September 25, 2026

Volume 6, Issue 5

Feature

The Marching Oaks Take the Spotlight in the Davis Stadium for the 21st Annual Band Show

By Jacob Vernon

The 21st annual Oak Hill Band Show brought an exciting night of music, spirit, pride and tradition to the Oak Hill community this past Saturday. The event featured talented marching bands from across the area, giving students the opportunity to perform their halftime shows and share their hard work with the crowd.

The show featured seven other visiting bands, along with the host, the Oak Hill Marching Oaks. The bands participating in the event were Clay High School’s Marching Panthers, Paint Valley’s Marching Bearcats, South Webster’s Marching Jeeps, New Boston’s Marching Tigers, Jackson High School’s Marching Ironmen, Waverly’s Marching Tigers and the Olentangy Orange Marching Pioneers, a well-known marching band from central Ohio. Each band brought their own unique style and personality to the field. Performers demonstrated their skills through music, marching, and dancing. Months of practice went into preparing the performances, making the show an opportunity for students to showcase their dedication and hard work.

One of the highlights from that evening was seeing bands of all different sizes and styles performing one after another. From local programs to the state-famous Olentangy Orange Marching Pioneers, each group contributed something different to the event. For the musicians, color guard members, and directors, the Oak Hill Band Show was more than just a performance. It was a chance to celebrate the various marching bands and the hard work that goes into creating a complete halftime show.

With music filling the stadium and fans from the stands, the 21st annual Oak Hill Band Show gave the community a memorable night of entertainment and school pride. The event demonstrated how marching bands can bring schools and communities together through music, performance, and teamwork. Through spirit, pride and tradition the legacy of the Oak Hill Band Show will carry on for years to come.

Jackson Under Water

By Abby Adkins

On the 10th of September, Jackson, Ohio, received 7 inches of unexpected rain that quickly left the city and surrounding towns underwater. The flooding left many of the primary roadways submerged in water. Roads like State Route 279, 139, and 93 were all impassable due to the state of the roads. The whole area of Jackson as a whole was entirely blocked; firefighters needed to come out to rescue motorists. Along with that, the Jackson city animal shelter set sail into the floods to recover stranded animals. As the weather cleared and water went down, the damage it did was left in its path. Many homes, businesses, and municipal buildings underwent damage of different severities. Along with this, local school districts were closed on Thursday the 11th, and some even on the 12th. Schools included Oak Hill Local Union School District, Wellston City Schools, Rockhill, and many more around. Many debris and broken plants riddle the streets of Jackson as the cleanup has begun. Over the past week, the county officials have been working on getting everything fixed back up. This is the biggest flash flooding Jackson has received in decades, and it took many, including me, aback. This is a flood that is only really ever pictured in the movies. The community is rebuilding and picking things up and getting them back as they were. This was tragic for the community, the animals, and everyone involved. Source

Profile

Meet Tammy McCain: A Teacher Who Gives Back to Oak Hill

By Amarybee McCain

For many students at Oak Hill High School, Tammy McCain is more than just a teacher. She is an advisor, community volunteer, former student, and a familiar face who has dedicated much of her life to the Oak Hill community. McCain currently teaches General Business, Marketing, and Financial Literacy at Oak Hill High School. Her classes include 7th Grade Financial Literacy, Strategic Entrepreneurship, Business Foundations, and Professional & Technical Sales. Through these courses, she helps students develop skills that can prepare them for college, careers, and life after high school. McCain is a proud graduate of Oak Hill High School, where she graduated in 1992. She continued her education at the University of Rio Grande, graduating in 1997. After college, she went on to serve as the Admissions Director for the University of Rio Grande and Rio Grande Community College before returning to Oak Hill High School. Outside of the classroom, McCain stays busy helping students and supporting school activities. She serves as the Senior Advisor for the OHHS Class of 2027, National Honor Society Advisor, and Okamania Advisor. She is also involved with the Oak Hill Athletic Boosters, where she puts on events for the community such as the Oak Hill Fourth of July Fishbooth and the Spring Carnival. Her involvement with these organizations allows her to continue supporting students and bringing the school and community together. McCain has also made history at the Jackson County Apple Festival. She was named Little Miss in 1980 and became First Attendant in 1992. Most notably, she was the first Little Queen to later become a Big Queen, making her a memorable part of the festival’s history. Outside of school, McCain has five children and two grandchildren, who bring so much love and joy into her life. Her dedication to her students, school, and community has made her an important part of the Oak Hill family.

An Exchange with the Exchange Student

By Skyler Mullins

Phil is a sixteen-year-old foreign exchange junior at Oak Hill Middle/High School. He feels that being in North America has been a little surreal because it is so far from his home, and somehow it doesn’t feel that way at the same time. On the contrary, he feels great about being here. His thoughts on the Oak Hill Marching Band are that it is really impressive and very different than what he is used to. He really enjoys it. He prefers concert band over marching band because it is what he always played and loves. Phill would rather perform in them, and he believes they are more fun. Adapting to American culture was surprisingly easy for him. Sometimes he had problems here and there, and sometimes he missed Germany. But overall, no major problems. The biggest change he’s noticed in America is that school is completely different and driving at the age of sixteen is just pretty odd. His school is a little different because it starts at 7:55 a.m. and ends at 1 p.m. most of the time. It is really nice in comparison, but it is more challenging than here. It wasn’t that difficult for him to learn English. He had enough time to do so, as they start in the fifth grade. The level and intensity are just kind of high. It has helped him a lot to learn on social media by consuming all that English content.

His childhood was really good. Phill has three siblings, so it was never boring. He is still young, so he would really count that in. He got what he wanted for Christmas and his birthday. He has nothing to complain about. The biggest change in North American and German day-to-day life is that school starts earlier, but it doesn’t change his morning routine. He also tests longer. Sports are not included in the school curriculum in Germany, so if you want to do something, you would have to do it privately. In school, he would say that he is an average performer. He does have his strengths and weaknesses, and he isn’t good at everything. Because nobody is. Phill’s favorite color is blue, and he enjoys it a lot. The other colors just don’t have the same feeling. He describes his family as really big. His immediate family alone consists of six people, and when you see all of his cousins, aunts, uncles, and grandparents, there are about forty to fifty people in all. His family is pretty different from one another, as his brothers are not like him at all. His sister is nice to everyone and is very unique.

He doesn’t prefer a particular instrument because he plays clarinet. It is his number one. The clarinet has such a wide range of tones and can do a lot. Phill thinks woodwinds are really nice to listen to, but he loves the combination of all the different kinds because that is what makes music to him. He started playing the clarinet in the winter of his second school year. Since then, a lot has happened. He absolutely did not want to and just hated it. After that, Phill joined the orchestra and didn’t feel that way anymore because of the people and the good music, of course. His interests and hobbies are playing the clarinet because he loves it. He also absolutely loves sports. Football (soccer) is his main sport. Being active and constantly improving is something he really enjoys. At home, he plays video games and has the most fun playing with his friends. Talking together felt really nice.

An Interview with Jamie Morris

By C. A. Ruggles

This week I had the honor of talking to Jamie Morris. He is a beloved member of the community and a very close friend of mine. He is in choir and has been very present in the school's musicals. He is a hard worker, and he decided to come back to Oak Hill for his senior year. I asked him a few questions, and here were his responses.

What's it like being back at Oakhill:

“I had a good experience with Buckeye Hills, but Oak Hill has always been a home to me.”

What has changed since you've been gone:

“Every year it changes slightly, but it's always Oak Hill. Not in a bad way, but in the way that you can sense it's there. It's like coming back from a vacation, and someone cleaned your house.”

What did you miss most at OakHill:

“I missed having a sense of connection with everyone. Since Oak Hill is a pretty small town, everyone pretty much knows each other. And there's always someone you can go to.”

What are you looking forward to now that you are in your senior year:

“I'm excited that I'm going to graduate, but not at the same time. Since everyone knows each other, and everyone is connected, it’s going to be hard to move on. Personally, I have some younger friends that I know I'm going to miss.”

What are your dreams for after high school:

“I want to start by going to college and majoring in psychology. I

definitely want to become a therapist. My main priority is school.”

What would you tell a younger version of you if you ever had the

chance:

“Don’t stress so much; it's okay to tumble. You have to crawl before you walk. It’s okay to make mistakes and be wrong. Don't put yourself with people who put you down, and this can go for anyone in school; stop procrastinating.”

Meet The Staff

Abigail “Abby” Adkins is a senior at Oak hill high school. She was born in Burlington, Vermont in November of 2008. Since then, she has lived in Vermont, Florida, and finally Ohio where she has spent the last 15 and a half years. Abby has a passion for music and art and has taken Mrs. Richards art class since Sophomore year. She enjoys history and science the most out of the classes she's taken in her years. In her free time, Abby likes to rollerblade, hang out with family and friends, draw and craft, as well as listen to music. After graduating this year, she hopes to attend Berea college in Kentucky where she'll study psychology. This year is her first year in journalism, and she's excited to be a part of it. During her time, she'll be covering the arts department and album review. She's hoping to introduce people to new topics and ideas that they may have not thought about. Her main goal as she continues through life is to leave the world a better place than she found it.

Blaise Barger is a Senior at Oak Hill High School. Blaise focuses mainly on sports for the journalism team. Throughout the year, he will be writing articles about MLB baseball and Ohio sports teams. Blaise has been associated with the Oak Hill band since the 6th grade while also playing baseball since first grade. Blaise’s favorite baseball team is the Chicago Cubs and his favorite player is Pete Crow-Armstrong. His favorite Ohio sports teams include the Ohio State Buckeyes and Cincinnati Bengals. In his free time, Blaise enjoys watching sports, playing video games, and playing pickleball. Blaise’s favorite subject in school is math, but he also enjoys reading and science as well. He is also a proud member of the National Honors Society. Blaise is excited to rejoin our writers this year for the second year in a row and hopes to inform people about many different topics throughout the year.

Aubrey Canter is a senior in high school. This is her first year in journalism, and she is in the class because she enjoys writing and improving on her vocabulary and writing techniques. Over the school year, she plans on writing about the achievements and activities of the band. She also plans on writing articles on songs of the week, focusing on music that represents certain moods and themes. Aubrey is the saxophone section leader in the Oak Hill Band. She has been a part of the band for seven years. She is also the soprano section leader in the choir and has been a part of the choir for six years. Aubrey loves going to amusement parks and riding rollercoasters, listening to music, and composing instrumental music. She also enjoys doing nails and going shopping in her free time. Once graduated, she plans to major in music education at Wright State University.

Dylan Comer is a senior who enjoys playing sports and hanging out with friends and family. Dylan is a first year student in journalism and is expected to write about sports teams around the area and world news. He is a four year letterman in football where he takes the field on Friday nights as a linebacker and running back. He has also ran track since sophomore year where he sprints the 100 and 200 meter dash. Dylan loves the values and lessons he learns from playing sports and hopes to continue his athletic career after high school into college. After high school, Dylan plans to attend college and study occupational therapy to eventually work with kids and make their lives easier. Dylan looks forward to his last year in high school and plans to make many memories and enjoy his time in journalism and also in his other classes.

Amarybee McCain is a senior at Oak Hill High School. She was born and raised in Oak Hill and has spent her time as a student within the Oak Hill Union Local school district. Amarybee has been involved with sports since she was a little girl. Starting off playing softball and continuing through basketball and cheerleading. Her love for sports came from always watching her siblings play. She has another passion for music, though she does not play an instrument; she loves listening to music. Her music style is very eclectic, as she listens to old country, rock, and anything 80s and 90s. Amarybee dreams to one day become a Lawyer and help people in her community. Furthermore, Amarybee is very excited to be joining journalism in hopes to inform people about news, as well as all the fun things happening in our communities.

Jullian McClaskey is a senior and attends Oak Hill High School. He is in the class of 2027. This is McClaskey's first year in Journalism and states, “I can’t wait to write for the people.” He is excited to tell stories or state facts in the paper. McClaskey has been in the Marching Oaks Band for 3 years, and in the Oak Hill Choir for 4 years. McClaskey is passionate about his experience in school and plans to go to college to be a mechatronics engineer. McClaskey loves to be with the people he loves and is overjoyed to be social with all of his fellow classmates in school. McClaskey loves to collect items of various franchises like Marvel, Minecraft, Lego, and loves his hobby with aquariums. McClaskey is excited for the school year and is ready for all of the wondrous adventures he will partake in. McClaskey can’t wait to see where his life takes him and loves to live everyday like it’s the last.

Skyler Mullins is a senior at Oak Hill High School and enjoys literature. Skyler participates in a few extracurricular activities, such as singing in the high school choir, playing the alto saxophone in the Oak Hill marching/concert band, helping in the drama program, and performing in the musicals. Throughout high school, he has a common interest in the fine arts and predominantly science. Skyler’s favorite hobby is going on walks that usually range from one to two miles. He’s been engaged in these activities for a few years now. He spends so much time reading and writing that he decided to go into journalism to enhance his skills in English Language Arts. Outside of school, Skyler sometimes plays video games, which mainly consist of “Animal Crossing: New Horizons” and “Minecraft”. After he graduates high school, he aspires to become a mammalogist and work with bears at National Parks, to keep as his forever career.

Christopher Aiden Ruggles is a 17-year-old high school student. Aiden is a senior this year. He attends school at Oak Hill Middle/ High School. Aiden has 3 dogs: Charlie, Tippy, and Diesel. He also has one cat named Kiki. As a kid, Aiden played t-ball, but that's technically it for sports. As he grew up, Aiden switched from sports to music. He joined the Oak Hill Band and Choir in sixth grade. He was also in the school's musical for one year. He did quit choir, but he is still in the Oak Hill Band. This year, he is the drumline captain. Aiden loves hanging out with friends both online and in real life. He spends most of his time playing video games with friends. He really loves board games and horror movies, especially board games that have horror in them. One day, Aiden plans on making a horror movie with one of his friends. Aiden is a kind and helpful person. He is ready to enjoy his last year of high school.

Joshua is a senior at Oak Hill Highschool; he was born and raised in Southern Ohio. He has attended Oak Hill Local Union School District for his entire scholastic career. Joshua is a three year letterman in both Football and Baseball, being named a team captain for his senior season of football. Joshua dedicates much of his time to practicing football as well as lifting weights and working out in the off season. Joshua enjoys riding fourwheelers and hunting in his free time as well as playing video games whenever he gets time away from sports and school. He also enjoys watching and attending games played by the Cincinnati Reds, Ohio State Buckeyes, and Cleveland Browns. After high school Joshua plans to attend college with his main option currently being The Ohio State University with the intent of attending medical school in order to become a doctor with a specialty undecided.

Rebecca Toth is a senior at Oak Hill High School. She was born in March and is currently 17-years-old. She is the third oldest sibling out of her family. Her hobbies include singing in the choir, marching band, painting, and drawing. She loves hanging out with her friends over weekends and during football games. She also loves all of her cats and one dog. Another thing Rebecca loves is typing and making stories up as she goes, which is why she joined journalism, not just because she needed one more credit for scheduling but to learn the different styles of writing. She would love to go to the Warren Museum to see the real life Anabelle doll. Rebecca will be writing articles about the Oak Hill Choir and weird or fascinating holidays. She loves spending her time with friends when she can, and if she can’t, then she plays “Roblox” or watches YouTube. Rebecca doesn’t plan on going to college unless she picks up a very good liking to graphic designing. She hopes to become a mixologist in the future or a career that aligns with her hobbies.

Jacob Vernon is a 17-year-old Senior who attends Oak Hill High School. Vernon was born in 2008 in Gallipolis, Ohio. Throughout the year, he will write student features for the paper and articles about various endangered animals. He spends most of his time in the music department of the school working to further improve his musical talents. Jacob has been a proud member of the Marching Oaks since 2022, playing trombone his whole musical career. Outside of his High School career, Jacob plays in multiple music groups such as the Southern Ohio Community Band Directed by Bryce Werntz and Rio Grande's Marching band directed by Ryan Donini. In his free time, Jacob enjoys playing video games, his favorite being “Jurassic World Evolution 3”. After high school, Jacob wants to proceed to college and receive a bachelor's degree in music education to become a high school band director. Jacob is excited to join our writers this year in making the school’s newspaper and wishes to inform people about various topics throughout the year.

Ivan Filarski is a 15-year-old Sophomore at Oak Hill High School. He is the only son of four siblings, but he always wished he had a brother. This is his first year of taking Journalism. He enjoys fishing, hiking, hunting, swimming as well as pretty much anything outdoors. He ran XCountry last year and found that he really enjoyed it, so he decided to do it again this year. Outside of school, he helps his parents run the farm, and he enjoys Pokemon cards as a hobby. He also enjoys playing video games such as “ Read Dead Redemption 2” and “Legend of Zelda Breath of The Wild”. Another thing he enjoys is food, lots of food, such as steak, spaghetti, and alfredo. He also wants to become a police officer when he is 21-years-old. He plans to accomplish this by going through Buckeye hills and later a police academy to then become a swat officer.

Page updated

Report abuse