FFA Students Practice for Vet Med CDE
By Taylor Sowersby
Last Friday, Oasis FFA Members and coach Dr. Danye Archuleta met at the high school to practice Veterinary Medicine Career Development before zone competitions.
In Veterinary Medicine, members learn different tools, ailments and basic medical procedures which they administer to animal models. In this practice, FFA members went over tools used in procedures and learned how to pack them in wraps for surgeries.
Dr. Archuleta also brought horses to practice haltering and wrapping legs.
This is not the first for hands-on practice for the students. The week before, Katrina Laca brought puppies in to practice restraints and identification of body parts.
Members will compete at zone competitions on January 31, and state level competitions at Nevada FFA State Convention in March.
“Without the support of our families and community members students would not receive the real-life training that they have experienced,” said Jackie Bogdanowicz, FFA Advisor. “We are especially thankful to coaches Archuleta and Laca for their time and support.”
Senior Spotlight: Joshua Gusewelle
Oasis Academy has been about community and support for graduating senior Joshua Gusewelle.
“Throughout the seven years I have attended Oasis I have truly felt a part of the school, I have had no regrets since starting here,” said Gusewelle. “The students, teachers and advisors have all been supportive and have helped to shape me into the person I am today.”
That sense of community comes from one of his favorite memories during school.
“One of my favorite memories from Oasis was during a spirit week my sophomore year,” he said. “One of the dress-up days was teacher student swap day. Mr. Eric Grimes decided to dress up as me. He wore shorts, a sweatshirt, a blonde wig, and even came into school late, all things that I do. This is one of my favorite memories because it made me feel like I was truly part of the Oasis community.
Gusewelle is grateful for the exceptional staff Oasis has and wanted to specifically thank those that have made an impact on his time.
“I would like to give a huge shoutout to Ms. Jackie Bogdanowicz. Ms. B was without a doubt the most influential teacher I have ever had in my life,” he said.
The science and ag teacher have been a constant through his schooling.
“I first had Ms. B for my eighth-grade ag class. Then throughout high school she was my science teacher as well as my FFA advisor.,” he explained.
“She pushed me to do things I know I would never have done by myself, not just in FFA but in life itself. Whenever I would bring in random things I bought from the Dollar Tree or was just being annoying in class she would never get mad at me,” he said. “Ms. B helped to push me and was a leading factor in making me who I am.”
He’s also appreciative of teachers Eric Grimes and Evan Brandt for their engaging teaching styles.
“I would also like to shout out both Mr. Grimes as well as Mr. Brandt. Their classes were both very engaging and I was always happy to show up,” he said. “I’ll always remember getting a little too competitive over trash ball in Mr. Grimes’s class and working extra hard so the class could play a Southpark Kahoot I made in Mr. Brandt’s math class.”
Gusewelle has been active in several co-curricular activities. He is part of FFA and last year served as the Parliamentarian, he was on the inaugural Oasis baseball team and still plays and played all four years for the Churchill County Greenwave Soccer Team. He was named to the NIAA 3A Honorable mention team for soccer and was named to the NIAA All State Academic Team all four years.
“The amount of opportunities FFA grants far surpasses any other class that Oasis or WNC offers. You get to meet people from not just the state of Nevada but across the entire country,” he said.
The experiences are also what make being in FFA unique. “In FFA you get to learn and experience so many things that you wouldn’t get to see anywhere else. There are so many different events that are so much fun and competing in competitions with your classmates cannot be beat,” he said.
The senior has also enjoyed being part of the baseball team. When the idea of starting a team for Oasis came up, he knew he wanted to be part of it. “I am also proud to say I was a part of the first ever Oasis baseball team. The team was established my sophomore year, and I knew I wanted to be a part of it the instant I heard about it,” Gusewelle said.
“The Oasis baseball team is one of the most fun sports teams I have been on in my life. My teammates were always supportive, and we really grew to depend on each other,” he said.
“Another one of my favorite memories of all time was when our team made a comeback victory on the Ace’s Greater Nevada Field in front of the whole school. I would like to shout out Zach Budner for being my throwing partner every year and I look forward to round 3 coming up soon. Our team never had a large sum of people which made us have a sense of trust I don’t believe I have had on any other sports team,” he said.
Lasting friendships are another thing the senior will take with him when he graduates.
“I don’t believe I can talk about my high school years without bringing up my friends,” he explained. “I would like to thank Troy Underwood, Zach Budner, An Nguyen, Clint Vaughn, Josh Helm, and Kaeden Waller for being the absolute best friends a guy could ask for. I have memories with each one of these people that I know will last a lifetime.”
Gusewelle will graduate in May with both his high school diploma and associate of science degree from Western Nevada College. He plans on attending either Boise State University or the University of Nevada Reno. He has advice for future students.
“If I had to give one piece of advice to future students it would be to make sure you put yourself out there,” he said. “Do everything the school offers because you only get to go through high school once.”
He wants students to be part of and experience all the experiences Oasis has to offer.
“Make sure to go to every event no matter how boring it may seem. Join a class or sport you’ve never played before. Or just simply talk to someone you don’t know that well. Opportunities won’t find you; you must be the one to seek them out,” he added.
“My only regret is that I stopped hanging out at school when I became a junior. Don’t do what I did and make sure you are always doing something. Four years just isn’t enough time to do everything you want so make sure you do as much as you can,” he closed.
See Joshua’s full Senior Spotlight online at thefallonpos.org this weekend.
Save the Dates
The Second Annual Oasis Academy Science Fair will be held in Gordman’s on February 27.
The First Annual National History Day Expo will be held in Gordman’s on February 19.
Seventh Annual Future Fest Fundraiser Dinner benefitting Oasis STEM programs on April 18.
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