Humans of Oakridge

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Humans of Oakridge Sharing stories of the Oakridge community, one picture at a time.

What is one word that describes your Oakridge experience?"Loving""Comforting""Opportunity""Unparalleled""Inoubliable""Me...
21/05/2017

What is one word that describes your Oakridge experience?
"Loving"
"Comforting"
"Opportunity"
"Unparalleled"
"Inoubliable"
"Memorable"
"Family"
"Challenging"
"Enlightening"

(Photo and words by Kyndall Bertrand, Grace Burnett, Walker Emmert, Aaron Franklin, Brock Knott, Katie Novak, Ana Paula Martinez, Bailey Spates, and Amy Zhang)

What has been your favorite class? "Mr. Renshaw's class. I grew alot through his class. High school changes you permanen...
21/05/2017

What has been your favorite class?
"Mr. Renshaw's class. I grew alot through his class. High school changes you permanently, but so does everything you do. I was a little depressed when I was a 'tweenager,' but Mr. Renshaw's class answered my questions. I am going to The University of Colorado Boulder. I want to study physics but that may change twice. I can't wait to make new friends now that I know how."-Neil Ray (Photo and Interview by Katie Novak)

In honor of National Decision Day, here's a post about senior Mark Wright!Why did you choose the college you chose?“I ch...
02/05/2017

In honor of National Decision Day, here's a post about senior Mark Wright!

Why did you choose the college you chose?

“I chose MIT because it better aligned with my values and what I wanted out of life. MIT has the number one undergraduate programs in both physics and engineering, which are the two majors I'm considering. There are also great opportunities to do research and get internships with all kinds of companies right off campus. Also I really appreciate the opportunity to continue playing football in college, which I wouldn't get at many other universities. Boston is an incredible city and having so many other universities close by in a college town will make my experience even better.” -Mark Wright (Photo by Amy Zhang; Interview by Grace Burnett)

“I’m still discovering myself as a 12-year-old. I’m discovering what I like to do and how I can excel as a student. Some...
28/04/2017

“I’m still discovering myself as a 12-year-old. I’m discovering what I like to do and how I can excel as a student. Something I’m really passionate about is friendships and making friends because friends are the best part of school. Friends make everything better and they’re always there for you. Friends are really great because you can always rely on them. I feel like I make friends easily because I throw them parties, make them slime, and give them balloon animals. To people who struggle with making friends I would say, just be yourself and try to find someone who has the same interest as you and they’ll most likely love you. ” -Kristina Miller
(Photo and Interview by Olivia McLean)

With 25 days left until graduation, here's a post about senior Kyle Pond!“Spain was definitely the best year of my life....
25/04/2017

With 25 days left until graduation, here's a post about senior Kyle Pond!
“Spain was definitely the best year of my life. While I was over there I lived with a host family. They parented me a lot less so I was like independent. I had to live smarter, which helped me prepare for college. I also got an opportunity to play rugby. It was easily my favorite sport I've ever played. My team was basically like a second family. We were a really close brotherhood. We hung out on the weekends, and they were some really cool guys. It was really fun to try something I've never done before. Playing rugby was the most fun I've ever had, and now I'm getting an opportunity to play at Michigan State. I never thought it would happen, but I can't wait for it.”-Kyle Pond
(Photo and Interview by Walker Emmert)

Why do you hold the door everyday?“Because I enjoy doing it. I like the feeling of happiness it gives others. I enjoy do...
21/04/2017

Why do you hold the door everyday?

“Because I enjoy doing it. I like the feeling of happiness it gives others. I enjoy doing it a lot. I’ve been holding the door for a year and a half now. It's been nice.
And I do like when people say thank you, but it's not required. I don’t do it to get something out of it. Typically I see a lot of chatter, so many relationships between various groups of people, who's friends with who, who's in a relationship etc.”-Harrison Jones
(Photo and Interview by Aryn Franklin)

How did you like Walk to the Future?“It was fun. We saw everyone in the school, and we ate cookies. It makes me excited ...
14/04/2017

How did you like Walk to the Future?
“It was fun. We saw everyone in the school, and we ate cookies. It makes me excited to be in 1st grade with all my friends.”-Ellie
(Photo and Interview by Rachel Tan)

Why did you start teaching and what is your favorite part about being a teacher?“I enjoyed sharing knowledge and skill w...
07/04/2017

Why did you start teaching and what is your favorite part about being a teacher?

“I enjoyed sharing knowledge and skill with people. When I was in second grade, I was homeschooled. After I learned something, I would turn around and teach my three year old brother. When I was in grad school, I taught a Freshman English Class at Texas A&M University. I took some time off from teaching and during that I realized I wanted to teach. I am actually qualified to teach most of the sciences like Chemistry, Physics, and Life Sciences. I love watching kids go “Oh!!!! That's why!!” and seeing the light bulb go off in their head once they finally understand something.”- Ms. Eggleston
(Photo by Channy Cornell, Interview by Katie Novak)

With 50 days left until graduation, here's a post about senior Lauren Marr!"I'm very ready to graduate. I'm just the kin...
01/04/2017

With 50 days left until graduation, here's a post about senior Lauren Marr!
"I'm very ready to graduate. I'm just the kind of person that really likes change, so graduation is just another form of that. I've been going to Oakridge for 6 years, and I've learned a lot about who I am and what I want to be because of the school. The people that I've met here are honestly amazing, and they are probably what I'll miss the most when I leave. But I feel grown and that I'm ready to go to Clemson and start the next chapter of my life." -Lauren Marr
(Photo and Interview by Grace Burnett)

“How did you get into beatboxing?”“I always wanted to play guitar or the drums, but my parents wanted me to go through p...
24/03/2017

“How did you get into beatboxing?”
“I always wanted to play guitar or the drums, but my parents wanted me to go through piano first, and I guess I just didn’t have the discipline to be good at piano. But when I’d listen to songs, I’d imitate the beat. I started exploring beatboxing as a way to accompany myself on singing, but I never really got into looping software, so it was never really a thing. Beatboxing is cool because it’s another way to make music without using an instrument. I can’t play any instruments, but I can beatbox. I guess my dream now is to beatbox for a college a ca****la group. I was able to do that a little bit over the summer. At Carnegie Mellon, there was this a ca****la group that I auditioned for as a baritone, and then they needed a beatboxer. So, I stepped in and did a little bit for them. I didn’t originally want to do something for the talent show. But I just thought why not and kind of threw something together last minute. Beatboxing was just something I wanted to share. I just wanted to show people something that I thought was cool.”-Noah Gladden
(Photo and Interview by Amy Zhang)

“Do you have anyone you want to thank?”Nicco LaRovere: Mr. Pennywell.Anush Pabley: Avery.Arya Firouzbakht: Avery; he car...
23/03/2017

“Do you have anyone you want to thank?”
Nicco LaRovere: Mr. Pennywell.
Anush Pabley: Avery.
Arya Firouzbakht: Avery; he carried the team.
Chris LaRovere: Anush; he caught the ball.
Avery Pennywell: Some of the former members of Team Lockdown like Carlos.

“What is the secret to your success”
Chris Larovere: If you have Anush and Avery on a team you are guaranteed to win.
(Photo and Interview by Brock Knott and Aryn Franklin)

“What’s your secret talent?”“I kind of like to look at myself as someone who is pretty ambitious with stuff like that, s...
22/03/2017

“What’s your secret talent?”
“I kind of like to look at myself as someone who is pretty ambitious with stuff like that, so I have a few, I would say. I love magic, particularly card magic, just because it’s more engaging because most people know what I deck of cards is. It fills a bridge in between you and the spectator. I also like wrestling, and I play the guitar and sing. But I like magic because it’s very engaging. I started in fifth grade, when my parents got me this Criss Angel magic kit thing for Christmas. It was a super basic magic kit, and the tricks in it were pretty ridiculous, but in high school I picked it back up because I was like, “Man, I really like this stuff.” So, I started doing some research online, and I found some cool stuff and started practicing it. For me, I don’t think magic should be something that is a puzzle. I don’t think the end goal of the magic trick is to leave the spectator feeling like he wants to know how you did it. I think, if you do magic correctly, you should leave the spectator feeling almost changed, if that makes any sort of sense. I want to leave them engaged with my story. It’s like that feeling you get where you’re just in awe of what you just saw, and I think giving that feeling to someone else is extremely powerful and really cool.”-Graham Stanush
(Photo and Interview by Amy Zhang)

"What's your secret talent?""My greatest passion in life is probably music. I play the guitar. It's like when I play, al...
21/03/2017

"What's your secret talent?"
"My greatest passion in life is probably music. I play the guitar. It's like when I play, all my worries go away. If I'm having a really stressful day at school, I'll come home and just pick it up and I can sink back into a different world of just music. It was a combination of a lot of things that made me choose guitar. I've always had one and my grandpa used to play and would try to get me to learn but I was never interested until I was about seven. I began to listen to musicians my dad would listen to. Like Van Halen, I was really inspired by the guitarist from that band. So I decided to get an electric guitar and do lots of lessons and learn their songs. I think it would be amazing to have a career in guitar but it's a really small chance. So if I have the chance I'll take it but I want to do something that will be better for me and my future. I'll never want to stop playing guitar though. Mr. Colley said that he sometimes still plays his guitar to his daughter and friends. It's always a part of his life just maybe not the main thing in his life. I can connect with that and things Mr. Colley has said to me encourage me to keep playing. I've even started lessons again."-Matt Martin, 8th grade
(Photo by Laura Downey, Interview by Tucker Pond)

In honor of the Talent Show this Wednesday, we have asked some of the people at Oakridge, "What's your secret talent?""I...
20/03/2017

In honor of the Talent Show this Wednesday, we have asked some of the people at Oakridge, "What's your secret talent?"
"I’m good at finding people. It’s easy. I’ve found someone behind a tree. I can find someone behind a wall. My mom told me I’m good at finding people. I found my mom at the library. I found my brother behind a tree. I like being a policeman. I have a police costume. I put people in handcuffs, good guys and bad guys." -Remis, Pre-K
(Photo and Interview by Brock Knott and Rachel Tan)

In honor of last day of uniforms, here's a post about senior Aryn Franklin!“I wore pants because it was cold, that was l...
10/03/2017

In honor of last day of uniforms, here's a post about senior Aryn Franklin!
“I wore pants because it was cold, that was literally the only reason. People expect me to be some fashion icon and think that at 6 years old I should have some big reason for wearing pants. But I wore pants because it was cold. Other kids were wearing a skirt and they were freezing and I was wearing pants. I didn’t see what the big problem was until obviously I got older and lived up to be the fashion icon people look up to today. Wearing pants may have not been the cutest choice, but I was the most comfortable. That is what is most important.”-Aryn Franklin
(Photo and Interview by Brock Knott)

"I've always liked to do something different. I've always liked lifting weights. Freshman year I was too scared, sophomo...
03/03/2017

"I've always liked to do something different. I've always liked lifting weights. Freshman year I was too scared, sophomore year I was thinking about doing it and junior year I finally got into powerlifting. Being the only girl competing was definitely a little awkward at first, but everyone was really comforting and really welcoming and after the first three weeks everyone was like, "ok she's fine." To girls thinking about powerlifting, you can do anything you want to do, and if powerlifting is something that you want to do, go for it. Don't let the idea of being the only girl or the only one doing it stop you from doing anything that you want." -Danielle Bowling
(Photo by Tucker Pond, Interview by Ana Paula Martinez)

“I like to go fishing with my dad because we get to catch fish, and have fun, and step in mud with boots! I don’t have a...
24/02/2017

“I like to go fishing with my dad because we get to catch fish, and have fun, and step in mud with boots! I don’t have any boots though anyways. I have little ones, size 13! Lakes have bad fish that will bite you like piranhas! They have sharp teeth!" - Noah, 1st Grader
(Photo and Interview by Brock Knott)

“It's been a lot of fun! I did musical theatre in 7th grade, so I've just had my heart set on it. It's different from ot...
17/02/2017

“It's been a lot of fun! I did musical theatre in 7th grade, so I've just had my heart set on it. It's different from other shows I've done because there weren't as many lights and all the sound effects, so it's a lot bigger. Working with the entire high school and not just 7th and 8th graders was kinda scary at first, but now it's just cool because there's a lot of people I can ask for advice or it's easier to ask questions because they always know the answer. Having a lead role in my first year is really exciting, but it almost feels like more pressure on me. It's motivates me to work a lot harder because I want to show them that they made the right decision in giving me this role, but it's a lot of fun and I'm very thankful for it. I'd say if you're deciding between doing the musical or not, go for it! Don't let nerves or anything scare you. It's a lot of fun and you learn a lot of things, you meet a lot of people, and make a lot of friends. I really enjoyed it and I'm planning on doing it the rest of my high school career.” -Elizabeth Trimble
“It's been a whole lot of fun. The music is catchy, the cast is pretty much perfect, the story has a lot of heart and humor and pretty much everything I look for in a show. It's very surreal going from just a freshman lucky enough to get a prominent role to someone who people look forward to seeing in the musicals. There are a lot more expectations, but it's just as rewarding, maybe even more so. Being in musical theatre has really taught me that it's okay to be a little bit out there. I know my 1st grade self would've never seen myself doing this kind of stuff. It's brought me out of my shell and really impacted all the other corners of my life. It definitely shaped my high school and whenever I think back to my time at Oakridge it's going to be one of those things I can't separate from those years. It's a lot of fun, it's a lot of work, but ultimately, it's that final product, being out there dancing and singing with your friends, having a lot of fun that's the most rewarding part.” -Ryan Tan
(Photo by Amy Zhang, Interview by Walker Emmert)

Happy Valentine’s Day! To celebrate, here’s a post about Mrs. and Mr. Andersen and how they first met at Oakridge.Mrs. A...
14/02/2017

Happy Valentine’s Day! To celebrate, here’s a post about Mrs. and Mr. Andersen and how they first met at Oakridge.

Mrs. Andersen: We started at Oakridge the same year, so we had a new teacher orientation, and Mr. Andersen and I saw each other then. Mr. Coe and Mrs. Sable will both tell you that they’re the ones that put us together, but we don’t know if that’s true. Anyways, we started together, so we got to know each other at the orientation. We started dating shortly after that school year started, and then we got engaged at homecoming the next year. We got married a week after school got out the second year.

Mr. Andersen: We had always laughed that if we had met each other in college, we wouldn’t have dated. We were both looking for different things at different times. It’s important that your life stages need to be in sync with each other. And I had a lot of growing up to do from age 17 to age 27. And it wouldn’t have been good had I married anybody else prior to Judi; it would not have been healthy or lasting like this.

(Interview by Amy Zhang)

With one day until Valentine’s Day, here's a post about seniors Logan Muzyka and Jacob Pakele!“What is the first thing t...
14/02/2017

With one day until Valentine’s Day, here's a post about seniors Logan Muzyka and Jacob Pakele!

“What is the first thing that comes to mind when you hear the word ‘love’?”

Logan: “Being Christian, I think of biblical love of course.But in a more romantic way I think of Jacob and when I determined what love was because that was kind of the first real experience I ever had with it. I realized that it wasn’t just a romantic feeling. He became my best friend and was the first person I wanted to tell when anything important happened in my life.”

Jacob: “Logan.”

(Photo and Interview by Grace Burnett)

As the countdown till Valentine's Day continues, here's a post about middle schooler Rachel Fisher!“What is the first th...
13/02/2017

As the countdown till Valentine's Day continues, here's a post about middle schooler Rachel Fisher!

“What is the first thing that comes to mind when you hear the word ‘love’?”

“The first thing that comes to my mind is just loving someone unconditionally, treating people the best way possible and being kind to them. I see this kind of love everywhere, at school and even in my family. It’s really inspiring to see how much love matters in the world” - Rachel Fisher

(Photo and Interview by Olivia McLean)

With three days until Valentine's Day, here's a post about third grader Christopher!"What is the first thing that comes ...
11/02/2017

With three days until Valentine's Day, here's a post about third grader Christopher!

"What is the first thing that comes to mind when you hear the word 'love'?"

"ewwwww because I don't like that word"-Christopher
(Photo and Interview by Brock Knott)

As a countdown to Valentine's Day, here's a post about kindergarteners Benjamin and Gavin!"What is the first thing that ...
10/02/2017

As a countdown to Valentine's Day, here's a post about kindergarteners Benjamin and Gavin!

"What is the first thing that comes to mind when you hear the word 'love'?"

Benjamin (left): Valentine's Day. My house, and my toys. And my TV. Gavin! My mom and my dad. I love them because they are my family.

Gavin (right): I love my school and my classroom because we do fun things. I love Dylan because we do lots of cool stuff. I love basketball, and I love to play with Benjamin.

(Photo and Interview by Rachel Tan and Brock Knott)

In honor of 100 days until graduation, here's a story about senior Haden Branch!"I came to The Oakridge School in kinder...
09/02/2017

In honor of 100 days until graduation, here's a story about senior Haden Branch!

"I came to The Oakridge School in kindergarten and started playing YMCA baseball when I was 4. My dad always had a ball and a glove around and we always played catch. I love baseball, and I want to get as far as I can so that's why I decided to play in college. The coaches at Oakridge have a lot of knowledge and have helped me a lot, but if I had to give advice to someone looking to play in college, I would tell them to work hard, lift, and to play summer and fall baseball. I'm going to miss Oakridge, but at the same time I'm really excited for graduation." -Haden Branch
(Interview by Ana Paula Martinez, Picture by Grace Burnett)

Why did you join the Marines?"I don’t know how it happened. I just wanted to do something different. All of my friends w...
03/02/2017

Why did you join the Marines?
"I don’t know how it happened. I just wanted to do something different. All of my friends were going to UT, and obviously I ended up going to UT four years later. They just recruited me and reeled me in. I don’t know how, but the benefits sounded really good. Sometimes it was gratifying, but mostly it was miserable. That’s just the life, right. I was in the band, so it’s just a job. You get enlisted, you go to boot camp. Marine Corps boot camp is thirteen weeks long, and so it was rather intense. They scream and you obey. They just run around like a drill sergeant. Even though I was in band, it was still the real boot camp. It was supposed to be really cool and fun. I was in the band for four years. Sometimes it was really good, sometimes it wasn’t, but it is what it is. I did get deployed to Iraq. I didn’t really do much over there, but at least I could feel like I served.
After four years in the Marine Corps, college was like, "I’m going to wear white t shirt and jeans and grow my hair really long." I was disgusting." - Mr. Irons, Upper School Physics Teacher
Photo and Interview by Amy Zhang and Aryn Franklin

"What I love about choir and music making in general is that you can only do so much as an individual musician; you can ...
27/01/2017

"What I love about choir and music making in general is that you can only do so much as an individual musician; you can practice alone all day long, but once you come together as an ensemble you get to make music with a bunch of other people who are also really passionate about music. That’s really cool to me, and it gives me goosebumps. All-State last year was my favorite choir experience so far. I remember we were in the lobby part of our floor and Noah and Walker and Cade were all rolling on the ground. Then Cade went hopping through the fountain and Noah did too and he got all wet. And of course the music making was beautiful. Going to TPSMEA and TMEA is exciting because everyone tries their hardest to make the best music they can, which have become some of my favorite experiences. Being able to come together with people from all over Texas and make beautiful music has impacted me and my love for music so much."-Rachel Tan
Photo and Interview by Brock Knott

“I want to be myself, because there is no one in the world I want to be like other than myself. Because I have the power...
20/01/2017

“I want to be myself, because there is no one in the world I want to be like other than myself. Because I have the power to create my own destiny, but I can’t do that if I’m someone else. Don’t change for anybody, and don’t go out of your way to be like someone else. That would be like me wearing a golden speedo to school, that’s a desperate cry for attention, and I don’t need to prove anything to anyone. You should get attention for who you are, not what you do. Don’t make it all just for show."-Harrison Howell
Interview and Photo by Ana Paula Martinez

“I took a gap year after college, and I worked in a program at the Echo Hill Outdoor School in Chesapeake Bay, which was...
06/01/2017

“I took a gap year after college, and I worked in a program at the Echo Hill Outdoor School in Chesapeake Bay, which was kind of like the place we go on our ninth-grade class trip. Then in the winter I went to Madagascar and taught English to the locals. There were forty people in our camp, and we taught English for three classes every day. There were three guys in the adult English class that worked at the lemur park, so they took us up for free. You put a banana in your hand, and the lemurs will crawl up on your shoulder and down your arm and eat it.
I was originally going to scuba dive and restore a coral reef, but I got strep throat two weeks into the trip, and they couldn’t treat it because they didn’t know how. And you can’t dive when you’re sick because then your ear drums will blow up. So, I switched to teaching English, and I’m really glad I did.
The culture is completely opposite of America. They live right on the beach, so everyone is just in flowy dresses everywhere. Very few people wear shoes anywhere. The school buildings are made of concrete, but all of the houses are made of thatched palm leaves and bamboo. There’s no lights in the houses or air conditioning or anything like that. Most people live on less than a dollar a day. Their motto is in their native language is “Mora Mora”, which is like take things slowly, relax. It’s completely different from America, where we just take things fast and you always have to have something to do. I loved it.
It was very hard to adjust back to living here. For probably a week after I got back, I would just leave the house without shoes on, because I didn’t wear shoes at all while I was there. And over there, everything that was green was really green, and the sky was really blue. A very deep, clean blue. The air pollution wasn’t as big of a problem, especially where we lived. There no roads, so there were no cars. There was one bicycle on the island, but no one knew how to ride it, so it just sat there. And the stars, oh my goodness. The stars were amazing. We were in the southern hemisphere, so the stars that we saw were different, and the water went down the drain the other way. It was very different.”
-Michelle Cane, Class of 2015

“I have always really wanted to go to TCU, ever since my sister went there. We are like 7 years apart and I idolized her...
16/12/2016

“I have always really wanted to go to TCU, ever since my sister went there. We are like 7 years apart and I idolized her. A couple years after she went there my dad and I were watching the Baylor vs TCU game and he was like, "Whoever wins this game that's where you're going to go," and I was like, "No way." So we made a bet and Baylor ended up winning. I was like, "I'm not going to Baylor! I'm not going to Baylor!" But the more I looked into it the more I did want to go to Baylor. Then I went to visit and I just kinda fell in love. I visited Baylor and TCU all within a month. You know when you go to visit a school and it's just "oh I'm just walking around a campus" but Baylor was kinda different. There were a lot of things I liked. They have scriptures just randomly on the wall, and just uplifting things to help you out. It is just like a homely place.”-Shae Clark
(Interview and Picture by Brock Knott)

“I first came to the United States on January 1st, 2014. My cousin came before me, then she convinced her mom to tell my...
09/12/2016

“I first came to the United States on January 1st, 2014. My cousin came before me, then she convinced her mom to tell my dad to let me go. After a lot of talking, my dad agreed. I was excited to experience more outside of Malaysia but also nervous to experience new things and sad to leave all of my friends. I still remember the first nine weeks at Oakridge. Communication was very hard because I was closed off to everyone, and I also didn’t know English very well. For the first eight months, the language barrier was very difficult, but it has gotten much better. I still get nervous because I have to think sentences through before I talk to people. It was hard at first because most people at Oakridge have been here since they were in preschool, but it ended up being okay because the people at Oakridge are very kind and accepting. It helped joining the volleyball team my sophomore year because my team was so welcoming, and then the kindness spread to everyone in volleyball, then to my grade, then to other grades, too. I like school better here than in Malaysia. I’d say there’s more freedom. In our classes in Malaysia, the teacher doesn’t really care whether you understand or not. They just force you to memorize the formulas to solve problems. Over here, teachers make sure everyone understands how things work.
One of my favorite things about the United States compared to Malaysia is the different weather. Before I came to the U.S., I had never seen fall or winter before. I was so excited my freshman year when I saw snow for the first time.
Coming over here to the United States taught me independence because my parents didn’t live here the first two years I did, so I had to do my own laundry and cook for myself. I’ve learned to step out of my comfort zone and try new things. I am planning to go to the University of Texas to major in biochemistry, and afterwards, I will stay with my family here in the states because they live here, too.”
-Jessica Lim
(Interview and Photo by Rachel Tan)

“Reading gives me different perspectives on things, like mental illness, that I wouldn’t be able to understand if I didn...
02/12/2016

“Reading gives me different perspectives on things, like mental illness, that I wouldn’t be able to understand if I didn’t read. I feel like people who don’t read are very closed off to some things and ideas. I read this book called The Girl Who Fell, and when I picked it up I didn’t know it was about a girl in an abusive relationship and I was like “woah”. Everyone says you need to be aware of the signs of an abusive relationship, but I wouldn’t know what those would be unless I read. There’s a difference between reading and experiencing things in real life. Instead of reading a biography about someone who is physically abused, you’re reading a story where you’re attached to the character and you’re watching this girl go through this relationship. The story was tragic but something that I appreciate because I now have knowledge over it with this beautifully haunting story.“ - Channy Cornell (Interview by Olivia McLean, Picture by Laura Downey)

“I started to play when I was 5 years old. And since 5th grade I started to play select. I chose to keep playing basketb...
18/11/2016

“I started to play when I was 5 years old. And since 5th grade I started to play select. I chose to keep playing basketball In 5th grade, because it was a fun and intense sport. I’ve played for a couple of teams in the past but right now I’m playing on a team called Believe. I’ve been to Oklahoma, Kansas, Chicago, Louisiana, and a couple of other states for my select team. When I went to Oklahoma with my team. We won first place in the tournament and I got mvp for our final game because I was the star shooter point guard. I think I’d be able to play in college with the team I play now because we already play in a harder division. I don’t really care what school; I just really want to play in the collegiate level.There are many distractions on the court and when you need to pass and shoot those distractions become very tedious to deal with. The hardest part about playing is to stay focus and keep your mind in the game because if you're tied or up by two points you are trying to fight to win that game.” -Cheyenne Reese.
(Interview by Sam Davis, Picture by Chase Welch)

“You should make the most out of the situations that you have, or else you will spend your entire time just wishing that...
11/11/2016

“You should make the most out of the situations that you have, or else you will spend your entire time just wishing that things were better instead of making the most of what’s going on right now. I go through my camera roll a lot, and sometimes I’ll see pictures from an event and think, “Ok well, I don’t remember having a lot of fun during that time”, when I know that it could have been really fun. I just remember being worried. What helps me through that is my friends and doing things like the musical and cheer. Whenever I’m at cheer practice or rehearsal, that’s the only thing I have to focus on. I don’t have to worry about my algebra homework or my chemistry test that I’m probably going to fail the next day. The only thing that is important at that current time is what I’m doing.” – Janae Pierson

“I think it’s kind of ironic how Railey and I both have hip problems. I had hip surgery going into my junior year, and w...
04/11/2016

“I think it’s kind of ironic how Railey and I both have hip problems. I had hip surgery going into my junior year, and we have the exact same labrum tear. For me, the doctors said that I was never going to play field hockey again or run again. Field hockey was kind of just that one thing that pushed me to work harder in my therapies, so two years later, I’m able to go to SPC games and play two more seasons. The doctors were shocked, but I don’t think I was a surprise because this group of girls was what motivated me to push through that.” -Ana Paula Martinez
“Field hockey has taught me just to have patience and realize that you’re not always going to have your best day every single day. You’re going to have good days and bad days. Usually after games is when I felt that I didn’t want to do it anymore. Having my mom play, she always had a list of corrections and things I needed to work on, and it would just be defeating after games. But then, it was always something that I wanted to prove her wrong about. And after a game when I didn’t play super well, I always wanted to come back to my team and just apologize for how I played and show them over the next couple of days that I can do this. My team is my world to me and is honestly what gets me through those days.” – Railey Fitzgerald

"The idea behind this club was first inspired by Humans of New York, but I think that now it’s become more than that. I ...
28/10/2016

"The idea behind this club was first inspired by Humans of New York, but I think that now it’s become more than that. I want to find a way for people at Oakridge to get to know each other outside of class. When most people look at me, they probably just see me as the girl who’s really good at math or a girl on the swim team. But our relationships with other people should be more meaningful than that, and we should get to know each other as more than what classes we take or what sports we play. So that’s why I wanted to start this club: so we can share the stories of what people think rather than just what people do. By going around Oakridge and sharing the stories of people right here at school, we can gain some insight into the lives of those around us. And hopefully, little by little, we’ll learn things about each other that we never knew before and appreciate them in a whole new light." -Amy Zhang

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