Beyond the Blue & White Outstanding Student Award 2023

Below you can read the winning essays. As the essays were all handwritten, the formatting, spelling, and grammar have all been preserved as best as possible.

In my mind Olton is a great place to live. The teachers at H.P. Webb are awesome! They always have the time to help me out when I have questions. My fellow classmates are always willing to lend a helping hand when someone in the community is in need. It’s also great to see when there is a home game. During football and basketball season all the home section is full. Olton supports all sporting events from t-ball to high school.

When the dinner bell rings there is no shortage of great places. There is prize winning Rejino’s BBQ, Pizza Palor, Cristela’s, Nena’s and Anna’s. Unless you want a famous Allsup’s burrito, we have one too. After eating at all these places if your clothes fit snug. No worries, Fleurish and Steel Grace got you covered. After shopping if you get a sweet tooth, there is Dairy Queen, Josie’s Hula Hut, and Java the Hut. These are just a few things that I think make Olton a great place to live in.

If I could open up a business in Olton, I would open up a daycare. Childcare is something that many people need. During the summer there’s junior high and high school students who can babysit but during the school year babysitters in Olton are scarce.

Many people who are employed full time have a hard time finding a babysitter throughout the year. I have a neighbor who has to drive out of town for childcare. On top of the cost for a sitter, she’s having to take time to drive out of town and she has to pay for gas.

Opening a daycare would also provide more employment opportunities. Finding jobs in a small town can be difficult. A child-care facility would provide jobs such as babysitters, maitnence, and aids.

Having a daycare in Olton would improve the lives of working moms and dads by reducing the stress of finding a sitter. Having easy acsess to childcare would greatly increase the appeal of moving to an amazing town like Olton!

As my high school career comes to an end, I have many plans for my future that I look forward to and hope to accomplish. In the next five to ten years, I see myself happily employed in Oklahoma living near my brother with a small family. By that time I will have graduated from West Texas A&M University with a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering and perhaps a masters in aerospace engineering. Although I am not completely sure if I will pursue a master’s degree. If I decide not to, then I hope to be employed by Boeing and work for them as an engineer for their company. I have had some family members who have worked for Boeing and have heard many good things about them that have piqued my interest. My brother works for them so it would be a great experience working alongside him as an engineer. If I were to get that opportunity just starting out in my career, I would be able to gain experience and knowledge that is valuable, have a better understanding of different views, and develop my communication and teamwork skills, as collaboration is often a key aspect of engineering work. My goal is to develop skills that would allow me to design many different things and allow me to help others. In those years, I can also see myself finding a small neighborhood near my brother and living where it is really nice and calm and there is very little crime. I hope to be married or in a serious relationship with my girlfriend that could potentially lead us to getting married and starting a family. Although we may both have to work to provide and pay for our expenses, my goal is to make enough money where she will not have to work anymore and we will be well off. Working in a career that I really enjoy and hopefully establishing a family of my own is what I see for myself in the near future.

I would describe Olton, Texas as a small knit-community where everyone knows everyone. Olton is a nice little town in the Panhandle of Texas with a population of a little more than 2,000 people which makes it easy to know that all the families and be involved in their lives. That being said, friends and families are very close and family-like which makes this town one of the best places to live. The connection between everyone is something that you can’t find just anywhere else. This connection is very unique and is something special that makes this place very special. The people from this town are also very support of everyone no matter what-though good and bad. Although life is lived at a slower pace compared to larger cities, there is a greater focus on local traditions and customs that seems to bring everyone together throughout the year. There is also a strong sense of community spirit and local pride. You can always count on the community to support students academically and athletically no matter what. Olton is a very different place compared to many other small towns. It offers a sense of peace and tranquility with less traffic noise and with the crime rate being basically little to none. There are not very many activities to do, but the kids always find a way to have some fun by going to the park or to the football field. In this town, it is very easy to make friends and find people that will accept you very quickly. There may not be a lot to go on but you can find a lot of different things to have fun. Overall, Olton can be a great place to live for those who value a supportive and strong sense of community and a simpler way of life.