Staff Reporter

The Oak Grove powerlifting teams have proven to not only represent themselves as true warriors with leadership and brainpower, but also have shown their strength both physically and mentally. Under the coaching of Tony Myers, Knute Douglas, and Chris Tran, the boys’ powerlifting team once again placed first at state. Coaches Amanda Micka, John Micka, and Jeff Douglas led the girls’ team to State with Kim Franklin placing third and Christie Stricker placing first in their weight classes. Both teams competed at the MHSAA Class 6A State Championship on April 13 in Jackson.

The boys’ team successfully placed first with 39 points, maintaining their winning streak from last year. Boys’ team lifters who placed at state were Antonio Mikell, Alex Smith, Devonte Durr, Mikal Bilal, Dante Pittman, Trevor Neeley, and John Pride. “Everyone worked really hard and stayed dedicated from late November until April. They always kept their eye on the prize,” junior member Mauricio Hernandez said. In fact, the boys’ team consecutively placed first in every competition leading up to state, including Regionals and South State.

The girls’ team of just 11 overcame competitive teams, winning third at Regionals, second at South State, and fourth at State. “This is only my second year on the team, but all of the veterans have gotten so much stronger. We’ve actually started breaking each other’s records, which gives a healthy sense of competition to the team. All of the girls who just completed their first year on the team have come so far in just one year. I look forward to seeing how great they’re going to be next year,” junior Anna Catherine Colbert said. With a loss of seniors on both teams, Douglas feels the upcoming members will exceed their previous successes. “There are many new team members this year, and I expect next year’s team will be very well-rounded,” Douglas said.

Colbert and other team members are very thankful for their coaches dedication. “I’d like to thank coaches Amanda, John, and Jeff for so willingly donating their time, wisdom, and resources to the OG Girls’ Powerlifting team. There’s no possible way we could have gotten this far or even have known about powerlifting without them,” Colbert said.

Both Oak Grove teams have seen every member breaking personal records.

Staff Reporter

Senior Wisam Buti has proven her accomplishments in the distinguished scholar program. The distinguished scholar program at Oak Grove allows students in grades 9-12 to experience off-campus activities relating to the student’s interest of research. For her project, Buti chose to experiment with testing and modifying fruit flies in a lab. “Basically, I am trying to identify a gene or a subset of genes that are causing mutant fruit flies to have unusual locomotor behaviors,” Buti said. “I have completed approximately 387 hours of working in the lab, working on my paper, and meeting with my mentor.”

Not only has Buti worked on the project during the summer, but she has also taken specific classes in school, such as the research class, in advancement to her project. To enroll in the program, she and other students were obligated to meet certain requirements, such as completing a minimum number of credits and maintaining an A average in core classes. “Some challenges I faced were trying to understand genetic and scientific names and waking up so early every day in the summer,” Buti said.

Due to her dedication to science and her rigorous work in the lab, Buti has been awarded many scholarships. She has received awards such as first place for WISE  (Women in Science and Engineering), first in Medicine & Health category in the Region I science fair, and finalist for ISEF (International Science and Engineering Fair).

Ms. Clark, Mrs. Shoemake, Mrs. Fortenberry, Mrs. Sanders, Dr. Leal, Sudeshna Das, and many past Distinguished Scholars have helped in Buti’s success. “I learned a ton about real research and science. I have gained experience in a research lab. That is already giving me a push,” Buti said. “In fact, USM’s Dr. Leal has offered me a position in her lab for the upcoming year, which is very rare especially for a freshman.” Buti’s dedication to the program has grown to a commitment to continue research in Dr. Leal’s lab once she starts attending USM.

Staff Reporter

The 2012-2013 school year has been staggered with new classes, such as physics and culinary arts, but online courses aren’t out of the conversation. An increased number of students this year are choosing to complete classes online. Why is the internet being used to take high school courses? “More students are taking online courses because they are involved in sports, music, or fine art activities that take a lot of time from their schedules; therefore, in order to be able to graduate on time and continue participating in  the activities they love, they have to enroll in online courses,” Miriam Perez, counselor, said.

Students planning on graduating early may need to consider taking online classes to gain the 28 required high school credits to graduate. Some students may want to boost their GPA’s while some students need a certain class to meet graduation requirements. While most people may think that taking an online class is a shortcut through in-school courses, the level of difficulty as well as the amount of work required by an online class contradicts those opinions. “Most of the online courses are really hard and time consuming, and they usually take a lot of time from students’ free time,” Perez said.

Oak Grove High School offers courses such as health, math, science, foreign languages, history courses, P.E., and computer technology. Most students taking online courses enroll through the federally funded virtual school, MVPS, offered through OGHS. Some students, however, take classes through other online high schools.  Oak Grove typically uses the University of Mississippi – High School Independent Study Program and the Mississippi State University – High School Independent Study Program. There are many more programs offered through different universities. Oak Grove High School’s counselors are the administrators when it comes to online class enrolling and proctoring. “I am the coordinator for the OG online courses through MVPS. I enroll the students into the classes.  I keep track of the students and inform the respective counselors when the students are not doing well so they can address it with those students,” Perez said.

Online courses work very similarly to any course in a regular classroom. There is a teacher, other students, detailed lessons, quizzes, projects, essays, and tests. Most of what a student completes in an online class is graded; therefore, students who are currently pursuing a high grade in an online course should be dedicated to the lessons, activities, and tests.  Online courses have the potential to grow in the future with a great number of students may be possibly taking them, but that will never exceed the traditional classroom course that defines school itself.

Staff Reporter

On Saturday, November 3, at Delta State University in Cleveland, MS, the Oak Grove boys’ and girls’ varsity swim teams

READY FOR TAKE OFF
Oak Grove senior Morgan Eguia and other competitors prepare to begin the 100 yard backstroke at the State Swim Meet. | Photo by Hayley Higgason

participated in the State meet.  The 2012 State meet marked the end of a very competitive 2012 swim season.  On October 17, the OG swim teams qualified for the State Championships by winning both the boys and girls 6A South State Championships for the first time in four years.  There were 22 swimmers from Oak Grove at the South State. The OG girls’ team won first place with 108 points, while the OG boys’ team tallied 116 points.

Beginning in August, the team started training for speed and endurance using techniques both in and out of the pool.  The swim team trains every Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday for two hours each day. Their practices include dry land running to build much needed cardio strength, abdominal work, and continuous swimming consisting of 200 meter warm ups and timed swims. Although final results from the State meet are yet to be posted, individual races did include: 50, 100 200, and 500 yard races. Eight boys and eight girls from Oak Grove performed at the State meet. Races also included two relays with three individual swimmers that placed in the top eight during preliminaries Saturday morning. Those top three swimmers were also qualified to swim in the finals that night. Morgan Eguia paced the girls team, winning second place in the 100-yard backstroke and fourth in the 100-yard butterfly. On the boys’ team, Cole Sisson placed sixth in the 500 freestyle. Throughout the season, the Oak Grove teams were able to win meets against Ocean Springs, Biloxi, and West Jones. The boys’ team came in 1st at every meet they participated in this season before the State competition. The girls’ team won second place at every meet until South State where they were able to move up a spot and finish first. Senior Hayley Higgason had expressive gratitude towards her teammates as captain of the girls’ swim team. “I’m really proud of the team this year. Everyone worked hard and was so dedicated. I couldn’t have asked for a better senior season,” Higgason said.

The teams say that next year should be even more successful despite losing several senior swimmers. The swimmers have gained much needed experience, and they faced tough competition during the 2012 season.  They hope that experience, along with the excellent coaching they receive, will help them find success next year at major meets including South State and State. “I feel like our captains made us all better swimmers because of all the things they did. We swam exceptionally better this year because we had people on the team that knew how serious this sport is,” Kaylee Humpherys, senior said.

After taking the PSAT during their junior year, 14 students at Oak Grove found out that they are high scorers.

This year, the students found out that 11 of them were semi-finalists, and three earned Commended Student recognition. The chief goal for these students is to become National Merit finalists, which will be announced in February. To become finalists, they must complete an application, write an essay, and confirm their PSAT scores by taking the SAT.

With high hopes of becoming a finalist, senior Jake Smith is expecting grand benefits from how far he has already come. “Although I’m not a finalist yet, I’m already receiving requests from some great colleges,” Smith said.

Humanities teacher Andrea Clark prepared these students last year and is continuing to support them throughout the process of applying. “They’ve been an outstanding group to work with,” Clark said.

Achieving such a goal brings academic recognition, scholarship opportunities, and a sense of fulfillment to Oak Grove’s National Merit semifinalists. “We all worked very hard in Humanities to prepare for the PSAT, and becoming semi-finalists is extremely rewarding,” Anna Schwartz, senior, said.

This is the greatest number of finalists and semi-finalists Oak Grove has ever had. “The students and I are very grateful for all the teachers they had and the administration that lets us have the luxury of the Humanities class,” Clark said.

Staff Reporter

Oak Grove cross country and track teams received a new addition to their training routine. A recreational walking course has been built on 16th section land between Warrior Lane, Lincoln Road, Hegwood Drive, and the softball facility. Receiving the new trail provided another place to practice as well as another place to hold meets. The trail is also open all Lamar County citizens. “Having a trail will offer the Oak Grove cross country team another place to train that is off of the hard pavements. Running on hard surfaces increases the likelihood of injury, so this trail should help decrease injuries. Also, the trail will be used as part of the race course for cross country meets. “The trail will allow the team to host more events, which should help to raise money for the program,” Robin Ryder, cross country head coach, said.

Bridges are being built, and someday a 15-car parking lot will be constructed with a welcoming board as well as distance markers on the track. The trail, which is approximately one mile long, includes two bridges for crossing over wet areas.

Volunteers, workers, and Oak Grove students all helped with the completion of the trail. “I would like to thank the Lamar County Board of Supervisors and the Lamar County School District for working together to make this project a reality,” Ryder said. With a new path, the cross country team will continue to use the trail and attract more citizens to enjoy it.

CROSS COUNTRY TRAIL
Running with pride, these cross country members can now run a longer, safer course.
Photo by MARY KATE WALDRON

Staff Reporters

Nan:

Why put up with judges you disagree with every audition when you can watch all choices approved by
The Voice?

While American Idol has been around on television for ten years and is commonly watched, The Voice is a new and engaging show with a twist. The No. 20 show has attracted 20 million viewers since it was launched in 2011. The show has boosted NBC’s popularity while American Idol has kept things the same. The Voice is an American talent show that provides its viewers continuous leisure from its three phases: the blind audition, the battle phase, and the live performance. The show starts out with its most interesting segment, a blind audition, where the judges are turned around in chairs to only hear and not see the singer. Once the singer finishes a song, he or she must choose the judge that has turned his or her chair. The four famous judges on The Voice are Christina Aguilera, Cee Lo Green, Adam Levine, and Blake Shelton. This show attracts viewers of all ages and leaves them captivated. The Voice differs from American Idol due to its multiple components and uniqueness of the show. It has introduced a new version of reality singing shows. Most American Idol fans are tired of the switching out of judges from Simon Cowell to Steven Tyler. The Voice is shown on television on Mondays and Tuesdays.  The Voice features much more modern music choices by singers and also more interesting performers. Unlike American Idol, The Voice focuses on the more serious, dedicated singers that don’t audition in Hawaiian wear and break dance to “Thriller.” This interactive singing competition includes the nerve-wracking auditions, intense battles, and live broadcasts. With actual artist experience, the judges of The Voice are also the coaches of the singers who pass on to the next round. Unlike American Idol judges, The Voice’s superior coaches make themselves useful by lending their knowledge and skills to the performers. This show surely entertains its viewers more than American Idol, the bland.

Elizabeth:

American Idol is the original, the most popular, and has created musical superstars. 

American Idol is one of the most successful shows in U.S. television history. For a decade, millions of devoted viewers have kept American Idol’s ratings at the top of the charts, making the show a household name. The original nationwide vocal talent competition has an undeniably loyal fanbase, superior ratings, lovable contestants, and can connect to its audience’s emotions in a way that The Voice cannot.

American Idol has set records for its popularity because of its ability to cater to every demographic. The judges, coaches, musical selections, and contestants are diverse enough to appeal to nearly every potential audience member, whereas the coaches of The Voice are contemporary pop artists (and one country music artist), catering to a narrower, younger audience. Idol also engages its audience by allowing the people to have all of the power in deciding which contestants can advance to the next round each week. After the audition round, the judges on the show can only offer their opinions on the performances, while The Voice allows its audience to have a much smaller say in choosing the winner, and only on certain episodes.

Perhaps another of the main reasons American Idol has gained such attention over the years is the fact that it is one of the only reality television shows that is, in fact, real.  The contestants are ordinary people, which the audience can relate to, and one thing Americans love is an underdog to root for. The Voice casts their contestants, some of whom have had record deals prior to being on the show. Where is the reality in that? Some of the biggest names in the music industry today were first seen on American Idol – where would Grammy – and American Music Award-winners Kelly Clarkson and Carrie Underwood be if they had not been on the show? Other notable talented artists like Chris Daughtry, Jordin Sparks, and Jennifer Hudson would still be undiscovered as well. The Voice, on the other hand, has yet to produce a single superstar.

Staff Reporter

The girls’ and boys’ powerlifting teams have successfully placed in Regionals and South State this season. The Lady Warriors powerlifting team has been at Oak Grove for two years and has excelled to State both years. Both the girls’ and boys’ teams’ State competitions will be Saturday in Jackson. Both teams have been practicing multiple times a week and are determined to place at State. The girls’ team has seven out of nine lifters traveling to Jackson while the boys’ team has nine out of twelve attending.

Girls powerlifting celebrates a successful showing at South State. / Submitted Photo

Powerlifting is a sport which consists of three lifts in consecutive order: squat, bench press, and dead lift. Each lifter is placed in a weight class and must maintain that weight range throughout the season. The boys’ team coaches are Lonny Schraeder, Chris Tran, and Knute Douglas. “Major things that have happened are our winning back-to-back region titles and this year’s South State championship,” Douglas said. The boys’ powerlifting team has had a successful streak in such a short time. Body builder, personal trainer, and co-owner of No Holds Barred, Amanda Micka is the girls’ coach, along with the assistance of Jeff Douglas. “I’d love to continue coaching the team in the future. It’s such a great sport and something you can continue to do even after high school. It’s great for your health, too,” Micka said. Being a new team at Oak Grove, the girls’ powerlifting team began in 2011 when Kayla and Christie Stricker asked Micka to coach the team. Oak Grove is known for its competitive spirit in sports. Even in powerlifting, other schools rival to beat the Warriors. “Dedication is the main thing to have as a powerlifter, but it also takes a lot of heart,” Coach Jeff Douglas said. “You have to train because you are competing against yourself, too.” Powerlifting is often said to be unlike most sports. “It’s nerve-wracking. There is no cardio involved, and everyone must show individual skill,” powerlifter Rachel Payton said. Both the boys’ and girls’ teams are prepared to squat, bench, and pull major loads at State.

Staff Reporter

Celebrities’ inadequate decisions should not affect their abilities to be our role models. We as their fans should look up to these influential mega figures of fame. Dead or alive, celebrities who have publicly made minor or major mistakes should not be judged antagonistically.  Michael Jackson, Whitney Houston, and Amy Winehouse are major celebrities who have recently passed away. Their deaths have all been due to the use of drugs. These celebrities were and still are icons in the modern world of music and talent. They have sacrificed time and energy by contributing to charities and numerous events. Michael Jackson, who died of cardiac arrest due to drug abuse, was a pop star, dancer, singer, and songwriter whose notoriety was so great that he has been named “The King of Pop.”  Whitney Houston, who died of possible drug overdose, contributed to many events particularly by gloriously singing the National Anthem at football games. English singer and songwriter Amy Winehouse died at just 27 from alcohol poisoning.
Although they all died of drugs, Jackson, Houston, and Winehouse were subjects of the pressure being put on them by society. They made personal mistakes that the world looked at with shame yet forgave. They were put on pedestals and praised for their achievements. They are all, in fact, role models that are looked up to despite mistakes they made that tinted their streaks of success as well as saddened the hearts of their fans.
Brittany Murphy and Anna Nicole Smith also passed away as a result of their misusages of drugs and alcohol. Brittany Murphy’s surprising death at just 32 was due to pneumonia combined with drug intoxications. Well-known actress Anna Nicole Smith died of lethal doses of drugs.
These celebrities have all had proper funerals and memorials set up in commemoration of their legendary presences. All have worked and associated with many other famous figures including the President of the United States. Their experiences show us how crucial their roles in society were and still are. Being global figures, these stars gained them wealth and success. Their prominent personalities hammered out the media’s negative speculations on them based on their mistakes.
Some stars of today who have been judged based upon their bad decisions include Lindsay Lohan, Michael Phelps, Miley Cyrus, and Charlie Sheen.  The negative controversy with pop star and actress Lindsay Lohan’s reputation is no exception. She has gained millions of dedicated fans and superior fame. Michael Phelps, known as “The Baltimore Bullet” and “The Flying Fish,” has it all; he’s a superhuman with numerous Olympic swimming records. How did he ruin his mighty status? He smoked tobacco and drove under the influence – another bad decision that brought him corrupt fortune. Miley Cyrus has achieved worldwide fame as an actress and singer. The media made several of her eye-catching mistakes public.  Although the mistakes of many of these celebrities were foolish, one tiny action of disgrace will shape people’s opinions of the stars. This perspective is completely mistaken. Charlie Sheen, a notorious actor, abused cocaine. These celebrities influence us because we aspire to be like them. Whether one is the President, a musician, or an Olympic athlete, he or she affects our daily life decisions. Making one bad decision can negatively impact our lives, but we should not dwell over this error all of our lives. The megastars of yesterday, today, and tomorrow will always be remembered and should always be looked up to because of their status in society.
These celebrities have all committed wild actions, but they should not be judged. They are all just humans and will go to extremes in order to fulfill their desires or others’ requests. I believe that society does put pressure on these stars.  We need to realize that their small mistakes do not outweigh their contributions to the entertainment industry.

Staff Reporter

“I pledge and support the elimination of the derogatory use of the r-word from every day speech and promote the acceptance and inclusion of people with intellectual disabilities.” This pledge represents the Jr. Civitan club’s motives in the new campaign project of eliminating the r-word. The club has taken action to prevent students at school as well as citizens in the community from using the r-word in any negative case. “At OGHS, we respect all of our students. The Jr. Civitan club has worked hard this year to include students with disabilities into school-wide activities. As a club, we decided that we wanted to take that inclusion a step further. The word ‘retarded’ when used as a derogatory insult is hurtful to those with disabilities, even when it is not aimed at them. We want to make people aware of the harmfulness of this terminology,” said Stacey Todd, community-based teacher. The nationwide campaign “Spread the Word to End the Word” encourages people to visit its online site and pledge to avoid using the r-word. March 7, 2012 is the official National Pledge Day. The Jr. Civitan club will have students involved in this day by signing a banner and pledges during lunch. The Jr. Civitans will also hand out awareness supplies and will be selling armbands for $1 to wear spirit shirts on March 23, which is a home baseball game against Hattiesburg. To support the community’s Association for the Rights of Citizens with Developmental Disabilities (ARC), the Jr. Civitan club will donate proceeds from the sale of armbands. The Jr. Civitan club has done numerous deeds in aiding and contributing to the community’s special needs and programs. “The OGHS Jr. Civitan club was created as a way to allow students with and without disabilities to work alongside each other to serve our school and community. We have done several projects this year that benefitted the special education classes in our district, the ARC, and the Abbie Rogers Civitan Camp,” said Todd. This is the first school year the Jr. Civitan club has proposed the campaign, since this is the chartering year for the organization. The goal for this year is to persuade students at Oak Grove to pledge against using the r-word. Next year’s goal is to spread the movement to other schools and within the community.  “We hope to build on this annually and make a difference in our city,” said Todd. The Jr. Civitan club has been successful in turning commitments into actions. On October 5, 2010, President Obama signed S. 2781, Rosa’s Law.

This law requires the federal government to replace the term “mental retardation” with “intellectual disability” in federal education, health, and labor laws. The law is named after Rosa Marcellino who is nine years old and was born with Downs syndrome. Rosa’s mother, Nina Marcellino was moved to advocate stripping the r-word from legislation when Rosa was referred to as having “mental retardation” in her education plan in elementary school. Maryland Senator Barbara Mikulski introduced the bill last November.
Rosa’s mother and other parents were successful in getting Maryland legislation passed in April 2009 that eliminated the r-word from that state’s legislation. Senator Mikulski modeled the federal bill on the Maryland law.

Running through numbers, harmonizing vocals, and perfecting routines every day, the OGHS show choir, Centerstage!, is headed to multiple competitions in preparation for the national competition in Orlando, Florida, at Universal Studios in March. The team practices every day during third block as well as a few nights 6:00-9:00 p.m. With 23 girls and 15 boys in the group, the show choir’s division placement is in Large Group Triple A for competition. This year’s show choir director is Mr. Darren Dale who took the place of previous years’ director Mr. Tim Breland. “It’s like a new year for us since we are a large group,” sophomore Sydney Green said.
The show choir’s theme includes upbeat music combining jazz and rock and roll. The show choir girls’ costumes consist of purple beaded dresses with a costume change of black leather corsets and black heels. The boys’ outfits are charcoal gray suits and matching ties with a costume change of black skinny jeans with black leather jackets. The groovy songs chosen this year are “On My Way,” “Price Tag,” “New York State of Mind,” “All of the Above,” “Shook Me All Night Long,” “I Wanna Rock,” and “Here We Go Again.”
The team is required to undergo choreography sessions instructed by dancers from Louisiana. The sessions are usually very time-consuming, but they are worth learning. Centerstage! performs one show consisting of eight songs equaling roughly 15 minutes. The routine involves high-speed movements as well as quick costume changes. The team is preparing for competitions by cleaning choreography, ensuring organization, and perfecting memorization of songs and dance moves. Many skills for the ambitious sport are required for each member to have. “I would say definitely dancing is more important than singing. You need to be able to learn quickly as well. It’s pretty difficult at first, but as the year goes on, it gets easier,” sophomore Mary Margaret Hyer said. “I encourage many people, especially guys, to try out because it’s very fun, and it’s a great experience.” The guys feel like it is a team sport and requires dedication and practice. “We practice often like the football team, and we have to go over it again and again to perfect our show. It’s always a work in progress that we work diligently at improving,” senior Gunnar Thorderson said. The show choir is indeed different from other sports but has a lot of similarities. “Show choir is a sport because we do just as much sweating as every other sport does. I wish anyone from other sports would try show choir,” senior Markos Williams said.

by: Nan Buti

The Warrior soccer teams have practiced energetically and played games vigorously almost every week since November of last year. Their hard work definitely paid off and both the boys’ and girls’ teams earned the right to be named District Champions. The Lady Warriors finished the season at 4-4-4 and the boys finished at 4-2-4. Both teams faced tough opponents throughout the season in powerhouses like Ocean Springs and Biloxi.
Despite putting up tough fights in the playoffs, both teams’ seasons came to a close in January. The Lady Warriors, who made it to South State last year, were put out in the playoffs by Biloxi 3-2. The boys’ team progressed to South State beating Biloxi in the first game 1-0. They fell short in the second game losing to Gulfport 0-1.
This season’s games kept fans and players on edge with very close scores and a couple of ties with West Jones, Poplarville, and Clinton. The boys’ team faced a talented Brandon team that also ended in a tie.
Success on the soccer field requires dedication and a lot of hard work, and many players feel this year’s season was very rewarding. “I think soccer prepared me to be competitive and has helped me learn to think in different ways,” junior Hayley Allen said. “Soccer teaches you to make decisions quicker and definitely gets you in shape,” junior Clay Richardson said. The teams faced a lot of challenges this season and felt prepared by enduring tough practices and learning to work together. “I think when we played with heart, we did our best,” Allen said. “We aren’t just a team; we are a family, and we are carrying on the Lady Warrior soccer tradition. I love my team, and they are the best people to play with because they understand me.”The intense games and cheering fans definitely encouraged the teams to play their hardest this season. The players and coaches feel fan support provided them with motivation the whole season. “We really appreciate all of the support the students have given us this year,” girls’ coach Kayla Lalley said. “We are tremendously proud of the teams’ performances and efforts this year. They represented Oak Grove very well.”

Caleb Turner, sophomore, tinkers with robotics team’s robot in preparation for Missisippi’s BEST competition.

After six weeks of rigorous building, training, working, and preparing for State competition, the Oak Grove robotics team headed to Mississippi’s BEST (Boosting, Engineering, Science and Technology) Competition. The competition took place at Stakville High School on Saturday, October 29th. The assigned theme to all robotics teams was simply bugs. The clever scene that Oak Grove robotics team created was in a genetic engineering lab where bugs have gotten loose and are on the crawl. The goal of the robot is to capture and feed the raving roaches, flies, and termites. The objective at competition was the more bugs captured, the more points awarded to the team. This year 40 members attended the state competition.

Working Mondays through Thursdays after school until 5:00 p.m., the robotics team was well prepared for the competition and also put in massive amounts of effort in order to qualify and attend the competition. Not all members worked on building the robot, though. There are different aspects of being on the team. The 52 members on the team are each assigned different tasks to complete and jobs to work on. The team maintained organized committees which is a big change from the team’s past years. Students work on web page design, sportsmanship acts, marketing presentation about the design, engineering design notebook, table display, and of course, the robot. These are all components of the competition that the team was judged on. They have come into play successfully since the members have been very disciplined with their work, and since 2011 holds the most members to be on the team to date.

“We really hope to overcome our disappointment from last year and get to South’s BEST this year,” Megan Fortenberry, sponsor of the team, said. The team won two years in a row at Mississippi’s BEST and went to regionals before 2010 when it lost, only winning best web page. “Our goal this year is to be successful again,” Fortenberry said. Unfortunately, the team did not qualify to the next round. It also did not win any components of the competition such as table display or web page design. If the robotics team had advanced as a top competitor at State, it would have progressed to a competition called South’s BEST which is in December at Auburn University in Alabama. “Disappointment was my reaction. We did fairly well last year. I regret the outcome because we could have done better,” John Baxter, member of the robotics team, said. The team did a great job overall. It can be said that a lot of effort was put in to building the robot and preparing for the competition. So, what went wrong? The robot went through a malfunction and didn’t act accordingly. It did not have equilibrium and lost connection to the controller. The team hopes for a better outcome at State next year. They expect more knowledge on testing of the robot and experience on how the robot works. The Oak Grove robotics team surely won in effort this year, after all of the hard work put into building the robot and putting together components needed for the competition. Overall, the team has had a great season and has learned a lot from experiences and mistakes.