Oakland High School (Tennessee)

Oakland High School (OHS) is located in Murfreesboro, Tennessee, U.S. It has approximately 2,300 students. OHS is part of the fourth largest school system in the state. OHS serves eastern Murfreesboro and the rural areas of northeastern and eastern Rutherford County, including Lascassas, Milton, and Kittrell.

History
OHS opened in 1972 along with a sister school Riverdale High School (RHS). The schools were the first two high schools built after Central Magnet School in the Rutherford County school system.

While the school began as a traditional high school, OHS would add specialized programs to its curriculum, such as the AP program, the IB program, and vocational programs like the Mechatronics program. These programs led to the school becoming a choice school through OHS Choice.

In 2022, the Rutherford County School board proposed a renovation to OHS including 140,000 square feet of new construction. The Rutherford County Budget, Finance, and Investment committee met in April 2023 and approved the allocation of $47 million dollars to the project. The constriction will begin in the summer of the 2023.

Leadership
In June 2018, Bill Spurlock was assigned the role of Director of Schools after 10 years of service as the principal of OHS. He was replaced by John Marshall in August 2018.

Sports Rivalry
In 1972, students from Central High School were split between OHS and Riverdale High School, leading to a fierce rivalry between the students. This rivalry was intensified by fierce competition in football and basketball.

While the rivalry has cooled down in recent history due to the founding of Blackman High School, and Siegel High School, it still remains very strong. In October 2022, a shooting occurred in the parking lot of a Riverdale-Oakland football game. Thankfully, nobody was injured.

Mechatronics
OHS offers an award-winning Mechatronics program in partnership with Motlow State Community College. This program allows students to earn up to 61 college credit hours in Mechatronics Engineering. Optionally, students can enroll in the AAS program, in which they can earn a Mechatronics Associate degree through Motlow while attending OHS. Multiple Tennessee Universities, such as MTSU, UT Chattanooga, and Tennessee Tech offer a "2+2 program", which allows students to obtain a Mechatronics Bachelor's degree in 2 years if they obtain the Mechatronics ASS degree.

Additionally, students can earn multiple certifications, as listed below:


 * Siemens Level 1 certification
 * FANUC robotic Material Handling Tool and Programming Level 1 certification
 * Solidworks CSWA certification
 * 6 Precision Measurement Instruments (PMI) certifications
 * 3 different Yaskawa Robotics certifications
 * Siemens Level 2 certification through Motlow, if the student completes the ASS path.

The school won Tennessee's 2017 Excellence in action, Manufacturing award for its Mechatronics and automotive technology programs. In 2017, Betsy DeVos visited the school to commemorate this achievement.

Leonard Ciletti has led the OHS Mechatronics program since its inception.

The OHS Mechatronics webpage contains the most up-to-date information on the program.

International Baccalaureate Programme
Since 2007, Oakland High School has offered the IB Diploma Programme.

The OHS IB webpage contains the most up-to-date information on the program.

Notable alumni

 * Bryan M. Clayton - businessman and real estate investor, CEO and cofounder of GreenPal
 * Jordan James, American college football running back for the Oregon Ducks
 * Bayer Mack, writer, record executive, and film producer
 * Stephen McAdoo, NFL/CFL player with the Cleveland Browns and Shreveport Pirates, CFL Coach, currently offensive line coach for the Toronto Argonauts
 * Robert J. Schwalb, (writer), Sci-Fi/Fantasy Author, Game Designer
 * Emmanuel Smith, American football linebacker and Super Bowl LIV champion
 * JaCoby Stevens, American football safety
 * Woodi Washington, American college football cornerback for the Oklahoma Sooners
 * Chris Young, country music singer