Photo Credit: 2014 Reflections staff[/caption]34-year-old Edmond Tyrone Curry, a beloved teacher, colleague, and friend, passed away on Friday, October 3.
Native to the Alamance and Orange County area, he was loved and cherished by many. Curry was born on July 4, 1980, at Memorial Hospital in Burlington, NC. After graduating from Hugh M. Cummings High School in 1998, he expanded his schooling at the University of North Carolina--Chapel Hill and graduated in 2002 with a bachelors degree in art, majoring in management, society, and sociology.
Although he was an individual with extensive knowledge and a love for various things, the one thing he loved the most was teaching at Orange High School. Assistant Principal Will Okun said, “He really loved the kids he worked with, and the kids he taught always responded well to him and really liked him as well... He truly cared about his students, and that's the most important quality in a great teacher.”
Principal Jason Johnson said, “Edmond was very passionate about his kids, and music. He was one of the nicest and most genuine people you could ever meet... When I attended his funeral service, you really see how great of a person he was and how much everyone liked him and cared for him. This is a very tragic loss for Orange High School.”
The funeral service was held Wednesday, October 8 at the Zion United Church of God, in memorialization of Curry.
Photo Credit: Maddie Norwood[/caption]Students aspiring to be leaders of their community, wanting to share their ideas about how the school can be improved, or just hoping to get some more service hours may be interested in joining the Principal Advisory Committee.
The Principal Advisory Committee (PAC), which met for the first time this year on September 26 in Beverly Confer’s room, is a new organization run by OHS Principal Jason Johnson. It will give students a chance to communicate directly with Johnson and share their thoughts and concerns about the school. Anyone can join, and Johnson hopes to meet again sometime in October.
The club will be divided into six committees--the leadership, news, new ideas, fundraising, community events, and school events committees. Each committee will serve a different purpose.
Although similar to the Student Government Association, the PAC allows Johnson to be more involved. He appreciates what the SGA does, but is not “a part of those meetings.” It “gives me a chance to listen,” he stated.
Johnson is starting the club off slowly, but he hopes to have about 200 to 300 members once it becomes established. He would like if “the whole school can become part of the group.”
Senior and SGA President Braden Weber joined the PAC because he hopes it will let “students… have more of a voice [and] OHS… have more of a community outreach. Mr. Johnson has ideas for the school.” He joined the new ideas committee because he wants to “bring new ideas to the table.” He would like to get others to join as well “to broaden the group’s culture” and “create a more culturally diverse group.”
He believes the PAC will have more of a community service focus than the SGA, while the SGA is more about “helping students get what they want.”
Overall, Johnson hopes the advisory committee will show students that administrators care about their concerns. “[I] want them to know we’re listening,” he stated.
Photo Credit: Career Cruising[/caption]Orange High’s teacher assistant (TA) program, which gave students the chance to help out a teacher during a class period, has been suspended by the administration until further notice due to a lack of accountability. The program may be brought back in “a year from now, two years from now, we don’t know,” according to OHS Principal Jason Johnson. Johnson said the school would have to “have some accountability measures in place” before the program could come back.
The administration considered other options before deciding to end the program. “We thought about doing an independent study where teachers would write up a course for a TA and a TA would follow those guidelines, but I felt like even that was too loose,” Johnson stated. Seniors signed up to be teacher assistants will have the course removed from their schedules.
English teacher Brooke Connor said she is “really sad that we will no longer have the TA program.” Although there were issues with the program, she would have liked the school to “have tried some other solutions instead of just overhauling” it. Some possible solutions were “a 15-minute meeting with teachers to make sure that they knew their expectations before having a TA and ISS for students who skipped their TA period.” She said that “having a TA for the past couple of years has been invaluable to me” and she hates “that I will no longer be afforded that luxury.”
Senior Kayla Phillips, who was hoping to be a teacher assistant next year, said that she doesn’t “understand why it was gotten rid of since so many students loved it.”
Other similar courses, like the peer counseling and help desk worker courses, are still available.
Photo credit: Maddie Norwood[/caption]OHS staff member Shannon Braxton, who teaches Foods I and II, was chosen as Orange’s 2013-14 Teacher of the Year. According to her nomination statement, she was nominated for being “an excellent teacher” who “is very organized and professional at all times,” “imparts life skills,” and “cares about every one of her students no matter their background.”
Braxton stated, “It is a great honor to be selected by my coworkers” as Teacher of the Year. An important teaching strategy she has is trying “to understand students.” Her class is unique because it “lends itself to hands-on learning.” Braxton has wanted to teach from a young age. As a child, she used to teach her dolls. “It’s what I always wanted to do,” she said.
Braxton loves cooking, whether it is inside or outside school. She’s a self-professed foodie and she doesn’t have a favorite food. “I like all foods. I want to try everything at least once,” she stated. She said that she grew up in the country and began cooking her own meals at 10. She “learned to cook over the phone” because she often called her parents while she was cooking. Some of her favorite recipes are pastas and desserts. Her Foods I class focuses on cooking foods from the five food groups, while Foods II cooks “cakes and yeast breads.”
OHS Principal Jason Johnson described Braxton as “awesome” and the “ultimate professional.” He said that she “makes Orange High look excellent.” Junior Haylee Burton, 16, called Braxton “a very hard-working teacher who will do anything to help her students succeed.” She said that “[Braxton] is such a sweet and funny woman, and a wonderful teacher who definitely deserves to be Teacher of the Year.”
The other teachers nominated for Teacher of the Year were Javier Amador, Brooke Connor, Kelly Helner, Brian Parker, Becky Smith, and Rusty Wagoner.
Besides teaching, Braxton also likes “working on... scrapbooks” and “hanging out with friends.” Her favorite quote, by Margaret Mead, is, “Never believe that a few caring people can't change the world. For, indeed, that's all who ever have.” The quote helps her because “we forget that we can be that positive influence.”
“I love doing what I do. I love my job,” Braxton said.
Starting on Monday, February 24, at 5:30 pm, Orange High School welcomed all community members to come witness the ribbon cutting of the new Learning Commons, also known as the remodeled media center or library. The Orange County school board, superintendent, OHS principal, OHS associate principals, and those who helped personally with the creation of the Learning Commons attended the event.
Some of the people who were lead facilitators for this project were Shea Mustian, the OHS media specialist, and Tina Walker, the OHS technology facilitator. They both put a lot of time and effort into making the Learning Commons a place that students would love to visit.
The ceremony began at the doors to the new Learning Commons with numerous board members, OCS Superintendent Gerri Martin, OHS Principal Jason Johnson, and Mustian speaking on behalf of those involved in the “exciting project,” as Mustian called it. After everyone had said their part and given their views on the new area, School Media Assistants Emily Cecil and Trinity Graves cut the ribbon so everyone could enter.
Inside, everyone was welcomed to mingle and take a look around at the new bright decor. Old friends caught up and OHS Associate Principal Judith Brantley cut a celebratory cake that was soon enjoyed by everyone.
The new Learning Commons was presented by Mustian as she mentioned the new functional furniture that students can charge their laptops on with retractable plug-ins and the area where “students can work on group projects, and we can have a potential group of students broadcast with,” describing a large new projector screen and software that can edit videos.
Photo credit: Maddie Norwood[/caption]A “shade house” on the OHS campus near the agriculture buildings collapsed during the snowstorm on Thursday, February 13. The shade house was owned by the school. OHS Principal Jason Johnson does not currently know the cost of the damages, but repair work should begin this week. No one was injured, although a few plants died and some equipment was destroyed.
According to Ag teacher Jordan Moore, the structure “collapsed due to the intense weight of snow that covered” it. The shade house was the third structure to be damaged because of a weather event. Moore did not know how old it was because “the foundation has been there for many years.” The shade house “has been improved and re-done many times since it was built originally.”
The only class that used the structure was a horticulture class taught by David Latta. Most of the tools damaged by the collapse can be salvaged. Moore said that “some [of the damaged material] is going to be salvaged and hopefully recycled or put to a use on later projects. Steel and some materials are still usable in other capacities.”
A “multi-functional learning lab for… hands-on work and outdoor learning” will “more than likely” be built in place of the collapsed shade house once the structure has been cleaned up, Moore said. The greenhouse will support Latta’s plants so his class will be able to operate normally without the shade house.
Johnson said he is “not sure” about the damage cost because the “insurance agency has to give estimates.” He does not know about the repair schedule either, because “a lot of it’s insurance.” He hopes it will take “just a couple of weeks.” He also is not certain who will be doing the repair work, but the Orange County Schools maintenance department will probably be in charge.
Johnson said the area is off-limits to students, and that students who aren’t in Ag classes have no reason to be near the shade house.
Johnson said, “[I] think it’s unfortunate... that it happened,” but he is glad no one was hurt. Moore said, “It is always sad to undergo any type of loss to school facilities and tools. However, we are excited for the chance to make an improvement to the area and make the best out of the tough situation.”
Photo Credit: Maddie Norwood[/caption]Report cards, which typically are released soon after the end of the second semester, may be given to OHS students “sometime [this] week” according to OHS Principal Jason Johnson. They were delayed because North Carolina Final Exams took longer to grade than expected. Teachers received the exam grades on February 5, and report cards will be handed out after all the grades have been entered and report cards have been printed.
On February 6, Johnson said, “We just got exam grades [yesterday].” Teachers “need some time” to enter them in. A handout given to students on January 24 that was written by Gerri Martin, the Orange County Schools superintendent, stated, “The North Carolina Department of Public Instruction (NCDPI) is waiting for a majority of the North Carolina school districts to complete first semester testing so they can analyze scores in order to ensure that test scores are valid and reliable… Once our district receives these scores from the state, we will finalize grades and distribute report cards to parents and guardians in as timely a manner as possible.”
Parents and students can see their grades on PowerSchool, the student information program that contains information about students’ attendance, grades, and schedules. The site can be accessed at http://ocs.powerschool.com/.
Meredith Connor, an OHS English teacher, said, “We’ve done the best that we could with what we were given by the state… There wasn’t anything we could do.”
Haylee Burton, a 16-year-old junior, said that the report card delay has frustrated her. “I want to know if I passed,” she stated. She is waiting on her Algebra II and Chemistry exam grades.
The renovations were done by librarian Shea Mustian, principal Jason Johnson, Pam Jones, and architect Ken Redford. The overall goal was to make the library more modern and sleek. Mustian stated, “[The library] needed an update to bring us into the 21st century with the look. Our goal was to get more students and traffic flow, [to be] more teen friendly and technology friendly, and to be brought up to speed with university and college libraries.” A lot of research went into the making of the new library.
However, the changes aren’t done yet. Starting this week, student artwork will be put up in the library and changed out with the different projects that the art classes are doing. Also, in coming months, new technology will be added, open for student use. A green screen will be added, along with computers programmed with video editing software. A remote-controlled digital monitor will also be added that will be able to go into the ceiling. These renovations will most likely be done by January or February. Ribbon cutting will take place when those are complete.
So far the feedback for the library has been all positive. Many students have commented on how much nicer it looks compared to years past. The colorful design has brought a lot of life into the library, making it more enjoyable to work in. Mustian encourages students to come in often, even to just hang out in the mornings. So make sure to take a trip down to the library and check out the new and improved look!
During the ceremony, SGA president Kaitlyn Dobbins and OHS principal Jason Johnson made speeches. Dr. Stephen H. Halkiotis, a former OHS principal who is also Vice Chairman of the Orange County Board of Education, also made a speech. He has been involved with the school for 40 of its 50 years.
Johnson stated, “The purpose of this ceremony is to bring together all the dignitary members to celebrate the 50th anniversary and changes on the courtyard.”
Other board members who attended and accompanied the ribbon cutting were Donna Coffey, Tony McKnight, Anne Medenblik, Dr. Debbie Piscitelli, and Brenda Stephens.
“A great time was had by all, and I appreciate all of the people that came out for this event,” said Johnson.
The biggest change to Ag Day, which was negatively received by some students, was that Ag Day only lasted two periods. It has previously been three periods long. Jason Johnson, OHS’ principal, said that it has “been this short… in the past.” Will Okun, an assistant principal, explained that the school wanted to make “one big day” for students that was “as fun as possible.”
Ag Day began at 9:15 a.m., after students reported to Panther Period for half an hour. Ag students and other people working at Ag Day used this time period to ensure everything was ready for the student body. At 9:15, the bell rang and students rushed out to begin the festivities.
One of the numerous activities at Ag Day was a water balloon booth run by the Key Club. It cost $1 to throw a water balloon and students could throw balloons at teachers or Key Club members. Andromeda Crowell, the Key Club advisor, said, “[Ag Day] was awesome and [the Key Club booth] was really, really successful.”
Agriculture, the namesake of Ag Day, always has a significant presence at the event. Cheyenne Brook, an ag student who showed a goat at Ag Day, said that she thought Ag Day was “going pretty good… [there haven’t been any] incidents yet.” The ag department sold T-shirts to raise money.
Some of the most popular events at Ag Day are the competitions. This year, there was a chainsaw competition, a chicken cooking competition, a pie eating competition, an “iron man” (weightlifting) competition, a bow shooting competition, and a welding competition. The winners of the competitions were Gracie Finley (chainsaw); John Lee, Austin Sykes, and Johnny Flynn (chickencooking); Kelsie Decker and Trenton Straughan (pie eating); Mia Davidson and David Peters-Logue (iron man); Brandon Tate (bow shooting); and Devon Howell (welding). Sam Whaley and Christa Ivey were the Ag King and Queen, respectively. Jordan Moore, an ag teacher, said, “As a whole, I feel like this year’s Ag Day was a success. We had a great number of kids participate and a great number of teachers come out to support the FFA.”
Music was played constantly at Ag Day. Some of the music was country music by artists like Scotty McCreery. Other music was live music performed by students and teachers as part of a talent show. Mark Greenstreet, one of the teachers who sang, could not be reached for comment because he is absent from school due to the birth of his child. The talent show did not have a winner.
Latin Club sold Pizza Hut pizza and bottled water. The club ran out of pizza quickly, estimating that it sold one box of pizza every two minutes. Nicholas Mauriello, the club advisor, commented, “[Ag Day’s] nice. I don’t think cutting it short a period is going to be that bad.”
At 12:45 p.m., Ag Day ended and students returned to class. Meghan O’Shaugnessy, a sophomore, believed Ag Day was “eventful.”
Ag Day was followed by a pep rally, a tailgate, and the homecoming game.
Faith Force, a Christian motivational group, previewed its show, Breakin’ the Barriers, on Friday, April 19, at 9:55 am in the large gym. On a flyer, Faith Force describes Breakin’ the Barriers as “the most radical program of ultimate intensity.” The show lasted an hour. Jeff Terrell and Ron Waterman, two Faith Force members, performed feats of strength, then Waterman spoke to OHS students about ambition and choosing the right friends. The purpose of the show was to build students’ character and teach them about making good decisions.
During the show, Waterman and Terrell tore a telephone book in half, broke a wooden baseball bat using their back muscles, blew up a hot water balloon, twisted a metal bar into two loops, and exploded a Sprite can into one corner of the auditorium, covering students with Sprite. The students had taunted one of the performers by chanting, “You won’t do it,” but he proved them wrong.
After all the performances were over, students cheered as Terrell said goodbye. Waterman stayed to speak to students about his childhood. He said that he never received high grades in school, and that he had to struggle to keep up with his class. Sports helped him focus on his work in high school, and he practiced more than his fellow athletes so he could excel. He became an art teacher after he graduated, later joining the Faith Force to teach others about his success.
Jason Johnson, OHS’ principal, said that Faith Force was a “great group,” and he was “happy they chose [to speak to] us.” Bobby Shriner said the show was “pretty impressive” and that the men were “big, strong men.” Grace Huskins, a senior, said that the speech “really touched [her] soul.”
Terrell, Waterman, and seven other Faith Force members performed Breakin’ the Barriers in the Lamb’s Chapel from April 18 to 20 at 7:00 pm and on April 21 at 9:00 and 11:00 am. Admission to the show was free.