U.S. flags were placed on the day before Veterans Day at Oasis Academy.
Jaime Lawrence
Students made Veterans Day cards for the veterans at The Homestead Assisted Living. The cards expressed messages of gratitude for the veterans. Wednesday also brought an opportunity for students to dress in patriotic colors in lieu of the standard Oasis uniform.
“Our veterans are very dear to us,” said Chief Academic Officer Rochelle Tisdale. “Every one of our Oasis family has to thank a veteran for the freedoms we enjoy. We are blessed to have NAS Fallon in our community, and we thank the service people that have to deploy and be away from their families. We also are appreciative of the spouses and children that are here holding things together while they are away.”
“We are so blessed to live in a community with so many active-duty servicemen and women. It gives the schools and families an opportunity to talk to and teach our kids about the sacrifice these men, women, and their families make on our behalf,” added CEO Melissa Mackedon. “Last week there was a dad in uniform dropping off his student in the morning and a little kindergarten, looked up at him with huge eyes and said, ‘Thank you!’ It really warmed my heart.”
A video message is now available on the Oasis website and social media thanking Oasis staff veterans and active-duty military for their service.
Grace Griswold
Seventh grade girls’ basketball dyes fountain Bighorn blue
The seventh grade girls basketball team dyed the fountain blue last Monday for winning the Lake Division championship. The girls were picked up by the city fire truck and met with the mayor and City Council at the Maine Street Fountain. Students were then treated to pizza and cake at Pizza Barn.
Spelling Bee Club starts practice
Back this year is the Spelling Bee Club. Students that excel at spelling are taking part in the Spelling Bee Club that started this week. The club is not only an opportunity for exceptional spellers to show off their talents, but also a chance for students looking to improve their spelling skills to gain valuable spelling tips and practices.
The club led by Lauren Kelly will practice to compete in the second annual Oasis Spelling Bee in January and go on to represent Oasis Academy at the local Spelling Bee.
“The spelling club is an academic extracurricular activity for third-eighth graders at Oasis Academy to participate in. The club helps our students to learn new vocabulary, master spelling skills, and get better prepared to compete in Oasis Academy’s second Annual Spelling Bee in January. We will send the top 10 spellers to the district level spelling bee. I share this quote with all our club members: ‘Of course words are magic. That’s why they call it spelling.’ – Brian Holguin”
To learn more about the Spelling Bee Club contact Kelly at lkelly@oasisacademyfallon.us..
Cmdr. James Antoniono
Annual student updates due
Annual update is upon us. Parents of enrolled students kindergarten through high school need to log into their Infinite Campus Parent Portals and complete the update. This information is critical to keep emergency contact and household information current. Parents received an email with instructions on completing the online forms.
For questions contact Jaime Lawrence by calling 775-423-5437 or at help@oanv.org.
DJ club starting up again
Students will be spinning the music again at school events including dances and games. Adviser Jaime Lawrence is excited to be taking the helm of the DJ Club this winter.
“Restarting the DJ Club is going to be fun. I’m passionate about music and used to be in a band, so music has been a huge part of my life. I want students in the club to enjoy themselves and learn about all genres of music in this hands-on experience,” Lawrence said. “The club will help come up with ideas for events and set the atmosphere.”
To learn more about the DJ Club or book them for an event contact Lawrence at jlawrence@oasisacademyfallon.us
Colleges visit campus
Continuing throughout the fall semester high school students will have the opportunity to hear from multiple colleges and universities including Montana Western, University of Nevada, Las Vegas, University of Nevada, Reno, Universal Technical Institute and Truckee Meadows Community College.
“We want students to start learning as freshman about all of the different options available to them for higher education. Each of these schools bring different degree programs, along with different climates and cultures. It’s important for students to understand what they want and find the right fit for a school for their academic success,” said high school counselor Andy Lenon.
Volleyball played in regionals against Coleville and cross country competed in regionals at the Shadow Mountain Sports Complex. Senior volleyball players included Jelen Bayoneta, Ellie Bird, and Lauren Halloran. Senior cross country runners included Gavin Bracken and Hunter Arends.
Halloran described her volleyball experience.
“I decided to play volleyball because I was looking to try something new in eighth grade. I had recently lost my passion for dance, and just wasn't enjoying it anymore, so I decided to try out volleyball and I instantly fell in love with it. It's going to be very hard to say goodbye to it.” She will graduate in May with both her associate’s from WNC and her high school diploma.
Bayoneta, Halloran, Bracken and Arends will graduate with both their associate’s degrees from WNC and their high school diplomas in May. Bird is graduating early with her high school diploma in December.
Student Council attends western regionals
Oasis Academy Student Council attended western regionals this week at Reed High School. Fifteen schools attended with 65 students attending from Oasis for the day-long retreat.
Students attended general sessions focusing on leadership. Students also attended break-out workshops, presented by their peers from other high schools. Oasis student council members were immersed with students from other schools in their junior counselor groups.
Sophomore Hunter McNabb presented during a breakout session. His presentation was titled “Organize with Damselflies.” It focused on organizational skills for student councils as a whole for both academics and their lives. McNabb will find out at the end of winter break if he is chosen to present at the state conference at the end of March.
“Regionals is an amazing opportunity for Oasis students to network with peers from other schools in western Nevada. It is also a great chance to brainstorm and come up with new innovative ideas to bring back to their school,” says Lisa Swan, student council/leadership adviser.
Jelen Rose Bayoneta
Senior Spotlights
Jelen Rose Bayoneta
Senior Jelen Rose Bayoneta will graduate in May with both her high school diploma and associate of arts from Western Nevada College.
Bayoneta has been active in activities while attending Oasis, playing on the volleyball team and participating in archery. When asked what her favorite memory from Oasis is she says, “One of my favorite memories from Oasis was the campus trip during my sophomore year. I really had fun during that time since we were given a chance to visit different colleges and Universities.”
Continuing to look back on her career at Oasis, Bayoneta wants to thank Linda Pike for always being there to encourage her to do better in school and all the staff at Oasis Academy for helping her get through her senior year.
What’s her advice for future students? “If they need help or if they are struggling with something, they should not hesitate to ask or get help from the teachers. Also they should keep their goals in mind and believe in themselves.”
Upon graduating she is looking to either join the Navy as an information system technician or attend the University of Nevada, Reno.
Grace Griswold
“The only person in control of your life is you and you determine your own outcome,” is sound advice from senior Grace Griswold.
During Griswold’s tenure at Oasis she has participated in student council and was part of the first high school class to not have to wear Oasis’ uniform of khakis and an Oasis shirt. Her favorite class was sophomore English. “It was just fun and I got to learn about and read some classic literature, it was super interesting.”
Who would she like to thank for helping her along the way? “Oasis Counselor Mr. Lenon, he has been a really helpful and supportive person” during her time at Oasis.
Grace will graduate with both her high school diploma and associate's degree from Western Nevada College in May. She will then attend the University of Nevada, Reno and major in biology.