Okemos High School is a public high school in Okemos, Michigan, United States. 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 the East and West. The current building was completed in 1994, replacing the now Chippewa Middle School building as the district's high school. Former students of Chippewa 7-8 School comprise the school's student body.
An extensive Advanced Placement (AP) curriculum is in place, in which 59% of students participate.[4] To ensure high quality, admission to AP courses requires high achievement in prerequisite classes and a committee approval.
Okemos High School was ranked 13th in the state of Michigan in U.S. News & World Report's 2021 list of "America's Best High Schools".[4] The student to teacher ratio at Okemos High School is 19 students to 1 teacher.
The Okemos High School quiz bowl varsity team is consistently a top performer nationally; in 2016, 2017, and 2018, they qualified for NAQT nationals held in Dallas, TX (2016),[6] in Atlanta, GA (2017[7] and 2018[8]), and virtually (2021). Okemos High School finished 53rd nationally in Quiz Bowl in 2016[6] and 25th in 2017.[7]
Okemos High School offers band, choir and orchestra in the performing arts section. The top orchestra is Philharmonic,[9] the top band is SWE (Symphonic Wind Ensemble),[10] and the top choir is Someko (which is Okemos spelled backwards).[9] Okemos has many performers qualify for the All-State orchestra as well as for the MSVMA Honors Choir.[11]
The Okemos High School theatre program is another popular extracurricular activity in the performing arts section. The school typically puts on three shows each year including a spring musical.[12]
The Okemos Solar Racing Club has consistently placed well in the Solar Car Challenge, placing second in 2019 and winning the Classic Division in 2023.[13][14]
Richa Gangopadhyay, (2004) model, popular lead actress in Indian Cinema, particularly in South India
Tyler Oakley (2007), YouTube personality and advocate for LGBT youth
Kim Chi (drag queen) (2006), South Korean-American drag queen, artist, and television personality best known as a contestant on season 8 of RuPaul's Drag Race
Dean Bloembergen (2015), Cofounder & CTO of Owner.com[17]
Athletics
The district's mascot has been a topic of debate since the mid-1990s. In 2004, the school agreed to phase out the name "Chieftains" in favor of "Chiefs." In 2021, the school board voted unanimously to drop the Chiefs mascot entirely. "Wolves" was voted on and selected as the new mascot name, then approved by the school board.[18]
Okemos fields teams for both boys and girls in many sports. The Wolves are a member of the Capital Area Activities Conference. State Championship winners are listed below. The following sports are offered:[19][20]
^Paulson, Steven K. (February 14, 1997). "JonBenet prosecutor vents anger". Lansing State Journal. Associated Press. p. 4A. Retrieved January 10, 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
