From left: Ezra Acomb, Valerie Antus and Jeremy Heath.
Provided to the LVN
SENIOR SPOTLIGHT: MADISON DARST
Senior Madison Darst started at Oasis Academy in third grade. She credits the school and staff with helping her become the person she is today.
“A majority of my education has been at Oasis,” Darst said. “Being able to go from elementary, to middle, to high school, and college with Oasis has really helped me grow into the person I am today.”
That growth came through being supported while being challenged.
“I was challenged academically and mentally throughout the years,” she said. “Continuing at the same school from start to finish gave me a chance to grow very close to many of my teachers and with that I always had someone that I could turn to when I needed.”
Specifically, she’d like to thank Counselor Andy Lenon for his support.
“I would like to thank Mr. Lenon. Since freshman year he was one whom I could go to for help and not just academically. I would not be where/who I am today if it wasn’t for him,” Darst said.
Although Darst played volleyball for the Bighorns throughout middle and high school, she cannot pick just one memory that is her favorite.
“I have had so much time to make memories that it would be hard to pick just one memory as a favorite. There are so many that will stick with me for the rest of my life,” she said.
While in high school, Darst’s favorite class was Eric Grimes’ history classes.
“Mr. Grimes history classes would have to be my favorite as there were so many fun projects and many thoughtful discussions that he made easy to understand,” she said.
Darst has two simple pieces of advice for both current and future Oasis Academy students.
“Advice I have for current and future OA students would be to not overthink things and it is okay to ask for help when you need it, even if you feel that you might not need it,” she said.
Darst will graduate from Oasis Academy in May with her high school diploma and an associate of arts degree from Western Nevada College. She then plans to attend the University of Nevada, Reno and earn a degree in early childhood education.
SPELLING BEE CROWNS CHAMPION
The fourth annual Oasis Scripps Spelling Bee was held on Thursday, Jan. 18 in the Maker's Space. This year’s event welcomed 41 competitors in fifth through eighth grades.
Eighth-grader Valerie Antus finished in first place, seventh grader Ezra Acomb finished in second place, and sixth grader Jeremy Heath finished in third. The top eight placing students in each grade will now advance to the County Spelling Bee on Feb. 15 that will be hosted by Oasis Academy.
“This was another fun and competitive spelling bee at Oasis Academy,” said Lauren Kelly, the Spelling Bee Club adviser. “I’m always so impressed with our student’s willingness to get in front of their peers and show off their spelling skills. Way to show that leadership.”
A DISMANTLED SHIP AND ANCIENT WORLD HISTORY
At Oasis Academy, the freshman class is learning about an ancient Greek man named Socrates and his student Plato. Socrates is a famous philosopher, which in Greek, means the love of wisdom/knowledge. He asked people questions that forced them to truly think about how they thought and the way they lived their lives. The main question that Socrates asked was, “What is the way we ought to live?” He asked questions like these because he believed and taught that, “the unexamined life is not worth living.”
For freshman students to think the way Socrates and Plato wanted their students to think, Mr. David Springfield asked students to think just as hard about questions with a little less meaning. An example used was, “If you dismantle every piece of a ship and replace all of the pieces with new pieces, is it the same ship?”
The students' answers varied depending on their outlooks.
“I believe it is a new ship. Although the ship’s crew has remained the same, none of the building materials are from the original ship, therefore it is a new ship,” freshman Abigail Madera said.
This lesson has given students the opportunity to think more deeply about even day-to-day decisions.
“It’s fun that we get to use our critical thinking skills for these interesting scenarios and our everyday lives,” Madera said.
— Phynex Hunt