Owatonna High School
September - 2026
Great start to the year!
Our first week is complete and we are seeing a great routine of learning and engagement in our classrooms!
Thank you for attending the Open Houses and completing the important tasks to be prepared for the school year. We have seen a great response to our cell phone policy and students are focused in their classrooms.
As we move through the quarter, we will focus on engaging students in their learning. Our teachers are prepared to support students in being actively engaged each day. Below you will see a visual continuum of engagement that we will use to talk to students, families and peers about how they see themselves as learners in class. As staff, our goal for all students is ACTIVE ENGAGEMENT! Please talk to your student about their courses and reach out if we can support them in any way. Please see below for other important dates and information!
Finally, one quick reminder that we do not accept deliveries from local vendors/drivers for students so please do not have items sent to OHS. If you drop something off for your student as a parent or guardian, we will gladly email them that the item is in the office.
With Gratitude,
Kory Kath
Owatonna High School Principal
IMPORTANT DATES
School Day: 8:20am-2:50pm, Doors Open at 8:00am
Wednesday, September 23 - COMPASS DAY SCHEDULE
Friday, October 2 - HOMECOMING PARADE DAY (Early Release)
Saturday, October 3 - HOMECOMING DANCE (OHS Commons, 9-11:30pm)
Wednesday, October 7 - COMPASS DAY SCHEDULE
Thursday, October 8 - OHS Conferences 3:30-7pm (Please attend!)
October 15 & 16 - NO SCHOOL - MEA Break
Thursday, October 22 - Picture Retake Day
STUDENT PARKING
All students wishing to park on school grounds during the 2026-2027 school year must have a 26-27 student parking pass and have their vehicle registered with the school office. A NEW PASS IS REQUIRED EACH YEAR. If you will be driving to school, please complete the parking pass request form with your information HERE. Passes can be picked up at the welcome back open house on Tuesday, August 25th. There is no fee to get a parking pass for the 26-27 school year but you must complete this form AND show your driver's license when picking up your permit. Any forms not fully and accurately completed will not be processed for a parking pass. Parking Information can be found HERE.
DRIVER SAFETY
New School Bus Safety Law in Effect
Minnesota enacted a new law this spring to better protect students during their daily commute.
What’s Changed: You are required to stop at least 20 feet away from a school bus the moment its red lights begin flashing, even if the stop arm has not yet extended. This change eliminates the previous "gap" some drivers used to pass buses before the arm was deployed.
Remember the Rules:
Stop immediately when red lights flash.
Failure to stop is a misdemeanor.
Fines for violations start at $500.
Let’s work together to keep our students safe. Please remember to stay alert, be patient, and always stop for flashing red lights.
ACTIVITIES OFFICE UPDATES
The Owatonna High School Activities Department has several changes to be aware of for the 2026-27 school year. Please read the information below for details regarding:
where to find game schedules (no longer Big9.org)
ticketing changes
registration changes
activity passes/game ticket prices
SCHEDULES & GAME TICKETING:
Current schedules can be found on Bound - gobound.com/mn/schools/owatonna This is replacing Big9.org More details on page 2.
To see a specific schedule click on activities, select the activity you want to view. Make sure you are in the correct school year. Under the Varsity dropdown, select which level you want to view. Once the level is selected, click schedule to print a schedule or choose notifications (postponements/cancellations, etc.)
To receive notifications make sure you are on the correct school year (26-27), have the correct activity selected, select the correct team level (Varsity, JV, etc.), click the notification tab and enter requested information and save.
To view daily, weekly or monthly calendar - click on calendar.
To view multiple activity levels (ie all girls soccer levels of V, JV & 9th), go to calendar, click filter button, select specific activities, click list or calendar view.
All game ticketing will be through Bound - go to owatonnaactivities.com and click on the large blue box that says “Bound” OR download the Bound app. All Big 9 schools are using Bound for ticketing.
Individual game tickets are $10 for adults, $7 for students K-12 and seniors 62+ who do not live in our district.
Activity and senior passes will NOT be accepted for the winter musical.
There will be admission charged for spring activities (track, softball, baseball & boys/girls lacrosse).
Consider purchasing an activity pass for the 26-27 year.
BOUND SCHEDULES:
Schedules can be found at gobound.com/mn/schools/owatonna
From here, you can click on calendar and list for the day to day view or click on activities and select the specific activity calendar that you’d like to view (ie, boys soccer). Click on schedule to see the activity schedule for 2026-27.
Notifications are also available if you’d like to receive notifications for specific activities.
COMMUNICATION
STUDENT EMAIL ACCOUNTS
Students - We email you information often, so please access your email daily! All students have school email accounts. Prior to school starting, we ask that students log in to their new email accounts and documents. Students can do this by doing the following:
Go to gmail.com
Sign in using the following information:
- USERNAME: first initial, last name @isd761.org **example: jdoe@isd761.org
- PASSWORD: Same as it has always been. Typically your lunch number.
GRADUATION & SENIOR PICTURES - CLASS OF 2027
We are excited to announce that Commencement for the Owatonna High School Class of 2027 will be FRIDAY, JUNE 4th at 7:00pm at the OHS Stadium! (Rain Date: Sunday, June 6th at 7pm)
Seniors are reminded that their yearbook pictures must be uploaded here or submitted no later than December 1. Digital Photos are preferred and should be emailed to dleer@isd761.org or if on a CD, dropped off for Mr. Leer in the high school office. If you have questions, please contact our yearbook adviser, Mr. Leer at (507) 444-8849.
Owatonna High School
Hollie Jeska, Assistant Principal
Phil Wiken, Assistant Principal
Brent Hawkins, Dean of Students
Marc Achterkirch, Activities Director
Website: https://ohs.isd761.org/
Location: 1455 SE 18th Street, Owatonna MN 55060
Phone: 507-444-8800
Facebook: facebook.com/Owatonna761
Twitter: @ohsoffice