A Hopeful Transmission

Thanks for a great year! We are sad to say this is our last time posting:

-The OVMSNEWS Team
Ahana Chakraborty
Cassie Zhu
Sangeetha Vishwanath
Smitha Vishwanath
Tri L.
Abhi Nathan
Michelle Chan
Tommy Mackey
Jane Huang
Gokul Swamy
Eugene Park

San Antonio Spurs vs. Los Angeles Clippers Game 3

I was scanning through the channels on the T.V. and happened to watch the Clippers crushing the Spurs in the first quarter. Blake Griffin already had 20 points in the first half, and with some assists from Chris Paul, the Clippers were completely dominating the Spurs. After seeing Griffin dunking alley-oop style from a pass by Paul, and then seeing Griffin shutting down the Spurs with a monster left-handed dunk, I was completely impressed. With a 24-point deficit, I figured the Spurs would lose, so I switched the channel.

           

I guess I figured wrong. When I came back to the game, it was the third quarter, Tim Duncan had just swished a fade away jumper, and the Spurs had taken the lead 59-57. With Duncan's 19 points and 13 rebounds, the Spurs went on a 24-0 run, while the Clippers struggled to get themselves back in the game. Tony Parker led the Spurs with 23 points and 10 assists, Kawhi Leonard had 14 points and 9 rebounds, and Manu Ginobili chipped in 13 points. Really, the strongest player on the Clippers in that game was Blake Griffin, with 28 points and 16 rebounds, and of course his spectacular dunks.

            The Spurs finished 96-86, with a 3-0 lead in the series against the Clippers.

            Suffice to say, the Spurs had a huge comeback during the game. It shows that the Spurs will not stop playing, will not stop fighting, and will not stop winning, even in the face of a 24-point deficit and an alley-oop dunk. And did I mention that this win makes for a 17 game winning streak for the Spurs, the longest winning streak in NBA history? Who knows? Maybe we'll see the Spurs at the championships this year.

Go to the NBA's website for clips of the game and more information.
http://www.nba.com/playoffs/2012/westseries5/index.html?ls=st&g=3&t=gs

The King

How to do a Tough Penspinning Trick: The Hai Tua (Info and Video)

The Hai Tua is one of the hardest moves in penspinning. It's a move that beginners (like the author of this article) shouldn't try attempting, unless they want to be frustrated and throw chairs around saying : "Aagh I can't do it! It's so hard! I'll never be able to penspin!" So if you're a beginner, it's probably better to master some basic skills before advancing to the Hai Tua. In this move, you do moves such as thumbaround, twisted sonic,fingereless thumbaround catch, etc.

Here is a video from youtube, explaining how to do this trick :

Sources: Wikipedia. Youtube.

The Washington D.C. Trip

            Spring break this year was the perfect time for many over-worked students at Oak Valley to catch up on some zzz’s. However, a group of 8^th graders got to go all the way to the other side of the United States, to where the President lives, while we were snoozing. That’s right, they spent their spring break in Washington D.C.

Each year, Oak Valley hosts a Washington D.C. trip for 8^th graders, and each year, the students and chaperones alike have a blast. This year, they visited four states: New York, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, and Virginia. Among the highlights were the Statue of Liberty, Chinatown, Times Square, Broadway, the Arlington National Cemetery, Central Park, Plimouth, famous landmarks, memorials, a witch museum, and of course, restaurants. These lucky 8^th graders also viewed a play on Broadway: the Sister Act. To many people, a Broadway play is synonymous with “sitting down and pretending to pay attention for a few hours”, but the Sister Act received wonderful feedback from the Falcons who watched it: “incredible”, “funny”, “well choreographed”, “great singing”, and “absolutely amazing”.

            Aside from the places oozing with history, there were other things just as important as the Statue of Liberty. After all, what’s Philadelphia without Philadelphia Cheese Steak? Has anyone ever visited Boston without tasting the famous Boston Clam Chowder? Definitely not! Even the Big Apple had its distinctive type of food: New York Style Pizza. The D.C. trip juggled with everyone’s taste buds, and the trip participants managed to get a taste of all the authentic foods from the East Coast. For them, the trip was anything but dull.

            Yet, it seems to be an obvious fact that all school fieldtrips must be a boring, stagnant, educational
journey. However, many 8^th graders responded to the Washington D.C. trip enthusiastically, and stated that it didn’t feel like an informational, fact-packed vacation; it really just felt like a chance to hang out with friends, and maybe get a little break from parents. Even with this in mind, when asked what they learned, they could easily rattle off historical facts that would boggle anyone’s mind.

            Falcons, this is a golden opportunity to have some fun next spring break! As long as you don’t mind a little cold weather, the D.C. trip is a fieldtrip you definitely don’t want to miss! 6th graders can start saving up their money to go on this amazing trip. For 7^th graders interested in going on the trip next year, look out for flyers, and contact Mrs. Posey for more information.

By: The Wild Card

Empire State Building

Plimouth Plantation