“I’m excited to be coming home to OHS.  It’s an honor to coach my alma matter,” said Brad Schmied, OHS swim coach.

Schmied graduated from OHS in 1991.  He earned a Bachelor’s of Science degree from UL in 1996. 

“Coach Schmied is a well-respected coach who comes to us with head coaching experience.  As soon as the job became available he contacted us expressing interest and we are very excited to have him.  Any time you can welcome back a former red devil, it’s a good day.  We are excited about the future of our swim program,” said Todd Harper, OHS athletic director.

Schmied will coach both the girls and boys swim teams.   

“My main goal in the first year is to get more swimmers out for the team.  We will also build on what we have and try to get several swimmers qualified for state,” said Schmied.  

“What an incredible day for Owensboro!  This is the perfect example of three entities coming together to provide world-class facilities for Owensboro residents,” said Dr. Nick Brake, OPS Superintendent.

“This is another great example of what education and civic partnerships can do for the institutions themselves and the communities where they are located. We are grateful for the Owensboro Public Schools and, certainly, Owensboro Health for collaborating with us to make this idea a reality,” said Barton D. Darrell, Kentucky Wesleyan President.

The track will be open Monday, Wednesday and Friday mornings from 5-7 a.m. for public use. 

An exact start date for that will be announced later in the year.

“Long-term improvement in the health of our community starts with our children, and that is why children and school health are a priority focus for our system,” said Greg Strahan, president and CEO of Owensboro Health.  

“Owensboro Health and the Owensboro Health Foundation make significant investments to support programs and initiatives that can improve the health of our children around the region. The commitment to our community and our children has never been stronger, and I look forward to seeing the impact these programs will have on future generations,” added Strahan.

The Kentucky Wesleyan College track team will have a place to call home under head coach Tony Rowe.

“The impact of this beautiful facility on our athletes should be substantial,” said Tony Rowe, head coach, Wesleyan track and field. “I think we will see not only a significant effect on training and performance, but also a great reduction in injuries.  The track surface and field event venues will lend themselves to excellence and as a result, our program will reap great dividends in the seasons ahead.  We are looking forward to hosting the first intercollegiate track and field meet in Owensboro in the spring.”

In addition to the OMS and OHS track and cross country teams using the facility, the OMS football and soccer teams will play on the turf field located in the center of the track.

“I can’t wait to come out to the facility and watch our student-athletes compete on some of the nicest facilities in the state.  This kind of complex is a game changer for Owensboro,” added Brake.

All schools have/will be sending home opt out forms for the solar eclipse.  If you'd like to opt your child out from viewing the eclipse, please turn in an opt out form.  Again, forms have/will be sent home with students.  Important information is attached.

“We are so excited to be a part of this program.  It’s such a simple thing we can do to encourage our students to be excited for the first day of school,” said Dr. Nick Brake, OPS Superintendent.

“The reason I participated is I want to have a positive impact on these students’ lives.  What better way to do that than by welcoming students to school and cheering for their educational success,” said Rick Searcy, H.L. Neblett Center Director.

According to its website, “The Million Father March (MFM) is an opportunity for men to show their commitment to the educational lives of their children on the first day of school and throughout the school year. Since the Million Father March began in 2004, fathers and other significant male caregivers across the United States and around the world have gathered to accompany their children to their first day of the new school year.”

School buses from both districts will be located in the parking lots of the two local Walmart stores to accept donations of school supplies to be donated to students. Supplies may be purchased at any store.

An OPS school bus will be parked at 5031 Frederica St. and a DCPS school bus will be parked at 3151 Kentucky 54 from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Friday, July 28, and from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, July 29.

Lists of school supplies recommended for various grade levels will be available inside both stores, but supplies of all kinds are welcome. Paper, notebooks, pencils, pens, crayons, school glue, scissors, rulers, folders, binders, calculators and backpacks are among items that would help a local child begin the school year ready to learn.

The first annual “Stuff the Bus” event is sponsored by the DCPS and OPS Family Resource and Youth Services Centers as they team up to support all students across our shared community.

OMS-South: ALL students will be receiving a new OPS backpack. Always-on cases will no longer be issued. The backpack will be the property of the student and will be issued to them when school begins. If a student loses or damages the backpack, it will be the family responsibility to replace with a backpack of your choice (A protective pocket/sleeve inside the backpack is HIGHLY recommended). The school will be carrying some additional OPS backpacks that can be purchased if desired ($50 each). 

School Registration Dates 2017

“I was shocked.  It’s an incredible experience to win an award for something that I love to do.  I’m happy to work in a district that supports creativity,” said Lauren Coomes, Estes teacher.

“Ms. Coomes is an innovator.  From the unique moveable desks in her classroom, to the hands-on lessons she creates for her students.  She is a special teacher with a passion that carries over to her students,” said Shari Flagg, Estes principal.

The Estes garden was started last year when Coomes noticed that her students for the most part do not get exposure to the agriculture community because they live in the city.

“The garden makes the students excited.  My students literally pull up weeds and bring them into class to ask what they are.  We are incorporating real-world learning into our curriculum,” added Coomes.

“We invite the farmers to bring fresh produce, marketing, signs, pictures and coupons to the site,” said Kaitlyn Blankendaal, OPS school nutrition supervisor.

“It’s so important for our students and families to know where their food is coming from.  It’s the key to eating healthy.  We are so fortunate that a lot of our food is grown locally since we are located in an agriculture community,” added Blankendaal.

ANY child age 18 and under can get a free meal from any of the summer feeding sites.  Please follow this Link for a complete list of summer feeding locations.

“One of the long-range goals we wanted to see in OPS was the strengthening of collaboration and networking with peers that started from the grassroots.  We couldn’t be more proud and excited for this group to begin its work and literally DRIVE us into what’s next for teaching and learning at OPS,” said Dr. Nick Brake, OPS Superintendent.

The program was formed as a result of a group of teachers who are currently in a Western Kentucky University cohort where they’re earning their Rank I Principal certification.  They identified a need for OPS to offer a unique program where teachers could come together and develop the best teaching practices for students.

“When you’re in different buildings teaching at different levels, it can be hard to share your best ideas with teachers from other schools.  DRIVE OPS will help solve that challenge.  It will create opportunities for teachers to better master their craft,” said Krista Thompson, Sutton Elementary Teacher and WKU cohort member.

In order to be accepted into the DRIVE OPS program, teachers had to go through an application process that included getting a recommendation from one of their supervisors and explaining what DRIVE means to them.  Below is the list of the inaugural drive class: