Okoboji High School

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!

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!

The numbers from first semester are in and once again Okoboji High School students took full advantage of the opportunity to earn college credits in high school! Our students learn and grow from college-credit classes taught in our classrooms by OHS instructors, on location at Iowa Lakes Community College sites, and online! This helps them advance their knowledge, reach their post-secondary goals more quickly, and do it all at no cost!

Just another way we are Pioneering Pathways for Every Student!

Okoboji Basketball for tonight, Dec. 9 is postponed.

🎄 Experience the magic of the season at Christmas at Captains! 🎶
Join us for a wonderful evening of live festive music featuring the talented Okoboji High School band and choir! Get into the holiday spirit while supporting our amazing student musicians. This is more than just a concert; it's a community celebration!
What: Live Christmas music fundraiser for the high school band & choir.
When: December 18th, 6:00-8:00pm
Where: Captain's Getaway, 107 W Broadway St, Arnolds Park
Cost: Free! Donations will be taken and used for Okoboji music programs
Gather your friends and family for a night of holiday cheer and support student success! 🎅🎁

This Christmas, give the gift that keeps on giving all year long: the Fall 2025 edition of The Okoboji Literary & Art Magazine! Bursting with stunning ceramics and artwork hand-selected from Mrs. Turner’s talented students, plus a special showcase of Mrs. Krueger’s incredible 7th and 8th grade artists, this beautiful issue also features poetry and short stories created by Okoboji’s own students. Order your copies today and wrap up pure Okoboji magic under the tree!

🎄 Experience the magic of the season at Christmas at Captains! 🎶
Join us for a wonderful evening of live festive music featuring the talented Okoboji High School band and choir! Get into the holiday spirit while supporting our amazing student musicians. This is more than just a concert; it's a community celebration!
What: Live Christmas music fundraiser for the high school band & choir.
When: December 28th, 6:00-8:00pm
Where: Captain's Getaway, 107 W Broadway St, Arnolds Park
Cost: Free! Donations will be taken and used for Okoboji music programs
Gather your friends and family for a night of holiday cheer and support student success! 🎅🎁

Happy National Substitute Teacher Appreciation Day! Today we celebrate the incredible substitute teachers who step in with flexibility, kindness, and a willingness to support our students and staff at a moment’s notice. Your adaptability and dedication keep our school running smoothly, and we are truly grateful for all you do. Thank you for being an essential part of our Okoboji Schools family!

Our Okoboji educators Mrs. Clouse & Mrs. Rients took the national stage at NCTE this weekend in Denver! They presented Scrolling for Stories: How Instagram Ignites Independent Reading, sharing how KB Lit Adventure boosts student engagement and builds a culture of reading. We’re proud to have such innovative teachers representing Pioneers!

Today, we pause to honor and thank all who have served in our nation’s armed forces. Your courage, sacrifice, and commitment to protecting our freedoms inspire us all. From all of us at Okoboji Community Schools, we are deeply grateful for the veterans in our community and across the country. Thank you for your service. ❤️🤍💙

Congratulations to the OHS instrumental musicians who auditioned for the Northwest Iowa Bandmasters Association Honor Band! 12 students auditioned and 11 were accepted into the band! Those accepted include:
Brynley Wipf - flute
Caden Swenson - clarinet
Lyla Petersen - alto sax
Asher Knudtson - bari sax
Hudson Downing - trumpet
Ben Roos - trumpet
Aiden Schable - trumpet
Annamaria Simone - trumpet
Ella Downing - French horn
Brianna Swenson - euphonium
Elliana Antoine - percussion

Congratulations to all!

In an attempt to help members of our community who are struggling to keep food on the table, OCSD is holding a food drive! See the information and please spread the word! Donations can be dropped off at the main foyer at Entrance A of Okoboji High School. Donations will be taken to Upper Des Moines Opportunity each Tuesday. Let's work together to help support our community! Please share!

Pioneer Fans! We can't wait to see you at Pioneer Stadium this Friday evening as your 7-1 District Runner-Up Pioneer Football Team takes on the Knights of Unity Christian in the first round of playoffs! Please know the ticketing process for state playoffs is different and NOT through Bound, as our regular season games are. Please see this information for getting your tickets purchased ahead of time! Go Pioneers!

Each year the Iowa School Performance Profiles are released with data on every school building and district in Iowa. We are proud of our consistently high four-year graduation rate. As many things have changed for kids today, graduating high school on time often takes more flexibility and team work with some students balancing many outside of school responsibilities and commitments. Our high four-year graduation rate is a testament to the hard work and determination of our students, our teachers, and our instructional support staff like counselors, associates, and administrators who show up every day to make sure all students can earn their high school diploma!

Each year the Iowa School Performance Profiles are released with data on every school building and district in Iowa. We are proud that OHS continues to be a leader in the state in the percentage of graduates who earn college credit while still in high school. Dual credit opportunities, both those offered here at OHS through our own teachers, and those offered by ILCC either online or in person through Career Academies, give our students a head start on the next step of their pathway. These free opportunities often save students and their families semesters or years of college tuition as well!

If you missed school picture day in September or were just having a bad hair day, retakes are tomorrow morning! Retakes for OMS and OHS will be held at the Middle School between 7:45 and 9 AM! OHS students can go to the middle school before school or come to the office at the start of the day and check out to go to OMS to get their picture taken!