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The Odessan.

ODESSA HIGH SCHOOL, ODESSA, MISSOURI

Thursday, December 10, 2009

Jarrod Best, senior, and Sam Wil-son, sophomore played key roles in the OHS Performing Arts Department presentation Anything Goes. Performances were held November 19, 20, 21 in the OHS auditorium.

OHS DRAMA DEPARTMENT PERFORMS 'ANYTHING GOES'

By: Lauren Grubb and Ashton DodsonOHS Drama Department

performed the musical Any-thing Goes at 7 p.m. Novem-ber 19 through November 21 in the OHS auditorium.

Sarah Esser, OHS Drama teacher, and Scott Harvey, OHS choir director, chose the play, along with Donna Owens, accompanist, and Grant Maledy, OHS band director.

Anything Goes is a compli-cated love triangle filled with

comedy and adventure. Mu-sic and lyrics were written by Cole Porter.

Esser has worked at OHS for six years and has put on eight play productions. This is Harvey’s second year at OHS, and was his first production.

Practices for Anything Goes began in mid September and were held after school and on Sunday afternoons.

“We had a lot of talented singers and actors, and we were able to push each other to do the best we could,” said Jar-

rod Best. Best, senior, played Billy, the lead male role. He has been involved in drama since his sophomore year. Sar-ah Evatt, junior, played Hope, one of the lead female roles. Samantha Wilson, sophomore, played Reno, the other female lead. This is her first year in drama.

“We had such a talented group of kids and such a sup-portive staff as well as par-ents. Everyone came together to deliver a wonderful perfor-mance,” said Esser.

THIRD-GRADERS THINK LIKE INVENTORSBy Shelby MooreThird-graders at OUE are

expanding their knowledge by thinking like some of the greatest inventors of all time: Edison, Carver, Franklin and Bell, to name a few. Prior to creating inventions, the stu-dents studied some of histo-ry’s greatest scientists. All third-graders were required to participate.

“I loved the kids’ excite-ment and creativity that the Invention Convention ex-presses,” said Crissa Cock-rum, third grade teacher. She also said it shows the uniqueness of each child and gives students a sense of in-dividualism.

Brylee Duncan and Jack-son Lewis were participants

from Gayle Bainbridge’s class. Duncan invented “Windshield Wipers for Glasses” because she didn’t like it when it was raining and her mom got spots on her glasses. Lewis wanted some-thing to enable his dad and grandpa to tend the plants they loved all throughout the year, so he invented a “Small Green House” where plants can be grown year round.

Elizabeth Kacprzyk and Mariah Brewe were partici-pants from Cockrum’s class. Kacprzyk didn’t like how it takes forever to clean blinds, so she invented the “Swifer Sweeper Glove.” Now blinds can be cleaned faster. Brewe wanted to make sure people were safe during a fire, so she

invented the “Fire Safety Door Alarm.” The door alarm detects the presence of fire on the other side of the door.

Mason Heitman and Hayden Moore were partici-pants from Laura Shirley’s class. Heitman had some trouble washing his shoes, so he created the “Boot Wash.” The product uses brushes to clean the boot while still on the foot. Moore doesn’t like having to haul wood, so he created “Wood on Wheels” to make hauling wood more fun. His dog actually pulls the device.

Students enjoyed showing off their inventions and see-ing the inventions that ev-eryone else came up with.

Cockrum said, “It was a

great time. Students had fun doing projects with their par-

Hayden Moore, third-grader, displays his invention “Wood on Wheels.” His dog, Nona, will help him complete his chores now.

ents and using their problem solving skills.”

THE GROWLER R-7 Activities & More

Page 4

By Jordan PeekOUE students received a

visit from the Fire Depart-ment on October 7 during Fire Safety Week. Fire Safety Week was observed October 4 through October 10 with students learning about fire safety and prevention.

“Fire Safety Week is very important to refresh on things that we already know and to learn more,” said Jen-nifer Smith, fourth grade teacher.

Students learned the im-portance of checking fire alarms frequently and to not hide from the firemen if they enter the house in an emer-gency.

Aaron Albright and Grace Sandgren, fourth-graders,

and Jacob Moore and Me-gan Eagen, fifth-graders, all agreed that their favorite part of the week was when the firefighters shot water out of the fire engine creating a huge rainbow.

Fire Safety Week was a lit-tle different this year because the students did not walk to the fire station. The new lo-cation of OUE made walking impractical, so the fire fight-ers came to OUE. Students did not visit the smoke room this year, but they watched a video that showed examples of what to do in specific situ-ations.

“It was a lot different than last year, but I liked it better,” said Albright.

OUE Students Observe Fire Safety Week

OUE students observed Fire Safety Week October 4 through October 10. The Fire Department worked with students and gave a demonstration of the fire engine.

By Hannah WilliamsOHS offers an off campus

lunch incentive for students who have perfect attendance for each quarter.

Mary Williams, OHS coun-selor, said, “This is a good op-portunity for the students to get away from school.”

Williams has worked in the Odessa School District for 13 years. Before she worked at OHS, she taught in Pleasant Hill for seven years. Williams decided to work in Odessa

because she wanted to work where her children would be growing up and attending school.

The lunch incentive started five years ago. This quarter, students could choose Mexi-can, Chinese, Pizza Hut, Sub-way or McDonald's. Approxi-mately 120 students were eligible, and 60 students par-ticipated. The students are dropped off at their restau-rants of choice by bus during fifth hour. Teachers eat lunch

OHS Students Earn Perfect Attendance Lunch Incentive

odessadawghouse@earthlink.net227 W. Mason St. Odessa, MO 64076 (816) 230-5980

SCREEN PRINTING & EMBROIDERY

with the students at each of the restaurants, and then the bus picks students up and re-turns them to the school for sixth hour classes.

Lucas Clark, senior, said, “The lunch incentive is a great way for kids to get out of school, and it is something that students can look forward to if they are here every day.” Clark has attended four lunch incentives since his freshman year.

By Rilan SmithOHS offers a new aerobics

class to students this year pro-viding them with more choice. The class is a semester credit and is taught by Amber Bar-kley, OHS P.E. teacher and coach. Students must have one P.E. credit to graduate.

Barkley said she enjoys teaching the class and looks forward to teaching it in years to come. While there are only eight students enrolled in the class this semester, Barkley believes the enrollment will increase. Barkley also believes

New Aerobics Class Offers Students Choice at OHSthat aerobics is beneficial be-cause it can be a life-long ac-tivity.

“Aerobics is something you can do for the rest of your life,” said Barkley.

Aerobics is different than P.E. because students don’t study the rules of games and play games like they do in P.E. They do more walking, run-

ning and workout videos for conditioning.

Nicole Vlasak, junior, said that she liked the step up workout the best. Students were able to make up their own workouts in this unit.

“I loved making up my own workout routine,” said Vlasak.

THE GROWLERAround R-7 Schools

Page 3

By Sam WilsonOHS DECA members trav-

eled to visit New York Decem-ber 4-8 for an educational trip. DECA is an organization for marketing students.

Jessica Wade, DECA advisor, said she this would be a great opportunity and experience for her students. They visited many sights: The Museum of Natural History, the Empire State Building, Yankee Sta-dium, NBC Studio, the Statue of Liberty, a Broadway musi-cal, a Rangers game, Sports Il-lustrated, Ground Zero, China Town, Rockefeller Center and Central Park.

Students needed to raise ap-proximately $1500 for the trip, but participate in school fund-raisers, such as candy bar and online web site ad sales, to help raise part of the money.

DECA members participated in community service projects as well as marketing competi-tions, projects and trips. Items on their agenda for the year include: scuba diving, DECA Day at the K, a fashion show, Rock-a-Thon, a lock-in, ice skating, breast cancer aware-ness, a safe driving promotion, a child abuse program and In-visible Children Project.

Wade, an OHS graduate, has taught marketing at OHS for seven years, but she has been teaching for eight years total. She has received National Board Certification, Outstand-ing New Professional-Missouri ACTE and Marketing, and the Diamond Award.

“I was in DECA in high school here at Odessa, and I

always wanted to be a teacher. I wanted to do more that just become a classroom teacher. So, after being a state officer for DECA my senior year, I realized that I enjoyed the competition and decided to become a DECA advisor,” said Wade.

Wade encourages students

OHS DECA Members Travel to New York

OHS DECA members attended the State Fall Leadership Conference with Jessica Wade, DECA advisor.

By Dyllan RatiganOMS eighth-graders took a

field trip to the Discovery Cen-ter, Kansas City October 14 to learn more about the Lewis and Clark expedition.

OMS students have been visiting the exhibit for more than four years. The exhibit helps students understand how Lewis and Clark went on their famous trip to find a direct passage to the Pacific Ocean.

Students began the unit by building interest about Lewis and Clark as they read a book called Bold Journey. Bold Journey is a historical fiction book about Lewis and Clark's adventure and the many hard-ships they faced along the way.

Eighth-Graders VisitLewis and Clark Exhibit

Students benefit greatly from the field trip. Students get a glimpse of what life was like during 1804. It also helps them in the classroom by giv-ing them a better understand-ing of the Jeffersonian Period and the concept of directives.

The field trip gives the stu-dents an opportunity to par-ticipate in a variety of activi-ties. Some of those activities were starting a fire with flint, throwing a hatchet and play-ing games that Native Ameri-cans would have played.

“By participating in the field trip, we’re trying to bring the novel Bold Journey to life,” said Katherine Shroyer, eighth grade Communication Arts Teacher.

Gabe Perkins, eighth-grader, throws a hatchet on a field trip to the Discovery Center to learn more about the Lewis and Clark expedition.

to take a marketing class next year and join DECA.

“DECA is beneficial if you want to go into marketing, and it helps you become better at public speaking. I enjoy the trips and meeting new people at competitions,” said Jacob Kintz, DECA president.

By Bailey DavisMcQuerry students cel-

ebrated Grandparent’s Day November 9 thru November 11, with kindergarten grand-parents attending Monday, first grade grandparents at-tending Tuesday, and second grade grandparents attending on Wednesday.

Grandparent’s Day was held in conjunction with American Education Week. Approxi-mately 335 grandparents vis-ited.

Grandparents enjoyed break-fast with their grandchildren

and were able to participate in their grandchildren’s morning routines. The students created cards for their grandparents and shared their school work with them as well. Grandpar-ents spent the morning at Mc-Querry and then left around 9 a.m.

“Grandparent’s Day is a spe-cial day for both children and grandparents. They always seem to enjoy themselves,” said Larry Hol, principal.

McQuerry Celebrates Grandparent’s Day

Kinsey CanonKelsey CoxBailey Davis

Ashton DodsonTaylor GilkesonLauren Grubb

Taylor KlemenzMakenzie Koch

Celeste MeuschkeRachael Monteil Shelby MooreJordan Peek

Dyllan RatiganRilan Smith

Hannah Williams Samantha Wilson

Writers

Hallie SpaarEditor

Kris PoisalJournalism Advisor

The GrowlerStaff

THE GROWLERAround R-7 Schools

Page 2

Truman State University Show Choir members performed November 6 at OHS. They performed songs on their recruiting tour for the OHS Show Choir members.

OHS SHOW CHOIR PREPARES FOR FIRST COMPETITION

By Makenzie KochOHS Show Choir is practic-

ing for their first competition on January 23 at Pleasant Hill.

Show Choir, new to OHS this year, sings and dances to Pop/Broadway style music. Show Choir is made up of students in Chamber and Concert Choirs.

The show is directed by Scott Harvey, OHS music teach-er, and is choreographed by Chris Kindle, music teacher at Ruskin High School and Alyssa

Harvey, music teacher at Fort Osage. This is S. Harvey’s sec-ond year at OHS.

“I love the dancing! Plus, getting to be with my friends and make new ones is great, and I love our dresses,” said Elizabeth Cozart, sophomore Show Choir member.

November 6, the Truman State University Show Choir visited OHS on their recruit-ing tour. They performed their current show, and then the OHS Show Choir performed

two of the songs from their show.

“It was great to see what a show choir should really look like,” said Cozart.

Members sold candy bars earlier in the year to purchase the outfits that they’ll use for the next four years.

OHS Show Choir competes on February 6 at Northwest Missouri State University, on February 13 at Harrisonville and will perform for the public on February 4 at OHS.

Jennifer Brown, senior, co-captain, and Jacob Luehrman, junior, participate in the home Quiz Bowl tournament held November 11 at OHS.

OHS HOSTS QUIZ BOWL QUADBy Tayler Klemenz

OHS Academic Competition Team (Quiz Bowl) hosted the first tournament of the season on November 11. Lafayette County, Knob Noster and Har-risonville attended. The OHS varsity team went 1-2 with a win against Lafayette County. The JV team went 2-1 with wins against Lafayette Coun-ty and Harrisonville. Jacob Luehrman, junior, was the varsity high scorer earning a total of 20 out of 41 points, and Mallory Kleoppel, junior, was JV high scorer earning 15 out of 29 points.

Kris Poisal, 18 year OHS Communication Arts and Journalism teacher, said, “The teams worked hard and played well.”

Generally speaking, Quiz Bowl is like the game Jeop-ardy, asking various questions over academic and miscella-neous categories. They have

buzzers to beep in, and they must quickly answer the ques-tion they were given. “My favorite part of Quiz Bowl is that the kids in the club get the weird jokes that no one else understands, so that’s cool,” stated Mariah Shields, varsity co-captain.

Jennifer Brown, varsity co-captain, said, “I think we have a lot of talent on our teams and a lot of hard workers. We have a wide variety of players who know a lot of trivia needed in a tournament.”

Upcoming tournaments are January 13 at Grain Val-ley, February 3 at Holden and February 17 at Harrisonville. Conference competition is dur-ing a school day at Blue River Community College on March 9, and the district competition will be during the afternoon on April 17 (place to be deter-mined).

By Kinsey CanonThe Kindergarten Club is new to McQuerry Elementary. The club meets every other Tues-day after school, and its main purpose is to improve the learning of the students.

Four students out of every kindergarten class attend four meetings. Then the rotation begins again with a new set of students. This arrangement allows all students the oppor-tunity to participate.

Participation is not manda-

tory but encouraged. The stu-dents participate in activities that involve reading, writing and math.

Becky Miller, kindergar-ten teacher, said that she has seen a good response from the students. Other teachers in-volved are Stacy Begemann, librarian, and Christie Furney and Johnna Lorenz, kinder-garten teachers.

“I like it when we have snacks and do projects,” said Jackson Grove, kindergartner.

K I N D E R G A R T E N C L U B I M P R O V E S L E A R N I N G