The Oakview Owlet
News from Oakview Owls of all sizes-December 2016
Miss Morgan By: Anaiah Bruckner
What is counseling? Mrs. Morgan can answer that one, “Making a positive difference in the life of a child.” Mrs. Morgan has a husband and a daughter that she loves spending time with. After school, she loves to read, color, shop, and be outside! Mrs. Morgan went back to school so she could counsel at an elementary school. As a child, she wanted to work at a school. Her mom worked at one, and she played teacher with her friends. No one inspired her to become a counselor, Miss. Morgan just knew she wanted to become one.
This is her first year counseling at a school. Her job is to help kids be successful and talk about careers. Students can come to her when struggling at home and/or school, with friendship difficulties, having serious emotions, or if they are getting bullied. She loves and enjoys her job of teaching 4th and 5th graders. She works very closely with Mrs. Bee, the principals, and teachers. She says if she could change one thing about her job, it would be to have more hours in the day. I agree!
Grandparents’ Day By: Kaitlyn McCall
What makes our Hootenany so great? by Sarah Tervo
One of my favorite times of the year is Hootenany – I love the fun rides, the cake walk, dancing, and games like the silly string area. At the end of the night you can take home a colorful paper flower made by our wonderful volunteers (along with a cake, if you are lucky). I’ve always wondered what it takes to make Hootenany so great, and this year I got to interview one of our Hootenany co-chairs, Kimberly Alexander, on all that is involved in making it so special.
Ms. Kimberly Alexander told me that preparations begin in the spring. Last spring they began reserving carnival rides, food vendors and asking businesses for donations. From the spring until school starts there are small things to take care of and then it kicks into high gear in September. There is a lot of work involved in setting up Hootenany, but Ms. Alexander says that the support from the PTA and staff at Oakview make their "jobs" a lot easier. Without their support it would be a lot more challenging. She says that sometimes the hours leading up to the event can be stressful (especially if the weather is not great) but seeing everyone having a great time the night of the Hootenany makes it all worth it. Her favorite part is meeting new families and seeing all the kids having a great time. She loves all the support from the families, teachers, and staff at Oakview because they are always so willing to help and it is apparent that the entire staff truly cares about the students 24/7. Ms. Alexander doesn’t have a favorite ride but her favorite game is new this year and it is the dunk booth!
The Hootenany is so great because it provides a fun and relaxing event at the school for the entire Oakview community, where students can get together, laugh, run around the school and take home prizes. It is so great because of the volunteers who care so much and want to make each year a little different. Every year the Hootenany changes and grows. Dedicated volunteers and staff make improvements as they provide new and fun activities for us all to enjoy. Who knows what next year will bring?
Oakview Players are “Off to See the Wizard” By Samuel Casey
On Dec. 1-Dec. 3, the Oakview Players performed “The Wizard of Oz” at Mauldin High School.
I got the privilege of interviewing Caleb (A.K.A the Tin Man). I asked him about the commitment to the play and what it can do to your schedule. He replied that for some the time limit can be challenging, but he works it into his schedule. I asked him what it is like to portray the Tin Man and he said that, and I quote, “He has a heart but doesn’t realize that he has the biggest one of all.” He thoroughly enjoys working with Mrs. Young, she was also his third grade challenge teacher.
Mrs. Young is the director of The Oakview Players, and today she shared with me what goes on behind the scenes. She told me that the cast is a lot of fun and that they have learned their parts very quickly. This year is a little bit more of a challenge though because the play is at least one hour longer. Some of her former students have gone on to Broadway and community theatre, and one works with movie studios in Hollywood, California. In all of the years that Mrs. Young has been directing, she has learned that a good production takes time and effort. I quote, “Pulling off a successful show makes it all worth while.”
Challenge with Mrs. Brookie By Allison Kim
Mrs. Sherrie Brookie was born in Greenville, SC. Being supportive of Clemson, she loves football. We all know that football season starts in autumn. Fall is a great season when you see beautiful colors and pick pumpkins – all activities Mrs. Brookie enjoys. She has a son named Charlie and is expecting a daughter named Lucie. She also has a dog named Smokey.
Mrs. Brookie is a challenge specialist at Oakview Elementary. She has been teaching 3rd, 4th, and 5th grade for the past 11 years. You will also see her at Bethel Elementary. She loves math. In challenge she makes it so her students love it too! Each of her students will never struggle with math in their every-day lives. One thing Mrs. Brookie loves about teaching is that she can learn with you too!
Mrs. Brookie’s hobbies include all outdoor activities. Mostly she loves to travel. She has visited Canada, Mexico, Brazil, France, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands , Lichenstein, Norway, Jamacia, Australia, Belgium, and the majority of the USA. She has experienced many exciting things such as dog sledding, hiking a glacier, hang gliding, riding a camel, and seeing the Aurora Borealis. Next, she wants to see Ireland with its Cliffs of Moher.
It would be a great idea to bring Mrs. Brookie peppermint patties for the holidays! Mrs. Brookie would be excited to see you in the school!
Tony Alvardo By Dakota Strutz
Student and Class Submissions
Oakview Elementary School
All students and teachers may submit appropriate photos, poems, short stories, essays, graphic designs, etc. to theoakviewowlet@gmail.com. Items may also be submitted in person in the media center. The newspaper advisers and club members reserve the right to edit any content due to brevity, clarity, grammar, or other circumstances provided that it will maintain the original intent of the author. The newspaper advisers and club also reserve the right not to publish work deemed inappropriate for the target audience, which is elementary school students and families.
Email: theoakviewowlet@gmail.com
Website: http://www.greenville.k12.sc.us/oakview/
Location: 515 Godfrey Road, Simpsonville, SC, United States
Phone: 864-355-7100