Editor’s note: This is the first of what The Oglethorpe Echo plans as a monthly column from an Oglethorpe County student.
Sara Myers
The one main headline in my life has been the sports at Oglethorpe County.
The football team is 6-4 and heading to the playoffs, volleyball won its first state championship and my cheer team left its first competition with second place.
The morale and spirit has never been higher in my few years at OCHS. The difference between now and last year is huge.
The excitement of cheering for a playoff-bound team is definitely high. There is more fan turnout, more support and an atmosphere of winners in these halls. It makes being a cheerleader here at OC that much more fun.
The plans for OC cheer are big and require a lot of support.
In the years I’ve been here, I’ve never seen a more successful and promising group of cheerleaders. I’ve learned so much from girls, both younger and older than me. They’ve taught me patience, positivity and that resilience is found in numbers, as well as strength.
As a captain, I can say I’m very proud and driven just by seeing these girls at practice.
We still have to prepare for a few competitions between now and the state championship. Hopefully, we can bring home a state title.
Through all of this, I’m still a student taking as many rigorous courses between now and my senior year.
The class I find most intriguing is AP U.S. history. Taught by a new teacher at Oglethorpe, James Eubanks, he does a good job of making assignments that are fun while still teaching the concepts required by AP standards.
His concern for creating smart and successful students is appreciated.
I also find that Brian Lance’s class, Spanish honors 2, always keeps me on my toes and learning more every day.
Living in Oglethorpe County, though, can feel like the opposite of on your toes at times.
When I moved at the age of 12, I came from a 7A school in Alabama, where we had multiple elementary schools just to fit all of us. I was worried the small town would eventually bore me and I would become restless.
Now I can say Oglethorpe County is one of the best places to live in Georgia.
We are an extremely short drive from Athens, but far enough that we don’t get the downsides of a city, like traffic and crime.
Knowing everyone in Oglethorpe has done nothing but good things for me. Whether that is making connections for when I become an adult and go to college, or when I simply just need help and a friend knows a friend.
The community never lacks in familiarity, and as a teen, I always feel cared for here. These past few weeks have shown that community in sports and fans.
I hope to see the same for this week with band concerts, cheer competitions and the girls basketball game at Franklin County this Friday.
Sara Myers is a junior at Oglethorpe County High School and captain of the cheerleading team.