OCA Calendar | 12/16/2025 6:07:00 PM
Mt. Pleasant, SC – Finish Strong! As we wrap up the first semester of the year, we will finish strong just like a great athlete finishes a drill or great teams finish a game. We will be sprinting through the finish line.
After we finish, I hope everyone has a great Holiday Break! This Thursday, the 18th, is our last face-to-face class day and, on Friday, we have a Personal Learning Day.
As we come to the end of the semester please check your child's grade to determine if Santa will bring gifts or coal. You can look on Powerschool for grades and, if your child is in Dual Enrollment classes, they can show you how they are doing on D2L.
We will also have our faculty holiday party on Thursday, December 18, at
Crush Yard after school. This will be a great event for our staff as we get to enjoy spending some time with each other outside of work. Thank you to all those whose contributions are making this special for our teachers and staff. They have been through a lot this fall and they keep stepping up for our kids. We have amazing staff who truly care about their students.
We will return for the start of the second semester on Tuesday, January 6.
Holiday Spirit Week
10th Anniversary Gala
This marks OCA 10th year and to celebrate we are going to have a celebration on Jan 23rd at Cotton Dock-Boone Hall Plantation. Please RSVP at
https://ocagala.my.canva.site/
GRIT Awards
Oceanside Collegiate Academy's Grit Awards are presented to students who display growth, resilience, initiative and tenacity. Our GRIT Award winners for the fall are: London Hoffman, Hope Murph, Sarafrancis Kaser and Mike Jones.See below to read what their teachers and coaches had to say about these students.
London Hoffman
"London has demonstrated resilience and great maturity in English 101," Ms. Smith said. "She works diligently outside of class; she is an independent learner. She also advocates for herself as she comes to me for help. In her first college class with me, the rigor has motivated her to improve. Her hard work is paying off! She has improved tremendously in my class through her thoughtful dedication."
Hope Murph
"Hope works so hard in US History and holds herself to a very high standard," Ms. Barrineau said. "She takes initiative and wants to grow in her understanding of US History. She comes for extra help when needed and is a star student!"
Sarafrancis Kaser
"Top academic student, top female Golf caddy In Charleston, fantastic personality."
Mike Jones
"I love the way he represents OCA," Coach LaPrad said. "Never makes any excuses, just does what he has to do. He is a great role model and does a great job working with young kids."
Academic Integrity and AI
While we are just learning about AI and its place in the academic world, we do know there are ethical and unethical ways to use AI, including Grammarly.
Grammarly is AI.
The rise in AI detection in our students' work is often a result of unethical use of Grammarly and not just ChatGPT and other generative AI tools.
How can a student ethically use Grammarly?
- spell check
- synonyms
- grammar questions, i.e. commas, semi-colons, capitalization
Summary
- Use for mechanics and clarity, not content: Grammarly can suggest grammar and punctuation changes, but do not rely on it to generate ideas or even be accurate for grammar!
- Preserve your voice and meaning: Review each suggested change. Accept only minor edits that align with your intended meaning and your voice. Never accept heavy rewrites of your point or structure.
Examples of unethical use of Grammarly
- allowing Grammarly to rewrite sentences
- uploading any of your instructor's materials or content into Grammarly (or AI tool) with your question or your own material; the instructor's work is proprietary and cannot be made public
- allowing Grammarly to change your ideas, content, or style
- Never use AI unless your instructor has approved it
Summary
- Grammarly and other AI tools are often incorrect
- Grammarly and other AI tools offer material and tone that is consistent with an informal audience like newspapers instead of a scholarly audience
- Grammarly and other AI tools do not know what your instructor has explained in class or posted with their resources for the course
- Using generative AI (like Grammarly's options for rewriting sentences) will flag your work as AI
Consequences
- Using generative AI, Grammarly, ChatGPT, etc. unethically is Academic Dishonesty and is a very serious offense. In college, it often results in an F in the course or expulsion from the college not just a 0 on the assignment
- Incorrect citation (often because a student used AI instead of the teacher's directions) is also Academic Dishonesty with the same consequences as above
In high school, Academic Dishonesty results in a zero (0) on the submission and further consequences, including Saturday School, suspension and even the possibility of expulsion for multiple offenses.
Writing Contest
OCA will be holding its first writing contest during the spring semester. This is a great opportunity for our students to show their talents and creativity.
Football Parade
If you went to Mt. Pleasant Christmas Parade on Sunday you might have seen our three-times state championship football ride by because they had a float in the parade. Check out the photo gallery.
Gallery: (12-16-2025) 2025 Football Parade
Winter Sports
Our winter sports are in full swing so please come and support our Landsharks as they compete in basketball. Schedules are posted on the OCA website and are updated in the event of any changes.
Graduation
Graduation date and time has been set! Graduation is scheduled for Friday, May 29, at 11 a.m. and will be held at Seacoast Church.
Dual Enrollment Exam Schedule - Fall Semester 2025
Monday, December 15-Thursday, December 18
Monday, December 15, 2025 1st and 3rd periods - A Days
Section
|
Room
|
Displaced
|
Teacher
|
Course
|
Time
|
3AM-A
|
123
|
|
Dessner
|
ENG 203
|
9:26AM - 11:20AM
|
3AM-A
|
124
|
|
Beckham
|
SPA 101
|
9:26AM - 11:20AM
|
1PM-A
|
121
|
|
Dessner
|
ENG 203
|
11:45AM -1:38PM
|
3PM-A
|
124
|
|
Beckham
|
SPA 101
|
1:41PM - 3:35PM
|
3PM-A
|
121
|
|
James
|
MKT 101
|
1:41PM - 3:35PM
|
Tuesday, December 16, 2025 1st and 3rd periods - B Days
Section
|
Room
|
Displaced
|
Teacher
|
Course
|
Time
|
1AM-B
|
124
|
|
Walterson
|
MAT 110
|
7:30AM -9:23AM
|
3AM-B
|
123
|
|
Foreman
|
HIS 101
|
9:26AM - 11:20AM
|
3AM-B
|
121
|
|
Rinehart
|
HIS 201
|
9:26AM - 11:20AM
|
3AM-B
|
124
|
|
Beckham
|
SPA 102
|
9:26AM - 11:20AM
|
1PM-B
|
124
|
|
Beckham
|
SPA 102
|
11:45AM -1:38PM
|
3PM-B
|
124
|
|
Foreman
|
HIS 101
|
1:41PM - 3:35PM
|
3PM-B
|
121
|
|
Rinehart
|
HIS 201
|
11:45AM -1:38PM
|
3PM-B
|
123
|
|
Walterson
|
MAT 110
|
1:41PM - 3:35PM
|
Wednesday, December 17, 2024 2nd and 4th periods - A Days
Section
|
Room
|
Displaced
|
Teacher
|
Course
|
Time
|
2AM-A
|
124
|
|
James
|
MKT 101
|
7:30AM -9:23AM
|
4AM-A
|
121
|
|
Walterson
|
MAT 110
|
9:26AM - 11:20AM
|
4AM-A
|
124
|
|
Beckham
|
SPA 101
|
9:26AM - 11:20AM
|
2PM-A
|
121
|
|
Walterson
|
MAT 110
|
11:45AM -1:38PM
|
4PM-A
|
124
|
|
Beckham
|
SPA 101
|
1:41PM - 3:35PM
|
Thursday, December 18, 2024 2nd and 4th periods - B Days
Section
|
Room
|
Displaced
|
Teacher
|
Course
|
Time
|
2AM-B
|
124
|
|
Beckham
|
SPA 102
|
7:30AM -9:23AM
|
2AM-B
|
121
|
|
Walterson
|
MAT 110
|
7:30AM -9:23AM
|
2AM-B
|
123
|
|
Rinehart
|
HIS 201
|
7:30AM -9:23AM
|
2PM-B
|
124
|
|
Foreman
|
HIS 101
|
11:45AM -1:38PM
|
4PM-B
|
121
|
|
Walterson
|
MAT 110
|
1:41PM - 3:35PM
|
From the Guidance Counselors Desk
11th grade IGP appointments will be sent out December 10-12. Seniors FAFSA form is now open on FAFSA® Application | Federal Student Aid.
Scholarships include:
-
Meeting Street Academy
-
Kelly Law Autism Scholarship - 12/19 deadline
Dual Enrollment
When we come back from winter break we will be starting the second semester. Please make sure you are looking at your power school to make sure all your classes are correct. If you have any questions please reach out to Ms. Beckman or Ms. Richardson.
Community Service
Remember, to walk across the stage at graduation you must do 25 hours of community service. This time of the year there are always great opportunities to give back and help people in need. If you are doing community service please let us know.
Support Teachers
To support our amazing teachers and staff at OCA please feel to donate at our Team Oceanside or feel free to contact me. This helps us pay for special treats like coffee and our Thanksgiving meal. We want to make sure our teachers feel the support and love from our OCA families. Follow this link to support Team Oceanside.
About Oceanside Collegiate Academy: Oceanside Collegiate Academy (OCA), located in Mt. Pleasant, S.C., serves high school students in a safe, small and family-centered setting. Our students seek the opportunity and challenge of rigorous curriculum, high academic standards and elite athletics while earning up to two years of college credit. OCA serves students in grades 9-12 using an honors curriculum in 9th and 10 grades with a dual enrollment curriculum in 11th and 12th grades
Learn more about OCA by visiting our website at OceansideCollegiate.Academy and by following us on social media on Facebook, Instagram and X. For video content, visit our YouTube channel.
