Photo Credit: Kathryn ObenshainThe new Art Club murals.[/caption]
The art department unveiled eight murals at homecoming. Many groups worked together to make this possible and donated supplies. The PTSO, Student Government Association, and Art Club collaborated on this project. A total of eight panels made of marine plywood were primed by the ag department and given to the Art Club to paint last year.
Elizabeth Dell-Jones, the art teacher here at Orange, said that she agreed when the PTSO asked her if she could do the project, not knowing its size. She was overwhelmed when she learned the size, but, with the creative minds in her classes and Art Club, she was able to go above and beyond.
Patrick Pettiford and Mary Giordano, two seniors last year, had a large part in the painting of these murals. In fact, Pettiford’s original ideas are in every mural. But everyone could add a little bit of themselves to the murals. For example, Haven Roberts painted an armadillo because it is her signature thing.
That being said, the murals vary in theme. One has mice, while others have mermaids and mythical creatures. “[These murals are] random iconic images from the hearts and minds of these very creative people,” says Dell-Jones. Many hours were spent meticulously painting the finest of details.
Photo Credit: Tammy Mack Adalyn Fleming finishes her race at Orange.[/caption]At the Wendy’s Invitational on October 2, the girl’s team got great times. This race is one of the most important ones of the year, and Wendy’s is a highly competitive race in Charlotte where the best battle it out.
On Saturday, September 27, Orange placed third overall at the Greensboro invitational. They were very close to being champions, but still did fantastic. Everyone ran well, and lots of girls got personal records (PR’s) on the course.
Tuesday, September 23, Adalyn Fleming came in third at Orange’s first home cross country meet, with a time of 21 minutes and 7 seconds. She and many other OHS runners made great leaps to make the first meet a great one.
Fleming was followed closely by sophomores Juliana Lester and Claire Barger, and freshmen Isabelle Hartmond and Melia Weeks. Junior Hannah Phillips finished 6th, and Sophomore Kathryn Obenshain finished seventh on the team.
The team’s success was surprising considering the team just acquired a new coach, Hendrik Joubert. Joubert is a highly recognized runner. He has run many marathons, ultra marathons, and 55 mile runs.
Meet the new counselor, Lynn Douglas! She is the counselor for names M-R. Photo Credit: Kathryn Obenshain[/caption]Orange High has a new counselor named Lynn Douglas. She is the counselor for names M-R. She is a very laid back, relaxed counselor, but if a student needs help, she is ready for action. When Douglas was in high school, she had a poor counselor. Her and her classmates were very under-informed about opportunities they needed to be aware of. Having this experience made Douglas want to become a counselor. She applied and got accepted to North Carolina Central College in Durham. Recently, she completed her masters and bachelors degree in school counseling. Although she is a newer counselor, she isn’t new to the school scene.
While completing her masters at NC Central, Douglas was an intern at Dudley High School in Greensboro. Douglas enjoyed her time there, but she needed a real job now that she had her masters. When looking for jobs, she says that she always looks for opportunities where the population is diverse. She sees Orange High School as a place that is not only diverse, but where she can add diversity. Douglas wants to help the Panthers celebrate world cultures, talk to students to fulfill their needs, and make sure Orange High School is well taken care of.
Although Douglas is a devoted counselor, she doesn’t stay at Orange all the time. In her spare time, she enjoys singing, shopping, cooking, traveling, and pageantry. She has been all over the United States with her college marching band. However, she hopes to go out of the country this upcoming summer. Douglas competes in and organizes pageants in her spare time.
A word of advice for the Panthers: “Always, always, always have a plan, a back-up plan, and a back-up plan for your back-up plan,” said Douglas. She loves talking to, interacting with, and helping students. Her door is always open to help anyone.
The dates for exams are June 4 through June 9. This year, there was a new rule created that students had to take exams on the last five days of school. Contrary to this new rule and the extra days added to the school year, Orange High has decided to leave the dates for exams.
The last exam is on June 9 but the four days after that will be mandatory school days and students must attend or they will be counted absent. Student athletes who are only allowed to miss less than thirteen days should take into consideration these last four days because absences will go on their record.
The last day of the 2014 school year will be June 13 but graduation day for seniors is June 12.
“I feel like just because we missed days of school, our exam schedule shouldn't be affected,” Mia Maxwell, sophomore, said about the added days.
The Kindertransport system was for the safety of the young children in Germany whose parents were of Jewish faith. Children were sent away on a train and they went to the United Kingdom to find families that could provide for them. Without this system, millions more children would have died in the tragedy known as the Holocaust. Landsberger was on one of these trains and left Germany when we was 12, he was sent away by his own parents who cared deeply about his safety.
Landsberger was sent to England to an empty summer camp building in the middle of winter. The living conditions weren’t well equipped to handle all the needs of a person in the cold. From there, he and a group of other children were shipped to an orphanage to be picked by other family members that they would go to live with. He was not adopted as quickly as some of the other kids, seeing as most of the family members wanted a little girl, but eventually he was chosen by an English family, and he stayed with them until he was old enough to go to college.
After the “Kindertransport era” was over and it was safe for people of Jewish faith to go out and do regular activities, his father came to visit him in America at least twice and his mother only once. Landsberger came to America when he was 23 and by then he knew several different languages such as German, English, and others. He eventually went on to become a professor at a university, and then married his wife who recently passed away after 61 ½ years.
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Photo Credit: Brianna Hales. Gonzalo Garcia attempts to pin his opponent.[/caption]Wednesday, December 18, the Orange High School Panther wrestling team enhanced their record to 14-1 after a dominate 67 to 3 victory over crosstown rival Cedar Ridge. The match was also improved the Panthers conference record to 3-0.
Orange’s dominate performance was in large part due to seven OHS wrestlers scoring pins against their opponents. There were four major decisions, one of which was scored by sophomore 126 pounder, Gonzalo Garcia. Garcia says despite the good start, the team still has a lot of room for improvement, saying, “We’re a really young team, and we’ve got to work hard and get better everyday if we want to reach our goal.” That goal that Garcia mentioned is the Dual Team State Championship, which Orange has won five out of the last nine seasons.
The Panther’s have had a great start to this season, winning both the November Duals, and the Thanksgiving Quad, while also taking second at the Jim King Invitational and the Jim Coggins Round-Robin Tour. The Panthers will next compete at the Sergeant Mark Adams Tournament hosted by Cary High School.
Tuesday night, September 17, the ladies at Orange High School got a chance to show their skills on the football field. Every year the game takes place with the Freshman class playing the Sophomores, and the Juniors playing the Seniors.
This year the game was dedicated to the late former Orange High School teacher Sue Liner. In the two games the Freshmen were victorious by a score of 16 to 0 and the Seniors won 14 to 2. Scoring for the class of 2016 were Mia Davidson on a long run, and Kaylen Campbell on a pass from Davidson. Scoring for the Seniors was Mackensie Cates.
Sophomore Emily Cunningham says the game was special, “The powder bowl is great because we get the chance to get down on the field and get dirty, while doing it with style... and sparkles!” Cunningham added that the game could have some minor changes, “I'd love to see the guys take the role of being the cheerleaders next year!” She also said she hopes to see more girls compete next year.
In between the two games the school honored the members of the Panther Court then crowned Senior Joe Piscitelli as Mr. Panther.
Photo credit: Mr. Okun[/caption]Friday, September 6, the Orange High School Panthers football walked off the field with a 38 to 0 win over Riverside High School in Durham, NC. This moved the Panthers to 3-0 on the season after defeating Roxboro Person and North Durham, 40 to 7 and 42 to 15 respectively.
The team is led by junior quarterback, Garrett Cloer, who has already thrown for 471 yards and has had ten touchdowns in his first year as Orange's varsity starter. Also leading the team will be the running back duo of senior Patrick Pettiford and Junior Tay Jones. The two have combined almost 600 yards rushing and five touchdowns, and have also caught another four touchdown passes. The Panthers have also had a very strong defense, none of the 22 points scored against the team in their first three games have occurred while the starting defense was on the field.
Sophomore Bryse Wilson, who starts at linebacker, said that his goal for the team this season is to simply “go undefeated and win the state championship.” Wilson also spoke highly of his teammates, “They are all hard working and have the will to win.” Wilson, who has been playing football since the age of six says that the football team's success will have a positive impact on the school, “It gives the school more confidence and more of a will to come out and support not only the football team but also other sports.”
Wilson also says that the team embraces a rough style of football, “We like to play a smash mouth kind of game in order to open up the passing. On defense we are told to get to the ball and be angry when you get there.” He also states that being a Panther means something both on and off the field, “It means that when you are walking up and down the halls you are not only representing yourself, but also the team and coaches.”
Orange football had an excellent 2012 season, finishing 11-3 and making it to the semifinals of the 3A State Playoffs before losing to the eventual state champions, Havelock High School.
The next Panthers home game is September 13 at 7 pm against Graham High School. The team has asked all students to sit in the student section and wear white at the game. To learn more about the team and players, visit their website http://ohsfootball.weebly.com/index.html.
The team had an up and down season, but were very close to winning the majority of the games they lost. The Panthers were led by their top three scoring leaders: Shinnick, Lexi Moyer, and Devon Allen. Goalie Madison Chandler also proved to be a valuable member. There were also many back ups that played a big role throughout the season.
Freshman goalie Bethany Barbee, who when asked how it would feel to make the playoffs answered, “I would be glad to make it, to show that all of our hard work in both the preseason and regular season paid off.”
When also asked how it felt to be a freshman playing on varsity, she said “I felt like I improved a lot over the course of the season due to all the great support I got from my teammates, and felt like we accomplished a lot.”
OHS will be hosting the 12th annual Hoops for Hope benefit in order to raise money for Huntington’s disease. The basketball shooting event will be held on March 2 from 9 am to noon in the OHS gym. The proceeds will go to the fight against Huntington's disease, which affects muscle coordination and leads to psychiatric problems.
The organization responsible for the event is the North Carolina Chapter of the Huntington’s Disease Society of America, a non-profit organization devoted to making the lives of Huntington’s disease patients better.
Spencer Husen, a freshman at OHS who will be participating in the event, said, “It’s great to have an event like this at our school and I'm glad that I can have some fun while doing something for a great cause.”
Prizes will be awarded to both the top shooters and top fundraiser.
Be sure to take the time to stop by the OHS gym from 9 am until 12 pm on March 2.
The Panther band has been thriving in recent months, backed by the strong, devoted leadership of their director Andy Carter. Monday, January 28, two OHS Panthers were selected to be on the 2013 All-Central Region Jazz Honors Band. Chosen by the North Carolina Music Educators Association, Johnathon Currin, a senior who plays the trumpet, and Jeremiah Peterson, a sophomore who plays the trombone, are 2 of 36 students on the honors band.
“I was very surprised, and even ecstatic,” Peterson replied about being selected, “and I was even happier to have been a part of this amazing experience.”
Currin and Peterson both agree that they will probably audition for the All-State Jazz Honors Band in March as their two-day experience with professional band clinicians really helped them understand what these bands are all about. Along with his All-Central Region Jazz Honors Band selection, Currin was also selected to be on the All-District Honors Band along with fellow Panthers Nathan Tilley, Alejandro Muñoz, and José Ortega. Tilley and Muñoz will also be competing at the state level for their band in March.
As for the selection process for the All-Region Jazz Band, Currin and Peterson, along with all other jazz band students, were asked if they wanted to audition for the All-Region band, and if they were interested, they would be given the audition piece, and scales to play in front of judges during the audition.
Currin and Peterson were both very excited upon selection, and they hope to continue trying out for the honors band throughout their next year(s) in high school. When asked about his future in band, Peterson said “I am proud to say that I am a jazz trombonist. It will be a life-long journey to become better every day than I am now, and will be then, but I know that I will love every second of it.”
Carter, Mary May, who is the CW Stanford Band Director, and many other adult leaders have had major influences on our Panther band members, and have pushed them to pursue a music career. With this motivation and education, hopefully we can see some great success with some of our Panther band graduates.
Lastly, don’t forget to mark your calendars for three upcoming events by our Panther band. One event is in February, and two are in May. Thursday, February 28 is the Pre-MPA Band Performance in the OHS auditorium (Time TBA). Sunday, May 19 is the Full Band Concert in the OHS auditorium at 3:00 pm. Lastly, Sunday, May 26 to Tuesday, May 28 the OHS Panther Regiment Trip will be in Washington, D.C.
If you see these proud Panthers around the school or around town, congratulate them on their honor, and hopefully we can see more Panther band students honored throughout the upcoming years.
Written by Ashley Hinkle
December 19, students who are currently enrolled in art courses for the first semester of the 2012-2013 school year proudly displayed their best artworks in the OHS' main lobby. The art teachers, Mrs. Dell-Jones and Mrs. Parker, put on this art show every semester and give the students extra credit for the number of guests that they bring.
During the event students ran a free refreshment table serving punch, cookies, crackers and rice crispy treats. All of the concessions were generous donations given to the art department by the art students themselves, with some help from parents as well. The art show was a success. Many people showed up and said they enjoyed the displays. Guests remarked on how talented the students were and said they cannot wait until the next one.
The next art show will be held in the spring for Mrs. Parker and Mrs. Dell-Jones's second semester art students. Asha Parham, a senior, said, “All of the art work was beautiful. We have really talented artists at Orange.”
Written by Ashley Hinkle
November 6, 2012, students from Shannon Braxton's Foods II class traveled to downtown Hillsborough to explore local businesses. The first stop was Weaver Street Market, a co-op company that partners with local farmers and vendors to buy and sell goods to the community. The group was led by Weaver Street employee Leslie. She gave the class a tour and let them sample some local goat cheese spread and jam.
Next on the list was to speak with Matthew of Matthew's Chocolates. Matthew's Chocolates is the small chocolate shop next to the Wooden Nickel tavern that sells unique confections. Matthew explained to students about how hard it is to start a business and maintain one. Matthew suggested to always have a back up plan for your backup because you never know what could go wrong.
Matthew also explained to students about his shared kitchen and how to be cost effective when running a business. “It is best to stay simple yet elegant... creativity goes a long way,” he said to students. He also revealed some of his designing secrets, like the fact that the ambiance in his shop is created by table runners over florescent lights, giving the shop a calm, more relaxing feel.
Anita Bettilyon, a junior at Orange High School, said, “I enjoyed going to Weaver Street and learning different things about it... I learned new things about the store that I never knew before.”
Chania Caldwell, junior, said, “What I really liked about the trip was the individual uniqueness about Weaver Street and Matthew's... Matthew designed the store himself and made it his own, that to me is pretty cool.”
Haley Smith, junior, said, “I liked how Weaver Street was local and that we are buying and supporting our fellow neighbors... to me that is pretty cool.”
The Marching Panthers received an almost unheard of music performance score, and make Orange proud as they were pitted against grueling competition and competed against many other bands in their class.
When trumpet marcher Jonathan Currin, senior, was asked about how he felt about the performance, and the season as a whole, he responded, "It was a great performance, our best show, and it showed in our scores. I was sad it was my last one, but it was a great season." When asked what he would miss most about marching band, he answered, "I'm gonna miss the family I've grown to love in marching band."
When Band Director Andy Carter was asked about his opinion of the Marching Panther's last performance, he responded, "The students achieved at a high level; it was a fitting end to the season." When asked what his feelings were about this year's marching band and saying goodbye to the seniors, he answered, "The students continually improved and achieved, and improved and achieved. The seniors will be greatly missed-their leadership was a key part of this year's success." When questioned about his thoughts on the season as a whole, he responded, "The season was a huge success, at every level. We had great performance from the students, great support from parents, and great backing from the community."
Sophomore trumpet player Alejandro Munoz summed up his experience when asked about the season. "I loved it; it was great. It [joining] was a great decision, I was proud to be a part of it."
This game has become a tradition for OHS students because it promotes school spirit and fun while supporting the school. The Powder Bowl is also the main fundraiser for the senior/junior prom. The game reverses the gender roles of a football game as the OHS women become the football players. One class plays another (i.e. the junior class will play the senior class) as the men pick up the slack in the roles of the cheerleaders.
Students like to participate in this event because it shows school spirit. If they win, they get to call themselves the “class champions” and it’s fun to play against your peers in another class along with your friends.
Participants in the powder bowl have always worn the same thing, they get a long-sleeve T-shirt with a number on it. The T-shirts now have names, numbers, classifications (senior, junior, sophomore, freshman), and graduation years on their backs.
This has been an annual tradition since OHS opened and will be for as long as OHS stands.
The Orange County Junior Classical League kicked off the start of a new year October 25 as new members were officially inducted into the club. The thirty minute long ceremony took place under the oak tree, sacred to Zeus, between first and second wings. As members old and new gathered at the tree, they were decked out in Carolina blue togae and golden wreaths to commemorate the official meeting of the past, present, and future. At 4:30 pm, 2nd Vice-President Grace Huskins, senior, started the ceremony by welcoming the Orange High and Cedar Ridge members and offering them a piñata in the shape of a present. “In ancient Rome, before a ceremony, priests would sacrifice an animal to verify the omens,” Huskins said. “Today, this multi-colored gift has volunteered to ensure the success of our fantastic occasion. Let us take a short moment to adore the gift.”
[vimeo]https://vimeo.com/52664226[/vimeo]
1st Vice-President Katherine Kirkman followed: “With each piece of candy that falls from this offering, you receive a friend, an ally, and the nourishment of your body and mind.”
After the breaking of the piñata, five executive members stood in a pentagram and required the inductees to go on a journey of mythological proportions to learn why the Classics are important. President Sarah Vassello spoke first, educating the new members about the impact of the Classics on modern society. Kirkman spoke of literature next, reading in a verse poem to further emphasize her point. Senior Nicolas Peckman, convention chair, pointed out how the United State’s structure of government and law-making processes are attributed to the ancients. Cedar Ridge Tribunes Chris Tauer and Lucas Barrick spoke of Classically inspired art followed by Huskins’s speech about the impact of Latin on other languages.
After the speeches, members took an oath promising to “proclaim the study of Latin to be above all others be they alive or dead.” They were asked, “Do you covenant to hand on the torch of the classical civilization in the modern world?” The inductees were then asked perhaps the most important question of the night: do you accept the friendly hand of JCL? If the member said yes, a hand covered in gold paint high fived him or her, leaving the JCL mark on the inductee.
After a quick hand washing, the members and teachers had time to partake in refreshments.“I think that it went very well. I feel that everyone had a lot of fun and that it really encouraged them to work hard,” Kirkman said.
The next general meeting will be November 8 in Mr. Mauriello’s room.
As part of the One to One Initiative Program, each Orange County School system student in 6th through 12th grade will be able to rent a laptop for the year for an annual fee of $25. According to the Orange County School website, “the laptops will be distributed to all students in grades 6-12 in a staggered roll out during the first month of school.”
OHS students in tech-support and online classes received their laptops on Friday, August 31 while students currently in math courses starting receiving laptops on Tuesday, September 4. According to Assistant Principal Will Okun, English courses will be next in order of distribution followed by science courses. The tentative goal to have laptops in the hands of all OHS students is Friday, September 14, according to Okun.
The One-to-One Initiative Program is the official title for the laptop movement, which grants both students and teachers laptops for the year. The program has been in planning for at least a few months, with upgrades to the wireless system to support the increasing traffic occurring in February.
Teachers received their laptops during July and have been experimenting with ways to incorporate the new technology into their lessons.
“Working with the new computers is the next logical step for students!” Sarah Hill, an OHS English 1 and 2 teacher, said. “Teaching and learning with computers is going to help our students as they further their education and their careers. Computers in the classroom will also help them adapt to the expectations of the 21st century.”
The laptop, a Lenovo Z131E, comes with protective sleeve or with the limited option of a backpack with an attached laptop pouch. All Orange County laptops are engraved with the official seal of the school system, making it easily distinguishable from non-school machines.
Several informative meetings in the OHS auditorium targeting parents were held during the week of August 20 to ensure smooth transitioning for the parents as well as the students. At the meeting, the purpose of the laptops was stated clearly: the laptops provide the opportunity for more individualized learning as well as promotes an attitude of initiative amongst the students. The wireless aspect is also advantageous as students and teachers can communicate from any point with such capability.
The meeting emphasized that safety guidelines for Internet and computer use would be strictly enforced. Such safety precautions include the restriction of Facebook and Twitter. They also emphasized that, although the county owns the it, it is each student’s responsibility to take care of his or her own laptop.
It is strongly recommended that each student purchase his own headphones with an attached microphone and a 2 to 4 gigabyte flash drive to back up important information to make the most out of their laptop experience. Battery conditioning will also be important as the laptops have a 9 hour battery life and students only be able to recharge their laptops in the cafeteria and media center; failure to bring a fully-charged laptop to school is akin to failure to bring in homework. In case of a technical problem, each school will have a Help Desk in the media center where students can go to fix the laptops during school hours and a Lenovo hotline number to call after school hours.