Christmas update

On November 10 three students from Oneida Baptist Institute ran in the state cross country meet at the Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington. Each region is allowed to send seven individual runners. Senior Wayne Hawk (pictured), senior Agnes "Gri" Feldman and seventh-grader Garmai Kolubah represented OBI. From a total of over 200 athletes, these three all placed between 140-150.

Coach Lance Nutter said, "It was a good season…The kids had good attitudes and worked hard. They were no trouble whatsoever and were really pleasant to be around. I enjoy that even more than their success."

At the regional level, Wayne placed fifteenth of 54 boys. Garmai was twenty-fourth and Gri was twenty-fifth of 51 girls. Gri ran her personal best at the regional meet, with a time of 24:52. Nutter noted, "Gri made herself run faster and faster all season. She had to work for it."


Other sports offered at OBI include soccer, volleyball, swimming, basketball, cheerleading, softball, baseball, track/field and tennis.

By Tamara Cochran, OBI Publications

OBI seniors Michael Geib and Wayne Hawk spent 11 days in Ecuador this past summer helping to build a church-school. The mission outreach was sponsored by the Pathways to Success Boarding and Day School Scholarship Program, an outgrowth of The Commonweal Foundation. Michael and Wayne were among 25 teens from all over the U.S. who were selected for the team. They had to fill out an application and have a face-to-face interview. The boys were both elated when they learned they were accepted.

In Ecuador Michael and Wayne did masonry work each day from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. The Pathways group met together for nightly devotions. The highlight of the trip for both Wayne and Michael was playing with the local children after work. Sometimes they acted out Bible stories. Other times they played soccer or became what Michael termed “human jungle gyms.”

Both Michael and Wayne noticed the poverty. “There were these drainage ditches with sewage running through the town, and people would get their water from these ditches and boil it,” Michael said. “The houses were all bamboo shacks with dirt floors and tin roofs.”

Wayne found himself giving away his belongings by the end of the trip. He said, “They would put rocks in the bottom of a bucket of water to use for a mirror. I had a hand mirror, and I gave it to a family. I handed out all my soap and washcloths, my towel, two pairs of shoes and my extra clothes…It was life-changing…You won’t ever hear me say, ‘This food is nasty.’ You won’t ever hear me say that.”

Pathways awards scholarships to high school students who have a financial need and show a strong desire to improve the quality of their education. Pathways students may attend one of 34 approved private schools in the U.S. OBI is on the list because it meets the Pathways criteria of “providing an environment which gives students the opportunity to increase their academic skills, gain work experience and expand their knowledge of life beyond their local communities.” To maintain their scholarships, students must meet academic and work requirements. The program benefits Oneida because it helps our other donations go farther. Gifts from individual friends and partners make it possible for us to keep our doors open to all of our low-income students.

The first summer work program began after graduation on May 21, and ends on June 8. There are two sessions of the work program this summer, the second of which will begin towards the end of July.The program is reserved for those students whose families have qualified for a reduction in their room and board based on income. In this first session, 19 boys and 17 girls have worked. Some of those will stay for summer school, which begin on June 11.

Some work program students assist with large annual cleaning projects in our campus buildings, and others are assigned to work on the farm and yard crews. A few of the girls are assigned each day to help in the kitchen and dining hall on a rotating basis. The student's work days begin at 8:00 in the morning and go to 4:00 in the afternoon. After dinner, they have free time to relax, watch TV or movies, make phone calls, and hang out with friends in the gym. They receive a weekly allowance of $5 to use for things like snacks.

Many don't mind the work or the additional time at OBI. Here's what a few had to say...

Rebecca is from Malaysia and will be a senior in the next school year. Some of her jobs this summer included waxing, scrubbing, cleaning and painting walls, and "carrying heavy stuff". "I think the work program is a good idea for people who can't afford [the full room and board]. It's a good way to help students learn how to do housework. It's a good way to earn money, too. I save my money to buy Chinese food or my Pepsis"

Makeda enrolled at OBI this year in March. She will be a sophomore. Her task on this day was sanding chipped areas in the bathroom stalls to prepare for painting. "The work program helps poor people. It helps kids learn responsibility. It teaches them how to clean and get ready for the future. It's ok. You get to be around your friends and make new friends."

Monique is a junior from Maryland. The past year was her first at OBI and she will attend summer school. "[The work program] makes the break more enjoyable. You're not just sitting around. You're busy working and helping out. Work program is helpful to pass the time. If I sit around, I get bored."

Ben will be a senior. The is his second summer doing the work program, and he too will attend summer school. "It helps your work ethic a lot and it helps to pay your room and board." He doesn't mind spendingpart of his summer at OBI. "Graduation is all I'm thinking about."

Eric and Nick work on the farm. On this day, they were digging a drainage ditch. Both are freshmen, and will attend summer school. Eric said the work program is "pretty cool" and he enjoyed working with the cows, while Nick said the work was "...kind of hard but kind of fun. I like being outside a lot."

OBI houseparents and other staff members help the students' three weeks on the work program go by a little faster. Some check students out for a weekend away from the dorms. Other bring homemade treats to them. The girls' houseparents challenged the girls to a game of kickball. All of the students in this session were invited to fish and have a cookout on June 2. Miss Wilma, a former houseparent, and her husband have a stocked fishing pond a few miles from campus. They provided cane poles and prizes for the largest and the smallest fish caught. The OBI kitchen sent along food, such as hot dogs and marshmallows for roasting.

Senior sponsor Laura Stockton (OBI class of 1986) led the way in the Baccalaureate procession on May 19. It was Oneida Baptist Institute's 99th commencement.

There were 57 graduating seniors in the class of 2007. Three earned Commonwealth Diplomas, Kentucky's highest. Thirty-two received advanced diplomas, while twenty-two earned standard diplomas. Advanced diplomas accounted for 61% of the class, the highest percentage ever.

Our 2007 valedictorian was Andrew Davidson. The salutatorian was Jesse Godbold. We wish the best to each of our graduates.

Our 2007 Spring Fling was held on Saturday, May 12. Students and staff gathered on the athletic field for an afternoon of fun events, such as inflatables, carnival games, and sand pit volleyball. Participants could also get their faces painted, douse their favorite teachers and houseparents in the dunking booth, visit with farm animals in a petting zoo, and snack on tasty treats like pizza, sno cones and funnel cakes.

Ag students provided a tractor driving contest. The fun continued into the evening with a jazz band concert, a percussion concert, an interpretive movement performance and two rounds of the “Roommate Game.”

The 2007 Bluegrass Regional Art Competition was held at Eastern Kentucky University's Giles Gallery on March 18. Suzanne Scull, Jeff Skaggs and Ellie Kendrick swept the graphic design category with first, second and third places, respectively. Min-Jee Park placed first in the International section of the Culture/Heritage Diversity category with her watercolor painting titled "Ceremony."

With their first-place regional ribbons, Suzanne and Min-Jee's work advanced to the Kentucky State High School Art Competition on April 20. Suzanne placed second and Min-Jee received first in the state.

Min-Jee said of her work, "I wanted to describe the Korean's beauty...I wanted to describe it in paint." Her painting incorporated red and blue, the Korean flag colors. Min-Jee added that she showed a Korean bride who is also a dancer.

Another art student, Harrison Laws, also had a painting in the regional show. It was an acrylic titled "Fourth of July," and was entered in the Celebration section of the Culture/Heritage Diversity category.