Wildcat News
April 1, 2024
DATES TO REMEMBER:
- April 1-5 | NO SCHOOL | Spring Break
- April 15 | Month of the Military Child | Purple Up!
- April 29 | 6pm | School Board Meeting
A Letter From Your Administrators
Dear Wildcat Families,
Spring is finally here, and students and staff get to start the month of April by enjoying a week away! Whether they have big travel plans or just plan to โchillโ, we know that a rest is well-deserved by all!
As we, too, step back from the usual demands of the day, we would like to share with you an aspect of school inner-workings about which you may not be aware. Each year, every individual public school creates a School Improvement Plan (SIP). This is a set of goals we set for our students and staff that are unique to our needs and capabilities. As we created the SIP for OHHS, we consulted with multiple stakeholder groups, including: students, our PTO, small staff committees, and the greater OHHS staff.
A document containing our 2023-2024 SIP can be found here. Additionally, we are sharing this slideshow, which includes the data that informed our decisions as we created the plan. (We want to make certain that we share the thinking behind two of the four goals: The goals that center around achievements in Math and Language Arts reference 9th grade achievement. This is because we know that ninth graders who end the year on-track are four times more likely to graduate. It is a stronger indicator of future graduation than race, ethnicity, income status or test scores.)
We want to extend our gratitude to those of you who helped us to create and refine our SIP, as well as to anyone who works with OHHS students regularly as educators, parents, and/or mentors. A shared awareness of what we hope students can achieve can only us stronger. We are all in this together.
Have a wonderful Spring Break! We look forward to seeing everyone when they return!
~OHHS Admin Team
Month of the Military Child
The Department of Defense established April as the Month of the Military Child in 1986 to celebrate the youth of our military. While military members serve our country around the world, it is easy to forget the unique challenges faced by their children. Purple indicates support for all the branches of the armed forces through the combination of their colors. You are invited to Purple Up on April 15th as we show support for the military children in our community.
Lost Something?
It is time for some spring cleaning in the front office. Our lost and found rack is getting a little full. Please swing by the hallway between the counseling center and the front office to see if any of the coats, water bottles, lunch boxes etc. might be one of your long lost items. More valuable items like earbuds and headphones are at the front desk.
On April 22nd, unclaimed items will be donated.
Get Involved
Counseling Center
Students! Have you checked up on your high school graduation requirements?
Community service hours and Career Exploration Opportunity forms must be turned into your advisory teacher.
Senior Scholarships Available to Families Who Belong to PTO
Our Parent Teacher Organization (PTO) continues its tradition of funding scholarships for graduating seniors. This year the PTO has two scholarships available, each worth $1,000. Requirements are a bit different than many other scholarships: PTO Membership; 3.0 GPA; Community Involvement.
Information about the scholarship can be found at the Counseling office, alongside the many other scholarships.
If your family is not a 2023-24 PTO member, you can still join for merely $15. Use this link to join.
NOTE: There are currently only a few families with Seniors that belong to the PTO.
Deadline to apply: April 16, 2024
Who's My Counselor?
Counseling Receptionist | Mrs. Schurr | 360.279.5717
9th Grade | Mrs. Arnold | 360.279.5714
10th Grade | Mrs. Smith | 360.279.5712
11th Grade | Mrs. Waller | 360.279.5716
12th Grade | Mrs. Chargualaf | 360.279.5713
New 12th grade students, Career & College, Foreign Exchange Students:
Mrs. Kellison | 360.279.5710
Student Support
Mental Health Counselor | Mrs. Weinsheimer | 360.279.5766
SAP Prevention & Intervention | Mr. Keck | 360.279.5715
Student Support Specialist | Mrs. Cushway & Mrs. Kestenbaum | 360.279.5784
Assessment Coordinator & Graduation Milestones | Mrs. Danielson | 360.279.5782
In The Classroom
Multilingual Students Visit Broadview
Ms. Grunewald's class of multilingual students created children's books patterned after the SkippyJon Jones series, using code switching to teach words and phrases in their first languages. The students walked to Broad View and read to a third-grade ML class. Languages represented were Mandarin, Palauan, Tagalog, Marshallese, and Spanish.
Skills USA Competition
Our Skills USA students went to competition at the end of March to demonstrate the skills they develop in our CTE program. Thanks to the dedicated instruction of our talented teachers, Chris Whiteman, Mary Rawlins, Susan Rogers, Lincoln Kelley and Jana Jansen, our students placed in multiple areas.
Architectural Drafting
Silver | Calum Mannion
Dental Assisting
Gold | Jordan Garstin
Engineering Technology-Design
Gold | Erastine Gee, Grant Nienhuis and Courtney Williams
Silver | Chellomae Jugo, Savannah Vobee and Khryza Castillo
Interactive Application and Video Game
Bronze | Fabian Escudero and Michi Rosas
Motorcycle Service Technology
Gold | Mikell Green
Silver | Laylah Muro
Bronze | Keira Newkirk
Pin Design
Gold | Olivia Hudson
Technical Drafting
Gold | Branson Turner
Bronze | Courtney Williams
Band and Choir Excel at SJMEA Festivals
The last week of march, OHHS band and choir students traveled to Bellingham to attend the SJMEA regional festivals.
At the Tuesday, March 26 band festival, Symphonic Band and Wind Ensemble performed very well. Both bands received a Superior ranking continuing OHHS's tradition of excellence under the direction of our new band director Ms. Katie O'Shea.
Choir students from Harbor Singers and Treble Choir performed at the festival on Thursday, March 28th. They also represented our school well receiving Superior rankings for both choirs!
We are very proud of the hard work these students and their directors have done to enrich the lives of each other and our community.
Club News
Multicultural Assembly
OHHSโ 3rd annual Multicultural Assembly pulls off another stunning performance! Dances, demonstrations, poetry, and interactive games all share the different cultures of each participant. A huge thank you goes out to the assembly performers, who gave their time, and enthusiasm in sharing their cultures, to put on an amazing performance for us once again:
OHHS Legacy Dance Club (Thai girl-group dance) ๐น๐ญ
Oak Harbor Karate (Demonstration) ๐ฏ๐ต
Rea Serrano (Poem) ๐
Emu (Mongolian Ballroom dance) ๐
Junior, Loto, and Alofa (Samoan Dance) ๐ผ๐ธ
Kaimi, Kaiola, Kepano, and Koa (Maori Haka) ๐
Guilherme (Game) ๐ป
Swago'pinos (Tinikling) ๐ต๐ญ
Emigdio Rodriguez Alonzo (Mariachi piece) ๐ฒ๐ฝ
Thank you to the performers, Multicultural Club, and Leadership class!
Reporting by Marz Venegas โ25
Photography by Zoey Spanos โ25, Madison Yadon โ25, and Kirra Esparza โ25
Washington State Thespian Festival
Over the weekend of March 16, OHHS Drama Club, Thespian Troupe 6307 attended the Washington State Thespian Festival in Ellensburg. Troupe 6307 was reactivated in 2017 and achieved several firsts under the guidance of our Drama instructor Micki Gibson.
The troupe won the Bronze Honor Troupe award with a presentation put together by co-presidents Kincaid Cochran and Eclipse Garrett. This was the first time since the reactivation of the troupe that they had entered for this award which recognizes achievement in theatre participation, production, and outreach.
Next, the talented co-president Eclipse Garrett won the Dana Brown Thespian Scholarship for study in theatre education. This is the first time our drama students have had a Thespian scholarship winner.
For yet another first achievement, the troupe took one of the plays from last Fallโs Drama Fest, Nellie by Robby Steltz and directed by seniors Kincaid Cochran and Eclipse Garret, to be adjudicated. Nellie scored a Superior rating and was also chosen as the Chapter select. OHHS Drama Club, Thespian Troupe 6307 will be performing at the International Thespian Festival at Indiana University in June!
Congratulations to all the students in the OHHS Drama Club! As they begin fundraising for their trip to Nationals, your next opportunity to see these talented kids on stage is May 18th at Comedy Night.
Robotics Heading to Championships
This week in competition with thirty-six high school teams from around western Washington the team's robot performed very well and the team also came away with the FIRST Robotics largest single award. The Impact Award is the most prestigious award at FIRST and honors the team that best represents a model for other teams to emulate and best embodies the mission of FIRST.
Congratulations to our Wildcats, the Impact Award winners at this weekend's Bonney Lake competition. Great Job, Team! FIRST Washington FIRST Robotics Competition
Here is what the Judges had to say:
"This team impressed the judges with how they spread and utilize STEM skills to those in their community. Not only do they support eight FLL teams and three FTC teams but they have also become beacons of support in their community, hosting numerous events to uplift young minds in technology, ensuring Robotics for All. "But their commitment extends beyond robotics. They've built ramps and modified gardens, ensuring "accessibility" and "including" are more than just words in their community. They've also tackled societal issues head-on, making significant strides in menstrual equity and empowering student voices through legislation. These Wild Islanders are the Purr-fect model for other teams to emulate. " The Impact Award is the most prestigious award at FIRST and honors the team that best represents a model for other teams to emulate and best embodies the mission of FIRST. Congratulations to our Wildcats, the Impact Award winners at this weekend's Bonney Lake competition. Great Job, Team
Color Guard Competes in State Championships
On Saturday, March 23rd, the Winter Guard made history as the first team to bring home a trophy in a winter guard competition. They participated in the Pacific Performing Arts Association's (PPA) Color Guard & Percussion Competition at North Thurston High School. They joined 8 other WA high school guards, one independent guard and two high school percussions groups in this event that is known as the โSport of the Arts.โ
The Winter Guard program currently has 14 students and an all-volunteer coaching staff under the band director, Ms. OโShea. On Saturday, they made their competition season debut and brought home the 2nd place trophy in the Scholastic Regional A Class. About 2 points shy of first place. They head to Wenatchee this Saturday, March 30th to compete in the PPA Championships.
If you are unable to make it to Wenatchee, youโll want to attend the Winter Showcase on April 12th here at OHHS to watch the last performance of their show. They then return in the fall as they switch back to Color Guard, which is the outdoor program that performs & competes with the Wildcat Show Band.
Cape Club Blood Drive
CAPE Club organized and hosted their 3rd Blood Donation Drive with Bloodworks on March 29th before Spring Break. Their next Blood Donation Drive is May 31st for students. OHHS students did a great job giving up their class time to give back to their community. They wish to thank staff, library staff, front office staff, Bloodworks, and admin for the support and opportunity.
Wildcat Athletics
April Home Games
Monday, April 1
4:00 pm | Boys Varsity Baseball vs. Lakewood
Tuesday, April 2
4:00 pm | Boys Varsity Baseball vs. Lynden Christian
Monday, April 8
3:00 pm | Boys JV Golf vs. Mount Vernon
4:00 pm Boys JV Baseball vs. Mount Vernon
Tuesday, April 9
4:00 pm | Girls Varsity Softball vs. Sehome
4:00 pm | Girls Varsity Tennis vs. Sehome
Thursday, April 11
3:00 pm | Boys Varsity Golf vs. Burlington-Edison
4:00 pm | Boys JV Baseball vs. Bellingham
4:00 pm | Girls JV Tennis vs. Burlington-Edison
5:00 pm | Boys JV Soccer vs. Sehome
7:00 pm | Boys Varsity Soccer vs. Sehome
Friday, April 12
4:00 pm | Boys Varsity Baseball vs. Ferndale
Monday, April 15
4:00 pm | Boys JV Baseball vs. Sehome
Tuesday, April 16
4:00 pm | Girls Varsity Softball vs. Mount Vernon
4:00 pm | Girls Varsity Tennis vs. Lynden
5:00 pm | Boys JV Soccer vs. Sedro-Woolley
7:00 pm | Boys Varsity Soccer vs. Sedro-Woolley
Wednesday, April 17
3:00 pm | Boys Varsity Track vs. Ferndale
3:30 pm | Girls Varsity Track vs. Sedro-Woolley
4:00 pm | Boys Varsity Baseball vs. Anacortes High School
Thursday, April 18
4:00 pm | Girls JV Tennis vs. Blaine
Friday, April 19
4:00 pm | Boys Varsity Baseball vs. Sedro-Woolley
Saturday, April 20
12:00 pm | Boys JV Soccer vs. Ferndale
2:00 pm | Boys Varsity Soccer vs. Ferndale
Monday, April 22
4:00 pm | Boys JV Baseball vs. Nooksack Valley
Tuesday, April 23
2:00 pm | Girls Varsity Golf vs. Lakewood
4:00 pm | Girls JV Tennis vs. Ferndale
5:00 pm | Boys JV Soccer vs. Burlington-Edison
7:00 pm | Boys Varsity Soccer vs. Burlington-Edison
Thursday, April 25
2:30 pm | Girls JV Golf vs. Snohomish
4:00 pm | Boys Varsity Baseball vs. Blaine
4:00 pm | Girls Varsity Softball vs. Squalicum
4:00 pm | Girls Varsity Tennis vs. Squalicum
5:00 pm | Boys JV Soccer vs. Mount Vernon
5:30 pm | Girls JV Softball vs. Squalicum
7:00 pm | Boys Varsity Soccer vs. Mount Vernon
Monday, April 29
3:30 pm | JV Track vs. Mount Vernon
4:00 pm | Girls Tennis JV Tennis vs. Anacortes
Tuesday, April 30
3:00 pm | Boys Varsity Golf vs. Ferndale
4:00 pm | Boys JV Baseball vs. Lynden
4:00 pm | Girls Varsity Softball vs. Lynden Christian
5:30 pm | Girls JV Softball vs. Lynden Christian
CONTACT INFORMATION:
Email | ohhsinfo@ohsd.net
Facebook | https://www.facebook.com/oakharborhighwa
Phone | 360.279.5800
Fax | 360.279.5794