Wednesday, September 4, 2019
Hi OHS Students, Staff, and Families!
What a start to the school year! The energy and excitement in our
halls over the last few days has been invigorating!
On Tuesday, more than 200 upperclassmen came together to welcome
the 392 members of the class of 2023. Our freshmen had the chance to learn more
about our school community as they began their journey at OHS, and today, every
grade came together to launch the new year! Throughout the day, we all took
time to reflect on the meaning of our new community norms of being GROUNDED in
our values, vision and purpose, COMMITTED to our goals, and ACCOUNTABLE to
ourselves and each other. This mantra of being Grounded, Committed, and
Accountable will help us steer the course as we work to achieve our vision of
having all of our Raccoons be Career, College, and Life Ready!
GROUNDED in our values, vision, and purpose
Many of you have heard me reference that the high school
experience is only 704 days long. That is an incredibly limited amount of time
to help each Raccoon identify purpose and value in their life. As a community,
we will work together to make sure students have time and experiences to
discover their interests and learn about post-secondary options that will help
them feel a sense of purpose in life.
Our goal is that everyone finds a career, not just a job. At OHS,
we have over 200 classes and dozens of programs and opportunities to help
students identify what to do when their time at OHS is over. We have placed
equal emphasis on preparing students to either join the workforce, commit to an
apprenticeship program in the trades, answer the noble call to enlist in our
armed services, or attend a 2-year or 4-year college of their choice. The
infographic below is a representation of the various career pathways and the
programs that OHS offers to support each area of interest. Please note that the infographic may not be viewed well from a cell phone.
COMMITTED to our goals
First and foremost, our Raccoons are students. We have to
prioritize building a culture for learning that elevates academic expectations
and allows our students to engage in a rigorous, yet relevant curriculum.
Regardless if a student chooses to attend college, enlist in the military, or
join the workforce, every Raccoon should have the academic skill set to think
critically, analyze, and communicate. In addition, we have to ensure our
students have the individual drive and determination to persevere through
challenges and reject any temptations or avoidance behaviors that may derail
them from their goal.
This year, we will be launching a new study opportunity called
Raccoon Study Hours on most Mondays and Wednesday throughout the school year.
Study Hours will occur from 7:00pm-8:30pm and will be supervised by at least
one administrator, two teachers, and one coach or co-curricular advisor.
This is an opportunity for students to develop good study habits and get some
extra help in order to support academic success. You can click here to see a complete schedule.
Also, parents and community members, if you would be willing to
help supervise, tutor or support students during this time or on a particular
date, please email me. Students enrolled in honor societies should meet with
their advisor to discuss ways to earn service hours during these study
sessions.
Accountable to ourselves and each other
Last year, we introduced our new community commitments that
established common classroom expectations at OHS. This year, many of those
commitments are the same, with a few modifications. These include:
- The
cafe will no longer be open during class time.
- Students
must turn cellphones into an established location in the classroom at the
start of class.
Finally, we will have a school-wide Pep Rally in honor of Raccoon Rally on Friday at 1:45pm. Parents are welcome to join us and should report to the entrance of the Gale Douglas Field House by 1:30pm. We would love to have you join us.
Finally, check out the video below as we share what's new at OHS and how we will work to ensure everyone stays Grounded, Committed, and Accountable this year!
We made a lot of progress as a community last year, and it makes
me so excited about what’s ahead! It’s going to be a great year!
Go Raccoons!
Jason
