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We are proud to share that a new City of O’Fallon flag is now flying proudly in front of the OTHS Milburn Campus!

Thank you to Mayor Van Hook and the City of O’Fallon for being such strong and supportive partners to our school community. Your continued collaboration helps us create a campus environment where students feel connected, supported, and proud to call O’Fallon home.

 

OTHS Students and Families, 

O'Fallon Township High School District 203 is aware that families in our community are currently facing financial challenges. Please know that OTHS is committed to ensuring that all students have access to nutritious breakfast and lunch each school day.

If your family’s financial situation has changed recently, you may wish to consider completing the Free and Reduced-Price Meal Application. At this time, the District is not aware of any disruptions to the National School Lunch Program. Breakfast and lunch will continue to be served as usual.

Additionally, we have attached a list of local food resources compiled by the OTHS Social Work staff and the O’Fallon Police Department. These resources include food pantries, community meal programs, and other local supports available to families in need.

We would also like to highlight that the OTHS National Honor Society (NHS) will be holding a Food Drive  next week to support local families. Please see the flyer below for additional details on how you can participate or contribute.

 

Reminder that tonight's Board of Education meeting will be hosted at the Milburn Campus. This is a great opportunity to have your voice heard and be a part of positive change at OTHS. See you at 7pm at the Milburn Campus.

 

The meeting can also be viewed by visiting - https://www.youtube.com/live/VPVtNT2TIg8

 

It’s Principals Appreciation Week!

A huge "THANK YOU" to our amazing OTHS principals for leading with passion, purpose, and Panther Pride every single day! Your dedication keeps OTHS moving forward and makes a difference in the lives of our students and staff.

Mr. Howe, Dr. Coley, Mr. Cozad, Dr. Heavens, Mrs. McNichols, Mr. Prindable and Mr. Wallis, we thank you for your incredible leadership and we thank you for all that you do for OTHS! #PantherPride

 

The OTHS Wellne

ss Club is hosting its Annual Blood Drive on October 29th in the MPR!
Step up, roll up your sleeve, and help save a life. 💙💛
#PantherPride #WellnessClub #GiveBloodSaveLives

Leadership isn’t about titles, it’s about heart, vision, and commitment, and we have one of the best at the helm. It is "National Boss's Day", but "boss" isn't quite fair to who she is as a person and leader.

Today we recognize our District 203 Superintendent, Dr. Beth Shackelford, for the countless ways she leads, supports, and inspires our district. Thank you for being the heart of OTHS and for guiding us forward with strength, compassion and dedication.

OTHS Students and Families, 

Through Public Act 101-0012, the State of Illinois allows school districts to implement e-learning days in place of emergency days that would otherwise require the closure of school operations. When utilized, e-learning enables students to receive virtual instruction on those emergency days, reducing the need to extend the school year with make-up days. Over the past year, members of the OTHS Faculty and Education Committee have explored the feasibility of adopting e-learning at OTHS. Through a collaborative effort, they have developed an e-learning plan for the Board of Education's consideration. If approved, the plan would allow OTHS to utilize up to five e-learning days per school year.

The Board of Education will hold a public hearing on the proposed e-learning plan on Thursday, October 23, 2025 at approximately 7:00pm, prior to the start of the regular board meeting. Please note that the October board meeting will take place at the Milburn campus (650 Milburn School Road). 

Click here to access the proposed ELearning Plan for OTHS.

Thank you, and have a wonderful weekend! 

Dr. Beth Shackelford, Superintendent

OTHS Picture Days are near!!! Students, keep a close eye out for your specific dates posted outside of your advisory classes.

NEXT WEEK - October 6th - 9th

Smiley Campus - Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday

Milburn Campus - Wednesday and Thursday

Hey OTHS Panthers,

Homecoming Week is next week — September 22nd through September 27th! Below is an overview of key dates and information. For details and answers to frequently asked questions, please visit oths.us/homecoming.

Ticket Sales Close at 3:30pm on Thursday, 9/25: https://omella.com/v0eh9

All ticket sale details, answers to frequently asked questions, and guest forms are available at oths.us/homecoming. 

 

Dress-Up Days: Dress up each day to earn spirit stick points for your class 

• Monday 9/22 – Biker vs. Surfer
• Tuesday 9/23 – USA Day
• Wednesday 9/24 – Class Distinction: Music Genre

• Seniors: 2000’s Throwbacks

• Juniors: Country

• Sophomores: Disco

• Freshmen: Techno

• Faculty: Rock & Roll

• Thursday 9/25 – Jersey (Sports Attire) vs. Jersey Shore (TV Show)
• Friday 9/26 – School Spirit Day (Wear OTHS blue & gold!)

 

Homecoming Bash: Monday 9/22 from 5:00pm – 6:30pm

Bring your school ID to scan in at your class table for spirit stick points and bring money if you wish to purchase food. Join in the fun by participating in activities provided by clubs, vote on the student car show entries, and sign up to compete in the Panther Olympics. 

Panther Olympics: Form a team of 10 students with a faculty member sponsor. Your faculty member will sign up your team on the link in their email. We hope to see you at 4:50pm on the band practice field off Smiley on Monday, September 22nd. For any questions regarding Panther Olympics, please email Ms. Hattan: hattanj@oths.us or Mrs. Greene: greenek@oths.us

 

Parade: Wednesday 9/24- Starts at 5:45pm

Scan your ID in the lobby from 5:15pm-5:40pm to get spirit stick points for your class. If you do not have a sport or club to walk with in the parade, join your class float! 

 

Pep Rally: Friday 9/26-- 11:30am – 12:30pm. All students will be dismissed from the Smiley campus and we will follow the modified bell schedule below:

	MILBURN	SMILEY
EB	N/A	7:30 – 7:55
1st Hour	7:30 – 7:55	8:00 – 8:25
2nd Hour	8:00 – 8:25	8:30 – 8:55
3rd Hour	8:30 – 8:55	9:00 – 9:25
4th Hour	9:00 – 9:25	9:30 – 9:55
5th Hour	9:30 – 9:55	10:00 – 10:25
6th Hour	10:00 – 10:25	10:30-10:55
7th Hour	10:30-10:55	11:00 – 11:25
Assembly	11:30 – 12:30

 

Homecoming Football Game: Friday 9/26 at 7pm 

 

Homecoming Dance: Saturday 9/27-- 7:00pm – 10:00pm

Doors are open from 7pm-8pm, Coronation begins at 8:15pm. No re-entry. No tickets will be sold after 3:30 PM on Thursday 9/25. 

 

For all homecoming week question, please email stuco@oths.us 

📣 Huge Congratulations goes out to Mrs. Tracey Ritzel! 📣

OTHS is proud to announce that Mrs. Ritzel has been honored with the Emerson Excellence in Teaching Award, one of the St. Louis area’s most prestigious teacher recognition programs!

For the past 25 years at OTHS, Mrs. Ritzel has dedicated herself to student success through countless roles, including:

✨ Honors Night Co-Coordinator

✨ Graduation Co-Coordinator

✨ Running Start Program Counselor

✨ SLU 1818 Advanced Dual Credit Coordinator

✨ Chamber of Commerce Liaison

✨ 11th Grade College & Career Programming Coordinator

✨ National Honor Society Sponsor

💙💛 Her ultimate goal has always been to help OTHS students achieve success and prepare for their future—and this award is a well-deserved recognition of her impact. 💙💛

 

Please join us in congratulating Mrs. Ritzel on this outstanding honor! 👏

We are excited to invite you to OTHS Parent Connects Night and Open House on Monday, September 8 from 5:30pm-7:30pm at both OTHS Smiley and Milburn campuses. 

 

Parent Connects Night includes presentations from the Counseling Department, an Activity Fair to showcase OTHS clubs and activities, and an Open House Meet & Greet to give parents and teachers the opportunity to meet.

 

Schedule of Events and Session Descriptions:

 

MILBURN SCHEDULE

5:30pm-6:45pm – Activity Fair

6:00pm-6:30pm – Grade Level Presentation – Freshmen

6:30pm-7:30pm – Open House Meet & Greet

 

SMILEY SCHEDULE

5:30pm-6:00pm – Dual Credit Presentation

6:00pm-6:30pm – Grade Level Presentations – Sophomores, Juniors, & Seniors

6:30pm-7:30pm – Open House Meet & Greet

 

SESSION DESCRIPTIONS

Activity Fair – 50+ OTHS clubs and activities will be on display in the Milburn Cafeteria for parents to browse and see what OTHS offers.

Dual Credit Presentation - OTHS School Counselors will present three specific programs offered at OTHS that allow students to earn college credit while enrolled in high school coursework.

Grade Level Presentations – OTHS School Counselors and Social Workers will share important information relevant to each specific grade level.

            Locations:

                        Freshmen – Milburn Auditorium

                        Sophomores – Smiley Multi-Purpose Room

                        Juniors – Smiley Panther Center

                        Senior Financial Aid – Smiley Instructional Media Center

 

Open House Meet & Greet – OTHS teachers will be available in their classrooms to meet, greet, exchange contact information, and briefly share information about the classes they teach.   The Open House Meet & Greet will be free flowing and will not follow a bell schedule.  Parents will be free to circulate around the buildings to meet teachers at their own pace.  Teachers will not be available for extended meetings or one-on-one parent-teacher conferences during this time, but parents are encouraged to reach out to teachers with any specific questions they have.

📣 Panther Connects Day is this Friday!!! 📣

 

💙Did you know? Students who join at least ONE club or activity at OTHS average a 3.23 GPA, compared to 2.60 for those not involved. 💡 Being connected matters, both for your success and your experience at OTHS! 🐾

💙When: Thursday, August 22

💙Where: During the school day

💙Bonus: We will end the day with a pep rally and it’s also an early dismissal day! All students will be dismissed at 12:00pm from the Smiley Campus.

 

Come explore clubs, teams, and activities, there’s something for EVERY Panther. Don’t miss your chance to find your place, make new friends, and level up your high school journey.

📢 Attention Panthers Athletes & Parents! 🐾

📅 Sunday, August 10
🏟 The Dome

⏰ 6:00–6:30 PM – MANDATORY Fall All Sports Meeting (Athletes & Parents)
⏰ 6:30–7:00 PM – Break into Individual Sports (locations TBD)

Let’s get ready for an amazing fall season! 💪⚽🏐🏈🏃‍♂️

📰 ICYMI: The Latest OTHS Update is Here! 🐾
We dropped our newest edition yesterday. Packed with important back-to-school updates, upcoming events, and everything Panther Nation needs to know!

Whether you're a student, parent, or proud supporter, make sure you're in the loop.

📬 Check it out now: www.oths.us/newsletter

Gold Rush 2025 – 2026 

With the ordering of this top, you will be an official Gold Rush member and get into ALL OTHS regular season home games FREE! Your top will arrive at C & C Sports in 7-10 business days after your order for you to pick up. We encourage you to wear your top to school and games! However, to get in FREE to OTHS home regular season games, you will need to show your GOLD RUSH card at the entry of a regular season home game. Note: Blue and gold games and play-off games are NOT regular season home games. Gold Rush cards will be distributed at security desk on both campuses during the week of August 25^th. Please enter the OTHS student e-mail ( first name student id @students.oths.us) and parent/guardian e-mail, so we may e-mail both details of Gold Rush card distributions. Both e-mail addresses are very important as we like to communicate our theme dress days and other Gold Rush details throughout the school year. In order to get your Gold Rush card in time for fall sports, we need your order in by noon on August 21^st. If you order after noon on August 21^st, you will still receive your top in 7-10 business days but will not receive your free entry Gold Rush card until Winter Sports season. Go Panthers! We are looking forward to a great year supporting our athletics teams!!!!

 

 

https://www.storessimple.com/spectragraphics/goldrushstudents 

📣🥳Let's give a huge "O-Town Welcome" to our new certified staff joining the Panther Family this year. We can't wait to see the amazing things these new faces bring to our community. Head over to our website, or pull up our app 📱, to learn more about these wonderful new faces at OTHS.📣🥳

 

Link: www.oths.us/welcome 🎯

Download our New OTHS App where you get all your apps. 📱

Reminder: Tomorrow, Monday, July 29, is the last day for in-person registration for the 2025–2026 school year.

Online registration is still available and will remain open through our first day of school on August 12.

Don’t forget—we also have several upcoming opportunities for students to walk through their schedules.

Visit www.oths.us/registration for the latest details and important dates

Did you know each year we update our student handbook?

This year we made a change to our electronics policy. Please take a look at our updated policy and familiarize yourself and your student with our new policy.

 

www.oths.us/studenthandbook

The OTHS Board of Education and the Panther Community are pleased to welcome Mr. Blake Corners as the newest member of the District 203 Board of Education. We are excited to have Blake join our team and look forward to the contributions he will bring to our shared mission of educational excellence.

Below, you’ll find a personal message from Mr. Corners, along with a photo of Board President Rob Brown extending a warm welcome to Blake and his wife at our most recent board meeting.

"It is of great joy to be appointed to the O'Fallon Township High School District 203 Board of Education. As a dedicated member of the O’Fallon community for over a decade and an advocate for excellence through education, it has been a passion of mine to serve our community and be a catalyst for positive change.

I am excited for the opportunity to serve alongside OTHS leaders and connect with students, families and educators with integrity and purpose. My background as a local business owner and finance executive has equipped me with a comprehensive understanding of the opportunities to contribute to the strategic leadership of continuing to build upon the OTHS success.

Outside of my professional life, I enjoy global adventures and athletic endeavors, many might say extreme, that challenge me to grow physically and mentally to become a better husband, brother, family man, friend and compassionate citizen.

I am grateful for the trust placed in me and look forward to continuing to build upon a great foundation for a brighter future for our students and community.”

 

It was important to us to have a seamless and consistent look to our District and Athletics Website. We completely revamped our site to have total control over the content. Please be patient as we continue to update our new site with all our new features. Soon you will be able to explore rosters, schedules and team social media accounts with the click of a button.

 

Head on over to www.othsathletics.us to check out the latest.

 

Thank you for your patience as we continue to build the best user experience possible! Go Panthers!