FFA Members Gear Up For State Convention

By Ellie Schmidgall, OHS Torch reporter

Every June, FFA members from all over Illinois head down to Springfield for the annual FFA state convention and this year, Olympia will be sending down 14 students.

Olympia FFA members have been fortunate enough to attend state convention every year. Last year, 12 girls and 2 boys attended. Those attending this year is undetermined.

There are many activities to participate in during the three-day long convention. Sessions, dances, talent shows, and voting for new state officers are just some things that go on during convention. Pretty much all of downtown Springfield is filled with FFA members during those three days.

Sophomore Karmen Glueck said, “We got to go to Knights Action Park last year and it was awesome. Brock Gottschalk and I went down a huge slide together and it was terrifying. Overall, I loved everything about convention.”

Members stay in a hotel close to Prairie Capital Convention Center where all activities are held. Everything related to the convention is in walking distance, but if you want to venture out to something such as Knights Action Park, you’d have to drive.

Mr. Hofffman, FFA advisor, drives one of Olympia’s white buses down. This year, students will be leaving on Tuesday the 14th and returning on Thursday the 16th.

Sophomore Brock Gottschalk said, “I’m excited to go down this year, I love meeting new people and gaining more leadership skills through different sessions.”

Overall, this year Olympia FFA members are excited to go down and experience convention whether it’s for the first time or they’ve been before. It will be a great start to a new year of FFA!

Spanish 4 Teaches Elementary Students

By OHS Torch Reporter Nick Barclay

            On Friday, April  22, Olympia High School Spanish 4 students visited Olympia West Elementary to teach the young students a little bit about the Spanish language.

            The Spanish class took a quick field trip to Oly West to teach students a little bit of Spanish. The trip’s objective was to inspire young kids to take an interest in learning Spanish, said Mrs. Natalie Cahill, OHS Spanish teacher.

            The students learned the basics behind the Spanish language. Kids at Oly West learned how to count in Spanish, as well as learning the colors in Spanish.

            Sophomore Blake Stine said, “I really enjoyed teaching the kids a little Spanish, I hope I helped them develop an interest in Spanish.”

            The trip allowed the high school students to reach out to the elementary kids, teaching them and making some friends along the way.

Junior Vittoria Cira said, “I am glad I was able to go.  It was a lot of fun meeting all of the kids and seeing them laugh and learn.”

The adventure was very fun for everyone and left students excited to learn in the future. Hopefully, it allowed students to want to learn in the future.