GIRLS AND BOYS SOCCER

By: Sadie Luckett

The girls and boys Soccer teams had a great season at Oak Grove Middle school. The boys team had Quin Sirmon, Ethan Miller, Cade Ortego, Joshua Goodwin and more. The coach of this team is Bryan Thomas: he works at Long Leaf Elementary and is a great coach to these players.

Now that we’ve meet the team lets talk about their games. Most of the players have played longer than most people, for example Cade Ortego and Joshua Goodwin said they played since they were four years old, which is awesome that they’ve found something they love to do.

“Hard work pays off and practice makes perfect” said both Quin Sirmon and Ethan Miller. This team mainly wishes to beat all other middle schools, but Brandon has however beat them.

“It’s never too late to try” said by Joshua Goodwin. Some of these players plan to try out for the high school team but others aren’t sure.This is an amazing sport and these are amazing people, but before I go let’s talk about the girls team.

Now let’s meet the team, Anna Marie, Brooke Boutwell, Anna Ryan Mayo. The goal is the same as the boys, to beat all other middle schools. But instead of Brandon beating these girls, they beat the Brandon team, but they were good sportsman about their win.

The people of these teams plan to try out for the high school team but some are not. All of these girls are amazing and so are the guys. Before I go, I just had to put this quote from Cade Ortego in here “If a man does not have the sauce, then he is lost. But the same man can be lost in the sauce.”

OGMS INVITED TO PREPS

By: Darla Raber

Oak Grove Middle School has been invited to celebrate their accomplishments with the Programs of Research and Evaluation for Public Schools (PREPS), Mississippi’s only statewide educational Organization. Every year PREPS holds a meeting to celebrate the achievements and collaborations in schools. Since 1997, the PREPS Value-Added Awards Program aims to identify high performing schools among Mississippi public school districts.

“Schools which are deemed as adding value are those performing significantly better than other schools with comparable socioeconomic circumstances.” The PREPS organization follows the mission of providing research and evaluation for public schools.   

This year, PREPS, along with the Mississippi Association of Partners in Education (MAPE), held an awards luncheon and ceremony on February 25, 2019, at Hattiesburg’s Lake Terrace Convention Center. Oak Grove Middle School, along with other schools from our district, were invited to participate. We are very honored to be chosen to celebrate our accomplishments, and are happy we are able to represent our school for the state of Mississippi. We congratulate others who were also in attendance.

Joke Corner!

By: Kira Veliz

 

Q: Why didn’t the dachshunds want to get on the roller coaster?

A: Because they’re weenies!

 

Q: Why is Peter Pan always flying?

A: He neverlands.

 

Q: What kind of music does a nose listen to?

A: Boogie music.

 

Q: What did the grape do when he got stepped on?

A: He let out a little winneee.

 

Q: Did you hear about the mathematician who’s afraid of negative numbers?

A: He’ll stop at nothing to avoid them.

 

Q: Helvetica and Times New Roman walk into a bar.

A: “Get out of here!” shouts the bartender, “We don’t serve your type.”

 

Q: Once my dog ate all the Scrabble letters.

A: He kept leaving little messages around the house.

 

Q: Did you hear about the claustrophobic astronaut?

A: He needed a little space.

 

Q: Where are average things manufactured?

A: The satisfactory.

 

Q: What did the mushroom say to his ex when she broke up with him?

A: Don’t leave me. I’m a fungi.

 

 

Q: What did the termite say when he entered the bar?

A: Is the bar tender here?

 

 

Q: Why did the man love his book about a frog?

A: It was a ribbeting read.

 

 

Q: Why did the baby chick fly the coop?

A: He was looking for cheep-er rents.

 

Q: Why shouldn’t you fall in love with a pastry chef?

A: He’ll dessert you.

 

https://www.rd.com/jokes/corny/

https://www.rd.com/funny-stuff/short-jokes/

https://www.littlethings.com/punny-clean-jokes/2?utm_medium=google&vpage=3

Entertainment Review: On the Basis of Sex

By: Hannah Rost

Ruth Bader Ginsburg is a well known political figure for the end of the twentieth century and the twenty first century. She is known for being a associate justice on the supreme court and a famous lawyer. But everyone has to start somewhere don’t they? Well that is what the movie, On the Basis of Sex does.

The movie in question is about Ruth Bader Ginsburg and her life from when she started college to her first ever case. It follows her in her Journey to where she is now. Starring Felicity Jones as Ruth and Armie Hammer as her husband, it starts off with Ruth at her very first day of law school at Harvard University alongside her Husband, an upper class man. Soon showing the hardships she goes through when her husband gets testicular cancer.

When this moment in the film comes, the director and actors do a great job at making the pain and fear seem so real it’s as if you are in the hospital with them. It shows how Ruth is able to go to the classes for her and her husband while taking care of their first child, showing how stubborn and strong she is. It then moves to Ruth after school, becoming a professor in discrimination on the basis of gender and becoming very respected as such.

However though, she always aspired to be a lawyer. Ruth finally got the chance when her husband — a well known tax lawyer– handed her a case of discrimination, however instead of against a woman it was against a man. Saying an unmarried, childless, man taking care of his mother. Couldn’t put the caretakers wages into tax reduction. The idea of finally being able to fight on discrimination in court was exciting, but above all else terrifying.

I won’t tell anything else so I don’t spoil the ending, but I highly recommend a watch. With a stellar cast, amazing plot, fabulous costumes, and amazing shots. Make sure to go watch On the Basis of Sex in theaters now! And make sure you’re always doing something to make Ruth Bader Ginsburg proud.

 

Disney’s Abandoned River Country

By: Claudia Bishop

     Disney World located in Orlando, Florida, has been open for almost 54 years now, and as the years have passed, many attractions have come and gone. Most of the attractions that have gone were immediately removed, but others were left for years before being removed. But, there are a select few that are still abandoned by Disney. One of those is River Country.

     River country has a long history starting with the island. The River Country island is a natural island. What made the water park so unique at the time, was that it had one consistent theme. Imagineers settled on an “old-fashioned swimming hole” sort of theme, with “a twist of Huckleberry Finn.” The original working title of the attraction was “Pop’s Willow Grove.”

     River Country opened  June 20, 1976, and instantly became popular among the guests of Disney World. Water from Bay Lake was pumped into a massive artificial mountain where it was filtered and pumped down twisting water slides, a lazy river, and back down into the lagoon. There was one chlorinated pool. In all 2,000 gallons of water used was from Bay Lake.

     Over 700 reporters and their families came to the grand opening. In River Country’s first year of being open, they averaged 4,700 guests per day. The popular attraction was on a roll. Until August 22, 1980. An 11 year old boy died of a rare brain-eating amoeba. He contracted it at River Country. Two years later, a 14 year old boy drowned after jumping into Bay Cove from the drop at the end of the Whoop ‘n Holler slide.

     River Country became very overpopulated. To calm the crowds, Disney opened a brand new water park- Typhoon Lagoon. Disney later opened Blizzard Beach water park. The attendance rate lowered drastically at River Country.

     Like in past years, River Country and all of the other water parks closed at the end of the warm weather season in 2001. No one expected that their beloved water park wouldn’t reopen in the spring…or ever.

     Years passed and River Country still didn’t reopen in the spring. It wasn’t until 2005 when Disney announced River Country would never reopen.  After almost 19 years, the once thriving water park attraction still sits abandoned.

Advice Column

By: Amber Minter

Q: What do I do when I get a bad grade but, I don’t want to tell my parents?

A: There is not a way that you can avoid telling your parents but, it can not be at the end of the term. You can ask your teacher if you can do some extra credit. If she says no then you will have to ask your parents if you can get a tutor. You should always tell your parents. You should also study harder during the term so you won’t have to worry about trying to pull up your grade.

 

Q: How do you bring up your grade at the end of the term?

A: You can ask for extra credit but sometimes the teacher will say no, so you need to study harder next term. There are some online resources you can use such as Khan Academy, IXL, and WebMath. Those can explain and teach right at home. Email your teacher at home if you absolutely need help or you can also do it in homeroom. Most of the teachers will gladly help you.

 

Q: How can I manage time?

A: Make a schedule in your planner or even on a piece of notebook paper. It can be hard to follow the schedule but the more you use it you can find what works best for what times. You can put it on your phone home screen or on your refrigerator. Prioritize what needs to get done, make sure your decisions are wise. Try to plan ahead and work ahead so it’s less likely you’ll get behind.

Q: How can you focus in class?

A:Put all distractions away and focus on you  and your grades. This can also help with dedication and time management. You should also get a good night sleep so you can stay awake, about ten o’clock should be a decent bed time. Try not to sit around your friends because that is another way to get distracted and misbehave. Eating a healthy breakfast is important too, proven by studies teens who eat a healthy breakfast have higher test scores and have a better focus in class.

 

Q: How do you survive high school?

A: Just take precautions and mind your own business and you should be fine. Make sure you use time management for deadlines and use a schedule so you don’t forget those important dates. Exercise can also relieve stress and all the things you will have to deal with in high school. Socializing is good part of school just make sure there is an even ratio of school to socializing. Don’t be afraid to ask your teachers and questions they are here to help.

Q: How can I keep my backpack clean?

A: Make sure you have the right size backpack first, I know the smaller one are cute but they prone to rip because we have to but big binders and things into the bags. Keep your backpack zipped most of the time so you won’t lose anything. Make sure everything has their particular spot for each thing.  You can use pencil cases, binders, and folders to keep things organized. Make sure you don’t have anything unnecessary items in your bag because they just take up space. Make sure you don’t have food that can get smashed and get in your bag.

 

Student Profiles

By: Anesha Keyes

6th Grade

Damen Prince

TWC: What do you plan on doing for Christmas?

Damen: Sleeping/ video games.

 

TWC: What does Christmas mean to you?

Damen: Presents.

 

TWC: What is one of your Christmas Wishes?

Damen: Gears of War 4.

 

7th Grade

Brandon White

TWC: What do you plan on doing for Christmas?

Brandon: Shopping.

 

TWC: What does Christmas mean to you?

Brandon: My exes.

 

TWC: What is one of your Christmas wishes?

Brandon: Love.

 

Leah Freeman

TWC: What is one of your Christmas wishes?

Leah:Opening presents.

 

TWC: What does Christmas mean to you?

Leah: The birth of Jesus.

 

TWC: What is one of your Christmas wishes?

Leah: Seeing my Grandma In Georgia,and a new iPhone.

 

8th Grade

Nevaeh Bolton

TWC: What does Christmas mean to you?

Nevaeh:Family Time/ Jesus.

 

TWC: What do you plan on doing for Christmas?

Nevaeh: Spending time with family.

 

TWC: What is one of your Christmas wishes?

Nevaeh: A new iPhone.

 

Belle Dickenson

TWC:What does Christmas mean to you?

Belle: Jesus

 

TWC: What do you plan on doing for Christmas?

Belle: Opening presents.

 

TWC: What is one of your Christmas wishes?

Belle: For my mom to have a healthy baby.

 

Stem Club Goes to Competition!

By: Claudia Bishop

It’s December 7th, and all of the members of the OGMS STEM (STEM standing for science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) team scramble to get projects and programming done. The five teams are split between two teachers: Mrs. Seiler and both Mrs/Ms. Judy and Emily Lanyon. The First Lego League competition was the next day (December 8th) at St. Patrick’s Catholic High School in Biloxi, MS, and everyone was rushing to get everything done in time.

Each team had to go through three booths. In the first booth, the team would have to present their robot to two judges. They would run their program, and the people observing the robot would ask questions about the robot’s design. The judges would ask questions like, “Why did you make this attachment?” “What is it for?” or “What inspired you to name your robot (*insert robot’s name)?”

The second booth was to test the team’s Core Values. Core Values are about exploring new ideas, using creativity, applying what we have learned to improve the world around us, including everyone, teamwork, and fun.

Once again, there were two judges. This time, they judged how well everyone worked together. The teams were faced with a big Jenga set up, and had to see how tall they could get the tower in 3 minutes. When that was over, they had to present their Core Values trifold that talked about how they used Core Values inside and outside STEM.

The last booth was a presentation for their project. This year, the STEM teams were told to identify a human, physical, or social problem of long-term space travel, and come up with an original solution. They would have to present this to another panel of 2 judges.

After the judging, the robot competition began. Four teams would go up and would have two minutes to accomplish as many missions as possible. The missions were programmed by the students with the help of their teachers along the way. Many robots had extra attachments to help them complete a mission. If the robot broke a mission or was touched outside of the home area, the team would get a penalty for that round. Penalties just take points off of their score.

After all of the judging and robot competitions were over with, there was dance music and food for the teams. Then came the award ceremony. All of the people who helped at the competition were thanked, and then the teams who received an award got called up one by one.

Warrior Bots, Golden Bots, and Apache Bots competed at Saint Patrick’s Catholic High School, while Sioux Bots competed at a different tournament in Laurel with Mr. Brian Abel and Mrs. Stephanie Abel.

Two teams from Oak Grove Middle school were awarded. The GoldenBots (Skylar Anderson, Serenity Bankston, Claudia Bishop, Vanessa Castillo, Adreonna Cyrus, Kyra Groves, Cat Hust, Summer Lee, Alaynna Patterson, and Isabella Rouse) got first place on their project. Most excitingly, the WarriorBots (Sean Breton, Connor Graham, Sadie Luckett, Lyndy Raber, Darla Raber, Jackson Walters, Dylan Williamson, Leah Paulson, and John Zhang) are going to the state championships! Congrats to everyone!

 

Teacher Profiles

By: Amber Minter

Kathryn Coleman was born in Gulfport, Ms in the month of July. She has been teaching for 8 years now and can teach math and science. She likes visiting the beach and likes to workout and draw. She doesn’t think it hard to teach and help students and thinks she is organized, determined, and focused. She is afraid of heights and likes to watch her students work in groups. She teaches 6th grade.

Ben Hughes was born in Jackson, Ms in the month of April. He has been teaching for 16 years and can teach science, social studies, biology, etc. He likes visiting Europe and likes to swim and cycle. He thinks it is sometimes hard to teach students but he says it is very rewarding. He calls himself consistent, dependable, and funny. He is afraid of failure and likes his students to do hands-on projects. He teaches 6th grade.

Samantha Drake was born in Texas in the month of November. She has been teaching for 2 years now and can teach math and health. She doesn’t like to travel, but likes to play video games and read. She teaches 7th grade.

Toby Flowers was born in Ocean Springs in the month of November. She has been teaching for 6 years and can teach English and speech. She likes to visit anywhere that is cheap and she likes to read. She is afraid of the dark and likes to talk with her students. She teaches 7th grade.

Tiffany Wall was born in Jackson in the month of March. She has been teaching for 16 years and can teach English and history. She likes visiting Europe and likes to read. She likes helping and teaching students and calls herself energetic, funny, and happy. She is afraid of snakes and likes teaching Romeo and Juliet. She teaches 8th grade

Kayla White was born in Texas in the month of July. She has been teaching for 3 years now and can teach math. She likes visiting her family in Texas and likes to make crafts. She is afraid of snakes and likes to play math games with her students. She teaches 8th grade.

Club Spotlight: Student Council

By: Kaela FeBenito

OGMS Student Council has provided us with many promising events, and has helped out the school in many ways and forms. The Student Council has helped raise funds for school-wide activities. They’ve made community projects, helped people in need and help the school reform.

The OGMS Student Council President is Madison Thomas and the Vice President is Alexis Fortune. The Secretary for Student Council is Rhyen McCoy and the reporter is Chloe Rhaming. The advisor is Judy Lanyon.  

OGMS Student Council has done many projects for the school, and has collaborated with BETA recently for a canned food drive for families in need.