Okoboji High School

The Okoboji Homecoming Parade will be held on Friday, September 26 @ 2:15 pm. We would encourage local businesses to join us in this great event. If your business wants to be in the parade please use this form to get signed up by September 24th: https://forms.gle/qkBDdPXiHnUzRfAC6

Staging for the parade will take place in the OMS pull up lane and along 6th Street in front of the middle school. Here is the form for those planning to watch!

Happy IT Professionals Day! A huge thank you to our team of Phill McCauley, Amie Hughes, and Michael Hart for their dedication and expertise in keeping our district connected and running smoothly. Your hard work behind the scenes makes a difference every day!

How cool is this?? We got an email this weekend from a parent from Emmetsburg who was here to cheer on their team as they played in the football game against the Pioneers on Friday night. They were so impressed with the tradition that Mr. Kunz and the band have established of playing the other school's song for their fans on the visitor side of the field before the game that they chose to reach out and thank them. We LOVE this tradition and knowing that it is noticed and appreciated by the visiting fans! Keep up the great work Mr. Kunz and the Pioneer Pride Marching Band!

At halftime of the football game on Friday night, a free will donation was taken from both Okoboji and B-H/RV fans. Over $2,200 was raised to support the families of MOC-Floyd Valley students killed and injured in a recent house fire. These funds will be distributed among the fundraising accounts for each family. Following the game, players and coaches from both teams met in the middle of the field to reflect and pray, together, for these teens, families, and the communities of the MOC-FV district.

Order your 2025 Okoboji Homecoming T Shirt today! Join us for One Sweet Week as we celebrate how sweet it is to be a Pioneer! Orders are due by September 17th! Order online at the link below: https://okoboji.formdash.org/groups/hs-student-council/homecoming-2025/

Okoboji Homecoming 2025 is coming soon! If you have a business in the Okoboji School District and would like to have your windows painted to show your school spirit OR if you would like to join the homecoming parade, use this link to sign up! We look forward to celebrating with you and all of Pioneer Nation!

https://forms.gle/KbdV42Nugf49xkDN7

We will be taking a pass-the-bucket donation during halftime of tonight's football game against B-H/RV in Milford to support the families affected by the recent fire that claimed lives and injured several students in the MOC-FV community. Our student section will be wearing purple as well to show support for our fellow conference school as they deal with this terrible tragedy. Please consider donating tonight to support our fellow Northwest Iowans.

Okoboji High School is proud to announce its recognition by the Iowa Department of Education as a FAFSA-Focused School of Excellence for the 2024–25 academic year. This distinction honors schools where 70% or more of graduating seniors completed the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), supporting students’ access to postsecondary financial aid and removing barriers to higher education.

Out of 28 Iowa high schools awarded this honor, Okoboji High stands among the top performers, with FAFSA completion rates significantly outperforming the statewide average of 52%. The school achieved the highest FAFSA completion rate among all public high schools in its AEA and ranks within the top 9% statewide, demonstrating exceptional success in supporting families through a complex process.

This accomplishment reflects the exceptional dedication of Mary Prososki, Okoboji High School’s College and Career Transition Counselor, whose tireless efforts have guided seniors and their families through the FAFSA completion process. Mary’s expertise, patience, and commitment ensured students navigated this critical step with confidence and clarity.

“Completing the FAFSA can be daunting, but Mary’s support made all the difference for our seniors,” said Principal Brian Downing. “Her leadership was a key driver behind Okoboji’s outstanding completion rate.”

The FAFSA designation highlights Okoboji High School’s commitment to "Pioneering Pathways for Every Student" including fostering college-going pathways and ensuring that financial barriers do not impede students’ postsecondary aspirations.

A reminder that school picture days are coming up this month! Picture days will take place the week of September 15th and retakes will happen one month later. Watch for information coming from Split/Rock Photography and remember no money or forms are needed on picture day!

As we celebrate the first day of the 2025-2026 school year at OHS, we also want to recognize and remember our most recent class of graduates, the Class of 2025! Many of these students have already taken the first steps toward their next chapter and many more will be starting college classes today across Iowa and the region! Good luck, OHS Class of 2025 as you take your next steps! We know you are ready! Pioneer your Pathway and don't forget to stop back and visit once in a while! Oh, and call your mom. She misses you!

A reminder that tonight is the night for our 9th Grade and New Student Open House! The event will begin at 6PM in the OHS Auditorium with presentation of important information for parents and students and then there will be time for walking the halls and finding your classes. Printed schedules with locker number will be handed out! If you or your son/daughter will be a freshman or new to OHS this year, please plan to attend!

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!