The Owatonna High School is a great place to work on building oneself and attaining personal education goals. Students are doing well academically, and many are also getting involved in school activities. With high student involvement, there are many ways that students get recognized by OHS staff and the community.

Recognition of a student by a school or community member usually means that the person shows accountability, leadership,     honesty, respect to others and an overall good character. For instance, if a student has a 3.8 GPA or better for a consistent three semesters in a row, they can letter for academics. The OHS also offers a chance for students to chance to get recognized as Student of the Month if they are exemplary of the above traits.

Student of the Month Director Mrs. Pat Wall said, “Two different departments, like Science, Math or English departments in the school choose which students they want to highlight for the month. It is usually a student that excels or has done a lot in high school.”

Mrs. Wall explained what the goal of having the student of the month is, and she said, “It’s to inspire kids to work hard and to show how students are excelling in school and how they get involved in extracurricular activities.” Junior Emily Keck is one of the students honored for the month of January. When asked what it meant to her she said, “It was a great honor, because I worked very hard. I enjoy everything I do, and being recognized for all the work I did makes me feel good.” For Keck to be able to receive this reward she explained how she is always trying to give 100 percent effort into all of her classwork and activities.

Students nominated to be a student of the month must illustrate leadership inside and outside the classroom. They need to be proactive, to transcend academically and also get involved in their high school. The students who are chosen as student of the month are displayed in the OHS student of the month showcase by the main school entrance.