Area Juniors Attend County Government Day In O'Neill

County Government Day was recently hosted by area American Legion Posts on Monday, Sept. 16 in O'Neill. 

Attending the event were juniors from West Holt, Chambers, Ewing, O'Neill and Stuart public schools as well as St. Mary's Catholic School in O'Neill. 

The youth visited various county offices throughout the day. In the morning the students were divided into three groups at the Holt County Courthouse and rotated between presentations given by Holt County Board of Supervisors, Holt County Sheriff's Office, O'Neill Police Department, Boyd/Holt County 911 and Holt County Jail.  

Following the tour, the students assembled in the Holt County District Courtroom. Holt County Board of Supervisors Chairman Bill Tielke introduced the county officials on hand  and thanked all veterans present from the American Legion Posts. Holt County Judge Kale Burdick swore the students into oath. American Legion Member Doug Frahm spoke to the students about a citizen's role in government. 

Following the presentation, students broke into groups and visited their respective county officials and were guided by American Legion members. 

Students reconvened at St. Mary's Catholic High School gym for a quiz bowl activity on what they learned throughout the day. 

Following the quiz bowl, Nebraska State Patrol K-9 Unit Trooper Austin Donner of Lincoln gave an explanation on his job duties and how his dog works as well as a demonstration with his explosive detecting K-9 at the Holt County Annex parking lot. 

Lunch was hosted at the Holt County Annex and was served by Holt County American Legion Auxiliary. 

During the afternoon, students heard from the students that attended the 2019 American Legion Cornhusker Boys and Girls State in Lincoln.

Christine Troshynski, a local entrepreneur, gave a presentation on how she works with a company called Hudl, a leading software company revolutionizing the way coaches and athletes prepare for and stay ahead of the competition. 

Founded by David Graff, Brian Kaiser and John Wirtz in 2006, Hudl now offers the tools to edit and share video, interact with statistics and create quality highlight reels for entertainment and recruiting purposes. The whole experience is available online, giving coaches and athletes secure access at home and on the go. Troshynski  also was available earlier in the day to explain to the youth how she is a co-owner and operator of Wildflour Grocer, a year-round farmer's market in O'Neill. 

At the conclusion of the day's events, Atkinson West Holt Public Schools was named the winner of the quiz bowl event and was presented the traveling trophy.