Issue 1 

Student Section Themes Set

By: Kadence Hammer

As fall sports are on the rise, there are many different games throughout the week. To go along with that, there are also many different types of student section themes. There will be more themes to come when regions roll around but the following are the student section 

Volleyball:

• September 2nd vs. Merco: USA

• September 9th vs. Mon-Rose: Disney

• September 17th vs. Geneseo: Frat Boy

• September 23rd vs. Riverdale: Pool Day/Hawaiian

• October 7th vs. Sherrard: Black Out

• October 16th vs. Rockridge: White Lies

• October 23rd vs Rock Island: Pink Out

Football:

• September 19th vs. Newman: Camo

• October 10th vs. EP: Pink Out

• October 17th vs. Sherrard: Red Out

Coming to these games will greatly support the athletes on the team, encourage school spirit, and a great time to hang out with your friends. It is also thrilling to watch these teams take down rival schools. Another reason to come to these games is to motivate your fellow players. So if you have some free time after school one night, come to one of these games and show your support. Be loud and come show your school spirit!

Cross Country Season Kickoff

By:  Haylee Downing

The OHS cross country team has finished their first week of meets, and they are off to an excellent start. 

On Tuesday, August 26th, the team competed in their first meet at Rock Falls. This is the first time in a long time where both boys and girls had full teams. The girls started first, proving to their coaches and parents that their hard work and dedication paid off. Returning runners such as Abi Kayser, Maggie Dochterman, Macy Mullen, and Theresa Pettifer all PR’d from their previous time last year. Newcomers ran excellent times as well, and the girls finished overall in 7th.

The boys also finished 7th, showing off their skills from all the practice. They gained 4 freshmen this year, each starting off their season with awesome times. All of the boys have put in lots of dedication so far, and are making their mark when they step foot on the courses. Jordan Dodd, the only senior on the boys team, ran his first race in over a year, coming back from an injury. Everyone made a great effort for their first meet of the season. 

Thursday, August 28th, the team raced in Kewanee. The course had many hills and was a difficult run, but each member persevered and ran their hardest. So far, this season is looking incredible and the OHS cross country team has many successes to be seen in the future!

What is Gray Matters?

By: Haley Ruser 

The Gray Matters Organization, a non-profit cause, was first established at Augustana College in 2018 by Haley Degreve and Kevin Donovan. The two had a goal of stopping the stigma behind mental illnesses as well as advocating for suicide prevention across the United States. Since then, their movement has spread to other colleges and high schools, mainly in Illinois and Iowa, where each school has their own chapter to discuss mental health with younger generations.

The Orion High School chapter was created with the help of Maya VanDuyne and Kaitlyn Greenwood, who collaborated with Degreve and Donovan to bring mental health awareness to Orion’s community. 

Since Orion’s Gray Matters chapter was made, the high school has been working with the organization to participate in special events, such as Everglow, the Starry Night Gala, Keep Marching Forward, and much more. All three of these events utilized the money they raised to donate to different mental health groups and causes. Everglow and Keep Marching Forward donated to the Gray Matters Organization, and the Starry Night Gala helped people afford counseling services.

These events are full of activities, such as dancing, dinner, live auctions, and competitions that are sure to keep the attendees entertained as well as to encourage them to support the Gray Matters Organization.