Ottumwa Courier Week 18

Features/Sports

A horse and buggy is driven down Second Street Wednesday. The horse and buggy became the main mode of transpiration in the early 1800’s and can still be seen in use today by various groups of people.

Cardinal High School students line up Sunday before their graduation ceremony began. Each student carried or wore a variation of the class flower, a white carnations with red tips. 

Cardinal High School students listen to speakers Sunday during their graduation ceremony. The graduation robes worn by the seniors featured the class colors of red and silver. 

Kate Manary, right, plants a flower Tuesday outside the First Presbyterian Church. Church members, students and family members gathered to plant flowers as part of their beautification day. 

Indian Hills Community College students fight the wind to keep their caps on Thursday as they walked into the Hellyer Student Life Center for graduation.

Caroline Carlson serves the ball Saturday during a regional girls tennis match.

Ottumwa High School Springfest Concert 

Ottumwa High School symphony orchestra members preform Monday during the OHS Instrumental Springfest Concert. 

Ottumwa High School jazz band members preform Monday during the OHS Instrumental Springfest Concert.

Cellos sit in front of the Ottumwa High School Auditorium stage Monday after the OHS symphony orchestra preformed. 

Patty Babb, center, receives flowers from senior band members Monday after the OHS symphony orchestra preformed. Many of the students have had Babb as a teacher for up to eight years. 

     Seasoned musicians and first year students shared the stage Monday during the Ottumwa High School Instrumental Springfest Concert. 

    The event featured the OHS String Orchestra, Symphony Orchestra, Jazz Band and the Wind Ensemble and was the final concert for the school year.

    “I think that it is the most difficult concert of the year,” Patty Babb, the Orchestra  director, said. “We really focus on rhythm and counting by this time of year and the students can show their talents.”

    The music department at OHS continues to be popular with students year after year with around 150 participating in some aspect of the department. Many students choose to learn multiple instruments and will join the different groups to showcase that instrument, Babb said. It gives the students a chance to try a little bit of everything and then they can decide which one they are most passionate about. 

    Babb has been teaching for 31 years and moved from teaching middle school to high school six years ago. She has had a long relationship with many of the students, having taught some for eight years in a row. Many of these students were presented with various awards at the end of the concert. 

    “We like to recognize extra effort and do this with a point system throughout the year,” Babb said. “If they participate in various events throughout the year they earn points and work their way up to a letter award.”

    With one school year ending and seniors leaving the program it opens up positions for all the other interested students. New opportunities and experiences are presented to the students already in the program and the flow continues on.

     “We don’t want art programs to be pushed to the back burner, it needs to be kept in front and OHS does a great job at this and supporting the arts,” Babb said “It is so important for the future that kids become involved in the arts and stay involved.”