Tag Archives: Oak Grove High School

May 10, 2013 · 1:49 pm

Oak Grove High School named #2 high school in Mississippi, top 8% in nation

By: Katie Williams

Staff Reporter

U.S. News and World Report recently ranked Oak Grove High School as the second best high school in Mississippi. Out of 21,000 eligible high schools surveyed, OGHS placed in the top eighth percentile. Numerically, Oak Grove received a national ranking of 1,750.

High schools from 49 states and the District of Columbia were considered for the 2013 national rankings.

According to the U.S. News and World Report website, the report was based on “overall student performance on state-mandated assessments, as well as how effectively schools educated African American, Hispanic, and economically disadvantaged students.” Student performance on Advanced Placement and International Baccalaureate exams was then used to determine the degree to which school prepare students for college level work.

U.S. News and World Report noted that the OGHS student body is comprised of 50 percent male and 50 percent female. The minority enrollment is 38 percent, and 41 percent of students are considered “economically disadvantaged.” Twenty nine percent of OGHS’s students are enrolled in an AP class.

To be eligible for a state and national ranking, schools must earn a gold or silver medal. Only four schools in Mississippi earned this prestigious honor. “I know it sounds like a cliché, but it starts with the parents and community,” Dr. Ben Burnett, Lamar County School District superintendent, told The Lamar Times. “Of course, the students have to perform well, too. It’s definitely a team effort, and everyone deserves a pat on the back.”

The report also stated that “schools were ranked within each state and on a national scale, so families can see how well their public schools stacked up against rival public schools within the community and nationwide.” In the national rankings, 500 schools earned gold medals, 1,790 schools received silver medals, and 2,515 schools were awarded bronze medals.

Pass Christian High School ranked first in Mississippi, and Petal High School ranked third.

Information about all high school rankings can be found on the U.S. News and World Report website.

Information courtesy of The Lamar Times.

 

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October 1, 2010 · 2:13 pm

OGHS welcomes more than 120 new students

By: Kent McCarty, Editor

For anyone who has had to walk down A-Hall after third block, it is evident that enrollment numbers at Oak Grove are up drastically for the 2010-2011 year compared to previous years.  In fact, OGHS alone has added 124 students to the roll since last year, a number that’s more than the total school growth over the last three years combined.  This year’s big increase brings total student enrollment to just over 1,500 students in 9th-12th grades.
Though some of the student population’s increase for this year comes from the size of the massive freshman class of well over 400, making it the largest class OGHS has ever seen, many of the new students that have joined the Oak Grove student body have moved to the area and chosen Oak Grove over many other local schools because of the accolades the school has received. “I think it just shows what a great school and staff we have at Oak Grove,” Principal Wayne Folkes said.  “Our district has the best facilities, the best faculty, and the best students, and I think people moving to the Pine Belt take notice of that when deciding what area they’ll choose to move to.”
According to Folkes, big increases like the one the school saw this year are expected to become the norm for future years.  “When we’re measuring growth at the high school level, we first look at class sizes in the middle school to see how many more students each of those grades has compared to the number of students in each of the four grades housed in the high school,” Folkes said.  “Our numbers show that the number of students in the sixth, seventh, and eighth grades is comparable in size to this year’s freshman class, so obviously as those students make their way to the school, our numbers will grow even more.”
The growth that’s expected over the next several years poses challenges for all of the schools in the district, but especially for schools like the high school that have to worry about not only fitting students in classrooms, but also having enough common space to allow for students to safely travel between classes.  The potential for an overcrowding problem has been noticed by district officials and they are currently developing a five-year comprehensive plan for effectively managing the constant influx of students.
As for the current overcrowding situation in the hallways of OGHS, Principal Folkes has a few helpful pointers for the student body.  “Take the road less traveled in the hallways and walk down side halls and back halls when you can.  Obviously the main halls are going to be more crowded.  Secondly, walk on the right side of the hallway just as you would drive on the right side of the road.  Finally, and most importantly, don’t stop along the way to start up a chat.  Time between classes is limited, and there’s just no way everyone can make it to where they have to go if you stop the flow of traffic to talk with a friend,” Folkes said.
To welcome all of these new students, the Student Council hosted a  breakfast this morning in the courtyard.

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March 4, 2010 · 2:52 pm

School greenhouse hopes to make learning grow

By: Anna Kate Baygents

With warm weather right around the corner, many students are beginning to experience “spring fever.” Everyone has days when they would rather be outside than sitting in class. Three special services classes will soon have the opportunity to spend their school days outside in the sun.
Mr. Charlie Ramp, a special services teacher, has been planning for his classes to build a greenhouse. He originally saw this project done at another school where he was student teaching. Since then, he has been dreaming of a way to make this happen  at Oak Grove.  “I first wanted to create a greenhouse for myself to grow plants in, but then I saw it as a great opportunity for my class,” Ramp said.

Ramp knew that this project would only be possible if he could find sources of funding to pay for the construction of the greenhouse.  The total construction cost will be around $750. The PTO donated $500 last year and $250 this year, covering the entire cost.

“The whole PTO was thrilled to donate the money,” says Liz Zachary, a PTO mom, “The special needs program here wonderful, and we’re glad to support it in any way we can.”

The greenhouse will be located in the courtyard off of G-Hall. After the construction is completed, Ramp’s students will grow a variety of plants, including flowers, ferns, and even vegetables. A plant sale is planned to be held next year as a fundraiser. Ramp also hopes for the students to be able to learn to cook with the vegetables they grow.  “We want our students to see the end result of their hard work and to enjoy it,” Ramp said.

Dallas Kendricks, a senior at OGHS, saw this class as a great opportunity to help out. She decided to focus her Senior Exhibition of Achievement project on building a wooden shelved table that could be used for storage and potting in the greenhouse.  She has chosen to donate the table to the class.  Kendricks realizes the impact the greenhouse could have on these students.  “I have spent a lot of time around autistic children and I’ve always wanted to know more about it. I decided I wanted to do my senior project on it, so I talked to Mr. Ramp and decided that would be the best option.” Kendricks said.   “I feel like special needs programs are often overlooked or forgotten, so I wanted to get involved in ours here at school,” Kendricks said. “I’m so excited about being able to help with their greenhouse project.”

Through this project, the students will learn about horticulture and gardening, but most importantly hard work and responsibility.

“Many of our students don’t excel academically,” Sissy Ingram, an OGHS special services teacher, said, “So we want to give them an opportunity to succeed in something else.”

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December 11, 2009 · 1:23 pm

Oak Grove High School receives several top honors

By: Kent McCarty

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.

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October 5, 2009 · 1:28 pm

Cafeteria dishes out upgrades

By: Kent McCarty

In an effort to combat the rising obesity problem in Mississippi and win the Gold Award in the National Healthier Schools Challenge, the cafeteria has undergone many changes to give students healthier food options during the 2009-2010 school year. While many of the changes are noticeable, a few could possibly go undetected. “We’ve removed 1% white milk from the menu and replaced it with skim as this is a healthier alternative. We’ve also switched to 100% whole wheat products in each meal served in our cafeteria,” said Michael Burke, head chef in the OGHS cafeteria. The cafeteria has also replaced fried foods with healthier baked choices and now uses low-fat ingredients when available.

More noticeably, selection in the cafeteria is increasing. Chicken tenders have already been added to menu this year, and in the future students can look forward to seeing the addition of shrimp poboys and catfish to the menu, as well as several other possible additions that the cafeteria staff is still working with.

In addition to the changes in food preparation and selection, a cafeteria committee was formed as a way for the cafeteria and its staff to remain connected to the students of Oak Grove. Burke was very pleased with the committee’s first meeting held on September 21. “The first meeting went wonderfully. We had a great response from the students on the committee and we look forward to getting more feedback from the student body,” said Burke. Members of the committee will get to taste test entrées before they are served in the cafeteria, vote on what meal will be served on “student choice” days, and give suggestions on what they think the cafeteria can do to improve selection, quality, and service.

The cafeteria hopes all of these improvements will be enough to receive the Gold Award of the Healthier Schools Challenge and be a national accredited “healthy school.”

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