Clubs

Springing into Contest

Reading Across America

By: Andrea Pfesch

Last year during the 2024-2025 school year, Odessa Upper Elementary established a new robotics club.

Gary McCulley, computer literacy teacher, and Mike Lawless, 4th grade teacher, started the club with a group of 10 students. This year, they’ve expanded to 20 students, splitting into two robotics teams.

In robotics, the students learn different skills like critical thinking, mathematics, and engineering. Their students also compete in competitions hosted by the First Lego League – A STEM program from grades k-8.

Currently, the students are working on making small robots.

“We get to build robots and code them to follow a black line,” Issac LaBoube, OUE student, said.

These students enjoy being in the club, wanting to continue to participate in the robotics club. They think it’s a great opportunity for other students to grow.

“It gives you knowledge, building skills, and big dreams to create new things,” Cooper Watson, OUE student, said.

McCulley says that the students are currently working hard on coding the robots they finished building to complete a FLL competition map.

FFA Chapter Attends PSI

Interview by: Adalyn Dietrich

Harper Dickey talks about her time at Public Speaking Institute

Q: How was psi?

A:  PSI was an amazing opportunity to grow my public speaking skills! We had an awesome time and learned so many tips and tricks.

Q: What did you do while you were there?

A: At PSI, we attended different workshops and learned in-depth details about each part of public speaking. I met many people from all over, and saw members I met at the public speaking academy over the summer. 

Q: Do you feel like your public speaking abilities have gotten better?

A: I feel that my public speaking has improved because I now know all of the ins and outs of delivering a speech.

Q: What trick stuck with you the most?

A: When speaking its important to tell stories to keep your audience

engaged.

Students join Scholar Bowl to work as a team and discover new things along the way.

By: Chloe Garrett

Scholar Bowl is a fast-paced quiz competition where teams of students answer questions across a wide range of topics, like history, science, literature, and even music and art. It’s all about using knowledge and quick thinking to outsmart the other teams.

Students focus on their strengths when preparing for the competition. For example, Lucas Tate, senior, is strongest in music and art.

Colton Fredrich, senior, suggests picking a subject and studying it really hard. 

To prepare for competition, the team members share their knowledge, so each person’s area of expertise is covered, and they’re ready for anything that comes up in the game

Even though they haven’t had any games this year, the team has always worked well together by spreading out their knowledge. Everyone plays an important role, and each person’s skills contribute to the team’s success. Knowing when to lean on your teammates’ strengths is key to doing well.

“We know each other’s strengths and can cover each other’s weak spots,” Fredrich said.

In a Scholar Bowl, things can get intense. Fredrich shares that he fidgets with his hands to stay calm and focus when the pressure is on. Different students might have their own tricks to stay calm, but for Fredrich, this technique helps him think clearly under pressure.

Tate remembers a time when he answered a question that everyone thought was a guess—but he was right.This shows that sometimes, quick thinking and confidence can pay off in a big way during these matches.

Parker Nye, junior,  joined Scholar Bowl because he had fun doing it at his old school, and a teacher encouraged him to try it. He enjoys competing because it challenges his knowledge and helps him connect with others who love learning.

“I enjoy getting to hang out with my friends, and I joined because I know a lot of random facts”. Fredrich said. 

Fredrich’s advice for anyone thinking about joining Scholar Bowl is simple, study a subject you love and become an expert in it. This will help you be ready when a question about your topic comes up.

 Scholar Bowl is all about knowledge, strategy, and staying calm under pressure. It’s a great way to challenge yourself, work as a team, and have fun competing with friends!

“Just join it because it is fun and you learn some new things,”  Nye said. 

National Convention

By: Adalyn Dietrich

Picture Provided by: Austin Ray

Fourteen Odessa FFA members attended the 98th National FFA Convention and Expo in Indianapolis.

“Nationals was really fun, the group got along well, and we went to a lot of activities that I personally find interesting. The guest speakers were relatable, especially A’ric, and helped make the general sessions enjoyable,”  said Kaylee Robison, senior vice president.

While Robinson had fun at the sessions, Brodie Barker, junior secretary, and Abygayle Spencer had fun at the shops at convention.

Many members attended workshops and learned many valuable lessons, Barker says, “You have to think about the end before the beginning to see what your outcomes need to be”.

Four of our FFA alumni, Jewelia Lett, Colby McCartney, Jenna Schwartze, and Kaycee Combs, received the highest degree in FFA, the American degree.

FFA alumni member Abigayle Lett placed in the top four in the Specialty Crop Production Proficiency and got an award on stage; she was one of the first in 90 years. 

Harper Dickey, junior president, got a tour of the media room as she's one of the FFA of the USA reporters. 

Odessa visited many new places and overall had a good time at national convention.

Exploring the Past, One Trip at a Time

By Abby Smith

Picture by Ali Cain

History club is taking a few adventures this school year. 

They are taking, some are in March, February and others they are currently unsure about when they are or if they will end up having them.

Question: What are you most excited about doing this year? 

Coral Mills (Senior): “Watch Hamilton live in Kansas City sometime during February or March. The only thing bad about it is that there will be different actors.” 

Lily Heflin (Senior): “Watch Hamilton live and do concessions.” Helfin likes doing concessions because they get to interact with other people and families.

Question: What are some things you hope the history club will do? 

Mills: “Go on more field trips and go to more museums like the WW1 museum."

Heflin: "Have more meetings because last year there were not a lot of meetings."

Question: What are some things you are hoping the club will do again? 

Mills: “Go to the WW1 museum again" Mills confessed that she tripped on the stairs a lot.

Heflin: “WW1 museum," Heflin liked all the artifacts.

Question: What fun things is the history club doing this year? 

Lynette Williams (Teacher): “We do the field of flags. Also, we are going to go to the court of appeals. We will go to the Truman Library. We may do the WW1 museum again this year. We are the Sponsor of the Senior parking spot so we raise money for that each year. We are going to watch Hamilton live and then watch Hamilton in theaters.”

FCS Follows Faith

By: Aliyah May

Nine OHS DECA members make their way to ICDC on April 25-29.

DECA’s International Career Development Conference, known as ICDC, is the next step for members who place at State. The conference will be held in Atlanta, Georgia, April 25-29. After making it through state the following nine members advanced to ICDC, Sarah Booth, sophomore, Sadie Booth, senior, Kaylyn Seals, junior, Lola Walter, junior, Avery Shepard, junior, Nicole Sipala, senior, Hallie Brice, junior, Rylee Hicklin and Anna King, seniors. 

“Me and Sarah were very confident and proud of how we did with our presentation, but naturally nerves kicked in and I was still surprised when getting first place,” Sadie Booth said.

Contrary to the Booths being confident, Sipala and Brice were a little less sure in their presentation. stated it was surreal being called on to the stage.

“Both Hallie and I wanted to, but we didn’t think that we did well enough with our presentation, so going up on the stage was a very nice and unexpected surprise.” Sipala said.

Placing at State isn’t just about getting an award, but it’s also about what it makes members feel and what it means to them.

“A lot of hard work has gone into mine and Sadie's project. We have been working on it all year long, and it took a lot of work to get to ICDC, so I think to me it just means, it showcases all the work we put in and how successful we were.” Sarah Booth said

Seals and Walter made it to ICDC together in their Project Management Giving presentation where they raised money for Wayside Waves. They plan to keep practicing a lot more to prepare.

“I don't really have high expectations for ICDC, but I'm just excited to go,” Seals said. “Lola and I hope to make it past pre-lims, but we will have to be presenting really good that day.”

The nine members along with DECA ambassador, Jessica Wade, and teachers Rachael Begemann and Crisa Seals will be attending ICDC April 24 through 29.

Speech and Debate prepare for Conference

Interview by: Carson Bradley

Question: When is your next competition?
Pastore: “Our next competition is next week [when the interview was conducted], it is February 18th and 20th, and it's a conference, it's not districts.”

Question: Are you more excited or more nervous for the next competition?
Pastore: “I'm more nervous cause I’m bringing an event I've never done. I'm still a little excited because I like debate.”

Question: Ms. Turner told me that you had won a congressional debate award, could you tell me more about that and like what it's for?

Pastore: “The first tournament was at Blue Springs High School. Basically you had a 3 minute speech to make your case and then you go sit down.”

Question: Are you going to be in the Radium Girls One Act, and if so, do you know what your role is?

Pastore: “Yes, I play 3 roles. I play Harriet, who's the main character's daughter, an old lady who gives advice on good health, and the Sob Sister, who's a sleazy reporter.”

Giving Back to the Community with Interact

By Jaiden Hemmen and Emma Mahan

The Interact Club is spreading kindness and community spirit through a variety of upcoming service projects. 

Members are preparing positive notes to leave on cars, organizing a clothing drive, and adopting a Family for Christmas. Their goal is to raise awareness of local needs, support families, and bring joy during challenging times—all while helping students develop life skills and a heart for service.

Crisa Seals, sponsor, said the projects' aim was, “to bring awareness to areas of concern in our community and spread positivity during these challenging times.” 

Ayana Brown, senior, added that the club hopes to, “embrace and help the community, and help kids with life skills like economics.”

The current project Interact is working on is “kindness letters,” said Brown. “We’re planning to put them over the school and on some cars."

An upcoming project Interact is planning to do is a clothing drive where “winter clothes or necessities in good condition” will be wanted, said Interact president Carrera Kuntze, senior.

Everything donated will be donated to “local women's and children's shelters,” said Kuntze.

Kuntze added, “Another one like the clothing drive is the shoe drive,” which will also be happening here soon.

The group encourages students and community members to get involved. 

“We really appreciate community support and participation so that our projects are successful and impactful,” Seals said.

For Interact members, giving back is what makes the club special. 

“I wanted to help,” Brown said. “It’s fun and easy to get service hours, and it feels good to make a difference.”

With so many projects ahead, Interact continues to prove that small acts of kindness can create a big impact.

DECA

By: Donavynn Southall

With buzzers in hand, questions on the tongue, the Odessa Scholar Bowl team shows how quick thinking and good teamwork can be.  When it comes to Scholar Bowl, everyone has that one subject they feel confident in. For Ezra Mills, senior, that subject is geography. 

Geography is about countries, capitals, maps — that’s Mills’ thing. If a geography, math, or history question pops up during a round, there’s a good chance he’s ready to hit that buzzer.

Unlike some competitors who spend hours studying before matches, Ezra keeps it pretty simple. He says he doesn’t really “prepare” in a normal way. Instead, he relies on what he already knows and what the team goes over during practice. For him, it’s more about staying sharp than spitting facts.

That doesn’t mean he doesn’t want to improve. This season, he says he wants to improve his English skills. Literature and grammar questions can be tough, and becoming stronger in that area would make him a more well-rounded player.

During fast-paced rounds, things can get intense. When Ezra doesn’t know an answer, he doesn’t guess — he just lets it go. It’s a strategy that keeps the team from losing points and helps him stay focused on questions he feels confident about. Staying calm comes down to knowing his strengths and sticking to them.

As for why he joined Scholar Bowl in the first place? In his own words: “Mrs. Begamann needs me.” Mills also says that Mrs. Gwodz wanted him to join in his freshman year, but he just didn't feel like he had what it takes. When Mrs. Begamann said that she needed Ezra for one scholar bowl tournament, he's been there ever since.

With geography as his strong suit and goals to improve in English, Ezra continues to grow this season. One thing’s for sure — when a geography, math, or history question comes up, Mills is ready. 

Making Odessa Feel Like Home

By Kaylynn Seefeldt

Picture by Ali Cain

For Kara Smith,OHS social studies teacher, running STUCO means empowering peers and creating a stronger school community. 

In this interview, she shares how the experience has shaped her leadership and helped her feel at home in Odessa.

Question: What does running STUCO mean to you?

Smith: “It means that I am able to help develop students into leaders, and I am able to try to make the high school a better place.”

Question: How has STUCO impacted you?

Smith: “It has made me a better leader, but it has also allowed me to make connections here personally in Odessa. As somebody who was raised in a different town, it has made Odessa feel more like home.”

Question: What made you decide to run STUCO?

Smith: “I wanted to be part of an organization that empowers students. I also wanted to be part of a group that tries to better the school community.”

Question: How do you handle disagreements or conflicts within the group?

Smith: “I sit down with the members, and I have them talk it out. This has resolved the problems that we have had. Usually, the group doesn't have much conflict.”

Gaining Tractionat OHS