The Class of 2024 went through once-in-a-lifetime experiences. As our class moved into middle school, we were the first class to enter and graduate from the remodeled building. During our transition from middle school to high school as freshmen, we experienced the reemergence of COVID-19. As our academic careers come to an end at the new Owatonna High School, we are having another life changing experience. This class is the first to graduate from the new OHS, leaving a permanent mark on the future of education and, ultimately, our community.
Throughout Owatonna’s history, our community has supported education. In 1920, community members and students invested in the old OHS. 104 years later, through the hard work of school administration and the belief of our community, we were able to build and open a new OHS—providing new opportunities for students.
As classes entered into the new OHS, we kept old traditions and built new ones, such as holding homecoming and After Prom at OHS. In the coming week, we have our graduation ceremony on Federated Field.
Our class not only started new traditions but also fostered a newfound sense of community. Students are participating and attending sports events and school activities in unprecedented numbers. In this sense, the Class of 2024 has established the foundation of our new OHS.
OHS students have forever shaped the future of the new OHS and, correspondingly, the community. Moreover, the Class of 2024 is graduating from OHS, which marks the beginning of a new journey. We should look back to our experiences, memories and accomplishments with pride and thank the teachers, administrators and mentors who helped us become who we are today.
Class of 2024, take the power of transforming the future of our community into creating your own future—and remember it all started in Owatonna.
This editorial was originally published in the May Print Edition.
