Ways OHS encourages students to “Be Their Best”

By Reagan Rozzi

Photo of mural East Campus Ram Cafe taken by Reagan Rozzi

During the awkward teenage phase of life, it’s difficult to find things in common with those who lead different lifestyles than our own. Various emotional and physical imbalances often hinder our ability to grow relationships with each other. In addition to the neverending physical upkeep of the school, administration is just as responsible for keeping school spirit afloat to diminish this division; a large percentage of their job is boosting school morale throughout the year. 

Kevin Dotson, Owasso High School’s designated student life principal, shared many of the overlooked ways in which the school increases camaraderie, as well as plans for the future to keep our town—which may be large geographically—connected in a small town fashion. These activities range from lunchroom trivia to social media campaigns to various incentives for grades and attendance. 

Attendance Incentives

At the end of every month, the school places students with perfect attendance into a digital drawing. The software then selects 10 kids at random to receive a $5 QuikTrip gift card. This incentive was instilled by administration to encourage students to consistently attend school.

The school follows the same process at the end of each semester, looking back on the attendance for the first and last five months of the school year. In total, the school gives away $1,000 per semester for the sole purpose of encouraging consistent attendance.

“The easy thing to do is to not show up and sometimes the hardest thing to do is show up. But then, you know, you’re glad you’re here because your peers are here, your friends are here, you’re seeing great things in the classroom, in the hallway or, like, in your activities,” Dotson relayed.

Character Trait of the Month

Students are not only recognized for their attendance but for their exceptional character. Each month, OHS selects its new character trait and asks teachers to submit the names of students who check all the boxes of this positive characteristic. The award is then granted to students whose picture with the award is later shared to social media. According to admin, this camaraderie tactic gets the most engagement from students and outsiders.

Dotson mentioned, “Parents like to see their kids getting recognized. Students like to see themselves [represented]. Their peers like to see their peers getting recognized.” 

Guest Speakers

Currently, the school is working with motivational speaker Reggie Dabs to host an assembly where he can speak to all grades and pump up morale during the last half of the school year. Guest speakers are fairly rare in the OHS schedule, but admin is working to make these special appearances a reality. 

“We think it’s important to bring those types of speakers in to engage with our students, to bring different perspectives, … to just hopefully spark something in our students [and] to just help them grow in general,” Dotson shared.

Student Hub

The Student Hub is an example of a morale boost that ties together both staff and students. The Hub is a website that contains information about all things OHS, ranging from the date of the next basketball game to ACT testing information.

Picture of OHS Student Hub homepage taken by Reagan Rozzi

Teacher Recognition

Not only is there a conscious effort to highlight students, but teachers also receive recognition through the spotlights such as the Teacher of the Week award and Employee of the Month. Staff also have consistent Professional Development days, where different mini-lectures are offered in a conference-like fashion. 

These ideas originate from staff and students alike.  

“We try to incorporate all people [that are a] part of the OHS community—so stakeholders from the student body, teachers [and] administrative district leads.”

Conferences

Prior to the 2024-25 school year, the school held a leadership conference where attendance consisted of student leaders chosen from clubs, organizations and sport teams as well as staff sponsors. The group spent the full day working together to develop ways in which they could uphold students to the school’s “Be Your Best” motto. 

Dotson summed, “Bad things happen. Bad days happen. Bad moments happen. But ultimately we’re in control of our own attitude, our own effort.”

As the school continues to improve itself for its employees and its students, it is also important for us to put in a conscious effort to instill greater positivity within ourselves so that our community can truly be its best.