SPORTS WRAP
Student council members at Owatonna High School are proud of the impact they are making at the school and in the community. Instituting Give Week a couple of years ago is a prime example.
Council president Mariah Fox says the traditional cash drive was losing momentum. “We noticed that not everyone can give in a monetary way. So, we wanted to pivot and get everyone to give their time, maybe monetarily if they can, but make it accessible to everyone.
“Our Huskies Give Week is a week where we try to plan out ways for our whole school to give back to the community,” says Fox, a senior.
Senior Jaelyn Otte likes the participation level. “Thriving Minds, NHS, SHOC I believe did something too. Seeing the whole, entire school involvement. So just not kids in Student Council are able to see the change we can bring to our school, but everybody is having a piece of what makes OHS.”
Senior Addie Gerdes adds that includes other district schools. “We communicated and combined with the elementary schools and the middle school because they really wanted to get in on it. It was so much fun. We got to go to the elementary schools and speak with the kids and show them what they were doing for their community.
“Getting to see them get excited about helping, made us excited. It made it boom a lot more,” Gerdes indicated.
Give Week begins Monday, Nov. 16 with a cash collection to benefit Lighthouse of Southern Minnesota. Students bring in cereal boxes Tuesday for a chance at bagels in first hour class. Wednesday is volunteer day. Toys-for-Tots donations Thursday are good for tickets in a raffle drawing. Friday is a sock drive. The week wraps up with the NHS pickleball tournament.
Lane Webber, a senior, says, “The biggest wow for me is that it isn’t just Student Council that comes together for this week. We have all of our clubs. If they aren’t involved in clubs, they can still help. They can still give back to our community. I just feel like we see participation from every corner of the school.”
Webber is vice president. “My brother was the one who originally encouraged me to do it because he was in it in elementary school. So, I sort of grew up with student council in my life. I’ve just stayed, as many of our exec board members have said, because of the impact it really has on our community.”
Fox is learning leadership traits. “Luckily, I’m also involved in speech, and I’m used to public speaking. So, it wasn’t too daunting. But we do have a huge council this year of about 92 kids. I did have to get used to getting a nice, quick meeting in.”
Otte, the historian, is in her third year on the council, “All of my friends are in it, and all convinced me to join. At first, I was kind of skeptical of whether I should do it or not, but then I joined and I absolutely fell in love with it.”
Gerdes is learning money skills as treasurer. “My dad is an actuary. And he was like, ‘You could learn to do some money stuff before you go to college. Let’s have you run for that.’ So, I ran for it and then I got it. It actually is helping me learn budgeting and savings.”
Student Council also organizes homecoming and snow week. OHS hosted the state student council convention last year.
Two plus two
Seeing the enthusiasm level of its young thespians, the revival of the Medford Theater Department seems to be off to a strong start. For the first time since 2019 they are putting on a fall musical, 57th Mathlete Sum-It, Nov. 13-15.
Sophomore Julia Anhorn, a first-time performer, is overflowing with excitement. “It’s a lot of fun to see our program coming back. We have a very young underclassmen-based cast. So, it’s really cool for people to see the younger people getting into theater and how our program will grow.”
She plays Barbie, a member of a high school math team who is into fantasy and unicorns. “It’s nice to play her as a character because I get to let out my fun, ditsy, childish side,” she said.
Music teacher Ollie Schmidt minored in theater in college and combined with director Randy Domstrand to start theater club two years ago. “Last year we did our one-act. It started getting some traction. At the end of last year, we held our first audition for this and they were super excited. It was just getting the word out there.”
Eighth-grader Lily Knutson reacted to a poster promoting the club. “Oh, I should join that. I want to get into acting someday.”
She learned to overcome stage fright. “Don’t look at the audience… So, I always look at the back, or I look at my co-stars.
“All of the friendships that I have made here…They all are amazing…They have brought out a different side of me,” said Knutson.
The play is about the travails of the math team which eventually qualifies for nationals in New York. Knutson says, “There’s tons of different messages. It’s showing you that bullying is not fun, not cool. And you should follow your true being.”
Leona Malecha, an eighth grader, was on the crew for one act play and is thrilled to be on stage now. “It is so much fun. Everyone is so kind and fun. If you drop a line, then we either keep going or somebody helps you with it,” she said.
Her favorite line is when she angrily criticizes a co-star who just happens to be her love interest. “She ends up flirting with him to get another team member on their math team.”
That character is Leroy, played by eighth grader William Mullenbach. “He joined this team to work on his interpersonal skills because his mom wanted him to. Right when he joined in, he was claimed to be anti-feminist.”
Mullenbach has five years of performing experience. “I enjoy it because I can just let out a wild side of me.”
Several other students including Vera Scheer and Ian Coultier have acting experience, but a good share will be making their debut.
Show times for 57th Mathlete Sum-It at the Medford auditorium are Friday, Nov. 13 at 7 p.m. and Saturday, Nov. 14 and Sunday, Nov. 15 at 2 p.m. at the Medford auditorium.
Radium Girls
OHS Theater presents its final weekend of Radium Girls on Friday, Nov. 13 and Saturday, Nov. 14 at 7 p.m. Attending opening night, I was taught a chilling American history lesson in a captivating way.
In the 1910s radium-based paint was used to make watch faces glow. It also destroyed the young female workers from the inside out in devastating fashion. An audience member I spoke with was impressed that a high school cast would tackle such a heavy topic.
They did with grace and power.
Justice Moots portrays Grace Fryer taking us through the transition of a youth full of excitement for her life ahead to the reality of what the poisoning does to her body and spirit.
Lane Webber as plant manager Arthur Roeder goes through personal turmoil while learning of the tragic effects of radium, culminating with a somber, powerful ending scene. The whole cast performs wonderfully. I hope you get the chance to see it.
State football
The football season is not done at Federated Field. Byron plays Totino-Grace in a Class AAAA quarterfinal on Thursday, Nov. 12 at 7 p.m. It is the first state tournament game to be held at OHS since opening in 2023.
In Class AAAAA, Mankato West faces Hastings at Park Center High School and Northfield takes on Cretin-Derham Hall at Woodbury High School. Both games are Saturday, Nov. 14 at 1 p.m. In Class AAA, Waseca plays Zumbrota-Mazeppa on Saturday at Apple Valley High School at noon.
All quarterfinal winners move to U.S. Bank Stadium for the semifinals Nov. 19-21. The Prep Bowl is Nov. 27-28.
