OCRS Summer Boarding School Students Enjoy an Afternoon of Paintball

What do you do on a hot Sunday afternoon? How about a game or two of Paintball!!

On July 10th, 22 students and counselors from Oak Creek Ranch School descended upon Westworld Paintball in Phoenix. For anyone who doesn’t know, paintball is a game in which players compete in teams or individually, to eliminate opponents by hitting them with capsules containing paint.

History of Paintball (from Wikipedia)

Paintball was created in 1976 in New Hampshire by Hayes Noel, a stock trader, Bob Gurnsey, and author, Charles Gains. The three were discussing Gaines' recent trip to Africa and his experiences hunting buffalo. Inspired in part by Richard Connell's short story The Most Dangerous Game, they created a game where they would stalk and hunt each other; recreating the same adrenaline rush that came with animal hunting. In 1981 in New Hampshire, the group used a "Nel-spot 007" pistol (normally used by farmers and ranchers for marking trees and livestock) to fire balls of paint. Twelve people participated in this first game, which was a "capture the flag" scenario between two teams. The winner captured all flags without firing a shot.

Paintball is played in organized competition with worldwide leagues, tournaments, professional teams, and players. It is also used by armies to supplement military training.

Last weekend, Oak Creek Ranch School’s Summer Boarding School students spent hours chasing each other over, under, and through Westworld’s air-conditioned, indoor obstacle course. OCRS students, Josh and Grant were the most adept at picking off opponents from across the field. Jerred stared everyone down as he fired, ferociously. Luis got a taste of the action and even Renee, one of the residential staff joined in on all the excitement. Everyone had a great time and the day ended with OCRS students still begging for more!

OCRS Summer Boarding School Now Enrolling! 4-Week summer school session begins July 4th

Students can earn 1 semester's credit in 2 subjects during a four week session. Click here to learn more about summer boarding school at Oak Creek Ranch school.

OCRS Softball Team ties for First Place in League

2010 was an impressive year for the Oak Creek Ranch School softball team , finishing the regular season play in a tie for first place, with 8 wins and 1 loss.

“The OCRS students were just great!,” said Coach Hernandez. “They practiced every day and were completely committed to their team.”

In the league championship tournament, injuries prevented some of the team’s key players from participating in the game. After a hard fought battle, the Wildcats were unable to pull off the victory, losing the playoff game by a narrow margin of 14 to 15.

“Our players never gave up,” remarked George Ireland, Athletic director for OCRS. “It was great to see our students play so passionately and really believe in themselves.”

After their loss, the OCRS team members wasted no time being upset or discouraged. They immediately began to cheer for their competitors, demonstrating what true sportsmanship is all about.

“All season long we talked about the importance of maintaining ‘good sportsmanship’ so to see our kids put those words into action was tremendous!” said Coach Hernandez.

Congratulations to the OCRS Softball team for another outstanding season.

Oak Creek Ranch School Soccer Team Captures League Championship

The Oak Creek Ranch School Soccer Team captured the league Championship on May 5th 2010, in Prescott, Arizona, en route to an impressive, undefeated season. Returning senior and goalie Greg Nisenbaum helped preserve the win through a terrific save with just under three minutes to go. John Edson scored all three Wildcat goals on the day to earn the Tournament’s ‘Most Valuable Player’ honors. Senior leader and Captain Reed Campbell directed the offense all season long, that featured Charles Jones, Tess Kirby, Zach Beggs, Reed Keech, Christian Losch, Chris Ardry, and Stephen Lorenzo. Defensively for Oak Creek Ranch School Andre Gellat and Willie Sampson led a defense that allowed just six goals during the season, including two shutouts in the tournament. Defensive contributions were made by Alex Wilson, Corey Meyer, Brittany Koelmel, Brian Walsh, Ariyah VanGundy, and Andrew Werner.

“This team showed tremendous character and leadership all season long. They were a fun group to work with and I am extremely proud of what they accomplished”, said Coach Galley. “They had a disappointing loss in the first round last year and many seniors carried that as motivation to improve this season” remarked Athletic Director, George Ireland.

The Oak Creek Ranch School Wildcats finished the season with a record of 7-0-2.

Oak Creek Ranch School Wins National Cheer and Dance Championship

They’ve been cheering on our teams all year. Now we get to return the favor.

On April 12, our very own Oak Creek Ranch School Cheer Squad won the National Championship at the American Showcase National Cheerleading Competition in Anaheim, California. They beat out squads from all over the country to take home the trophy in the Co-ed Small School Division. It’s a remarkable accomplishment—particularly considering our squad has been in existence for less than a year.

This is a true Cinderella story. The team was nothing but a dream when Coach La Rinda “Ren” Sterling approached the Dean of Residential Life in mid summer 2009 asking if she could form a squad. She had experience coaching her own daughters in cheer and thought it would be a great way to boost school spirit here at OCRS. Interest grew during the last summer school session and as the fall semester began, the Wildcat cheer squad was formed with several students, only one of whom had any cheer experience.

Members of Oak Creek’s National Championship Cheer Squad include Captain Tara Garoutte, Assistant Captains Cali Hollister and Reed Campbell, Team Manager Corey Myer and phenomenal squad members Emma Guihen, Kaitlin Moulton, Charles Jones, Joey Svelty and Andy Werner.

Emma Guihen summed up the experience perfectly: “I joined the OCRS cheer squad to try something new. Through this experience, I learned that if you set your mind to something you will accomplish it.”

The squad practiced six to eight hours a week throughout the school year, in addition to cheering on the OCRS football and basketball teams during their seasons. Many of the students on the squad also played multiple sports while practicing for the National Championships. It was a tremendous amount of hard work, but right from the beginning Coach Ren promised that if they remained focused and dedicated she would enter them in the competition.

When asked why she joined the squad, Terra Garoutte said, “At first I just wanted something to do. But then I discovered that I really liked it and was having a lot of fun. Going to the National Championship was nerve racking, but once I got on the stage it was so amazing. It made all the practices and pushups Coach Ren made us do, worth it.”

Charles Jones concurred, “There were both good and bad times during practices but they were life long lessons. My best memories are of the sportsmanship and camaraderie—we felt unstoppable and we went out there and won.”

Fundraisers and donations from parents made it possible for the team to participate in the three-day competition. But once they got to Anaheim it wasn’t all work and no play. While there, the squad was able to go to Newport Beach, Knott’s Berry Farm and take a stroll down the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

Congratulations to Coach Ren and the entire Oak Creek Ranch School cheer squad. We can hardly wait to see you defend your title next year. Go Wildcats!

Take me out to the Ball Game!

Mr. Ireland's 'adveture week project' was entitled "Baseball, Hotdogs, and Apple Pie." Eight students signed up for a week of intensive baseball immersion that started with exams covering the rules of baseball, players and their situations. After successfully completing these preliminary requirements, our students were off to see the spring training games in Phoenix. These OCRS baseball enthusiasts had the opportunity to front and center for all the action, attending the Angels Vs. Padres game in Peoria; the Brewers Vs. Reds game in Goodyear; and the Cubs Vs. Dodgers game in Glendale. Coach Gary Yeats of the Cincinnati Reds gave everyone a tour of the training facilities and answered questions about the organization.

At the end of the week, these students put together a remarkable quiz show called "Stump the Coaches" that debuts in front of the entire school April 1st.

Pictured: Zac, Dylan, Michael, Sara, Patrick, Connor, John, Ean and Mr. Ireland attending spring training games in the Phoenix area during Adventure Week.

Winter Activities Are Clear Favorites!

During the last several weeks students at Oak Creek Ranch School have had a number of choices for their weekend activities. They could spend time at a local skateboard park, attend the Arizona Sundogs minor league hockey team game, shop at the mall, organize a Super Bowl part, or play in pool, chess and ping pong ball tournaments on campus. Some joined our regularly scheduled activities like movie night, bowling or trail riding on horseback.

However, this time of year, . Snowboarding and skiing at the Arizona Snow Bowl, just north of Flagstaff and watching the Phoenix Coyotes at the Jobing.com Arena in Glendale have been the clear favorites! Here are recent photos of Oak Creek Ranch School students taking advantage of the winter fun.