University of Tennessee or the University of Alabama at Birmingham to play soccer, but her height was a problem with all of the division one schools. Papas is now excited to attend Birmingham Southern because it is a smaller college. “It would be better for me at a smaller school because I would be able to know a lot more people, and it would be easier to be known by my professors instead of just being a number in a classroom,” Papas said.

Papas wants to major in sports medicine because she has been playing sports all of her life, and she wants to stay involved with sports for the rest of her life. Even though her high school years are ending, her new life of college soccer is just beginning. “I strongly believe that everything happens for a reason and I think it was meant to be that I am going to Birmingham Southern College instead of a Division I school,” Papas said. She also wants to keep art and music in her life throughout college, making Birmingham Southern College the school of her dreams.

By: Taylor Rigney

Bad wigs.  Tacky, barely-there outfits.  Amputated legs?  These are just a few of the Lady’s (and I’m using the word “lady” very loosely) many attributes that put the “gag” in Gaga.  She is the only person on the planet who could make Boy George say, “Why on Earth would you wear that in public?”  Even worse is that not only does everyone else in the world have to suffer because they’re forced to look at Lady Gaga’s awful wardrobe decisions, but they have actually started interfering with her own health, too.  While on board a flight in March, Gaga reportedly was forced to change out of a skin-tight black and yellow tape dress when airline staff members noticed her legs were swelling.  But that’s not the worst part: The outfit was so tight that the crew had to assist Gaga in squeezing out of it.  When your clothes are putting you at risk of deep vein thrombosis, it’s probably time to trade in your current closet for some more sensible rags.

Okay, enough criticizing her clothes, though.  An even more detestable flaw in Lady Gaga’s character is the way she is contributing to the decline of good old-fashioned values among America’s young people.  Gaga’s songs contain lyrics that are all about sex and drugs. Most of them are so raunchy that I couldn’t even quote them in a school newspaper.  To use her own words, Lady Gaga is “half psychotic, sick, hypnotic,” and that’s cutting her a break.

Shining like a light at the end of the tunnel that is filled with morally bankrupt stars, however, is the lovely Taylor Swift.  Swift sings songs about love and life that any teenager could easily relate to, and what girl hasn’t wished for long, curly, blonde locks like hers?  Even the guys can appreciate Taylor’s natural beauty; she never cakes on make-up and never ever paints weird lightning-bolts (or whatever that was) over her eyes.

Though some may call Taylor Swift’s music cheesy, her songs are actually relatable to all, yes I said it, ALL, high school females.  What girl hasn’t jammed out to “Picture to Burn” without thinking of a specific jerk or danced around to “You Belong with Me” without picturing that perfect guy who’s dating that dreadfully wrong girl?  Admit it.  I know I’m not alone here.  Even if you can’t relate to Taylor’s songs, at least you know what they’re about.  I mean, honestly, can anybody tell me exactly what Gaga is singing about in the song “Alejandro”?  Anybody can write a song and scream out Spanish names the entire time, but spitting out lyrics that express the inner thoughts of almost every teenage girl takes real talent.

LADY GAGA

By: Kate Zachary

In the music world, different is better. Lady Gaga has risen to the top on her mysterious bubble dress, which is literally made out of plastic bubbles. She is the most unique artist out there with her amazing style and how she has managed to bring techno-pop music back from the
dead.

The cute, naive, perm-haired little girl, with the tear-soaked guitar named Taylor Swift is not as appealing as the unpredictable wardrobe and song choices of Lady Gaga. Not to mention, Lady Gaga can sing extraordinarily well live without lip synching, unlike Taylor Swift who sounds like an ostrich being run over by a tractor when she tries to sing naturally.

Typical is forgettable and Lady Gaga is the complete opposite of that. She keeps all of her fans guessing on what she will wear or what she will do next. Taylor Swift is the most predictable artist out right now with her hair worn the same at all times and her lyrics about Prince Charming and fairytales. Country singers with fairytales are overrated, and I honestly do not believe she is “Fifteen.” Can I see some identification please?

Lady Gaga took a big risk trying to make it into the music world by being so different and original, and look how far she has come. Her songs have been number one hits back to back, helping her rise way ahead of her competition. Taylor Swift does not match up to Lady Gaga’s standards in the least because Taylor has not taken any risks and there is no excitement about her. Listening to Taylor Swift’s songs is about as exciting as watching grass grow. She should be taught personality, style, and voice lessons from Lady Gaga because Taylor could definitely learn a lot from her. Taylor should stop writing and performing her own music, and step back to let a professional do it for her.

Lady Gaga writes and produces all of her music and she taught herself how to play piano by ear when she was four years old. Her vocal talent is outstanding along with her ability to keep a crowd entertained for hours on end because all of her performances are different each time. She has knocked the socks off of all artists competing with her. It is truly an honor to be in the “Gaga Era” because she is first and foremost the queen of pop, and no one can knock her off of her throne. Good luck trying, Taylor Swift.

By: Taylor Rigney

Wouldn’t it be great to enjoy a relaxing three-day weekend every week?  Due to the high cost of fuel and energy, that idea may not just be wishful thinking anymore.  Over 100 school districts in 17 states across the country have adopted a four-day school week in order to conserve money and energy.

A four-day school week would mean eighteen less days each semester that schools wouldn’t have to run buses, resulting in thousands of dollars worth of diesel (which has now skyrocketed to well over $4 a gallon) that schools wouldn’t have to fork over.  This is thousands of dollars that could be put to use for other things like (of course, I have to put a plug in for our drama department) an auditorium for the high school, or maybe the extra money could mean the school could actually afford to supply classrooms with paper.

Axing a day from the school week would also drastically cut down on energy costs.  Just one less day a week for the school to be shut down means 36 extra days a year that lights, air-conditioners, and heaters can be given a rest and turned off.  Let’s face it, Lamar County School District: we’re leaving a pretty big carbon footprint.  What would Al Gore have to say about that?  Once again, the conservation of energy would also save our schools a big chunk of money and make LCSD’s wallet a little bit thicker.

Obviously, cutting a day from the school week means students would have to go to school longer the other four days.  Honestly, though, who wouldn’t be willing to endure school for a couple more hours every day in exchange for a whole other day each week of not having to set foot in the building?  Folks, we’re talking another entire day of sleeping late, vegetating on the couch watching TV for hours, hanging out with friends, oh and, you know, studying and doing volunteer work and productive things like that.  Not to mention, parents of younger students would save a fortune in after-school child-care, since they would essentially be arriving home at the same time as their children.  Another radical idea would be to do away with advisors (and I know it’s mandated by the State, but that doesn’t make it any less pointless).  Getting rid of advisors would give us thirty more minutes of instruction time, and therefore, we wouldn’t have to stay at school as late as we would otherwise.

Schools across the nation that have adopted the four-day  school week have reported higher test scores due to more uninterrupted class time and students who return from their extended weekends refreshed and more eager and willing to learn.

NO

By: Kate Zachary

The conflict of having a four- day school week has become a vast topic for the government and for school boards around the nation. This is such a huge controversy because there are so many pros and cons towards the concept of shortening the school week. I agree with all of the cons of this idea because I do not think a four-day school week is a good decision.

One reason a four-day school week would cause problems is because it would provide a three- day weekend for the students, thus allowing time for the students to forget information they learned the previous week. Also, the much needed summer vacation that we all cherish would be significantly shortened because more days would have to be added to the school year. I don’t know about you, but I wouldn’t want to be in school for longer hours and more days. Our four classes are already 90 minutes long each and school doesn’t dismiss until 3:40 p.m. each day, let’s not make that longer just so that we can have a longer weekend. Having the longer school day start at 7:30 a.m. and end at 4:30 p.m. would push everything back much later in the day, such as sports team practice and club meetings, not to mention that is a very long school day, especially for elementary students. Also, these longer school days would cut some very important sleep hours that students need to succeed in school. Studies say that students should have at least eight hours of sleep to truly perform well in school, and a four day school week would incapacitate this because most high school students don’t go to sleep until 10:30 p.m. due to homework and extracurricular activities.

Another reason that a four-day school week is bad is that it will force parents to have to pay for a babysitter or a daycare for the day their children are out of school. This will hinder many young families because in most families both parents work five days or more during the week. Studies also show that seven out of ten children don’t eat dinner with their families because they have homework, sports practice, or other extracurricular activities. If the school and practice times get pushed back later because of a four-day school week, family time at home would become nonexistent.

The last, but most important reason a four-day school week is a bad idea is that all school employees such as, teachers, principals, janitors, school police, crossing guards, and bus drivers will lose a whole day of pay for each week. During these hard times in our economy, no one can afford to lose a day of pay each week. Education is very important and our educators don’t get paid enough already, I don’t think we should take more of their salaries away from them.

Oak Grove’s Future Educators of America club is currently learning what it takes to be a school teacher. Most of the members of the FEA club have decided to participate in job shadowing. Job shadowing is a great way for the club to get hands on experience of what it takes to be a teacher. “We go to each of the schools in Oak Grove, and the members of the club stay with one teacher or class all day. FEA members get to observe as well as participate in different activities that the classes are doing,” sponsor of the club, Mrs. Ingram, said. Members are shadowing teachers at several Oak Grove Schools including, Oak Grove Primary, Oak Grove Lower Elementary, Oak Grove Upper Elementary, and the Oak Grove Gifted Center. Georgia Wyatt, president of the FEA club, job shadowed a second grade teacher at the Oak Grove Lower Elementary School. “I liked job shadowing. The kids are really cute,” Wyatt said. “I don’t think I could handle being with them all day every day though. If I decide to become a teacher, I want to teach kids that are old enough to blow their noses and go to the bathroom on their own,” Wyatt said.

The Future Educators of America club mostly participates in job shadowing to help the members understand the life of a regular school day through the eyes of a teacher. Though job shadowing is not required to be in the club, it is strongly encouraged, especially to those who have never really experienced a day in the life of a teacher. The FEA club does numerous other projects to help the teachers at our school and other schools in the area. The club has at least one meeting each month to discuss the new upcoming projects they will participate in. Another project the group works on is Star Teacher, which is a way club memebers can learn about certain teachers at Oak Grove High School and how they teach. They also learn the reasons why teachers are so proud of what they do, the educational background, and their educational philosophies. FEA also participates in  Adopt a Classroom, in which the members raise money to buy school supplies and books for a certain classroom. Every member in the club is always eager to contribute his or her fair share to make each project a success. The sponsors of the club are Mrs. Ingram and Mrs. Kneip, and they are both very proud and of all the projects the group has accomplished so far this year. The FEA club is a great contributor to the school and teachers. All of the members have a great appreciation for the hard work teachers do, and most of them hope to become teachers themselves someday.

By: Luke Bush

Oak Grove baseball is getting ready to kick off another year. The season officially begins with the first game in the Oak Grove Classic Tournament being played at the Harry Breland Field. They are very hopeful for victory this season. “A lot of people are underestimating us,” Scott Weathersby, senior pitcher for the Warriors, said. “We discussed it as a team and our goal is to go to the State Championship. If we give it our all, there is no reason we can’t make it.” If the Warriors are able to hold up their promise, they will be traveling to Pearl, Mississippi, where the State Championship is played each year.

Weathersby is not the only one who will be pitching for the Warriors this year. The pitching rotation will include Casey Comfort and James McMahon. “Our team has a lot of talent this year with solid hitting, pitching, and defense,” Weathersby said.

This year should prove to be a promising year for the Warriors. The team is looking forward to seeing the support of students and the community.

Tennis

By: Kate Zachary

As the tennis season approaches, the new coach and 10th grade English teacher, Samantha Padgett, is excited about the new season. “My goal for the team this year is to represent Oak Grove High School with dignity as we travel to other high schools in the area. We want to enjoy and embrace the chance at camaraderie, sportsmanship, and the bond of being a part of a team, and hopefully we will perform as well on the courts as we do off the courts,” Padgett said.

Even though the team consists of new players this year, they are confident about the upcoming matches. “I expect the team to grow, to embrace and mentor our new, younger teammates, and to hopefully win some important matches,” Padgett said. “The road to state will be a difficult one this year, knowing that the team is young; however, we should never put anything past anyone. Doubt is an unhealthy quality as a coach or as a member of a team,” Padgett said.

Track

By: Taylor Herring

At the beginning of a new season, the track team hopes to get off to a strong start. The head coach, Robin Ryder, feels confident considering their successful 2008-2009 season. The team recently began daily practices, and Coach Ryder expects even more runners to join after soccer and basketball seasons end. As of now, the sprinters are full-speed running one mile a day; and the distance runners are doing up to eight miles a day. The official practice schedule begins February 8th; and Coach Ryder held a set of tryouts on February 1st. Ryder is looking forward to another successful season and reaching new goals. “Last year, we had more all-state runners than ever before. Hopefully we can build on that success,” Ryder said.

The team kicks off the season with a meet on March 1st in Slidell, LA.

Softball

By: Lauren Pace

The Lady Warrior Softball Team plans to have a very exciting season this year. With six of the 2009 All-District players returning, Coach Gary Ivy has high hopes for the season.

Last year, the team made it to the first round of the playoffs and finished with a record of 17-7. Head Coach, Gary Ivy expects to have another great season. “Our biggest competition would probably have to be Brandon or Clinton in South State,” Ivy said. Northwest Rankin currently holds the State Championship title.
The only returning varsity senior, Kayla Stanley, recently signed to play softball at The University of Southern Mississippi next year.

Recently, the team has been sprucing up the softball facility. They have a new bullpin area and are looking forward to a new field house. “The Lady Warrior softball team is on our upswing,” Ivy said.

The team is striving for many goals this upcoming season and hope to win the State Championship.

The Oak Grove High School Beauty Review is an annual fundraiser for the choral department. It is usually held during the month of January, and Mr. Tim Breland and Mr. Demetric Cooley are the chairman and co-chairman of this event. Antony Keeler served as the announcer for both nights.

Beauty Review is a competition where girls are judged based on beauty, stage presence, and formal gown. There were 11 freshman girls, 13 sophomore girls, 16 junior girls, and eight senior girls who competed. After all the girls in each grade are judged, three winners from each grade are chosen; two beauties and one overall Most Beautiful. The two freshman beauties named were Amber Pineda and Mary Taylor Jones. “It was a combination of surprise, excitement, and honor after I found out I had won. I was just so glad to share it with many great girls. That made it extra special,” Olivia Sanguinetti said after she won Most Beautiful for the freshman class. The two sophomore beauties were Andie Arthur and Stephanie Weiss. The sophomore Most Beautiful was Lindsey Carter. The two junior beauties were Shelby Carney and Ryan Henry. Hannah McNeil was named Most Beautiful for the junior class. The two senior beauties were Kayla Purvis and Anne Caroline Lovitt. The senior Most Beautiful was Lauren Carter.

The theme this year was Mardi Gras and the entertainments during intermission were performances by On Your Toes Dance Studio and a solo by Hilary Bounds of “Somewhere Over the Rainbow.” Most of the crew that helped decorate and put out chairs for the function were students from the choir class and members of showchoir.

Junior, Gracie Jackson, competed in Beauty Review for the second time. “I decided to do it again because it was a lot of fun last year, and it’s a great experience. Also, it was a great way for me to practice walking on stage because I am competing in Junior Miss this year,” Jackson said. Many of the girls who competed in Beauty Review spent numerous weeks preparing for it by renting or buying new formal dresses and scheduling hair and makeup appointments for the big night. “I made it easy for my mom by doing my own hair and makeup and I wore a dress that I had
bought a little while ago, but hadn’t ever worn before. It only took me a few days to prepare, and most of my friends that competed did the same as me to prepare, but I know of a few girls who had been getting ready for Beauty Review for almost a month,” Jackson said.

This fundraiser helps the choral department to a vast extent. A little over one hundred people attended the event each night, making for an outstanding profit for the choral department.