The forensics team finished off another successful season with a win at the State Forensics Competition during the weekend of April 23-24.  This win marks the team’s fifth consecutive victory, an accomplishment that has taken a lot of hard work and preparation throughout the year.  “Going into this season, we saw the year as a rebuilding year where winning state wasn’t the original goal.  We started the year by going back to the basics of each event, and the team really gelled, so about halfway through the year we thought maybe we could win state.  We made that our new goal and just started pushing for that win by making sure that everything we did at every single tournament was leading toward having the most entries at state to put us in the best position to win state again,” forensics coach Shane Cole said.  After carrying out their game plan at each tournament, the hard work paid off and the team has a fifth state trophy to show for it.  “Winning five years in a row is an accomplishment that none of us ever expected to happen.  The fact that it did happen and that in doing so we took out our biggest competition that had said many derogatory things about us made it a very gratifying weekend,” Cole said.

Aside from winning first place overall, many individual team members walked away with trophies of their own.  Team members Steven Wild and Daniel Rigel won first and second, respectively, in the individual all-around category, which is awarded to individuals who earn the most points individually in each event of the competition in which they compete.    The team of Steven Wild and Will Bedwell were also awarded first place in public forum debate, and the team of JoAnna Gunnufsen and Dru Mozingo were awarded first place in policy debate.  Also awarded first place were Daniel Rigel and Taylor Herring in duo interpretation.  William Ross and Daniel Rigel were awarded first and second place, respectively, in original oratory, with Will Pipes and Steven Wild placing in the top 12.  Gunnar Thorderson was awarded first place in prose interpertation, as well as second place in storytelling.  Will Pipes was also awarded first place in impromptu speaking, with Steven Wild and Allison Slusher also placing among the Top 6.

One of the highest honors given to students at Oak Grove High School is being selected as a member of the Hall of Fame.  This year, lucky recipients of the award are Scott Weathersby, Shelby Sims, Kayla Purvis, Amy O’Steen, Jordan Papas, Blair Jackson, Gwen May, and Anne Caroline Lovitt.  To receive this award, students have to exhibit excellence in scholarship, leadership, and citizenship.  They must also have at least a 90 average throughout high school and must have attended Oak Grove for at least three years.

With Oak Grove’s especially talented student body, narrowing down the senior class of nearly 400 students to just eight is no simple task for teachers and administrators.  To start, each teacher at the school compiles a list of up to ten nominees.  Nominees who receive at least five nominations earn a spot on the final Hall of Fame ballot.  From this ballot, teachers choose up to 12 students.  The top 12 receiving votes move on to the next phase, which brings the nominees into the decision-making process for the first time.

The top 12 are then required to complete an activity, honors, and service questionnaire.  The completed questionnaire, the student’s transcript, and copies of the students’ grades are then given to the Hall of Fame Committee.  The committee members review each student’s questionnaire and grades before completing a ranking of each of the 12 remaining nominees. Nominees receive 12 points for each first place ranking, 11 points for each second place ranking, 10 points for each third place ranking, and so on.  The principals then tally the votes and the top eight highest scoring students are named to of the Hall of Fame.

The eight recipients of Hall of Fame honors earned the recognition by exhibiting excellence in scholarship, leadership, and citizenship.  From playing sports, to participating in band, to leading club meetings, the students chosen for Hall of Fame represent Oak Grove’s most well-rounded  students.  “During the 26 years I’ve been at Oak Grove, Hall of Fame recipients have always been well characterized by the three areas Hall of Fame represents:  scholarship, leadership, and citizenship,” Principal Wayne Folkes said.  “It’s the highest honor an Oak Grove student can acheive, and it represents a student that excels in not only school, but also in their character.”
To Hall of Fame recipient Gwen May, the honor was something she wasn’t expecting.  “I was so suprised when I was told I’d been chosen.  It’s such a great honor, especially among all of the great students to choose from at Oak Grove.”

Principal Folkes is very impressed with this year’s Hall of Fame representatives and feels that they represent what makes up a true Warrior.  “We appreciate what the Hall of Fame students have accomplished at our school and for our school.  We’re extremely proud of them all and appreciate the opportunities that our school has been able to offer,” Folkes said.

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After eight seasons of American Idol, everyone’s getting tired of it, myself included.  For eight years the American public has watched the same kind of singers take the stage and belt out the same kind of songs over and over again.  With the exception of Carrie Underwood and a few others, the contestants are generally so uninteresting that they fade back into obscurity as soon as the finale airs.  This season, however, the show has given us a full set of interesting voices and personalities that might keep America’s attention for the first time in years.  One of the contestants is a glassblowing apprentice.  I mean, how many of those exist in the world?  Very few.
Glassblower’s apprentice, welcome to American Idol: Upgrade

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I’m not trying to knock the Olympics as a whole.  I enjoy a good round of curling just as much as the next guy.  But why does every other show on television go on hold just because the Winter Olympics roll into town?  I’m one of those people that require at least one good TV show per night each week, and when each of my favorite shows goes on hold, the balance of my life no longer exists.  For example, my favorite show, Fringe, was just getting good when the Winter Olympics ice skated its way onto my TV, putting Fringe on the back burner until mid-March.  Even worse, Fringe was not the only prime-time casualty the Olympics brought on; my other favorites including House, V, FlashForward, The Office, Parks and Recreation, and Human Target were also benched until the Olympics decided to wrap things up.
The Winter Olympics take over my TV screen: Downgrade

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Throughout all 88 of her years on earth, everyone’s favorite grandmother, Betty White, has never hosted an episode of Saturday Night Live.  Why the show’s producers have invited the likes of Icelandic singer Bjork and American annoyance Taylor Swift before the queen of comedy is beyond me.  It may have taken a Facebook group (Betty White to host SNL- Please?) with 500,000 members and millions of tear-stained letters to the NBC headquarters, but fans will finally get their wish when White teams up with Tina Fey, Amy Poehler, and Molly Shannon for a special edition of Saturday Night Live next year.  Suggestion:  For her 90th birthday in 2012, why not give her her very own episode of SNL?
Betty White finally joining the cast of SNL: Upgrade

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I’m not lying when I say that the cafeteria’s cheesy chicken is too good for words.  I’m also not exaggerating when I say that I would choose a good bowl of cheesy chicken over a full course meal from 97% of the restaurants in Hattiesburg.  However, I, along with hundreds of other cheesy chicken enthusiasts, have been extremely disturbed by the use of what appears to be ham in place of chicken in the last few batches of the cafeteria’s signature dish.  Let us not forget the wise words of our elders:  “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.”  So with that said, GIVE US CHICKEN.
Cheesy Ham DOES NOT equal Cheesy Chicken: Downgrade

Dysfunction Junction chronicles the unfortunate strings of events that plague my life.  Everything below is true, and that’s what’s scary.

Disclaimer: To avoid any law suits, I will refrain from mentioning the name of any business mentioned below; though slandering their name across the land does sound fun right about now.

I’ve never had a big problem with bugs.  When I see a bug on the ground, I step on it.  The bug is dead.  Game over.  But while bugs on the ground are no big deal, a bug in my food is a problem I can’t easily get passed.

The day before the incident, my mom had promised us a trip to our favorite steakhouse as long as we would all find something to eat at home that night.  Being the lover of steak that I am, I agreed to scrounge out something from the pantry, deciding on a classic peanut butter sandwich.  The next day, I opted out of the school cafeteria lunch of a chili dog, and, though I was very hungry throughout the day, I kept telling myself it would all be ok since a wonderful feast was awaiting me at supper.

When my mom and family arrived at home with our food from the restaurant (we ordered our food to-go), I was on the verge of starvation.  I immediately pulled my meal–a salad, a steak, and a potato–out of the to-go bag and opened my salad.  Right before I plunged my fork into the lettuce, I caught a little flicker of motion out of the corner of my eye.  Upon further inspection, I realized that the bit of movement I saw was coming from a living, or half-living, creature; a roach, to be exact.  Of course, I didn’t believe what I was seeing.  I tried to tell myself it was an olive, or a raisin, or even an unidentified piece of trash, but no, it was definitely a roach.  I looked to my mom with a concerned face and told her that my food was contaminated; I was trying to be subtle because I knew if I made a scene my younger sister would never quit talking about it.  My mom, however, didn’t pick up on the subtlety and announced to everyone that a bug had made its home among the lettuce and cucumbers.  Of course we threw the salad away, and I couldn’t even bring myself to eat the potato; when I got done searching through it for other signs of uninvited guests it just didn’t look too appetizing.  I did, however, reluctantly eat the steak, all the while fearing that a worm or snake was going to crawl out of it.

After nearly 30 minutes of discussion with the restaurant’s managament, we realized the conversation was going nowhere.  They, of course, had a predisposition to deny any accusations of unappealing additions to entrees, and since our order was to-go, they decided we had no concrete proof.  It was at this point that we vowed never to eat there again.  It’s been a month since roachgate, but I can safely say that our family hasn’t been back, which is saying something considering we ate there at least once a week B.C. (before cockroach).

The days of students traveling across town for tennis and swim team practice will soon be over when construction is completed on the new YMCA building that will service Lamar County.  Since last April, YMCA officials have been hard at work piecing together the details of the project, and, most importantly, securing financing for the new facility.  That important step is closer now than ever with the Lamar County Board of Supervisors approving a plan that will provide the facility with $1.3 million toward the construction fund.  By the project’s completion, the undertaking is expected to cost between $15 and $17 million.

While final complex designs have yet to be finalized, the project, when completed, will be the largest YMCA facility in the state.  The main building is expected to be between 60,000 and 80,000 square feet and include indoor fitness areas and basketball courts, as well as tennis courts, swimming pools, and softball fields on the surrounding grounds.
The school district looks forward to the long term benefits the new Y will bring to area schools.  “It will benefit the entire school district by providing tennis courts and a swimming pool.  These will be used by Purvis, Sumrall, and Oak Grove high schools,” LCSD Superintendent Dr. Ben Burnett said.  The facility’s location at the intersection of Hwy 98 and Hwy 589 will eliminate the long commutes members of these teams must make for practice every day because it is at a close proximity to all of the schools in the county.  The district also sees the opportunity of moving the pre-K program to the facilities educational space.  “The partnership could not be more tremendous,” Burnett said.

The school will not only benefit from the new facilities the Y will bring, but the entire district will also reap economic benefits from the facility.  Officials estimate the district will receive $2 million additional dollars over a seven year time span as a result of the project.

While the project is still in the early phases, the recent advancements with funding are key in gaining momentum for the project.  The school district sees their participation in the development as an investment in the future.  Developers of the project are currently exploring other avenues of financial support and hope to begin infrastructure work as soon as possible.

Dysfunction Junction chronicles the unfortunate strings of events that plague my life. Everything below is true, and that’s what’s scary.

December 4, 2009, was a day that I will never forget. On that day my belief that I was the world’s greatest driver was put the test, and I failed miserably.

It started out as a really good day. School was dismissed early for the football state championship, so of course the hours we did spend at school weren’t very strenuous. When I got home, my family still needed to eat lunch, so, being the perfect child that I am, I volunteered to pick up lunch before we left. After I picked up all of the food, I started on my way back home. When I got to the light at Cole Road, I decided to dig through the bag of food from Topher’s and eat one of the onion rings I got for my dad. That decision is what leaves me scratching my head because I don’t even really like onion rings. Nevertheless, I found the perfect onion ring, the light turned green, and I started on my way toward home.

What happened over the next five and a half minutes is still a little fuzzy, but after long hours of intense focus, I’ve managed to piece together most of what happened. When I left from the green light, I dropped the “onion ring of all onion rings” that I had taken great care to find a few seconds before. I did manage to find it in only a matter of seconds, but when I looked up I saw a sight that will forever haunt my dreams: a small car. Nothing is particularly frightening about small cars, until you add in that said car was stopped while I was sill plugging along at 55 mph. Unfortunately, I looked up just in time to watch my Mountaineer slam right into the back of the small Pontiac that was turning into the roadside Satsuma stand, but not in enough time to do something about it. Out of instinct I jerked the steering wheel to the left, but it was of no use. I pulled my smashed car over, took out the keys, and flung my door open. For reasons I will never understand, I threw my keys down on the ground when I got out of the car and ran over to the Satsuma salesman and the guy on the other end of the wreck. The closer I got to the victim the sicker I felt, and by the time I got within talking distance I felt as if I was going to vomit. To avoid making his day even worse by throwing up on him, I ran back to my car where I dry heaved for at least 3 minutes. When I could heave no longer and the world began to come back into focus, I realized I needed to contact my parents. The only problem was, I couldn’t find my phone, the guy I hit didn’t have one, the Satsuma guy had already left, and the customer at the stand wouldn’t let us use his. Luckily, my mom was coming home and she happened to drive by about ten minutes into the insanity. The police had long been there at that point, but of course I couldn’t string together any useful thoughts for their report. I did, however, offer 3 different police officers the French fries I had bought at Topher’s earlier. When everything was straightened out, my mom handed me my detached bumper, calling it “a souvenir,” and we were on our way.

Luckily, my car wasn’t totaled. I did, however, go without a car until Christmas Day when my parents surprised me with the car I had loved and missed dearly for nearly a month. While my car is back and better than ever, my personal view of onion rings will be tarnished forever.

Of the many clubs available at Oak Grove, perhaps none are more involved in their subject matter than Club Otaku. According to club president Kristin Zumbro, the club is all about the celebration of the Japanese entertainment industry and all things related to it. The club is separated into three divisions, Anime, Manga, and Video Games, all of which are led by a captain and discuss the latest news pertaining to each of the three divisions.

A highlight of the club is the special weekly themed days where club members participate in activities geared toward a central theme. Most recently the club took part in a Pokemon themed day where members watched episodes of the t.v show, played the card game, and battled it out on “Super Smash Brothers Brawl,” using only Pokemon characters to play.

The club, which is in its first year at Oak Grove this year, was started by President Kristin Zumbro. Zumbro had a great experience at an Anime convention and decided the students at Oak Grove deserved to have their own version of that at school. “I founded the club after I went to Anime convention and saw that many high schools had anime and video game clubs. I knew that Oak Grove had a large fanbase for anime and things related, so it only made sense to bring it here. It’s really just a way to bring people with common interests together,” Zumbro said.

The club also has its sights set on future growth, including the development of a mini-library where students will be able check out manga, magazines, and games. The club also plans to attend an Anime convention this summer, where they will participate in many Anime-themed activities including “cosplaying,” which is made up of participants dressing up as the character they are depicting.

The club meets on Friday afternoons and Tuesday mornings in Mrs. Donohue’s room (F-104), though Tuesday morning meetings have been put on hold for this nine weeks and will resume weekly after Spring Break. Friday the 5th after school, the club will host a special showing of Castle in the Sky on the Promethean board in Mrs. Donohue’s room. On Friday, February 12th the club plans to hold a Zelda themed meeting in which members will participate in numerous Zelda-themed activities.

Club Otaku is open to anyone who is interested in any of the three subject areas. There are no dues required, though donations are always welcome and will be used for developing the clubs’ library of manga, magazines, and games. For additional information, contact President Kristin Zumbro, Evan Prehn, Ashley

Oak Grove students and teachers have a lot to be proud of after being awarded two PREPS (Program of Research and Evaluation for Public Schools) Value Added Awards and a “high performing” ranking by the state board, just to name a few.  The multiple awards the school has received correlate with high state test scores for the 2008-2009 school year, in addition to other key factors like graduation rates and attendance.

The Value Added awards given by the PREPS Organization are awarded to schools that exhibit exceptionally high state test scores in one or more subjects.  At the 2009 PREPS Conference in Philadelphia, Mississippi, Oak Grove will be presented two of these honors; one for high English II scores and another for high U.S. History scores.  School wide scores ranked at the top among all state schools, with 91% scoring Proficient or Advanced on the U.S. History exam and 75% scoring Proficient or Advanced on the English II exam, compared with 63% and 49% state-wide, respectively.  Biology and Algebra scores were also high, with 78% scoring Proficient or Advanced on the Biology exam and 88% scoring Proficient or Advanced on the Algebra I exam, compared with 63% state-wide on both exams.  Oak Grove’s test scores were also the highest in the Lamar County School District.

As a part of the state’s new school ranking system, OGHS earned a ranking of “high performing” for the 2008-2009 school year.  This ranking is one step below the highest ranking of “star school,” but school administrators feel confident that the highest level is within reach.  “We missed the highest ranking because of one area, and it’s something we’re actively trying to improve on,” Principal Wayne Folkes said. The school earned a QDI (Percent of students scoring Proficient or above) score of 224, placing it in the top eight high schools in the state.  “We’re very proud of these scores, and it’s a big credit to the teachers and students who’ve worked hard over the past year,” Folkes said.  The school also earned the Lantern Award for having a QDI above 180.

With Oak Grove comfortably situated at the top academically state-wide, teachers and staff are focusing on how to retain the schools well-known reputation for academic excellence. “When you apply yourself and work hard, it really pays off and people do notice,” Mrs. Helen Price, Assistant Principal, said.

The Warrior Forensics team will hold a showcase on Tuesday, December 15, in the library and in Mr. Cole’s room (A-116) to wrap up the first half of their competition season.  Each member of the team will perform a piece that they have performed in competition so far this year, and will be judged by successful team members from past years, including Kent Ford, Austin Seeley, Blakely Owens, Abby Olivier, Laken Taylor-Sells, and others.  Attendees of the showcase can expect a variety of performances, ranging from light-hearted and funny to deep and dramatic.
The showcase will feature over 25 performances by members of the team.  In preparation of their first public performance of the season, team members have been rehearsing their pieces daily. One duo, made up of sophomores Allison Slusher and Lindsey Hardin, have been working especially hard to impress at the showcase.  “We’ve practiced a lot in class to really clean up our performance  so we’ll do well for our showcase performance,” Slusher said.  “We’ve been getting feedback from other team members as well, and that seems to be really helping.”

Aside from preparing for the showcase, the debate team has been busy competing in eight tournaments from the beginning of the season in August to December to strengthen their performance skills for the state competition in April.  The preparation continues into the Spring segment of the season, where the team will continue to compete and prepare for the state competition, where they will face off with schools from around the state, including rival Hattiesburg High.  If Oak Grove can hold off Hattiesburg and other schools at state, this will be the team’s fifth consecutive win at the state competition in Ridgeland. “We’re making the best of class time we have left before the end of the semester then we will work as much as we can after school.  We’re all looking forward to competing for our fifth straight state championship,” Forensics Team President, Daniel Rigel, said.

The showcase is open for anyone who wishes to attend, free of charge.  The performances are graded and are counted as each student’s semester exam, so those in attendance are asked to be attentive and give each team member the proper respect during his or her performance.