NHDAZ student Owen Yin writes Thank You note

 A feel good Thank YOU note from National History Day AZ student:

My name is Owen Yin. I wanted to thank you for providing the NHDAZ team with shirts, hats, pins, and other goodies.

Thank you for the cash gift, which was much appreciated and was used for our travel expenses. This was an amazing experience being my first time and I can't believe I actually made it as a finalist! It was really cool to see people from all over the world coming together to compete in a subject we are all passionate about. I enjoyed trading pins and collaborating with the NHDAZ team to collect the entirety of the countries and states that competed. I am already looking forward to next year! Thanks again for your support,

Owen Yin

Junior Website: Prescription for Deceit: Arthur Sackler’s Oxycontin and the Birth of Modern Pharmaceutical Marketing

Owen Yin and Adrian Piel in front of th Arizona Statue of Father Kino at the U.S. Capital Visitor Center Emancipation Hall

Getting Healthy at Olive Mill

Olives are good for you. We learned a lot about the health benefits of EVOO, Extra Virgin Olive Oil, on our tour in Queen Creek of the Olive Mill.

Five years ago, Schnepf Farms sold a part of their land to the Olive Mill and owner Perry has made it a destination. The tours are short but very informative. Mary Parker stands next to the Olive Press. At the bottom of the photo is the red valve where the oil drips. To ensure the freshest oil, the olives are pressed within 24 hours of harvesting. This press works for 16-hour shifts during that time. One thousand pound flats of olives go through in a season.

The Olive Mill in Queen Creek has made history by being the first in Arizona to make Extra Virgin Olive Oil. We brought the cookbook to show them. They were impressed and bought a case for their gift shop.

The grounds are lovely for picnics. Forty League members attended the tour and enjoyed the lunch. Jeannie Fletcher and Pam Ryan also announced our overnight tour will be an exclusive visit to Rancho de La Osa in Sasabe. That is a great destination since it started with Father Kino in the late 1600s and has a chapter in Tastes & Treasures cookbook.