Memories of Ondossagon

MEMORIES OF ONDOSSAGON

By: Julie Moravchik



When I close my eyes I still can see the hallways, the teachers and my
friends. The memories of Ondossagon High School are still fresh in my mind.
They are such good memories. I wish there was a way to hop in a time
machine and take a trip back every once in a while. Just for a day. Or
maybe an hour or two. I was able to do that in a way just recently.
The reunion committee asked me to make a video for our upcoming
all-school reunion, and it gave me a chance to talk with people I haven't
seen in a long time. I also had a chance to tour the museum they are
setting up at the Benoit Community Center. I looked through old yearbooks
and stacks of memorabilia like team uniforms and band uniforms. They even
have that giant Aggie Bull that used to hang on the gym wall.
It felt good. It brought back feelings I haven't felt in a long time.
I miss that young girl sometimes - that girl who was used to knowing
everyone by name, who felt safe and comfortable in her school where there
were no locks on the lockers. I knew that every person in that building had
my back. The teachers only wanted to see us succeed, and our friends wanted
only the best for us.
I went out into the world expecting everyone to be that way. It turns
out, not everyone graduated from Ondossagon High School, and not everyone
has the same code of ethics and code of honor that we have. I have
continued to be amazed and surprised by this. It has made me come to
realize just how lucky we were. It was a good, down-home, small country
school where everyone genuinely cared about you. It was a school where the
teachers and Principal Keith Schmidt didn't let us slide by, where they
expected the best in us, not only in grades but also in our conduct.
We all take great pride in our school and it shows. It doesn't matter
that the building no longer is open. We may not be able to walk down those
old hallways again, but we can take with us something much more important:
The lasting impact the people had on us. It was the people who made that
school great.
Keith Schmidt was principal at Ondossagon High School for 30 years. As
I sat down to interview him, I was surprised how he still had a way of
making me nervous, which is a good thing. He commands respect. He always
did.
As I talked with him at his home in Ashland, I enjoyed recalling
memories of our old school and what made it great. Mr. Schmidt summarized
and said, "It was really a great group of students. And the people that
worked for the school, the majority were just super fine people. They would
do anything for you. And that's what made Ondossagon. It went from the
cooks to the janitors to the bus drivers. They all did a good job and
that's what made my job easier. "
I can tell you after traveling the world over, meeting thousands of
people through my job as a journalist and building two news operations from
the ground up, some of the finest people I have ever had the honor of
knowing are Aggies.
I have a 2-year-old son named Joey, and if I could I would send him to
Ondossagon. It was a special place, a special school, a special time - and
it can never be duplicated. We cannot go back in a time machine and relive
it again, but we can hold the memories and lessons learned in our hearts and
use those lessons to help us continue to make our mark in the world. Maybe
the rest of the world did not go to Ondossagon, but we can continue to do
our best and uphold the standards set years ago by our parents, our teachers
and ourselves.

Thank you, Julie, for your memories of Ondossagon. The Ondossagon All-School Reunion,  being held on August 6-7, will have over 1200 alumni and friends renewing their old friendships and sharing their memories of Ondossagon. Please visit our website at www.ondossagonaggies.com and see who is registered to attend. If you have questions, please contact Terry Torkko at 715-682-0682.