A little rain doesn't stop us from hosting Girls Soccer Regionals today! OSC United is currently down 1-0 at halftime vs. Peoria(Richwoods).
The schools are beginning to release the students. Buses are being loaded at C.R. Hanna. Bus routes may be about five minutes late this afternoon. Thank you.
Due to the current Tornado Warning for Orion until 3:15 this afternoon, students will be held at the schools until the Tornado Warning has been canceled. Thank you.
Boys Track Performers of the Meet: TRAC Conference Meet (Sherrard - 5/16)
Incredible night on Friday for boys track, coming home with one of our first Conference victories in decades. We couldn’t mention just a few athletes for this one. Everyone did their part and as a result, we managed to win the conference meet by 3.5 points. Thank you to all the athletes who have worked hard this season and pulled through despite the difficult conditions. We are posting some major highlights, revolving around the athletes who rose to the occasion and scored much higher than they were seeded. This is how meets are won, and you can never count yourself out.
Wyatt Steen: Wyatt started the meet off strong for the Chargers in the high jump. He was seeded at a tie for 2nd. He matched his highest jump this season at 6’0.75” (State Qualifying Standard), beating the top two contenders and secured 1st place. Wyatt also ran the 4x200 relay and 4x400 relay which contributed to additional points for our team.
Lance Moore: Lance improved his Long Jump PR by almost 2 feet with a jump of 20’6.5”. This moved his position from a 13 place seed to a 4th place finish. Lance also made a diving handoff in the 4x100 Relay just before the end of the zone to secure 2nd place. The relay ran another state qualifying time.
Will Maher: Will also had a big day in the long jump, improving his previous best by nearly 1 foot. His jump of 20’5.25” moved him from a 9th place seed to a 7th placed finish. Will also secured 3rd place in each hurdle event was seeded 9th in the 300 hurdles. Additionally, Will also lead off the 4x100 relay.
Owen Voorhees: Owen had a busy day, competing in four different sprint events. Owen took 1st in the 100m dash, securing his win by .12 over the field. This was one of two first place medals that our team secured in this meet. Owen also competed in the 4x100 relay, 4x200 relay and the 200m dash. He placed 4th overall in the 200 after being seeded 5th.
Dillon Thomas: Dillon’s progress over the last two seasons in the distance events show just how far athletes can go with hard work and dedication. Dillon was seeded 11th in the 800m run and finished 5th. The heavy winds made this a grueling race, causing many competitors to fall off significantly from their PR’s. Dillon nearly matched his all time best run at 2:11.58. Dillon also anchored the 4x800 relay, taking 7th place overall.
Dayne Gibbons and Charley Arnold had a very strong showing in the 400m dash. Dayne placed 2nd (51.35 - State Qualifying Standard) and Charley placed 5th (53.90). The duo scored 12 points in this event, boosting our overall standings to being the top team at this point in the meet giving their teammates a sizable morale boost.
Trey Barnes: Trey earned performer of the week at Galva the week prior for improving his personal best in the 300m hurdles by 4 seconds. This earned him an 8th place seed in the fast heat for Conference. Trey would move up the standings once more to secure 5th with a time of 47.88. Trey also placed 8th in the 110 hurdles running a lifetime best of 19.82.
Bridger Burnham made a return after battling a hamstring injury earlier this season and competed well in the preliminary heat of the 1600. Bridger ran a lifetime best of 5:09.95, improving his 14th place seed to 7th place finish. This is an extremely challenging task to do without top competition pushing the pace. Tony Dochterman contributed to this victory battling with Bridger through the final lap.
Braxton Story: Braxton was another of many athletes to secure points from the early heats. Braxton went from a 9th place seed to 8th and ran his 200 at 24.52, moving him into scoring position.
Parker Larson: Parker Larson was moved into the 4x400 meter relay this week, filling in a gap that helped secure the final victory for the team. We were ahead by .5 points over Kewanee going into this race. Parker, an 800m runner, assisted in holding Kewanee off to secure 5th place. This was a stressful task considering what was at stake, and he rose to the occasion.
Another great night for the OHS Track & Field program as the Boys Track Team walked out as TRAC Conference Champions last night! Overall we had 13 athletes bring home either a Medal or Ribbon. Total medals received was 9 and total ribbons received was 11! Great job guys and keep it up as we go into Sectionals next week!
State here we come! Congratulations to these OHS Girls Track Athletes for making it to State next week! Freshman, Savannah Streeter in High Jump and 100m Hurdles and Juniors, Abi Kayser in the 3200m run and Mallory Pronschinske in the High Jump! Good luck next week girls!
Congratulations to Senior Braxton Story on signing his National Letter of Intent today. Braxton will be continuing his Track & Field career at St. Ambrose University. Best of luck next year Braxton!
Congratulations to Orion FFA member, Brayden Hardin who signed a scholarship to attend John Deere Tech. Brayden signed with Heritage Tractor and will attend Lake Land College to obtain his diesel technician certification. Congratulations Brayden!
OHS Boys Track - Performers of the Meet - Sherrard Relays:
Track and Field newcomer Owen Voorhees is having a standout season with another state qualifying performance in the 100m dash. Owen ran a time of 11.10, edging out a difficult crowd by .05 seconds. Owen also ran 3 relays, each earning a 2nd place medal consisting of the 4x100, 4x200 and 4x400.
Our Men's 4x800 Relay dropped their time significantly as each runner achieved splits that either matched or surpassed their previous lifetime bests The 4x800 Relay overall time was 8:57.89. Aidan Leingang led the team off (2:14), followed by Tony Doctherman (2:14), Parker Larson (2:18) and was anchored by Dillon Thomas (2:11). This improves our seed time for the Conference Meet by over 20 seconds.
Charley Arnold had a challenging night running nearly back to back 400m sprints. Charley was a contributing member of the Fresh Soph 4x100 relay that took first place beating the crowd by nearly half a second. The sophomore anchored both the sprint medley relay (1st place) and the 4x400 relay (2nd place) at the end of the meet helping the team secure second place in overall standings. The sprint medley ran a time of 1:39.66 and the 4x400 a time of 3:34.84.
What a night last night for the Girls Track program as they competed at the TRAC Conference meet. Congratulations to Savannah Streeter, conference Champion in the 100m Hurdles. Savannah was also runner up in the High Jump with a PR of 1.68m (5'6"). And congratulations to Abi Kayser as she was runner up in the 3200m, running a 12:57.44! Keep up the great work girls as well head into Sectionals next week at Rockridge!
Vote for OHS teacher Chef JR Greenwood in the Taste of Home Favorite Chef contest. See how winning this contest would contribute to the Culinary Arts program at OHS. https://favchef.com/2025/jr-greenwood
Congratulations to Katie Angelos for signing her National Letter of Intent today. Katie will be continuing her Basketball career at Black Hawk College next year. Good luck Katie!!!
The Orion School District has a number of job opportunities available at this time. Positions include: OMS Secretary (part-time), Paraprofessionals, OHS Assistant Volleyball Coach, OHS Assistant Wrestling Coach, OMS Head Wrestling Coach, 7th Grade Volleyball Coach, Elementary School Counselor, OMS STEM Educator & OHS Student Success Coordinator, OHS Cook, OHS Special Education Teacher, OMS Special Education Teacher, and OHS Color Guard Sponsor. Please visit the school district's website to view the full vacancy notice for these positions.
A huge thank you to the Orion Booster Club for their contribution in purchasing a new scoreboard for Charger Field. The board was scheduled to be installed this summer, but NEVCO Scoreboards surprised us yesterday and let us know they could install the board today!
OHS Boys Track - Top Performers - Mercer County Invite
OHS Boys Track had standout performances at the Mercer County Invite after finally getting some nice weather and fast competition! The 4x100m Relay team consisting of Will Maher, Cash Duhs, Lance Moore and Owen Voorhees set a new school record of 44.22, breaking a 42 year old record by over half a second. The previous record was set in 1983. This time was also a state qualifying standard, setting the team up nicely for sectionals in three weeks.
Cameron Engstrom had a big showing in the jumps setting two personal records. He placed 3rd in the triple jump hitting a mark of 11.73m or 38 '6 " breaking his previous personal best by over half a foot. He also improved his long jump to 18’8.75” placing 5th. Cameron is currently ranked 7th at the Rockridge Sectional.
Also adding an honorable mention to our throwers who stepped out of their comfort zones and up to the challenge of the Throwers 4x100m relay. The group consisting of three sophomores and one senior (Kade Cirks, Chance Reid, Joe Border and Chase Hixson) placed 2nd overall with a time of 51.19.
OHS Boys Track - Top Performers - Rockridge Invite
Aaron Mohr picked up a new event with the triple jump and started strong with a performance placing him 3rd overall. The triple jump is a challenging event to pick up in a short time and Aaron jumped 37’1.25.” Aaron is one of many athletes showing the depth of the team right now, which is crucial as they approach conference and sectionals.
Dayne Gibbons secured two 1st place medals in the 400m dash as well as the 4x100m relay. His 400m time was 52.09, which is only .17 away from the state qualifying standard. Dayne also anchored in the 4x400m relay, placing second overall.
Last night, our third graders transformed into Junior Rangers! They’ve been hard at work researching national parks across the country, and they shared fascinating facts and fun presentations with family and friends. From Yellowstone to the Everglades, these young explorers taught us all something new about the beauty and diversity of America’s natural treasures.
We’re so proud of their curiosity, creativity, and confidence. Way to go, Junior Rangers!
We’re excited to welcome the next generation of learners to CR Hanna Elementary! Join us for our Introduction to Kindergarten on Wednesday, May 7, 2025, from 5:30 PM to 6:30 PM.
Meet our amazing teachers, tour the classrooms, and get a sneak peek at what kindergarten is all about!
This is a great opportunity for incoming kindergarten students and their families to get comfortable, ask questions, and start building excitement for the school year ahead. We can’t wait to meet you!
💛 Please share with families who have a kindergartener starting this fall!
Join us at OHS on May 6th at 6pm as we host our 13th Annual Academic Awards Night and National Honor Society Induction ceremony. This evening will include the presentation of our senior scholarships where over $75,000 is awarded to our graduating seniors.
Lucian and Brendan were recognized at Augustana College this weekend. Both students participated in the Holocaust Project.
