Okkodo High School
Okkodo High School (Chamorro: Okkodo Mina'takhelo na Eskuela) is a public secondary school located in Dededo in the United States territory of Guam. The school occupies 62 acres (25 ha) of the island’s most populated village, Dededo. Okkodo High School opened its doors on August 21, 2008, making it the fifth public high school under the Guam Department of Education. The school's district encompasses the areas of Astumbo Gardens, Liguan Terrace, NCS/Munoz/Finegayan, Fern Terrace, Machanao, Santa Ana, Harmon Loop, and the surrounding Okkodo area. Okkodo High School is accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges.[1]
| Okkodo High School | |
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| Address | |
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660 Route 3 , 96929 | |
| Coordinates | 13.53479°N 144.83205°E |
| Information | |
| Type | Public secondary school |
| Motto | "Excellence by Choice" |
| Established | 2008 |
| School board | Guam Education Board |
| School district | Guam Department of Education |
| Superintendent | Jon J.P. Fernandez |
| Principal | Rita Flores (acting) |
| Staff | 30 |
| Faculty | 85 |
| Employees | 115 |
| Grades | 9–12 |
| Enrollment | 1,641 (SY 2017-2018) |
| • Grade 9 | 494 |
| • Grade 10 | 440 |
| • Grade 11 | 398 |
| • Grade 12 | 309 |
| Color(s) | Cardinal Red, Gray, and Navy Blue |
| Athletics conference | Interscholastic Sports Association (ISA) |
| Mascot | Bulldogs |
| Accreditation | Western Association of Schools and Colleges |
| Website | www |
Student life
Academics
In compliance with Guam Education Board policy, Okkodo High School students are required 24 credits and 75 hours of service learning in order to graduate. Students are given the opportunity to choose between a college path or a career path. Students under the college path are required to take 4 years of English, social studies, math, and science. Under the career program, students are required to take 4 years of English and 3 years of math, science, and social studies. Students in the career prep program are required to take a career and technical education or CTE program which are offered in the school through the Guam Community College. The school offers several honors and advanced placement (AP) courses, including:
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Students at Okkodo High School compete in numerous academic competitions each year, including the Academic Challenge Bowl and Mock Trial.
Athletics
Okkodo High School participates in the GDOE Interscholastic Sports Association (ISA) sports for both boys and girls. The sports offered include basketball, volleyball, golf, tennis, baseball, paddling, football, cross country, rugby, track and field, and wrestling.
The school also boasts outstanding sports facilities that include fields and courts for softball, baseball, soccer, football, basketball, volleyball and tennis. The track and field area was recently renovated to include a concession stand, restrooms, and updated rubberized surface for the track. Along with providing for the needs of the school’s athletic program, the campus hosts sports competitions for other public schools and for notable community events such as the Special Olympics Guam.
Mock Trial
Marine Corps JROTC Program (MCJROTC)
At the start of SY 2009-2010, Okkodo High School started offering the Marine Corps Junior Reserve Training Corps Program to its student population, being the first and only MCJROTC program on island. The MCJROTC program provides students with skills in citizenship and leadership. The program motivates students to learn, fosters a disciplined constructive learning environment, and instills essential skills such as time organization, responsibility, goal-setting, and teamwork. In 2012, the Okkodo High School Junior Reserve Training Corps competed in the National High School Drill Team National Championship held in Daytona Beach, Florida and brought home 1st place for the regulation drill competition, 2nd place for best armed drill commander, and 5th place in open color guard division.[2]
Guam Community College CTE Programs
Okkodo High School, in partnership with the Guam Community College, offers career and technical education programs that provide students with the knowledge and skills for entry in workforce or post-secondary college programs. The following are the offered CTE courses in OHS:
- Automotive Services
- Carpentry
- Electronics
- Marketing (DECA)
- Tourism (Lodging Management Program)
- Tourism (ProStart)
In May 2017, the Guam Community College's CTE ProStart team from Okkodo High School placed 2nd place in the 2017 National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation (NRAEF) ProStart National Competition in Charleston, South Carolina.[3]
Tri-M Music Honor Society
Okkodo High School was recently granted Charter Number 7669 of the Tri-M Music Honor Society from the National Association for Music Education. The Tri-M Music Honor Society is a program of NAFME which focuses on creating future leaders in music education and music advocacy. Tri-M is the only national honor society for student musicians in grades 6-12. This honor society recognizes Okkodo High School's outstanding music students and the importance of music education in shaping the leaders of tomorrow. The school's music students also make an impact in our community through public performances and service projects.
Freshmen Academy
In 2014, Okkodo High School started implementing the Freshmen Academy program. The program is intended to offer transition support for incoming freshmen and to provide them with a foundation for success. The expansion to the school facilities allows the freshmen to be apart from the rest of the school population. Classrooms and a dining area are designated for freshmen only. The students are divided into teams to increase support and monitoring from teachers. A Freshman Advisory Program (FAP) was implemented in 2014, as a component of the School-wide Intervention System (SIS).[4]
Clubs and Organizations
The following are clubs and organizations offered to students as of SY 2017-2018:
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History
The $78M construction of the four new Guam schools were initiated by Iron Bridge Capital on October 2006. The school constructions built a total of 326,650 square feet of 148 classrooms, laboratories, storage areas, and many more. For the Okkodo High School project, a 12,744 square feet high school gymnasium, built with a synthetic floor system, motorized basketball goals, and stacking bleachers, and state-of-the-art sports facilities were built to accommodate athletic events, including IIAAG middle school and high school games. All four projects were ahead of schedule and were ready for SY 2008-2009.[5]
Situated along Route 3, the school is named after the area in which it is built. "Okkodo" is Chamorro for the word "trap". It was also the name of a Chamorro chief who resided in the village of Dededo. The school opened its doors on August 21, 2008, serving students in the 9th, 10th, 11th, and 12th grades. Mr. Kenneth Denusta was the first principal of the high school.[6] Upon its opening, Okkodo High School had 1,500 students, 300 students more than originally intended.[7]
In early 2012, Okkodo High School earned a three-year accreditation after a first full-visit by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges. In 2015, the school once again gained another three-year accreditation from W.A.S.C.
In July 2014, a $21.8M expansion project, now known as the Freshmen Academy, increased the high school's student capacity from 1,200 to 2,000 students, adding 800 more students from its current capacity.[8] This project adds 23 standard classrooms, 7 science labs, an Electronics lab, a Drama lab, 4 Special Education resource classrooms, and more. This annex facility is currently being utilized by the 9th grade population of the school. The girl's locker room was expanded and an additional boy's locker room was constructed. The existing boys and girls locker rooms were expanded. The final part of the expansion included a culinary arts classroom and laboratory that was constructed adjacent to the original facilities. The Culinary Arts building include a commercial grade kitchen for the Guam Community College staff to teach and train the Okkodo High School students on the culinary arts subject. The Culinary Arts facility has a training kitchen where students learn and prepare meals, and a separate dining area where students will enjoy their culinary creations.[9]
References
- "About". Okkodo High School. Retrieved 25 June 2017.
- "Okkodo High JROTC team wins 1st place". kuam.com. Retrieved 25 June 2017.
- Matanane, Sabrina Salas. "Okkodo High ProStart team takes 2nd in national competition". kuam.com. Retrieved 25 June 2017.
- https://www.scribd.com/document/357885761/okkodo-3-year-term-rev-com?secret_password=9joH7OeMvtauS9VjBGHq#fullscreen&from_embed
- https://www.coretechintl.com/guam-schools-project
- http://www.guampdn.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080821/NEWS01/808210301/1002/rss%5B%5D
- Catahay, Michelle. "Okkodo High faces overcrowding issues." KUAM-TV. Friday September 5, 2008. Retrieved on April 30, 2009.
- Release, News. "Guam DOE: Okkodo High School Expansion on Track". pacificnewscenter.com. Retrieved 25 June 2017.
- https://www.henselphelps.com/project/okkodo-high-school-expansion/
