Video: bit.ly/OlyDFV1
Many kids are already posting and sharing information about themselves. But in a world where oversharing might seem like the norm, it’s important for kids to think about their digital footprints. Listen to what these teens have to say about sharing on social media. Are you making the right sharing decisions?
Every day, teens engage with countless images and videos that have been edited or digitally altered. But are your kids aware of, or have they thought deeply about, disinformation online, including the phenomenon of deepfake videos?
For more information about this new media manipulation method, check out the following video. It has never been more important for our students to think critically about the media they consume and identities they see online.
https://youtu.be/OUSworJiRWg
For more information, and some wonderful discussion points to talk over with your kids after watching the video, check out this lesson:
https://www.commonsense.org/education/articles/are-deepfake-videos-a-threat-to-democracy
#DigCit! In a time of 24/7 connectivity, do the benefits of online sharing outweigh the risks? In Nov. our digital citizenship focus will be on the topic of Digital Footprint & Identity. Look for posts throughout the month to use as discussion points with your family!
Like the clockwork that got turned back last night and as promised in last week’s article, the Olympia High School cross country teams continued to make their Spartan Nation as proud as they can be yesterday at the IHSA Sectional meet. Both teams had a great day, despite the adverse conditions they faced(grueling hills to climb and crazy high winds). In the girl’s race, our ladies rocked the XC world with a 2nd place team finish that surprised many people, including some of the so-called experts that had recently pushed Oly’s state ranking down to #19. Olympia scored 88 points, only 10 points behind #6 ranked U-High Pioneers, and ahead of #3 ranked Eureka, #14 ranked Auburn, and #17 ranked Sacred Heart-Griffin. Leading the way for our gals was Savanah Beavers with a 2nd place finish, clocking in at 18:14. Also earning an individual medal was Abby Litwiller, placing 9th with a personal best 19:14. The remaining Spartan racers were Rachel Andris (20:09), Maddie Litwiller (20:44), Chrystal Cornwell (20:48), Cam Lawson (21:37), and Emily Litwiller (22:38).
On the guy’s side, our Spartans also made a statement to the experts that like to make predictions. Most of the predictions had #3 ranked Elmwood picked to win the team battle and Miles Sheppard from Hamilton-Warsaw to take the individual crown. Olympia’s senior star Charlie Kistner saw things differently, and executed a perfect race plan to defeat Miles by nearly 7 seconds with a time of 14:55.99. The rest of the guys joined Charlie in the prevailing underdog theme, piecing together an overwhelming victory! For the second year in a row our guys were Sectional Champs, scoring a mere 36 points, while the 2nd place Elmwood Trojans scored 85. Rounding out the field of Spartan runners were individual medalist Logan Wheeler (6th at 15:58), Owen Dare (11th at 16:16), Carter Phillips (12th in all-time best 16:18), Lucas Lawless (17th at 16:35), Anthony Ragland (17:01), and Alec Pfeffer (17:38). This race marked the conclusion of the unusual 2020 IHSA XC season. It was truly an amazing day for our runners! They couldn’t have purchased a better gift for coach Mike Neisler on his last day as head coach of Olympia XC. Congrats to all runners on your outstanding performances and to Coach Neisler for an outstanding coaching career at Olympia!
My kid seems addicted to her phone. What do I do?
It may seem like your kid is addicted (and may even "feel" addicted) to the phone, but it's more likely normal teen behavior.
Read more: bit.ly/Oly_QA1
How to Set Screen Rules That Stick
Easy tips for limiting kids' computer, TV, game, and movie time. | Caroline Knorr | 2/21/2019
https://www.commonsensemedia.org/blog/how-to-set-screen-rules-that-stick
If you’re finding yourself down as a result of the seemingly endless negativity that surrounds us these days, look no further! Simply read up on the Olympia High School cross country teams. They have been creating great news since their first meet in August and it just keeps getting better. Yesterday the Spartans hosted the IHSA Regional meet, where our girls’ team placed third (86 pts) behind #9 ranked U-High (45 pts) and #3 ranked Eureka (35 pts). Leading the way for the Lady Spartans was senior Savanah Beavers who placed 3rd individually with a time of 18:23. The remainder of the pack included Abby Litwiller (9th at 19:29), Maddie Litwiller (season best 20:58), Crystal Cornwell (20:58), Cam Lawson (all-time best 21:04), Rachel Andris (21:20), and Emily Litwiller (22:33).
In the guy’s race, our #1 ranked Spartans secured the Regional Championship for the third year in a row. Leading the charge was senior Charlie Kistner, who officially lowered his own school record for a second time with an astonishing time of 14:55.30! Charlie was also the individual Regional Champ. Other individual medalists for Oly were Logan Wheeler (2nd with a season best 15:52) and Owen Dare (5th with an all-time best 16:06). Rounding out the crew was Lucas Lawless (11th with a season best 16:30), Carter Phillips (12th at 16:34), Anthony Ragland (14th at 16:36), and Alec Pfeffer (17:23).
The top 5 teams from each regional advance to the sectional meet next Saturday, so both of our teams will race next Saturday at Elmwood. Congratulations to all of the runners for another job done well! Stay tuned for more good XC news next weekend!
Nine Lady Spartans represented Olympia at today’s Sectional Swim Meet. Even with a shortened and unusual season, all swimmers ended the day with seasonal best times! Most with all time personal best times in their individual events! Way to go Lady Spartans!
Congratulations to OHS Career and College Counselor, Lisa Steve. She was recognized by the Illinois State Board of Education for Those Who Excel Award of Excellence. Congratulations Mrs. Steve and thanks for all you do for the students of Olympia High School!
Do you multitask in front of your kids? Check out that and other solutions to help your child reduce multitasking during homework time:
https://d1pmarobgdhgjx.cloudfront.net/parenttip/PT_6WaysToStopMultitasking-new.mp4
OHS seniors are getting into college mode as they participate in the College Writing Workshop series in the OHS Writing Center! Based on the work of Ethan Sawyer, the college writing guru, this workshop series covers tips and strategies for composing successful college application and scholarship essays. The OHS Writing Center plans to host another College Writing Workshop series in January as well as a final series in April. In the meantime, Mrs. Huff is available daily during advisory to work with students in the writing center on college essays or written class assignments.
This Wednesday, October 21st, the Olympia High School FCA is sponsoring the annual See You at the Pole gathering at 8:15 am at the OHS flag pole. (OHS auditorium in case of rain) See You at the Pole is a global day of student prayer, that began in 1990 with ten students praying at their school.
See You at the Pole is simply a prayer rally where students meet at the school flagpole before school to lift up their friends, families, teachers, school, and nation to God. See You at the Pole is a student-initiated, student-organized, and student-led event.
There will be a time of singing, prayer, a student-led message, and donuts and juice. This event is open to all OHS students.
October 15th Activities
Girls Swim is home vs. Central Catholic @ 4:30
Help keep media/tech use in check by following a few simple practices:
1. Create screen-free times and zones
2. Explore built-in digital well-being tools
3. Model the behavior you want to see
4. Help kids identify healthy behaviors
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Read more: bit.ly/OlyMBTipsS
October 13th Activities
HS Cross Country is @ Heyworth @ 4:30
Girls Swim is @ Peru @ 5:00 (no fans)
MS Cross Country Sectional @ home @ 4:00
The #1 ranked Olympia High School boys cross country team successfully defended their conference title yesterday in the 10-team Illini Prairie Conference meet held at St. Joseph Ogden. It was a “tight race” between Olympia and #6 ranked Monticello, with only 5 points separating the two teams. Olympia’s top 3 runners earned All-Conference status: senior Charlie Kistner was individual Conference Champ with a time of 15:19, senior Logan Wheeler was 5th at 16:08, and junior Owen Dare was 7th at 16:20. Joining them were junior Carter Phillips with a season best 16:33, junior Anthony Ragland at 16:47, freshman Logan Demling at 16:59, and senior Alec Pfeffer at 18:15. The guys will run their IHSA Regional meet in two weeks at Olympia on Saturday, Oct. 24th. Come out and watch this team compete! It’s hard to say which guys' team is the best in Olympia’s history, this year’s team or last year’s team….but there is no doubt that they are the best two guys’ teams that Olympia has been able to assemble. So don’t miss the opportunity to watch this exciting team race as they strive to be the best in the state and in Olympia history!
The Olympia High School cross country teams competed in the Illini Prairie Conference meet yesterday at St. Joseph-Ogden. On the girl’s side, this conference is arguably the most competitive small-school conference in the state, with the #1 and #2-ranked teams in the state (Monticello and Tolono Unity) along with #13 (Oly), #15 (St. Thomas More), #19 (St. Joseph-Ogden), and #24 (Central Catholic). Realistically, it was looking to be a battle for the 3rd place team finish. However, things were not looking very promising when it was determined the day before the meet that Anna Bieber (Oly’s top-3 runner) would sit out of the meet due to a muscle strain. This obstacle did not distract the rest of the team from their goal. In true Spartan fashion, the other 6 ladies modeled a perfect illustration of perseverance. They stayed focused on the game plan and executed it flawlessly, with each runner obtaining a season personal best time. This outstanding performance allowed the girls to secure the 3rd place team finish with 90 points, which was 32 points in front of the 4th place team. Individually, senior Savanah Beavers and sophomore Abby Litwiller achieved All-Conference status at 18:13(3rd place) and 19:17(10th place) respectively. Joining them were freshman Rachel Andris at 20:08(19th), sophomore Chrystal Cornwell at 20:49(28th), sophomore Cam Lawson at 21:07(33rd) and senior Emily Litwiller at 22:22(46th). The XC team will host the IHSA regional meet in two weeks (Oct. 24th), so come out and cheer them on. Congrats gals! Amazing job!
Screen time; the reality is that there really is no magic number that's "just right." What's more important is the quality of kids' media, how it fits into your family's lifestyle, and how you engage your kids with it. Read more: http://bit.ly/OlyScreenTime
Students in the OHS Degree NOW program had a virtual meeting today with their mentors from State Farm! Students broke up into small groups with mentors to get to know each other more! These mentor connections will continue as the students work towards their Associate’s Degree in Computer Science.
October 8th Activities
Girls Swim is home vs. Pontiac @ 4:30