OTTUMWA —
The OHS back-to-school event wasn’t all fun and games — though it was mostly fun and games.
Coaches, administrators and math teachers alike took turns sitting on the break-away bench above a big tank of water. Ottumwa High School students took turns hurling brightly painted softballs at the release button.
For some reason, the dunk tank was mostly attracting a long line of talented high school athletes — meaning there were some really wet teachers.
Other teachers — mostly the dry ones — seemed to think the first attempt at a Bulldog Block Party was going really well.
When they first came up with the idea, said Principal Mark Hanson, the goal was to welcome students and their parents to a brand new school year in a positive way.
Getting everyone together, it is hoped, will help build not only school spirit but contribute to a culture where the school is a close-knit community that is part of the larger Ottumwa community.
The back-to-school event had games, food, even some a capella singing from one of the clubs lined up along Second Street in the hopes of recruiting new members.
OHS had permission to close the street to traffic for the part of the road called Bulldog Boulevard that runs in front of the school. Hundreds of kids and parents showed up.
Before getting the opportunity to meet this year’s teachers, a large number of parents and a few students went inside to listen to what Hanson and his staff want to see this year.
“The theme this year has to do with pride,” said the principal. “Our goal at OHS is for our students and staff ... to be proud of who they are and what they represent.”
That means students will be respectful in school, to staff and to each other. They’ll dress appropriately, without showing off bras, underpants or body parts that wouldn’t be acceptable in the work world. No hats or bandanas, and no pants hanging down around a student’s knees.
The high school has received attention in the past — not all of it has been positive. That can change, Hanson said. The freshman academy plan has its first members in four years entering school as seniors this year. Monitoring these students, the program estimates that instead of a graduation rate that was hovering around 78 percent, this year, 89 percent of OHS seniors are on track to graduate.
Still more improvements and changes are needed by staff and students. Hanson ran through 10 points he felt would be important.
One requirement parents probably didn’t hear about when they were in high school: use technology respectfully. Some of the problems the school has had over the past few years “started the night before on the Internet,” Hanson said.
Yes, he said, the school has renovated rooms, put in better lighting on campus and painted more school colors throughout the building as well as made some other physical changes.
“But the real changes,” Hanson said, “have to come from inside, from inside these walls ... to create an image we can be proud of.”
Local News
Related Photos
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Cheerleaders at Ottumwa High School show pride in their school during the back-to-school block party Thursday. Mark Newman/The Courier
Ottumwa High School block party hopes to instill school spirit
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