Fall Highlights at Oxford High School

We're off to another exciting year!
What makes OHS an outstanding school is both the number and quality of opportunities our students are provided.  The purpose of this blog is to highlight and share the amazing things that take place at Oxford High School.  Our mission is to provide an education that challenges all students to achieve their maximum potential.  We strive to help our students become the best version of themselves.  Our amazing students inspire our staff and give us purpose to work hard to help them succeed.  Our students also give us pride and joy when they excel at everything they do.  This is why we aim to celebrate our success and accomplishments. 

Relationships First.  Learning is about making connections - both cognitively and socially.  Without a connection, learning lacks meaning.  We know that personal connections facilitate learning, and that's why we value the relationships we build with each other in our learning community.

On August 25th, our LINK Crew joined our new Freshman class of 2022 for a morning of team building actives.  In the afternoon, Freshman began their registration and the start of their High School experience.   
The purpose of our LINK Crew is to providing ongoing support for our underclassman.  Our upperclassmen also host events, like their Welcome Night on Sept 14th, to get our students better connected to OHS.  This year, our LINK students are looking to create additional opportunities throughout the school year.


On October ninth, 49 students were inducted into our National Honors Society  NHS is an organization established to recognize outstanding high school students. More than just an honor roll, NHS serves to recognize students who have demonstrated excellence in the areas of scholarship, service, leadership, and character.
Pictured above - NHS Induction Photo 
(back row) Jillian Beall-President, Aleah Dymond, Peter Burean, John Keller, Paige Palmer, Paul DeAngelis, Scott Masterson, Alexander Lundy, Trevor Wallace, Max Jenson, Caleb Watson, Katie Perry, (third row) Audrey Krause-Treasurer, Maeghan Kroon, Ashley Steffens, Shelby Wilmot, Hannah Valley, Kendall Losee, MacKenzie Finley, Kamryn Royster, Rayenna Sutton, Tate Hamilton, Madeline Lukens, Kate Wozniak, Sophia Miller, Cailin Griffith-Secretary, (second row) Alexa Mirovsky, Ashleigh Farrell, Alyssa Kessler, Miranda Cook, Cassidy Chaisson, Elsa Clark, Emma VanLoon, Kayla Szalewicz, Brianna Maier, Kinsey Jones, Shelby Mueller, Kylie Childers, Beth Devlin-Historian, (front row) Eleanor Dolata, Alexa Warman, Katelyn DiGasbarro, Brianna Beethem, Olivia Soule, Summer Bell, Keira Veltigian, Paige Miller, Anne Cobble, Hannah Kwapis, Emma Walters, Joshua Budden-Chapter Adviser. Not Pictured: McKenzie Miller-Vice President, Sydney Richter, Alyssa DeTone, and Peyton Krajcarski.
You can read more about our National Honor Society students and our Induction Ceremony in here, in the Oxford Leader.

Working with the Michigan Blood Bank organization, Our National Honors Society students also organized a blood drive on October 18th

Bully Busters has become a part of our curriculum through Mrs. Goetz’s 1st hour Mentorship class.  Ms. Fine helps facilitate this program and integrates it into her work as our Restorative Care Coordinator.  Our Bully Busters each week and with each grade level in their advisory class.  The relationship that forms between our middle school students and their high school Bully Buster is very strong.  It allows for a connection not only between students, but also between schools.  This helps build positive school cultures within our district. By making Bully Busters a component of the class, students are the drivers behind brainstorming and creating the lessons.
OHS is one of only 2 districts nationally who has implemented HS students teaching younger students through Olweus.  We are encouraged by the reported drop in bullying of over 60% since implementing Olweus and Bully Busters.  As with most programs, the success of Bully Busters lies in the strength of our students and the relationships they are building.  Over time, our students begin to feel an intellectual and emotional empathy with our MS students.  This allows them to relate to what our MS students are experiencing - as they seek similarities in their own life experiences.  

As IB Leaners, we strive to be Caring. We show empathy, compassion and respect. We have a commitment to service, and we act to make a positive difference in the lives of others and in the world around us. In return, this also helps us connect with others and build a positive school climate.

Pictured below, Emily (8th) and Julia Blair (10th) cook food while volunteering at Grace Centers of Hope in Pontiac.  They are members of our student volunteer club, I'm 3rd.  The group is comprised of students who come together with one purpose: putting others before themselves through volunteerism. 
I'm 3rd students volunteer at food banks, homeless shelters, nursing homes, after school programs, extreme home makeovers, soup kitchens, 5K/10Ks, and wherever there is a need. The volunteer group is unique in that it attracts students from all grades, social groups, and diversities.  Read more about the Blair sisters here, in the Oxford Leader.

Student Leadership serves to build a rapport between students, staff and administration, and seeks to create a positive and enjoyable school environment for the Oxford High School community.  Student Leadership is an essential part of the culture at OHS. Through community service, student/staff outreach, and school-wide event coordination, OHS Student Leadership creates a welcoming and encouraging atmosphere for all students, staff, and members of the community. In September, our some Leadership students joined other Oakland County schools by visited TreeRunner Adventure Park in West Bloomfield. This was a team building opportunity for students to further develop their leadership skills.
On October, 29th, Leadership students also visited Frankenmouth for a training with other Oakland Co schools, led by the MASC/MAHS.  Students learned about themselves as leaders through various small group activities, including networking, group dynamics, communication techniques, team building and other basic leadership components. 

Mrs. Janelle Lie and her students have been hard at work in our new CTE course, Medical Foundations.  This class is centered around health science standards and introduces students to the knowledge and skills required of professionals in the health care field. Students will build a foundation of basic patient care skills and an understanding of healthcare delivery systems, medical terminology, basic anatomy and physiology, legal and ethical responsibilities, workplace safety, and infection control principals. 
Students will also learn about various health care communication and technology, patient client status, wellness, and clinical skills along with various disease processes. As a technical education course students will focus on career readiness to prepare them for the medical field. Read more about it here, in the Oxford Leader.

Our Spanish Club, pictured below and led by Mrs. Karen Beaham, meets each Wednesday after school. This is a group of dedicated students who are passionate about World Language, Spanish culture and cuisine.

As IB Learders we are Principled. We act with integrity and honesty, with a strong sense of fairness and justice, and with respect for the dignity and rights of people everywhere. We take responsibility for our actions and their consequences.

To kick off Red Ribbon Week, Oxford's SADD Club, led by Mrs. Debbie Brown, held a bowling fundraiser at Collier Lanes.  Students Against Destructive Decisions is not just against driving drunk, SADD also promotes nonviolence, responsible driving, and an overall healthy lifestyle.  

SADD does numerous activities within OHS and our community to promote this message and spread their knowledge of good decision-making and give peers an incentive to also make good choices. 

With the help from OES staff, Mrs. Rita Flynn and Mr. Jeff Brown, Oxford Elementary students visited OHS on October 29th.  OHS CTE Coordinator, Lisa Butts, helped organized and plan the fourth grade visits into CTE and visual/performing arts classes.  Students had the opportunity to spend this morning learning like a HS student while visiting some of our fun, interactive, and hands-on environments to piggy back off of what they are learning. OES students visited our TV News class, dance class, guitar, robotics and art classes.  

Leadership students also spend time working with other groups of students within our school.  This includes working with our CI students and making sure they are active members and contributors to our school.

Oxford High School staff engages in  professional development each week during our late start Wednesday's.  From 7:30 - 9:00am, staff meets within their Professional Learning Communities, within their Departments or a whole staff.  Our professional growth is critical in improving our instruction so that we can reach our district Mission - ..."challenging all students to achieve their maximum potential..."

As IB Learners we are Balanced.  We understand the importance of balancing different aspects of our lives.  

Following a morning of IB curriculum standards work, our staff poses for a silly Halloween picture outside the main office.  For a group of hard working teachers, we're never shy to have a little fun...

Professional Development (PD) is designed and led from our Instructional Leadership Team, which includes Assistant Principal's - Kristy Gibson-Marshall and Kurt Nuss, IB Coordinators and Coaches - Molly Darnell, Jason Eldridge and Joe Amabile, Media Specialist (and tech "Wizard") - Carrie Conner, Teacher Consultant - Andrew Bausack, and Principal - Steve Wolf. 
Pictured below, members of our English Language Arts Department work on building their new curriculum.  This is a process that requires a commitment from our staff and many hours of work outside their classrooms.

The Oxford Wildcat Marching Band had a very successful competition season this fall. The band placed 1st out of several bands at the Troy Athens Marching Invitational, receiving a score of 90.6 and winning both Best Marching and Best Music. At the Alma College Marching Invitational, the band received a score of 90.9 and placed 3rd overall. Finally, at the Brandon Marching Invitational, the Wildcat Band wrapped up their competition season with another 1st Place finish among several outstanding bands. They also won the award for Best Music. Their final score of 93.8 is the highest score the Wildcat Band has ever received at a marching competition. 

Additionally, the band was very proud to welcome Mike Williams to perform the Theme from “Rocky” with them at halftime of the Homecoming Game. Mr. Williams just recently retired after 31 years as the lead trumpet player for the Count Basie Orchestra. He has performed in 44 countries on 6 continents, and can now include Wildcat Stadium on that list. It was a fantastic way to help celebrate our homecoming festivities. 

Our Fall Choir Show, held in our Performing Arts Center on October 17th, did not disappoint.  Students from Mr. Christopher Card's Men's Choir, Women's Choir and Concert Choir put on a spectacular performance, showcasing their talents from a range of students.

Led by OMS Director, Mr. Berezney, our MS and HS Orchestra programs put on an outstanding Spooktacular Concert on October 24th. This evening included performances by our 7th and 8th grade Orchestra, HS Concert Orchestra, HS Chamber Orchestra and our HS Symphony Orchestra.

Pictured below, OMS and OHS students work during their Cybersecurity Club meeting.   This is a new club in Oxford for our MS and HS students, and is led by OMS teacher, Mrs. Natalie Diversa. Our students follow CyberPatriot, which is a National Youth Cyber Education Program created by the Air Force Association (AFA).  The goal is to inspire students toward careers in cybersecurity or other science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) disciplines.
At the center of CyberPatriot is the National Youth Cyber Defense Competition. The competition puts teams of high school and middle school students in the position of newly hired IT professionals tasked with managing the network of a small company. In the rounds of competition, teams are given a set of virtual images that represent operating systems and are tasked with finding cybersecurity vulnerabilities within the images and hardening the system while maintaining critical services. 

It's Senior college application season!  Pictured below, Michigan State University College Rep, Mr. Terence Brown, visited interested OHS students.  
On Friday, October 19th, OHS Counselors attended a conference hosted by the University of Michigan Admissions Department. They were given the opportunity to work in small groups with UM admissions officers to review anonymous applications, while comparing them to the admissions criteria and discussing them with admissions officers. This learning opportunity will give our school a great perspective when helping students to complete their college applications!

On October 28th,OCS welcomed seven students and one teacher from our sister school, 5 de Mayo HS from Puebla, Mexico, to join us for two weeks.  These students and accompanying staff will spend time visiting Oxford HS, Oxford MS, Lakeville and Leonard Elementary schools.  They will also spend time visiting various attractions and landmarks in southeast Michigan as a way to better learn about our culture.  In turn, we value their perspective and cultural contributions to Oxford as they engage with our students and staff.  
In addition to classroom visits and school activities, our Puebla students also had the opportunity to visit some of our local attractions in Metro Detroit.  This included stops at the DIA, Tilson St. in Romeo, Campus Martius, Heart Plaza, Cooks Dairy Farm, Frakenmuth, Bronners, Morely Candy, the Detroit Historical Museum, University of Michigan campus and Mexican Village.

Our Dance Conservatory, led by Mrs. Dana Brewer and Katy Stavropoulos, performed on October 29th for their annual Halloween Performance.  The following morning, our Conservatory students invited several classes to watch them perform, including our Puebla, Mexico students. 
This program is designed to prepare students for a future in college and professional dance. Conservatory students focus on two of the core dance genres, Ballet and Modern – and also have the opportunity to study additional styles, such as Jazz, Hip Hop, Ballroom, and Cultural Dances. The Conservatory provides students with skills and knowledge that are often not addressed in dance studios, but are important for success at the college and professional level.

Mr. Johnson and Mr. Mezin have designed a new CTE course at OHS, Digital Imaging Technology.  This is a course that offers students experience with graphic design, website development...and maybe even a little drone flying.  This course will give students experience previewing different career paths which involve this type of technology.  Students will also learn soft skills that are critical in college and in the workplace. Students will collaborate, question ethics, problem solve, exercise their creativity and make presentations throughout the course. Read more about it here, in the Oxford Leader.

On Friday, October 25th, over 50 OHS students from our Marketing, Financial Management, and Economics classes  visited Northwood UniversityCTE teachers Mr. Steve Ruch and Mrs. Julia Lengemann continue to look for college and career exploration opportunities for our students. Here, students received a campus tour and had the opportunity to participate in a number of business and marketing related activities. While visiting, our students engaged in a Shark Tank competition, listened to presentations from current Northwood University students, and participated in small group activities with the Chair of the Finance program at NU. 

The International Baccalaureate turns 50!  On October 25th, our Diploma Program students gathered in the Media Center to celebrate IB's 50th.  With the level of academic commitment involved in this Junior/Senior cohort, our DP Coordinator, Mr. Jason Eldridge, finds ways for students to wind down and have fun.


HOMECOMING 2018!

Our homecoming activities were kicked off on Sunday, September 30th, with our annual PowerPuff game.
Looking fierce, our Seniors (black) took on our Juniors (white) at Wildcat Stadium.  
Our Sophomores (red) also took on our Freshman (orange).  

On Thursday, October 4th, our local Oxford Fire Department assisted (and joined us!) in our annual student Bonfire at OHS.

On Friday, October 5th, our Student Leadership group greeted every student that morning with cheers, music and excitement.  It was an outstanding way to start the school day which led us into two awesome days.

Later that afternoon, students packed into our Ian Smith Gymnasium to show their school spirit and excitement at our Pep Assembly.  

That evening, students, parents and Oxford community gathered on Mill street to make the walk up the hill to OHS for our Homecoming Parade.

At Friday night's football game, our Homecoming King and Queen were crowned at halftime.  Pictured below is our King - Senior, Marcus Hufnagel, and Queen - Senior Abigail Trbovich.
With help from NHS, Mrs. King and Mrs. Goetz,  our Student Leadership class organized an outstanding Homecoming Dance.

Pictured below, staff members Dana Brewer, Melissa Gray, Lauren Jasinski, Katy Stavropoulos and Laura Beck get into the Homecoming spirit by bringing out the 80's dresses!  While our staff is on duty to supervise the dance, we take pride in enjoying ourselves and sharing the fun with our students.

Oxford Community Television spent some time at Oxford High School capturing our Pep Assembly, Football Game and Dance.  For footage and highlights, check out this 'Schooling Around Special'.

Pictured below, our Equestrian Team celebrates their 2nd place finish at Regionals. On October 11th, our team took second place at the MIHA State Championship  'A' division at Midland fairgrounds.  Competing against the top 10 teams from around the state, finishing behind the Coopersville team.  
The team is lead by Captains Emerson Lantz and Zanna Sayeau with Seniors Makayla Haywood, & Maddi McMullen, Junior Emily Vandenberghe,  Sophmores Julianna Miller, Elyssa Main,& Riley Hodder, Freshmen Olivia Dorman, Hailey Boger and Kylie Ossege.  Congratulations to all the riders for a great season!

OXFORD ATHLETICS

Stay connected and updated by bookmarking our Oxford Athletics Website.  You'll find scores, calendars, rosters and updated post game highlights.

Check out our Meet the Teams Night held this August at Wildcat Stadium.  This seasonal event gives our parents a chance to both meet each team's players and also get connected with their coaches and the season ahead.

Check out our girls teams and see their highlights from the Fall seasons.

Check out our boys teams and see their highlights from the Fall seasons.
Cross Country         Football          Boys Soccer          Boys Tennis
      

On September 21st, OHS indicted five new members into our Athletics Hall of Fame, including current Science teacher, Jason Eldridge

Congratulations to Oxford's Karen Bissett, who was named the Student Nutrition Association of Michigan’s (SNAM) Director of the Year!  Mrs. Bissett has been Oxford’s nutrition director for 14 years. Pictured below is Karen's dedicated team, as well as Board Member Dr. Joyce Brasington. Read more about it here, in the Oxford Leader.

Check out OCTV's Schooling Around Episode 76, where host, Alexis Ware, visits Oxford Early Learning Center 

Communication & Information

Parents who are better informed are more likely to be engaged and supportive of their child and our learning community.  Please take a moment to familiarize yourself with the following pages within and in addition to our OHS Homepage.

Mr. Wolf’s Top 6
  1. If you don’t already receive our weekly emails from OHS Administration, please click on SchoolMessenger and subscribe to receive helpful weekly info and updates.
  2. Our Parents & Students webpage is a great resource for parents to access student grades & attendance (PowerSchool), teacher websites (Haiku) and other school resources.
  3. Please visit our OHS School Calendar to view upcoming events.
  4. Naviance is a college, post secondary and career readiness tool that helps students, parents and schools align strengths and interests to post high school goals,  connecting learning to life.
  5. Our Counseling webpage has a number of resources for you and your student, including our curriculum, career resources, transcripts and services.
  6. Make sure you are also visiting our Athletic Website for athletic event dates, games and information.  We are currently working on a redesigned website that we hope you will love using.
Our Student Newspaper is led by a dedicated team of 17 writers, five of whom pull double-duty as editors, and one dedicated website manager.  They work hard to report the news in an unbiased, fair and balanced way.  Please check them out!

Our OHS News Broadcasting does an outstanding job delivering OHS news to our students and staff.  You can subscribe to their YouTube Channel and even set alerts to receive their news each day.


  • Check out our Twitter page @oxford_hs to see day-to-day highlights of our wonderful learning community!
  • OCS Facebook is another way to see day-to-day highlights district-wide.
  • Wildcat Review Newsletters are created each quarter to highlight all of the outstanding work and accomplishments throughout Oxford Community Schools.


Thanks for your support and help in keeping Oxford an amazing Community!

Steve Wolf 

Principal – Oxford High School


@stevenwolfedu





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