Rebel Reveille
March 8, 2024
What a Difference a Day Makes
Today marks a milestone on the school calendar and at 3:37 this afternoon, we will officially be on SPRING BREAK! WOO and HOO! Although there are MANY days left until the semester is over and MANY activities and opportunities between now and May 24, today we can take a minute, celebrate the arrival of spring, and BREATHE!
What will you do with your time off? I enjoy this question for two reasons. The first is that everyone has a different answer and second, every single answer I get is a “right” answer. When I was younger, spring break was for an adventure: a trip to the mountains or the beach, sunshine, activity, and exploring. I worked with a band director who lived the Spring Break Adventure. He would drive to the airport after a Friday at work with his carry-on and his camera to catch a plane to the destination that caught his attention on the departure board. No itinerary or schedule, just impulse and spontaneity. One year he went to San Diego and the next to Anchorage. He would just go. Another teacher friend of mine would buy a freezer-full of frozen dinners, a pile of books and DVDs and hibernate for five or six days to recharge for the final weeks of the semester. One year I tried skiing and soon learned I was a ski-school dropout. (Blood on the snow is NOT GOOD!) Another year I visited a friend who was living on the windward side of Oahu and found I was (thankfully) better at parasailing than snow skiing.
I hope you have grand plans for your spring break. For some of us, it means a camping trip, for others, spring cleaning. For some, it might be sleeping late and coffee enjoyed on the porch swing. Some dedicated members of our OCHS family will be spending spring break with students. (We see you softball and baseball and CX.) Whatever you do, take time to be kind to yourself. Take advantage of the change in schedule. Explore far away or close to home. See a friend. Spend time with your family or a favorite hobby. I hope you have a safe and wonderful week. See you all again soon!
Have an amazing and rejuvenating week!
Mr. Kat Says...
Everybody have a safe and fun spring break. Don't get eaten by any shark.
Staff Spotlight -- Mrs. Julie Edwards
Her enormous laugh and wicked sense of humor make the subject of our staff spotlight a perennial favorite of the students at OCHS. Meet Mrs. Julie Edwards, goddess of all things grammar and learned in all things literary. When I first met Mrs. Edwards, she blessed me with her big laugh and invited me to spend time “at the fun end of the hall” when I could take the time. She has a quick wit that will knock you senseless if you’re not careful. She may look the part of the mild-mannered grandmotherly teacher, but don’t let the façade fool you. She will lure you in with a great story and then have you laughing until you cry. Julie Edwards is a joyful, and somewhat sarcastic, person to get to know.
When not in the classroom, Mrs. Edwards revels in the roles of wife, mother, and grandmother. She and her husband of forty years, Mike, have three children: Lauren, a nurse in Bossier City, Austin who works in construction in Gilmer, and newlywed Joshua in Frisco. They have two grandchildren in Bossier City: Levi a high school freshman, and Luke an 8th grader. She spends her free time enjoying her family and her “little bit of paradise” on Lake Gilmer. She loves being outdoors caring for her home and property or relaxing on the beach, fishing for flounder, or crabbing. She loves her Dallas Cowboys, especially the legends of the team she watched as a girl: Tom Landry, Roger Staubach, Tony Dorsett, and Ed “Too Tall” Jones. She remembers equally the footwork of legendary Emmitt Smith on the playing field AND Dancing with the Stars.
In her tenth year at Ore City High School, Mrs. Edwards is revered by her students as a teacher with both high standards and compassion for her kids. She takes time from her day to check in when she knows a student is having a hard time or to answer questions about the latest essay her seniors are writing. She loves nothing more than seeing that her students not only succeed academically, but grow into the fine young men and women she expects them to be. Former students seek her out just to remind her of what an example she set for them and that the lessons learned in her class translate to more than success in school but success in life. She wants her students to value people the way she herself values those “who keep putting one foot in front of the other no matter the situation.” One of the most important traits for success is the “faith that things will be better and the fortitude to keep going.” If her classes master that mindset, Mrs. Edwards believes they can be anything and that her work as an educator is worthwhile. While she may keep herself down at the “cool” end of the hallway, her infectious positivity and influence can be felt across the school. Thanks Mrs. Edwards for being wonderful and for all you do for OCHS.
If you want to change the world, pick up a pen and write.
-- Martin Luther
OC STUCO is AMAZING!
In the last few weeks they
- hosted a blood drive collecting 17 pints, including donations from for first-time donors.
- were elected Parliamentarian at Area Convention
- decorated the atrium for spring
- committed multiple anonymous acts of kindness
In April, fifteen STUCO members will represent OCHS at the State Convention.
We are so grateful to Mrs. Clawson and the dedicated members of our Student Council.
STUCO Welcomes Spring!
Celebrating Women's History Month
Aren't we lucky to have Spring Break!
Congratulations OAP Cast and Crew!
Next Round is March 26-27 at Panola College.
Upcoming Events
- Friday, March 8: STAAR Interim testing makeups
- Friday, March 8: FFA Farm Day
- Friday, March 8: Baseball at Waskom
- Friday, March 8: Softball at Union Hill
- Sunday, March 10 Daylight Savings Time Begins
- March 10-12: State Meet UIL CX Debate in Austin
- March 11-15 Spring Break
- Monday, March 11: JV Baseball vs. Hughes Springs
- Monday, March 11: Softball at Big Sandy
- Tuesday, March 12: Baseball vs Maud
- Tuesday, March 12: Softball vs. New Summerfield
- March 13-16: State Girls Powerlifting in Frisco
- Friday, March 15: Baseball at McLeod
- Sunday, March 17: St. Patrick's Day
- Monday, March 18: Golf TBD
- Tuesday, March 19: Baseball vs. Bowie
- Tuesday, March 19: Softball at Overton
- March 20-21: FFA to Tarleton CDE
- Wednesday, March 20: Culinary hosting a meal at the Restaurant
- Wednesday, March 20: Tennis vs. Harleton
- Thursday, March 21: HS Track Meet at OC
- Friday, March 22: Baseball at Rivercrest
- Friday, March 22: Softball vs. Carlisle
- Saturday, March 23: Boys State Powerlifting in Abilene
- Saturday March 23: UIL Academics Pre-District warm up at OC
- Monday, March 25: Golf to Pine Springs -- District
- Monday, March 25: Tennis vs Troup at OC
- Monday, March 25: JV Baseball vs. ETHS
- Monday, March 25: Regular Board Meeting
- March 26-27 OAP Bi-District Contest at Panola College
- Tuesday, March 26: Late UIL Band Concert and Sight Reading
- Tuesday, March 26: JV/V Baseball;; at Linden-Kildare
- Tuesday, March 26: Softball at Hawkins
- Wednesday, March 27: FFA to SFA for CDE
- Wednesday, March 27: JV Tennis vs. Sabine and Redwater
- Thursday, March 28: Varsity Tennis at Gladewater
- Thursday, March 28: Softball at Union Grove
- Friday, March 29: Good Friday Holiday
- Friday, March 29: JV/V Baseball vs. Hart's Bluff
- Saturday, March 30: UIL Academics Pre-District warm up at OC
- Sunday, March 31: Easter Sunday