Bighorn news: Kiss the Pig, Australia trip

Thanks to the generosity of the community, FFA’s annual Kiss the Pig fundraiser at the Cantaloupe Festival was once again a success. The event is not only fun and engaging, but also helped raise over $1,000 for the student organization.

This year’s contestants were Taryn Lenon, Jesse Segura, Lee Orozco and Matt Louie.

Cantaloupe Festival attendees voted for their favorite by donating money into jars labeled with each contestant's name. The person with the most funds on Sunday got to kiss the pig in front of everyone.

Taryn Lenon was this year’s lucky winner with Jesse Segura coming in second.

After Taryn kissed the pig, additional donors stepped up and Segura, Louie, and Orozco ended up kissing the pig as well.

The Kiss the Pig fundraiser creates a fun and memorable event that fosters community spirit and involvement. The fundraiser not only raises funds but also generates excitement and participation from the community.

“We are super appreciative of Taryn, Jesse, Lee, and Matt for volunteering this year to be our contestants and for everyone that showed their support by voting. The funds raised from this event will help students travel to FFA National Convention in October,” said Jackie Bogdanowicz, Oasis FFA adviser.

FIRST GRADE MAKES MAGIC PLAY DOUGH

It was all about starting the school year off with something fun in the Oasis Academy first grade classes. All three classes got to play with magic play dough during the first week.

The first-grade teaching team said that the magic play dough project is a way to get students excited about the starting of the school year. The play dough starts out as white and if a color appears then the students are guaranteed to have a good year.

The students definitely enjoyed it.

“Magic play dough was fun. The colors show up, so it is going to be a great year,” Ben Bryan said. “Yellow and blue colors and green and red. My parents and sister thought it sounded fun too.”

“The magic play dough was a good surprise,” Harley Workman said. “I told my brother about it and shared it with him.”

Magic play dough’s educational benefits include sensory development, fosters creativity and imagination, and encourages collaboration with peers.

AUSTRALIA TRIP MEETING

Oasis Academy is planning its next international trip through EF Tours. Students will have the opportunity to travel to Australia and New Zealand in June 2026.

An informational meeting on the trip will be held on Monday, Sept. 16 at 5:30 p.m. in room 41 at the main building. Tami McNeill is leading the group. Students in seventh grade and above and families are eligible to sign up for the trip.

“The EF Tours is a wonderful way for students to expand their understanding of the world and other cultures. This will be the fifth trip I have taken students on,” Tami McNeill said.

The school’s Ireland and England trip was this summer. Contact Tami McNeill with questions.