Comet CourierOakwood High School March 6, 2015

Volume II, Issue 15

It’s great to be young and a Comet!

CometCalendar

March 9Fr. Orientation

March 9, 10PARCC TestingAlgebra II

March 12WYSE Sectional

March 14Saturday School

March 17ACT Test, Juniors

March 18School Board

March 18NHS Banquet

March 19, 20PT Conferences

March 23, 24, 25PARCC TestingEnglish III

Parent/Teacher Conferences -- March 19, 20

FFA hosts Career Fair

On February 27, the Oakwood FFA hosted the annual FFA Career Fair, as the final event of National FFA Week. It took place in the OHS Gymnasium.

All high school stu-dents were invited to talk

to 26 potential employers, two military branches, and six colleges that attended. The Student Development committee made many contacts, to ensure there was a good turn out. Plan-ning has already begun

for next year to address changes that need to be made for next year.

The Oakwood FFA Chapter appreciates all community members who attended to make this year's fair a success!

2 Comet Courier 03-06-15

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

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

ent-teacher conferences from 2-7 p.m. on Thur., March 19, and 8-11:30 a.m. on Fri., March 20.

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

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

have.To schedule a confer-

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

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

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

VVC Art Show set for Apr. 11 at OHSThe Vermilion Valley

Conference Art Show and Competition is being host-ed this year by OHS. It will be held on Sat., April 11 and will be open to the public from noon until 3 p.m.

The winners will be acknowledged at 3 p.m. for Best Of Show, Best Technical Skill and Best Design 2D and 3D. There are 45 categories award-ing 1st, 2nd, 3rd and Hon-orable Mention for each

category.The VVC Show will

have work from all 10 schools in the VVC and will be judged by area art-ists. The show has been a spring event since the for-mation of the conference.

OHS Art students from all levels will have work on display prepared for judging. OHS has domi-nated this show for many years, taking over half of the ribbons given and two of the four medals.

Booster Club Golf Outing*

June 20 at Harrison Park

* This is a change from past years

Sophomores or juniors requesting College Express classes at DACC next year should turn in their appli-cations by March 23. If they are approved by the high school administration, they will be submitted to DACC for final approval.

Forms can be picked up in the counselor’s office.

College Express appsdue March 23

3 Comet Courier 03-06-15

Read the Oakwood Times, at www.oakwooddailytimes.com

March 7 GT Mahomet Invite 2:00March 14 GT Charleston Indoor 8:15March 18 BB Mahomet-Seymour 4:30March 21 BT Charleston Indoor 8:15March 24 BB @ Urbana 4:30March 25 SB @ Fisher 4:30March 25 BB @ Fisher 4:30March 26 SB @ Villa Grove 4:30March 26 BB @ Monticello 4:30March 27 GT/BT Prep Top Times MeetMarch 30 BB Unity 4:30

Upcoming Athletic Events

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

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

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

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

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

of the inner workings of your child’s school.

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

Please visit https://survey.5-es-sentials.org/illinois/ and select the appropriate survey to begin. Parent surveys need to be completed by March 20, 2015.

Parents, students to take 5Essentials Survey

Winter weather messes with testing schedulesThe recent bad weather has forced a rescheduling of the spring

testing schedule.The ACT test will now be given to the juniors on March 17, seniors

do not have to be in attendance on that day.The PARCC Algebra II test will now be moved up to avoid the

ACT. It will be given on March 9 and 10. The PARCC English III test will be given on March 23, 24, and 25.

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

Students that are to be tested should make sure they are well-fed, well-rested, in attendance and on time on those days.

Nostalgia basketball returns to OGS

The Booster Club will host their annual Nostalgia basketball tournament on March 27, 28, and 29.

The tournament is for alumni of local schools to take the floor again with their classmates.

The tournament is held at Oakwood Grade School. Competing teams are Oakwood, Chrisman, Potomac/Armstrong, Georgetown-Ridge Farm, Catlin, ABL, and Westville.

1:40 Dismissal on March 27

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

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

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

The final day of school for the

students has not been officially de-termined yet.

Senior Honors Night will be May 12.

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

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

These students will go to Heritage High School tomor-row for the IHSA Solo and Ensemble competition.

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

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

Solo and Ensemble

4 Comet Courier 03-06-15

On March 19, select students from band and choir will be travelling to Bismarck-Henning for the day to participate in the 2015 All County Band and Choir Festival.

These students will rehearse all day with guest conductors, as well as the top students from oth-er schools through-out the county. The culmination will be a concert that evening, and will also include the County Sports-manship Awards.

The students par-ticipating this year are Beckah Cyphers, An-nie Machin, Mitchell Day, Katie Schell, Eric

Evans, Greyson Carpenter, Bailey Wilt, Ashley Webb, Autumn Johnston, Haley Hendrickson, Holden Billings, Kiley Widenburner, Josalynn Smith, Darian Hoskins, Shannon Stingley, Ethan Tull, Kathy McFarland, and Aaron Moody.

Congratulations, and best of luck to all stu-dents!

Students named to All-County Band and Chorus

5 Comet Courier 03-06-15

Engage Educate Empower

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

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

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

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

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

It’s pre-registration time

Freshmen Orientation set

for March 9The Class of 2019 will be

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

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

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

c o u r -aged to attend.

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

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

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

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

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

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

LuAnn Grimm18320 Newtown RoadOakwood, IL 61858

Post Prom Committee wants you to “Paint the Town”

Drama to present murder-mystery

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

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

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