Bob Miller- Okoboji Superintendent [Click to enlarge]

Living in the Iowa Great Lakes and taking advantage of all of the amenities it has to offer is a true blessing. While I have ridden on the roller coaster at Arnolds Park, it was many years ago. Some people are real roller coaster riders while others are not. I guess I fit into the latter category, not much admiration for roller coasters. This school year has provided the quintessential roller coaster ride, with many ups and downs. The philosopher in me would say that we shouldn't get too "up" because, like roller coasters, there is probably a dip coming. And with the low points as well, we know that we'll be going back up shortly. We, at Okoboji schools, have had way more "ups" than "downs." As this is the last article for the 2007-08 school year, I would like to highlight some of both.

One that could be classified as both an up and down would be the loss of Ty Tretsven as our industrial tech teacher. Ty has been with us for three years and has done a remarkable job. While we will certainly miss Ty and his quick smile, we know that he and his wife, Jennifer, have a wonderful opportunity waiting for them in Wisconsin. We certainly want to wish the Tretsvens the best of luck in their new endeavors.

Our students continue to amaze us with all of the successes they have enjoyed this past year. We started out with a very nice fall athletic season which carried over into the winter and spring seasons. Our kids are certainly no stranger to hard work. The fine arts continue to flourish at OHS and OMS as well. The fall musical was very well done, as was the spring play. Our speech kids were magnificent, with several earning trips to the state festival to perform. The debate team was outstanding again this year, with three students earning trips to the national tournament to be held in Las Vegas this summer. The jazz band finished fourth in the state this year. Our students commit themselves to the Pillars of Character as demonstrated by our elementary and middle school students working to feed the hungry with help from the Milford Kiwanis Club. The culinary arts students have prepared many good meals for the public for various occasions and our student council and National Honor Society students also help out with many community service projects. Our standardized test scores have been returned from scoring, and we have seen significant gains in all of our scores. When we finish going through them with a fine tooth comb, we will be releasing the information to the public. Be watching for them as you will agree, they are outstanding.

Breaking in new people can be a daunting task; but I must say, all of our new people have done a marvelous job. I need to say a special thanks to our administrative team, Mike Schmitz, Ryan Cunningham and Rob Olsen. We had our first team meeting early in the summer, and the chemistry has been great ever since. These three gentlemen are true professionals, all with different levels of experience, and they truly want what's best for our kids. That doesn't mean that every decision is a popular one, but it is made with the right intentions. Thanks for a wonderful year, guys.

We were saddened this year with the passing of a couple of people who were a very integral part of the Okoboji Community Schools. Vern Brosh and Mason Dible passed this year, and we are all saddened by the loss. Both were great examples of integrity, work ethic and perseverance. In many ways, they were role models to us. We miss them.

It is my hope that everyone associated with the Okoboji Community School has a safe and relaxing summer, and that you all are able to recharge your batteries as the quest continues in a short few months. Thanks to all, particularly the parents of our students, for the support and encouragement we all need to be able to sprint through the school year like we have.