SUPERINTENDENT: Dr. Mark Neighbors

ASSISTANT SUPERINTENDENTS:  Mr. Kenneth Burton and Dr. Brenda Rickett

CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER:  Mr. Chris Harrison

VISION

Opelika City Schools will partner with all stakeholders to provide a broad curriculum preparing learners for college or career in a competitive global society.

MISSION STATEMENT

Educate every child every day.

BELIEFS

• All students can learn and are capable of achieving high goals.
• Each student is a valued individual with unique physical, social, emotional, and intellectual needs.
• Students need to develop a deep understanding of essential knowledge and skills.  They also need to develop the capacity to apply their learning, to reason, to solve problems, and to produce quality work as they become contributing members of society.
• A safe and supportive learning environment promotes student achievement.
• The success of our school system depends on the commitment of all stakeholders including administrators, teachers, support staff, parents and community to high quality standards, expectations, and quality performance.
• The development of the curriculum, the design of instructional activities, and the use of assessment measures are focusedon providing learning opportunities and feedback systems that enable students to achieve success.

Board of Education

The Opelika City Schools Board of Education meets monthly at the Board of Education office located at 300 Simmons Street in Opelika. The meetings are usually held on the 4th Tuesday of the month at 4:00 p.m., unless otherwise posted. The board notice is posted monthly on the website under News and Events.

 Opelika City Schools Board Members:

• O.D. Alsobrook, III, Chairman
• Joe Pinkard, Vice-Chairman
• Robert T. Meadows, III
• Patsy Boyd Parker
• Katy Parrent Leonard

About the Opelika City Schools:

 The Opelika City Schools offer each student a world of opportunity. Beginning in primary school with art, music and multiple computers in each classroom, students are excelling in their learning environment. Our highly qualified teachers have been trained in the latest instructional strategies including the Alabama Reading Initiative (ARI) and TeamMath and Alabama Math Science Teaching Initiative (AMSTI). Most classrooms are equipped with Promethean whiteboard systems to allow the teachers to teach interactive lessons using laptops, slates, document cameras and interactive whiteboards. The intermediate schools offer a challenging curriculum that is accented by outstanding enrichment classes and music programs. Every third grade student in the Opelika City Schools takes nine weeks of violin lessons and has the opportunity to continue the lessons in fourth and fifth grade. Students who excel in the classroom are pulled from class at least one day a week to participate in enrichment activities that are tailored to their interests.

Opelika Middle School, is a "true" middle school serving grades six, seven and eight. The students are taught in teams that provide an enhanced relationship with the teachers and interdisciplinary instruction. The 24-station technology lab at the Middle School offers students the opportunity to experience subjects such as animation, robotics, space and rocketry, flight simulation, aerodynamics, bridge building, medical technology, electronics, virtual makeovers, a television studio and radio station. Other programs offered include Band, Chorus, Showchoir, Art and Global Connections in Science. In September of 2008, Opelika Middle School was one of only eleven schools in Alabama presented with the Alabama Safe Schools Award of Excellence. In January 2010, OMS was selected as a CLAS Banner School which recognizes schools in Alabama that showcase outstanding programs and services to students.

Opelika High School offers Advanced Placement classes in every core academic area. In addition, many students are dual enrolled in Opelika High and Southern Union Community College, located across the street from the OHS campus. While taking pre-calculus at OHS, they are also getting college credit from Southern Union. The OHS graduating class of 2011 included two National Merit Scholars and members of the class were offered a total of over $2.2 million dollars in scholarships.

In addition to having computers in the classrooms, computer labs in each elementary school, OHS has four computer labs, 20 computer stations in the media center and 30 wireless laptops that are used by students as a portable lab. OHS offers desktop publishing, video production, guitar, drama, advanced theatre, art, chorus, band, and horticulture. The Career/Tech programs at OHS offer students many different options to transition quickly into the manufacturing environment. Over 200 students play in the award winning "Spirit of the South" marching band and participate in the Concert, Symphonic and Jazz Bands. The award winning Opelika High School Choral Department has four choirs that include the Ovations coed show choir and Impressions girls show choir that have traveled to competitions in Alabama, Mississippi, Florida and Missouri. The outstanding drama department at OHS performs three productions each year which include a play each fall, an advanced theatre competition mid year and a spring musical. Our highly competitive Class 6A athletic programs include football, baseball, track, soccer, basketball, cross country, softball, volleyball, golf and tennis with a recently added sports arena and baseball facility.

Opelika City Schools is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools.