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Photo submitted
Front row: Brandon Stephens, Shea Green, Raymond Setters, Nikki
Vorce, Katie Edmondson; Middle row: Brianna Clark, Brittany
Wilson, Elizabeth Huff, Wolfe Greene, Matt Smith, Denver Stafford;
Back row: Derek Ellis, Daniel Thornton, Kyle Hagedorn, Drew
Goderwis, Zack Miller, Cory Warren, Kirk Wilson, Duston Ellis;
Not pictured: Jon Perkins
Fifth-graders
return
to the past
By Melanie Ransdell, Kortney Sipple
and Logan Shelton
Owen County fifth-graders traveled back to the past on Nov.
21. The students got to experience how colonial people lived
at Colonial Day held by their teachers. The classes participated
in many different activities including going to a dame school,
visiting a meeting house, learning dances, studying a printing
press, learning to cook a colonial favorite and talking about
tanning hides.
One interesting activity was learning the colonial dance. In
the dance class we learned the Virginia Reel and the Nine Pin
Reel. The favorite step of many students was called strip the
willow. You really had to be paying attention to keep up with
that one.
Another class that was a favorite among students was learning
about how colonists used a printing press more than 200 years
ago. We learned to make letters out of metal. You can make cursive
letters, capitalized letters and lower-case letters. We got
to see that although they got the job done, printing was much
slower in colonial times than it is now.
In two of the stations, we got to do role playing. In both the
dame school and the meeting house, or church, we got to pretend
to actually be people who lived in that time. We learned that
in church, when the bell rang there was news to share. If you
were rich you got to sit in the front. The middle class sat
in the middle, and the poor sat in the back. If you fell asleep,
someone had the job of waking you up by either tickling you
or bopping you on the head. Everyone had to learn verses. If
you did not learn your lessons, you had unusual punishments.
For example, you got yoked to another person or had to sit on
a stool. The minister was one of the most important people in
the town. Everyone had to follow the rules of the church. In
dame school, the teachers were very strict, too. The students
had to behave well and learn all the lessons or they were punished.
They also had to bring fire wood in the winter. If they forgot,
they had to sit in the back by the cold window.
Our classes also learned how to cook Johnny cakes. The ladies
from the extension office came and taught us how to make these
corn cakes that colonists ate, especially when they were traveling.
The best part of this activity was eating them.
Finally, our class got to visit with Mr. New to learn about
how hides are tanned. He brought in a coyote pelt and a deer
hide. We learned how to preserve these furs and about gun and
knife safety, too. The fur was soft, but some of it came off
when you pet it.
The fifth-graders really enjoyed Colonial Day. Being able to
dress and act like the people of that time really helped us
learn about the past.
Band
celebrates season
and more
The Owen County Band
program is gearing up for a Christmas concert after going through
many different events. “I’m really proud of the
kids. They’ve worked hard, achieved some accolades, and
supported me and my family through some very exciting times,”
said Kelly Hash, director of bands.
Hash and his wife, Tonya, instructor for the band’s colorguard
and winterguard programs, just celebrated the birth of their
first son, Geoffrey Bryant Hash. Geoffrey was born on Nov. 16
at Frankfort Regional Hospital. “Not only did I get a
chance to enjoy the birth of my son, but the kids and their
parents have been very supportive of us. The kids did their
work while I’ve been gone and the parents have bent over
backwards to help us out. We are truly grateful to them all,”
according to Hash.
While Hash and his wife were enjoying time with their son, nine
middle school students and four high school students were involved
with various honor bands.
Eighth-graders Shelby Fitzgerald, Callie Towels, Krista Manning,
Candace Curtis, Taylor Cummins, and seventh-graders Caleb Ashcraft,
Rya- Goderwis and Robert Beverly all participated in the Morehead
State University’s Middle School Honor Band. Junior Christine
Brannum and sophomores Johnathon Rogers, Chris Cornett, and
Amanda Keith participated in the Asbury College All-Star High
School Honor Band.
The Marching Band finished their season with a performance in
the Christmas Parade and the Junior and Senior Winterguard groups
are starting up on Dec. 7th for another fun, competitive year
in the Tri-State Circuit for the Pageantry Arts.
The sixth-, seventh- and eighth-grade bands, along with the
high school concert band, will perform their annual Christmas
concert at 2 p.m. Sunday at the Owen County High School Gymnasium.
Music being featured on the concert will be traditional favorites
like Jingle Bells, The Most Wonderful Time of the Year, The
Hallelujah Chorus, Sleigh Ride and Silent Night along with new
renditions of Pachelbel’s Cannon, and Manheim Steamroller’s
Away in a Manger. “I truly believe the kids are going
to perform great. They all have worked hard and I feel like
this is the best high school concert band Owen County has heard
in many years,” said Hash.
In addition to the performance, refreshments will be served
and Santa Clause will be making a special appearance. Also,
if you missed the earlier performances of the high school drama
department’s Grease, an encore performance will be given
immediately following the band concerts.
