Track Athletes Prepare for State

By June Mueller

Picture by Bachman-Twombly

Written May 2025

The Growler staff conducted an interview with our state track bound athletes before they left. Here is what they had to say!

What were you thinking and feeling when you realized you had qualified for state? Explain!

Brooklyn Burks, junior, shot put: When I first realized I had qualified for state, it didn't feel real until I heard who else was going with me and saw that everyone who made it to sectionals was also going to state. I also started to think about how much more work I needed to put in. My throws that day weren't my best, but I can only go up from there. I felt very lucky to be a part of such a talented team, and felt very grateful to have my teammates and coaches to cheer me on. 

Wylie Smith, junior, member of 4X100 relay team: It was such a surreal feeling making it with our team. We had all wanted to make it so bad and it was one of our biggest goals. When we found out we did, we couldn’t stop smiling and it was such a sweet moment all together

Kiley Thomas, junior, member of 4x100 relay team: I was in shock because it was such a close race and I couldn't tell if we had made it or not. It was such a relief after all the hard work we’ve put into this season. 

Levi Neel, freshman, pole vault: When I realized I qualified for state it was really a relief because that meant all the hard work paid off. 

What has helped to prepare you to be successful the most this season? Explain!

Burks: What helped me the most this season was taking care of my mind and body, and really focusing on what I can do for myself to make me successful, whether that was an ice bath or taking to Mackenzie to see what I need to implement into my warmups to keep me free from injury. I also made sure that I made time for myself and my family, so that I could be in the best mental space possible to be able to compete my best. I really focused on not letting the little things get to me like I have in years past. 

Smith: My teammates. We have encouraged each other all season and always showed up for each other

Thomas: My teammates are very motivating and create a positive atmosphere which pushes me to want to succeed even more. 

Neel: Staying consistent having my coach there with me. 

Did you every doubt that you would make it to the state track meet?

Burks: There were a few meets this season that I would do good in javelin but not in shot put or vice versa, so there were a few times I was a little nervous. I was especially nervous after finding out that districts would be held at Holden, because when we competed there for the regular season, I had one of my worst meets, so I think that kind of got to me a little. Also, when I had been stuck in a slump and not hitting a personal best in a few meets then I started to worry a little bit more. 

Smith: I was a little unsure. We were seeded 5th but after we said a prayer together right before we ran, we all had such a relief and we just wanted it so bad.

Thomas: Yes I was a little nervous because we were seeded 5th, and anything could have happened. 

Neel: For a little portion of the season I didn’t think I was gonna make it because I had a step back.

How are you currently preparing for the state track meet?

Burks: I am currently making sure I am fueling my body correctly and getting enough sleep. This week we are going harder earlier in the week and then going lighter as we get closer to the meet. 

Smith: We have focused on our handoffs and every little thing together. We have talked a lot about placing and trying to manifest it.

Thomas: We have been focusing on handoffs and reducing time within our handoffs to shave off a few seconds. 

What are your expectations for yourself at the state track meet? Explain!

Burks: I expect to see myself on the podium and hit a personal best, even with the conditions that will be there. I expect to be and place top 3.

Smith: I am hoping to do my best for my team and all of us help us to place.

Thomas: My expectations for myself are to run to the best of my ability and do whatever I can to help us place. 

Odessa Middle School Track Happening April

By Luke Ellison

Written in March 2025

 In April, OMS Track starts to take off.

Cory Smith OMS Track Coach said students need to have good grades and attendance to compete at meets, per our school and district policies. Students also need to have a valid physical uploaded on PRIVIT, and students need to have at least 14 practices completed to attend any meets, per MSHSAA regulations. Otherwise, there are no specific requirements or prerequisites to join track. We encourage any students to join if possible as track really can be a beneficial and memorable experience for our young student athletes.

Smith also gives a reason why he coaches Track.

“I coach track because I enjoy getting to know so many awesome students and having the opportunity to help them become better overall athletes. Our Odessa Middle School Track and Field team has consistently been high in participation the past few seasons, and I think we've really built a great competitive culture during these recent years. We have a large team again this season, and we are looking forward to another positive and successful season,” said Smith.

Track does take place in a certain time of year.

“Track takes place every spring sports season, beginning either in late February or early March, depending on the calendar and official season start date,” said Smith.

Rachel Begemann, OHS assistant track coach and parent of an oms track athlete, explained track in her own words and said, “Track is the original sport born from times when a test of men's strength and abilities was his 

greatest measure.  It is a family of people who endure the elements every day to become better at their craft.”

Begemann helps with the middle school track because high school coaches help with OMS meets and often help at practice due to close proximity with athletes. 

Tinley Maschmeier, 8th grader at OHS said she joined track to run and Emma Whitaker, 8th grader at OHS said she joined track because she wanted to be active and always been good at running. 

Both Whitaker and Maschmeier said the most popular event is sprinting.

Begemann said, “Being a coach and a parent at the same time is very exciting because I get to share my love of the sport with my daughter all day every day.  Track has been a part of her life for a long time due to both her father and I being coaches.”

What do the students do though?

Whitaker does the 4x4 4x8 and 4x2 and high jump and Maschmeier does sprints such as the 4x1, 200m, and the 4x4.

Track is going to be a fun run. 

OHS Soccer Girls Lock-in Before Game

By Claire Fieth

Picture by Bachman-Twombly

Written March 2025

OHS girls' soccer locks in before games to play their best against their opponents. 

Players listen to music as a strategy to lock-in. 

“I lock in with headphones, and stretch every possible muscle possible,” Ali Cain, junior, said. 

Amyia Powell, junior,  says she listens to music and stretches while trying to be positive before games. 

“I usually just listen to music, try and talk to my friends, stay calm. Physically I drink water and stretch and pass around a bit,” Faith Harvey, sophomore, said. 

Addison Jowett, junior,  said she tries to laugh and get the team into good spirits before the game. 

Gracie Harget, senior, enjoys doing her hair before games to feel good before she plays. 

“I like to do my hair in different hairstyles. I feel better when I do something to my hair instead of just throwing it in a ponytail,” Harget said.

Throughout the season players have different challenges they overcome. 

“Last year I had 2 knee surgeries, so trying keep keep it from swelling with ice,” Harvey said. 

Powell has been experiencing hip pain that she has been trying to overcome.

“I think once that gets resolved, I'll be great,” Powell said. 

Cain has more mental challenges she has been overcoming this season. 

“Mental block, stress, or being overwhelmed. I overcome them by taking a nap or just having a day to myself,” Cain said. 

Jowett has to remind herself it's just a game and to take one game at a time. 

“I lose confidence and I have to remember it's never as deep and it's just a fun game,” Jowett said. 

Harget struggles playing against good forwards. 

“Some challenges that I face from being a defender is having to defend players that are really good offensively,” Harget said. 

These players have different goals they plan on accomplishing throughout the season. 

“I would like to win districts as a team, that would be super cool. Personally, I would just like to go out and have fun because it’s my last time playing with this team,” Harvey, who will be transferring schools this summer, said. 

Powell plans to give it her all this season.

“To give it my all and take advice from others and just go out and succeed to my best ability, but to also help those who need it and just to be positive and uplifting,” Powell said. 

 “I want to be a better teammate, talk on the field, and dive for the ball,” Cain said. 

Jowett wants the team to get past the first round of districts and grow as a team and as an individual. 

Harget hopes for a winning record. 

“I hope the team has a winning record and I hope I get an after season award,” Harget said. 

Players all had reasons for starting soccer. 

“My mom put me in it when I was 3 and I’ve played every year since,” Harvey said. 

Powell started soccer because she wanted to try something new. 

Cain and Harget both started soccer to stay active. 

“I started playing soccer just because I wanted to do something in the spring. I didn't want to do track because I personally hate running. I also started because my friends were playing,” Harget said. 

Throughout the years the girls have made unforgettable memories. 

“Hanging out with my friends, the laughing, going to eat after games,” Cain said. 

Powell’s favorite memory was making a candy salad before one of the games. 

“Definitely hanging out with my best friends everyday,” Jowett said. 

Harvey’s was making new friends this season and also making goat noises (if you know you know). 

Track Team Sets Big Goals

By Kyleigh Tye

Written in March 2025

OHS Track and Field Team is striving to achieve some big goals this season. 

Avery Marble, junior, is hoping to improve her pole vault by an entire foot over her personal record. Marble has previously cleared 8 feet on the pole vault, which was a big achievement for her in her sophomore season of track.

Marble participates in long jump and pole vault. She said that she enjoys long jump because, “it’s something that I don’t stress about a lot, and it also helps me with my main event, which is pole vault.”

Brooklyn Burks, junior, also found success in her sophomore season, throwing into the 30 meter range in javelin. Unlike Marble, Burks faced a setback with a shoulder and back injury. Burks is working to get back to her personal record and not pass it. Burks participates in shot put and javelin throwing and enjoys seeing her improvement throughout the season.

Mackenna Pierson, freshman, has been battling bad shin splints and working at pushing through that pain.

Pierson, who runs the 4x1, 4x2, 4x4, and open 100, said that track helps her build endurance and speed for her other sports. 

Burks said that a big achievement that she has accomplished is, “making it out of districts the past two years.”

Burks not only made it out of districts this year, but went to the state track meet for the shot put. At state, Burks marked a second place finish at shot put.

Burks was joined on the podium by teammates Emily Bischoff, Kiley Thomas, Wylie Smith (all juniors), and Makenna Bass (freshman) for their 4th place finish in the 4x100 relay. Natalie Doney, sophomore, had a podium finish as well placing 7th in the mile. 

First Time Captain X Games is not in Odessa

By Luke Ellison

Edited by Bachman-Twombly

Pictures by Faith Harvey and Holly Tittsworth

Written February 2025

Captain X Games is at Main Event for the first time March 12.

“We have Captain X Games to promote inclusion by bringing people with and

without disabilities together,” T’Quia Bandy, OHS librarian and Unified Club Sponsor, said.

This is the second time Bandy has been involved in organizing Captain X Games.

“I have been involved in Captain X Games for 4 years,” Tammy Jumet, OHS paraprofessional, said.

Jumet's job is to go around checking on other groups to make sure they are having fun and that they don't need anything. Jumet is also responsible for groups getting to the next part of the games.

Lilli Martin, junior, participated because 

she wanted to learn more about being herself.

There was Laser Tag, Bowling, Ropes, and drawing.

“Fun stuff to do for everyone, because you hang out with friends and other people from different schools.” Jefferey Inman, junior, said.

Jumet is excited about Captain X Games because it is going to be at a different venue this year and Martin is excited to see her friends compete and see herself improve. 

Students are very excited and it was a different experience.

Teamwork is Big Focus for OHS JV Boys Basketball

By Kyleigh Tye

Pictures by Kyleigh Tye

Written January 2025

The JV Boys Basketball team’s motto is “WE>ME”, meaning that they are better as a team than individually.

Brock Barker, freshman starter, said that they want to grow as a team.

“A lot of people are saying that this is a building year. Teamwork is a big part of building the team,” Barker said.

With the new coaching staff, this year was about the players connecting with the coaches.

“We have multiple kids that are freshmen now and have something to work on so we can be at our best for next year and moving forward,” Barker said.

Mark Crowley, boys JV basketball coach, said some of the team's goals are to improve skills and teamwork. 

“[The boys] have done a really good job of learning how to play like a team and have been doing a great job of playing for each other,” Crowley said.

Parker Nye, sophomore starter, said that another goal they have is to go undefeated.

”Last year, some of us were on C Team, so it is a chance to show how much we have improved,” Nye said.

Crowley said that the end of the season went well. “Our players continued to play really hard and improved their game over the length of the season,”. 

The JV Boys finished their season 6-6.

Lying Awake Thinking of Basketball 

Story and Pictures by Claire Fieth

Written February 2025

OHS senior basketball player Landon Linkhart struggles, knowing his last season has come to an end. 

“It sucks, ending basketball. I don't sleep to be completely honest. I don't sleep. I loved basketball, and now it's no more. I’m lying awake at 1:28 am,” Linkhart said. 

Basketball has always impacted Linkhart. 

“It's my favorite thing ever. When I get mad, it helps and it keeps me from doing a lot of dumb things, like if I am sad, I grab my ball, if I am mad, I grab my ball, if I am happy, I grab my ball. I love basketball and love my boys,” Linkhart said. 

On the other hand, Aiven Miller senior is sad about basketball, but ready to graduate. 

“It was pretty good, and a lot of fun. I have played it since I was a little kid. I was never really good at it, but it's helped me make a lot of friends. I am so excited to graduate and get out of here with my boys,” Miller said.

Linkhart is scared about his life after graduation. 

“It's scary. I'm going to be an adult soon, and I'm going to have to do adult things like bills, taxes, and all that stuff. It's a little scary because what if I mess it up and I get tax evasion,” Linkhart said.

Will Fox, new head basketball coach at OHS, is admired by his players.

“He was chill, I liked him a lot, he has a good personality, and he knows the sport very well. He is a good coach all around, and he is pretty easy to get along with, someone who has a good personality. You have a good season when you get along with your coach,” Linkhart said. 

Miller agreed that Fox was a good coach that helped players and the basketball culture at OHS.

Linkhart and Miller are going to continue their education after high school. 

“I am going to college, study something in psychology or sports medicine. Depending on where I go, will decide if I do psychology, because some schools don't have a psychology program or sports medicine, and if they only have one, it's an easy decision,” Linkhart said. 

“I am going to play football at Ottawa, it's in Kansas,” Miller said. 

To end their last season, these players made unforgettable memories. 

“This season was probably hugging my dad after we lost. I didn't want to lose and then we lost. It was very sad. My dad and I both shed a tear. We talked about the game and he said I played good,” Linkhart said.

“Air balling my half-court shot on senior night and whenever Landon hit that tough buzzer beater at half time vs Oak Grove,” Miller said. 

Linkhart said this was his favorite season out of all four. 

“I enjoyed this season. This season was probably my favorite out of all four,” Linkhart said. 

Unified Athletes Jumped Into Action at Lexington January 30 

By Luke Ellison

Written January 2025

OHS students participated in unified basketball at Lexington High School on January 30.  

“In winter, there aren't many sports that we can do inside at this time. It is also basketball season,” Melinda Armstrong, special education teacher, said.

Unified Basketball is an annual event for area athletes with mental and physical disabilities.

“In the past, they have always done around Valentine's Day. Valentine's Day is on a Friday, so they chose a date that was close to Valentine's Day and a day that Lexington's school is available,” Armstrong said.

OHS unified athletes compete in three main events throughout the school year. Basketball at Lexington has been one of those three main events for the past 4 years.

Cody Alkire, junior, has played for 3 years and Lilly Edwards, freshman, has played for only 1 year. Both are members of the OHS unified basketball team.

“I like the skills test because it’s just fun,” Alkire said.

Students practice during gym class, 3 days a week. Edwards did not get to practice much this year, but still enjoyed playing.

“You meet new people and make new friends,” Edwards said of why she enjoys unified basketball.

Overall, students enjoyed playing in the Lexington tournament. Edwards was excited to go to meet new people.

“We got out of school and I like to hang out with Coach Wolfe,” Alkire said.

The next unified event is scheduled on Valentine's Day in Higginsville.

Building Bonds On The Mat

By Claire Fieth

Pictures by Claire Fieth

Written January 2025

OHS JV wrestling is building bonds on and off the mat.  

“Creating bonds with everyone like Jet Brown, sophomore, and Kamdom Hooper, sophomore, and Michael Scott, sophomore, we all have a great bond, and it's amazing with everyone,” Jansen Todd, junior, said. 

Wrestlers make friendships during the seasons that can last a lifetime. 

“The biggest connection I have had was with Kamdon Hooper. I just got close to him this year and we created a very strong bond with each other. It sounds like we are a couple but we are not,” Todd said.

Bob Uhrlaub, a freshman, said he became good friends with Will Scott, freshman, through wrestling. 

“I got close to Jansen Todd through wrestling. I have also made a ton of other friendships through wrestling,” Lucas Martin, junior, said. 

Along with creating bonds, the team has individual reasons to wrestle.

Todd said the best thing about wrestling is winning.                        

“The hard work builds character. It's a really good sport. I enjoy it,” Martian said. 

Affolter said he enjoys the physical part of wrestling. 

“I like that it's a challenge and gives you something to work and improve on,” Uhrlaub said. 

The wrestlers all had different reasons for starting. 

“I mainly started because of Kamdon Hooper. He was forcing me to and I didn't want to, but I have had a blast so that's why I started wrestling because of Kam,” Todd said. 

Martian said he started when he was little while Uhrlaub started in middle school.

“I started in middle school and my coaches really talked me into it. They had been for a while,” Uhrlaub said. 

Affolter used to wrestle his friends until his parents signed him up.

“When I was little, I used to take my friends down, and then my mom and dad just signed me up for wrestling,” Affloter said. 

Throughout the seasons, the wrestlers have made good memories. Todd's favorite memory is winning.

 “At one tournament, I was wrestling this kid who was so mad that he lost, and he goes into the bathroom, slammed the stall door shut, screaming. You can see his coach walk in after him and it was the funniest thing ever. I have never laughed so hard in my life,” Todd said. 

Martian said that winning and winning a lot is his favorite memory. 

Uhrlaub’s favorite memory was getting his first varsity win.

“I had my first varsity win last week at 215 that was pretty cool,” Uhrlaub said. 

Affolter's favorite memory was pinning a state champion. 

To end the season Martian only lost two matches one in varsity and one on jv. 

“The season was alot of fun and it was a very successful season with only two losing matches, I can’t wait to keep improving and see what next season has in store” Martian said. 

Todd said it was cool watching his friends win state 

“It was pretty cool watching my friends go to state, it was fun going down there to watch them wrestle,” Todd said. 

OHS Cheer 2024-25 School Year

By Aliyah May

Picture Courtesy of Brea Ray

Posted 12/27/24

Almost everyone has heard about cheer and what it is, but not everyone knows what goes into cheer and how hard the members work.

“I wish people knew that cheer is definitely a sport. Just because we don't have a ball, doesn't mean we’re not a sport. We put in the same effort and work as any other sport does,” Emmalyn Montes, a freshman cheerleader, said.

The cheerleaders spend hours performing at assemblies, games, parades, helping with little league and having many competitions throughout the year.

“One of the toughest challenges is the high stakes of the sport. You only get one chance to deliver a flawless routine,” Brea Ray, cheer coach, said. “It’s a humbling reminder of the dedication, resilience, and grace required in this demanding yet rewarding sport.” 

Cheerleading, just like any other sport at a school, has its ups and downs and tough moments.

“The bad part about cheer is not getting the recognition we deserve from out school even though we put in endless hours of cheering on the sideline for almost every sport on top of practicing for our competitions,” Marley Prado, senior cheerleader, said.

Cheerleaders still put in their all and try their hardest to do their best to entertain and pump up the crowd.

“It sets you up for success because you're working hard, you're pushing yourself to be the best, and you're with people who are doing the same. It really is a great environment,” Montes said.

The positive environment continues to grow in the ongoing year as more kids from the middle school join cheerleading. 

“This year of cheer is a rebuilding year. We have a very young team, but we have improved so much since the beginning of the season,” Prado said.

There is always room to improve individual members and team skills, but the team has also improved a lot from the years before.

“Compared to last year, I’ve noticed improvements in skills and confidence, athletes are executing more advanced stunts and tumbling skills. There’s also been significant growth in teamwork and communication.” Ray said.

The cheer team will be performing at the next home boys varsity basketball game on  January third.

OHS Trapshooting

By Makayla Cole

Photos Courtesy of Melissa Hundley

Posted 12/27/24

OHS FFA is home to a variety of events, but the most precise is Trap Shooting. 

While practicing they shoot 50 Clay pigeons, and at competitions, they shoot 100. Along with precise shooting, members have a strict set of requirements they need to meet.

“For a student to participate on the OHS Trap Team, they must be a current FFA Member, meet OHS eligibility requirements, and have obtained a Hunter Safety Certification from the Missouri Department of Conservation,” Gene Collins, head Trap coach, said.

According to Collins he appreciates being the coach for trap shooting

“As the Head Coach, I enjoy the opportunity to work with the athletes to develop safe practices and advance their shooting skills,” Collins said. He takes pride in his shooting athletes.

“The coaches know what they're talking about they know how to teach kids with the proper angles,” Jonathan Ostermeyer, FFA Trapshooter in squad 1, said. 

“I like shooting, it's my happy place,” Kayla Jeffers, FFA Trapshooter in squad 1, said.

For practices the Trap Shooters meet “once a week on Tuesdays,” Ostermeyer said.

“Every month, we have a competition,” Jeffers said. “During the competition, we switch places every 10 Clay pigeons for 5 rounds.” After 5 rounds, they take a break and come back and do the same thing again, bringing them to a total of 100 Clay pigeons.

“Athletes earn their spots on the squads based on their average shooting scores,” Collins said.

“I enjoy hunting and shooting guns, and began Trap Shooting as a hobby before becoming the trap coach at OHS,” Collins said.

Join FFA and see if you have what it takes to be in Trap Shooting.

The OHS Girls Wrestling Team is Striving for Success

By Kyleigh Tye

Pictures by Emma Jones and Faith Harvey

Posted 12/27/24

The Girls Wrestle team is already four weeks into their season. Last season, the team finished 3rd in the state.

Matthew Van Hoecke, assistant coach, is optimistic about this season. 

“This season, our team has continuously improved. From placing third at state last year, we can see improvement in our technique, effort, and accountability,” 

Van Hoecke said. “We have performed well at our last two tournaments and duals. We are now healthy and, I feel, more acclimated for success this year.”

According to Van Hoecke, the team's goals are the same as last season.

 “Our goals remain the same. We want to win the team title at state. We practice for success in February,”  Van Hoecke said.

Faith Harvey, sophomore, and Isabella Palmer, junior, both agreed that they are ready for the season and have a great staff to support them.

When Harvey was asked if she had any goals for herself, she replied that she would like to qualify for state. With a major setback injury in middle school, this is Harvey’s first season back. 

“[The injury was] very stressful. Definitely scared in the beginning; just trying to get back in the flow of things and can’t wait to see what I can accomplish this season,” Harvey said.

“[Coach Dayton Brown is] an amazing addition to our team! He is going to help us reach our goals and make us better every day,” Palmer said. 

The girls are striving for a Team state title this season.

Last season, the girls sent 8 wrestlers to compete in state: Emily Bischoff, junior, Addison Eddleman, senior, Brianna Ford, alumni, Wylie Smith, junior, Isabella Palmer, junior, Brooke Butler, senior, and Emma Mahan, junior. Bischoff placed 1st in the 130 weight class. 

OHS Boy’s Wrestling Team Kicks Season Off Strong Despite Tough Competition

By Claire Fieth

Photo Courtesy of Blaine Wallace

Posted 12/27/24

OHS Boy’s wrestling team kicked the season off with a varsity tournament in Iowa which showed the players tough competition from other states. 

“It was good to see where you were at starting for the season. We had a lot of tough competition from Minnesota, a lot good teams from Iowa like Bendorf and a couple of good teams from Michigan,” Caiden Davidison, junior, said. 

Gabe Studdard, senior, thought it was a good experience and it was a tough competition. “It was so cool to see people from other states wrestle,” Studdard said. 

“It was a good tournament to start off the season, it showed us a lot of things we needed to work on and fix going through the rest of the season. It wasn't easy getting to the finals match, all the kids I wrestled were ranked top 3 from Illinois or Iowa. I took 2nd,” Blaine Wallace, sophomore, said. 

Ethan Kimmel, junior, had a rough time at the tournament, but it showed him the tough competition from the surrounding states.

With the season beginning, athletes have things they’re excited for. 

“I'm most excited about growing and learning with the team and becoming closer to each other and becoming a big family,” Wallace said. 

Jet Brown, sophomore, is excited to be with his great team and better himself everyday.

“I am excited for growing closer as a family and as a team,” Kamdom Hooper, sophomore, said. 

Jansen Todd, junior, is excited to wrestle with Brown and Hooper, and also improving every day. 

Studdard is looking forward to going back to back at state and improving everyday at practice. 

“I am most excited for state, of course. To get to compete with my group of friends; we won it last year and hopefully we win again this year,” Davidson said. 

Brady Jones, senior, is excited to compete at a higher level this season. 

Players have individual improvements in mind that they want to achieve to improve their team as a whole. 

“We are going to improve by having leadership and keeping people in the right mindset throughout the season and always working on getting better and getting ready for the next things ahead of us,” Wallace said. 

Brown is going to improve by wrestling people that challenge him working hard everyday doing stuff before and after practice. Hooper is improving by working hard everyday and giving one hundred percent effort every time he steps on the mat. 

“Trusting the process and working hard with my brethren throughout the room,” Studdard said. 

Jones isn't going to focus on winning all the time, but focusing on the process.

“I am gonna improve by staying after practice, working on my footwork and my shot development,” Davidson said. 

With last year ending with a state championship, the team wants to achieve this again. 

“I think we have a really good chance to repeat as state champs and bring it all home again. We have a lot to work on, but I think in the end we can get it done,” Wallace said. 

Hooper said the team is going to grow more together and hopefully win state again.

“I think this season is going to be very exciting. I am just grateful to be out here and be able to compete with all my friends and family,” Brown said. 

Todd thinks they're all going to do well individually and he is excited to see what everyone is capable of doing.

“We're gonna beat everybody and gonna beat everyone’s face in and win every match and we're not gonna lose a single match,” Studdard said. 

Jones thinks the season is going to be good and thinks the team has to set some things straight and keep practicing hard. 

“I feel like we are gonna win it all conference districts and state,” Kimmel said. 

Davidson predicts that the team will take conference, districts and state again.

Winter eSports

By Luke Ellison

Photo Courtesy of OHS Admin.

Posted 12/27/24

This year in Winter Esports, Pokemon Unite is being played for the first time.

“I do not pick the games that are played. The Missouri Scholastic eSports Federation (MOSEF) decides what titles to offer during each season and we play those,” Wittman said. 

Jasper Lunceford, senior, played eSports in the past.

“I don’t know much about Apex but I do know Pokemon Unite is just like League of Legends but with Pokemon, you score points in your opponents goals,” Lunceford said. 

Here is how long it takes to play a match of Pokemon Unite.

“Matches of PU last about 10 minutes and the series is best of 3 so in total matches should take about 45 minutes with setup time,” Wittman said.

Pokemon Unite is played in Teams of 5.

“Teams of 5 compete and rosters can be up to 9 players. With a Varsity and a JV team, we can have up to 18 students,” Wittman said. 

ESports is scheduled to play games on Mondays for JV and Tuesday and Thursdays for Varsity according to Wittman.

Lunceford is considering playing Pokemon Unite this upcoming season.

“I've been gaming since I was 4, my mom gave me her SNES and a Wii. My first video game played was Super Smash Bros. Brawl, or Super Mario World, I can’t remember(which one),” Lunceford said.

OHS Football Surpasses Expectations, Aiming to Win Districts Back-To-Back

By Claire Fieth

Photos Courtesy of John Carmody

Posted 12/27/24

OHS Football had two main goals in mind: surpass expectations, and win districts back-to-back. In the end, this was achieved. 

“As a team, we decided we wanted to win districts at the beginning of the season. We thought that was a very doable goal and we got it,” Gabe Studard, senior, said.

“We exceeded the expectations that everyone had for us this year and that was really good,” Dalton Cates, senior, said.

“A lot of people doubted us at the start of the season and they didn't think we would be as good as we were and we made it to the quarter finals, so I felt like it was a great season for us as a young team,” Amaury Powell, junior, said. 

With these main goals in mind, players also set personal goals for themselves to achieve this season.

“Mine was to get more varsity yards than I did last season and more tackles than I did the year previous,” Cole Westerhold, sophomore, said. 

Cates wanted to kick his field goals farther than he did the previous year, succeeding. 

“My personal goal was to get first in all state and then as a team really was to be back to back district champs and we got it,” Kade Caroll, junior, said. 

Drake King's sophomore goal was to win districts and get more playing time. 

 “I just wanted to have a successful senior season and impact my team in a positive way and lead well,” Studard said. 

“I am just gonna keep working on my craft and getting better and as a team I think next year they just need to step up as leaders and just keep doing their thing they're gonna win state,” Avien Miller, senior, said. 

Powell said some of his goals included making the all-conference first seed and have at least ten touchdowns. He felt he accomplished a lot of his goals making it a pretty good season.

Winning districts became most players' favorite memories from the season, along with the Harrisonville game. 

“Favorite memory was beating Harrisonville cause they missed the field goal, absolutely shanked it and that was pretty lit cause it was just a solid game overall,” Studard said. 

“My favorite was when we beat Oak Grove twice and beat them for the district championship,” Mason Rider, senior, said.

“Favorite memories were the first game of the season, a big third down stop at the goal line. I got a sack that was probably my favorite memory and also beating Harrisonville and the district championship vs Oak Grove,” Carol said.

Cates's favorite memory was when he ran for a first down. He thought it was pretty epic since he was a punter. 

OHS Cross Country

By Claire Fieth

Pictures by Faith Harvey

Posted 12/27/24

OHS Cross Country had a lot of improvement from last year. 

“As a team, it went pretty well and better than last year,” Jaden Hollingsworth, junior, said. 

Aailyah Sanders, junior, also says as a team they were very successful and made a lot of improvements. Throughout the season Hollingsworth and Sanders had personal goals they wanted to achieve. 

“My goal was to run a time in the 22's and to make it to state. I did not have many goals for the team because the girls did not have a full team, but my goal was to make sure everyone on the team was enjoying the sport and having a good time,” Sanders said. 

“My goal was just to be on varsity again which I barely did. As a team it was to go to state,” Hollingsworth said. 

During the season the team made fun memories along the way. 

“My favorite memories would be running with Brodie and Gabby and gossiping and also running at Gans Creek where I got my pr,” Sanders said. 

Hollingsworth said when they played ultimate football on the field the spaghetti dinner was his favorite. 

OHS Girls Golf Improving and Having Fun

By: Claire Fieth

Photo courtesy of Evan Pingel

12/27/24

OHS girl's golf ended this year with a 6-8 record, improving from the previous season. 

“I think that this season was great personally and as a team. We only won 1 match last year and this year we won 6,” Kyleigh Tye, sophomore, said. 

“This year I did great and placed first in a few matches and our team did as well,” Anna King, junior, said. 

Emelia Unruh, sophomore, also felt they played well and was excited about the wins. This season the team had team goals and personal goals. Unruh had the team goal of placing 5th at conference as a team.

“My personal goals were, getting my PR and just getting better at my game overall.  As a whole team, our goal was to win more matches and to get 5th at conference,” Tye said.

“As a whole our goal was to place at conference and we did,” King said. The team placed 5th at the conference meet.

“I was able to accomplish my PR goal at I think the last match of the year,” Tye said.

Throughout the season the team made good memories together along with their progress. Tye says her favorite memory was “when we went to Eldon for districts, we went bowling and had dinner which was super fun.”

King’s favorite memory was getting first and going to districts as a team. Unruh says her favorite memory was the practice round day at districts.

Tennis's Improvement 

By: Gracie Harget

12/5/24

Photo Creds: Gracie Harget

The OHS girl’s tennis team had a great season. They had a talented group of 13 girls. 

Kaylyn Seals, sophomore, and Lily Bellis, sophomore, both thought the season went well. 

“As a team we were pretty successful, and individually I did pretty good,” Seals said. 

“I believe the season was a success. We were able to have an amazing team and coach throughout the season. Our records were also great. I believe this was a great season for my last year in high school,” Yasamine Carter, senior, said. 

The team had two major goals this year. They wanted to do well at conference and districts. 

“One of our goals was to do good at conference as a team, and we did. Everyone placed and received a medal,” Seals said. 

“We had the goal to make it further in districts, which was achieved. We also wanted to be successful with having a great time playing a sport we all are passionate about and I think we achieved this goal as well,” Carter said. 

The team improved incredibly and grew throughout the season this year. 

“I think we all grew in communicating with our partners in the match and just obviously getting better throughout the season,” Seals said. 

“We improved on our play styles a lot due to our amazing coach's guidance. Our doubles play also improved exponentially. Overall everything was improved I feel,” Carter said. 

Even though the team has improved tremendously during the season, they still have things they wish to improve on in the future. 

“I hope we’re able to get more girls next year, because our varsity this year was only sophomores and seniors, so they’ll be gone. But I’m very excited for next year and hopefully making it to state,” Seals said. 

Carter has a lot of emotions about this year being her last.

“If anything I hope to hear that some made it to state next year because I see the potential and them making it truly. I’ll miss being a part of such a wonderful team,” Carter said. 

Jasper Lunceford To Go To State for eSports December 6th

By: Rollie Platt

Photo Creds: TJ Wittman

12/2/24

Jasper Lunceford, senior, has won the sectional bracket for eSports and is now the Sectional Champion, meaning he will soon be going to the state championship, MOSEF's Fall Brawl, on December 6th in Union, Missouri.

“I’ve been playing since I was like 4, and then going to state for it? feels pretty good,” Lunceford said.

Lunceford has said that his personal favorite part of being in eSports is getting to play video games in a competitive way.

 “My favorite part about eSports is knowing that some of the students that aren't involved in any other activity here found a place where they can be involved and be a part of something,” Travis Wittman, eSports coach, said.

Esports are video game competitions. The Odessa team competes against other schools in various games, such as Overwatch, Super Smash Brothers Ultimate, Pokémon Unite, Valorant, and Apex Legends.

The state championship will be held at Piccadilly Palace in Union, Missouri on December 6th. Tickets cost 10 dollars per person.

The Girl's Basketball Season is Starting to Begin at OHS

By: Dawn Anderson

Photo Creds: Claire Fieth

11/22/24

Micheia Gutierrez, head girl's basketball coach, tells us what her goals are for this girls basketball season.

“My goals for this season is to improve some of the building that we did last season, my goal is to also try to win a couple more games this season then we did last.”

Gutierrez is looking forward to, “getting more girls on the team, and all the great returning players, and some good seniors and freshmen coming in.” 

Makenna Bass’s goal for this season is, “To get better and hopefully build a better bond with some of the other girls on the team."

Bass is very involved with basketball and is a very positive player.

Bass begins to inform us on why she chose the play this year.

“Honestly the coaching and coaches are really good, they are very positive and uplifting and also my friends are on the team who are very good,” Bass said. 

Gutierrez and Bass both want to have lots of wins and good sportsmanship this season.

Come watch the OHS girls play their first game on 12/5/24 at HOME against Wellington. 

The Success of Softball This Season

By: Gracie Harget

11/21/24

Photo Creds: Claire Fieth

The OHS softball season went extremely well this year. 

“I feel like this season was extremely successful, and just overall just a very fun season. It was also super fun to make history this season,” Brooklyn Burks, junior, said. 

Micheia Gutierrez, head softball coach, felt really good about this season. 

“I felt the season went great! I wasn’t nervous about how the team would perform more so just extremely excited to see what all they would accomplish this season. The girls worked so hard and it made it really easy and fun to coach this season,” Gutierrez said. 

Before the season started, the team got together and decided on a few team goals they wanted to achieve this season. 

“Our first goal was to win conference. To achieve this goal, we focused on one game at a time, one play at a time,” Kiley Thomas, junior, said. 

Brena Rider, senior, said another goal the team had was to win districts. The team unfortunately fell short to the Oak Grove Panthers and got second place. 

“The girls had a lot of goals this season. They wanted to break records, win conference, win districts, even go to state. Although we didn’t reach all those big goals, we did meet quite a few. We broke several records this year and as a team we had the highest winning record in softball history here at OHS so far,” Gutierrez said.  

As the season progressed, the team improved on many things.

“As a team we were able to keep the field errors low, which helped us win games,” Burks said. 

“Our team improved a lot on our defense and limiting errors,” Thomas said. 

“We improved on a lot of stuff, but I think the main one was learning to play as a team and not as individuals on the field,” Rider said. 

“I definitely think we improved in every aspect of the game. Our offense was something we struggled with last year that we really improved on this year. We were hitting consistently throughout the whole lineup, we didn’t have any dead spots,” Gutierrez said. 

The team plans to keep on improving and keep their momentum going into next season. They already have many plans on how to improve as a team. 

“I would like to see our hitting be better, and for the whole team to be able to put together some hits, and not just a few people. We need everyone to hit to win games,” Burks said. 

“I think we can always improve no matter how good we get. I would particularly love to see even more improvement on the offensive side. If we lessen strikeouts, that gives us more opportunities to get on base,” Gutierrez said. 

With Rider being a senior, she won’t be able to join the team next year. She still plans on being at the games and wants to watch them win districts next year. 

The girl’s season was extremely successful this year. They made history and broke a lot of records. They ended the season with a 23-6 record. 

JV Girls Tennis Team Improvement 

By: Aliyah May

10/28/24

Photo Credits: Kaylyn Seals

With a record of nine wins, two loses, and one tie, the 2024 season has been one of the best for the JV girls tennis team in years. 

“I think we really condensed this year into a group of people who actually take the sport seriously, I also think doubles were better paired than they were in the previous years,” Sierra Thompson, senior tennis player, said.

The JV team believes that having a smaller team helped them to be more united this season.

“We have a lot less drama on the team since it’s smaller, and all the girls seem to get along a lot better,” Lukia Hunter, junior tennis player, said. “Also we’ve had more practice drills targeted to each skill we use in tennis and it has made it way easier to be better at each individual thing.” 

The team has not just improved individually, but as a team as well. 

“My goal is to keep my record with MacKenzi of being undefeated and continue to win and end on a good point,” Danica Johnson, junior tennis player, said. 

The team also has the goal of improving enough to win at districts.

“My goal as a team is for everyone to achieve their goals and we can win districts,” Johnson said.

The team hasn’t just thought of the past improvements but in ways to improve for the future years.

“I think being more positive during practice and cheering on teammates could help.” Thompson said, “But I think practicing the same way you play could really help the team improve.”

The record was not the only exciting thing that happened to the tennis team this season. They also got a brand new coach, Kody Wells.

“Kody is wonderful. He has a lot of coaching experience which is nice and I feel like he listens to all of us” Makennah Sophy, a senior tennis player, said, “We have a really good coach and I think he’s setting everyone up for varsity”

Wells is working to build more than just a varsity tennis team, he is working on building sportsmanship and growing good athletes of good character.

“I love to see the growth and progression of other athletes and always make an attempt to instill more than just how to play tennis but how to be a good person to all those I coach. When it comes to playing tennis, I enjoy the thrill of playing for a crowd and being an entertainer that makes the sport fun and exciting” Wells said.

At districts against Clinton, three seniors, Kelsie Rathert, Haley Burke, and Yasmine Carter, and three sophomores, Kaylyn Seals, Lola Walter, and Lillian Bellis all competed. The team ended up sweeping Clinton, winning all singles and doubles matches. In the district tournament doubles, Majorie Muller and Addison Odle from Father Tolton won overall. In tournament singles Seals lost in the semi-finals, and Zaylee Rose from Columbia Independent won overall.  

2,000 Assists 

By: Adalyn Dietrich

10/28/24

Photo credits: Megan Distler

Lanyn Sisk, OHS senior, set her 2,000th career assist in volleyball.

Sisk achieved this goal with lots of practice and years of playing.

“She worked hard for it, and deserves to be celebrated,” Kinley Clancy, freshman varsity volleyball player, said.

“Lanyn has worked hard to improve her communication skills. She never gets down and encourages her teammates." Tatum Shipley, senior varsity volleyball teammate, said.

“She’s well deserved this and [I’m] proud,” Shipley said.

Shipley has been Sisk’s teammate since 8th grade and said Sisk had improved throughout her volleyball career. 

Sisk has played for 12 years she got into volleyball from her sisters and camp, Sisk has good communication and a good connection with her teammates

They celebrated with flowers and a home game announcement

Strikeout Record

By: Gracie Harget

Photo credits: Sherri Bagshaw

This year the Odessa Softball team has a new record breaking player on their team. Brena Rider, senior pitcher, just broke the Odessa record for the most strikeouts in a career. Rider beat this record while the team was playing against Harrisonville. The team went on and beat Harrisonville 11-1. 

When Rider broke the record her whole team ran to the field and congratulated her. Rider was swarmed with emotions after her record breaking pitch. 

“I felt very overwhelmed with excitement and I was just really proud of myself,” Rider said. 

Micheia Gutierrez, softball head coach, wasn’t shocked when Rider broke her record.

“Genuinely I wasn’t surprised, she’s been pitching varsity for four years and has helped us tremendously. I knew it was only a matter of time, but the biggest emotion I felt was pride. I’m so so proud of her,” Gutierrez said. 

Last year, Rider had a great season. She brought herself closer to the strikeout record. She knew her goal was a possibility. 

“I knew it was achievable at the end of last year because I was only like 20 strikeouts away,” Rider said. 

Rider has always had a good support system around softball. Her coaches have helped and supported her along the way. 

“These past couple years Coach Abby, our pitching coach, has helped me a lot to be able to learn new pitches and perfect/correct the pitches I already had. But also my dad has pushed me so much to be as good as I can be,” Rider said.

“Honestly, her success is all on her own, as well as our pitching coach Abbie Nicas. Brena has worked so hard all four years and I can’t take credit for her reaching these goals. All I did was try to support her and push her because sometimes she just needed a little reminder that she can do more than she thinks,” Gutierrez said. 

Rider has been playing softball for as long as she can remember. 

“I started playing softball ever since I was old enough to,” Rider said. 

While Rider has been playing softball for a long time, Gutierrez only started coaching Rider from freshman year, but she’s seen a lot of improvement from her. 

“She’s improved in every aspect of her game. She’s improved her pitching, fielding, hitting, and even her mental game. It’s really special to get to see a kid like Brena, all shy and nervous her freshman year, grow into this strong confident athlete her senior year,” Gutierrez said. 

Softball’s record is 16-3 this year and they plan to keep working for as long as they can. 

FFA State Convention 

By Adalyn Dietrich

Written April/May 2025

OHS FFA chapter sent five teams to the state convention on April 23-25.

At the District CDE (Career Development Event), the Poultry Judging team placed 2nd out of 31 teams. Livestock placed 6th out of 32. Entomology placed 4th out of 32, and Nursery and Landscaping got 9th out of 20. All of these teams qualified for state.

At the District LDE (Leadership development event), FFA Knowledge team was the only one that competed and placed 3rd out of 33 other teams. Knowledge qualified for state. 

Knowledge team placed 11th out of 52 teams at state. The team included Andrea Pfetsch, Grace Harvey, Norah Eaton, and Adalyn Dietrich, all freshmen.

The Poultry Judging team, which included Abigayle Lett, senior; Aubrey Rider, junior;  Evalynn Miles, freshman; and Tenley Edwards, freshman, placed silver in group 2 at state.

Livestock Judging team includes Kaylee Robinson, junior; Schyler Gates, junior; Jonathan Ostermeyer, sophomore; and Mirandah Turner, junior. 

“My favorite part about state was opening ceremony. It was fun to try and practice my lines for when I get inducted as vice president,” Robinson said.

Entomology. This team includes Nathan Knowles, senior; Norah Eaton, freshman; Bella Newman, sophomore; and Ethan Rider, freshman. 

“I was at state because I got fifth individually at districts, and our team got a gold rating, so we got to go to state. At state, we were missing a teammate, and so our alternate person had to step up,” Knowles said.

Nursery and landscaping team includes Addisyn Green, sophomore; Harper Dickey, sophomore; Grace Harvey, freshman; and Kinley Clancy, freshman. 

“I liked meeting new people and meeting retiring state officers,” Harvey said. 

At state, the nursery and landscaping team got group 3 bronze.

Overall, these teams did well, and are excited for our new state vice president, Lett.

The Best Way to Kiss a Senior Goodbye is with Some Chocolate

Written by Engel Maun

Edited by Bachman-Twombly

Written April/May 2025

OHS FCCLA sponsored “Kiss a Senior Goodbye” where students can purchase a gift of Hersey’s kisses and notes to be delivered to seniors before their last day. 

“It all started with an idea — a simple, yet meaningful way to say goodbye to the seniors who have shaped our school community. The FCCLA chapter is always looking for ways to support our school and give feedback, and wanted to do something special for our outgoing seniors. We knew we wanted to raise funds for our chapter, but we needed a unique, fun, and impactful idea,”  Ann Skelton, FFCLA Advisor, said.  

“We brainstormed ideas, discussing possibilities that ranged from the usual candy cane grams to something different that could capture our school’s spirit. We quickly realized that the Student Council already had the candy cane grams covered, so we decided to get creative,” Norah Eaton, freshman, said.

That’s when the concept of "Kiss a Senior Goodbye" was born. 

“We weren’t talking about a literal kiss, but a fun, symbolic 

gesture to show how much our seniors mean to us. The idea was simple: we wanted to create a way for everyone to come together and show appreciation for the seniors who had made a lasting impact on our school,” Eaton said.

With the support of our advisor and a team of passionate members, FCCLA launched the first Kiss a Senior Goodbye event during the 23-24 school year. After last year’s success, FCCLA made sure to bring back the event this school year. 

“The fundraiser wasn’t just about saying farewell to the seniors but celebrating everything they’d contributed to our school. We wanted to send them off with something special and meaningful,” Skelton said.

FCCLA will use funds raised from “Kiss a Senior Goodbye” to support future projects and attend conferences next school year.

“Our goal wasn’t just to raise money — we wanted to make sure our chapter could continue to provide opportunities for leadership development, community service, and career exploration for all students,” Kylee McElmurry, junior, said.

“Kiss a Senior Goodbye” was a hit in the school. Many students and teachers took the opportunity to send a note to seniors.

“The response was incredible. Students, teachers, and staff embraced the idea. It quickly became a way to connect with our seniors and make them feel appreciated,” Eaton said.

As we say goodbye to another class of seniors, we’re reminded of the power of community, leadership, and giving back.

DECA off to Orlando

By Andi Pfestch

Picture Courtesy of Jessica Wade

Written in March 2025

Odessa DECA Chapter is back from State and getting ready for Nationals.

Their state competitions were March 23-25 in Kansas City, MO at Crown Center.

Jessica Wade, chapter sponsor, says that she is content with how State ended up.

“I think that State went really well. Of course, I want everyone to place, but I was happy with the results,” Wade said. 

 Many of the upperclassmen became finalists for IDCD – International Career Development Conference – which will be held in Orlando, Florida. One of those finalists, Ella Smith, had qualified for ICDC for her third time, which has never happened before in the OHS chapter. Smith placed third in Business Services Research.

Wade claims that the team this year is a strong group as many of them have had experience in DECA. This makes the team more independent, as they know the ropes and are able to plan things such as writing their papers and researching projects.

There was an array of different experiences across the board for the team.

Sarah Booth, freshman, was an alternate for state. This means that she would compete in place of the person above her if they were to not compete. When she competed at districts, she was more anxious than she was at state.

“So when I competed I wasn’t really stressed out or anything. I just felt very chill about it,” Booth said. 

Gretchen Kimmel, senior, was a finalist for state and is going to ICDC. She reported a relatively enjoyable time this year as she had the chance to talk to more people.

“Them implementing sticker trading this year got me talking to people who I have never talked to before,” Kimmel said.

DECA is an organization that works with marketing education. To join you have to be in a marketing class with Wade. 

They do different community service projects, such as the Halloween costume drive which was run by Scarlett Purrinton, senior. They also teach students how to present and become professional for the future.

There are many opportunities to travel and do different things with the team. In 2024, they went to New York for SCC and this year they get to Orlando, Florida for the ICDC.

That will be their next competition which will be held this April 26-29 and mark the end of this year's competition season.

Book It!

Interviews by Engel Maun

Story edited by Bachman-Twombly

Pictures Courtesy of Pure Life Photography

Written March 2025

Book club was very focused on murder mysteries this year, kicking off with Death on the Nile by Agathan Christie. Other books include: The Neverending Story by Michael Ende, Dracula by Bram Stoker, and Dorothy Must Die by Danielle Paige.

OHS  Book Club went to the Children’s Literature Festival for a second year in a row to meet new authors and learn how some of their favorite books were written. 

“I liked how you got to meet a bunch of others and learn about their pasts and how they became an author,” said Faith Thomas, freshman.

Students were able to meet Tom Phillips, Erin Stewart, Jeff Zenter, and Roland Smith this year. Many of these authors had pasts that were interesting to the book club students.

“They were all unique in their own ways, and what their stories were about seemed cool to me,” Thomas said. “Especially when they write about what they did before becoming an author.”

Many authors spoke about their personal writing process and how they incorporated their experiences.

“The speakers were fantastic, and I loved their perspectives on children’s literature,” Grady McMahon, junior, said. “They talked about their life and how they go to become a writer. I would like to see those speakers again.”

Violett Purinton, freshman,  and her sister, Scarlett Purinton, senior, would also like to see the authors again.

“All the speakers knew how to make an interesting presentation and inspire young authors,” S. Purinton said.

“I enjoyed getting to hear such passionate people talk about their life’s work,” Norah Eaton, freshman, said. “The topics of anxiety and mental health from one of the speakers were really interesting to hear about.”

Listening to the personal struggles of some of the authors also resonated with Chloe Robinson, freshman.

“Listening to some of them felt as if I wasn’t the only person who dealt with hard times and being excluded,” Robinson said.

Robinson would like to be an author in the future. She enjoyed hearing that her dreams were something achievable and about the publishing process.

“I would love to see those speakers again one day because what they have to say feels like it's helped me with my writing, from the suggestions and how I view failures and hardships in life,” Robinson said.

“I love how the authors were very open,” Emily Robertson, freshman, said. Robertson also enjoyed taking time to stop by the campus Starbucks.

Between listening to authors speak, students are able to use campus amenities at UCM and visit the book fair, featuring guest authors.

Book club meets every Tuesday in Kim McMahon’s, OHS health teacher, room. The club is sponsored by McMahon and Whitney Bachman-Twombly and works to connect students through reading, conversation, and exposure to relatable authors.

OHS Speech and Debate goes to Districts

By Aliyah May

Written in February 2025

Cooper Jiron, Sadie Booth, and Lola Walter are a few of the many Speech and Debate members who went to districts. Member’s thoughts, emotions and feelings towards districts are all different.

“My schedule is kinda crazy right now, but if it were in a more calm time of year I think I would be excited. Right now, I’m just stressed,” Booth, a junior, said.

While some members are nervous, stressed and anxious, on the other side, many members feel more confident and prepared. 

“I think varsity will do great since everybody has been doing well at previous tournaments,” Walter, sophomore, said.

Although the team as a whole seems ready, OHS’s main rival, Oak Grove, is also at districts and is also strong. Booth stated that Oak Grove’s team is good, but Odessa has more natural talent.

“I think we have a good chance against Oak Grove, but they have won against us in the past. So, going into districts, I am cautiously optimistic,” Jiron, senior, said

For the Speech and Debate team and individuals to be talented and win competitions, they have to be ready and practice. The ways members prepare for competitions depends on what event they are doing. Both Speech and Debate JV and Varsity practise and have to put in work to prepare, but the JV and Varsity teams also have differences.

“JV is competitors feeling out their first pieces and learning basic things like events, time limits, blocking, and room etiquette. Varsity, on the other hand, is experienced competitors trying to rehearse their piece at each tournament and learning what does and doesn’t work,” Jiron said.

On February 28 and March 1 Speech and Debate had districts, held at Odessa High School. Jiron got third place in Original Oratory, Booth got third place in Informative Speaking, Walter got 2nd place in Radio, Kaylee Brown got 2nd in Dramatic Interpretation, Rylee Hicklin got 2nd in Humorous Interpretation, and Brooklyn Brown and Katelyn Hollingsworth got 3rd in Duo Interpretation.

Out of Hicklin, Booth, Brown, Jiron and Walters, Walters was the only one to place in state on Saturday, April 26. She stated that she was really grateful and excited to continue Speech and Debate next year. Walter placed 3rd in Radio for state competition.

Odessa FBLA Goes to State

By Andi Pfestch

Written in February 2025

Odessa Future Business Leaders of America chapter competed in districts February 7, where 14 students made it to state. 

A few of which, Grace Smith, Norah Eaton, and Alivia Davis, are excited to compete on a state level for FBLA.

Smith has been in FBLA from freshman year to senior year, competing all four as well as making it to state each year. Smith says that she enjoys it and that it's a great learning opportunity. 

“I have had so much fun in FBLA every single year and have learned a lot,” Smith said.

She's competed in many different contests. This year she made it 4th in Organizational Leadership, and in earlier years competed in Intro to Business Presentation twice, Graphic Design, Future Business Educator, Public Service Announcement, and Data Analysis. 

Smith predicts there is a great chance that some students will make it to Nationals this year. 

Davis, freshman, and this is her first year in FBLA. She competed in Intro to Social Media Strategies and placed fourth. 

She says that she's content about her placement and was rather nervous about competing for the first time. 

“Competing wasn’t really that hard, it was just me being nervous that I was going to screw everything up,” Davis said.

Davis says that she wants to continue to do FBLA next year.

Eaton is also a freshman who competed for FBLA and placed 1st in Intro to Business Communications. She’s very pleased with her results. 

“I am very excited that I got first place. As a freshman, it is accelerating to excel and see just what I can achieve,” said Eaton.

Eaton claims that the snow days were the hardest part of competing, as it got in the way of the testing time frames and caused a large struggle.

But due to the snow, she was able to take the test at home which reduced the stress she had.

Eaton says that she will be coming back to FBLA next year.

“I think I will definitely be continuing FBLA next year. I really enjoyed competing, I like their events, and the competition system is easy to manage and use,” Eaton said.

State was held on April 13-15 in Springfield, Missouri, and we had four students qualify for Nationals in Anaheim, CA: Smith, Jackson Baker, Ella Smith, Robert Kuntze. All of them were first place other than Kuntze who placed 3rd.

Turning Pages and Making Connections: The Power of Community in Book Club

By June Mueller

Edited by Bachman-Twombly

Written in Febraury 2025

Bookclub etches their own Neverending Story through shared literature, field trips, and community.

“My favorite thing about book club is our discussions, they get wild and we love to stray off topic into relating things,” Bitha Seward, freshman, said.

Seward said the club was currently reading The Neverending Story by Michael Ende.

“I love the book, it has extreme lows, but also extreme highs,” Seward said.

The group meets every Tuesday, at 4 in Kim McMahon’s, OHS health teacher, classroom.

“I enjoy book club; I enjoy getting to discuss books, picking what to read, and I love being able to see some of my friends and discuss the books we read,” Seward said.

FFA Week Celebrates Leadership and Agriculture

By Adalyn Dietrich

Written in February 2025

Snow postponed the majority of FFA week in school activities, but OHS FFA chapter found ways to celebrate outside of school.

OHS FFA chapter was planning to go to Sunday Church, Sky Zone, Bowling, Top Golf, and the Farm Show. Sky Zone and Top Golf were canceled. FFA held Barnwarming and the annual appreciation breakfast. 

Grace Harvey, freshman, went to Barnwarming, church, appreciation breakfast, and farm show. “I had a blast; I can't wait till the dress-up days get rescheduled,” Harvey said.

FFA had to cancel dress up days, but will reschedule. The dress up days included: Dress like your favorite teacher, Camo, Anything but a backpack, and bulldog gear.

FFA week is the week of George Washington's birthday to honor his legacy as an agriculturist and a farmer. FFA members celebrate nationally. FFA chapter and members have events and spirit week.

FFA week is special because, “It gives our members an opportunity to celebrate their organization and spend time with one another while advocating for our industry in the public,” said Gene Collins, FFA advisor.

“It's a time to celebrate the organization's members and its mission to develop leaders in agriculture,” Harvey said.

“I love watching the students enjoy time spent together and growing as individuals,” Collins said.

Despite some cancellations due to snow days, FFA members still had fun during FFA week.

DECA PREPARES FOR DISTRICTS  

by Cooper Jiron

Pictures by Jessica Wade

Written January 2025

February 18, DECA members at Odessa High School competed at the district conference held on the UMKC campus. 

Depending on their performance placement, they will be able to proceed to the DECA state conference. Forty members of DECA competed in multiple categories throughout the year.

Many members are excited about the opportunity to go to the state conference.

Lola Walters, sophomore Deca member, is one of them. Her goal is “to Win.”

Two older members, sisters Ella and Grace Smith, seniors, are equally excited and determined to get to state.

E. Smith has already had the opportunity to go to the most competitive conference for DECA, ICDC. This is an international DECA conference held in Anaheim, California.

E. Smith's sister, G. Smith shares the same goal.

“I really want to get to stage at state then ICDC,” Smith said.

DECA members' projects are often sourced from the class and planned with Jessica Wade, DECA advisor, so they can have the best strategic plan at districts.

“First, students brainstorm ideas and discuss them with me. We try to spread out our projects among different competitive event categories so that we have the best advantage going into districts,” Wade said.

This is especially important with the large size of DECA this year.

“This year, we have 22 projects with a written and presentation component. We have several other events as well,” Wade said.

This year, after competing at the state level, six members including E. and G. Smith, qualified for ICDC.

Scholar Bowl: Where Knowledge Meets Competition

Story and Picture by Makalya Cole

Written January 2025

Macey Begemann, senior scholar bowl captain, wants to increase her team's numbers and have fun.

Cerise Friedrich, freshman scholar bowl member, explained the difficulties of competitions. 

“They are just random questions. You don't know what you're going to get. They’ll ask you a question, and you just have to buzz as fast as possible,” Cerise Friedrich said.

 “The hardest part of Scholar Bowl is the literature questions,” Colton Friedrich, junior scholar bowl member, said.

Scholar Bowl is “a battle of what you learn at school and pop culture. It's very competitive, very knowledgeable,” Begemann said.

Average competitions are between at least 3 different schools. Scholar bowl practices weekly to prepare for these competitions.

For some students, Scholar Bowl provides an opportunity to stay engaged beyond their usual activities

Scholar Bowl “is something that I can fill my time up with especially since all my school spots are taken by Band and Choir,” Cerise Friedrich said.

Begemann, a member since her freshman year, also enjoys the time spent with teammates.

“Once I came here and saw that they had a scholar bowl, I was intrigued and joined. I gained a lot of new friends through it,” Begemann said.

“Macey has shown us what it means to be a good team player along with a good team captain,” Colton Friedrich said.

Faith, Fellowship, and Fun

by June Mueller

Pictures by Kyleigh Tye

Posted: 4/4/2025 (Written January 2025)

FCS, Fellowship of Christian Students, comes together to pray and read testimony.

FCS sponsored a morning service open to the Odessa community February 2.

“It’s student-led and it’s like a church service, but it’s like student testimony,” Kyleigh Tye, sophomore, said.  “Usually we have a teacher or a guest speaker that comes and shares their testimony with us.

”Members meet on Thursday mornings to plan events and read scripture together.

“We start by praying and whoever is leading that week will lead us in a devotional and then we all get in a circle and pray for the day,” Tye said.

Students lead more than meetings, they also lead their larger events like Courts for Christ. 

“My favorite thing is definitely the student speaker because you get to hear their testimonies and how they got through it,” Jordyn Loehr, junior, said.

Loehr also likes to hear the main speaker talk about their troubles and what they have been through at Courts for Christ. 

“Court For Christ is so fun to attend and we have multiple other schools because we reach out to multiple that are surrounding us,” Loehr said. 

"It’s just nice to see everyone join and have some of the adult’s come too and we have some kids and you can interact and you can also create friendships that can last from your school,” Loehr said.

Unified Esports, What is it?!

Story and Pictures by Isabella Smith

Posted 4/4/25 (written January 2025)

T’Quia Bandy, OHS librarian, and Melinda Armstrong, special education teacher, work together as advisors for Unified Esports. 

Esports practices are held on Tuesdays and competitive game days are on Wednesdays in room 50 from 3:00 to 4:00 P.M at the Odessa High School. 

“Unified Esports is a competitive gaming experience that unites people of all abilities on the same team,” Bandy said. “Our Unified Esports team is made up of Special Olympics athletes and Unified Partners, and the purpose of Unified Esports or any unified activity is to foster understanding, inclusion, and friendship through shared sports experiences.” 

After school, Unified eSports set up MarioKart on the TV and computer screens for students to practice and enjoy.

Armstrong helps out with Unified Esports because it's where her students participate. 

“The benefits of helping Unified Esports is bringing students together and watching students interact with each other, “ Armstrong said.

Neveah Hillburn, freshman, Tristan Worts, sophomore, and Nick Hales, senior all participate in Unified Esports. They would all recommend Unified Esports to kids that like to play games, relax, and hang out with friends. 

“Yes, I do like Unified Esports. You get to hang out and compete with friends, meet new people, and after everyone is done playing the rounds we get gold medals for winning,“ Hillburn said.  

These kids have different points of view for their favorite map, character, and car in MarioKart.

Hilburn's favorite map is Underwater, favorite character is Rosalina, and favorite car is motorcycle. Worts's favorite map is Rainbow Road, along with Hale’s favorite map is Rainbow Kart, favorite character is custom Miis, and favorite car is 2 wheelers. 

Students of Unified Esports are looking for new members and welcome everyone. 

eSports is About Students Playing Games

by Engel Maun

Pictures by Whitney Bachman-Twombly

Published 4/4/25 (written January 2025)

Esports participants enjoy staying after school to game and chat with their teammates.

Joining an esports team offers fun, but demands a significant time commitment.

"The hardest and easiest are practically impossible to choose. For me personally, it's time that's the hardest. Because of my family, certain weeks will leave me with only two days of actual free time after school and the easiest is simply playing the games itself,” Izen Sprague, freshman, said. 

The social aspect is a plus, building friendships and a sense of teamwork, is crucial for success in these multiplayer games.

“I have friends in there and we all get stuff done, so in the end at least something is accomplished,” Sprague said.

However, limited free time can make it challenging to excel both academically and in the games. The decision to join hinges on whether you can manage your time effectively and prioritize accordingly.

Gaining Traction

By June Mueller

Photo Courtesy of Missouri Department of Transportation

Posted 12/27/24

Traction is about safety behind the wheel. 

Kim McMahon, OHS health teacher, took over as co-sponsor of Traction after the previous sponsor, Angie Sallee, left OHS. McMahon is passionate about bringing the lessons from her classes to students’ everyday lives with a club. 

“I have came across too many who have been involved in accidents who have either not survived or have survived with serious injuries due to not wearing their seatbelt, as well as my grandfather was killed by somebody who was a distraction driver,” McMahon said.

Traction participates in the Buckle Up, Phone Down campaign with the Missouri Department of Transportation. They work to have students and staff pledge to use safer driving practices and bring awareness to the dangers if they do not. 

McMahon and her co-sponsor Kyra Walsh, Odessa Schools Instructional Coach, are working on shaping the club in their vision this year.

“So right now we are just kinda transitioning. It’s a building area for us because our original sponsor had moved on, so me and another teacher actually took over and this is our first year. We’re just trying to build members as well as  like just trying to get some events,” said McMahon.

Traction is a student led organization. McMahon and Walsh are working to guide students into not just joining, but developing creative activities to interest and educate their peers. 

“We are currently setting at about 33 members of all grades so we have sophomores, freshmen, joiners so all across. So, if anyone is interested in helping in making our community a little bit safer and getting the word out and having fun and being a part,” McMahon said.

NHS Induction

Story by Engel Maun

Pictures by Whitney Bachman-Twombly

Published 12/2/24

NHS inducted 25 new members on Wednesday, November 13th. 

“The process of getting into nhs is kinda challenging. First you have to get 50 service hours and also have a GPA above 3.5. You also have to fill out an application and get chosen by a group of teachers with the application,” Claire Fieth, senior NHS historian, said.

This year, students were asked to make a presentation that represented them for the faculty council.

“After submitting the application, the officers reviewed them as well as their teacher recommendations to see if they are a good standing student. After that they were sent to the faculty council for further review and then sent their acceptance letters,” Yasamine Carter, senior NHS president.

Rylee Adams, senior NHS secretary, felt completing the application was time consuming and the most difficult part of the process. 

“I would say it is an extensive process, you have to be a well organized and determined student to want to pursue NHS, and those people are the ones who get in and are the best in our school,” Haley Burke, senior NHS vice president, said.

All NHS officers interviewed said they were happy to have gone through the process. They enjoy the community involvement, service projects, and leadership opportunities.

“I absolutely love being a part of this prestigious organization. This club allows me to be more connected with my school and community. I have the opportunity to make a difference for my community and school. Offering our amazing service projects is absolutely wonderful. I also love being able to lead such a great group of students that work hard to give back as well,” Carter said

DECA Projects Help the Community and the Members

By: Aliyah May

Photo Creds: Faith Harvey

11/22/24

DECA projects not only help the Odessa Community, they also fundraise for DECA and helps students build skills for the future

“They are a way for us to learn project management but above that to me it is a way to help give back to the community.” Scarlett Purinton, a senior DECA member said.

Many students and staff who aren’t in DECA may wonder why DECA projects are important. Well they aren’t just important because they help out the community but also because they help out the students as well

“Personally, I think if a student goes through my DECA program, once they graduate they’ll have experience with any kind of coming up with a marketing plan for a business, conducting a full scale marketing research, (and) study. it’s important to me because when students can leave high school with all the skills, they definitely have a kind of advantage over other people who haven't done those things.” Jessica Wade said.

There are a lot of different types of DECA projects so students have a lot of choices for their projects, all that will help the students in the future.

“There are different types. Community service, awareness, community giving, financial literacy, business solutions and career development and sales.” Haley Burke, senior DECA member said.

Students have DECA projects that have many uses, from community service to raising money.

I'm hosting a veteran days breakfast  project, on november 8th. I knew I wanted to do a community service project of some sorts and I knew the school didn't have a veterans day since covid and I thought it would be a good way to bring veterans back into the community.” Burke said.

Purinton had a Halloween costume drive for those who can’t afford them.

“My project had two main points, getting costume donations to bring to Helen's house so they can disperse them to the people in the community and then the bake sale to help provide for halloween.” Purinton said.

DECA projects aren’t something that are just thrown together quick and easy. In reality a lot of work goes into creating DECA projects. 

“It’s a lot of work and people don't realize that. We do a whole list of planning, so we have to do a paper and a project so we have to make sure we know what the problem is and make goals. And for the planning and organizing we have to makes sure we have a schedule and management plan as well as figure out our risk management to prepare for any situation to happen, also having a budget” Burke said.

DECA projects can’t just thrive on only the hard work of the DECA students. They also need support from students and staff outside of DECA. 

“A good way that people can help is when there is a DECA project either asking for donations or for volunteers in to help provide the times and items they may need” Purinton said.

It is simple to support DECA projects.

“Just by participating, like whenever we have the dodgeball tournament, to sign up and have a team for dodgeball. Or when we have any kind of a drive, to bring in pet supplies or clothing or whatever it is, whenever we ask for stuff like that. Or you know, sign up to be in the pickleball tournament,” Wade said.

This year's DECA projects have been very promising and very good. Burke stated that this year’s projects are all very diverse and unique.

“I do feel like we put out pretty quality projects in all honesty, but obviously there is always room for improvement, so I would just say, especially when I have students who come back year after year and they do projects they can reflect on how their projects went in previous years and build on what they think is good for them personally, and to improve themselves personally,” Wade said.

Next time there is a DECA project at the school, you can go down and support, even just being there can help the members and community. 

FFA Barnwarming

By Adalynn Dietrich

Published 12/2/24

Odessa High School FFA’s barnwarming on Nov 8 was canceled due to too many schools participating in district football. 

“Barnwarming is homecoming but FFA style,” Harper Dickey, sophomore FFA vice president, said. “All of Area 6 comes to it”.

Missouri is split into different areas and our area is 6.

300 people were supposed to come. It was at McQuerry and the theme was disco cowboy. 

The theme is going to be the same still when they reschedule.

The FFA chapter is planning to reschedule during FFA week in February.

 Gene Collins, chapter advisor, saw that only a few people RSVPd, so he and Austin Ray, co-chapter advisor, decided to cancel it. 

“The majority of schools no longer had students want to come due to football” Ray said.

In the December meeting of the FFA Chapter, they will decide when they want to reschedule it.

DECA Diner

By: Dawn Anderson

10/28/24

OHS Deca students are fundraising their way to competitions by selling snacks at the Deca Diner.

OHS Deca Diner is led by Jessica Wade, a marketing teacher who is also in charge of Deca.

OHS Deca students don't get their field trips and or competition trips paid for, so they found a solution by selling food and drinks at the Deca Diner. 

Brady Glynn, an OHS senior chapter president of Deca tells us what is sold at the Diner. 

“We sell lots of things, anything from frozen microwavable goods, to bags of chips, breakfast foods, drinks, such as coffee, soda, tea, energy drinks, and all types of candy.” Glynn said.

Glynn also told us about the hours.

“The Deca Diner is available everyday of the week, before school and after school for a short amount of time. It's also open between each passing period and lunch. It is also open during bulldog block.”

The Deca Diner, as most of you may know, was originally located where the new ISS room is. The Diner is now located where the art room hallway is at.

If you are interested in becoming a part of Deca, Mrs. Wade and Glynn could tell you about the process.

FCCLA Plans Year

By: Lexi Snyder

Picture Courtesy of  Kameron Walker

Published 10/30/24

Improvement of leadership skills, and placing in competitions are the top two goals for OHS FCCLA chapter this year. 

Many members of the officer team have high expectations for this season. Kyana Purcell’s, FCCLA Public Relations Officer,  goal is, “to win in competitions.” 

“My goal is to be engaged in as many school activities as my schedule allows and FCCLA is a great way to improve communication and leadership skills. You can get scholarships through FCCLA and it looks amazing on transcript and college applications,” Kameron Walker, FCCLA Secretary, said.

Patricia Skelton is the advisor for FCCLA. She said that her goal for FCCLA is, “to have a successful, productive, FCCLA chapter.” 

FCCLA has a different meaning for everyone. “Developing leadership in our current and future families and in our current and future careers and in our current and future community,” Skelton said. 

“FCCLA is like my second family, our adviser is so great when it comes to asking for help or guidance and always gives the best advice,” Walker said. She really enjoys working with the other members of FCCLA because they have common interests and are easy to work with. 

“FCCLA is a safe place for people to have fun and improve on yourself,” Purcell said.

FCCLA has influenced Purcell to be a better person. Skelton feels like the organization has helped her to be a better leader and hopes it is equally influential for her students.

“I hope it influences you to make good decisions as a leader and not be a follower,” Skelton said.

FCCLA has positively influenced Walker by giving her “courage to try new things”

Purcell hopes that she has an impact on her members by helping, “other people become more comfortable and reach their goals.” 

Walker wants to, “encourage others in FCCLA to try more things they haven’t done and to work better in groups even if  you are not too fond of the people or even new people. I want to encourage our new members to get involved and speak out with any ideas they have because that’s what FCCLA is all about.”

There are multiple different reasons why you should join FCCLA. “I joined FCCLA because I wanted to be more involved and this club just seemed like a great way to do so. I also wanted to strengthen my leadership and team work skills,” Walker said. Purcell joined FCCLA because, “I want to improve my leadership skills and compete.”

Life is the Bubbles Under the Sea

By Adalyn Dietrich

Pictures by Bachman-Twombly

Written March 2025

OHS students worked hard for three months to prepare for “The Little Mermaid” play.

Dallin Dawson, senior, had to prepare a minute-long Disney piece to sing, and he had to do a dance session in front of Aaron Larsen, choir director, and Emily Pastore, theater director, for his audition.

KiLynn Moody, senior, “worked on [her audition song] 'I see the Light' from Tangled, then practiced the dance videos Mrs. Pastore sent out till I got it down.”

“I'm super excited and blessed with the opportunity, and being able to perform on stage, which is what I love to do most,” Moody said.

Behind the scenes, seasoned stage manager Kelsie Rather, senior, is getting prepared for the responsibilities that come with a smooth performance.

“I have to make sure all the pieces are where they should be, all the props are on the correct side, making sure cast members are quiet and know where they are and when they come on,” Rathert said.

Another veteran of the stage, junior Sadie Booth, is also preparing for the show.

“I’ve always thought it would be a fun role, so I was excited,” Booth said of her role as Ursula.

The show will feature: Moody as Ariel, Dawson as Prince Eric, Booth as Ursula, Makennah Sophy, senior, as Sebastian, Isabella King, senior, as Flounder, and Elaina Kolie, sophomore, as Scuttle as well as one of the largest supporting casts Odessa drama club has had.

Spring Fling Recap

By Isabella Smith

Written March 2025

Choirs from every building in the Odessa School District participated in the 29th annual Spring Fling that was on Friday, March 28, 2025 at Odessa Middle School.

Spring Fling is an event where everyone gets to be united, have fun, and communicate about the school building expectations. 

Preston Fry, OMS choir teacher said, “Spring Fling allows a particular demographic to be given information about district needs such as buildings and equipment that could translate into bond issues voted on at elections.” 

However, Spring Fling wasn’t only about talking about building expectations, it's also about the effort that students put in. 

Aaron Laron, OHS choir teacher said, “We have a spring fling to celebrate the wonderful work and effort of all the music programs in the Odessa school district and to bring that work and effort to the community.”

The theme for Spring Fling was Disco fever and featured a variety of music.

First OHS performed "Ubi Caritas” and “Measure Me, Sky.” 

OMS performed several selections next. “Rhythm of Life,” “Sisi Ni Moji,” “Howdidowdididdlumday“ were their songs.

OUE also performed multiple songs including: “I Will Survive,” “Dancing Queen,” “Funky Town,” “High Hopes,” and “We Are Family.”  

Last, McQuerry also performed several songs in a medley titled “Disco Inferno.” The medley included melodies from: “Disco Inferno,” “September,” “ABC/123,” “Car Wash,” and “Turn the Beat Around.”

From the information we have gathered Spring Fling was spectacular this year, with dance and excitement 

Sweet Tunes and Tasty Treats Highlight Annual OMS Pie Auction

By Makayla Cole

Written February 2025

Sweets and friendly competition will fill the OMS gym on March 21 as students, parents, and staff gather for the annual Pie Auction. 

The Pie Auction is a fundraiser benefiting the band program that is primarily organized and run by the Band Boosters. 

“The Band Boosters are a group of amazing parents that work hard to support the band program through donations, lending their time in person, and helping with events like OMI,” Travis Wittman, OHS band director, said.

The funds raised during the pie auction help to support the band in multiple ways.

“It is used to help the band raise money and fix and repair old instruments,” Alyssa Marten, junior, said.

Last year, the event raised over $10,000, and the boosters hope their hard work will help them to meet that goal again. That money is raised through concessions, donations, and a silent auction all organized by the Band Boosters.

“The boosters are a well-oiled machine and have this down to a science, there isn't really anything that is difficult about planning the Pie Auction!” Wittman said.

The diversity of the music adds another layer of excitement to the event.

“The band plays a bunch of different types of music. There is jazz, there are the middle school bands, and they all have different ranges in different music,” Marten said.

Despite the significant planning, the event is free to attend.

“It's completely free, but we encourage contributing at least something to help support all 5 of our bands!” Bella King, senior drum major, said.

Along with raising money, the band kids have their tradition they do every year.

“We try and raise the most money to pie one of the band directors in the face. Usually, it's the high schoolers because we're just better,” Marten said.

However, not everything goes as planned, as Marten humorously recalled.

“One time we went to go pie a band director in the face and the pie slipped out and went over their head,” Marten said.

The event has a flexible schedule, often running late into the night.

“The latest it has ever gone was 11 at night, but we usually try and stop it around 9-10,” Marten said.

At the end of the night, the total raised came to a little over $8,000, and the high schoolers got to pie both band directors in the face.     

OUE Takes a Trip Down the Rabbit Hole

By Makayla Cole

Pictures Courtesy of Lori Jiron

Written March 2025

OUE students are preparing for Alice in Wonderland Jr., with 40 cast members rehearsing despite snow day setbacks.

Fifth-grade teachers and theater leaders Lori Jiron and Deena Tate guide them from auditions to full run-throughs.

Many involved in the production have a deep appreciation for the play. “We did this play years ago, and I loved it,” Jiron said.

Auditions were held at the end of the first semester, allowing students to showcase their talents and earn their roles.

 “Students had to go through an audition process. After the audition, students were selected and given parts. As a group, we have been practicing lines and acting out our characters,” Tate said. 

However, the journey hasn’t been without its difficulties.

 “The hardest part is having to tell great kids that they didn’t make it this year,” Tate said.

Despite these challenges, the students remain dedicated, attending rehearsals twice a week. 

The unpredictable weather this year has added an extra layer of difficulty to the rehearsal process.

 “The students have had many challenges—learning their lines, getting to know each other, and learning how to act with all these snow days has been a lot of work,” Tate said.

The effort pays off when students begin to truly embrace their roles. 

“The part of rehearsal that I like the most is watching the actors when they ‘get it.’ There is that light bulb moment when you know they got it. I feel so happy for them and so proud of them,” Tate said. 

With a cast of 40 students, the production is a collaborative effort. Students take an active role in bringing the show to life, contributing to both costume and set design. 

“Students get to put together their own costumes, and we will make the sets together in a few weeks,” Jiron said.

Behind the scenes, high school students and teachers lend a hand in making the production run smoothly.

“High school students usually help us by being the stage crew, and some of the upper elementary teachers run the lights and sound,” Jiron said.

For the students, theater is about more than just performing; it’s about teamwork and friendship. 

“The kids work really hard to learn the lines and do their best at their part. They are very positive and do a great job of cheering each other on,” Jiron said.

Rehearsing takes dedication both in and out of practice.

 “I practice a lot. I listen to the songs and try and memorize when I have to walk out and talk,” Kaylee Cole, 4th grader, said.

Each scene brings something special to the performance. 

“‘Zippity Do Da’ has a very upbeat sound and feel to the song. I may not be in it, but it's still one of my favorite songs,” Cole said.

Cole, who has performed before, shared how this play differs from past productions. 

“My friends from last year aren’t here to perform with me, and it’s a whole different play and storyline,” Cole said.

For students considering joining the theater, Tate offered encouragement.

 “At least audition. Be serious about trying out, work hard, but mostly have fun. The best part of being in theater is the people you meet and the friendships you make,” Tate said.

With weeks of preparation still ahead, the cast and crew continue working hard to bring Alice in Wonderland Jr. to life on May 3rd, ready to share their passion for theater with the audience.

Sweet Tunes and Tasty Treats Highlight Annual OMS Pie Auction

By Makayla Cole

Written February 2025

Sweets and friendly competition will fill the OMS gym on March 21 as students, parents, and staff gather for the annual Pie Auction. 

The Pie Auction is a fundraiser benefiting the band program that is primarily organized and run by the Band Boosters. 

“The Band Boosters are a group of amazing parents that work hard to support the band program through donations, lending their time in person, and helping with events like OMI,” Travis Wittman, OHS band director, said.

The funds raised during the pie auction help to support the band in multiple ways.

“It is used to help the band raise money and fix and repair old instruments,” Alyssa Marten, junior, said.

Last year, the event raised over $10,000, and the boosters hope their hard work will help them to meet that goal again. That money is raised through concessions, donations, and a silent auction all organized by the Band Boosters.

“The boosters are a well-oiled machine and have this down to a science, there isn't really anything that is difficult about planning the Pie Auction!” Wittman said.

The diversity of the music adds another layer of excitement to the event.

“The band plays a bunch of different types of music. There is jazz, there are the middle school bands, and they all have different ranges in different music,” Marten said.

Despite the significant planning, the event is free to attend.

“It's completely free, but we encourage contributing at least something to help support all 5 of our bands!” Bella King, senior drum major, said.

Along with raising money, the band kids have their tradition they do every year.

“We try and raise the most money to pie one of the band directors in the face. Usually, it's the high schoolers because we're just better,” Marten said.

However, not everything goes as planned, as Marten humorously recalled.

“One time we went to go pie a band director in the face and the pie slipped out and went over their head,” Marten said.

The event has a flexible schedule, often running late into the night.

“The latest it has ever gone was 11 at night, but we usually try and stop it around 9-10,” Marten said.

At the end of the night, the total raised came to a little over $8,000, and the high schoolers got to pie both band directors in the face.    

Behind the Scenes of the Musical

By Aliyah May

Written January

Props, makeup, lights, and sound are necessary parts of any musical provided by members of the cast and stage crew, The Little Mermaid cast and crew will showcase their skills this April.

“You don’t know a lot of the behind-the-scenes stuff they do. I mean before and after every single show, they map out where things were at the top of the show and end.” Sadie Booth, junior cast member, said. “It’s a lot of behind the scene work that goes unappreciated.” 

A lot of work goes into being a part of the stage crew.

“I do multiple things like listing what props we need, how many props we need if we require multiple and which table on which side of the stage a prop will go,” Phineas Worley, freshmen stage crew, said.

Stage crew is generally thought of as only doing a few tasks including props and costumes but they are involved in a lot of parts of the show.

“Stage crew members can work on props, costumes, hair, makeup, publicity lighting, sound like music and microphones, and stage management,” Emily Pastore, speech and drama adviser, said.

Even with such a long list of tasks, the stage crew is in charge of, not many people understand why stage crew is important. Kelsie Rathert, senior crew member in the musical, said that without the stage crew, the musical would be boring because there wouldn’t be anyone to set the scene.

“There wouldn’t be organization. We’d show up on stage late. Once we hit the show I feel like the cast alone is very dysfunctional,” Booth said.

For any musical or play to work out, a good cast and crew has to work together and support one another.

“I feel like a big part of supporting the crew is just being patient especially during tech week because that’s when we have rehearsal with tech the most,” Booth said.

Along with the hard work and supporting each other, there are also fun things to being crew and cast.

“Most shows will have a cast party after the final performance,” Pastore said.

Cast parties are not the only fun part of being cast and crew, it’s the getting to know the other members.

“Getting to know the whole cast and their personalities and making the show magical are some fun parts of being in the crew,” Rathert said.

The cast’s and crew’s hard work and close friendships will come together on April 17-19 when The Little Mermaid will be performed.

Winter Season with the Odessa Winter Guard

By Andi Pfestch

Written January 2025

Odessa winter guard has been working hard this season and is excited for championships on March 29.

At the beginning of the season, Paige Bockes, coach, and some of the members had strong feelings that the team would place higher than past years at their first competition – which was at Belton High School – because of the skill level this season. 

“I think we’ll place maybe 5th place because throughout the years we’ve placed lower, but I think this year will be different because of the skill level increase,” Cheyanne Strader, junior captain, said.

The team has been practicing since the beginning of December, every Wednesday and Thursday from 6-9 pm, as well as two 8-hour camps. 

Unfortunately, there were a few practice cancellations due to the snow in January  and February but that didn’t stop them. The team scored 4th place at Belton, marking above expectations from the team. 

They’ve had competitions at many different high schools in the area, those being Blue Springs South, Lee's Summit West, and Oak Park.

The team has continued to grow at every competition. From their very first score of 55.7, they've gained roughly 4 points every competition from then and came out of Oak Park with a 72.

Not all memories are made at competitions. Evie Miles, freshman, says that her favorite memories are from their practices because of the positive energy all of the members radiate. 

That is one of the things that keeps the guard working hard and pushing through, positive energy from others. 

“The guard thrives off positive energy during the show and knows that there are people out in the crowd there to support them,” Bockes said.

The team does feed off that positive energy, as they have been placing at least top four every competition. 

The Winter Guard is hoping to take that energy to Nixa High School on March 29 and place top three at championships

Tree of Life

By Gracie Harget

Pictures by Whitney Bachman-Twombly

Posted: 4/4/2025 (Written February 2025)

This year's winter percussion’s theme is called Tree Of Life. Director Joey Carter wrote it this year and the band really enjoys it. 

“This year's theme is really cool because our director wrote it and it’s bringing back life from the trees,” Caiden Gibson, junior, said. 

The theme is different from past years. The band usually leans towards darker themes, but this year they decided to make a change. 

“I feel like all of our themes create a story because one previously the school did was “Society”, in which they ended up murdering someone. Then there was “Toxic City” where there was a toxic spill and people died. Last  year we did a show and it was called “Buried Alive.” It was about demons haunting the person and technically he got buried alive, so it’s a good step to go to more happy stuff,” Natalie Doney, sophomore, said. 

Winter percussion is a great way for the students who don’t have a lot of things to do during the winter.

“I decided to join winter percussion because I don’t really do much during the winter time because all my spots aren't going on,” Doney said. 

“It’s fun being about to do what is effectively a second marching season,” Daniel Porter, junior, said. 

Joining winter percussion can be beneficial in plenty of ways.

“My favorite part is probably the relationships you can make with people,” Doney said. 

Porter likes being in winter percussion because it allows him to focus more on music than in marching season. 

 Winter percussion students are in band year round. Some of the students play a different instrument during the regular season, but join winter percussion to expand their skills. 

Gibson plays trumpet and mellophone during marching season, but decided to join winter percussion anyway.

“I joined so I could advance my instrument knowledge in percussion since I play a brass instrument,” Gibson said. 

The winter percussion performed their show at a concert at the end of the season.

Hannah Hill, New Art Teacher

By Rollie Platt

Picture Courtesy of Lanyn Sisk

Posted 12/27/24

Hannah Hill, 2009 OHS alumni, has filled the art teacher position for the 24-25 school year, coming full circle in her career by  returning to the place that inspired her to teach.

Hill teaches Art I, II, III, graphic design and drawing.                                                                          

“My favorite part of teaching high school art is the relationships that I'm able to build with my students,” Hill said. 

She thinks that showing her students that she cares for them is one of the most important parts of her job, and she enjoys how students don't have to be perfect artists to grow, have fun, and improve. 

“She always asks me about how I’m doing and her kindness and generosity has a bigger impact on each student that she may not realize,” said Lanyn Sisk, senior art II student. Hill has a special place in her heart,   and she loves spending time with her while improving her skills.

For Art I and II students, they have an assignment due at the end of each quarter. Examples include embroidery, an album cover, a collage, and a jewel painting. The final for Art II involved making a gift for a loved one

“I have so many amazing students that have shown me love and respect this year. It's been fun to get to know my students, build a classroom community, and get back into teaching higher level art,” Hill said.

Band of Distinction Takes a Thanksgiving Trip to Chicago

By The Growler Staff

Photos Courtesy of the Band Staff

Posted 12/27/24

OHS Band of Distinction was invited to perform in the Chicago Thanksgiving Day parade this year.

The parade was televised so friends and family in Odessa could enjoy and cheer on the band.

“I know my second graders were looking for me and it was so exciting to watch the recording in my classroom when we came back to school. But the parade was more for the students and I was so proud to see their faces on TV and for them to have such a unique experience. I loved getting to hype them up right before the cameras and watch all of them become this amazing performer for their families that were watching,” Paige Bockes, color guard coach, said.

Even though students and staff were away from family for the holiday, TJ Wittman, head band director, felt the parade was a great opportunity for students. 

The band was invited to play last school year and had been making preparations for the trip through fundraising and practicing their songs, including their televised performance piece Winter Wonderland.

“We took a lot of things into consideration when choosing our parade tunes. Ultimately it came down to tunes that we were more familiar with and had prepared. This took a lot of the stress off of the parade since we didn't have to learn something totally new before we left,” Wittman said. 

Practice for the parade had to be fit in around the busy fall marching season. The Band of Distinction used warmups for football games and class to practice. During first hour band, color guard members spent time walking the track, spinning their flags to build up their stamina.

Practice paid off and the band was able to brave the cold of Chicago during their time in the parade.

“The waiting before the parade was the coldest part because we weren't moving. Once we started marching it was like there was no more cold, we were all so excited to be in the parade,” Bockes said. “I warned all the kids to wear lots of layers under their uniforms including thermal shirts and leggings. Most listened, a few learned the hard way but were really tough that day and pushed through.”

The parade route took the band through downtown Chicago. They were filmed as they passed the grandstand, but that was only a small portion of the parade.

“I enjoyed seeing Chicago from the street and getting to say hi to all of the people that came to see the parade and just kept thinking about what the band students must be feeling to get to perform in front of a very large crowd and be on national TV,” Wittman said. 

Most students interviewed agreed that the experience was special, even if it was cold. Several students were amazed by the crowd size as they marched.

“Walking in the parade was something like I've never done before, the crowd was almost louder than us. There were too many people to count,” Kason Moody, freshman, said.

“It was very cold and surreal. Being able to walk in the middle of the street through Chicago while being on national TV was an incredible feeling. It was also a little scary because I have to walk backwards and there were horses in front of us so there was a lot of "obstacles" we tried to avoid,” Grace Smith, senior drum major, said.

Students enjoyed time with the other bands in attendance, including a play off battle. 

“My favorite part was probably getting to just walk through downtown Chicago, they had it all decorated for christmas and it was really pretty. Also the other floats and bands we got to see while we were waiting to step off,” Jaida Starchman, junior, said.

Other students appreciated the family and community members that traveled to support them.

“My Favorite part was walking past my mom, grandma, and my sister who made a sign saying Go Odessa! This really meant something in my heart and made me think of how they traveled almost 9 hours just to see us in the parade,” Lynklyn McElmurry, junior, said.

Band students were able to participate in various activities during their week in the Windy City. There was a dance for all of the high schools participating, the Field Museum, the Shedd Aquarium, the Skydeck at Willis Tower, Gino;s Pizzeria, the Hard Rock Cafe, and Broadway.

“We certainly weren't ever bored, that's for sure! Of those experiences, I wish we had more time at Shedd Aquarium. Seeing all the marine life in person is always really interesting and I wish I would've had time to see everything,” Wittman said.

After the parade, the Skydeck at Willis Tower was a favorite among the band staff and students.

“It  was so cool to look out over all of Chicago. As well as the Ledge! They have these windows that stick out of the building and you can see almost 360 around! It was crazy to look down and see the street below your feet,” Bockes said.

Lily Heflin, junior, also enjoyed the Skydeck despite having a fear of heights. “Seeing Chicago from that high up was gorgeous, I got to take a few photos which were both cute and funny! The sky deck had some cute souvenirs. I got a bean keychain which I love looking at every day,” Heflin said.

The Little Mermaid Auditions

By: Makayla Cole

11/22/24

Auditions for the OHS production of The Little Mermaid will be held on December 16th and 17th. Kelsie Rathert, a senior and 4-year drama club member, hopes for a good turnout. " If we have a good cast, I think it would be super fun.”

Emily Pastore, OHS Speech and Debate, Drama and Public Speaking teacher, and Aaron Larson, OHS Choir teacher, are in charge of the production of The Little Mermaid 

 “I've been a teacher for 12 years and enjoy it,” Pastore said.

Many kids have said they are excited about having Pastore in charge. “There's no favoritism,” said Elaina Kolie, a sophomore who has been doing theater for eight years.

“Everyone feels included; she makes sure everyone, no matter what part you get, still feels important,” Rathert said.

As anticipation grows for the auditions Kolie shared her thoughts on the buzz surrounding the main roles 

“Areal, Ursula, Sebastian, or Flounder will be the most popular,” said Kolie. “I don't know, I'm fine with any role though. We have a lot of really talented singers.”

Sign-ups are available December 16 and 17 after school in Pastore’s room  

“It forces you to be out there and get confident, talk bigger,” Kolie said. “Just getting to tell a story and perform something live thats cool.” 

Odessa Marching Invitational

Photos by John Carmondy

By: Makayla Cole 10/28/24

Saturday, October 12 OHS hosted the 20th annual Odessa Marching Invitational to raise money for the band's trip to perform in the Chicago Thanksgiving Day trip.

Travis Wittman, Odessa band director, was in charge of organizing and setting up OMI.

“We have to find a date that works with our facilities on campus, announce the date, and advertise to other bands who are willing to come,” Wittman said

Afterward, Whitman makes his schedule and list of what each band member is in charge of,

 “And when the day comes, we hope it goes well,” Wittman said

OMI had 24 bands including Olathe West who won the grand championship.

Along with 12 judges including Dr. Brad Snow, a music effect judge.

Bella King, Senior drum major, said, “I like going to other bands' competitions, so I want to make ours a fun competition for other band students.”

Jobs the band students helped with included Holding quiet signs, concession stands, the hospitality room, setting up tables, being an ambassador, and judging runners

One of these band students, Fiona Reynolds, senior clarinet section leader, said, “I find it fun. I have been an ambassador before, and I loved helping take other bands where they needed to be.” 

All band staff, band kids, band booster parents, and OHS staff helped at OMI.

The parade started in downtown Odessa and went from 8:30 to 10:40 A.M. 

Around 3:50 FEILD shows began 

Coming on top in our FEILD department was Olathe West

Then the day ended with OHS’s FEILD show at 9:15 and awards right after at 9:45

“We made at least $4.” Johnny Rotolo, band director, said

The band fundraised about $13,000 for their Thanksgiving Chicago trip.

Let the Bulldog Games Begin

By Kyleigh Tye

Written April/May 2025

McQueery’s Field Day has been a staple in the spring since 1974, with many different names, including GOOFY Games, Bulldog Bonanza, and currently, Bulldog Games.

Matthew Klamm, physical education teacher, said that he starts planning Bulldog games in January. He said that this is when he sets the date and the rain date. He also starts, “to go through all of the games that I have used in the past and try to come up with new games for the day.”

Klamm said that over the past 19 years, he has been in charge of the Bulldog games, and there have been many different ways that the games have been played. This includes, where each grade has its own day, where the whole school goes out at the same time, and half of the school goes in the morning and the other half goes out in the afternoon, this is the way that they did it this year. 

Emma Vaughn, second grade teacher, who experienced her first Bulldog Games day, said that she loved it.  “Although we did have a few sprinkles on us, we were still able to get most of our games played,” Vaughn said.

Christine Furney, first grade teacher, got to experience her 25th Bulldog games. Furney said that she likes to watch her kids play together at the Bulldog Games. 

Vaughn said that if she could play one game, it would be Connect 4 relays, while Furney said that she would pick stomp and punch, “where you stomp on the button and see how far you can launch the ball.” Klamm said that some of the kids' favorite games include long jump, kayak pull, and slingshot.

Bulldog games this year were on May 2, 2025. 

Cooper Jiron OHS Graduate Leaves for Mizzou

By Aliyah May

Picture courtesy of Lori Jiron

Written April/May 2025

Cooper Jiron, Growler editor-in-chief, graduated May 8, at UCM. 

He was in many clubs in the school including stage crew, speech and debate, journalism, and was in Youth Court and an intern at the Odessan outside of the school. 

“I am excited for his next adventure, going to college at Mizzou, because I know he is going to love it,” Lori Jiron, C. Jiron’s mother, said.

C. Jiron is going to University of Missouri for journalism.

“I’m thinking about doing radio journalism or just writing, so I’ve also looked at some indie publications,” C. Jiron said. 

High Country News, a publication that focuses on climate change, the American West and Indian country, is something C. Jiron has in his mind. He’s also interested in Radio Journalism. C. Jiron already has some experience in journalism because he is the Editor and Chief for the school Growler newspaper site.

“I think Cooper is going to do amazing things within his lifetime. Whether it’s in journalism or something else,” Kelsie Rathert, senior, said.

C. Jiron is a creative and fun person stated by Rathert. Being creative and being able to think outside of the box are traits that can help out in journalism fields, but C. Jiron didn’t always want to be a journalist. 

“When he was in daycare he wanted to be a dog petter. He loves animals and wanted to work with animals,” L. Jiron said.

Besides his dreams of wanting to be a dog petter, C. Jiron was a handful growing up and a “chaotic” kid.

“When he was little he always had to have a superhero mask on when we left the house. He was always a different character!” L. Jiron said.

There is no doubt that whether it's journalism, being a dog petter, or being a superhero, C. Jiron is going to go far in life.

Spring Break

By Dawn Anderson

Picture courtesy of Faith Harvey

Written March 2025

 Friends, family, and fun is what spring break is all about at OHS. 

Grace Harvey, freshman, spent her weekend at the Pomme De Terre Lake with her family.

Harvey and her sister, Faith Harvey, sophomore, enjoyed a high school girls’ soccer match between California and Blair Oaks before settling in for a show.

“We also had a movie night watching the show Riverdale and eating snacks,”  G. Harvey said. 

G. Harvey enjoyed having time to relax and connect with her family. While the Harvey family was relaxing at the lake, Tammy Jumet, high school para, was relaxing in the comfort own home.

Jumet spent her break with her mom and brother.

Jumet and G. Harvey had a similar method of relaxing during their break.

“I watched lots of movies like the Good Witch series, and had some snacks,” Jumet said.

After relaxing, Jumet took time to catch up on chores.

“I did some yard work and cleaned my house, checked on my mom and brought her her mail since she lives next to me,” Jumet said. 

Along with Jumet spending time with family, Adalynn Jones, freshman, decided to spend time with friends.

Jones spent her spring break at the Lake of the Ozarks with her best friend.

“Me and Adalyn Dietrich went to my lake house with my dad and drove the golf cart around all night,” Jones said.

As they hung out at her lake house, they decided to play with Jones’s newest kittens that her cat Kitty, just gave birth to, not even 6 weeks beforehand.

While Jones and Dietrich played with kittens, Crisa Seals, Business Education teacher at OHS went on a yearly vacation with her family.

“We are planning to travel to Mountain Hope, Arkansas. We have done that every year during spring break for the last four or five years, maybe six,” Seals said. “Usually we do it during March Madness time because then the four of us, we go through and we fill out the bracket and start watching the game and whoever wins gets to pick out where we go out to eat at, like a special dinner type thing.”

Seals explains why she enjoys her spring break.

“I enjoy being about to sleep in and stay up and there's this ice cream store that is like individually owned and they make homemade ice cream and it's so creamy and good,” Seals said.

Deal or No Deal: Shoe Edition

By Isabelle Smith

Written February 2025

Converse, Uggs, and Hey Dudes are some of the most popular shoe brands for OHS students per a survey conducted by Growler staff. 

OHS students spend a lot of money on shoes like Nike’s Dunks, but there are other shoe brands students choose to invest in as well.  

Some students spent $770 dollars on shoes like Lily Homer, junior. 

“The most expensive shoe I have bought is Golden Goose's which cost $770, " Hotmer said.

Why get so expensive shoes if you don’t wear them that often you might ask. 

“These shoes were gifted to me by my grandma but I spent this much because it’s almost like a prize possession. Although I don’t wear them a lot, shoes have insane value especially when they are vintage. Golden Goose shoes are a vintage shoe brand that used to be pretty popular, they are considered “luxury” because of the craftsmanship they use,” Hotmer said. 

“My most expensive shoes are my cleats for soccer. I can’t wear them around school so I have my cheapest pair of shoes because they were my old shoes,” Ali Cain, junior, said. 

On the opposite end of line, some kids are looking for good deals like Izzabeau Wells, freshman. 

“My cheapest pair of shoes are Hey Dudes, I bought them to be comfortable and they were on sale for only $2. I found these at a thrift store in Higginsville. You can pay $2 for a Walmart bag and you can fill it full,” Wells said.                                                                     

There is always a time and place to wear your favorite shoes. Every shoe that you buy whether it's cheap or expensive has many values and you never know what deals you might find or if you might need them for special occasions. 

Second Break

by Adalyn Dietrich

Picture by Freddie Ogilvie

OHS students had fun on their 6-day snowcation from January 7 to 14.

 Freddy Ogilvie, senior, had a couple of eventful snow days in which he turned 18 and got a new tattoo.

This tattoo is of a dagger piercing a vibrant red rose, surrounded by bold black leaves. The dagger has a detailed design on the handle.

“It means you must see the beauty through the chaos,” Ogilvie said. 

Ogilvie also read and started a painting, but he did not like being at home with his brothers because they were “aggravating.” 

Makenna Bass, freshman, was aggravated by something other than siblings. She was frustrated by the TikTok ban.

TikTok ban aside, Bass liked her break from stressful school days, so she played Minecraft and built her house in the game, and participated in the snow challenge.

Makenna Pierson, freshman, started her snow days by jumping in the snow off her deck, which her friends nominated her to do as part of the snow challenge.

Pierson stayed up until 4 o’clock playing Roblox and watching TikTok. She hung out with her family and sat in her hot tub. 

Overall OHS students had a fun break and enjoyed the extra days off.

Holiday Assembly

By Izzy Smith

Pictures by Harper Dickey

Posted 12/27/24

OHS student council is putting together the annual Christmas assembly to kick off Christmas break at the end of finals week, Friday, December 20th.

Robbie Shepherd, OHS principal will be announcing games, clubs, and winter sports at the assembly. 

Students work tirelessly during finals week and at the end they are celebrated by a student assembly.

“We have this assembly to celebrate with our students, because the first semester is always tough. It's a great way to end the semester,” Shepherd said.

Haley Burke, senior student council vice president, is in charge of the assembly games. 

“Some activities and games that will be going on at the assembly are the Dress a Teacher Tree fashion show and a Christmas song trivia game,“ Burke said.  

The classes leading up to this are shortened to only 20 minutes, once in Bulldog block there will be Christmas parties for an hour followed by the assembly. Christmas break starts the 20th at 12 P.M and students will get 2 weeks off. 

After finals week students are excited to spend time away from school, open presents, and spend time with family. Burke agreed with this.

“I am excited about Christmas break, I am definitely excited to be done with finals by then and enjoy some family time,” Burke said.

If you are faculty like Shepard you are looking forward to playing Call of Duty. 

“I am very excited for the break! I am looking forward to hanging out with my family and playing Call of Duty,” Shepherd said.

Monday, January 6 is a professional development day so school will resume on Tuesday, January 7th.    

See How OHS Students and Staff Celebrate

Story and Image by Dawn Anderson

Posted 12/27/24

This year is coming to an end and here's how our OHS students and staff celebrate their Christmas and New Years. 

Crisa Seals, OHS business teacher, has many favorite holiday traditions with her family.

“I love to watch Christmas movies, shows like classic ones, cooking traditional meals, building gingerbread houses, matching pjs with my family, going to look at Christmas lights, drink lots of hot chocolate, and to play with our new elf on the shelf, Snoop on the Stoop, and our baby elf,” Seals said. 

Seals favorite side dish is cheesy potatoes and sugar cookies. Her favorite Christmas song is “Hallelujah” By Pentatonix, which she listens to while playing games with her family.

Donnavynn Southall, junior, celebrates his New Years by hanging with family and friends. Top of his list is to play Fortnite and get a victory royal. 

Southall wishes, “To get better grades and get better at fortnite,” for his New Year’s resolution. He is also looking forward to both becoming a senior and turning 17 in 2025.

 Adalyn Dietrich, freshman, goes to her dad’s for Christmas in Mississippi with her older sister Maranda Dietrich, senior, and her youngest brother, Wyatt Dietrich.

Jacey Brown, sophomore, goes to the Fun House Pizza place in Independence around Christmas time to see everyone in her family. 

OHS students and staff sound like they will be having plenty of fun this holiday season.

Unified Prom

By Engel Maun

Photo by Claire Fieth

Posted 12/27/24

Kids adore going to a Unified Prom because it gives them somewhere to be themselves and not be worried about being judged. 

“Only certain people, special needs kids because it gives them [a place] to be able to be themselves and dance how they want and not be worried about ´normal´ kids,” Victoria Murphy-Maun, junior, said when asked who would be in attendance. 

Unified Prom has become an annual event. It is a project organized by DECA for Odessa students as well as students from area schools.

“It’s good for special needs kids to have a space for them to dance, to be themselves and have fun, not having to be worried about getting judged,” Samuel Kelley-Horton, senior, said.

Murphy-Maun enjoys helping students who attend Unified Prom to do this.

“I can hang out with friends and dance around with them, we can act funny and take pictures with each other and keep the pictures forever," Murphy-Maun, said.

Murphy-Maun also enjoys getting a break from schoolwork and classes to spend time with her friends.

“It is fun to get out of school. You don't have to deal with the drama at school or the class work you get one day free of doing no work,” Murphy-Maun, said.

Students like Kelly-Horton and Murphy-Maun participate in Unified Prom to bring all types of students together in a celebration. Kelly-Horton was present for one of the more entertaining moments of celebration with his friends.

“One of my friends fell over cause she was dancing really crazy and it made me smile. Cause she was acting crazy,” Kelley-Horton said.

The dance was held December 12, 2024. A special thanks to all students and staff who helped make this event a success.

The Beginning of a New Program

By: Kyleigh Tye

12/3/24

Freshman Academy is a new program at OHS during Bulldog Block.

"Freshman Academy is a new program we are trying out this year to help teach freshmen important skills that will help them successfully manage their high school careers," Amber Deaton, ELA teacher and Freshman Academy advisor, said.

Jillian Martin, freshman has found herself enjoying Freshman Academy so far this year. "At the beginning of the school year, it helped us learn more about the school and where things are."

Alivia Davis, freshman, had a different perspective. "While doing Freshman Academy it prevents you from going to different classes to do assignments or work on projects."

Deaton said she prefers Freshman Academy over regular Bulldog Block. "The structure we provide them and te specific lessons we teach them that they won't necessarily receive in a regular classroom due to lack of time and not being content-specific for most teachers," are a few of the things Deaton appreciates.

"Our teachers wanted to have a curriculum that helped freshmen become better acclimated to high school," Robbie Shephard, principal, said.

There are currently 10 Freshman Academy advisors this year.

The Lighting Ceremony Comes to Town on November the 25th

By: Luke Ellison

Photo Creds: The Chamber of Commerce

11/22/24

The Lighting Ceremony on Monday, November 25 provides an opportunity for the Odessa community to gather and celebrate the season.

“Preparing for the lighting ceremony starts early in the Spring when board members look at the condition of the decorations to see if any replacements are needed; whether bulbs, bows, bells, or ornaments. About 2-4 weeks  before, the electric department begins to hang the decorations. On the days of, set up begins 3-4 hours before the ceremony. Set up includes stage setup, sound and instruments, Santa’s area, popcorn and hot chocolate booths, and parade lineup,” the Chamber of Commerce said.

The Chamber of Commerce works hard to advertise the lighting ceremony and invite groups to participate in the parade. 

“This year, our goal is to have our biggest parade yet. We are also upgrading to a real stage with lights this year instead of a trailer bed. In the future, we’d like to add new elements like live reindeer or a themed photo op,”  the Chamber said.

The Chamber is not the only group preparing for the lighting ceremony, Jaida Starchman, junior, is also preparing with the high school choir.

“I believe we started working on them [song] in the middle of August, if not at the start of school, but one of them we didn't start until a month or so ago,” Starchman said.

While choir is busy preparing and for many choir members, this marks the first time they have performed at the lighting ceremony since elementary school. 

“Typically the concert choir doesn’t perform in the lighting ceremony, so I haven’t sung in it since 5th grade choir,” Rylie Shonfelt, junior, said.

Natalie Doney, sophomore, learned that she will perform in the lighting ceremony very early. 

“I have known that we were going to perform in the lighting ceremony since we got our first piece for it, which was at the beginning of school year,” Doney said.

Starchman has performed in two lighting ceremonies with the band and has had the same favorite song to perform each year.

“Still, Still, Still because it's the song we perform every year and I was introduced to it my freshman year and have loved it ever since,” Starchman said.

Christmas Parade & Lighting Ceremony

By: Isabella Smith

11/22/24

Photo Creds: Isabella Smith

The Christmas Parade and Lighting Ceremony is an annual event in Odessa where the town officially turns on the Christmas lights and welcomes Santa. This year's event was postponed to  Monday, November 25th at 6:30 P.M due to the weather. Don’t worry Santa will still be there at the four-way after the lights come on.

“Christmas time is a time for friends and family to come together, be happy and show those smiles,” John Carmody, OHS math teacher and friends with Santa, said. “Being [friends with] Santa is all about the memories and the special night, memories are everything and it means so much to see young folks who are now adults bringing their children to visit with the same Santa they once visited.” 

Santa is not the only one making an appearance this year as several performing groups from across the Odessa School District will perform in the parade and at the lighting ceremony.

 “We take 1 to 2 hour band classes to practice Winter Wonderland and other songs and parade review,” Travis Wittman,  band director at OHS said. 

“I'm kind of nervous but only because I know Chicago soon after but I think we are ready for the Christmas parade, it's one of the easier ones I feel like,” Jaida Starchman, Junior, said. 

The band for the parade started playing at the old creamery on Dryden Street and ended at railroad park. 

The band members such as Amber Salcido Garcia, Sophomore, Makayla Cole, Freshman and Norah Eaton, Freshman, said they are excited but also scared for the Christmas Parade and they all agree that the Christmas Parade is the easiest and funest parade that they have to do.  

 “I’m super excited! The Christmas parade is my favorite parade of the year! The song we spin to is one of my favorite Christmas songs and I love the choreo the guard does,” Lily Heflin, Junior color guard member, said. 

Every year the Christmas Parade and Lightning Ceremony is a good way to bring the community together, and we look forward to seeing what other events are going to be happening. 

Tmoblie Friday Night Lights

By Kyleigh Tye 10/30/24

One million dollars in prizes is what OHS is competing for in the T-Mobile Friday Night Lights competition this fall.

This is a nationwide contest that T-Mobile has created to give away money and market their service. Jessica Wade, Marketing teacher, and DECA sponsor, gave the opportunity to her Sports Marketing class to get OHS the money.

“It was our project in marketing that we did trying to promote the school to get money for our football fields and we are trying to share how our Friday Night Lights are great,” Kaylyn Seals, sophomore, said.

Seals and Lily Bellis, a sophomore, decided to take on the responsibility of making videos and sharing the news about this competition with the community. Although this began as a project for the Sports Marketing class, anyone can create videos and participate. 

Crest Ridge is one of 16 finalists for the large prize. 

To spread the news, “you can tag T-Mobile in the posts that are made, repost, and share the videos that have been made,” Seals explained. 

Crest Ridge is in 4th place at the time of publication with 67,955 likes.

2024 Homecoming Parade

By: Rollie Platt

10/31/24

Photo Credits: Claire Fieth

The Annual Homecoming parade took place Friday, October 4th, at 2 p.m. and featured floats with Under the Sea themes. Classes decorated floats under the direction of staff sponsors and class presidents. 

“We need to figure out who’s all riding and who's going to help me put it together and decorate it,” said Anna King, junior class president, who was in charge of planning the junior float. The process includes finding a budget, getting a trailer, and a group of people to help “I love decorating things and being creative” 

Floats kept with this year's theme while still being original “We want it to be its own kind of thing; we don’t want it to be exactly like the senior float”  said Makayla Cole, freshman class president. 

Many people helped out with the creation and planning of the floats. “Ms Sanders is like our lead helper,”  said Makayla Cole, “she's a good teacher, and she likes planning things”. Ms Sanders assisted with planning and making forms to see who wanted to help out with the freshman float.

2024 Homecoming 

By: Izzy Smith

Pictures by Yearbook and Growler Staff

10/31/24

Under the Sea themed dress up days built up the Homecoming dance hosted by OHS on Saturday, October 5th. 8 pm to 10 pm in the gym. 

Multiple people such as Kara Smith, a history teacher and the Student Council sponsor at OHS, Grace Smith, senior President of Student Council, and Adrienne Cole, Biology teacher of 17 years at OHS, and many others dressed up for this year's dress up days. Smith and the rest of the student council chose the Under the Sea theme because they thought it was a fun idea and would be a nice change from the themes in past years. It took 1 hour during bulldog block that week and 3 hours on Homecoming day to set up for the dance. 

“I am excited for the ‘Under the Sea Scholars’, I can't wait to see what teachers dress up like students and what students dress up like teachers,” Smith said. 

“The dress up days for this year are great and they are easy to participate with and promote school spirit,” Cole said. 

Cole's daughter Makyala, freshman, said her eyes hurt after dressing up like her mom because she isn’t a cheetah print or dress person, but she did think it was fun to dress up like each other. 

Cole said she thought it was fun and unique and she was comfortable. 

Monday 9/30 dress up day was Fin-Tastic Duos; dress up with friends to show unique styles and make a splash. Tropical Tuesday 10/1 dress in bright, beachy colors with Hawaiian shirts! Wednesday 10/2 Under the Sea Scholars dress like a teacher or student. Thursday 10/3  Bikers vs. Surfers channel your inner teen beach Movie. Friday 10/4 School Spirit/ Under the Sea dress in either Bulldog Gear or Homecoming Gear. 

"Homecoming is always a hit,” Smith said. “The hardest part about being a teacher and the student council instructor is maintaining everything at once, trying to balance out school and student council. The separation of home life and school life.” 

Participation this year was at an all time high for Homecoming. We look forward to seeing what students come up with for Courtmat.

Pastore Improves with Pastore

By: Claire Fieth

10/31/24

Picture credits: Emily Pastore

OHS Broadcasting teacher Emily Pastore has made drastic improvements to the broadcasting class by creating the BTV a weekly broadcast show. 

“This year we have established a weekly broadcast show called BTV. We have not had anything like that at OHS the last year or so and the show has been very popular so far ” Pastore said. 

Pastore loves keeping a connection with her media background. 

“I love everything about the performing arts and I got my Master's Degree in Media and Performing Arts so teaching Broadcasting keeps me connected to the "media" part of my background,” Pastore said. 

Pastore and her students have enjoyed the class so far this year.

“I like that every day is different! We are always being creative and putting together interesting segments which makes for a fun class period.” Pastore said. 

Trenten Graham, senior, favorite part of broadcasting is watching the videos they have created. 

Malakai Butler, a senior says his favorite part is “Going around with the fun questions and topics of the segments we do and turning them from decent topics into entertaining and funny skits,” 

“It’s a simple class and it's enjoyable,” Jeremiah Carter, senior said. 

The students had many different reasons to join the class this school year. 

“I liked the thought of working with others,” Graham said. Butler joined because of his experience “I joined because of my history of talking abt the weather and I figured it’d be really fun to just be able to make people laugh as a reporter,” Butler said. 

Most of their information in the videos is students' opinions on things in school life. 

“Most of our information is opinion-based (as far I know) so we usually go around asking members of both the student body and faculty,” Butler said. 

To create the videos they create scripts and then interview people says Carter

To edit the videos they use a certain software and clip the videos together. 

“Currently, we use editing software called WeVideo but we also occasionally use Open Shot and students sometimes edit clips together on their phones or through social media apps to submit to the show,” Pastore said. 

“We collect all of our clips put them into a folder on Google Drive and upload them. After they’re in the editing software, we file and compile the clips together while adding special effects,” Butler said. 

Special Olympics

By: Luke Ellison

Published 10/28

Photo by Harper Dickey

Oct. 9, the biggest Special Olympics in Missouri happened at OHS with 12 schools participating.

Ellie Port, Special Ed teacher said the reason for the Special Olympics was, “to get Special needs kids a day for them to show off.”

Host schools for the Special Olympics events get to decide if they would like to host according to Port. It takes about one month and around 100 people to set-up for the event. 

“It's not that hard at all! It's very fun and interactive and we just love all events that take place,” Kylee McElmurry, OHS junior, said.

One of the coaches for events was Port. 

“It was not very hard to be a unified partner,” Norah Eaton, OHS freshman, said. Eaton filled out a Google Form explaining why she thought she would make a good partner.

“I practice my events until I get the hang of it! And I also get myself motivated to prepare for the events I compete in!” said McElmurry. 

McElmurry’s favorite event to get better at was not present at this year’s Special Olympics.

“My favorite is softball throw because you can show off how far you can get better and better each time and I think it’s fun and interactive events, and you can also try to beat your record and make records for yourself,” said McElmurry.

“My partner was kind. He and I really had fun,” Eaton said. Eaton and her participated in several events and played corn hole.

Other activities available included concessions and face painting.

Foreign Exchange Students Come to OHS

By: Cooper Jiron

This year OHS has two foreign exchange students attending.

One of these foreign exchange students, Nina Mills, a sophomore, is from Rio De Janeiro, and is excited to attend OHS this year.

“I have always wanted to go abroad, and although Brazil is a cool place, I don't really like Brazil. I also wanted to learn the language, have this experience of high school, and meet new people,” says Mills.

At home, Mill's high school experience is very different from OHS.

“5:30 AM I get out of bed every day and go to school until 5:30 PM. Here I'm already passing all of my classes but, in Brazil, I have all of these exams… It's just harder,” said Mills.

OHS’s second exchange student, Izaro Echeverria, a sophomore, is from Bilbao, Spain. She has been to the US before on a trip to New York City and, like Mills, wanted to have a new experience in the States.

Although she was anxious at first about her new surroundings, now she is more well-adjusted.

“I was a bit scared, I didn't know anyone so I felt lost…now I feel better, I still sometimes feel lost because there are a lot of new things every day but I'm feeling better and more comfortable.” Said Echeverria

At home, her day-to-day life is also very different.

“Here you have to go by car to most places, and in Spain, I would mostly travel by public transport or walking. Also, everything is really spread out,” said Echeverria

She added to this by describing how walking is a much more viable option in Biabel than in Odessa

 “In Spain, everything is really near because most of Spain lives in apartments. You can walk everywhere, to school, to the cinema, or the shopping center.”

While Echeverria went from different standards of life, Mills said she went from bad to much better.

“The standard of life is much better. Your soccer field is literally the size of my school and the opportunities I have here are much better” Said Mills

Despite living in a larger city in Spain, according to Echivierra, her school is much like Mills

“Because there are a lot of different schools, depending on where you are there are no schools, so mine is smaller than here”

While in some ways the standard of life has improved, in others they've gotten complicated. According to Mills, Americans have a very U.S.-centric point of view. Which leads to miscommunication.

“They're really brainwashed, they just think that America is the whole world. I don't really mind that much, but I really wished Americans didn't think they were the whole world” said Mills

Mills describes this USA-only mentality makes her Brazilian one seem overly extroverted.

“All Brazilians, as a cultural thing, they're just really welcoming, they're really physical, and like here some people don't hug, some people aren't welcoming…like the drama here is a lot. Like, let people live!”

Echeveria also felt this miscommunication. Coming from Spain, people in Odessa often equate her experiences with what they know.

“Spain isn't similar to Mexico. People often think they are similar, but the only thing they share is a language. Everything is really different.”

Although there have been ups and downs, Both Echeveria and Mills are thankful for the opportunity to be at OHS.

Senior Parking

By: Gracie Harget

Photos: Robbie Shepherd

The senior parking spots this year were a hit. There were 68 seniors who signed-up to paint a parking spot. This tradition was led by the history club, advisors Lynette Williams and Evan Pingel, both OHS history teachers. 

The history club provides the basic necessities for painting the parking spots. They bring only white, black, yellow, red, and blue paint. They also bring rollers, paint liners, paint brushes, and tape. If someone wanted a different color, they have to bring it themselves. 

The seniors came up with some creative ideas for their parking spots. 

Senior Clayton Tomlinson’s parking spot was inspired by Drake. 

“It is Drake’s album cover, but it says if you’re reading this I’m late,” Tomlinson said. 

Kylee Brown, senior, painted her parking spot after Tigger. “He’s my favorite stuffed animal,” she said. 

“I painted different squares that represent different aspects of my life,” Lanyn Sisk, senior, said. She chose this because she wanted a lot of color and to have all the things that make her happy.

Micah Boyer senior decided to paint her parking spot yellow with a hazard sign saying “warning hazardous actions” with black footprints around it. 

“I am a very clumsy person by nature and tend to act, well hazardous. Before I came up with the painting of the bottom of my shoes to create footprints, I already accidentally did it with the yellow paint,” Boyer said. 

Some seniors painted their parking spots after things that helped them through high school.

“The album cover for the color and the shape by the Foo Fighters,” Jackson Baker, senior, said. “The Foo Fighters are my favorite band in the world and the songs on the album got me through high school,” Baker said. 

Senior Kayla Hesterberg painted Winnie the Pooh. “School can be stressful, but when I have a character from my childhood telling me I’m strong enough it gets a little better every day,” Hesterberg said. 

Senior Aiven Miller plays on the football team. He did his parking spot centered around football. “It has a black background with two red end zones. One says 'ATM' and the other says 'Miller.' It has an 'O' in the middle with the number two,” Miller said. “I play football and I am number two. I put 'ATM' in the top end zone because that’s what the guys on the team call me.”

Haley Burke, senior, did a Spotify cover of her senior year. “I made it on Canva and I really like music. I wanted to include a lot of things that represent me in the album cover section,” Burke said. 

Abigail Bainbridge, senior, made her parking spot a Hollywood star sign.

“It’s pink and It’s an inside joke with my family because I’m the dramatic one,” Bainbridge said. 

The senior parking spots were a great turnout for the history club.

Seals Prepares OHS Students For An Online World

By Cooper Jiron

Written in February 2025

Crisa Seals, a business and computer teacher, has been an advocate for computer literacy at OHS since she began teaching computer courses.

Starting her first year teaching computer classes in 2020, she inherited a Web Design class from her predecessor. She taught this class for a year before she wanted to bring back another class, Multimedia.

“I felt there was a gap in computer courses that would be something after Computer Apps but not a coding course. So I brought back Multimedia with the focus of providing students an education and knowledge base of product design that could translate into tasks they could do in a job or as a hobby,” Seals said.

Students in the Odessa school district have been using Chromebooks for years, modernizing their school work through Google Classroom, Infinite Campus, Edupuzzle, and others. So, classes such as these seem obvious for the ever-growing presence of technology in students' lives inside and outside of school.

A freshman, Avery Sanders, is in computer apps and feels she can use some of the skills she’s learned later in life when she pursues becoming a developmental disability nurse. Sanders also believes it's important to learn more about computers, even if you think you know enough to get by. 

“People believe they know everything, but there's so much you don't know and should learn,” Sanders said.

Seals shares this line of thinking, saying, “Computer Apps are built on Google Workspace which is all online and appropriate for this generation of kids that use the internet for so many parts of their lives.”

Another one of Seals students, Lucas Tate, junior, is in web design. Tate wasn't immediately drawn to web design, only taking it after not being able to take psychology the year before, but over time grew to enjoy it.

Tate's original slight interest has since expanded into feeling satisfied with his online portfolio and is passionate about being articulate with coding.

“I think they [computer classes] are important because a lot of people turn to AI instead of coding and people who aren't ‘classically trained,’” Tate said.

Tate is referring to feeding code plugins and prompts into AI chatbots to code things like webpages and computer graphics.  

Students in Seal's classes are becoming more interested in the devices that control much of their lives. It seems like it will only become even more important as time goes on. While OHS is a rural community, Seals has proven that computer education can happen anywhere and is important everywhere

New Student Resource Officer at OHS

By Dawn Anderson

Written in February 2025

OHS welcomes its new student resource officer (SRO), John Newman, Officer Greg Daniel, former OHS SRO, retired at the end of the first semester of the 24-25 school year.

“It was bittersweet to see Officer Daniel retire. I am happy for him and all of his accomplishments, but we will miss him,” Kaitlyn Grace, Assistant Principal, said.

Grace is happy about the addition of Officer Newman to the OHS team.

“Officer Newman is very approachable and takes a genuine interest in those around him,” Grace explained. 

Staff is looking forward to the different programs Officer Newman can provide and assist with. He has different experiences he can share.

“He has CSI experience which is Crime Scene investigation. So that whenever there is a murder, he's like the guy that goes in there and investigates it,”  Robbie Shepherd, High School Principal, said.

Officer Newman has already worked with Health classes to help students learn about substances and their dangers.

“I think officer Newman is doing a great job; he's good with kids as well and that seems to be a good fit,” Shepherd said.

So far, students seem to enjoy Officer Newman as the new SRO. Many kids claim that he seems very approachable and like a good fit. His kindness and willingness to help others were the top two attributes mentioned in a Growler survey of students. 

Mallott Provides Mid-Year Shop Pivot

By Engel Maun

Edited by Bachman-Twombly

Written in February 2025

Austin Mallot, OHS shop teacher, began covering classes for Natalie Powell, first semester shop teacher, in January. 

“He is very energetic and fun to be around,” Austin Ray, agriculture teacher, said. 

“Mr. Mallot is pretty cool,” Jasper Lunceford, senior, said.

The general opinion seems to be that Mallot is a good individual and has fit right into the fabric of OHS and the shop.

“I didn’t find it hard to transition [to a new teacher],” Will Feltrop, senior, said of his new bulldog block teacher.

Mallott stepped into a position slightly in disarray after the sudden departure of Powell. 

“I think his background in the field and his previous work in school is helping him a lot,” Ray said.

Mallott, OHS alumni, is excited to be back, teaching at his alma mater. Previously, Mallott was the in-school-suspension (ISS) teacher. This has not prevented him from developing some exciting projects for shop students.

“He has some pretty good ideas for students to work on. Many of them are working on Chicken Coops, and it's nice to see them collaborate on these projects,” Ray said.

Other projects he has introduced include: diagnosing small engine problems, building CO2 cars, mudding and tapping drywall, and washer games. 

Mallott is proving to be a knowledgeable asset to the shop and has adjusted well to the challenges of accepting a teaching position mid-way through the school year. 

“Springtime in the Ag Department is a busy time so getting someone new and learning to work with them in such little time has been an adjustment,” Ray said.

LUTTRELL COMES TO OHS

By Cooper Jiron

Written in January 2025

Hunter Luttrell started at OHS earlier this year, teaching science.

Luttrell is familiar with Odessa and the community. Luttrell is originally from Oak Grove and graduated from GHS in 2016. After Luttrell's graduation, he attended the University of Iowa.

Post graduation Luttrell stayed in Iowa for two years, he taught in a small district near Iowa City, Iowa.

Luttrell’s district in Iowa was much more limited in resources compared to OHS.

“The district I came from, I was the only high school science teacher and so I had all high school science classes. With freshman we started with physical science the one year and biology the next – I also taught electives,” Luttrell said.

Now, teaching has changed for Luttrell. He is now on a team of science educators working together at OHS. This has its own challenges, but Luttrell always takes pleasure in teaching science.

“I always wanted to do something science-related. My mom is a teacher, so it was always kind of a thought, and then in my junior year of college when I was really excelling in my education courses and volunteering for classes and enjoying them more and more,” Luttrell said.

According to students, Luttrell's love for teaching comes out in his teaching style.

“He's a very fun teacher and he'll actually sit down and teach things to you, and I convinced him to do a marine biology class and he did,” Rylee Hicklin, junior, said.

According to Hicklin, Luttrell’s style of teaching is centered around students and what they would be interested in learning.

“He's really focused on students and listens to what we want to talk about and do in class,” Hicklin said.

Officer Daniel Retirement 

By Dawn Anderson

Written in January 2025

Officer Daniel, Student Resource Officer (SRO) at OHS, retired after the first semester of the 24-25 school year. 

“Officer Daniel was very serious about safety,” Robbie Shepherd, OHS Principal, said. Daniel was the only SRO employed by the Odessa School District for several years.

Shepherd had a good working relationship with Daniel. They frequently had morning hall duty where they could be found joking and talking.  Shepherd also mentioned they had many tense moments together in neutralizing student disruptions.

“He had thought about retiring since the beginning of the school year but decided to retire after the first semester to be with his wife and grandkids,” Sheperd  said.

“Officer Daniel was a very hard worker and loved working with kids, a lot of the kids loved him here,” Officer Sam Bell, OMS SRO, said.

“He was a very funny guy and I had lots of good memories working with him,” Bell said.

“One time we went to Chipotle and a student we knew was working and got his order wrong multiple times, so he kept getting more free food and it was so funny,” Bell said.

Lisa Dowell and Sarah Corder, the office secretaries at OHS had nothing but nice things to say about Officer Daniel.

The new SRO is Officer John Newman.

Meet Mr. Ray

By Adalyn Dietrich

Photo Courtesy of Lindsay Barker

Posted 12/27/24

Austin Ray is the new Agriculture teacher at OHS.

“My high school ag teacher pushed me to get into agriculture and FFA and saw the potential to be an educator,” Ray said.

Ray has taught for eight years, seven at Macon County R-IV school district.

“It was a big change going from a school that only had around 100 students Pre-K-12, but the school staff, community, and students made me feel extremely welcome,” Ray said.

Abigayle Lett, FFA President, believes that having two teachers is better because you can learn skills from both. 

“Ray is very helpful and has his own skills that help everyone,” Lett said.

Outside of teaching, Ray has a passion for livestock and the agricultural industry. This pushes him to help students find their new passions.

Ray earned his bachelor's degree from Northwest Missouri State University in 2017 and his master's degree in Educational Leadership K-12 in 2021.

Checking Out Bandy's Library

By June Mueller

Published 12/2/24

T’Quia Bandy is the new OHS librarian. 

“My love for books and information literacy is what made me become a librarian,” Bandy said. 

Bandy wants to provide students with information about library resources and what books the library has to offer.

Although this is Bandys first year as a librarian at OHS, this isn't her first year in education.

Before becoming a librarian, Bandy was a special education teacher for ten years. Nine of those were at Osage Trail Middle School in Independence teaching math and ELA. When she joined the OHS staff last year, she focused specifically on ELA.

Bandy was a special education teacher for one year at OHS before taking over in the library.

“I have always had a passion for reading, but I didn't become serious about pursuing a career in librarianship until I started my Master's degree program in 2023,” Bandy said.

While enjoying her new role in the library, Bandy does miss working with her students in the classroom.

“I really enjoyed teaching special education and the best part of my job was seeing my students meet their goals,” Bandy said.  

Bandy hopes to make the library more accessible for all students at OHS this year.

Mr. Larson Shoutout

By: Engel Maun

10/30/24

Aaron Larson is the new choir director at Odessa High School for the 24-25 school year.

“I became a music teacher mainly because I love music. I know how it has helped me in my life and I want to be able to help people through music,” Larson said.

Teaching music to various students at different ability levels is one of the most challenging parts of being a choir director. Despite the challenges, Larson enjoys many things about music.

“I like everything about music. I like how everything has to come together perfectly to make music work,” Larson said. “It is a sense of order and stability that I believe is hard to find in life and with music it just happens and creates a sense of peace in the world.”

You Got Served Story by Gracie Harget; MRVC Tournament Pictures by Claire Fieth and Gracie Harget