Oxford University School Looking Foward to New Building

Driving down South Lamar you probably wouldn't even notice there is a school there. Oxford University School resembles a residential house rather than a school, but don't judge a book by its cover. Oxford University school has grades pre-k through sixth with around 250 and the school is rapidly expanding. Next year the school plans to add a seventh and eighth grade and soon after that, the possibility of becoming a high school.

The increase is student enrollment has surely made way for the construction of the

school's new campus. The new building will be located off of highway 7 by The Grand Oaks subdivision, it will include a new gym, athletic fields, and class rooms equipped with the latest technology on 25 acres of land. The school is working on a campaign to raise $1.5 million to fund the new campus. The school will also use funds from the sale of the existing campus on South Lamar.

Don Frazier, Headmaster of Oxford University School said the new campus is a pivotal part in developing the school into a high school. With the recent

influx of students in all Oxford schools, Oxford University School's new building could become very important in the problem of overcrowding in the schools. The students and faculty at Oxford University School have certainly outgrown their current campus, but when the new campus is finished in 2010 everyone will have a comfortable place to learn or teach.

Oxford, MS Food Pantry Prepares for Demanding Holiday Season

Across the United States, millions are dealing with many questions like "Will I have a job tomorrow?", "Can I pay all my bills?", and most important "Can I feed my family?". Due to a failing economy, unemployment along with rising food prices prompted many for eligibility to receive help. All recipients must meet federal and state low-income requirements to receive food.


In the past year, Mississippians who rely on the food pantry have largely increased. During the holiday season, food pantries usually receive a surplus, but this year, many pantries are in need like many of it's users.

In some ways, running a food pantry has never been more difficult. In fact, many pantries across the country have had to close doors due to a lack of donations.

Holiday season has arrived. Between the Memphis Food Bank, the USDA in Jackson, MS and many other sources, the Food Pantry in Lafayette County has been very fortunate in their donations in this time of need. Erin Pollock reports.

Oxford's Main Squeeze

Ron Shapiro opened his juice bar Main Squeeze in March of 2008. His idea is to bring organic healthy foods as an option to Oxford, a town known for its food but more often fried and soulful than healthy and organic. The atmosphere at Main Squeeze is more chill than other places around town. As you walk up to the front porch you notice that there isn't much coherence to the order of furniture adorning the front lawn and the porch is strewn out in the

seemless order the last folks sitting there had arranged.

The Main Squeeze has a slew of smoothies, juices, and most recently a vegetarian food menu to choose from. One of the most popular if not unique beverages would be the mythical

wheat grass shots, which may save your life. Melissa Loria has worked at Main Squeeze since it opened and known Shapiro since she was young and says he's a fun boss to have who, "always keeps things interesting and different."

Voted as Oxford's favorite smoothie spot by The Local Voice.

Ron, better known to townies as "Ronzo", has plans to keep the shop open for late night snacking, something that can be difficult to find in Oxford after about 10 p.m. Main Squeeze also hosts movie on hot summer nights where goers can pick up a smoothie and watch classic films that Ronzo says keep people interested.

Ninja Star Sweeps Small Town

It's been almost 30 years since the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles made their television debut, bringing fun and imagination to a generation of children growing up in the late 80's and early 90's. Due to the success of the Saturday morning cartoon, it wasn’t long before the Turtles developed a large and devoted following of ninja fans and enthusiasts.

Today, the ninja craze can still be seen stirring audiences as movie goers are now catching the recently released action packed thriller entitled Ninja Assassin. The movie follows a highly trained killer who seeks revenge on the very society that once guided him. The highly intense fight scenes that Hollywood depicts on the big screen are captivating martial arts fans both young and old.

The sensation has even found its way to Meridian, Mississippi where amateur filmmaker and martial artist, Adrian Anderson, is building a ninja craze of his own that’s a little out of the ordinary.

Not only have martial arts provided Adrian with the knowledge to defend himself from potential threats, it has also helped him develop a distinguished character. In 2006, he won 2^nd place in the 11^th He-Young Kimm Cup Championship held in the state of Louisiana where he received a silver medal in 2006. Currently, Adrian is pursuing his dream of sharing his two favorite past times with the world, especially now that his life has made it to the air waves.

Many of Adrian’s works have obtained a huge response, which has enabled him to take control of MCC's public broadcasting station, channel 12, by turning it into a portal for his unique humor and experiences. Some of the most memorable works that Adrian has created include Friday the 12th and of course, Turtle Power which depicts him performing his moves in full Ninja Turtle apparel. Currently, Adrian is on his way to becoming MCC’s most prolific filmmaker, and with the advent of YouTube he hopes to expand his fan base to a national level. This has been Craig Bauer reporting for Newswatch. Please be sure to keep checking on Adrian’s youtube page to catch some of his group’s new upcoming movies.

New Moon Mania Invades Oxford, MS

The nation has been abuzz with excitement over the long-anticipated November 20th release of New Moon, the second movie in a series of four based upon author Stephanie Meyer's highly acclaimed Twilight novels.

The popular franchise, which centers around a normal young woman caught between the affections of a vampire and a werewolf, has already grossed a whopping $396,439,854 worldwide, and that was BEFORE the release of New Moon, which earned $142.8 million dollars during the opening weekend alone.

The uber-success of the Twilight franchise is due largely in part to the enormous fan base it has amassed, dubbed "Twi-hards" because of their diehard, obsessive devotion to the series and, more importantly, their favorite character.

Generally separated into two categories (Team Edward and Team Jacob, obviously) these Twilight enthusiasts take their loyalty towards fictional characters to an entirely new and possibly unhealthy level, sparking arguments, t-shirts, and constant media frenzy surrounding the young cast members.

This fascinating fandom is alive and well in Oxford, MS, the small college town in which the University of Mississippi and its students are housed. The lone movie theater that Oxford boasts was packed to the gills at midnight on September 20th, overflowing with girls (and a few boys) hungry for their Edward/Jacob fix. As you will see from the video below, New Moon mania has gotten the best of quite a few of our otherwise completely rational peers. Watch the disturbing footage. . .if you dare.

As evidenced by the completely sold-out showings on all eight screens of the Oxford Malco Cinema and the attendees that you just witnessed, it appears that from New York City to Oxford, MS, no one is safe from. . . .NEW MOON MANIA. For Newswatch, this has been Alex Pence saying, "TEAM JACOB!" :)

J.D. Williams Library has increased activity towards finals

Students pass by this image outside of the J.D. Williams Library almost everyday, but recently the view on the inside is what is most recognizable to students. As the end of the semester is nearing, more and more students are taking advantage of the on-campus resources availiable to them.

The library, located on the University of Mississippi campus, holds 1,360,937 volumes throughout the three stories of shelves it contains. Julia Roles, Dean of Libraries and Professor, heads the 34 library faculty and professional staff members availiable to students with questions. Other than the books and library catalogs, students have computers, movies and even a coffee shop for their use. Rachael Sprinkle has more on the issue of increased student activity at finals time.

From now until the end of finals on December 11th, the library will be open 24 hours a day. Students can access journal and article databases through the library website off-campus, as well.

ASB rejects proposal to make accommodations for visually impaired students

Recently the Associated Student Body (ASB) at the University of Mississippi rejected a bill to make accommodations within the ASB available to students with disabilities. The bill, authored by journalism senator Courtney Powell, requested that the ASB offer its code and constitution along with the senate rules in both large-print and audio format for visually impaired students. According to Powell, she submitted the piece of legislation in an effort to ensure that all students, regardless of disability, have equal opportunity to participate in student government.


When the legislation was presented to the floor at a regular Tuesday night meeting, many questions were raised about the cost and practicality of providing such formats. There are 25 students who currently qualify for the accommodations. "Who are we as the governing student body to say we dont want to make these accommodations for them?" said Powell. "They should feel as involved in their student government as any other student." However, Powell said she somewhat taken aback by some of the criticism of the bill, particularly by one fellow senator who asked, "Can we not just provide them with reading glasses?".

Currently there are three copies of the ASB code and constitution available in the J.D. Williams Library, the law library as well as the ASB office. Powell says she will pay for the large-print and audio formats out of her own pocket to ensure that all students, able bodied or not, have an opportunity to participate in student government.