Onaga USD 322 - Onaga | Havensville | Wheaton

With the baseball and softball seasons approaching the two-month mark of their seasons and practices, as they tend to do, starting to become monotonous, the two teams got together Thursday afternoon during their practices to shake things up a bit and have some fun. All of the players divided up into three teams of ten players and played a three-team slow pitch softball game. The coaches umpired, coached the bases, and kept score. Despite a few sprinkles that, for a moment, threatened to end the game early, the game went all the way through the planned six innings. The players, and coaches, had a blast! With just a couple of weeks remaining in the regular season, the boys are on the road Friday at Kansas City Christian, then both teams are back home next Tuesday when they each host Wabaunsee. They are two great groups of kids, so come out to the ballparks, cheer them on, and enjoy the final home games of the season next week!

The OHS track team is headed to Frankfort today for the Frankfort Invitational. After competing at Jackson Heights early this week, the team is ready to compete again. The meet will begin at 3:00pm. Go out and support your OHS track team!

Some of you may know Brenda Quigley (or her kids) and might even be familiar with Damon's Purpose. If you are not, Brenda lost her son, Damon, to suicide in January of 2021. Damon was a student at Centralia Junior High. Brenda has become an advocate for Mental Health Awareness, specifically in our rural areas and surrounding schools, as she has been on the journey of learning to live without Damon here on Earth. Her advocacy especially vocalizes and supports the idea that "it's okay to not be okay" in numerous ways. From having sign-making parties with youth, speaking to kids and adults, and creating her Damon's Purpose page on Facebook (go check this out), she is paving the way for suicide awareness. This Friday, April 22nd, we will have a Mental Health Awareness presentation for grades 6-8 and another for grades 9-12. It will take place Friday morning in the auditorium. As always, you have the choice to "opt-out" if you feel this is something your child is unable to handle. Please call the high school office at (785) 889-4251 to do so.

If you placed an order for Onaga baseball/softball merchandise, it arrived late yesterday and is being distributed right now to the student/athlete associated with the order. Please check with them as they should be bringing it home after school or practice this evening. Thank you for your support of OHS baseball and softball!!!

The annual Field Day for the grade school is quickly approaching. A fun way to end the school year for kids at USD 322, grades K-6 will enjoy games and contests on May 10th and 11th. Grades K-2 will do their Field Day at the school playground from 12:30pm to 3:00 pm on May 10th. Then, on May 11th, grades 3-4 will do their Field Day at the football field from 9:15am to 12:00 pm and grades 5-6 will do theirs at the football field that same day from 12:30pm to 3:15 pm. Parents are welcome to come watch and enjoy as we wrap up the 2021-2022 school year with some fun!

This week’s StuCo "Spotlight" is on Mrs. Tawni Myers. Mrs. Myers is an elementary teacher and teaches 5th grade this year. Mrs. Myers has worked here 5 years as a teacher and 4 years as a Para. Thank you, Mrs. Myers, for all you have done!!! Favorite color: Red Favorite snack: Chocolate Favorite book: Swan’s Song Favorite movie: The Lord of the Rings Favorite team: College Basketball: KU NFL: Chiefs Favorite Restaurant: Anything Mexican Own any pets: no pets Favorite Quote: “The greatest glory in living lies in not falling, but in rising every time we fall.”- Nelson Mandela Do you collect anything: Willow Tree Figurines Do you have any hobbies: Reading, Travelling How do you wind down at the end of the day: Reading or watching Supernatural Anything else you’d like us to know about you: It has been a pleasure to work here at Onaga. It is with a heavy heart that I am leaving after this school year. I will miss you all greatly.

The softball team and baseball teams are back in action today as they each take their home fields in Onaga. The softball team will be hosting Pleasant Ridge this afternoon in a double-header, while they baseball team will play a single JV game against St. Marys Academy. Both teams hit the field at 4:30pm this afternoon. Good luck to both teams, GO BUFFALOES!!!

Way back in August of 2019, then senior Laura Krohn broke the first of what would eventually be three weightlifting records when she broke Dana Pollock's squat record that the eventual Hall of Famer set back in 1991. Throughout the rest of Laura's senior year she would set school records for the other three lifts that Onaga has kept track of in the bench press and clean. That year, Laura's sister Maria was an 8th grader. Following in her sister's footsteps, her work ethic has been second to none since she got to high school. She sets goals and in both academics and athletics and busts her tail to achieve them. One of those goals was finally completed yesterday. Since the beginning of the school year, Maria has been on a mission to break her sister's lifting records, and she accomplished both the bench and clean records fairly early on in the year. But the squat record had alluded her, until yesterday morning when she finally broke it. Maria now holds all three of the girl's lifting records at Onaga High School and she's accomplished the feat before the end of her sophomore year, meaning she has much more in store before her time as a Buffalo is up. Congratulations Maria!!!

The baseball and softball teams are back in action this afternoon in their final league contests of the season. After hosting Troy last season, the Buffaloes are on the docket to make the return trip this season. But since Troy only has one field to play on, the Trojan softball team will be coming to Onaga this evening while the baseball teams will play in Troy. Both the softball and baseball teams will have first pitches at 4:30pm. There is also a little something extra to play for this evening. Tonight's games in Troy and Onaga also represent an opportunity for teams to win the TVL this year. The Buffalo and Trojan softball teams are the only softball teams in the TVL, meaning a sweep tonight would mean the girls would finish at the top of the league standings. And after the baseball team swept Doniphan West/Riverside earlier this season, a sweep tonight would give them their second league crown in the second season of varsity play. Good luck to both teams tonight, GO BUFFALOES!!! BASEBALL TEAM PAGE https://www.usd322.org/page/baseball SOFTBALL TEAM PAGE https://www.usd322.org/page/softball

Congratulations Grace Wegner! At the regional journalism contest this year held at Kansas State University, Grace placed 4th in Advertising Design and 5th in Social Media. Grace has helped post to the district's social media pages as part of the contest, and does her work during Mr. Kite's Publications class. The senior will now move on to the state competition which will be held at the University of Kansas. She will be competing against students from three other regionals in Kansas. Congratulations Grace, and good luck at the state competition!!!

Due to the wet conditions and cold weather today, the 7th-12th grade Community Service Day has been moved to its rain date of April 29th.

Due to the wet conditions and cold weather today, the 7-12th grade Community Service Day has been moved to it’s rain date of April 29. Thank you.

Three USD 322 teams are in action today as both the high school and junior high track teams are competing today, and the golf team is teeing off as well. The junior high track team got going at 1:00pm this afternoon in its first meet of the season with its invitational meet, while the golf team hit the links at 2:00 in the Frankfort Invitational which is being held at Cool Springs in Onaga. Meanwhile, the high school track team got underway at the Nemaha Central Invitational in Seneca with a moved-up start time of 3:00pm. Good luck to all of our teams in action this afternoon, GO BUFFALOES!!!

This week’s StuCo “Spotlight" is on Mrs. Cathy Marten. Mrs. Marten is District Librarian/Jr/Sr High Teacher. She has been working in Onaga for 33 years Thank you, Mrs. Marten, for all you have done!!! Favorite color: Yellow (actually all vibrant colors!) Favorite snack: anything chocolate Favorite book: To Kill a Mocking Bird, More recently book by Colleen Hoover Favorite movie: Paper Moon Favorite team: KU (by family default. Not a real sports person) Favorite Restaurant: Italian anything Own any pets: an outside cat, Abra, that likes to bring friends over Favorite Quote: “You know you’ve read a good book when you turn the last page and feel a little as if you have lost a friend.”-Paul Sweeney Do you collect anything: Too Much! Mainly carousel horses and yarn and more yarn! Do you have any hobbies: Reading and Crocheting How do you wind down and the end of the day: Reading and Crocheting Anything else you’d like us to know about you: I’ve really enjoyed my 33 years employed by USD 322 but REALLY looking forward to retirement!!!

The high school track meet at Nemaha Central on Tuesday has been moved up to a 3pm start time. HS tricksters will eat their regular time and depart school at 1:15 on this day. Thank you and good luck!

The baseball and softball teams are back in action this evening as they each head to St. Marys for tilts against the reginal foe. Both teams will be playing double-headers that begin at 4:30pm and will be playing at the fields at Riverside Park, the addresses for which can be found below. To keep up to date on the teams' schedules, results, check out their rosters, and much more, visit each team's page on the district website, links for which can be found below. Good luck to both teams tonight, GO BUFFALOES!!! BASEBALL https://www.usd322.org/page/baseball 506 West Riverside Dr. St. Marys, KS SOFTBALL https://www.usd322.org/page/softball 403 West Riverside Dr. St. Marys, KS

The JV baseball team is on the road this evening as it heads to Westmoreland to take on Blue Valley. The Rams are in their first ever season of baseball and are playing a JV schedule as Onaga did three years ago in its inaugural season. The two teams will square off in a double-header beginning at 4:30pm at the baseball field in Westmoreland. Good luck tonight boys, GO BUFFALOES!!!

As always, the Onaga Football Alumni organization is holding its annual golf tournament fundraiser on alumni weekend this year, May 7th. While the event will be its usual fun-packed day, the proceeds from this year are going to have a bit of a twist to them. The Ron R. Lee and Richard J. Rosenfield Athlete – Scholar Award was established to continue their spirit of leadership and to inspire and reward excellence in our students. The scholarship is awarded annually to a scholar-athlete from Onaga High School at the graduation in May. Several anonymous and generous alumni have issued a challenge, calling upon our communities to help fund this scholarship so that it will always be a source of support and pride for USD 322 Onaga – Havensville – Wheaton Buffaloes. The anonymous donors are matching all donations to the Lee/Rosenfield Scholarship during the week of May 2nd – May 8th, dollar for dollar up to $10,000, bringing the maximum project total to $20,000! Success in this endeavor will secure a solid future of support for Onaga student athletes. The Onaga Football Alumni group has stepped up to help sponsor this event. They will donate half of the proceeds from their golf tournament on Mother’s Day, May 7th, to the Lee/Rosenfield Scholarship! If you'd like to enter a team in the tournament, please contact Cool Springs Superintendent Craig Boswell at 785-477-1154. If you'd like to simply make a donation to this event, please contact Susie Kufahl, Director of the Caring Community Foundation in Onaga. For more details on the scholarship event, please follow the links below. https://5il.co/18jn3

Due to the weather, tonight's softball game at Valley Falls has be rescheduled for May 9th. To keep up to date on all spring sports as weather continues to affect all of them, follow the links below to each team's page which includes schedules, rosters, and much more. BASEBALL https://www.usd322.org/page/baseball GOLF https://www.usd322.org/page/golf SOFTBALL https://www.usd322.org/page/softball TRACK https://www.usd322.org/page/track

Congratulations to Jason Abitz! Recently the senior basketball player was named Honorable Mention All-State for 1A-D1. Jason was the leading scorer for the Buffaloes in 2021-2022, averaging 12.7 points per game while shooting over 48% from the field. He also led the team in rebounds with 6.3 per game, and finished second in steals and blocks with 18 and 7 on the year. The senior reached double-digits in points in 13 of Onaga's 21 games and recorded three double-doubles this year. The first came against Washington County in the second game of the season when he scored 23 points and grabbed 12 rebounds. He then repeated the effort against Washington County in the TVL tournament when he scored 19 points and nabbed a season-high 14 rebounds. He then did it again in the very next game of the tournament against Valley Heights when he scored 15 points and snagged 10 boards. Perhaps his best game of the season came on Hall of Fame night, though, when he scored a career-high 27 against Valley Heights and had 9 rebounds. Congratulations again Jason! For a complete list of the All-State teams this season, follow the link below: https://sportsinks.com/2022-sports-in-kansas-boys-all-state-basketball-teams-by-classification/