Owego Free Academy

Practice Makes Perfect: Cross Country “So at the end of a normal run or easy run at practice, we like to finish with a little bit of turnover. It’s nice to finish with something fast.” Head Coach John Heath for the cross country team explains how the athletes prepare for race day. Watch this segment of Practice Makes Perfect on Showcase Sports TV. https://youtu.be/HYSE2cxGVhg

OA REMINDER: There is a Board of Education regular meeting, on Monday, December 9, 2024, at 5:00 pm, in the Board of Education room at the District Office, 5 Sheldon Guile Boulevard, Owego, 13827. Please note this is an added meeting from the original schedule with an earlier start time of 5:00 pm. The meeting will also be streamed for viewing only on our YouTube channel here: https://youtube.com/live/MIWLOR6ktQg?feature=share. Board meeting agenda 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 seen and answered by the appropriate district personnel or board of education members.

Four Questions: Michaela Terry “My favorite part is working with these people every day and having fun with rehearsals.” Michaela Terry breaks down how she started in theater and what she loves most. Watch Michaela answer four questions on Showcase Arts TV. https://youtu.be/gAJHFkb-6oU

Student Profile: Elijah Harris “Honestly just getting to be with my friends and see development over time with everyone you care about so much and love.” Elijah Harris has been doing theater since middle school and his passion has landed him the lead in this year’s school play. Learn more about Elijah in this Student Profile piece on Showcase Arts TV. https://youtu.be/aVdW2n09PHw

Practice Makes Perfect: Line Drills “These guys are practicing staying low and firing off the ball, and hand placement, and we do it every day.” Offensive Line Coach Perry Silvestri works with the lineman drilling the basics. Get a behind-the-scenes look at some of their practice on Showcase Sports TV. https://youtu.be/PCRMdsC8g28

Career Shadow Event Behind the Scenes Tour We have plenty of opportunities, we’ve planned this for a very long time, pretty much since the first day of school. Lexi Gunther talks about the opportunity juniors and seniors recently had at the Career Shadow Event. 27 area businesses were there to provide pertinent information and more. Watch here on Showcase Classroom TV. https://youtu.be/xTGf0_KeJzo

OA Update: What’s Happening In Our Community - Check out these great programs, events, and more. Owego Ski Club - Half Day Program (4th-12th Grade) - https://5il.co/30lah Owego Ski Club - Full Day Program (6th-12th Grade) - https://5il.co/30lag Animal Care Sanctuary - Shelter Buddies Reading Program - https://5il.co/2zu34 Apalachin Lions Club - Call Santa: 12/2-12/4 - https://5il.co/31mtp Apalachin Library - Pokemon Club: 12/7/24 - https://5il.co/31b92 OA Music Boosters - Holiday Craft Fair: 12/14/24 - https://5il.co/30hng YMCA Of Broome County - Youth Programs: 1/6/24 - https://5il.co/31mqa Cornell Cooperative Extension - Parenting Classes: 1/8/25 - https://5il.co/2xfjr Join Scouts - Troop 38, Troop 638, Cub Scout Pack 37 and 43 - https://5il.co/2v9y2 Owego Nazarene After School Program - https://5il.co/2u96a Family Enrichment Network Head Start Registration - https://5il.co/2kghn Find more Community Fliers here: https://www.oacsd.org/documents/community-fliers/237411. If you are involved in an organization that would like to share a flier with the OA school community, please submit it through Let’s Talk! for approval. Select ‘Digital Flier Distribution Submission’ under Communications here - https://www.oacsd.org/page/lets-talk. #OARiverHawks #sOArTogether #OACommunity #OAPride #OATradition

OA Update: What’s Happening In Our Community - Check out these great programs, events, and more. Owego Ski Club - Half Day Program (4th-12th Grade) - https://5il.co/30lah Owego Ski Club - Full Day Program (6th-12th Grade) - https://5il.co/30lag Animal Care Sanctuary - Shelter Buddies Reading Program - https://5il.co/2zu34 Apalachin Lions Club - Call Santa: 12/2-12/4 - https://5il.co/31mtp Apalachin Library - Pokemon Club: 12/7/24 - https://5il.co/31b92 OA Music Boosters - Holiday Craft Fair: 12/14/24 - https://5il.co/30hng YMCA Of Broome County - Youth Programs: 1/6/24 - https://5il.co/31mqa Cornell Cooperative Extension - Parenting Classes: 1/8/25 - https://5il.co/2xfjr Join Scouts - Troop 38, Troop 638, Cub Scout Pack 37 and 43 - https://5il.co/2v9y2 Owego Nazarene After School Program - https://5il.co/2u96a Family Enrichment Network Head Start Registration - https://5il.co/2kghn Find more Community Fliers here: https://www.oacsd.org/documents/community-fliers/237411. If you are involved in an organization that would like to share a flier with the OA school community, please submit it through Let’s Talk! for approval. Select ‘Digital Flier Distribution Submission’ under Communications here - https://www.oacsd.org/page/lets-talk. #OARiverHawks #sOArTogether #OACommunity #OAPride #OATradition

Theater Tip: Daily Warm-Ups “It doesn’t have to be anything fancy you can just do it to get warmed up. You can do this, especially in the shower because steam is great for your voice.” Elijah Harris speaks on the importance of doing daily warm-ups for your voice. Watch what he does to get himself ready on Showcase Arts TV. https://youtu.be/83RxqpDjEpM

Four Questions: Collin Monell “Definitely the chemistry that we have, it’s something that you hardly ever come by. It’s hard to describe, we’re like family.” Collin Monell speaks on what he enjoys so much about being a part of the football team. Watch Collin answer four questions here on Showcase Sports TV. https://youtu.be/clQ5oAf3htk

Practice Makes Perfect: Les Miserables “This is when we take the songs and the lyrics and put it together with what they are doing on the stage.” Students are prepping for February’s performance of Les Miserables by going over stage direction, songs, and lyrics and walking through putting it all together. Watch this behind-the-scenes look at Showcase Arts TV. https://youtu.be/1vfOW6jtxYY

OA REMINDER: There will be NO SCHOOL from Wednesday, November 27th through Friday, November 29th for Thanksgiving Break. Some Upcoming Events: 6th & 7th Grade Choral Concert - Thursday, December 5th OES & AES Half Day Parent-Teacher Conferences - Friday, December 6th AES 5th Grade Concert - Tuesday, December 10th OES 5th Grade Concert - Wednesday, December 11th OES & AES Half Day Parent-Teacher Conferences - Friday, December 13th Music Booster Craft Fair At OES - Saturday, December 14th 7th-12th Grade Band & Chorus Kaleidoscope Concert - Monday, December 16th OES & AES Half Day Parent-Teacher Conferences - Friday, December 20th Each school will share specific event information with students and families. Please contact your building with any questions. Or reach out using Let’s Talk! - https://www.oacsd.org/page/lets-talk Stay up-to-date with OACSD events: The single-page calendar can be found on our website here: https://5il.co/2locy. The year-long printed calendar can be viewed or downloaded as a PDF on our website here: https://5il.co/2wsb8. A printed version of the year-long calendar is available for anyone who would like one. You can ask your child’s teacher or building to send one home with them or pick one up from the main office at each school building. Community members can pick up a printed calendar from the district office. Events are subject to change. The most up-to-date event calendar will be on our website and district app. https://www.oacsd.org/events Please contact us directly using Let’s Talk! to ask questions about school district events.

Four Questions: Adam Arhbal “Honestly it’s the brotherhood, we’ve been together since we were ten years old.” Adam Arhbal has been playing with the same group of guys since modified and has made many friends along the way. Watch Adam answer four questions here on Showcase Sports TV. https://youtu.be/fjzlHk8crmg

Career Center: Career Shadow Event “I mean it’s awesome, I think it’s a great opportunity for kids to get out there talk to businesses, and get that next step into the real world.” Juniors and seniors at OFA got the chance to attend a Career Shadow Event where they could learn about area businesses. Get a behind-the-scenes look at the event on Showcase Classroom TV. https://youtu.be/yGbHa4sUjI8

In the Classroom: Racing Simulator “The school has their car and they race it on the race simulator over here. They’re about halfway through, they’re in first place right now and we hope that they can keep it up.” Nick Rodgers breaks down the setup they have for the race simulator and all the hard work the students have been putting into the Winners Circle Project. Watch here on Showcase Classroom TV. https://youtu.be/VxWN6HMx7ZI

OFA Varsity Football Season “I think we have a special bond that not a lot of programs can come close to.” Athletes on the River Hawks football team reflect on their great season and the friends they’ve made throughout the years. Get an inside look here on Showcase Sports TV. https://youtu.be/BdO7KP0BG2E

OA MUSIC REMINDER: The OAMS and OFA Fall Band Concert is tonight, Monday, November 25th, at 7:30 pm in the OAMS Auditorium. Come in person or watch the live stream here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jW7gNaqvNTQ #OARiverHawks #sOArTogether #OACommunity #OAPride

OA Theater Rehearsals: Les Miserables “It’s a lot to learn it’s a lot of words, some of the melodies are difficult, it’s advanced, it’ll be a hard sing for a lot of us. But I think we can do it.” Student actors in the theater department are going through the early stages of putting together Les Miserables and are excited about the challenge. Watch here on Showcase Arts TV. https://youtu.be/HHWn0QY8GMk

In the Classroom: Ceramics Class “You can see some of them are built up more than others, some are sunken in more. It’s up to the students on how they want to portray that in their tile.” OFA Art Teacher Jolene Williams shares what the students have been up to in the classroom. Check out the ceramic tile work that the students have been working on here on Showcase Arts TV. https://youtu.be/FLMRF-0NBX4

Practice Makes Perfect: Defensive Field Hockey Drills “We changed our defense formation a couple practices ago where they now start in a line.’ Get a behind-the-scenes look at Head Coach Ashlee Marsh breaking down some of the defensive drills the team has been working on here on Showcase Sports TV. https://youtu.be/3ZU6eWefFgE