Orono High School consists of 920 students who are each contribute to the Orono community whether it’s working in the community, mentoring at the Schumann Elementary or attending school at Orono.

Orono’s motto, “where excellence is a tradition and a goal,” is a statement that each school carries out uniquely.

“It’s a culture that is good for students now, and one that we want to keep alive for the future,” Orono High School principal Dave Benson said.

Some students at Orono have been a part of the Orono School District since kindergarten, and some have joined in throughout the years.

The Orono School District has a unique set up in the way that the Schumann, Elementary, Middle and High School are all on Old Crystal Bay Road.

“More and more, it’s not how smart you are or how outstanding you are on paper, it’s how you act toward yourself and others that everyone sees everyday,” Benson said.

Orono High School has a Mentorship Leadership Program in which high school students go over to the Schumann Elementary and assist kids in grades K-2 with reading and writing.

The younger students look up to high schoolers like they are famous. High school students don’t realize how much of an impact they are to them.

“I am excited to be a high schooler because I want to be like them and have younger kids look up to me like I do now,” Orono second grader Ava Hanneman said.

At Orono, there is a variety of everything. Orono students are very studious but are also involved in their athletic sports.

“I wish I was an Orono hockey player,” Orono second grader Peyton Mulher said.

High school students are the oldest students on the road, which means that younger students are looking at the upperclassmen like role models and what it will be like to be in high school.

High schoolers need to act mature and act like true role models, which a person looked to by others as an example to be imitated.

The character counts program in the Orono District develops the core ethical values that lead to good character.

“Eight or nine years ago, Orono received a grant from a Orono family to make Character Counts a more formal K-12 program,” Orono associate principal Caryn Boyd said.

“I mentioned this to a couple of leadership students to help start this program, and those high school students are the ones who made Character Counts happen,” Boyd said.

Public display of affection is another issue in the high school. Dating is a popular thing that high schoolers participate in which is a good experience for some if we are smart about it.

There are appropriate times to show affection toward one another. School is not the most appropriate time to be kissing, hugging, and touching each other.

“In the eyes of my impressionable second grade students, high schoolers-the coolest people on earth-are blessed with a unique opportunity to be role models to my students. At 2:30, walking by my window, what kind of example or legacy do you want my pupils to see and copy? One where I praise your walk (or drive), or one where I cringe and wish my windows and blinds were shut,” Orono second grade teacher Kyle Johnson said.

Be the role model you want to see.