OG defense leads way to district playoffs

by: Austin Heusser

After having a great season, the Oak Grove boys’ and girls’ basketball teams are set to head to the district playoffs. On January 20th, the basketball teams faced Oak Grove’s fierce rivals, the Petal Panthers. The Warriors proved their worth after both teams emerged victorious over the Panthers in front of a massive cheering student section. This win has helped boost their confidence going into the district playoffs. Through much work and a hard-fought season, the boys’ team has achieved a 10-16 record while the girls’ team has put together an impressive record of 21-6.

Christian Hathrone, senior forward for the Warriors, sets up on defense in recent action agains Petal./ Photo by Raven Jones

The teams will face off against Sumrall for a final regular season matchup February 3rd, and then they will head into the first game of district playoffs on February 6th against Meridian High School, a huge rival of the Warriors. In order to advance to the state playoffs, the teams must emerge from the district playoffs in either first or second place. The top two teams in each of Mississippi’s eight districts will go on to represent that district in the State Championships. “Our boys’ basketball program hasn’t been to State since 1988. If the team makes it to the playoffs this year, it would surely be a historical and memorable event for Oak Grove High School,” senior guard Nathan Sims stated. Although this would be a historical event for the Warriors, they must first get past Petal, Meridian, and Hattiesburg. Although these teams stand in their way of making history, the teams are focused and ready to face any challenges which may lie ahead. The girls’ team is also prepared and ready for the upcoming challenge, and they are looking eagerly towards the District Tournament with high hopes of making it all the way to the State Championships.

Should abstinence education be taught in schools?

By: Austin Heusser
Staff Reporter

“About 34% of young women in the U.S. become pregnant at least once before age 20,” Henry J. Kaiser of the Family Foundation stated. This unfortunate statistic can be attributed to the failure of sex education programs in public schools that teach young people about sex, pregnancy, and the risks involved because they fail to teach them that remaining pure is a realistic option. Sexual education programs are intended to prepare young people for sex by arming them with the information about sex, contraceptives, STDs, and the potential mental and emotional effects. Oddly enough, “in 2009, 409,840 live births occurred to mothers aged 15-19 years,” the Center for Disease Control and Prevention said. The teen pregnancy rate in South Mississippi is 8.6% which is currently the nation’s highest. Because of this, a new approach may be needed. That approach is teaching students why they should refrain from sexual activity rather than simply teaching them what sex is.  Although some people may believe that abstinence education programs are ineffective, statistics show that such programs reduce the percentage of sexually active teenagers significantly. Georgia, for example, adopted abstinence education as a statewide policy in 1995, and since then, the teen pregnancy rate has dropped 46%. This indicates that abstinence education can make a difference in an adolescent’s decisions. Oak Grove should implement an abstinence program because it has been proven to be successful.

By: Amelia Passer

Staff Reporter

Let’s be honest, we all know about sex. Whether we approve of it or not, sex pops into our everyday lives; it simply cannot be avoided. Yet, sex education is one of the most controversial subjects taught in schools.

This past March, Haley Barbour signed a law giving middle schools the option for either abstinence-only education or abstinence-plus education, making abstinence the primary focus. With Mississippi leading the country in teen pregnancies, and the state spending $154 million a year on those pregnancies, obviously the state’s promotion of abstinence is ineffective. The law promotes abstinence-only, giving no alternative route of action for the majority. There has been no abstinence-only until marriage program that has been shown to help teens delay the initiation of sex or to protect themselves when teens do initiate sex. According to SIECUS (The Sexuality Information and Education Council of the United States), by the age of 18, 70% of teens have had sex, but billions of dollars supporting abstinence are spent every year. Adolescents have the right to accurate sexual health information. As of now, 87% of schools in the U.S. use abstinence as the main form of sexual education. Of the entire federally funded abstinence-only curriculum, over 80% contained false information about contraceptives (SEICUS). Despite what teens are taught in schools, they are going to continue to have sex; they always will. In the 21st century, we need to change our focus from keeping our students pure to keeping our students safe.

Oak Grove opens arms to welcome international community

by: Austin Heusser

   What is life like as a foreign exchange student at Oak Grove? From all around the world, high schoolers have come together at the home of the Warriors; many come to experience a cultural difference, and others come to see what it’s like to go to school in America. While these exchange students gain valuable cultural knowledge, the rest of the student body receive an inside view on what it is like to be from a different country surrounded by different people.

  Exchange students walked into a welcoming atmosphere here at Oak Grove at the begining of the school year. When asked what her favorite thing about going to school in America was, Anais Lecoq, exchange student from Belgium noted, “I would have to say that my favorite thing about going to school here is how friendly the people are. In Belgium if you are new to a school, people don’t talk to you, but in America people try to be your friend; they approach you and make you feel welcome.” While these students are at the school, they get an inside view on what life is like in the United States. They get to go to school, have classes, hang out, and talk to people their own age from a different country.
In many countries such as Belgium, Brazil, the Netherlands, and Germany, students don’t have the freedom to choose their classes; rather, they are assigned core classes. These classes are usually very strict and difficult. Aside from the academic and cultural differences, the extracurricular activities of these countries are different from the United States. “One of the major differences between the schools in the United States and my school in Brazil is sports. In Brazil, sports are not part of school. Instead of playing sports at school, we join community leagues,” Caio Moura, soccer player from Brazil, said.  Transportation methods also differ. In the United States, juniors and seniors usually enjoy the freedom of driving their vehicles to school every morning; however, many teenagers in other countries do not enjoy the same luxury. “In Germany no one drives to school. You are not allowed to drive until you are 18. In addition, there are no school buses in Germany; instead, you either ride your bike to school or take public transportation,” Nils Hagenmueller, tenth grader from Germany, remarked.
So has this Blue Ribbon school truly lived up to the cultural experience expected? When asked what he thought of his experience here, Moura stated, “I really enjoy going to school in America. The people here are really nice and welcoming, and the school system offers its students many choices. I love going to school at Oak Grove. It has been a great educational and cultural experience.” The student body has truly shown the Star School spirit by accepting these foreign exchange students into their Warrior clan.

Warrior football off to fast start

By: Austin Heusser, Staff Reporter

Oak Grove Warrior football stomped into the 2011-2012 games with a bang kicking off the season at home against the Sumrall Bobcats. The Warriors got their first hint of success in front of a screaming student section as they defeated the Sumrall Bobcats 52-0. After that victory, the Warriors traveled to their first away game against the Purvis Tornadoes where they continued their success by gaining another win with a score of 35-21.

The following week, the then 2-0 Warriors prepared for their next opponent, the Laurel Golden Tornadoes. Oak Grove defeated them 17-3. With a record of 3-0, Coach Barr began preparing his players for the hardest game of the season yet. Just coming off of a victory over the infamous South Panola High School, Gulfport High School set its crosshairs on the Warriors. Little did they know what awaited them on that Friday night. The Warriors, led by senior quarterback Steven Swindle, forced Gulfport into a submissive defeat of 31-14.

The Warriors then hopped on the bus and headed to Forest Hill High, where they brought their record to an impressive 5-0. The following week, the student body eagerly awaited the weekend game against the Warriors fierce rivals the Petal Panthers. On that cool Fall night, the Warriors charged into the stadium amidst screaming fans. The Warriors fought hard in the first half achieving three touchdowns and forcing a safety making the score at halftime 23-12 Oak Grove. Petal came back with a vengeance in the second half, expanding their score to a three touchdown lead. Oak Grove answered back with multiple touchdowns and increased their score to 37; however, the Panthers continued to score with an impressive 54 points.

After losing to the Panthers 54-37, the Warriors held their heads high as they walked off of the field. “We fought through the final whistle, and there’s no shame in that,” center Allen Cummins said after the game. Hopefully this mentality will go with the Warriors tonight as they travel to Meridian to face the Wildcats, ranked #3 in the state.

Christian Chauvin, senior, leaves Purvis defenders behind at the Warrior-Tornado showdown on August 26th.