The Owl

With the school year beginning to reach it's zenith, it is easy to get caught up in the grind of AP exams, CCCC exams, EOCs, final exams, regional sports meets, two graduations, and much more. I do not want the dedication and sacrifices of our staff to go unnoticed during their Appreciation Week, even though that appreciation should stretch for the whole year, and many years to come. The majority of our educators and support staff work side jobs, third jobs, and summer jobs to continue to stay in the profession. Our school, and the success of our students would not be possible without them. I have always said that it is not the building that makes a school. It is the people that make it a school, and ours are second to none.

As a parent of two students, I thank our staff for the love, care, and lessons they have poured into our kids. Please join me this week in sharing the gratitude with our staff with any kind words, memories, or treats that you can! They deserve it! -Mr. Strope

The state of North Carolina requires students in Biology, English 2, Math 1 and Math 3 to take End-of-Course [EOC] state assessments. The purpose of these assessments is to monitor student progress and mastery of state standards and objectives. To ensure your child’s EOC performance is a true reflection on his/her learning progress, we would like to inform you of an important opportunity for students who do not score at a proficient level on their initial End-of-Course state assessment(s). In accordance with state guidelines, students who are not proficient on their initial assessment(s) will have the opportunity to retake the assessment during the school year. Participating in the retest will provide students with another chance to show what they know and may positively impact their academic record and placement decisions.

Key Information:

· Retests will be administered on 05/22/2026 (so long as test scores are received by then) at Onslow Early College High School.

· In order for your student to take advantage of this opportunity parents/guardians must provide written consent for their student to take the retest. [see form below]

· Parents will be notified of their students’ results via the Infinite Campus student or parent portal (or you will receive a phone call from your Principal/School Counselor).

· Students will receive remediation prior to the retest. Remediation will occur on 05/21/2026 (so long as test scores are received by then).

· The highest score will be reflected in the students’ academic record.

· The highest scores will be used to calculate the student’s overall final grade in the course.

If you would like your child to participate in the EOC retest opportunity, if needed, please complete and return the form below to your child’s teacher or the school office no later than 05/05/2026. A copy of the permission form was sent home with all 9th and 10th grade students this past week as well.

We encourage families to take advantage of this opportunity, as it can provide students with valuable experience and a chance to improve their academic standing.

If you have any questions, please contact Taylor Leyble at (910) 938-6706 or taylor.leyble@onslow.k12.nc.us.

Our Odyssey of the Mind team recently qualified to travel to the World Competition at Iowa State University for the first time in our school's history, but we need your help to make it possible! Please consider making a donation to our Odyssey of the Mind team by cash, check, or electronically through the link below. Thank you for helping our kids achieve new heights!

-The boys and girls who qualify based on their event times will be competing in the 1A East Regional Track meet at Wilson Preparatory Academy in Wilson, NC on Friday May 8 at 10:45 AM--3:00 PM.

-The Athletic Awards Ceremony will be in the CCCC Auditorium on Tuesday, May 5th at 5:00 PM.

Caps and gowns have been distributed and with final exams kicking off this week, our time for seated classes in EPF have drawn to a close. Make sure you submit your EPF Honors Project in Teams!

All seniors are to fill out the following graduation survey for Ms. Leyble: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfeEwKXLz9AVkBeJIkyJcUPCf3Zj91N-iBNDDHA7pK-JkrTeQ/viewform

Juniors should have a Common App account created. They can work on the profile section now, but really will not fill out the application until later this summer when the program updates to the Fall 2027 term.

Juniors also should have asked for a letter of recommendation and send their recommender(s) and Ms. Leyble a copy of their resume or brag sheet.

With final exams beginning this week, there are no more Junior Seminars! We will start up with EPF when you return from summer break.

English II Honors (Ms. Hendrix)-Next week, we'll continue Unit 3: Western Europe & Macbeth!

All class due dates and upcoming events can be viewed at the following link:

Honors II English Calendar

Parents can click any events/due dates within the Calendar to view any additional information and details.

Please be aware that students' final essay project (Honors Project 5: Research Inquiry Essay) has important due dates coming up this week (April 27-29). View the Calendar above for more information.

English III Honors (Ms. Meyer)-This week we continued our study of unit 8 with an examination of some short stories by Ernest Hemingway. Students were introduced to his Iceberg Theory of writing style and identified his usage of it throughout the stories read this week. Next week we will conclude our short study of Ernest Hemingway with a quiz. Afterwards, we will move on to our final novel of the year, Ray Bradbury’s classic, Fahrenheit 451. 🌼

Upcoming Due Dates:

- Quiz, Ernest Hemingway – Wed. April 29 (A Day), Tues. April 28 (B Day)

Biology Honors (Mr. Springfield)- This week, we will cover animal behavior and then start preparing for the final exams. Have a great weekend!

Chemistry Honors (Mr. Stallard)- We are beginning our last combo unit. We will be covering Nuclear Chemistry, Acids/Bases, and Redox Reactions this week.

-Monday May 18 Chem Honors Final Exam (students with an A average are exempt from the final exam)

AP Environmental Science (Mr. Stallard)- Students have review packets on their lowest scoring units based on the mock exam they took.

We are now finished with all of our units and will be reviewing and preparing for the AP Final Exam for College Board. This exam is on Friday, May 15 at 8am. Students need to arrive no later than 7:45am that day in preparation for the exam.

Civics Honors (Mr. Marsh)-We have completed our study of the US Constitution and the Bill of Rights and tested Chapter 4 on Wednesday. Next, students are completing a Presidential Research Project. They selected 1 president from a special hat and then are to choose 4 more (2 democrats/2 republicans) from among the most recent presidents (Carter, Reagan, GHW Bush, Clinton, GW Bush, Obama, Trump, Biden). They have specific instructions for completing the project which is due on Friday. Next week we will examine the presidency and watch “The American President”.

AP World History (Ms. York)- Last week students took a mock exam and received review materials. This week we will review writing for the AP Exam as they prepare to take the exam on May 7th at 8:00 am.

American History Honors (Ms. York)- This past week, students worked on Genocides of the 20th century as they pertain to WWI and WWII. This next week we will be working on mapping the Cold War.

Math III Honors (Ms. Seaman)-This week we will finish our Statistics Unit. There will be a lot of review material for students to work on for the next few weeks including a review packet for home (10 problems every night until it is finished and then we will start a new review packet). We will Quiz at the end of the week on review material. Students should continue to work on DeltaMath EOC Review. 2 weeks until EXAMS!!!!

Precalculus Honors (Mrs. Walsh)-Students have an optional Matrix assignment due Monday as well as an assessment on lessons 6.3 - 8.3. Beginning Tuesday, students will learn about conic sections such as circles, parabolas, ellipses, and hyperbolas. There will be a weekly DeltaMath assignment due on Friday.

Students will also sign up this week to take the CCCC Math 171/172 placement test on May 15th.

Students that do not have an overall A average by May 15th will have to take a teacher made exam on Monday, May 18th.

Looking for some OECHS merch? If so, you have come to the right place as our online school store is now open! Click on the following link or use the QR code in the flyer below to shop today!

https://teamlocker.squadlocker.com/stores/onslow-early-college-high-school

CHEW is offering a weekend supply of nutritious meals and snacks for children, free of charge. Bags with food will be discreetly given to students on the last school day before the weekend. If you would like your child to be a part of this program, please complete this form.

Free Weekend Food Available through CHEW (Children Healthy Eating on Weekends)

Are you planning to participate in sports at OECHS this coming school year? 🏃‍♀️🎾 If so, it’s time to get started on your athletic registration!

To join the OECHS Owls athletic program, all student-athletes must create a Dragonfly account. Once your account is set up, you’ll be added to the OECHS Owls roster.

⏳ Please complete this BEFORE you try out for a sport. All required components—including the Concussion Video and other documentation—must be completed before you can try out or begin practice.

📎 Check the attached PDF for step-by-step instructions on how to create your Dragonfly account.

Let’s make this a great year for OECHS athletics—Go Owls! 🦉

Along with Blackboard, emails, the OECHS website, and social media, our school uses Remind to inform parents of weather bulletins, weekly newsletters, and more. If you are the parent or guardian of an OECHS Owl, please join the appropriate Remind group!

Class of 2026: https://www.remind.com/join/fkf7d67

Class of 2027: https://www.remind.com/join/7ag9b99

Class of 2028: https://www.remind.com/join/3944fh

Class of 2029: https://www.remind.com/join/oechscl

All OECHS students (except those with an approved fee waiver) must pay a $25 laptop fee. All students with Biology Honors (Springfield), Chemistry Honors (Stallard) or APES (Stallard) must also pay a 5$ science lab fee. You can pay by cash or check, but School Cash Online is an easy to use and safe way to pay for your children’s school fees from your own home. All you have to do is register an account, attach your children and in no time you will be able to make payments online. We accept many different payment forms so come on and check us out! https://onslow.schoolcashonline.com/.

During the Governor's emergency declaration during the pandemic, many rules, and regulations were waived. Now many of those same regulations have returned. One of those deals with high school GPAs, driving permits, and drivers licenses.

"North Carolina House Bill 769 became effective December 1, 1997 and reflects a coordinated statewide effort to motivate and encourage students to complete high school. This legislation requires that a student's driving permit or license be revoked if a student is unable to maintain adequate progress or drops out of school. Adequate progress is defined as passing 70% of all courses and is determined by first semester grades and second semester grades for schools on block scheduling. For schools on a traditional six-period day schedule, grades are determined by first semester grades and end-of-year grades."

Students need to maintain "adequate progress" to remain eligible for permits and licenses while in high school. Each semester, we are to notify students (and the district) when any students are not making adequate progress at the end of a semester/year. Students will then have to earn back the ability to have a permit or license after the next semester's grades are complete (and pay $50 to the DMV to have their permit or license reinstated). Bottom line: Keep your grades up in your high school and college classes or you will lose your driver's permit or license!

May 5th- OECHS Athletic Awards (CCCC Auditorium at 5:00 PM)

May 7th- AP World History Modern Exam at 8:00 AM

May 8th- Yearbook distribution

May 13th- CCCC Graduation Practice @ Jacksonville Commons Rec Center (12:00 PM)

May 14th- Academic Awards

May 14th- Graduation Practice (4:00 PM)

May 15th- AP Environmental Science Exam at 8:00 AM

May 15th- English II EOC

May 15th- CCCC MAT171/172 Placement Exam

May 15th- OECHS Graduation (7:00 PM)

May 16th- CCCC Graduation (10:00 AM)

May 18th- Teacher-made final exams

May 19th- Math 2 EOC

May 20th- Biology EOC

May 20th- Class of 2030 Orientation (5:30 PM-6:30 PM)

May 21st- Make-up exam day

May 27th-May 30th- Odyssey of the Mind World Competition (Iowa State University)

Email: james.strope@onslow.k12.nc.us
Website: https://oec.onslow.k12.nc.us/
Location: R109A, 444 Western Blvd., Jacksonville, NC 28546
Phone: 910-938-6702
Twitter: @OnslowECHS