Okemos Public Schools, originally organized in 1849, now represents a 22.5 square miles (58.3 km²) area
in north-central Ingham County in Okemos, Michigan

Okemos, Michigan

Okemos is an unincorporated community in Meridian Charter Township, Ingham County in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is a census-designated place for statistical purposes and does not have any separate legal existence as a municipality. Local government is provided by the township...

 adjacent to East Lansing, Michigan

East Lansing, Michigan

East Lansing is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan. The city is located directly east of Lansing, Michigan, the state's capital. Most of the city is within Ingham County, though a small portion lies in Clinton County. The population was 48,579 at the time of the 2010 census, an increase from...

 (home of Michigan State University

Michigan State University

Michigan State University is a public research university in East Lansing, Michigan, USA. Founded in 1855, it was the pioneer land-grant institution and served as a model for future land-grant colleges in the United States under the 1862 Morrill Act.MSU pioneered the studies of packaging,...

) and four miles (6 km) east of Lansing, Michigan

Lansing, Michigan

Lansing is the capital of the U.S. state of Michigan. It is located mostly in Ingham County, although small portions of the city extend into Eaton County. The 2010 Census places the city's population at 114,297, making it the fifth largest city in Michigan...

. The school district includes approximately two-thirds of Meridian Township, Michigan and portions of Alaiedon

Alaiedon Township, Michigan

Alaiedon Township is a civil township of Ingham County in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2010 census, the township population was 2,894.-Communities:...

 and Williamstown townships

Williamstown Township, Michigan

Williamstown Township is a civil township of Ingham County in the U.S. state of Michigan, located directly to the east of East Lansing. The city of Williamston is at the southeast corner of the township, but is administratively autonomous...

.

In 2005-06, the district enrolled 4,210 students and employed 298 teachers, 19 administrators, and 233 support personnel.

In 2009, the Okemos school board decided, after intense public debate, on a broad reorganization of the district's elementary and middle schools. One goal of the reorganization was to close budget deficits resulting from lagging tax revenues and declining enrollments. Another was to improve teaching by consolidating each grade level at a few schools, allowing more contact and specialization among teachers at each level.

In Fall 2010, Wardcliff and Edgewood Elementary Schools are to be closed. Kindergarten to 4th grade students from Wardcliff and Central will be reassigned to Cornell, Bennett Woods, and Hiawatha; and the public Montessori program will move from Edgewood to Central. All 5th and 6th graders will attend Kinawa Middle School, and all 7th and 8th graders will attend Chippewa Middle School.

Schools

Okemos Public Schools is made up of four elementary schools, one [5-6] building, one [7-8] building and one high school

High school

High school is a term used in parts of the English speaking world to describe institutions which provide all or part of secondary education. The term is often incorporated into the name of such institutions....

.

• Bennett Woods Elementary
• Cornell Elementary
• Central Public Montessori
• Hiawatha Elementary
• Chippewa 7-8 School
• Kinawa 5-6 School
• Okemos High School
  Okemos High School
  Okemos High School is a public high school in Okemos, Michigan, USA. It is the only high school in the Okemos Public Schools district. It is located southeast of the main campus of Michigan State University, between Bennett and Jolly Roads on the North and South, and Hulett and Hagadorn Roads on...
  
  

Athletics

Their nickname is the Chieftains, meant to honor Chief John Okemos

John Okemos

John Okemos was a Michigan Native American chief of the Saginaw Chippewa people of the Ojibwa nation. In the Ojibwa language, Ogimaans means "Little Chief." It is not known if this refers to Okemos' short stature or refers in some way to his actual power as a chief...

, a Native American

Native Americans in the United States

Native Americans in the United States are the indigenous peoples in North America within the boundaries of the present-day continental United States, parts of Alaska, and the island state of Hawaii. They are composed of numerous, distinct tribes, states, and ethnic groups, many of which survive as...

 of the area. Both middle schools and Okemos High School

Okemos High School

Okemos High School is a public high school in Okemos, Michigan, USA. It is the only high school in the Okemos Public Schools district. It is located southeast of the main campus of Michigan State University, between Bennett and Jolly Roads on the North and South, and Hulett and Hagadorn Roads on...

 participate in many girls' and boys' sports.

Okemos High School is a Division I member of the Capital Area Activities Conference

Capital Area Activities Conference

The Capital Area Activities Conference is a high school sports league located in Southern Michigan. It is a member of the Michigan High School Athletic Association...

. Other members of the Division are East Lansing, Grand Ledge, Holt, Jackson, Lansing Eastern, Lansing Everett, and Lansing Sexton.

Okemos High School Sports:

Boys - Football

American football

American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...

, Cross Country

Cross country running

Cross country running is a sport in which people run a race on open-air courses over natural terrain. The course, typically long, may include surfaces of grass and earth, pass through woodlands and open country, and include hills, flat ground and sometimes gravel road...

, Soccer, Golf

Golf

Golf is a precision club and ball sport, in which competing players use many types of clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a golf course using the fewest number of strokes....

, Basketball

Basketball

Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...

, Wrestling

Wrestling

Wrestling is a form of grappling type techniques such as clinch fighting, throws and takedowns, joint locks, pins and other grappling holds. A wrestling bout is a physical competition, between two competitors or sparring partners, who attempt to gain and maintain a superior position...

, Swimming & Diving, Hockey

Ice hockey

Ice hockey, often referred to as hockey, is a team sport played on ice, in which skaters use wooden or composite sticks to shoot a hard rubber puck into their opponent's net. The game is played between two teams of six players each. Five members of each team skate up and down the ice trying to take...

, Skiing

Skiing

Skiing is a recreational activity using skis as equipment for traveling over snow. Skis are used in conjunction with boots that connect to the ski with use of a binding....

, Baseball

Baseball

Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...

, Tennis

Tennis

Tennis is a sport usually played between two players or between two teams of two players each . Each player uses a racket that is strung to strike a hollow rubber ball covered with felt over a net into the opponent's court. Tennis is an Olympic sport and is played at all levels of society at all...

, Track

Track and field

Track and field is a sport comprising various competitive athletic contests based around the activities of running, jumping and throwing. The name of the sport derives from the venue for the competitions: a stadium which features an oval running track surrounding a grassy area...

, Water Polo

Water polo

Water polo is a team water sport. The playing team consists of six field players and one goalkeeper. The winner of the game is the team that scores more goals. Game play involves swimming, treading water , players passing the ball while being defended by opponents, and scoring by throwing into a...

, Lacrosse

Lacrosse

Lacrosse is a team sport of Native American origin played using a small rubber ball and a long-handled stick called a crosse or lacrosse stick, mainly played in the United States and Canada. It is a contact sport which requires padding. The head of the lacrosse stick is strung with loose mesh...

Girls - Basketball, Swimming & Diving, Tennis, Cheerleading

Cheerleading

Cheerleading is a physical activity, sometimes a competitive sport, based on organized routines, usually ranging from one to three minutes, which contain the components of tumbling, dance, jumps, cheers, and stunting to direct spectators of events to cheer on sports teams at games or to participate...

, Pom

Pom Squad

A dance squad or dance team, sometimes called a pom squad or drill team, is a sport team that participates in competitive dance. In a routine, a squad will incorporate a specific dance style , technical work and, depending on the routine, pompon and/or cheers...

, Cross Country, Volleyball

Volleyball

Volleyball is a team sport in which two teams of six players are separated by a net. Each team tries to score points by grounding a ball on the other team's court under organized rules.The complete rules are extensive...

,
Skiing, Softball

Softball

Softball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of 10 to 14 players. It is a direct descendant of baseball although there are some key differences: softballs are larger than baseballs, and the pitches are thrown underhand rather than overhand...

, Track, Soccer, Golf, Water Polo, Lacrosse

Rankings

Okemos High School

Okemos High School

Okemos High School is a public high school in Okemos, Michigan, USA. It is the only high school in the Okemos Public Schools district. It is located southeast of the main campus of Michigan State University, between Bennett and Jolly Roads on the North and South, and Hulett and Hagadorn Roads on...

 is ranked #802 on Newsweek

Newsweek

Newsweek is an American weekly news magazine published in New York City. It is distributed throughout the United States and internationally. It is the second-largest news weekly magazine in the U.S., having trailed Time in circulation and advertising revenue for most of its existence...

's 2010 list of the Best High Schools in America.http://www.newsweek.com/feature/2010/americas-best-high-schools/list.html

External links

• Okemos Public Schools Website
• Okemos High School Website