OCSB- In Action

It’s hard to believe we’re nearly a month into the new school year! The energy across our schools has been incredible, and it’s clear this is going to be a year full of growth and success. From celebrating student achievements to seeing new opportunities take shape, there’s so much to be proud of already.

What makes it even more special is the dedication and support we see every day from our students, staff, and families. Our community is the heart of everything we do, and together we’re building on our traditions while moving confidently toward the future.

Thank you for being such an important part of our story this year, I can’t wait to see what we accomplish together!

Sincerely,

Dylan Tedders

Superintendent of Schools

Okeereads is a Footsteps2Brilliance literacy program for students PreK-2nd grade. It is a breakthrough solution that accelerates student learning. It's unique mobile platform makes digital learning a fun experience for teachers, parents, and expecially students. Footsteps2Brilliance is an early learning mobile game solution that uses a game based methodology to personlize instruction.

Monday, September 1st- Labor Day- No School

Wednesday, September 10th- Progress Reports

Friday, September 12th- Early Dismissal

Monday, September 15th- Teacher Plan Day- No Students

The Florida High School Athletic Association proudly announced Yearling Middle School as the recipients of this year’s Fred E. Rozelle Sportsmanship Award. The award recognizes member schools that promote sportsmanship both on and off the field, the award is given to schools whose athletic teams demonstrated exemplary sportsmanship during the 2024-2025 regular season as well as FHSAA State Series competition. This year, 10 high schools and two middle schools received the prestigious award.

The Fred E. Rozelle Sportsmanship Award is presented to one school in each classification whose total sports program best exemplifies the qualities of sportsmanship as demonstrated by its coaches, players and spectators. Criteria for selection of the winners includes programs and activities implemented within the school and community to promote sportsmanship; the number and type of exceptional sportsmanship reports; and the source of the nomination.

The school was awarded $2500 and a commerative plaque. Great job Yearling Middle School!

On July 31st, the OCSB welcomed twenty five new teachers to our school district. The new teachers were met with open arms by our district leadership and community members. They spent two days familiarizing themselves with our district and community, learning polices and procedures and getting familiarized with their new schools. Thirteen of our new teachers are experienced teachers and relocated to Okeechobee from many different states to include, West Virginia, Kentucky, Iowa and Georgia. Eight of our new teachers were "home grown" in Okeechobee County Schools and were either Paraprofessionals or Substitiute Teachers last school year. We are proud and excited to see the impact our new teachers will have on their students and their schools.

OHS welcomes a new Athletic Director for the first time in twenty five years! Mrs. Ungerott has been teaching at OHS for seventeen years where she has coached multiple sports. She attended Cleveland State University and was a student athlete there. Mrs. Ungerott said as the new Athletic Director, her goal is to continue building pride in the athletic programs while keeping the focus on what truly matters, our students. She said athletics provide incredible opportunities for growth, teamwork, and school spirit, but the “student” in student-athlete will always come first. She is committed to supporting our athletes in reaching their full potential both on the field and in the classroom, ensuring that academics remain the top priority.

Collectively we held twelve open house sessions, including all schools, Okeechobee Virtual School and Okeechobee VPK! We appreciate all the hard work our teachers, administrators and staff put into hosting such amazing events. We also appreciate all of our parents and families that came out to meet teachers, administrators, learn about their childs school and engage with other families to build a strong school community. Community partners also provided back to school supplies to include back packs, socks, crayons, pencil boxes and much more! We are so grateful for the support our community.

Rocco spent his second summer as a member of the Spirit of Atlanta Drum Corps. Traveling across the country from Muncie, Ind. to Everett, Wash. to the World Championship finals in Indianapolis, Ind. He is a world class trumpet player, and spent his summer traveling the country perfecting his performance.

Rocco, who is a senior at Okeechobee High School, credits his love for playing to teachers Mr. Bowen at Osceola Middle School and Mr. LaFlam at Okeechobee High School.

This is Rocco’s third year marching with Drum Corps International and second with Spirit of Atlanta. This summer, he performed a flugelhorn solo and a duet with a trombone player in a few of the shows.

Career & Technical Education (CTE) is the fastest growing area of education.

Our district CTE programs are making an immediate impact on the lives of our students! This year two students from the Fire Fighting and Dispatch programs secured employment with Okeechobee Fire Rescue and Okeechobee County Sheriff's Office. These students are starting a career that will provide financial independence, secured employment and advancement opportunities for the future.

The Florida Department of Education has released the 2025 school grades, and the Okeechobee County School District is pleased to report continued progress and key areas of success. While the district received an overall “C” grade, we are optimistic and energized by notable improvements, particularly at Okeechobee High School, which demonstrated meaningful academic growth, and Okeechobee Virtual School, which earned an “A” grade for the first time in its history.

If you are an alumni of Okeechobee County Schools and would like to share your success story with us email us- careers@okeeschools.org. We would love to connect with you!