Oconomowoc High School (OHS) is working to prepare students for college, career, and life – but that's a goal for every high school, how is OHS different? OHS is redefining what life readiness means by focusing on four areas:
- Rigorous academic programs
- Personalized and career-specific learning experiences
- Social and emotional skills
- Readiness to succeed in life beyond high school
These four areas are supported by several key readiness indicators, developed by the American Association of School Administrators. These indicators include benchmarks for standardized testing to indicate that a student is college ready and behavioral and experiential benchmarks to indicate that a student is career ready. From these indicators, OHS administration and staff set five goals for this school year:
- Career Readiness Goal – All grade levels will attain a minimum of 90% attendance by the end of the 2018-19 school year.
- Career Readiness Goal – Students will decrease the number of instances of arriving tardy to school by 20% by the end of the 2018-19 school year.
- Career Readiness Goal – Workplace learning experiences and students earning industry credentials will increase by 25% by the end of the 2018-19 school year.
- College Readiness Goal – Instances of academic dishonesty will decrease by 20% by the end of the 2018-19 school year.
- Life Readiness Goal – The number of students participating in organized club activities will increase by 20% by the end of the 2018-19 school year.
Is OHS Achieving These Goals?
OHS students and staff have rallied around these goals and are exceeding them. The current overall attendance rate for all OHS students is 94.6% and by grade level is 92.4% or higher. This high rate of attendance shows a student body that is engaged in school and giving their best each day.
When analyzing attendance data, OHS leaders found that the first hour of the school day had the lowest attendance and that late arrival was affecting student performance throughout the day. Staff worked with students to emphasize the importance of arriving on time for school and future careers, which helped students exceed their goal and reduce tardiness by 43%.
Workplace learning experiences have significantly grown this year and are projected to increase even more in the next school year. Youth Apprenticeship enrollment has increased by 114% in the 2018-19 school year, and Industry Certifications have increased by 148%.
Decreasing academic dishonesty is a key college readiness indicator and one that OHS staff tackled through a variety of strategies, including helping students understand what academic dishonesty means and ways to prevent it. These efforts paid off, and students decreased instances of academic dishonesty by 37%.
Increasing club participation as a way of increasing engagement, a sense of community, and school pride is the final goal that OHS students exceeded this year. The number of students involved in a club this year has increased by 25%.
These successes are exciting for OHS staff and students and will lay the foundation for more challenging goals in the 2019-20 school year.
What Does This Achievement Look Like for Students?
Creating, monitoring, and exceeding these goals have taken focused effort for staff and students at OHS, but how does this work affect individual students?
Four OHS students joined the Oconomowoc Area School District (OASD) School Board meeting on May 21, to share how OHS administration and staff have helped them prepare for their futures, whether they are college, apprenticeship, or workforce bound after graduation.
OHS Freshman Jack Brennan, shared a video about his feeling of belonging and community, saying, "I feel happy at the high school, and my friends make me happy." Jack participates in the Best Buddies club and enjoys football and basketball games after school.
Sophomore, Hannah Lilienkamp talked about her commitment to success at OHS. "I feel comfort in fulfilling my dreams, knowing that everyone, including all of my teachers and leaders, has my back and supports me. After my time here at OHS, I hope to be selected for direct admission to the nursing program at Marquette University. My goal is to already have my Certified Nursing Assistant license going into college and have this work experience under my belt working as a CNA." She added, "As part of my schooling, I hope to fulfill all of the steps of becoming a nurse anesthetist where I can work in the labor and delivery care unit. OHS is helping me to achieve these goals by providing an IB Career Programme for students wanting to go into certain work fields."
OHS Junior, Isaac Deering shared his experience in the Youth Apprenticeship program and the professional accountability he's learning through his work with Zeman Tool. "When I'm on the job I work on a CNC lathe under the supervision of an experienced operator, learning many things like writing programs, reading blueprints and applying what I have learned at OHS, like math and communication skills, but I've also picked up on the process and the talk of the manufacturing world. Every time I go into work, I'm guaranteed to learn something new that will last for a lifetime." He added, "Working my youth apprenticeship has opened me up to a wide variety of opportunities that will launch me into my future with a promising outcome."
Senior, Madison Sabel concluded by telling the School Board how OHS has helped her to be ready for the future. "Throughout my high school career, I have pushed myself to make the most out of high school and take away as much as I could. I became motivated to take on every opportunity presented to me because you never know where each opportunity could lead. There were times I felt defeated, but there is no greater feeling than seeing all of my hard work pay off." She added, "Oconomowoc High School (OHS) has allowed me to prepare myself for the "real world". I am truly blessed to be a part of a school and community that genuinely cares about me and wants to see me succeed."
Oconomowoc High School Board Showcase Presenters
Left to Right: Hannah Lilienkamp; OHS Principal, Jason Curtis; Madison Sabel; OHS School to Career Coordinator, Kyla Stefan; Isaac Deering; OHS Psychologist, Brianne Decker; OHS Low Incidence Coordinator, Katy Hayes; Jack Brennan; OHS Counselor, Susan Verhagen
