Today we celebrate National School Nurse’s Day! A huge thank you to our amazing nurses, Kaylee Heinrichs and Katie Thompson, for their tireless dedication to the health and well-being of our students. From ice packs and band-aids to keeping our community safe and healthy, we couldn’t do it without you! 🩺💙
For more than a decade the Okoboji High School Senior Internship Program has been giving every senior the opportunity to engage in a hands-on work-based learning experience in a career field of their interest. At this point more than 750 students have been a part of this capstone high school experience. The program has had a huge impact on a large number of students over the past 10 years and the class of 2026 has been no different. This spotlight series features quotes taken from reflections that the students write as they go through their experience.
Today we feature Aidan Gehrke who took the opportunity to work with former OHS Teacher and current Spencer Middle School Principal Blake Wendt and Assistant Principal Alex Drier as he explored a possible future in education and educational administration. As you can see from Aidan's quote, he enjoyed the experience and it cemented his decision! He has now been accepted at UNI and is excited about his next steps!
Congratulations Aidan and thank you to his mentors at Spencer Middle School for helping him pioneer his pathway!
Today we feature Aidan Gehrke who took the opportunity to work with former OHS Teacher and current Spencer Middle School Principal Blake Wendt and Assistant Principal Alex Drier as he explored a possible future in education and educational administration. As you can see from Aidan's quote, he enjoyed the experience and it cemented his decision! He has now been accepted at UNI and is excited about his next steps!
Congratulations Aidan and thank you to his mentors at Spencer Middle School for helping him pioneer his pathway!
Congratulations to 2026 Okoboji High School Governor's Scholar Nicholas Stein and his honored teacher, Mrs. Terri Cuttell, OHS Math Instructor! You make us Proud to be ONE!
Everyone is cordially invited to our Senior Awards Night this Sunday, April 26th beginning at 7PM in the OHS South Gym! Scholarships will be awarded and recognitions will be presented to members of the OHS Class of 2026. We hope to see you there!
For more than a decade the Okoboji High School Senior Internship Program has been giving every senior the opportunity to engage in a hands-on work-based learning experience in a career field of their interest. At this point more than 750 students have been a part of this capstone high school experience. The program has had a huge impact on a large number of students over the past 10 years and the class of 2026 has been no different. This spotlight series features quotes taken from reflections that the students write as they go through their experience.
Today we feature Ella DeRuyter who came into her senior year planning to major in business but decided to check out what it would be like to teach. She had such a great experience at Okoboji Elementary School that she is now planning to go into teaching and is excited for her future to begin!
Congratulations Ella and thank you to her mentors at OES for helping her pioneer her pathway!
Today we feature Ella DeRuyter who came into her senior year planning to major in business but decided to check out what it would be like to teach. She had such a great experience at Okoboji Elementary School that she is now planning to go into teaching and is excited for her future to begin!
Congratulations Ella and thank you to her mentors at OES for helping her pioneer her pathway!
Happy Administrative Professionals Day! 🌟
Today, we are celebrating the incredible team that keeps the Okoboji Community School District running smoothly every single day. From the front offices of our schools to the District Office, these dedicated professionals are the heart of our buildings.
Please join us in thanking:
Missy Baschke & Kelly Kuehler (District Office)
Kizze Hromatko & Amanda Fuhrman (High School)
Lenae Rubis (Middle School)
Lisa Harman (Elementary School)
Whether they are greeting students with a smile, managing complex schedules, or supporting our staff, their hard work and kindness make our district a better place for everyone. We couldn't do it without you!
Today, we are celebrating the incredible team that keeps the Okoboji Community School District running smoothly every single day. From the front offices of our schools to the District Office, these dedicated professionals are the heart of our buildings.
Please join us in thanking:
Missy Baschke & Kelly Kuehler (District Office)
Kizze Hromatko & Amanda Fuhrman (High School)
Lenae Rubis (Middle School)
Lisa Harman (Elementary School)
Whether they are greeting students with a smile, managing complex schedules, or supporting our staff, their hard work and kindness make our district a better place for everyone. We couldn't do it without you!
Another great story from our recent Junior Job Shadow Day! OHS Junior Miles Wasson spent the morning at Liberty Bank learning from Matt Mueller. Matt shared this photo and said: "I wanted to thank you for allowing Liberty National Bank to host Miles this morning. He had a great experience and gained valuable insight in the world of banking. He was able to see all aspects in the banking world, including deposits, loans, and understanding how banks generate revenue."
Thank you to Matt and Liberty Bank in Okoboji for opening your doors and giving your time to help students like Miles!
#PioneeringPathwaysForEveryStudent
Thank you to Matt and Liberty Bank in Okoboji for opening your doors and giving your time to help students like Miles!
#PioneeringPathwaysForEveryStudent
On Thursday, April 23rd all OHS sophomores will spend the morning attending the Build My Future event at the Clay County Regional Events Center. This immersive and hands-on event will engage our students in a number of different career fields and give them a glimpse into great future options the can realize right here in the Iowa Great Lakes region!
Thank you to the Iowa Lakes Corridor Development Corporation for the hard work of putting on this event!
The 10th Annual Okoboji Summer Job Fair was a huge success! Thank you to all of the businesses who participated and to Arnolds Park Amusement Park for allowing us to use the beautiful Roof Garden Ballroom once again. We had a lot of great connections made between students and employers and even found a number of current students and OHS graduates recruiting at the fair for their own businesses. We can't wait to do it again next spring! Next spring the date has been set for Friday, April 2.
Today was a BIG day for our Juniors! Junior Job Shadow Day gave them the chance to spend a half day in the field with real professionals in a career area of their interest. We had a very wide variety of experiences and all students gained valuable insights that will help them make important decisions about their futures. Special thanks to our Pathways Coordinator Erin Frerichs for the hard work she has done over the past several months to make all of these connections and to our 30+ area businesses and individuals who welcomed our students and gave of their time and expertise. Our community is amazing and we appreciate you all! We hope to share pictures of some of the experiences our students had in the coming days! #PioneeringPathwaysForEveryStudent!
CONGRATULATIONS to the Okoboji High School Jazz Band on earning class 2A runner up at the Iowa Jazz Championships today! The band sounded amazing! Special congratulations to Elliana Antoine and Asher Knudtson on being named outstanding performers!
We have shared many times about the Senior Internship Program in which every graduating senior engages in a work-based learning internship in a career field of their interest. This program takes kids outside of the walls of the school to learn, develop, and practice both academic and employability skills and to gain valuable insights into a career field they may pursue after graduation.
The program has taken kids many places over the last 10 years but this year we had a first. For the first time a senior internship opportunity took one of our students all the way to Germany! OHS Senior Liam Wittkamp spent several days in Germany in late March as a part of his internship with WindTest, an international company that does testing of wind turbines. Liam got to work with the company on site in Germany and spend time in Dusseldorf and Cologne.
Liam described it as "the experience of a lifetime" and said he learned so much about the company and sound measurement and hopes to be able to return to Germany in the future! Congratulations Liam on an outstanding experience and we are glad you had this opportunity to Pioneer your Pathway all the way to Germany!
The program has taken kids many places over the last 10 years but this year we had a first. For the first time a senior internship opportunity took one of our students all the way to Germany! OHS Senior Liam Wittkamp spent several days in Germany in late March as a part of his internship with WindTest, an international company that does testing of wind turbines. Liam got to work with the company on site in Germany and spend time in Dusseldorf and Cologne.
Liam described it as "the experience of a lifetime" and said he learned so much about the company and sound measurement and hopes to be able to return to Germany in the future! Congratulations Liam on an outstanding experience and we are glad you had this opportunity to Pioneer your Pathway all the way to Germany!
We have an exciting announcement for Wednesday, May 20! Rather than announce it all at once, let's see how good our community is at figuring out clues. Here is a clue related to the exciting announcement. Any guesses?
We have more than 30 area businesses signed up to participate in the 10th Annual Okoboji Summer Job Fair! Is yours signed up? If not, there is still time to join us for this FREE event that gives you the chance to meet over 200 area 14-18 year-olds looking for summer and year-round work! The fair takes place from 8:30-11:30 AM on Friday, April 10th at the Roof Garden at Arnolds Park! Sign up at the banner at the top of our website www.okobojischools.org
Did You Know?
Okoboji Community Schools has been one of the fasted growing schools in Northwest Iowa and in the top 10% in growth statewide over the last 15 years?
Despite a recent leveling off due to local housing constraints, Okoboji’s growth since 2010 is a remarkable 19.2%. We remain the 3rd fastest-growing school district in Northwest Iowa, proving that families continue to make Okoboji their top choice for the long haul!
*Sources: Iowa Department of Education Certified Enrollment Reports
Okoboji Community Schools has been one of the fasted growing schools in Northwest Iowa and in the top 10% in growth statewide over the last 15 years?
Despite a recent leveling off due to local housing constraints, Okoboji’s growth since 2010 is a remarkable 19.2%. We remain the 3rd fastest-growing school district in Northwest Iowa, proving that families continue to make Okoboji their top choice for the long haul!
*Sources: Iowa Department of Education Certified Enrollment Reports
Spring Break is almost here! ☀️🏖️😎
No school for all Okoboji Community School buildings March 16-20! Whether you are traveling or staying local, we hope you get a chance to relax and recharge!
We look forward to seeing you back on Monday, March 23!
Due to the forecast weather for late this evening, our Inclusion Carnival has been shortened to run from 5-7 PM at Okoboji Middle School. There will be lots of great activities, games, and of course food! Come out to support our Special Olympics program!
Sign ups are open for Spring Conferences at all OCSD buildings! Conferences will be held for grades PK-6 on Tuesday, February 24th and Thursday, February 26th and for grades 7-12 on Thursday, February 26th! The sign up links have been emailed to all parents today. We look forward to this opportunity to partner with you to Pioneer Pathways for EVERY Student!
Happy National School Counseling Week!
From helping students navigate friendships and future plans to offering calm in stressful moments, our school counselors do it all. We are so grateful for the heart, patience, and dedication they bring every single day. School counselors are an important part of every school team and we at Okoboji are blessed with some of the best! Thank you to OES Counselor Carrie Stauss, OMS Counselor Eric Thompson, and OHS Counselor Emily Schaefer (as well as Counseling Intern Jaydn Barnett!) for everything you do!
From helping students navigate friendships and future plans to offering calm in stressful moments, our school counselors do it all. We are so grateful for the heart, patience, and dedication they bring every single day. School counselors are an important part of every school team and we at Okoboji are blessed with some of the best! Thank you to OES Counselor Carrie Stauss, OMS Counselor Eric Thompson, and OHS Counselor Emily Schaefer (as well as Counseling Intern Jaydn Barnett!) for everything you do!
Okoboji High School is proud to announce our 2025-2026 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, with no D or F grades, 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! Congratulations to all of these students and their families. Keep up the great work!
With all of the demands on the time and attention of teenagers, achieving academic success is always something to be honored! Congratulations to all of these students and their families. Keep up the great work!
