The Light Of Our Lives
Oswald Diaz was a Varsity soccer player, a lively comedian, an amazing son, a great friend, and an even better human being. He’s known for his infectious laugh and smile, his ability to light up a room and brighten up your day. Ozzy brought joy to this Earth. But sadly on July 20, 2019 we lost this bundle of joy. It devastated not only his family and fellow Lions but the entire community.
Although, we are deeply saddened by this tragedy. We have decided to honor him in every way possible. It began with the balloon release on the day of his funeral, (July 27) where we spoke about our memories with him and wrote our goodbyes onto the balloons and let them go.
Then, on the first day of school we had “A Night For Ozzy Diaz” at Davinci’s Pizza. It was packed with students and the proceeds went to his family.
Since all of our sports teams have dedicated their seasons to Ozzy, he will be honored at every major athletic event. The volleyball team laced up their shoes with blue laces in his honor.
The softball team created a banner with the quote “ If We All Live Like Ozzy...The World Would Be A Better Place” and his jersey number “22.”
At our first pep rally, the class of 2020 had a banner that read “2020” with “#LLO” filling up the “2” and a poster dedicated to Ozzy with signatures and pictures. The class of 2021 also dedicated a poster to him, with the title “Long Live Ozzy” and signatures from the entire class.
At the home-opener football game, a mass of white filled the stands with “Long Live Ozzy” and “LLO” painted on the bodies and t-shirts of Luella students. We cheered on our football team with “every cry, every stomp, every cheer” in his name.
The most momentous tribute was during half-time. The song “See You Again” played while three lines spread across the field, to form an L, another L, and an O. We spelled out “L-L-O” interlocking hands with one another , while Zoe Delbridge gave a tribute speech. “Even though Ozzy is not here with us to graduate, he has already graduated to the next level.“ she exclaimed over the cries of students. A heartfelt cry from Coach Kinsey Schultz echoed throughout the stadium, she began our chant “Long Live Ozzy”. We continued our chant as we walked off the field and placed our yellow flowers in front of his banner and his posters.
Ozzy’s spirit has flowed through the Lion’s Den since his arrival in 2016 and his legacy will continue to live on. He has brought us all together and gave us a sense of community and spirit. We will forever scream “Long Live Ozzy”, the movement that we all started in his name.
