Oconomowoc High School

Oconomowoc High School
Address
641 E. Forest St. Oconomowoc, WI 53066
Information
Established	1882
School district	Oconomowoc Area School District
District	Oconomowoc Area School District
Principal	Joseph Moylan[1]
Grades	9th-12th
Enrollment	1,420 (2008–2009)[1]
Athletics	see list
Mascot	Raccoon
Rival	Watertown High School
Dropout Rate	.48% (2012–2013)[2]
Athletic Conference	Wisconsin Little Ten
Athletic Director	Scott Raduka
Graduating Class Size	357[3]
ACT Average	22.4 (2012–2013)[4]
Website	https://www.oasd.k12.wi.us/page.cfm?p=3068

Oconomowoc High School is a public high school located in Oconomowoc, Wisconsin. Its mascot is the Raccoon. It is part of the Oconomowoc Area School District. As of the 2013–2014 school year, it had 1,487 students.^[5]

History

The first Oconomowoc High School was built in 1923.

Interscholastic Sports

Wisconsin Little Ten All-Sport Champions

The Wisconsin Little Ten Conference has been appointing All-Sport Champions since the 2004-2005 school year. Since then Oconomowoc High School has won six times, including the past five school years.^[6]

Football

On September 27, 2013, Oconomowoc football was recognized statewide and garnered national interest, as the Raccoons (5-0) faced the Wisconsin Lutheran Vikings (3-2) in Oconomowoc's homecoming game. History was made when Oconomowoc beat Wisconsin Lutheran 84-82 in regulation. The teams combined for 166 total points, surpassing the previous state record of 133 points. Oconomowoc quarterback Canton Larson scored 8 touchdowns, including a 493-yard performance, combined through the air and on the ground.^[7] The game showcased the best the Wisconsin Little Ten Conference had to offer, with 25 combined All-Conference players.^[8] In its 2013 campaign, the Oconomowoc football program led a memorable season, winning the conference for the first time since 2002, while going undefeated during the regular season. They would lose in a state quarterfinal match-up against Mukwonago, finishing the year with a record of 11-1.^[9]

Much of Oconomowoc's football dominance came under legendary coach Ed Rux. In his 33-year tenure beginning in 1967, Rux led Oconomowoc to 216 victories.^[10] He oversaw 10 conference titles, including a trip to the Division 1 state finals in 1987. He was inducted into the Wisconsin Football Coaches Association Hall of Fame in 1999, the year of his retirement.^[11] In 2014, the OHS football stadium was renovated and renamed after Rux. It is now known as Rux Stadium. ^[12]

Baseball

The Raccoons have been a successful baseball program since the 1900s. The baseball program has won conference 25 times, including 14 trips to the state tournament. William Martin led Oconomowoc to their first state championship in 1959. They defeated Tomahawk 10-0, Monona Grove 7-3, and Fond du Lac 2-1 to win the title.^[13] Pat Neary took over varsity baseball in 1984 and picked up where Martin left off. The Raccoons were conference champions in 1984, 1985, and 1986. They were state runner-ups in 1991 and 1996. Neary coached Oconomowoc baseball for 41 years (2 as freshman, 12 as junior varsity and 27 as varsity). He held a varsity record of 339-230.^[14] Neary was inducted into the Wisconsin Baseball Coaches Hall of Fame in 2007. He retired after the 2010 season. Arno Kirchewitz became Neary's successor in 2011. Notable players to come out of Oconomowoc include J.T. Bruett, Sean Smith, Pete Schlosser, Andy Neary, Luke Nelson, and Logan Wonn.

Clubs and organizations

Best Buddies

High School Best Buddies is part of an international nonprofit organization, Best Buddies. It consists of student volunteers that creates opportunities for student with intellectual and developmental disabilities. The Best Buddies main purpose is to allow volunteers to be paired up with a buddy with a disability and provide them with a friend and show them real life skills.^[15] Best Buddies has been a part of Oconomowoc High School since 2007.

High School Players

The Oconomowoc High School Players is part of the theater department at Oconomowoc High School. Placed in a community that supports the arts, the Oconomowoc High School Players is a well accomplished high school theater department over the past decade, as demonstrated by its earning 15 Tommy Awards in 2014 for their production of "Hairspray". This was their fourth Outstanding Musical win in the past five years.^[16]

Grilling to Give

Grilling to Give started in 2003 giving students and the community a chance to hangout and listen to local bands or high school classmates perform, while enjoying a meal hosted by the marketing class.^[17] Grilling to Give was an idea Mrs. Starke-White’s advanced marketing class came up with to help teach the students how to market and sell products. In Grilling to Gives case it was selling food.^[18] The money the students made went to an organization(s) of their choice. Every year the club gives the money they make to one or more organizations. Today Grilling to Give has helped around fifteen to twenty different organizations.^[19] They started off with twenty students, but today are up to seventy to eighty students. Grilling to Give is open to the community. The cost of the meal was four dollars up until the year of 2006, when the cost of the food and drinks goes up to five dollars. The lunch includes a burger(veggie or regular), a hot dog or brat, chips, a cookie, and a soda. This past year Grilling to Give has raised $6,200 for charity. According to Mrs. Starke-White all together DECA and the Hospitality class has raised around $50,000 for charity through Grilling to Give.^{[20][21] [22]}

Notable alumni

• Dirk J. Debbink, retired Vice Admiral in the United States Navy and former Chief of the Navy Reserve.
• Frank Tenney Johnson, painter of the Old American West^[23]
• Fred Sturm, world renown jazz composer and arranger.^[24]

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Oconomowoc High School.

• Oconomowoc Area School District
• Oconomowoc High School
• GreatSchools, Inc