Wednesday, March 26

Sorry but… You Are What You Eat by Jordan Schorr


Many new projects are being created in Oxford Hills Comprehensive High School (OHCHS), one in particular would the the project that Planet Arts is putting together about Genetically Modified Organisms (GMO’s). Planet Arts is the club that was transformed out of the OHCHS Art Club into projects that are more project-based and educationally enriching for students. 
“Last year some of the Art Club members were frustrated with the lack of purpose in the club,” said Phil Hammett, the Planet Arts director. “We decided to focus on meaningful issues having to do with our health and environment, and do installation projects that would "make a splash".”

“Genetically modified organisms are plants or animals that have had their genes altered for a specific purpose,” stated Hammett.
It also involves the mutation, insertion, or deletion of genes within an organism which can cause many different problems with the human body. The students who are part of Planet Arts are trying to get the information out to the people in our community.
“That doesn't just mean drink your milk and eat your vegetables, people need to look into how they're food is grown, if pesticides are used, where they come from, and if they contain bad GMO's,” Carly Sauro explained, who is a Senior and a member of the Planet Arts. “Our main message is to pay attention to what you eat. It is more important now than ever before to eat healthy.”
To help get the information out to students in the high school and anyone who is located in the high school. The project includes a big pair of lips located right above the Main Office entrance with an arrow pointing down to it stating “You Are What You Eat”. Coming out of the mouth are pool noodles and plastic tubing which is put together in a way to look like a strand of DNA. Within the strand of DNA there is a black pool noodle which is to represent a “bad” GMO within the strand. There is also a sign beside the door of the Main Office which explains what GMO’s are and how they can affect ones health.
“However, I should point out that not all GMO's are bad,” explained Hammett, “the first genetically modified tomato allowed the tomato to ripen on the shelf, rather than be artificially ripened using ethylene gas. This is actually more healthful and results in better flavor.”
Although they don’t believe they will ever be finished because there are so many different things to discuss, they will be installing an interactive “website” on the wall in the Main Lobby to allow people to get more information if they seek to do so.
“We are also planning on having an Art show/ community day at the end of the year,” says Sauro, “so keep an eye out for it!”

Murder at the Bistro by Jordan Schorr

On March 14, 2014, friends, family, and neighbors got together at Oxford Hills Comprehensive High School (OHCHS) to watch the Drama Class perform Murder at the Bistro. This play is a short murder mystery, which involves a lot of interaction with the audience.
“We looked for a short play with the right amount of characters to match the size of our class.  This play had loads of humor in it and it was age appropriate,” explained Cynthia Kugell, the Drama teacher.
I am part of the Project Grad committee and I have a daughter that is graduating this year.  Last year the Drama class worked with the OHCHS Library on a fundraiser for their department,” said Kugell. “Our drama class needs to do some type of production as part of the curriculum and a Murder Mystery benefit was a great fit.”
The audience turnout was greater than the class had expected. They had over 100 tickets to sell and had an audience of 75. The money raised from the Mystery Theater production was donated to Project Graduation.
“The audience was great!  They were very involved and I appreciated that they were kind to the students and generous with their "dollar bills" when it came time to answer questions,” explained Kugell. “ I felt that everyone had a good time and enjoyed the show.”
To increase the profit for Project Graduation, the actors went around to every dinner table with a list of questions that they would answer if the table paid a dollar.
Although this was a short play with a decent size audience, Kugell hopes that there will be a time when her class can put on another play.

“We had three returning students from last year’s class, so I am hoping for more seasoned actors to make next year’s performance even better,” said Kugell, her enthusiasm bubbling over. “Keep an eye out for another great Murder Mystery Dinner performed by a new group of drama Students in March of 2015!”

Melanoma Awareness in Oxford Hills by Jordan Schorr

Trends are a huge part at Oxford Hills Comprehensive High School (OHCHS) just like every other high school. At OHCHS, tanning has become one of these trends. Many girls and guys who do go tanning, go right into town at either Ocean Breeze Tanning Salon, Coconut Beach Tanning Salon, Hair Plus or in other salons close in distance. Chuck Martin, a science teacher at OHCHS, got a grant to sponsor a Tan Free Prom and many different events to spread the awareness about skin cancer.
“Six years ago I was diagnosed with melanoma. My wife had found a spot on my stomach and encouraged me to get it checked out,” said Martin. “I had the spot removed and haven’t had a problem since, but it definitely was an eye opener.”
The grant that Martin received was called “Skin Cancer Prevention and Awareness in Oxford Hills”. He plans to use this grant to provide ten sun canopies for athletic games and practices. For sports, he also plans on updating the district coaches handbook to include a section on skin cancer awareness and sunscreen use for coaches and athletes.
Martin plans on buying two informational bulletin boards that will show the heat index for outside. They will be placed at the Oxford Hills Middle School and OHCHS, continually being updated to let the students know about the high temperatures.
“Also, in April during Common Block, I’m inviting a guest speaker, who had melanoma, to talk about the importance of not tanning,” explained Martin. “There will also be a screening day for the OHCHS faculty to be checked by dermatologists. As for the students, there will be a UV light which will show the skin damage. It will hopefully help them understand that the damage is happening, they just are unable to see it.”
The Tan Free Prom will consist of a pledge that boys and girls at OHCHS can take before Prom. The students who do pledge will get a bracelet that says, “I pledged to go Tan Free-Prom 2014” and their name will be posted in the Cafeteria. They will also be entered into a drawing for a laptop, $30.00 Applebee’s gift card, and a free spray tan.

“Although no tan is a safe tan, spray tans aren’t as concerning as tanning booths. Booths tend to exceed UV limits and people often stay in the booths longer than the recommended time,” said Martin. “A recent study shows that more young girls getting skin cancer due to tanning between the ages of fifteen to twenty-four.”
A few other ways that Martin is getting the word out about Melanoma is the Skinny on Skin Program which educates hair stylists and massage therapists in the Oxford Hills area on detection of suspicious moles and spots on the body.
There will also be Public Service Announcements regarding protecting skin and getting screened annually. This will air over the local radio WOXO during May, which is also National Melanoma Awareness month.

Healthy OH 5k by Jordan Schorr

Ready to run? Three students from Oxford Hills Comprehensive High School (OHCHS) are putting on a 5k Run/Walk for their senior project. Randy Bosquet, Benjamin Morton, and Kelynn Laliberte decided that the organization of Healthy Oxford Hills would be a good group to donate the money.
“We love the idea that we are gathering a good portion of the community into an event that will go right back to the people,” said Bosquet.
“Healthy Oxford Hills is an organization does a lot of great work in the community, so we decided to give the money to them,” explains Morton.
The money that is raised from this event will help Healthy Oxford Hills work on the food insecurity issues in Oxford County. The event will take place on April 26, 2014 at the Oxford Hills Middle School. Registration will begin at 9:00am and the actual race will begin at 10:00am. The price to participate is $10.00 for students under 18 and adults who are over 60. Everyone in between those ages will pay $15.00. All of the registration money will be collected on the day of the event.
“We will feel very great when we hand over a check of what we hope will be a respectable amount of money,” Bosquet commented.
To sign up to participate in the 5k, go to the Healthy Oxford Hills website, find Randy Bosquet on Facebook, or call him at (207) 595-6429.



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