Comet CourierOakwood High School February 20, 2015

Volume II, Issue 14

It’s great to be young and a Comet!

CometCalendar

February 20Europe TripChicken Noodle Dinner

February 20Boys BasketballSenior Night

February 21Saturday School

February 23Dental Clinic

February 26Music Concert

February 27FFA Career Fair

March 3ACT TestNo Seniors

March 3FFA Banquet

Parent/Teacher Conferences -- March 19, 20

Cheer takes 4th at State!The Oakwood Comet Cheerleaders

(#OCC) finished in 4th place at the IHSA State cheer competition on February 7.

The girls competed against 25 other small school teams and were excited to be in the top five.

Last year’s team finished in sixth place,

becoming the first Comet squad in any sport to place in the top 10 in back-to-back years.

The competition began on February 6 with the opening round. The girls com-pleted their three-minute routine and ad-vanced to Saturday’s finals.

The members of the team are: Shaina Andrews, Kelbey Deck, Kammi Den-hart, Preslie Fletcher, Abby Foster, Mai-cie Freeman, MaKayla Gayler, Rhylee Kerst, Melissa Nelson, Kayla Thomp-son, Olivia Turner, Haley Ward, and Emily Wise. The team is coached by Kacie Wilson.

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Senior Gevin Ashikyan, fresh-man Ren Dazey, and senior Aus-tin Shelton all qualified for the State wrestling finals this week-end in Champaign.

All three wrestled Thursday and the finals will be on Saturday.

Ashikyan won the Sectional ti-tle, while Dazey finished second, and Shelton third.

This is the second time that Shelton has qualified for State, but the first for Ashikyan and Dazey.

Check out the athletics web page at ohsathletics.weebly.com

Trio qualifies for State wrestling meet

March is month for ACT, PARCC testing

March will be a busy month for testing at OHS and around the state of Illinois.

On March 3, all juniors will be taking the ACT test at the high school. OHS is providing the juniors with an opportunity to take the ACT in a comfortable setting.

To create a quieter environment and to reward the senior class for last year’s test, the senior class will be excused from school that day. The juniors will be al-lowed to leave at the completion of the test.

The PARCC test will be given to students that are enrolled in English III and Algebra II, regardless of year in school.

Here are the dates for the PARCC test at OHS:March 16, 17 Algebra IIMarch 23, 24, 15 English IIIStudents that are to be tested should make sure they

are well-fed, well-rested, in attendance and on time on those days.

Spring conferences on March 19 and 20OHS will hold par-

ent-teacher conferences on Thur., March 19, and Fri., March 20.

We hope you will take advantage of the opportunity and sched-ule appointments with one or all of your child’s teachers.

The conference will allow teachers and par-ents to meet and discuss the progress of the stu-dent. At this time, you will be able to voice any concern you might have.

To schedule a confer-ence, go to our website and click on the Parent-Teacher Conference link located at the bot-tom left-hand corner.

If you do not have computer access, please call the office by March 19. If a teacher wishes to schedule a confer-ence with you, you will be notified.

Parents can begin signing up for the con-ferences on the website on March 2.

The Oakwood Com-munity Education Foun-dation will hold their 9th annual banquet on Febru-ary 21 at the Turtle Run Banquet Center.

The format of the ban-quet will be different from past years but will include dinner, a basket auction/

OCEF celebration all set for Feb. 21

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Read the Oakwood Times, at www.oakwooddailytimes.com

WYSE team qualifies for Div. 300 Sectional

Feb. 20 BBB Schlarman (Sr. Night) 6:00Feb. 23 BBB Regional @ Paxton 7:30March 7 GT Mahomet Invite 2:00March 14 GT Charleston Indoor 8:15March 18 BB Mahomet-Seymour 4:30March 21 BT Charleston Indoor 8:15March 24 BB @ Urbana 4:30March 25 SB @ Fisher 4:30March 25 BB @ Fisher 4:30March 26 SB @ Villa Grove 4:30March 26 BB @ Monticello 4:30

Upcoming Athletic Events

raffle, and dancing with live music by Rhinestone Cowgurl.

The event will begin at 6 p.m.

If you are interested in being a sponsor for the event, a sponsorship form is attached to the back of The Comet Courier.

A student survey will be admin-istered at your child’s school called the Illinois 5Essentials Survey. Stu-dents in grade 6 through 12 will participate in the survey. This is the third year the Illinois State Board of Education will implement this sur-vey across the state.

This survey is based on 20 years of research at the University of Chi-cago. It asks students about their experiences in school, giving school leaders critical student input to help

develop school improvement plans. If you wish for your child to not

participate in the survey, please fill out the form that was sent via Alert-Now earlier. You may also down-load a copy of the form from our school district website at www.oak-wood.k12.il.us.

Parents across Illinois will have an opportunity to participate in the third annual statewide Illinois 5Es-sentials Survey. This survey is de-signed to generate a detailed picture

of the inner workings of your child’s school.

As a parent, this opportunity will allow you to share your thoughts on the important elements of school ef-fectiveness in a survey about your child’s school.

Please visit https://survey.5-es-sentials.org/illinois/ and select the appropriate survey to begin. Parent surveys need to be completed by March 13, 2015.

Parents, students to take 5Essentials Survey

The WYSE team finished second in DACC’s Division 300 Regional on February 3. The finish qualifies them for the EIU Sectional on March 12.

Junior Kyle Weise finished second among all schools in Engineering Graphics and Computer Science. Senior Austin Green was third in Computer Science.

Among only small schools, Weise took first in both categories. Delaney Durst was first in Biology. Sopho-more Dalton Fox finished third in both Chemistry and Engineering Graphics.

OHS Graduation set for May 24The Board of Education has set

the graduation date for the class of 2015 on Sunday, May 24.

The graduation will begin at 1 p.m. at Oakwood Grade School. The OJHS graduation will follow at 3:30 p.m.

The final day of school for the

students has not been officially de-termined yet.

Senior Honors Night will be May 12.

If seniors or parents have ques-tions about caps and gowns or any-thing else related to graduation, they are free to call the OHS office.

Select members of the OHS Band and Choir have been working extra hard this winter!

Next Saturday, March 6, these students will be going to Heritage High School to compete in the IHSA Solo and En-semble competition.

Each of them have been preparing a vocal or instrumental solo outside of class, will perform for a judge, and recieve a medal and rating on their performance.

We are very proud of their dedication, and are very excited for them to represent the OHS Music Department. Students participating are Savana Barabas, Beckah Cyphers, Bailey Wilt, Annie Machin, Ashley Webb, Haley Hendrickson, Jo-salynn Smith, Autumn Johnston, Shelby Burress, Greyson Carpenter, Mitchell Day, Darian Hoskins, Shannon Stingley, Kathy McFarland, and Kinzie Sullivan

Solo and Ensemble * February 23-27 is FFA week. Events will include attending a Land-

scape Trade Show, visiting the junior high, hosting a Career Fair, and other activities.

* The Oakwood FFA Chapter will be host-ing its annual banquet on Tuesday, March 3. FFA members, family, alumni, and commu-nity supporters are invited to attend.

The evening will recognize those who have helped grow and strengthen the FFA chapter, in addition to awarding student achievement throughout the year. The ban-quet begins at 6 p.m in the OHS Gymna-sium.

Dinner is provided potluck style with FFA members providing side dishes and desserts.

FFA News

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The high school band and choir students have been very busy since the beginning of second semester!

Our Winter Concert will take place on Thursday, February 26th at 7 p.m. in the OHS Gym. Admission is free.

The OHS Choir has been preparing and studying songs from different Broadway musicals, and the OHS Band has been working on pieces that have historical ties from around the world.

It is not a performance to be missed!

Engage Educate Empower

Music concert on Feb. 26 There will be a Chicken and Noodles din-ner before the basketball game tonight from 5:30 to 7 p.m.

A donation is requested for those who at-tend the dinner. All proceeds will go to the OHS students who are going on the trip to Europe this summer.

Please help make the students’ trip mem-orable!

Chicken and Noodles!

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Check out the athletics web page at ohsathletics.weebly.com

The Orland Park Dental Ser-vice will be coming to OJHS to see students the morning of Mon., Feb. 23.

OHS students who are to re-ceive the exam will be transport-ed to the junior high that morn-ing.

All students are eligible for a dental exam by the dentist. Per-mission slips to participate in this school based dental clinic were included in your registra-tion packets.

If you have not completed a permission slip and would like

for your student to see the den-tist, please contact the school nurse, Mrs. Sperry.

District to hold dental clinic on Feb. 23

With the approach of March, that means the begin-ning of spring sport practices -- track and field, softball, and baseball.

Here is the important information for those sports.

Spring practices beginning soon

BASEBALLVarsity coach -- Mr. SermakAssistant --Mr. McFarland

Practice InformationMondayMarch 23 p.m.OHS Gym

SOFTBALLVarsity coach -- Mr. JohnsonAssistant --Ms. Lovejoy

Practice InformationMondayMarch 23 p.m.OGS Gym

GIRLS’ TRACKVarsity coach -- Mrs. Anderson

Practice InformationMondayFebruary 233 p.m.OHS East Lobby

BOYS’ TRACKVarsity coach -- Mr. Black

Practice InformationMondayMarch 23 p.m.OHS Cafeteria

Blood drive coming soon

The Oakwood High School stu-dent council will be partnering with Community Blood Services of Illi-nois on Fri., March 6, for the annual blood drive.

The blood drive will be located in the OHS Gymnasium and will be held from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m.

The student council has set a goal of 45 donors this year and would love to surpass that. Please remem-ber that you must be 16 years old to donate and must bring a valid form of ID that lists a valid address.

If you would like to sign up or have any questions, please contact Teresa Cooper at coopert@oak-wood76.org or (217) 354-2358.

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Engage Educate Empower

Guidance CornerBelieve it or not, it is time to start thinking about

classes for next year! Soon, Mrs. Lee will be handing out the Student In-

formation Bulletins Pre-Registration worksheets. She will then meet with each student to discuss grad-

uation requirements, career plans, and course requests for 2015-16.

Students will receive a printed copy of their requests to take home for signatures and to provide alternate course selections. Those signed forms should be re-turned to Mrs. Lee to confirm their plans.

It’s pre-registration time

Freshmen Orientation set

for March 9The Class of 2019 will be

the guests of Oakwood High School on March 9 for the an-nual freshmen orientation.

The 8th graders and their par-ents will be invited to the school to get tours, talk with teachers, learn about class options and gather information about their freshmen year.

All students who are en-rolling next y e a r a r e e n -

c o u r -aged to attend.

WHERE: Sleepy Creek VineyardsWHEN: Friday, March 6, 6:30 to 8:30 p.m.COST: $30 per personAGES: 21 and olderThe OHS Post Prom Committee will be hosting a guided artistic experi-

ence as a fundraiser, with proceeds benefitting the 2015 Post Prom event. Instruction will begin at 6:30 p.m., but social time will begin at 6 p.m.

Participants will paint a wine bottle and be given the hardware to turn it into an oil lamp ready to be taken home and filled.

Worried you are not “creative” or “artsy”? Don’t worry about labels – the only ones around here are the ones we peeled off the bottles! We will provide instruction, the bottle, paints, brushes, and examples. You just need to show up ready to talk, laugh, create and have fun! We suggest bringing an old shirt or an apron to protect your clothing, just in case.

Complimentary appetizers and non-alcoholic refreshments are included in the registration fee. Other beverages are available for purchase.

You can find the event page on Facebook by searching for "OHS Post Prom Paint the Town Night." For more information, contact LuAnn Grimm at (217) 497-2232. To register, mail registration form and payment (checks made payable to OHS Post Prom) by March 2, to:

LuAnn Grimm18320 Newtown RoadOakwood, IL 61858

Post Prom Committee wants you to “Paint the Town”

Drama to present murder-mystery

The OHS drama department is proud to present An Inconvenient Corpse by Pat Cook (Produced by special arrangement with Pioneer Drama Service, Inc. Englewood, Colorado).

The students will perform on Sat., April 18, at 7 p.m. and Sun., April 19, at 2 p.m. Both performanc-es will take place in the OHS gymnasium.

We're bringing back the humor with this hilarious murder-mystery. The cast is busy practicing their southern accents and unique characters.

9th Annual Celebration Saturday

February 21, 2015 6 p.m. (CST) Turtle Run

Banquet Center

Sponsorship Levels Presenting Sponsor: $2,500 (one only) — Name above event title in advertising, table of eight at

Celebration, name of business in Celebration program, and banner at Celebration

Purple: $300 and up — Table of eight at Celebration and name of business in Celebration program

White: $200-$299 — Two tickets to Celebration and name of business in Celebration program

Silver: $100-$199 — Name of business in Celebration program

Raffle Basket — Name of business in Celebration program

Celebration Tickets: $30 individual/$60 couple

Featuring

100% of the money raised benefits the kids and their teachers by providing academically enriched programs and equipment that otherwise would not be available to our students.

For tickets and information, contact any OCEF board member or call Lara Conklin at (217) 354-2725. Return sponsorship to: PO Box 654, Oakwood, IL 61858. To contact the Board Member who gave you this form, please call _______________________________

Yes, we will support the OCEF Celebration Banquet!

Sponsor Name: (as it should appear in program)

Sponsorship Amount:

Sponsor Address:

Sponsor Phone:

“Paint the Town Night” Registration Form Sponsored by the Oakwood High School Post Prom Committee

One entry form per person, cost: $30.00 per participant

Must be 21 years of age and up(Please have proof of age available at the event)

Name: ____________________________________________________________

Address: __________________________________________________________

City, State, ZIP:_____________________________________________________

Phone: ____________________________________________________________

Email: ____________________________________________________________

I certify that I suffer no conditions likely to cause injury or illness to myself from participating in this event. I waive and release all rights I may have against the Oakwood Community Unit #76 School

District, OHS Post Prom Committee, and Sleepy Creek Vineyards for damages, injuries, or losses I may suffer as a result of this event. I grant permission to the aforementioned to use my name and/or

photography or videotape of this event without limitation or obligation.

Signature (Required): ______________________________ Date: __________

Please mail registration form and payment (made payable to OHS Post Prom) to:

LuAnn Grimm 18320 Newtown RoadOakwood, IL 61858

You may find this event page on Facebook by searching for"OHS Post Prom Paint the Town Night".