Painting 'The U'

Open Yourselves to Others

I have told them, you have to open yourselves to others so they can see the good in you, and you have to make sure you are making good choices, because they are going to come about and you will need them later.”

JAG-K Sponsor Rosalinda Ochoa

Managing Editor/Publisher

It rests on a hill, weathering each and every storm passing through - baking in the heat of a Southwest Kansas sun or laying stone cold during freezing winter months. It has stood the test of time for at least 70 years. It is the big "U".

"Ron Hauser said it was being put in when he was a sophomore in school back in 1954-55," said Linda Leggett, who along with her husband, Tom, own the property where the big U sits just a "hop, skip and a jump", Leggett added, east of Ulysses.

The Big U has been in need of a little TLC for awhile now - something Leggett put out a call for assistance with. Answering the call? A group of Ulysses High School students who are involved in a new program at UHS called JAG-K.

Rosalinda Ochoa, sponsor for JAG-K, said she was told about the opportunity by local resident Sheila Koop. Koop and Ochoa know each other from the Core Community program.

"I had told Sheila that through the JAG-K program we wanted the students to get involved in the community and in giving back to the community," Ochoa said.

Koop put her in touch with Leggett and the rest, as they say, is history.

"When I first told my students about the project, they were like, 'why do we have to do this'," Ochoa said. "They were trying to do it quick."

Ochoa said that mindset quickly changed.

"Having Linda (Leggett) out there and hear her talk about it and how it hasn't been done in awhile - they students started taking it more personal," Ochoa said.

The JAG-K students soon decided they were going to give it their best.

"And it looks great," Ochoa said. "The students are like, 'wow, it looks better than we thought it would'. They are excited and then because they were recognized like in the newspaper - that made them feel good about the project. It has been pretty neat."

Ochoa has shared her philosophy to the JAG-K students.

"I have told them, you have to open yourselves to others so they can see the good in you," she said, "and you have to make sure you are making good choices, because they are going to come about and you will need them later. You may come back someday (if you leave Ulysses) and you apply for a job. The people you are applying with may be like, 'you were a part of this'. I tell the students the effort you put in is what you will get out so just do your best. You never know when it will make a difference somehow. Through this program they are seeing they are getting recognized for something good."

Ochoa said the students have been spending time on the U during class periods.

"It's taking more time, but it is working doing it that way," she said. "Two of the students drew the stripes. We had several show up Labor Day weekend to work on it. Since the day we started the project, everyone has had a chance to be out there."

The idea for what to paint on the U came from the students themselves. Two of the students freehanded the tiger stripes on: Jessica Aragon and Tyler Marquez.

JAG-K started the Big U project September 2, and as of Wednesday the project was pretty much completed except for a finishing touch or two. One of those is personal.

"They are all going to sign it," Ochoa said.

The students will sign the Big U during a little wrap up and thank you party next week.

"I am very thankful for Linda and Tom Leggett and all the other volunteers who helped us complete this project," Ochoa said.

This is not the first project the JAG-K students have been involved in.

"I took the students out to an Ag workshop in Montezuma to give them an insigt into what job opportunities are available to them," Ochoa said. "Out there, they learned about internships."

A recent project of the group was a food drive they put on to benefit the local Loaves and Fishes.

"I saw that our local Loaves and Fishes was getting low on food," Ochoa said. "Through our JAG-K food drive, we collected around 700 to 750 food items that we delivered the same night of the food drive."

Ochoa had 12-13 of her students who were able to participate in the food drie project.

"It was only for two hours but we went from house to house," Ochoa said. "We started at the high school parking lot and met back up there. The students kind of turned it in to a competition.  They really put in a lot of effort in to it and when we were done asked when we were going to do it again.

Some of the students also helped at the recent Mexican Independence Day festival and they were supposed to be at the annual Home Products Dinner. However, according to Ochoa, when they arrived at the Home Products event, they had gotten done earlier than expected. Students from the program have also helped at the local dog pound.

"Through the JAG-K program we try to get the students involved as much as possible in the community," Ochoa reiterated. "I believe we all live in our own little world and something like this is beneficial. Everyone has depression and things that happen a lot if we are doing something else it will help us forget for a little bit what we have going on and relieve a little stress.  It makes you feel good to get involved and make a difference."

Ochoa regularly checks community calendars to see what is on there or people asking for help.

"When I find something we might be able to get involved in, I talk to my students and give them the option to sign up if it is after school or on the weekend," she said.

What is next for JAG-K?

"We don't know yet, but we are open to finding something," Ochoa said. "JAG-K is open for anything that needs to get done. We are always open to hearing about any project."

Watch for more on the history of the Big U and the official "signing" of the students in an upcoming issue of the Ulysses News.