Oakwood High School 5870 U.S. Route. 150 Fithian, IL...

PPPPPAAAAAGE 2GE 2GE 2GE 2GE 2

All-All-All-All-All-

CountyCountyCountyCountyCounty

musiciansmusiciansmusiciansmusiciansmusicians

namednamednamednamednamed


SoftballSoftballSoftballSoftballSoftball

team offteam offteam offteam offteam off

to fineto fineto fineto fineto fine

startstartstartstartstart

Volume 19Volume 19Volume 19Volume 19Volume 19Issue 9Issue 9Issue 9Issue 9Issue 9

April 22,April 22,April 22,April 22,April 22,20052005200520052005* * ** * ** * ** * ** * *

Visit us online at:Visit us online at:Visit us online at:Visit us online at:Visit us online at:www.oakwood.k12.il.uswww.oakwood.k12.il.uswww.oakwood.k12.il.uswww.oakwood.k12.il.uswww.oakwood.k12.il.us

Oakwood High School 5870 U.S. Route. 150 Fithian, IL 61844Oakwood High School 5870 U.S. Route. 150 Fithian, IL 61844

Volume 19Volume 19Volume 19Volume 19Volume 19Issue 9Issue 9Issue 9Issue 9Issue 9

April 22,April 22,April 22,April 22,April 22,20052005200520052005* * ** * ** * ** * ** * *

Visit us online at:Visit us online at:Visit us online at:Visit us online at:Visit us online at:www.oakwood.k12.il.uswww.oakwood.k12.il.uswww.oakwood.k12.il.uswww.oakwood.k12.il.uswww.oakwood.k12.il.us

the

oakw

ood

times

the

oakw

ood

times

SoftballSoftballSoftballSoftballSoftball

team offteam offteam offteam offteam off

to fineto fineto fineto fineto fine

startstartstartstartstart


All-All-All-All-All-

CountyCountyCountyCountyCounty

musiciansmusiciansmusiciansmusiciansmusicians

namednamednamednamednamed


3 into 13 into 13 into 13 into 13 into 1

JamaicaJamaicaJamaicaJamaicaJamaica CatlinCatlinCatlinCatlinCatlin OakwoodOakwoodOakwoodOakwoodOakwood

(Photos and artwork by Dixie Sexton)

Cooperativehigh schoolmay impact

OHS PAGE 4

Cooperativehigh schoolmay impact

OHS PAGE 4

22 The Oakwood Times April 22, 2005

By Kacie WilsonOn March 17, the annual All-Vermilion County music festival was held at Hoopeston

High School. Twelve OHS students participated, six in chorus and six in band. Over 160music students from around the county performed in the show.

The schools practiced together for the first time on the day of the show. They practicedfrom 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., and then went to dinner before their performance.

The performance began with the chorus singing The Star Spangled Banner. It wasfollowed by the classic songs: Gloria Patri, Dry Your Tears, Afrika from Amistad, Down in theRiver to Pray, and Zion’s Walls. Dr. Scott Buchanan conducted the performance, and Amy Dixaccompanied them on the piano.

Between the chorus and band performances, the 2005 John Dickson SportsmanshipAwards were handed out.

The band followed the award ceremony with The British Eighth, On a Hymnsong ofPhilip Bliss, Visions of Flight, and American Elegy. The conductor, Douglas Keiser, was illwith pneumonia. Four high school directors each took one song.

Josh Bough, Kyle Collum, Sara Huber, Shannon Peterson, Kayla Verhoven, and JessicaWhitington represented OHS in the chorus.

The band chose to send Kyle Brewer, Jordan Makowski, Amy Mildenberger, AaronO’Neill, Brittany Park, and Julie Sprouls.

The concert was also broadcast on March 23 at 5:06 p.m. on WITY (am 980).

The second ever Oakapoloozawill be held tonight in the OHS gymfrom 7-11p.m.

This is an opportunity for stu-dent bands to strut their stuff in frontof the whole school. The firstOakapolooza was held three years ago.

Cost for admission is $4 per per-son. The music department is puttingon the project, and proceeds will goto benefit the department.

Music students ShannonPeterson and Julie Sprouls are orga-nizing the project.

The student bands will be play-ing until 9 p.m. with a dance following

Music dept.to host

OakapaloozaBy Kelly McNellis

Studentswrap upprojects

Music students namedto all-county festival

“T“T“T“T“This is a ghis is a ghis is a ghis is a ghis is a goodoodoodoodood

wwwwwaaaaay to end they to end they to end they to end they to end the

scscscscschool yhool yhool yhool yhool yearearearearear,”,”,”,”,”

said Shannonsaid Shannonsaid Shannonsaid Shannonsaid Shannon

Peterson.Peterson.Peterson.Peterson.Peterson.

until 11 p.m.“I think this is a good way to end

the school year,” said Peterson, “hav-ing all of our classes together havingfun.”

Bands playing at Oakapoloozawill be Thirty 7, consisting of JohnHiggins, bass; Josh Higgins, drums;Jon Higgins, guitar and vocals; andMike Burke, bass. The band is fromDanville with Mike Burke fromOakwood.

Big Angry Gordan (BAG) con-sisting of 2004 graduate Jason Liggett,drums; junior Zack Curley on guitar andvocals, and junior Chad Ziegler onbass.

Finally, Danville’s ForgottenPlace will perform. Forgotten Placeconsists of senior Jon Rhinehart onguitar and vocals; 2004 graduate AndyLinne on bass; and Matt Goodner ondrums.

Since Oakapolooza is a productof the music department, all music stu-dents are encouraged to come early tohelp set up for the bands and the dance.

Senior Julie Sprouls plays the vibraphone at a football game last fall. Sprouls wasone of 12 OHS students who were chosen as an All-County music student. (Photo by DixieSexton)

By Amanda Martin and CarleyRedman

The OHS Student Council held adrive-in movie night on April 15. Themovies shown were Shrek 2 and Na-poleon Dynamite.

“Napoleon Dynamite was a greatchoice because so many students lovethat movie,” said senior Abby Proctor.

There was no cost to attend themovie night, but donations to the BigBrothers Big Sisters organization wereaccepted. The concession stand wasalso open for students to purchasesnacks throughout the movie.

“The movie night went great, wehad a good turn out and the organiza-tion greatly appreciates the donations,”said sophomore Kyle Collom.

The OHS Student Council willalso be hosting Shack-A-Thon thisyear. Shack-A-Thon is a senior projectthat is held every other year. It willtake place April 29 and 30 from 7 p.m. to7 a.m.

Students have to collect pledgestotaling at least $25 to sleep on the foot-ball field in a cardboard “shack.” Themoney collected will be donated toHabitat for Humanity to build homesfor the homeless in our area.

The events taking place thatnight will be a guest speaker, and twolocal bands. If you are not planning onstaying at Shack-A-Thon and gettinga real taste of what it is to sleep in abox, you can stay from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m.to hear the bands.

If you plan to stay the whole timeyou are not allowed cell phones, achange of clothes, or any other luxuryitems those the less fortunate do nothave.

Each student is allowed to bringa box of any size or shape. There is noco-ed box sharing allowed. Along witha box you can bring one pillow andblanket.

To attend Shack-A-Thon youmust be a junior, senior, student coun-cil member, or be invited by one of theabove to attend.

3The Oakwood TimesApril 22, 2005

Chemotherapyreduces size ofLewis’ tumor

Brazelton hopes to throwBrazelton hopes to throwBrazelton hopes to throwBrazelton hopes to throwBrazelton hopes to throwboomerangs for the U.S.boomerangs for the U.S.boomerangs for the U.S.boomerangs for the U.S.boomerangs for the U.S.

By Stefany EllisMany people would think that boomerangs only

have to do with Austrailia. However, OHS student EricBrazelton has quite a bit to do with the sport.

Brazelton, a sophomore, has been throwing boo-merangs for 10 years. He has attended several competi-tions and has traveled to Denver, Indianapolis, Seattle,and St. Louis. Brazelton tries to attend at least two compe-titions every year.

In May, Brazelton hopes to attend a competition inSt. Louis and shortly after a competition will be held inIndianapolis.

“I hope to be on the national team in two or threeyears,” said Brazelton.

While in the tournaments, Brazelton has a numberof events he participates in. One event is the MaximumTime Aloft. Brazelton’s throw usually has an MTA of 12seconds. His best throw is 20 seconds. Accuracy, Aussiround, Fast Catch, Relay and Trick Catch are other eventsthat Brazelton participates in.

Brazelton was introduced to the sport when he wassix. His two older brothers were both on the national team.

“My brothers did it, and I needed something to stayin shape,” said Brazelton.

By Josh BoughMembers of the Europe Club have begun preparing for

their June 1 departure.They will head for England, France, and Spain, for two

weeks from June 1 through June 13.They will first visit London to see St. Paul’s Cathedral,

the Changing of the Guard, Bath, Stonehenge, and SalisburyCathedral. They will then travel to Paris by Eurostar, to seethe Louvre, enjoy a boat ride on the Seine River, and take atour where they will see many monuments including NotreDame.

While in France they will also visit Toulouse andCarcassonne.

“I think it will be a great experience to go to othercoutries and see their cultures,” said junior Amanda Towell.

A drive along the Mediterranean coast will lead them toBarcelona, Spain.

While in Barcelona they will observe the Gothic Quar-ter, Sagrada Familia, and Pueblo Español. After Barcelonacomes Cataluña, Aragon, and Zaragoza to Madrid. In Madrid,the students will see the statue of Don Quixote and the Prado.

The trip was available to any high school student thatmet the OHS behavioral guidelines. The cost of the trip isabout $3,300 per student.

This year there will be 19 students and eight adultsgoing on the trip.

“We’ve been going since 1974, and this is my 14th timegoing with students,” said Europe Club advisor Mrs. NormaAnderson.

Anderson will also be heading a trip to Mexico nextyear. This trip will take place from March 11 through March

18 of 2006.There has been only one similar trip taken when Mrs.

Anderson organized a trip to Hawaii. They learned aboutHawaiian culture, history, and animal life while staying in Oahuand Honolulu.

Next year’s Mexico trip will be very similar. It will beavailable for students that have been in, or are currently in,Biology II or Spanish III and IV. Only the first 15 students thatsign up will be able to go.

The students will arrive in Cancun and relocate to theirresort in Playa del Carmen. While there, they will visit theruins of Tulum.

They will then explore the ruins of Chichén Itza to learnabout early Mayan civilization. They will get the chance toswim in a sacred cenote before watching the “Sound andLight” show. A cenote is a naturally formed undergroundsinkhole that has collected rainwater.

The following day they will visit the colonial city Mérida.Their guide will show them the town and the Americas’ oldestcathedral. They will also see Palacio de Gobierno, with muralsof Mexican history.

They will then venture to Uxmal to visit more ruins andlearn about an important Mexican god, Chac. They will returnto Mérida for an evening folklore show.

They will then go through Izamal and Valladolid beforereaching the coast. Students will enjoy a day on the beachbefore traveling to the eco-archaeological theme park Xcaret.They will enjoy floating down subterranean rivers and snor-keling. They will enjoy their last night watching a Mayan ballgame before departing for home the next morning.

Freshman Joe Lewis is due for more rounds ofchemotherapy to continue treatment of his testicular cancer.(Photo by Sean Ritter)

Sophomore Eric Brazelton is hoping to make thenational boomerang team like his older brothers. (Photocourtesy of Brazelton)

Students prepare for two foreign trips

Brazelton’s practice starts as soon as the winds calmdown, which isn’t very often in this area.

By Erin DavisAlthough Joe Lewis has completed his first session of

chemotherapy, he may not be completely done.Lewis, a freshman, was diagnosed with testicular can-

cer in December, and has been undergoing chemotherapytreatments to shrink the tumors that spread to his lymph nodes.

After Lewis’ follow-up with a CAT scan, it was foundthat the tumors are still present. The tumors have shrunk tohalf the original size, however, surgery will still be needed.

The surgery would be to remove the tumors located inthe lymph nodes, and another session of chemotherapy willensure the success of the surgery.

With the surgery, the surgeons would just remove themasses, rather than the lymph nodes. The mass may be acancerous mass, a teratoma, or scar tissue. The most likelycandidate for the mass is the teratoma, a tumor that encasesmany different elements, due to rapid development of cells.

If the mass is a teratoma, there will most likely not befollow-up chemotherapy. The only time that chemotherapy isneeded is if the mass is cancerous.

Lewis completed his first nine-week session in themiddle of March and returned to school at the end of themonth, missing the entire third quarter.

“Missing out on school was missing out on a lot,” saidLewis. “You miss your friends and you miss teachers.”

Lewis is still going to be promoted to sophomore at theend of the year. This is possible with the help of his tutor;OHS science teacher, Miss Janelle Dodge.

Lewis was featured in two stories in The Commercial-News and a feature segment on WCIA 3.

“It was good to get on the news and get the messageout,” said Lewis. “Once people know, they can get help.”

Lewis’ estimated time for surgery isn’t until school getsout in early June.


By Kendra MarshThere has been a lot of controversy

over whether or not the weight room wouldbe funded this summer, but the decision is in,and the CUSD #76 Board of Education an-swered a “yes” and a “no” all at once.

Did not reinstate the summer weightroom stipend for the summer of 2005, readthe minutes from the meeting on March 16.

To the public and a number of studentsat OHS, the weight room will be closed thissummer. An employee must volunteer his orher own time in order for the weight room tobe open.

On top of that, they must also spendthe gas money to get there, take responsibil-ity of anyone who comes to lift, and receivenothing in return.

As for a select few, this summer will beno different than last summer. The decisionmade wasn’t to actually close the weight room,but not to hire supervision for it.

This means that it’s up to the coaches

Board chooses not to fund summer weight program

find ways to cure the deficit spending.This was only one of the several cuts made for the

2005-06 school year. The Board may also cut an OGS teacher,a part-time technology aid, and at least one secretary will notbe replaced after their retirement this year.

Forney felt that the weight room stipend had the leasteffect on the district’s instructional program, and it simplyhad to go. He commented that he couldn’t justify laying offteachers, but paying a supervisor during the summer.

Although disappointed, several of thecoaches say that this decision will not changetheir summer plans. Among these coachesare Rick Bough, the softball and girls basket-ball coach, and Denhart, the track and foot-ball coach.

To offset this change, Denhart planson adding more football practices to allowthe athletes time to lift. He’s not concernedabout it effecting the participation, but he feelsit will be apparent in the success of all theteams. Denhart hopes that the program willbe reinstated in the near future.

“I’m not going to punish players forwhat I feel is a bad decision on the board,”said Bough.

He feels that the benefits of the pro-gram are shown through the improvementsof the athletes. His interpretation of the deci-sion is that the coaches are being asked todonate extra time if they want their teams tocompete.

Dirk Miller, cross country and boys bas-

The school boards of Oakwood,Catlin and Jamaica school districts are cur-rently discussing future plans for a coop-erative high school. If combined, the newschool would house approximately 600 stu-dents.

“In my mind, 600 to 1,000 is the idealsize range for an effective high school,”Oakwood Superintendent Keven Forneysaid.

Although the planning stages havejust begun, the merger may take place assoon as 2008. Before the co-op can go intoeffect, it must be approved by each district’sschool boards and then passed by a refer-endum in each district.

While the three districts will combineat the high school level, they will all retaintheir own schools through eighth grade andschool boards. Members from each schoolboard will make up a separate school board

for the new high school, which will also haveits own superintendent, separate from theother school districts.

The future location of the coopera-tive school has not yet been determined,but Forney believes that this may be one ofthe biggest issues with voters when it comestime to make a decision about the co-op.

Another potentially problematic issueis the mascot and colors of the new highschool. While this issue may seem trivial toadministrators and many voters, Forney be-lieves that it may be a hot button issue forsome voters.

“It could be a real debating point,”Forney said. “To some people, it may beeven more important than the location.”

In addition to a common mascot,sports and extra-curricular teams will be com-bined by integrating students from each ofthe three schools. Some students and par-ents are worried that this will lead to less

playing time for Oakwood athletes. With aschool population of about 600, the compe-tition for minutes will be fierce.

While there appears to be a few nega-tive aspects of a co-op, Forney believes thatthe benefits far outweigh the disadvantages.In a larger high school, teachers would beable to specialize in a certain area.

“Rather than having one teacher teachphysical science, chemistry and physics,they would specialize in one subject,” saidForney.

Students would receive a better edu-cation because teachers would be better pre-pared to teach in their field. This year, sev-eral OHS teachers have been teachingclasses that they have never taught before.They have the qualifications to teach theclasses, but they may not be experienced inthe subject. In a cooperative high school,teachers would teach very specific subjectsand develop a specialization in a certain area.

Another benefit of a cooperative highschool is better facilities. Because none ofthe current schools would be able to house600 students, a new school would have tobe built.

Many of the facilities at OHS are in-adequate. Different sports teams and eventhe music and drama departments have tofight for time in the gymnasium.

Forney sees the opportunity for im-proved facilities as one of the best reasonsto partake in a co-op.

The cost to build the new schoolwould be between $20 million and $25 mil-lion. Because of a recently passed bill,Forney expects to receive at least half ofthe money from the state. The other $10million to $12 million would be split equallybetween the three schools involved. Additional reporting by ErinDavis, Amanda Martin and MeganWard.

By Jake Bough

Boards discuss possible cooperative high school

The OHS weight room may sit abandoned like this over the summer as the schoolboard chose not to reinstate a paid summer weight room supervisor. Teams can still use theweightroom, but the coaches will not be paid to supervise. (Photo by Sean Ritter)

to open it for their teams this summer.Football and track coach Gary Denhart explains that he

was paid the weight room stipend, but that the coaches splitup the pay and responsibility. The weight room was open foreight weeks through June and July for four hours a day dur-ing last summer.

Denhart worked half of the schedule and the othercoaches split up the remaining sessions.

Keven Forney, the district superintendent, was told to

ketball coach, feels that he already puts plenty of hours pre-season without having the responsibility of opening theweight room.

He attended two summer camps with the basketballteam and three shoot-out competitions.

Miller also invited his team to open gym two days aweek for two and a half hours.

“We’re firing teachers, eliminating a paid weight roomsupervisor, so why are we adding a sport?,” said Miller.

TTTTTough decisionsough decisionsough decisionsough decisionsough decisions


Just Joshin’Just Joshin’Just Joshin’Just Joshin’Just Joshin’

Editorial

We, the staff at TheOakwood Times, feel that theOHS library is underutilized.

Many of the students hereat OHS don’t put the library totheir use as much as they could.Part of the problem is thatthese students don’t realize thatbooks can actually be checkedout from the library and keptfor up to two weeks.

There are several differ-ent reading selections tochoose from. You can easilyfind many research, fiction, andnon-fiction books. A wide vari-ety of magazines are also avail-able to students to read in theirspare time.

Students often use the li-brary for the computer lab inthe back and the several com-puters in the front. The Internetand a few computer programsare available on these comput-ers, which makes it easier forthose students who don’t haveaccess to a computer or theInternet at home.

Not only do students usethe computers in their free time,but many teachers also reservethe lab for class projects andresearch. Recently, the juniorswere in the lab working on anACT prep course program.

The OHS library is wellequipped to use for differentreasons. Whether you are want-ing to read on a certain subjector just going down to browse theStaff at The Oakwood Timesrecommends to use the librarymore frequently.

Library isunderutilizedby students

April 22April 22April 22April 22April 22 OakapaloozaOakapaloozaOakapaloozaOakapaloozaOakapaloozaApril 27April 27April 27April 27April 27 Juniors take PSAE -- All other classes go to DACCJuniors take PSAE -- All other classes go to DACCJuniors take PSAE -- All other classes go to DACCJuniors take PSAE -- All other classes go to DACCJuniors take PSAE -- All other classes go to DACCApril 28April 28April 28April 28April 28 Juniors take PSAE -- All other classes go to DACCJuniors take PSAE -- All other classes go to DACCJuniors take PSAE -- All other classes go to DACCJuniors take PSAE -- All other classes go to DACCJuniors take PSAE -- All other classes go to DACCApril 28April 28April 28April 28April 28 Music ProgramMusic ProgramMusic ProgramMusic ProgramMusic ProgramApril 29April 29April 29April 29April 29 Shack-Shack-Shack-Shack-Shack-AAAAA-----ThonThonThonThonThonMay 2May 2May 2May 2May 2 Senior Honors NightSenior Honors NightSenior Honors NightSenior Honors NightSenior Honors NightMay 5May 5May 5May 5May 5 Late StartLate StartLate StartLate StartLate StartMay 7May 7May 7May 7May 7 PromPromPromPromPromMay 8May 8May 8May 8May 8 PPPPPost Post Post Post Post PrrrrromomomomomMay 10May 10May 10May 10May 10 Senior FSenior FSenior FSenior FSenior Final Exams -- Seniors Last Dayinal Exams -- Seniors Last Dayinal Exams -- Seniors Last Dayinal Exams -- Seniors Last Dayinal Exams -- Seniors Last DayMay 12May 12May 12May 12May 12 Underclassmen AUnderclassmen AUnderclassmen AUnderclassmen AUnderclassmen Awards Assemblywards Assemblywards Assemblywards Assemblywards AssemblyMay 13May 13May 13May 13May 13 FFFFFinal Examsinal Examsinal Examsinal Examsinal ExamsMay 15May 15May 15May 15May 15 GraduationGraduationGraduationGraduationGraduationMay 16May 16May 16May 16May 16 FFFFFinal Examsinal Examsinal Examsinal Examsinal ExamsMay 18May 18May 18May 18May 18 Last Day of SchoolLast Day of SchoolLast Day of SchoolLast Day of SchoolLast Day of School

CountdoCountdoCountdoCountdoCountdown to summer vwn to summer vwn to summer vwn to summer vwn to summer vacaacaacaacaacationtiontiontiontion

For all of the underclassmen out there,I offer a ray of hope -- your junior year. Nowyou may think that your freshman or sopho-more years were the best times of your life,but that just isn’t the case. During junior yearyour class gets closer, you make new friends,and you become more mature -- in most cases.

In my junior year, for instance, I de-cided that I would be more outgoing. I madefriends with people that I had been afraid totalk to or look at.

I think that it has a lot to do with theclasses that you take and the people that youtake them with. Your first few years you havelittle choice of what you’ll take. You’ll takeEnglish, and you might as well get a year ortwo of math under your belt. Then there’sP.E., Contemporary Social Studies for a fresh-man and maybe a science class for sopho-mores. Of course, there is health class anddriver’s ed for sophomores, so that bringsyou down to one or two electives.

There is little that you can do to haveclasses that you actually want, instead of allof the classes that you have to take. Youcould throw in a foreign language there or abiology class.

But once you’ve hit your junior year,you realize that you can get into college, evengood colleges, without four years of biologyor math. I am not advocating, in any way, theskipping out on these classes, but you getmy point.

So, don’t go running to your mommieswith, “Mommy, mommy, that boy says Ishouldn’t take math or science, so I’ll justdrop them.”

Not wise. For two reasons -- first andforemost, you need a certain amount of cred-

its to be able to graduate. And second, theseclasses are valuable learning tools for yourreal life. You’ll use them to further your edu-cation and many of you will use the skillsthese classes teach you in your jobs.

Now that I am a junior I can decidewhich classes will shape and mold me. So,now it’s time for a shameless plug for the jour-nalism department.

When I originally signed up for the classI thought, hey, this can’t be too bad. I’ll havefun with some of these people, a few at least.Now, imagine my surprise when I found outthat it wouldn’t be so. I wouldn’t have funwith just a few of these students, because Iwould have fun with all of them. Every lastone of them has brought me laughter andhappiness. Now who would’ve thought thatabout, oh, half of the class. But it’s true.

Of course it isn’t just journalism thatbrought me out of my shell. My French IIIclass has been the most entertaining class,no, experience, of my life. When Stefany andLyndi, and pretty much the whole class (and

on occasion Mme. Rhodes), start singing anddancing, I can’t help but smile. It is, and willalways be, one of the funniest things ever.And keep in mind, that this singing is all inFrench. One classmate even put some notesto a poem and sang it in our French Idol video.But with me and six girls, who could ask formore?

French class wasn’t always this funthough. During first semester this year, I satin the back of the French I class and taughtmyself. Now, if you know me, then you knowthat I couldn’t have learned too much duringthat time period and my fellow classmates canvouch for that.

But now that I am in first hour French,well, it’s more fun than a barrel of monkeys.We play French games and learn, but it’s fun… strange. And on days when people takefield trips, there are even fewer of us. We usu-ally only have half of the class or less ondays like that. So naturally, we play Frenchgames all hour, our favorite being MilleBornes.

In these classes I have made newfriends. I don’t just talk to six people any-more and think that it was with the help ofthese classes that I matured into a personwilling to have a conversation with somestrange kid that I’ve only ever seen in thehallway before.

So, if you’ve learned one thing fromthis column, I hope that it was that you canopen up to that weird lanky kid you sit next toin chemistry, or that loud short girl in English.If you do, you may find that this person willbe a great friend that will stick by you for along time, maybe even forever…

By Josh BoughBy Josh BoughBy Josh BoughBy Josh BoughBy Josh Bough

My junior year has been the best year ever


The Oakwood Times

5 In The Hall: What do April showers bring?

Corey LomaxJunior

“Great crops”

By Brandi Harris

Jake DuncheonSophomore

“Midgets to my eyes!”

Mr. Joel GehrigTeacher

“Lots of corn andsoybeans.”

Katrina MarkwellSenior

“My husband with flowers forme!”

Mike WheelerFreshman

“Lots of mud.”

Members of the staff are en-rolled in Journalism Class. The paperis published by the Oakwood Timesstaff.

Subscriptions are $8 per yearand may be purchased by contactingthe staff at Oakwood High School,5870 US Route 150, Fithian IL, 61844.

The Oakwood Times encour-ages signed letters, comments, art, orcolumns from its readers. TheOakwood Times reserves the right toedit all submissions for length and clar-ity. No submissions will be printed thatare considered libelous, in poor taste,or are intended solely as a personalattack. Opinions expressed do notnecessarily reflect the opinions of theentire staff or the district employees.Editor in Chief Jake BoughManaging Editor Jessie LinkCopy Editor Amanda MartinLayout Editor Stefany EllisGraphics Editor Kelly McNellisBusiness Mgr. Brooke StevensNews Editor Kacie WilsonOpinion Editor Josh BoughSports Editor Kendra MarshFeatures Editor Jenna JohnsonPhoto Editor Dixie SextonCopy Assistants Erin Davis

Leah ShepherdReporters Ashley Cook

Lyndi HarperBrandi HarrisCarley RedmanSean RitterNick VinsonMegan Ward

Advisor Mr. Tim Lee

The last semester of your junior year isan awkward transition for a young lady. Youare nearly a senior, and almost the queen ofthe school, but you are still just a junior.

The seniors are all ready to get out ofhere and move on to new and better things.I’m not saying that OHS is a bad place, but Idon’t know anyone who isn’t ready to leave.About March, when the weather is turningwarm and your grandparents are returningfrom their winter homes in Florida, is whenthe epidemic hits. But, regardless of popularbelief, there is also … junioritis.

Senioritis is the more popular of the two,and junioritis has to take the back seat to it,just like the juniors must take the back seat tothe seniors all year long.

There are currently many people that Iknow of that are suffering from the epidemic.I know a few seniors, but, since I am a junior,I know more people with junioritis.

Now just because I made up the term“junioritis,” doesn’t mean that it doesn’t ex-ist. It’s very prevalent in my English class.Every year, the final project for the juniors isto write a research paper, taking place in ahistorical time.

My English class is a good time, butthe problem is that nobody wants to work onthis project. Most people’s time in the libraryis spent talking rather than working, and Iknow that I am one of the worst.

The problem with this junioritis is thatno one gives you the credit for your spoils.All the honors are going to the seniors, andthat’s not necessarily a bad thing.

Part of the reason that junioritis hitshas got to be the warm weather. When the

sun is shining in the windows and the birdsare chirping happily, it makes me want to runoutside and break out the hose.

Many fond memories of summers pastinvolve playing in the hose (not everyone

much, because I happen to be one of the onlypeople in the entire continental United Statesthat doesn’t have air conditioning. It doesn’tend up being so bad once you get used to it.It is one of those facts of life.

On the really hot days, my mom wouldtake us to the Oakwood Library to bask in theair-conditioned glow of the computer games.

Another problem with the warmerweather is those pesky dress code violations.Not that I have a problem with that, it is justthat it seems as if as soon as it hits sixty de-grees, some girls break out the teeniest, tini-est, most revealing shirts.

As some of you know, I work at the St.Joe IGA. Working with people brings aboutseeing people... they seem to go hand in hand.Well, here lately, customers have been com-ing in nearly naked. I didn’t say anything toanyone though I just held it in.

Later on in the day, Cameo, a fellow co-worker, made a comment to me about howeveryone was wearing pretty skimpy clothes.When it is nearly 100 degrees, I would thinkthat it was a little bit more acceptable, but itwas barely 70 degrees!

The fact of the matter with junioritis isnot just that it occurs your junior and senioryear, it also occurs your freshmen and sopho-more years. I don’t think that there is ever atime that you aren’t sick of school, and byMay, you are ready to get the heck out ofhere.

The thing with me is that I see every-one that I want to see over the summer, and ifthere are people that I don’t want to see, thenI just avoid them. So happy Spring every-one, and keep those clothes under control!

Erin’s SpaceErin’s SpaceErin’s SpaceErin’s SpaceErin’s Space

By Erin DavisBy Erin DavisBy Erin DavisBy Erin DavisBy Erin Davis

JJJJJunioritis runioritis runioritis runioritis runioritis reallealleallealleally does ey does ey does ey does ey does existxistxistxistxistIt’s not just the seniors!

The problem withthis junioritis is thatno one gives you thecredit for your spoils.All the honors are go-ing to the seniors.

can afford a pool), riding my bike, and spend-ing time at the Cook residence.

The heat doesn’t really bother me so


Class Clash!!Class Clash!!Class Clash!!Class Clash!!Class Clash!!Do you feel our school offers a sufficient variety in class courses?

Seniors Juniors

Freshmen Sophomores

Brandon Taflinger - Yes, I likeit the way it is.

Kaylee Park - Yes, I think we dobecause we offer more foreign language

and biology courses.

Jenna Turner - Yes, I think theclasses here are better than Georgetown’s.

Chad Rudy - No, we could use more artclasses. Graphic arts would be awesome!

Luke Smith - No, we have generalclasses. We need shop classes and more

variety.

Amanda Cruse - Yes, I think weAmanda Cruse - Yes, I think weAmanda Cruse - Yes, I think weAmanda Cruse - Yes, I think weAmanda Cruse - Yes, I think wehave enough to choose from.have enough to choose from.have enough to choose from.have enough to choose from.have enough to choose from.

.Jon Rhinehart - Yes, I think we’re prettyaverage.

Leslie Wells - Yes, and I think everyoneshould take the parenting class.

Megan Knoblauch - No, I like the ideaof having drama as a class, but other than

that I like our classes.

Christina Zitello - Yes, I think we dofor our size. If we had more classes we

wouldn’t have enough teachers qualifiedto teach them.

Shannon Welch - Yes, I think wehave enough variety.

Aaron O’Neill - Yes, I like the selection,but I think there could be more variety.

TTTTThink Linkhink Linkhink Linkhink Linkhink Link

ByByByByBy

JessieJessieJessieJessieJessie

LinkLinkLinkLinkLink

By Dixie Sexton

There is nothing quite as bittersweetas the day when you realize that you are nolonger the innocent child that you once were.

As children, most of us can think ofnothing other than how wonderful life will beonce we are all grown up. Then once we arefinally grown up we wish for nothing but ourchildhood again.

Somewhere in between childhood andadulthood there is a moment when you real-ize that too much stuff has happened in yourlife and you can’t go back to being the inno-cent child that you once were.

That realization came for me one day inMrs. Steffen’s senior English class. For all ofthe underclassman, I hope she doesn’tchange the lesson plan about rememberingthe kid that you once were.

My idea of heaven is going back to thetime in your life when you were the happiestand stay there forever, happy. Childhood willalways be the time that I hope that I go backand relive when I die.

Why I feel sostrongly about mychildhood? I lived in aneighborhood withtons of kids. It re-sembled the beginningof a 1950s movie whereall of the kids are play-ing out in the streetand then our mom’syell out the front doorat dusk and we runhome to eat supper.

I lived down theroad from Lyndi Harper and a couple of olderboys, whom I hold responsible for every curseword I ever said as a child. I had an oldersister who was friends with Lyndi’s older sis-ter and that is how we met. It was the summerbefore kindergarten and we were inseparable.I don’t think that I have more than a handfulof memories that don’t include Lyndi.

We did every disgusting thing that you

can think of. We rolledaround inside a dirtytrashcan, we made mudpies for the ducks. Shewas there when I fell ona picnic bench and cutmy body parts open.Everytime we got intotrouble, we were to-gether. We caught thebus together every dayand we were even putin the same kindergar-ten class.

If I remember correctly, we got intotrouble just about everyday for giggling toomuch together in class and we had to be sepa-rated. Actually that is how we have been ev-ery year of school, not just kindergarten.

Usually childhood friendships don’tmake it past eighth grade, but not Lyndi andI. There have been many hurt feelings be-tween the two of us, but we overcame every

obstacle that has been thrown at us. She hasinfluenced my life in more ways than I canrealize. If we lose touch after graduation, Iknow that I won’t forget anything about her.

As graduation comes -- sooner than Iever thought it would -- I find myself sittingand thinking of the past 18 years. It’s not thatI am afraid to grow up and move on, I’m justafraid that if I grow up too much I will forgetwhat it was like to be a kid. A lot of adultsforget, and I feel bad for them.

The purpose of my column this monthis not to bore anyone with stories of my child-hood, so I’m sorry if that is all that you takefrom this. The purpose is to make you realizethat there is more to life than growing old justand dying. You have to live for everythingthat happens -- good and bad. Make the mostof it, and most importantly, never forget it!

When I graduate in May, I already knowthat I will cry a lot, but I won’t be crying sadtears because it is over, I will be crying happytears because it happened.

RRRRRemembering my childhood and a lifelong friendemembering my childhood and a lifelong friendemembering my childhood and a lifelong friendemembering my childhood and a lifelong friendemembering my childhood and a lifelong friend


In the Nickof TimeBy Nick Vinson

As summer approaches and the weather startsto warm up, many people are starting to hit the golfcourses. In Vermilion County, there are quite a numberof places that you can find people out golfing at veryrespectable golf courses.

In rural Catlin, you can use Blue Needles GolfCourse, an 18-hole course. In Danville, there is onenine-hole course located at the Veterans Administra-

tion Hospital, called the Back Nine, and two 18-holecourses, Harrison Park and Turtle Run.

Just to the east of Danville, on the Indiana bor-der is the Wolf Creek Golf Club.

In my years playing golf, I have played at thesedifferent sites on many different occasions, and I highlyrecommend any of them to a golfer.

If your looking for a cheap friendly game, I wouldrecommend going to the Back Nine or to Wolf Creek,they are both nice courses. If you are willing to drivethe extra bit further, I would suggest going to WolfCreek, which is probably my favorite course in the area.

If you have a little bit more money burning ahole in your wallet, then I would try out Blue Needles,its not too expensive, and they have a very nice golfcourse that is well worth the money.

You could even go up one more step and go outto Harrison Park or Turtle Run. Both of them have verynice facilities, but you must be willing to pay the extramoney to play on the nicer, more challenging (higherscoring) course.

And if you’re feeling real froggy, you can go toa course in Champaign. I have been to Stone Creekand it is a very well kept course, although it is prettydifficult to get a good score. There are special deals onTuesday’s at certain times during the summer whereyou can play for a dollar a hole.

In case you have a lot of gas and a hefty wallet,you can go a little deeper into Indiana and play atsome extraordinarily nice courses, but those coursesare about an hour to two away, towards Indianapolis.

Well now that you know about the different golfcourses in the area, you can try out your skills, and seewhich course suits you best. And if you’re really lucky,maybe you’ll able to catch Ritter and I playing a roundor two.

It’s time toget in the

swing of golf

By Ashley CookThe OHS baseball team, 4-4, is off to a so-so start. They

only have one senior on the team but are still looking to winback-to-back Regional titles.

“I think we can pull off another Regional title,” saidjunior Ricky Powell, “It won’t be easy, but I think with thetalent and experience that we have, we can go far.”

Many things can change the way a team plays in agame. The cold weather and high winds can determine theoutcome of a game.

“Sometimes the weather can actually make us play bet-ter,” said Powell, “When I’m pitching and the wind is at myback, it’s easier, but when we are hitting, the ball doesn’t getout of the infield.”

Rain can also be a factor in the outcome of a game. Therainy weather in April can make it hard for the team to get theirgame in or even just to practice. When a game gets can-celled, it could be rescheduled in a week when they alreadyhave a few games.

The boys defeated Hoopeston Area, their first confer-ence opponent, 7-2 on April 11. The next conference game isscheduled for April 25 at the Oakwood Park. The team willplay the Salt Fork Storm.

By Carley RedmanAlthough the end of the school

year is quickly approaching, next year’sComettes are just getting started.

After losing five seniors this year,the Comettes are starting the year withonly five returners.

The girls attended three two-hourpractices that led up to the final tryout onApril 1.

At the start of tryouts, the girls hadto perform the dance they learned ingroups of three. Then, each girl, indi-vidually, performed the routine.

As a conclusion to try-outs theyattended different stations: Two eight-counts made up on their own, jumps,kicks, and kick-lines.

Out of the 15 girls that tried out,only eight made the squad. Returning asjuniors will be Megan Beck, JosieBloomfield, Ashley Edington, KristenDenhalter and Christina Zitello. Also mak-ing the squad is senior-to-be BrittanyHoward, and juniors-to-be Heather Mor-ris and Elisha Lee.

This year the girls won’t be attend-ing their usual Just for Kix camp atWesleyan University. They will be hold-ing their own private camp at OHS.

With the many changes, new mem-bers, and a smaller squad the girls are stillhoping for a good year.

“There’s an all new set of girls towork with,” said Beck. “It will be fun tohave a new squad.”

Comette squad named for 05-06

Team slides into conference season

Junior Justin Cox prepares to receive a throw at thirdbase at a recent practice. The team has had trouble playingmany games due to poor weather and scheduling problems.(Photo by Dixie Sexton)

Sophomores Christina Zitello and Ashley Edington perform at halftimein a game last season. The Comettes were recently named for the 2005-06season. (Photo by staff)


By Jenna JohnsonIt’s a bird. It’s a plane. No, it’s not superman flying

around the cinders, it’s the boy’s track team.With only five upperclassmen the track team is having

a good year. Senior track runner Travis Mitchell is especiallyhappy with his season so far.

“I have dropped from a time of around 55 seconds to inthe low 52’s in the 400 m, so I’m really happy about that,” saidMitchell.

Mitchell hopes to place at state in the 200m and in the400m. Mitchell is not the only one to stand out though, sopho-more J.B. Owens has had a lot of success in shot put, and

By Sean RitterLow numbers are holding the team back

from filling all the events, but that doesn’tmean that individuals aren’t turning a fewheads.

This year’s team only consists of eightgirls, one of which is from Armstrong-Potomac.

Members of the team include OHS’

By Brooke StevensThree up, three down, nobody gets

around!This year’s softball season is off to a

much better start than last year, with alreadysurpassing the total number of wins they hadlast year.

The team’s success is mainly due tonot losing any seniors last year. Althoughthey are lacking in experience, the freshmenhave also brought up a lot of talent.

“It has taken some time to get used toplaying high school softball,” said freshmanSam Baer. “The techniques are much differ-ent and it is hard to compare to the upper-classmen, such as Kendra Marsh, aroundme.”

The 2005 lineup consists of three se-niors, Jenna Johnson, Leia McCarter, andJami Pichon; six juniors, Ashley Cook, KatieHaas, Kayla Hargrove, Marsh, Mimi Smith,and Amanda Towell; two sophomores,Kimber Hawkins and Meghan Hohn; and fivefreshmen, Baer, Kelsey Blakeney, KristinPicklap, Kayla Terry, Amanda Wahlfeldt, andKayla Watson.

The team is showing strength in bat-ting and pitching, but sees room for improve-

Softballers have team goals firmly in their sights

Junior Mimi Smith is one of a strong group of upperclassmen softball playersleading the team to their best start in nearly a decade. The team hopes to carrytheir strong play into the Vermilion Valley Conference season. (Photo by JakeBough)

ment in their defense.In the Vermilion Valley Conference,

their biggest competition will be the WestvilleTigers, who were conference champs lastyear, and Schlarman.

Coach Rick Bough hopes to finish theseason with at least 15 wins or a 500 season.

“At the rate we are playing now, thereis no doubt that we will exceed our goal of a.500 season,” said Bough.

Not only is the team excelling as awhole, but two juniors, Hargrove and Towell,are also doing very well.

In the last 45 innings, Towell has onlygiven up one earned run. Towell also hadback-to-back shutouts against North Vermil-lion and Hoopeston Area, which has neverhappened since Bough has been coaching.

Hargrove was recently named Athleteof the Week in The News Gazette, for her .750batting average, with eight walks and twosacrifice bunts.

“I was amazed that I got it and verygrateful Coach nominated me,” saidHargrove.

If the team continues to play well, theycould go further than anyone expected.

Mitchell, Owens leading boys track team in early meets

junior Corey Lomax has been doing very well in high jumpand triple jump.

Hopes are high that the team will pull off with a Vermil-

ion County title and maybe take the Vermilion Valley Confer-ence too. Their best event seems to be the 4X100m relay, butthey still need some work on the hand-offs.

“I’m pleased with how well the season is going,” saidCoach Gary Denhart. “We have some freshmen that are re-ally stepping up to take on the role for the few number ofupper classmen.”

The team’s next big meet is the St. Joseph Classic onApril 29. The team is looking to place in the top 15, which isgood considering how young the team is. Certain individualsare looking to do especially well also.

Brooke Stevens, Kacie Wilson, Erin Davis,Ashley Linne, Ashley Sermak, Carly Wilson,Stephanie Denius, and Armstrong-Potomac’sAshley Gernand.

Ashley Sermak and Ashley Linne wereboth injured in preseason training, and willnot be able to compete for the next few weeks.

Last year Sermak received a medal at

the State tournament as a freshman, taking7th place in the 800m race.

This year’s head coach is Lynn Ander-son. She is looking forward to seeing herfreshman girls do well in this year’s track sea-son.

“Stephanie is doing a great job in her

Low numbers on girls track team make it difficult to scoreevents so far, and is only going to get betteras the season progresses,” said Anderson.“With some fine tuning she will become oneof the best high jumpers in the County.”

Denius finished first in the high jumpin the first meet of the year at Catlin. She islooking forward to a successful year.

“We have some freshmen thatare really stepping up to take onthe role for the few number ofupper classmen.”- Gary Denhart

Already passed last year’s win total

Don’t chew gum.

You don’t want to spit

on a future

employer.

1234567890123456789012345678901212345678901234567890123456789012123456789012345678901234567123456789012345678901234567890121234567890123456789012345678901212345678901234567890123456712345678901234567890123456789012123456789012345678901234567890121234567890123456789012345671234567890123456789012345678901212345678901234567890123456789012123456789012345678901234567123456789012345678901234567890121234567890123456789012345678901212345678901234567890123456712345678901234567890123456789012123456789012345678901234567890121234567890123456789012345671234567890123456789012345678901212345678901234567890123456789012123456789012345678901234567123456789012345678901234567890121234567890123456789012345678901212345678901234567890123456712345678901234567890123456789012123456789012345678901234567890121234567890123456789012345671234567890123456789012345678901212345678901234567890123456789012123456789012345678901234567123456789012345678901234567890121234567890123456789012345678901212345678901234567890123456712345678901234567890123456789012123456789012345678901234567890121234567890123456789012345671234567890123456789012345678901212345678901234567890123456789012123456789012345678901234567123456789012345678901234567890121234567890123456789012345678901212345678901234567890123456712345678901234567890123456789012123456789012345678901234567890121234567890123456789012345671234567890123456789012345678901212345678901234567890123456789012123456789012345678901234567123456789012345678901234567890121234567890123456789012345678901212345678901234567890123456712345678901234567890123456789012123456789012345678901234567890121234567890123456789012345671234567890123456789012345678901212345678901234567890123456789012123456789012345678901234567123456789012345678901234567890121234567890123456789012345678901212345678901234567890123456712345678901234567890123456789012123456789012345678901234567890121234567890123456789012345671234567890123456789012345678901212345678901234567890123456789012123456789012345678901234567123456789012345678901234567890121234567890123456789012345678901212345678901234567890123456712345678901234567890123456789012123456789012345678901234567890121234567890123456789012345671234567890123456789012345678901212345678901234567890123456789012123456789012345678901234567

By Lea

h Sh

ephe

rd

Don’tDo

The Do’s and Don’ts of:

Getting A Job

Know your

social security

number, all

applications ask

for it.

When

scheduling an

interview, fit it

into your

schedule, don’t

make the

business fit an

interview into

theirs.

Don’t wear

inappropriate

clothing. So, no

short skirts girls

... or boys!

Don’t say

“yea,” always

answer “yes.”

Don’t go at the

busiest time of

day. In other

words, don’t go to

McDonald’s at

lunchtime.

Smile. If you are

going to be

working with

people, you need

to look friendly.

Answer the questions

honestly. If you’ve had a

felony, then put it.

They’re bound to find

out anyways.

Oakwood High School 5870 U.S. Route. 150 Fithian, IL...

Documents

Transcript of Oakwood High School 5870 U.S. Route. 150 Fithian, IL...