Spirit Color day was Thursday, October 3, in which each class had been given a color that they were supposed to represent. Freshman had white, sophomores had grey, juniors had orange, and seniors had black. The girl winner was Kirsten Owens, a senior, and the boy winner was Jordan Toney, also a senior. They were given prizes on Monday, October 7 during second period.
Senior and varsity captain, Cailee Pulido, has also been doing cheer since middle school, and also has a cheer and gymnastics background. She was influenced by her friends and has “fallen in love” with the sport. She said, “As captain, I want my team to keep up spirit for the crowd, smile, be loud, and hit what they've practiced.” When asked why cheer is important to her she said, “Cheer is important to me because it’s an opportunity for the team to show our school spirit and it’s time for us as girls to come together.”
McKenzie Almers, a senior and varsity captain, stated she has also done cheer her whole life. “I started doing dance when I was two years old, and then I had friends who did competitive cheer in middle school, so I tried it out,” she said. This year, she wants her team to “cheer competitively.” “We have a great coach and all the girls have the potential.” As for cheering in college, “It depends on where I go, but I definitely want to do it.”
Varsity captain, Carey Goodwin, wants the team “to be the best that they can be.” She has done cheer all of her life and loves the sport. Goodwin plans on doing cheer in college. When people hear her name, “I want people to think of a kind and caring person.”
Sophomore and junior varsity captain, Cassie Turner, has done cheer since middle school. “Once you've found something that you love, it’s hard to stop.” As captain, “I want to make the team great, and help the girls be the best that they can.” When people think of her as JV captain, she wants them to think of a “understanding person and a leader.”
Junior varsity captain Robyn Woodall, a sophomore, wants her team “to accomplish bigger and do harder stunts.” A cheerleader since the eighth grade, she decided to do it because people told her that she smiled a lot and that her positivity would be great on the team. She continues to do cheer because “it keeps me at a medium. I’m not cocky, too happy, or too sad. I’m in the middle.”
Junior varsity cheerleader captain and freshman Josie Smith, said she wants the team to “work together and be a family.” When asked why she decided to do cheer, she stated, “It’s fun, I love it and I’m very passionate about it.” Smith also cheers competitively outside of school.
Junior Quinlan Blackmon said, “Yeah, [I'm ready for the second semester] because baseball season is about to start!” Austin Goehring said, “Yes! I’m really happy I’m almost done because I’m so ready for this to be an unforgettable summer!”
New semester means new classes, which is a new start and expectations for students. Zach Wagner’s expectations is to make all A’s. Daniel Gallardo said his goal is, “To actually pass, I’m not doing too good right now...” Jake Frederick’s expectations are not for his grades to improve but to get teacher he likes and can get along with.
When freshmen were asked how their first high school semester was, Brooke Chamberlain said, “It’s a lot more freedom than I thought it would be.” Brooke’s experience may have been a bit shocking, but Mylta Medrano’s was not much of a surprise, as she stated, “No, not really. I pretty much already knew everything from hearing it from my sisters.”
For seniors, it’s their last semester of high school, which can be bittersweet.
Brian Hernandez said, “It’s been pretty chill, relaxing, I don’t have to do much besides finish off my last year good. I just can’t wait until I walk across that stage, and know I’ve achieved a lot.”
On the other hand, Seth Watkins said, “I’m ready to get out of school and have fun and enjoy life without the stress.”
Taylor Harris feels both sad and happy, saying, “It feels good, but at the same time, I’m going to miss it, and have to make it last."
Melissa Barragon adds, “It’s exciting but scary because i know I only have one semester left then its off to the real world with more responsibility.
The class of 2016 has arrived! The freshmen are excited to finally be at OHS and out of middle school. They are growing up, but with growing up comes responsibility. Right now, freshman year may seem like fun and games but that feeling won't last long. In a month or two freshmen will be settled into high school, but for now they can enjoy the excited feeling of being at a new school.
Something fun the freshmen have to look forward to is Ag Day. For the freshmen who don't know what Ag Day is, it's a day filled with fun games, yummy food and live music. Students get to skip classes for a day and hang out at the barn with their friends. That's definitely something that the middle schools don't have.
Most freshmen are excited to call themselves high schoolers but some aren't as excited.
Freshman Abraham Jolon stated that, “So far freshman year has sucked and it's not all that [people said it would be].” Other freshmen say that it has been very exciting.Erika Alonso said, “Freshman year is so much fun. I’m so happy to get to tell people that I'm in high school. I feel so mature now!”
The transition from middle school to high school is definitely a difficult process that makes some students terrified. Jenny Cardona, one of these students, said, “I was excited but scared at the same time. I was really nervous about getting lost in the school but luckily I didn't get lost at all.” Don't worry about getting lost in the school because there are administrators in every wing to help out students. The guidance counselors are also here to help out any student in need. They will gladly give advice on how to survive freshman year.
Check out the Interactive Map of OHS, created by Brandon Clark, to locate important sections of school.