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S U M M E R , 2 0 1 1 V O L U M E 1 1 1 I S S U E 1 1

THE NEW LOOK

The Oxford High School Symphonic Wind Ensemble performed in the world class concert hall where the Chicago Symphony makes “music that is heard around the world.” The invitation was merited based on their ratings at State Competition where they made the highest level of achievement for a high school ensemble, “Superior –With Distinction”. This is the first time in the history of OHS Band that this level of success has been achieved. The group received this mark playing Class A college entry level music. Under the direction of Mr. Chris Pennington, the OHS wind ensemble traveled to Chicago to perform at the Percy Grainger Wind Band Festival in the famous Orchestra Hall, home of the famous Chicago Symphony. The group participated in a rehearsal clinic with Colonel Arnold Gabriel, a nationally renowned US Air Force Conductor. “You can’t put a price on that,” said Pennington. “It would be like having a high school football team get pointers from Nick Saban or Gene Chizik.” The students took note of where each section of the symphony was placed, while the percussion players had the privilege of playing on the very kettle drums and xylophones used by the orchestra. Oxford had the opening act because its program was the most advanced, consisting of three actual arrangements of Percy Grainger pieces. On stage in Symphony Hall in front of a large audience, the Oxford ensemble “rose to the occasion in typical Oxford fashion,” Pennington said. “It was the best performance of the year.”

Chicago Symphony

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DEARMANVILLE ELEMENTARY

OPEN HOUSE AT THE “LODGE”

SUNDAY, MAY 2, 2011

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Nestled in the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains, in the community of DeArmanville, a new elementary school was constructed with the look of a mountain lodge. The school was designed in order to take advantage of the breathtaking view of the scenery in the surrounding area. The entrance to the school offers rock columns and a grand stairway to the covered front porch. The rock, ceramic hardwood floors and vaulted ceilings in the lobby, media center and main office offer a comfortable entrance for students, teachers and parents. Looking back out of the large windows in the lobby, the mountains in the distance offer a spectacular view. The new DeArmanville Elementary School opened on April 4, 2011 after 16 months of construction by MWC Construction of Carrollton Georgia. The new school encompasses 60,000 square feet of floor space which was added on to the existing building that was built in 2007. The new school now has 32 classrooms, 2 computer labs, media center, lunchroom, and office area. The cafeteria is decorated with various scenes of wildlife and trees native to the area. A stage was built in the cafeteria that could be used for parent meetings or other functions at the school. New furniture was purchased for the classrooms and offices. All of the classrooms and labs were outfitted with the latest technology including, new computers, LCD projectors, and wireless access throughout the building. A bus drive was constructed in order to separate the car riders from those riding the bus. The new entrances and loading at the school will decrease some of the long traffic lines that were seen previously. The students and teachers were very thrilled to finally be able to move in after watching the construction out of the back of the old school for so many months. Students gasped at the shiny floors, new bathrooms and the large cafeteria. The school was built with money provided by a bond issue from the Alabama Public School and College Authority. The design of the building was done by Shawn Calma of Lathan Associates Architects.

DEARMANVILLE ELEMENTARY

FIRST DAY AT THE “LODGE”

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Visit to State Capitol

Oxford Elementary fourth grade students and teachers visit Alabama’s State Capitol in Montgomery.

Below: OES 4th grade teachers: Danielle Calvert, Devin Smith, Teresa Wade, Debbie Fancher,

Governor Robert Bentley, Angie Hurst, Lisa Stovall, and OES principal, Debbie Nelson

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SHILOH Film Production

Class of 2011—Top Ten

CONGRATULATIONS

Oxford High School Class of 2011

“We do not fear the future for

we are the future because of

what we have achieved and

what we will achieve.”

Connor Kimbrell, Anna Tyson, Brent

Anderson, Tammy Roberts, Morgan

Goodwin, Kaitlyn Meads, Sara

Kimbraell, Logan McCall, Katie

Jarmon, Barbara Edwards, Jasmine

Beaudette

For anyone who has ever visited a National Park one of the highlights is the film

presentation on the history of the park. Unfortunately for visitors to the Shiloh National

Military Park the film was a bit dated. First aired in 1952 it showed soldiers in Sears

work clothes with glued on cotton beards armed with M1903 Springfields and M1

Garand Rifles. When Great Divide Productions got the call to film and produce a new

and authentic film for the Shiloh Park a call went out to find and field the most

authentic re-enactors in the southeastern United States. As a part of the First

Confederate Division, re-enactors from Oxford High School made the drive to Shiloh

and filmed for three days. The highest authenticity standards, complete head to toe

impressions, clothing, equipment and attitudes of these re-enactors guaranteed a quality

film product for the production company. For OHS students Troy Busby, Cameron

Coley, Stuart Chandler, and Eric Jarvis, as well as teachers Kenneth Morrison and Mark

Fuller, filming on such a historic site, on actual battlefield, brought a real appreciation

for the sacrifices of the soldiers who fought and died at Shiloh nearly 150 years ago.

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Coca Cola Bottling Company and NASCAR wanted to adopt more environmentally sensitive practices

in their respective companies. Thanks to over 40 Oxford High School students, OHS Science

teacher, Ms. Lisa Roberston and OHS English teacher, Ms. Christy Ader, they accomplished their

goal. The volunteers gathered at the Coca Cola Distribution Center one Saturday morning to wrap

recycling barrels. Working in teams, the students transformed 600 Coca-cola syrup barrels into

recycling bins for empty drink bottles and cans. They wrapped each barrel with a large red and

white decal identifying it as a recycling bin. The bins were then distributed around the racetrack at

the Talladega Super Speedway for the race. “Without these recycling bins, drink bottles would end

up just thrown away, and then they don’t break down,” said 11th grader Danielle Jordan. “We just

want to keep our town clean.” Just imagine how much trash will not enter the local landfill but will

return to the market in recycled form because of their efforts. Thanks for your part in keeping our

community clean!

“Learning is not attained by chance. It must be sought for

with ardor and attended to with diligence.” Abigail Adams, First Lady of US

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Ms. Word’s 11th grade AP English Language and Composition students participated in the Knox Concert Series Education Outreach Program. Ms. Millie Harris, Knox Concert education chairperson, shared with OHS students bibliographic information about the composers, information on the instruments of an orchestra, and even arranged for local student musicians to perform for the OHS students. As a part of the outreach program, area students were invited to attend the Knox Concert Series, Opole Philharmonic of Poland

Concert and write an essay about their experience: "What I Saw, What I Heard, What I Learned from the Opole Philharmonic of Poland Experience." Essays were judged by Jacksonville State University English professors. OHS students captured 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place. The winners received framed certificates and gift cards for their hard work and creativity. They were also recognized at the Knox Concert’s closing performance by the popular country artist, Vince Gill. Essay Contest Winners' Excerpts: Chandler McCraken-First Place - "A Midwinter Night's Dream"...Experiencing the magic of the Opole Philharmonic of Poland was like being swept away into a whimsical dream. Kiley Heflin-Second Place - "What I Saw, What I Heard, What I Learned from the Opole Philharmonic of Poland Experience"...Many of the attendees became lost in the philharmonic's timelessly cyclical dance of sound and beauty. Amanda Parker-Third Place - "A Night at the Orchestra"...The music is so moving that by the end of the first piece every audience member is in tune with his emotional side.

Career Day Oxford Middle School hosted its annual Career

Fair on Friday, April 8, 2011. OMS counselor,

Carla Gooden stated the purpose of this event is

to accentuate the importance of students staying

in school while emphasizing attitudes, behaviors,

education, and training required for being

successful in future careers. Various community

and business leaders presented highlights and

important skills related to their business or

organization. Students attended various booths

throughout the morning to gain a better

understanding of what is expected in the real

world. The career fair increased the knowledge of

the students’ perception of job salaries, benefits

and expectations to achieve and maintain careers

in a selected field of study. Participating

companies were: Honda Mfg, B.R. Williams

Trucking Co., Regions Bank, Regional Medical

Center, Family Links, Inc./Calhoun County

Sheriff Dept., U.S. Army, Gadsden State

University, and Champion Sports Medicine.

What I Saw, Heard, and Learned

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Got Guts! Got Character! Are you ready for some flying furry fun? The students and faculty at Oxford

Elementary School were visited by “Gutsy the Flying Fox”, the canine for the

job! This flea bitten friend made learning exciting with his high flying slam dunk

shows, along with dancing, juggling, magic, and his crazy like a fox antics. Gutsy flew into Oxford Elementary School to teach students to be kids of character. GUTSY is an acronym to challenge boys and girls to take a stand.

G – Give Respect

U – Understand and Encourage

T – Team Up

S – Scratch Bullying

Y – You Choose

It was a fun-filled way to encourage respect, understanding differences, teaming

up with friends who make good choices, and stopping bullying. Gutsy’s "You Choose"

point brought it all home through personal responsibility. It takes GUTS to be a

kid of character!

What do Rosa Parks, William Weatherford, Helen

Keller, George and Lurleen Wallace, Hank Aaron,

and Hank Williams have in common? Just ask

DeArmanville Elementary 4th graders. Students

portrayed these and many other famous

Alabamians who made significant contributions in

the fields of science, education, history, the

arts, the military, politics, and business.

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Are Coldwater Elementary School physical education teacher, Tim Cooper, and his cohorts really the biggest losers? Coldwater Elementary School participated in the “Scale Back Alabama Challenge.” The purpose of this 10-week contest is to encourage Ala-bamians to lose weight, to exercise, and to have fun while doing it. Coldwater had 9 teams consisting of 4 members each. Altogether, Coldwater teams lost a total of 342 pounds. Krystal Landers, Stephanie Butterworth, Kae Bailey, and Tim Cooper were crowned the “Biggest Losers.” Tim lost the most weight with 46 pounds in 10

weeks. Tim stated, “The Coldwater faculty encouraged each other and made it a fun competition. The real benefit is that I feel better and my health is better.” All of you are “Winners”!

Academic Talent

The Biggest Losers?

Oxford Middle School eighth grader, Michelle Bui, was recognized for her academic talent by Johns Hopkins University Center for Talented Youth’s (CTY) Global Talent Search, 2011. CTY identifies students of the highest academic ability through its talent search and offers them challenging educational opportunities that develop the intellect, encourage achievement, and nurture social development. Michelle was presented a certificate of recognition for her high academic ability-scoring a 29 on the Reading/Verbal category and a 20 on the Math/Quantitative category of the ACT.

OMS Olympiad Team Takes 4th in State Oxford Middle School’s Language

Arts Olympiad Team guided by

sponsor, Mr. Chris Pope, placed 4th

in State competition. Members are:

Beth Mellon, Emily Robertson,

Laura Davenport, Michelle Bui,

Cecilla McGuffin, Austin Osborne,

Trenton Guthary, Mia Hamilton,

Morgan Holt, Jacob Knighton,

Danielle Bolton, Christopher

Jarmon, Alex Cheatwood, Mary

Kate Holladay, Chance Adams,

Hailye Hatton, Owen Mattox,

Morgan Whaley, and Corey Waldon.

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Health and Wellness Fair

Lady Jackets

Oxford Middle School hosted a Health and Wellness Fair for OMS students. Area vendors were invited to display information, talk to students, perform health checks, and educate the students of their knowledge and expertise in the health and wellness issues that students face today. Med Care students from Oxford High School were on hand to perform blood pressure and pulse checks, and measure height and weight. Participants for this year included: Oxford Fire and Oxford EMS, OHS Med Care, Family Link, Calhoun County Tobacco Prevention, Alabama Department of Public Health, Anniston Orthodontics-Dr. Ferreira, Sarrell Dental and Eye Center, Calhoun County Treatment Center, Champions Sports Medicine, and Northeast Alabama Crisis Center.

The Oxford High School Lady Jackets’ Softball Team clinched 4th in the Region this season, a feat never accomplished by the 6A Jackets. Their season ended at the Regional Tournament in Huntsville in the semi-final loss, 4-3 to Clay-Chalkville. The Lady Jackets’ successful record was 34-17-1, which included winning the “Spring Sting Tournament,” placing 2nd in the County Tournament, winning the Area Tournament, and finally, securing 4th in the Region. Offensively, senior, Ashleigh McClure led the team with a .377 batting average, followed by Tearanie Henderson who hit .330 and Stewart Gail Chase with a .313 average. Ashleigh also led the team in RBIs with 44, Jenna Nolan 30, Shanda Chastain 22, and Morgan Goodwin 18. The defense was solid all year long, directed by Carlie Sargent who struck out 245 batters and had a 1.63 ERA. Coach McKibbin said, “I am proud of this team and expect big things from our team next year.”

BRAVO !

Oxford City Schools resource

teacher, Kim Vivanco, named

JSU “Instructional Graduate of

the Year.”

Oxford Middle School teacher,

Dwight McDonald, recipient of

JSU’s “Alternative 5th Year

Intern Award.”

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OCS CURRICULUM CABINET

Duke TIP's 7th Grade

Search is the largest

program of its kind in the

nation. Since its inception in

1980, over 2 million

students have participated

in a Duke TIP Talent

Search. The 7th Grade

Talent Search identifies

academical ly talented

seventh graders based on standardized test scores achieved while attending elementary or middle

school. Candidates are invited to take the ACT or the SAT college entrance exam as seventh

graders, which allows them greater insight into their academic abilities. Duke TIP provides

participants with an exciting, stimulating and challenging opportunity to augment their capabilities.

We applaud these OMS students for this recognition. It is certainly an honor and indicates their

outstanding intellectual ability. Congratulations on your achievement!

Oxford City Schools Curriculum Cabinet team is an advisory group composed of teachers, c o u n s e l o r s , a n d administrators. Curriculum Coordinator, Khristie Goodwin says, “The purpose of our team is to study present and future curriculum and instructional practices and procedures to d e t e r m i n e p r o b l e m s , successes, and issues. Our goal is to make Oxford City Schools the “leader” in delivering high qual i ty curr i cu lum and instruction to the students!”

DUKE TIP TALENT SEARCH

Coldwater: Kenneth Gover, Michael Maniscalco, Rebecca Daughtery, Kelly Looney, Deidra Brown, Krystal Landers, Jenny Edwards; DeArmanville: Amy Copeland, Donna Strott, Sherry Farkas, Kelley Williams, Heather Gallahar, Sherie Robertson; Oxford Elementary: Debora Nelson, Kim Bolton, Elaine Jones, Kia English, Shannon Smith, Marilyn Burke, LeighAnn McCullough; Hanna: Shannon Stanley, Tonya Sargent, Patrick Hutchings, Cindy Lynch, Ashley Bunn, April Stern, Terra Good; Oxford Midddle: Janice Campbell, Clint McCall, Marci Hall, Susan Lee, Sara Brewer, Laura Allen, Amy Reaves, Kelli Souder, Rosa Manns; Oxford High: Trey Holladay, Valrie Bain, Dana Webb, Sherita Hayes, Tricia Fowler, Kelly Langlois, Julia Hill

Lauren Davenport, Emily Robertson, Ebony Kelley, Andrew Pratt, Hailye Hatton, Laurel Goldman, Reagan Payne, and Sara Connell

Cabinet Members:

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Tech Bits

C.E. Hanna Elementary School

2011 State Technology Fair Winners Rachel Williams-1st Place (Individual Web Design) Kasia Chatman, Shaninya Frazier- 2nd Place (Group Video Production) Hannah Jones– 3rd Place (Individual Computer Programming) Trinity Houston, Logan Prater– Honorable Mention (Group Video Production) Abby McDow, Ashleigh Goodwin– Honorable Mention (Group Web Page Design) Dalton Rowe, Tucker Winfrey, Udit Shaw– Honorable Mention (Group Robotics)

Oxford Middle School

2011 State Technology Fair Winners Laura Davenport, Cole McCoy, Winter Taylor– 1st Place (Group Multimedia) Laura Davenport, Emily Robertson, Lauren Findley, Winter Taylor– 2nd Place (Group Video Production) Danielle Bentley, Mary Kate Holladay, Danielle Bolton– 2nd Place (Group General Applications) Michelle Bui– 2nd Place (Individual General Applications) Christopher Jarmon, Andrew Muncher, Jake Bolton, Dillen Miller– 2nd Place (Group Hardware/Robotics) Corey Waldon, Austin Osborn, Madison Mintz– 3rd Place (Group Computer Programming)

Oxford High School

2011 State Technology Fair Winners Erik Midkiff– 2nd Place (Individual General Applications) Josh Thompson-2nd Place (Individual Web Site Construction) Xiano Zhang– 3rd Place (Individual General Applications)

Nancy Coffman, Director of Outreach at Shelton School in Texas recognizes Oxford City School teachers Lisa Chesnut, Jenny Edwards, Debra Hyatt, Lisa Chesnut, and Donna Strott, for their superior achievement: Certified Multisensory Language Theapists.

Multisensory Language Therapists

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Future Business Leaders

FBLA (Future Business Leaders of America) is an education association that helps students prepare for careers in business and business related fields. The Oxford High School chapter incorporates FBLA with business classes to enhance knowledge, skills, and abilities that make up today’s business practices. FBLA students also participate in community service activities that promote leadership and compassion. The most successful project this year was a food drive where students collected over 1200 cans of food during the holiday season which were donated to various charities. Students also participated in raising funds for Relay for Life, March of Dimes, and the Salvation Army Angel Tree.

The FBLA Competitive Events program exemplifies the range of activities and focus of FBLA-PBL, Inc. These events are based on projects developed from the goals of our business education programs. This year 16 Oxford High School FBLA students met regional competition requirements and were awarded the honor of competing at the state level. They are: Ebony Altemus, Brittany Boggs, Brittany Conner, Dakota Gravitt, LaFaye Groce, Courtney Hall, Will Henry, Whitney Hughes, Lex Ivey, Sara Kimbrell, Amanada Parker, Nicole Sewell, Brooklyn Slick, Danielle Swain, Destiny Taylor, and Chelsea Thompson. Ebony Altemus and Destiny Taylor won 1st place in Desktop Publishing. LaFaye Groce, Whitney Hughes, and Chelsea Thompson won 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place respectively in Accounting II. FBLA advisors are Debora Webb and Rebecca Griffin.

Coldwater Elementary School students, parents, and teachers prepare their Outdoor Classroom’s raised beds for planting.

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STATEMENT OF NON-DISCRIMINATION

It is the policy of the Oxford City Board of Education that no person shall, on the grounds of race, color, disability, sex, religion,

creed, national origin or age, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under

any program, activity, or employment.

Polyhedrons

Oxford High School’s Robotics team, Team Omega, was

presented the Quality Award at the Peachtree Regional

FIRST competition. The Quality Award sponsored by

Motorola celebrates machine robustness in concept and

fabrication. Recognized for quality standards instituted by

FIRST; the team displayed a high degree of excellence,

set a high standard of innovation, and posed as an example

to other teams. Team Omega modeled the complete robot

in auto-cad to ensure a high quality and professional

fabrication. In six weeks

they built a stable and

robust robot with a glossy

black finish and a

go lden manipulato r

equipped with a unique

gripper. The winning team

did an outstanding job

from Alpha to Omega!

WEATHER 101

ALPHA TO OMEGA

Our community, state, and

environment have been severely

impacted by the weather. Thanks to

James Spann, chief meteorologist,

for TV station ABC 33/40 Coldwater

Elementary School Kindergarten

students have discovered more about

the weather. “Mr. James” spoke with

students about how weather

predictions are made, cloud

formations, and what to do when we

have severe weather. The students

viewed a slideshow with actual

pictures of the different types of

weather and a short clip of an

amazing lightning strike. The

students actively participated in the

slideshow by answering and asking

questions. After Mr. James’ visit,

Kindergarten students began

observing the weather, recording the

weather, learning the names of

clouds, classifying the wind speed,

and reading informational text about

different kinds of weather .

Kindergarten students can use the

knowledge they gained to be better

prepared and take appropriate safety

measures when severe weather

occurs. Thanks, Mr. Spann!

Ms. Jones’ OMS Algebra and Pre-Algebra students create polyhedrons.