This Week's Issue

First Day of Fall

By: Kadence Hammer

Even though this past week was in hotter temperatures, the first day of fall landed on the day of September 22, 2025. Although it still kind of feels like summer with all of the hotter days, there are still many activities that you can do with friends and family to get into the fall mindset. Some of your outdoor activities could include apple picking, visiting a pumpkin patch, or taking a hayrack ride. Lastly, you can enjoy having a bonfire with smores on a cool night in fall.

For indoor activities, it is very exciting to be able to decorate your house with fall decorations. You can put fake pumpkins and squash on your dining room table, dried corn husks, and leaf garlands on the walls. Fall candles are also a nice decorative accessory to put in your house as well. Baking some fall dessert is also a great way to get into the fall season. Pumpkin bread or homemade apple cider are very popular fall recipes. Lastly, a fun thing to do during fall is going to coffee shops and getting their seasonal drinks. For example, Starbucks had just come back out with their fall menu of Pumpkin Chais and Pumpkin Spice Lattes.

Marching Band Season in Full Swing

By: Andan Nguyen

This past weekend was homecoming weekend and the Orion High School Marching Band has been very very busy. The Marching band had to attend all the main homecoming events.

On Thursday, September 18th, they were one the first student groups in the parade. They performed various songs during the march. After the parade and the homecoming dinner, the band regrouped at the pep assembly and had their own short performances on stage between events or in the background. One of the performances included seniors Braden Kincaid and Nolan Cook singing “Bad Romance” by Lady Gaga while accompanied by the band. On Friday, September 19th the marching band marched around the school and played our school song, “Ra Ra”, they ended their trail at our school's gymnastorium, kicking off our pep assembly.

Later that night the marching band performed at the football game, playing “Paint It Black” for a pep song. Soon after they performed the halftime performance which told the story of the death of the renowned outlaw, Billy the Kid. On Saturday the 20th, before the homecoming dance, the marching band went to a band competition in Geneseo. They went against Galva, Rockridge, and Sherrard, in their competition, they placed 4th. However it was a close competition, all 4 schools were within a 7 point range of each other.

If you would like to come support our marching band you can see them on October 10th at the home football game or see them on October 13th at the Rock Island Showcase.

United Soccer: Season Analysis

By: Haylee Downing

The Orion-Sherrard United team has had a challenging season this year going against many good teams.

On Sept. 23 they played a tough game against Illini Bluffs with a resulting score of 0-5. Previously, however, they successfully won their games against DePue/Hall with a final score of 4-0 and Princeton with a score of 5-2. Overall, they have a record of 2 wins, 5 losses, and two ties. They are ranked 4th in Three Rivers Conference.

Despite their losses, the team is still very optimistic about the rest of the season. “We have enjoyed some amazing home wins in front of our fans, and have allowed many young freshmen to develop their skills,” says Junior Bridger Burnham. “JV is undefeated and we have a huge game this Friday [September 26] against our rivals Riverdale that we are super pumped for.”

Here are some additional stats (top 3 players) so far from this season; all stats are located on MaxPreps:

Total Goals:

Chase Laird (Sr.)- 6
Keegan Burns (So.)- 4
Jackson Sallows (Sr.)- 3

Shots:

Keegan Burns- 27
Chase Laird- 26
Jordan Marshall (Sr.)- 18

Assists:

Roman Schmieder (So.)- 2
Kaden Dutton (Sr.)- 2
Keegan Burns- 2

Senior Captain Jackson Sallows had this to say about the upcoming games: “I look forward to playing Riverdale this Friday for their homecoming game and playing in our first ever conference tournament as well this weekend.”

Be sure to watch and support United this weekend to wish the team luck for the rest of their season.

Boys Golfers Compete at Conference Meet

By: Allyssa Peterson

The Orion Varsity Golf team had a conference meet on September 23, 2025 and results as follows:

8th as a team overall score of 357 followed behind

1st place: Riverdale with a score of 309
2nd Place: Mendota with a score of 329
3rd place: Spring Valley with a score of 332

The next day the Orion JV Golf team had a conference meet at Princeton on September 24, 2025 and here are the results:

3rd place as a team with a score of 377 followed behind:

1st place: Aledo with a score of 365
2nd place: Princeton with a score of 366

Owen Bollinger placed 3rd individually with a score of 88

Nolan Armoska placed 2nd individually with a score of 87

The team is wrapping up with their final meet before regionals which will take place on September 29, 2025 at 4pm located at Country View.

The Gray Matters March

By: Haley Ruser

On September 21, 2025, the Gray Matters Collective held their annual suicide prevention march, best known as “Keep Marching Forward,” at the Geneseo Park District. The purpose of the event was to honor the lives lost to suicide, and participants were highly encouraged to bring homemade signs to hold during the march.

The night started off with speakers from those who had experienced a loved one pass away from suicide as well as a speech from the founder of the Gray Matters Collective, Haley DeGreve, who had experienced mental health struggles firsthand. DeGreve discussed her past struggles, how she overcame them, and what sparked her to create the organization that she proudly runs today.

After speeches, there was a skit that portrayed the hardships that families and friends have to endure when their loved one dies by suicide. Then, a light ceremony took place, where everyone held candles and shared a moment of silence in remembrance for those lost to suicide. Finally, students from a wide variety of schools as well as community members had the opportunity to share their story regarding mental health as well as how important the topic was for them. This was an inspiring observation, as each and every story displayed that not one person was alone with their struggles.

Throughout the night, there were numerous resources provided for assistance with mental health issues, such as therapists and call lines. Also, the day prior to the event, Studio Luxe in Davenport, Iowa, collaborated with the Gray Matters Collective by having a flash sale for $35 tiny tattoos relating to mental health. Both the suicide march and tattoo sale helped to make huge progress in making the Gray Matters Collective’s movement known by people in the Quad Cities, a huge step in spreading awareness all over the world.