Owego Apalachin Middle School

In the Classroom: Music Theory
“We’re working on this piece where we have to compose a piece and show everyone what it’s all about. And I’m working on composing this little song I’ve been working on.” Sonny Petro plays for us a sample of a song he’s composing for his Music Theory class. Learn more about Sonny and his process here on Showcase Arts TV. https://youtu.be/fMzK7OD78Ug

OA REMINDER: The Board of Education will hold a regular meeting tonight, Monday, July 14, 2025, at 6:00 p.m., in the Board of Education Room in the OA District Office, 5 Sheldon Guile Boulevard, Owego, NY 13827.

The meeting will also be streamed for viewing only on our YouTube channel here: https://www.youtube.com/live/CeiDrNzHdrA.

Board meeting agendas and meetings are posted on Board Docs on our website at www.oacsd.org. We encourage anyone with questions or comments to utilize Let’s Talk! - https://www.oacsd.org/page/lets-talk. Your questions and comments will be addressed by the appropriate district personnel or members of the board of education.

Athlete Tip: Throwing the Ball, Flag Football
“Sometimes beginner quarterbacks will sometimes make the mistake of trying to get all of their fingers on the seams, which isn’t the case. Since I have smaller hands, my ring finger, I put all the way up here. And I don’t grip it too tight, because if you grip it too much your spiral won’t come out as good as you want it.” Kylie Grippen, a quarterback on the flag football team shows how she throws a proper spiral. Learn more from her here on Showcase Sports TV. https://youtu.be/3iSaeiKK7yQ

Lindsey Williams Read Excerpt From Her New Book, Where the Valley Widens
Listen to OFA Band Director Lindsey Williams read from the first chapter of the new book she has written. In the excerpt, she details one of her first encounters with an administrator who gives her a helpful piece of advice. Listen here, on Showcase Arts TV. https://youtu.be/lppaWFmtlz8

Behind the Scenes: Music Production Class
“This class is very fun, especially with Mr. Cirbus’s high energy; it’s really upbeat in general. And everything I’ve been able to do has been amazing because he teaches us so much.” Students share why music production is one of their favorite classes; and how much they’ve been able to learn. Watch what happens in the classroom in this Behind the Scenes on Showcase Arts TV. https://youtu.be/eg2bpS8nJ1Q

OFA Band Director Lindsey Williams Pens Her First Book “Hopefully, school is a place where this happens for everyone. Just that your ideas about who you are and what is possible for yourself are only expanded.” High School Band Director Lindsey Williams will have her new book, Where the Valley Widens, available July 22nd. Learn more about her writing process and inspiration for the book here, on Showcase Arts TV. https://youtu.be/Txy7_htZSSM

Jack Buchsbaum Signs to Alfred University for Football “I’m excited, I’ve been there a couple times, got to meet the guys, you know I’ve played football before, but not like that. So I’m excited to get started, and it’s going to be a great culture.” Jack Buchsbaum is headed to Alfred University in the fall to play football. Learn more about Jack and his plans here on Showcase Sports TV. https://youtu.be/lnRuYwk3MZ8

Four Questions: Elliot Cosme “I work very well with a set of loosely defined rules. I don’t like no rules, and I don’t like strict rules because those stifle creativity, but I get a prompt to do something, I do it, and it’s just one of the best ways to do art, I think.” Elliot Cosme shares her love for art class and digital art. Learn more about her as she answers four questions here on Showcase Arts TV. https://youtu.be/gPgafwCH-30

In the Classroom: Music Production “To make these mash-ups, we’ve been using a program called Serato and Ableton. The DJ controls have been nice, we’ve been using Serato to experiment with what songs would work well with others.” Music Production Teacher Ryan Cirbus breaks down how the students have been making mash-ups in his class. Learn more about the process here on Showcase Arts TV. https://youtu.be/1vfmQ9Jnv8g

Behind the Scenes: Athlete Signing Day “I’m so grateful, there’s nothing like growing up in a small town like Owego. We’ve had families, coaches, having everyone here today is an amazing feeling, and they helped us get here, so we’re really grateful to see them here.” 20 students signed papers to continue their athletic journey this fall, from Division 1 to JUCO. In total, the group has won seven STAC Championships and 20 Sectional Championships. Hear more from the students about their excitement here on Showcase Sports TV. https://youtu.be/x9_NX5jURl0

OA REMINDER: The Board of Education will hold a regular meeting tonight, Monday, June 23, 2025, at 6:00 p.m., in the Board of Education Room in the OA District Office, 5 Sheldon Guile Boulevard, Owego, NY 13827. The meeting will also be streamed for viewing only on our YouTube channel here: https://www.youtube.com/live/PKFCFBd2-gw. Board meeting agendas and meetings are posted on Board Docs on our website at www.oacsd.org. We encourage anyone with questions or comments to utilize Let’s Talk! - https://www.oacsd.org/page/lets-talk. Your questions and comments will be addressed by the appropriate district personnel or board of education members. #OARiverHawks #sOArTogetrher

Behind the Scenes: District Art Show “It’s great to see the community all come together, especially for something as important as student-based art. Arts are often overlooked, and it’s just awesome that so many people care.” Staff and students are thrilled with the community turnout for the K-12 District Art Show. Learn more about all of the 2D and 3D art that was on display at this year’s show here on Showcase Arts TV. https://youtu.be/w8JQ7nq4qEo

Engineering Booth at Finding Your Pathway Event “Next, we have the floor plans, which show the layouts of what the house is going to be.” Declan Ohara has been interning at Delta and has been making drawings for a house that is going to be made. He had a booth at the Finding Your Pathway Event to help sophomores find a potential career. Learn more from Declan here on Showcase Classroom TV. https://youtu.be/gtXU3nX5NjA

Congratulations to the 2025 Block O Sports Awards Nominees and Winners. Below is a list of each category and the winner. You can also see the program with all nominations, photos of the winners, and watch the entire show using the YouTube link. LEADERSHIP AWARD - Evan English FEMALE ROOKIE OF THE YEAR - Eva Crawford MALE ROOKIE OF THE YEAR - Dylan Brace JV TEAM OF THE YEAR - Softball EXCELLENCE IN EDUCATION - Bella Silvestri BEST INDIVIDUAL PERFORMANCE - Vasil Brich RECORD-BREAKING PERFORMANCE - Kaelyn Katchuk TOM BRYANT SPORTSMANSHIP & BOOSTER CLUB SCHOLARSHIP - FEMALE: Shannon Maslin MALE: Bobby Struble BEST CHAMPIONSHIP PERFORMANCE - Stella Palladino FEMALE ATHLETE OF THE YEAR - Madison McEvoy MALE ATHLETE OF THE YEAR - Joseph Palladino OUTSTANDING TEAM - Girls Lacrosse PLAY OF THE YEAR - Football: Carson Morris and Evan English Block O 2025 Program: https://5il.co/3jget Block O 2025 Photos: https://photos.app.goo.gl/oSTotwQ8H1kz8utw5 Block O 2025 Show On YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MweIT9TZHKk&t=6144s #OARiverHawks #sOArTogether

Behind the Scenes: Flag Football Owego’s Flag Football team had an incredible run, making it all the way to the State Championship game. Hear from the team and what they believe some of their greatest strengths are here on Showcase Sports TV. https://youtu.be/A9j6RuKnVwg

It’s time to celebrate the year in athletics at Owego Free Academy. The 2025 Block O Sports Awards are tonight, Thursday, June 12, at 6:30 PM in the OA Theater. The doors open at 6:00 pm. Celebrate the hard work, dedication, and achievements of Owego Free Academy athletes, coaches, and teams. The show will be streamed on YouTube here: https://www.youtube.com/live/MweIT9TZHKk. All the awards are ready to be presented, except for one. Be a part of the show and make your selection for the 2025 Play Of The Year. Voting will take place throughout the show, with the award winner being announced as the last award of the night. The nominees are: Basketball: (Madison McEvoy) - Half Court Buzzer-Beater. Football: (Evan English and Carson Morris) - Quarterback pressure, interception, touchdown. Soccer: (Vasil Brich / Owen Hallenbeck) - Corner kick, header, goal. Softball: (Geneva and Carsten Crawford) - Back-to-back bombs. Track and Field: (Boys’ 4x100m Relay) - Class B Championship Win. You can watch the videos, read full descriptions of the plays, and vote here: https://forms.gle/vfcGDPL6x7WMRWvp9. Check out the Block O Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zSWLaiOlDAk. #OFARiverHawks #sOArTogether

Practice Makes Perfect: Trap the Mouse “So you just got to keep your feet moving, focus on the flag, get the flag pulled, work together.” Assistant Coach Steve Virkler works with the athletes on flag pulling in this Trap the Mouse drill. Watch the girls at practice here on Showcase Sports TV. https://youtu.be/xy4aaBb99zs

The OFA track team will be participating in the NYSPHSAA Championships this Friday and Saturday at Middletown High School. On Friday, Stella Palladino will be running the 100m dash, Gavin Heath is competing in the 800m run, and Jaelyn Chrysler will be participating in the 3000m run. On Saturday, Jaelyn Chrysler will be running the 1500m. The meet begins at 1:00 pm on Friday and 9:00 am on Saturday. Tickets are $12 and can be purchased through GoFan. Order Tickets Here: https://gofan.co/nysphsaa?activity=Track%20and%20Field&level=Varsity Meet Order of Events: https://nysphsaa.org/sports/2024/2/26/OTF_OrderofEvents.aspx #OFARIverHawks #sOArTogether

Behind the Scenes: Find Your Pathway Event “The fact that kids are able to come in here and speak with people who have worked in these respective fields, that’s just amazing.” Sophomores got the chance to speak with business representatives from the community at the Finding Your Pathway Event. Hear what students said about the opportunity here on Showcase Classroom TV. https://youtu.be/W_4ybKNivtk

Tour of the District Art Show “We also have mixed in all of the middle school and high school artwork, that is all 2D. Up against the walls here are tables that are full of three-dimensional work.” Art Teacher Jolene Williams walks us through and gives us a tour of the District Art Show. See all of the great work put together by the students here on Showcase Arts TV. https://youtu.be/PVO3IfzkIjE