Maxwell Mathew - Senior Editor
Impact of Operation Resolve in Venezuela felt here in Oswego, 2,681 miles away
On Jan. 3, on the orders of President Trump, the United States Armed Forces launched Operation Resolve. While this seems far away from OH (2,681 miles to be exact), it hit close to home for junior Luis Larrazabal, who lived in Venezuela for 10 years before moving to the United States. Larrazabal heard of Operation Resolve early in the morning, filled at first with disbelief at the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro. “It was around 1:00 in the morning. Uh, I didn't believe it at first," he said. "Then my cousins were going crazy like, ‘Oh, they got him! They got him!’ So, I went into the phone. I searched into the news. I saw what happened.” Once the initial shock subsided, Larrazabal was able to process what this meant for his family back in Venezuela. “I mean, I'm happy about it, but at the same time, I know nothing's gonna like change as long as the same government remains,“ he said.
Panther Farms: Planting a bright future for students, harvesting goodness to share
Farming is one of the most important things in the world as it provides people everywhere with the food needed for survival. At OH, that skill is recognized and encouraged at the school's very own Panther Farms. “I came up with the idea because I wanted to teach our students the different ways to grow food for themselves," said Sarah Duffy, a Life Skills teacher in the Social Education department and the head of Panther Farms. "It initially started with wanting to grow things out in a courtyard here," Duffy added. "That ended up not being feasible. And then later on, I... found a grant... to start Panther Farms.”
Panthers play in Hoops for Healing in a healed main gym
From Nov. 24 to the 28, OH hosted the annual Hoops for Healing tournament to help raise funds for Camp Hope through Edwards Cancer Center. This was the first main event on the refurbished OH main gym floor since the early Nov. opening. The game inaugurated the gleaming OH main gym floor, which was reopened after being closed for repairs after flooding in late August. “I thought [[the repairs were]] going to be a lot longer," said Varsity Boys' Basketball Head Coach and Kinetic Wellness teacher Nick Oraham. "I think they fixed it in a pretty quick, efficient manner, and I think it looks really good.”
Not in my backyard: Housing plans for former TRJH struck down by zoning commission
The Oswego Planning and Zoning Commission has rejected a proposal for a residential development to be built at the former location of Traughber Junior High School, a staple in the Oswego area. “I can understand the school district’s desire to dispose of the property because it’s something they’re no longer using... and I think there could be some good proposals," said Charlie Pajor, chairman of the Oswego Planning and Zoning Commission. "But obviously, myself and the rest of the commissioners did not feel that this was a good plan for that parcel.” The proposal saw the building located at 61 Franklin Street, which is occasionally used as a food pantry, to be torn down and replaced with two five-story buildings containing 128 residential units and four three-story buildings containing 88 units.
What’s cooking? OH’s school lunch line gets a face lift
As the sophomores, juniors, and seniors of OH walked back into the building after summer break, they had most likely noticed the new lunch line in the school’s cafeteria. “We tried to make it a little more streamlined," said Lee Sigman, the kitchen manager at OH. "Last year we had our grill items closer to the front, but it jammed up everybody right there, so we just took and moved that over to free up the spot here [[...]] so it’s not so jammed up that area."