On Dec. 16, 2025, the Illinois High School Association (IHSA) introduced Policy 17 which limits large co-op high school teams from dominating at state.
Policy 17, which will be implemented for the 2026-2027 school year, is aimed at leveling the playing field for schools competing in the same division. When this policy goes into effect next fall, it will impact several of the current athletic teams in-district, meaning that these co-op teams will no longer be able to compete at the sectional or state level.
OH Athletic Director Dan Artnzen said, “The bylaw states that schools can no longer have a cooperative team, commonly referred to as a co-op, if their combined enrollment is over 3,500 kids.” For OH specifically, the teams impacted include the gymnastics team and swimming team as both are co-op teams and combined with OE.
On Sat. May 16, OH celebrated the graduating class of 2026. Along with an announced 700 graduates, thousands of friends, family, and staff watched in support aa the 139th OH graduating class walked across the stage and began a new chapter of life.
That chapter, according to OH SchoolLinks data, will take the Class of '26 to a wide range of places in the United States, but as Graduation Keynote Speaker and OH '26 graduate Hailey Nass said, "Time is pushing us into something new. The clock isn't going to stop ticking, so don't wait for that perfect time: take the risk."
That "something new" for a majority of graduates, 62.44%, means seeking a 4-year degree from a college or university. However, 84.71% plan to continue their education in some way with post-high school education, according to self-reported data as collected by SchoolLinks, the SD#308 student information platform used by Student Services to help students with college and career planning.
While it may still be January, the buzz of prom hangs in the air at OH and dresses have begun to fly off shelves. The Junior Class Council is hard at work planning for the event of the year, trying to make each prom more magical than the last.
On April 10, OH participated in the Day of Silence, a national student-led demonstration where the classes are quieter than usual. Participants take a vow of silence to protest the bullying and harassment of the LGBTQ community in schools.
OH science teacher and True Colors sponsor Maggie Daly said, “The purpose [[for Day of Silence]] for students to be silent the way that members of the LGBTQ community are sometimes silenced, both in expressing who they are as well as the silencing that has come from the loss of life in the community.”
True Colors, which sponsors this day, is an after-school program at OH for the LGBTQ+ community, led by students with three board members and two sponsors.
On Feb. 5, 2024, students who had taken Honors English 1 in middle school received an informative email telling them that although they had taken the class, some colleges may not view the course as "potable," meaning an accepted credit when considering their applicants.
“The email is just to bring awareness to [[the]] varying entrance requirements of selective colleges and universities. Colleges and universities that are more selective may have a more specific requirement in terms of English classes,” said OH Student Services Director Patti Marcinko.
While this email does not mean all universities are similar, it left students nervous about their college of choice and whether they would have to figure out how to obtain the missing credit.