Diamonds are a Girl’s (and Boy’s) Best Friend

Baseball and Softball Teams Having Great Success in 2014 Season

Article by Cassidy Robinett

The 2014 season for spring sports is going well for all teams, the baseball and softball teams included. In recent years, the boys and girls of summer have struggled a bit, but this year is going well and the future is looking bright.

In 2013, the softball team had a winning season going 12-8, but last year’s season is nothing compared to this year’s. The Osage City Lady Indian softball team is currently sitting 18-2 going into regional play tonight.  Last season the boys’ baseball team went 11-11, while this year is going much better too. Currently, the baseball boys are sitting 14-6 going into the tonight’s regional game.

“We had a tough week with Rossville and Mission Valley. Coming into the week on a ten game win streak gave us some confidence and it gave us a good chance to be successful,” said baseball coach Mr. Cody Liebelt.  The game against the Rossville Dawgs ended with two tough losses for the baseball team, and they lost one of the games against Mission Valley, but the boys are still confident heading into regional play.

The softball team, however, earned big wins over the last three teams they have played, sweeping the double headers against Rossville, Mission Valley, and Wabaunsee. The girls all agreed that the last regular season game against Wabaunsee was tougher than what they had seen in previous weeks, but they handled it well.

Junior left-fielder Kelsey Lawless said, “I really think that we’re going to be successful at regionals and we’re going to state—no matter what it takes.” With both the baseball and softball teams having great attitudes and working hard at practice, anything is possible. Good luck to both teams tonight at the first round of regionals, which start at 5:00 here in Osage City!

A Night to Remember

A Rundown of OCHS Prom Night 2014

Editorial by Kelsey Lawless

This year’s OCHS prom was definitely a night to remember. The classy country theme called “Outside City Limits” was a hit with most of the students who attended, myself included. I personally loved it. I thought that the theme was a brilliant idea and the decorations were great. The juniors on the prom committee got many compliments about the theme from many seniors and other adult guests. However, even with a wonderful theme, the night wasn’t perfect.

Parts of the night weren’t exactly ideal, such as the dance and dinner being in the elementary gym, because it is very hard to hide the basketball goals with temporary walls and gossamer. Another thing that could have been a little smoother was the sophomore servers at the prom dinner. They were great most of the time, but could have paid more attention to the guests they were serving.  Just as an example, my table went for twenty minutes without water. That shouldn’t be happening at prom. One more thing that could have been better was the choice of entertainment at after prom. We were entertained by “Zoinks!,” an improvisational comedy group from Emporia State University. Don’t get me wrong, they were very funny. However, it was very hard to follow some things they were saying because many students were being very loud, obnoxious, and inappropriate. But despite my list of complaints, there were good things that happened at prom too.

The games at after prom were very fun. We played Minute to Win It games, and other games such as Twister, Just Dance, and a fun bean bag toss game. We also had tons of food and drinks available to keep us going all night and into the morning. You had to stay awake long enough to win a prize, and that was the best part. Tons of different prizes were available, like bungee cord chairs and mini refrigerators. I won a mini pool table set and a fifty dollar visa card, so that was awesome. All in all, I think prom was an amazing experience. Some parts were a little rocky but it was definitely a night to remember.

Bittersweet Goodbyes

Osage City Says Farewell to Long-Time Staff Members

Article by Kailyn Robert

Every school year freshmen come and seniors go, but the teachers and coaches of OCHS seem to always stay with us. It’s not until they leave that we realize how dependent we were on them, or what a strong relationship we’d built with them through the years. Even our old elementary school teachers are still here to support us, and they’ve watched us grow from cute, tiny kindergarteners to big and smart seniors. This upcoming school year may be a little different, though. Three long time teachers won’t return to Osage City after the summer, and it will be a huge change for everybody involved.

One of these teachers is Mr. Wayne Rush, a math teacher and the coach of the girls’ golf team. Rush has been in Osage City for five years.  He and his family are headed out to Garden City, where Mr. Rush will teach math again.

Another teacher USD 420 is losing is first grade teacher Mrs. Marcia Wischropp.  Wischropp, who has been at OCES for over thirty years and has taught many of the students in high school today, has decided to retire. Seeing her smile or listening to her sing a song to her students is something many parents, teachers, and children will miss.

One of the most recognizable changes that high school students will experience will be the absence of coach and teacher Mr. Cody Liebelt. After seven years at OCHS, Mr. Liebelt and his family are moving to Chaparral, which is just south of Wichita.  Liebelt will be the 7-12 grade athletic director and girls’ basketball coach, along with handling assistant principal duties. It’s bittersweet for everybody involved, but Mr. Liebelt says that he is most excited about, “Getting into administration and learning things on the other side of the field of education.” But there’s also the bitter part. He’s most sad about leaving his Osage City family behind, and will miss “all the great relationships we’ve made with friends, students, and colleagues.”

Although change is a part of life, it’s never fun to go through. Every single one of these great teachers will be missed by both students and faculty alike. In the end, all we can do is wish them the best of luck in the future and smile at the memories we made together.

A Helping Heart

OCHS Students Volunteer at Camp MITIOG

Article by Mariel Robert

For many students, summer is a time to lay back, chill out, and avoid responsibilities, but for seniors Morgan Gustafson, Keisha Branine, Mariel Robert, Kaitlin Swindale, and Drake Whalen, they choose to volunteer their time instead. These students go to Camp MITIOG, a camp for children between the ages of 8 and 16 that have spina bifida.

Spina bifida is a birth defect that keeps the spinal cord and spine from developing correctly. Because of this, membranes that surround the spinal cord, nerve roots, and the spinal cord that are supposed to remain in the spinal canal can slip or hang out.  There are three levels of severity: occulta, meningocele, and myelomeningocele.

Children and teens with various kinds of spina bifida come to Camp MITIOG during the summer for a week of fun with a high school or college counselor. Osage City started taking kids to be counselors in 2002 thanks to Mr. James Bellinger, a math teacher here at OCHS. Bellinger has been going to Camp MITIOG since 1994 and is now the Male Lead Counselor. In recent years, Lyndon students have also started to steadily volunteer more and more camp counselors. Bellinger says, “I love seeing lots of kids go. We have had some Mission Valley and even Lebo kids go, as well as Osage and Lyndon,” when asked about seeing so many students volunteering.

Senior and two-time camp volunteer, Keisha Branine, says, “I love camp because I get to help children find their unique talents and forget about their disabilities. Just seeing their beautiful smiles makes my heart melt.”

If you would like to volunteer or learn more about Camp MITIOG, feel free to contact Mr. Bellinger.

A Better Tomorrow

Just Another Teenager Ranting About a Quest for World Peace

Editorial by: Aundrea Koger

As a child of the twenty-first century, I like to think of myself as a member of a society that is more accepting than ever before of differences, whether they be socio-economic, religious, cultural, racial, political, or anything in between.  This isn’t Nazi Germany in 1945, or Montgomery, Alabama in 1963.  This is 2014; the year that 33 couples, gay and straight, were married at the Grammy Awards.  We live in a country with an African American president and female CEOs.  This is a world full of progressive ideas and advocating human rights. But unfortunately, this is also a world riddled with shootings at Jewish Centers, and bombings at the Boston Marathon.  Our society has come a long way with accepting those who are different.  However, we still are not yet to the point where hate crimes are virtually nonexistent.  Now, don’t get me wrong; I know that there is always opposition to every opinion or belief.  Those old beliefs about racial, economic, and cultural inferiority still live on in the individuals who don’t want to let go of them.  And everyone is entitled to his/her own opinion.  But they shouldn’t be hurting others out of hatred, or just to get their point across.  That’s why it is my generation’s responsibility to set the example and lead the world toward a better tomorrow.

Times change, and in order to keep peace in the world, people, opinions, ideas, even entire cultures and ways of life must change with them.  When something doesn’t change, when there’s a clash between opinions, catastrophe can result.  In order to avoid these conflicts, people must keep an open mind, and be accepting of others and their differences.  And who in the world are better role models for doing just that than young people? We’re most often the ones who start the change anyway, and we’re not old enough yet to believe that we can’t make a difference in the world. So why not step up to the plate and start a global wave of awareness for, and acceptance of, diversity? We could not only make a difference in the number of tragedies that occur because of hate crimes, but we could also make the acceptance of varying beliefs commonplace in everyday life.  We could eliminate the judgements that everyone makes, sometimes unknowingly, about other cultures, religions, etc.  The world would be a happier place.  And we would all have a greater sense of respect for each other.  There would be no more shootings at Jewish centers. There would be no more bombings at the Boston Marathon.  There would be no more 9/11 attacks.  We would be at peace with each other, as well as at peace with ourselves, knowing that we were helping make the world a better place.

Everything that I just talked about might seem nearly impossible.  How could the world be completely at peace? Well, the truth is, it most likely won’t be.  There are always going to be bad people that do bad things.  But that doesn’t mean that we can’t at least try.  Every little effort makes a difference.  It may not seem like much now, but in retrospect it pays off in many more ways than you could imagine.  A better tomorrow is much more within reach than you might think.

photo courtesy of http://ows.edb.utexas.edu

Defying the Doubters

OCHS Softball Team Strives to Succeed in Spite of Naysayers

Article by: Mariel Robert

Some may say that the OCHS softball team won’t make it to state, and some may doubt their ability to play well as a team and win most of their games. But the softball girls are ready to prove all of these statements wrong. In fact, they already have to an extent. The team is off to a great start at 10-2, and as senior Kaytelyn Robinson put it, “The season is going pretty dang good to be honest.”

One of the reasons the girls might be doing so well, other than their skills they use to crush their opponents, is the strong senior leadership shown on the team this year. Every senior is talented, hardworking, and dedicated to making the team better, and all of these attributes help encourage other members of the team to work even harder. Riley Schubert, a sophomore player on the team, said that, “Even though I’ve only been with two senior classes, this one is definitely the most helpful.” It’s inspiring to have upperclassmen that always try their best and that are willing to help others be their best, and that’s exactly the kind of thing going on within the softball team.

In the end, some may encourage others, and others may doubt others. But learn this important lesson from the OCHS softball team. As said by Kaytelyn Robinson, “We will keep improving and proving people wrong that said we wouldn’t make it.”

 

Indian Opinion

What was your favorite part of prom this year, and why?

  Senior Bob Bailey- I liked the whole thing because I was able to spend time with my girlfriend.

 

  Junior Mikey Ordonez- Probably the dance, because it was fun.  I got to hang out with my date and all of my friends, and we were all dressed nicely.

 

  Sophomore Katie Testerman- My favorite part of prom was when a group of my friends and I started belting out “Let it Go” from Frozen at the dance.

 

  Freshman Shelby Davidson- Probably the improv comedy group at after prom, because it was really funny.

 

 

Atta-Baby!

The OCHS Baseball Boys Are Off to a Great Start

Article by: Mariel Robert

Louisville, Philly, and Atta-Baby are common phrases heard out on the OCHS boys’ baseball field this time of year. With a larger team than years before, the team’s record has improved drastically. Winning nine out of their first twelve games, they are off to a great start.

With team leaders like juniors Jake Butterfield and Lance Hultgren, and senior Drake Whalen, the team has stayed motivated to do its best. Not only does the team have great leaders, but underclassmen that have prior playing experience have also played a large role in changing the face of Osage City High School baseball.

With lots of motivation and high expectations from Coach Cody Liebelt and Assistant Coach, Mr. Dennis Fort, these boys are ready to be the team that brings back a winning baseball record to OCHS. With the mixture of talent, leadership and coaching that this year’s team has, look for the “atta-babies” to keep ringing out throughout the season.

Swing to State

Osage Boys Plan to Take State

Article by: Cassidy Robinett

As usual, the Osage City boys’ golf team is keeping up its strong tradition and placing at meets, in hopes of swinging its way to state.

Sophomore Duncan Fort is leading the team, as results show. Duncan placed 9th on the 15th of April at the first tournament of the year, located in Emporia. At the Emporia meet the team placed 6th out of 12. The Osage boys also dominated the Osage City invitational, with Fort placing first, sophomore Ethan Thompson placing 5th and senior Devin Trout placing 15th. At their home meet the Indians took 1st overall.

At the Council Grove meet on the 21st of April Fort took 1st, scoring a 77, and the Indians took 3rd as a team. The boys also took 2nd as a team at the Santa Fe Trail meet, and Fort placed 3rd.

On the season, Thompson says, “It’s going great. I got my best score of the year at the Osage meet. We’ve placed at every meet we’ve gone to. We just need to keep it up, and get ready to go to state.”

The boys have several more meets until the state tournament, which is on the 27th of May. The team plans to continue to swing hard on the tee box and putt light on the green, and head to state golf 2014.