October 16, 2026

Volume 6, Issue 8

Feature

A Royal Interview

By Ivan Filarski

This week I interviewed the Homecoming King Grant Walker and Queen Brandi Smittle, both seniors and well known members of the Oak Hill community. I asked both of them questions about their time and plans here, and these were their responses

Homecoming Queen Smittle

How do you feel about being the Homecoming Queen?

“I was surprised and thankful but mostly surprised”

What do you plan to do after high school being that you're a senior?

“I’m not totally decided, but I want to go to college and become a physical therapist”

What will you miss most after high school?

“Missing everyone…since its such a small community, its easy to know everyone”

What are your goals for after high school?

“Being happy and staying happy, a good job and a job that I enjoy working and new friends”

These are all the answers and questions given to the Homecoming King Grant Walker.

How do you feel about being the Homecoming king?

“I’m happy that my friends voted for me.”

What will you miss most after high school?

“Friends and sports”

What are your long term goals you have for after high school?

“Being succsesfull and having a family”

Big congratulations to both of them for winning Homecoming King and Queen. May their Senior year be a memorable year and wishing them all the best from the Oak Hill community.

Home Sweet Homecoming

By Joshua Saylor

This Friday is Oak Hill’s homecoming game and the crowning of homecoming king and queen. The game this Friday is going to be at 7 P.M against the Lucasville Valley Indians; this game has the Oaks football team fired up to try and put up their first win on their homecoming night. The crowning of king and queen will begin before the football game, with the ceremonies starting at 6 P.M. The freshman homecoming attendants are: Macy Houser and Claire Lunsford, the Sophomore attendants: Raegan Farar and Addison Brown, the Junior attendants: Presley Gallagher and Makayla Davidson. The senior attendants are Lexi Davis, Brandi Smittle and Judy Wolford; one of these three will be named homecoming queen before Friday’s game. The male attendants are Grant Walker, Joshua Saylor and Ty Wells; one of these three will be named homecoming king. This game serves as a chance for the Oaks to prove themselves and pay off all of their hard work put in over the last few months. The Oaks have seen overall improvements both offensively and defensively; the team has dealt with a handful of costly injuries and extremely difficult back to back games against elite opponents. The Oaks are hoping to capitalize on what they have done well and improve the areas that they have continued to struggle in. Another note, the homecoming dance will be held from 8-10 P.M on October 24th; remember all outside guests must be approved by October 16th. All tickets are $10.

Profile

An Interview of Cheyenne Ross

By Rebecca Toth

Cheyenne Ross is a student of Oak Hill, but she wasn't always an Oak. Instead, she was a Blue Lion. Cheyenne is a great friend of mine and very sweet; she’s in the MOB, and she’s also in the art program. I wrote down a few questions to ask her and here were her responses.

Are there any differences between your old school and Oak Hill:

“Yes, this school is a lot more strict than my old one such as where you are (in the school), grades, clothes, and phones. This school is also a lot bigger. My old school did pep rallies outside of school, drinks and food were allowed in class and even bluetooth headphones or earbuds were allowed. Football games or events like graduation or pep rallies took place in Gardener Park; when pep rallies happened, all Washington Court House schools k-12 walked from school to Gardener Park for the rally. There were one to two hours of band practice after school and leaving the school for lunch was allowed.”

Next she described some of her school which included: two music rooms, two gyms, two lunchrooms, two rotunda’s and outside lunchtables.

The next question was, how would you describe yourself:

“I think I’m nice and friendly and approachable to people. I do get tired after socializing for a while, but I feel as if I’m pretty nice.”

Do you miss your old school:

“I do at times, but I’m glad I moved because I made such great friends and had great experiences and enjoy being at the school for those reasons.”

What's your favorite color and why:

“Blue because I find it a nice, comforting color, and it might be biased due to my old school color being blue. Other than that, I just really like blues, brown, gray or warm comforting colors.”

What drove you into art? How do you practice getting better:

“I just enjoyed the feeling of making things and found it a nice way to express my need to create something or relieve stress. I practice by learning new tips, trying new things like art supplies, tools and subjects to get better at, but I get really picky about my art pieces not being perfect, and that makes me rage quit projects at times.”

What’s your family like:

“Most of my family is out of touch, other than close family members such as my grandparents, mom, dad, siblings and step family. We each have our own dynamic depending on who we are around. Example: mom, siblings and their kids and parents are a lot more comfortable or goofy than with the out of touch family. We are not so close to them or as comfortable.”

What’s your favorite animal and why:

“Bears, I think they’re cute and really fluffy, and they seem so comfortable even though they are most likely dangerous. I still like them.”

How’d you get into band:

“I was going to join choir but wasn’t able to find the sign-up paper, so I found the band sign-up sheet and signed up for band because I thought it was close enough to choir, so it shouldn’t be as different. Then I ended up staying because it was enjoyable and because I already had an instrument (clarinet), so I might as well learn it.”

That's all from Cheyenne, and if you don’t know her, I suggest you meet her.

Growing Up in Canada

The Story of an Oak Hill Mom

By Abby Adkins

Nancy Lebel Adkins was born in 1977 in Notre-Dame-du-Lac, Quebec, Canada. Growing up in Canada was different from growing up in the U.S. For example, kindergarten through middle school was held in one building, and high school was in the next. In Oak Hill, by contrast, preschool through 5th grade is in one building, and middle school through high school is in another. For Nancy, college was similar to what we have in the States. She attended college at Cejep de Rivière-du-Loup, lived on campus, and studied early childhood education. She has noticed two main differences between the U.S. and Canada. To start, she says, “Well, healthcare for one is free for everyone in Canada of all ages; I was shocked to see how much that costs here.” Another major difference she noted was that the minimum wage was much higher back home; when she was growing up, it ranged from $15 to $20 an hour. Here, it is only about $11.25, depending on the workplace. After college, Nancy met her future husband online and started the process of coming to the U.S. Nancy and Aaron later had a baby girl named Abby in 2008. For a while, they lived in Florida with Aaron's father before deciding to settle in Ohio, where Aaron is originally from. Nancy's favorite color is purple, and her hobbies include canning food for her family, walking her dog Lucy, and helping everyone. She is a caring woman, and her family is very lucky to have her.

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.

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