Maxwell Mathew - Senior Editor
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."
Sunday’s heavy rains impact many parts of OH and OE buildings, disrupt schedules
On Sunday, the greater west suburban area was hit with storms that caused flooding, the effects of which are still being felt in OH and Oswego East High School (OEHS). Due to flooding in the OH main gym, “[[w]]e had to get all those wrestling mats out and into the field house so that they were secured and not sitting in water,” said Gregory Scott, the OH head girls' wrestling coach and PE teacher.