Rookie Ram Night at OHS

By Makenzy Holm

March 4th marked an important day in incoming freshman’s lives. This was the first time they were able to walk around and look at all of the future clubs and organizations that Owasso High School offers. Located on the West Campus, Rookie Ram Night allowed all future freshmen to meet some of the upperclassmen that they would soon be going to school with and also to interact with the clubs they were most interested in. Junior Abigail Thrower explained why she thinks this is an important event.

“There are so many different clubs that many don’t know about and it is nice to see the community that is involved with [the clubs] and the students who enjoy [participating],” explained Thrower.

All of the high school students the new freshmen met were volunteers from their specific club or organization, and each club made their table especially appealing to those interested. 

One of those tables was the Aviation class table; however, rather than a student, the Aviation teacher, Bryon Fry, was present to explain why he believes learning about aircraft and aviation is a crucial part of education. 

“I think one of the main reasons aviation is so important, especially in Oklahoma, is that it's one of the largest [and] fastest growing industries in the state of Oklahoma. The aerospace industry, understanding the career paths that are available and the technology that is available is great for every student to know if they are going to stay in the state of Oklahoma,” expressed Fry.

Speaking of things to do in Oklahoma, fishing is a popular sport, not just competitively, but also recreationally. Junior Ty Anderson is a part of the Owasso Fishing Team and believes in joining clubs and learning about the different opportunities offered to students. 

“Just the experience with the other high schoolers and [being] able to hang out with other people [you may not see otherwise],” Anderson shared.

At the Science Club table, Landon Mortimer was representing multiple different organizations offered to students including the Walk-About-Club, the STEM club and the Community Emergency Response Team organization. 

“We’re doing Enviro-fun where you can play around with leaves and trees. You got the Walk-About-Club where every Tuesday you get to go out to the skating rink or the bowling alley. The STEM club is where you can bring your ideas to life through environmental studies and engineering. And finally we also have CERT where you can learn about first-aid and dangerous situations like putting out fires,” remarked Mortimer. 

Having fun is not the only reason Mortimer gave for joining some or all of the science-based clubs.

“I think it is important to learn about [these clubs] due to the fact that in STEM you can get a lot of scholarship money, [and] in Walk-About you can learn about the city where you are at and make friends. In Enviro-Fun you can learn about the animals and the leaves. And in CERT you can learn how to respond to situations, in case of a fire or something like that,” continued Mortimer. 

There are also organizations recognized nationwide that Owasso encourages their students to participate in. When asked about why the National Honors Society is important, Thrower, a participant of the National Honors Society, responded with her view on the national organization.

“[NHS is important to] help out the community and to meet new people,” replied Thrower.

Although most of the tables set up around West Campus were extracurricular activities, there were also a few tables dedicated to the education opportunities like AP classes, which are not offered until sophomore year. Alongside these classes, Tulsa Tech courses which students can apply to be a part of the engineering program as soon as it’s time to enroll for freshman year were also shown. The tables were displayed in such a way to give the new students a glimpse into their near futures. It is okay to be nervous or scared, but the counselors, teachers and administrators have got all of the students’ backs and can be contacted with any questions that may arise. Take a deep breath, incoming freshman, you’ve got this!