User:Noahcs/Ocoee Middle School

Ocoee Middle School (OMS) is a middle school located at northern edge of Cleveland, Tennessee. As of 2007, it is the 17th largest middle school in Tennessee, and the largest in the county. Its current principal is Ron Spangler. Its name is reminiscent of the nearby Ocoee River.

History
The building that currently houses OMS was built in 1916 as Bradley Central High School (BCHS). It was formed when Bradley County High School of Charleston, TN and Central High School of Cleveland, TN merged. Quintin Miller Smith was its first principal. For over fifty years it was one of the largest high schools in Tennessee, but in 1972, due to the school's condition, BCHS moved to another location in Cleveland where it remains today. The building then changed into Bradley Jr. High School (BJHS) and remained this way up until 2001, when BJHS was renamed Ocoee Middle School to reflect the transition from a junior high school to a middle school. Bill Winters was the schools first principal. In mid-2004, Ron Spangler replaced Bill Winters as the new OMS principal.

Land offer controversy
In the summer of 2005, OMS received an offer from local resident Joe C. Stuart to donate about 25 acres for construction of a brand new Ocoee Middle School at the intersection of North Lee Highway and Sequoia Road. For a while, the gift was going to be accepted and OMS was going to be rebuilt there instead of inhabiting the already 85-year old Bradley Jr. High School. However, the offer was ultimately turned down by the Bradley County Commission who instead chose to renovate OMS. The exact reason it was turned down remains in speculation.

Mission statement
Taken from the OMS website The mission of Ocoee Middle School is to provide the curriculum focused on the total development of the child through a variety of educational experiences. The school is committed to fostering in students the desire and the capacity to become life-long learners and responsible citizens.

Teams
Every grade level at OMS is divided into teams. Previously the teams were three colors: white, blue, and gold (the school's colors) set with their grade (for instance, 7th Grade White would be 7W). This changed in 2006, when they changed the names from colors to horses. It originally had three teams per grade totaling nine teams, but this changed again in 2007 when the sixth grade teams moved to six teams with five of them having three teachers per team. This left two of the names retired. The following chart shows the team names. Number of teachers is the same unless otherwise marked.

Academics
Ocoee Middle has an outstanding academic tradition, which they promote by listing the Gold Honor Roll. A student must have an overall A average with no grade below a B, to get in. Any student who attended Ocoee Middle the previous year and meets the criteria will receive either a gold or silver card that can be used for free admission (for gold cards) or half off (silver cards) to school events. These events include ball games, dances, etc. These cards are earned per semester and students, if they lose the first one, will have pay a $3.00 fee for a replacement card. Incoming sixth graders will not be considered until after the first semester at Ocoee Middle. Since 2007, all cards have an Ocoee Middle School stamp on the back, to prevent counterfeits.

Renovation Project
In December 2005, Ocoee Middle School began a $6 million renovation/addition project. In December 2006, county school officials were asking for a minimum of $7.5 million for additional renovations to the school, but only were able to receive $4 million. With the $7.5 million, the school would be able to demolish the old gymnasium and an asbestos-infested wing of the school (known as "F Building"), but with the money approved the will only be able to do one or the other. Construction teams are currently renovating the gymnasium and have finished deconstructing "F Building".

New building
The school had been in need of new classrooms for a while. In 2005–06, the Bradley County School Board voted to begin construction on a new wing for Ocoee Middle School. The inside of it was completed in late December 2006 and student moved into the building on January 4 while minor adjustments were still being made to the building (such as removing tarps, painting the exterior, and planting grass). The add-on was built on top of the football field. It has two floors, a new cafeteria, a new sports equipment storage area, and contains 26 new classrooms. The total cost of the project was six million dollars. This was just the first phase in the OMS renovation project. The other phases include renovating the gym and relocating the school entrance to the west side of the school.

2004 break-in
In 2004, two teenagers were caught breaking in and vandalizing OMS.

2005 break-in
In the spring of 2005, three juveniles broke into OMS and stealing a laptop computer. They face possible charges in juvenile court.

Student hit by car
Around 7:45 on the morning of March 9th, 2007, a sixth grade girl got out of her mom's car and walked into one-way traffic to get to class when a car hit her. The principal says the girl left her feet, but luckily landed on them. She was taken to Bradley Memorial Hospital for treatment and was able to go home before noon with just minor bruises. He also hoped the accident will stress the importance of safety when kids exit onto one way streets. This was not nearly as bad as a similar incident that happened roughly five weeks later, when a Cleveland High School student was hit by a car, flew 20 feet after the impact, and had to be airlifted, via helicopter, to T.C. Thompson's Children's Hospital.

Gun rumor
In late April 2007, rumors developed about the possibility of a student bringing a gun to school. On April 30th, the Bradley County Sheriff's Office working alongside School Resource Officers, spent much of the day investigating the rumors and in the end found no evidence to support claims. They claimed the information originated out of an innocent conversation about the recent events at Virginia Tech. Despite this, extra officers remained on campus during the next few days as precautionary measure, citing they take the safety of schools very seriously.

2007 break-in
On the evening of August 5th, 2007, Marcus Dewayne Donohoo broke into OMS and stole cash, a DVD player, several cellphones, and a radio, totaling over $1,000. His identity was able to be determained using the school’s security system. Due to this he was able to be picked up for questioning less than three hours after the break-in was reported. Donohoo was also connected to a break-in that occurred two weeks earlier, on July 25th. He has been charged with, among other things, two counts of robbery.