Okoboji High School

OHS students with OPEN periods in their schedule or who would like to discuss any schedule changes, there will be three opportunities before the first day of school. Please stop in during one of these times so you can get this taken care of before school starts on August 25th. We will NOT make schedule changes on the 25th except in the case of OPEN periods. We can't wait to see you soon!

Okoboji High School will host an open house for students and families who will be in 9th grade this year or who are new to the district on Thursday, August 21 from 6-7 PM! We will begin in the Auditorium with presentation of important information for parents and students and then there will be time for walking the halls and finding your classes. If you or your son/daughter will be a freshman or new to OHS this year, please plan to attend!

The 2025-2026 Okoboji Community School District Calendar is now available on the OCSD Webpage and App! You can link directly to the calendar here: file:///C:/Users/BrianDowning/Downloads/2025-2026_OCSD_Calendar.pdf A few dates of note: *First Day of School: August 25-26 *Thanksgiving Break: November 26-28 *Winter Break: December 22-January 2 *Spring Break: March 16-20 *Class of 2026 Graduation: May 17 *Last Day of School: May 21

There may be new snow on the ground Spring Conferences are just two weeks away! Parents of students at Okoboji Elementary, Middle, and High Schools should be receiving an email with a link to sign up for conference times. As a reminder, OES will have conferences on Tuesday, February 25th and Thursday, February 27th while OMS and OHS have conferences on Thursday, February 27th only.

Okoboji High School is proud to announce our 2024-2025 1st Semester Honor Roll! The students listed have been recognized for achieving a grade point average of 3.0-3.49 or 3.5 and above on a 4-point scale for the first semester of the school year. We are proud of their hard work and commitment to success! With all of the demands on the time and attention of teenagers, achieving academic success is always something to be honored! We will be holding our annual Academic Recognition Assembly later this spring to recognize our hardworking students for their achievements from last year as well. Congratulations to all of these students and their families. Keep up the great work!

If you are a business looking for summer help, make plans to attend the 9th Annual Okoboji Summer Job Fair! This event brings students from Okoboji and other Lakes Area schools together with businesses looking for summer help. Over the last eight years, hundreds of connections have been made, many of which continuing on for many years! It is a great example of the power of school and community working together for the benefit of all! This year's fair is scheduled for Friday, April 4th at the Roof Garden at Historic Arnolds Park! The fair is FREE for businesses to attend! You can find more details and get signed up to join us at this link: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeBnMW6B9JpkY7ai5RKQxhdahhJauWNudLfIBOW94u8O6pX3A/viewform

The Okoboji School Board is excited to announce the hiring of Will Dible as the next superintendent of the Okoboji Community School District, following the retirement of Mr. Abrahamson on June 30, 2025, after eight years of dedicated leadership. A 2004 graduate of Okoboji High School, Will’s return to lead our district is a special full-circle moment for all of us. Mr. Dible's hiring will be made official at the board meeting on January 8, 2025. Will is a dedicated and accomplished leader with a student-centered approach to education that aligns perfectly with our district’s vision. We are confident that his leadership will continue to move Okoboji forward in a positive direction. Please join us in welcoming Mr. Dible to his new role. He will officially begin his duties as superintendent on July 1, 2025.

Attention Okoboji School District Resident Families! Mark your calendars for a special opportunity to participate in satellite voting on October 21st from 1:00 to 7:00 PM at the elementary school. This is your chance to make your voice heard and have a say in the future of our community and schools! Voting at your convenience helps ensure that every family can engage in the democratic process. Your participation matters whether you're a first-time voter or a seasoned pro. Don't miss out on this important event—let's come together to shape the future of our Okoboji School District!

A Message from Okoboji Superintendent Todd Abrahamson: Pioneer Families, I am writing to inform you about a change to our school calendar regarding the upcoming Parent/Teacher Conferences. Initially scheduled for November 5 and 7, the conferences have now been moved to October 21. On October 21, conferences will be held from 10:00 AM to 8:00 PM. Details on signing up for conferences will come out in early October. This change aims to minimize disruptions for you, as we understand that many families have already arranged daycare for October 21. As a result, we will have full school days on November 5 and November 7. Additionally, November 8 will remain a no-school comp day, and November 11 will continue as a Professional Development day. Furthermore, this adjustment allows the district to host a satellite voting station for the upcoming election from 1:00 PM to 7:00 PM at the elementary school. The ballot on October 21 is the same as the ballot on November 5. This allows parents to cast their full vote on October 21 or November 5, providing greater flexibility in their schedules. Thank you for your understanding and support as we make this adjustment. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact us. Warm regards - Todd Abrahamson, Superintendent

Our very own Keaton Verner (School Resource Officer) was recently on the Okoboji Broadcast with Jeff Thee. Officer Verner was there to go through some bus safety reminders as school has started back up for the year! Please check it out when you have time so we can all work together to keep our kids safe! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0BnMiBqYNKc

Iowa High School Cross Country Preseason Rankings have been released. The Okoboji Boys Team opens the season as the number one ranked team in Class 2A while the girls team is ranked 14th in Class 2A to start the season! We can't wait to see these outstanding athletes perform this fall! Come and see them at Fall Sports Preview Night this Thursday, August 22 starting at 5 on the track at OHS!

We are excited to be spending the day with our new team members today! We have new staff from all three buildings who will be serving our students as teachers and paraprofessionals this year. We are spending the day getting to know them and teaching them about our district and the great things they will do here!

Here are some important dates for your calendar for the months of August and September! Remember ALL OCSD activities and events can be found on our new District Activity Calendar on our Bound site here: https://www.gobound.com/ia/schools/okoboji/calendar

If you or your son/daughter will be a ninth-grade student, or a new student at Okoboji High School this fall, mark your calendars for an important event! We will hold an open house on Wednesday, August 21 from 6-7 PM and we encourage incoming ninth-grade and new students and their parents to attend! There will be a short but informative presentation on making a successful transition to Okoboji High School and you will have some time to explore the building and ask questions. We will meet in the OHS Auditorium starting at 6! We hope to see you all there!

As you are likely aware, Okoboji Commuity School District Superintendent Todd Abrahamson will be retiring at the conclusion of the 2024-2025 school year. The OCSD School Board has partnered with Grundmeyer Leadership Services to lead the search process for our next great school leader. A first step in the process is to gain input from all stakeholders as to the qualities , skills, traits, etc we are looking for in our next leader. In that effort, a brief survey has been created to gather this input. If you have not yet done so, we encourage everyone to take a few moments to fill it out and share your thoughts. You can access the survey here: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfBkLPcRjqYnQ1oEI59E4T7sGDTnLsOvKnfJl7zoIm6tyebWw/viewform Survey deadline is August 31, 2024.

Online registration for the 2024-2025 school year is now open! New and current families should visit the link below to complete this quick and simple process! Current families received an email this morning with more information and the same link. https://www.okobojischools.org/o/ocs/page/enroll-at-okoboji

BIG NEWS! At the July Board Meeting, the OCSD School Board voted to increase daily subsitute teacher pay from $135 to $150! This represents an 11% increase in pay and a nearly 50% raise in pay over the last ten years PLUS the addiiton of a free lunch every day! Substitute teachers play a vital role in the health of our schools and the growth of our students. If you are interested subbing at Okoboji Schools, please contact Danni Bockman at the OCSD District Office. You can email her at dbockman@okobojischools.org, call the office at 712.338.4757, or stop in the office at 1205 7th Street in Milford during business hours!