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Oconee County High leaders tell school board culture push cut August absences nearly in half
Summary
At the Sept. 15 Oconee County Board of Education meeting, staff and students from Oconee County High School described programs—Tech Free Tuesday, pep rallies, advisement periods and a teacher "Letter Sweater" recognition—that school leaders say helped lower August absences from 964 to 420.5 and increased staff engagement.
Oconee County High School staff and student leaders told the Oconee County Board of Education on Sept. 15 that a set of cultural initiatives and an attendance policy change have coincided with a drop in August absences from 964 to 420.5.
The presentation highlighted student-focused traditions such as first-day pep rallies, monthly cafeteria trivia and a “Tech Free Tuesday” initiative, alongside staff-focused recognition programs including a new “Letter Sweater” awarded after five years of service. "Don't be so busy trying to keep your job that you forget to do your job," one presenter said when describing the school's broader emphasis on connection and purpose.
School representatives said the changes pair positive culture-building with renewed accountability. An assistant principal reported that in August 2023, about 25% of the student body had at least one absence in the month, totaling 964 absences; this August, 16% of students had an absence, totaling 420.5 absences. "So that cut absences in half," the assistant principal said.
Marketing teacher Josh Bentley described extracurricular and spirit efforts that feed school culture, including a "Bleed Blue" campaign that distributed magnets and pins, Blue Side breakfasts, a spirit shop run by a school-based enterprise, class competitions at pep rallies and monthly trivia tied to Tech Free Tuesday. "It's an awesome opportunity to engage our students and really improve our school spirit," he said.
English teacher Amy Meis described Tech Free Tuesday and other efforts to reduce device use in hallways and lunches so students connect in person. She said the school uses a 25-minute advisement period, called Warrior Period, to maintain continuous teacher-student relationships from freshman year through graduation.
An assistant principal reported the school is seeing broad participation in extracurriculars and cited activity counts the school provided: 19 sports teams, four activity teams, 45 returning student clubs and nine new clubs and organizations this year. The assistant principal also said 94% of teachers have been in education more than five years and that 53% of teachers are in year six or higher at OCHS.
The board received the presentation; presenters did not request formal action. School staff thanked the board for support and indicated photos of recent events will be displayed in board facilities and hallways through the month.
