Okeeheelee Middle School

They have a great principal Dr Samore and a great band director Mrs. Sarah Shearon-Smith
—Submitted by a parent

Okeeheelee Middle School offers a prestige choice program titled the INTERNATIONAL SPANISH ACADEMY. The academy is a program created for students with spanish roots, it allows them to be educated about their country of origin as well as many hispanic cultures. It is a Title 1 school with a variety of choices in academics, athletics and arts. In the field of athletics however, Okeehelee is limited to Soccer, Track & Field, Lacrosse, Flag Football, Baseball, Basketball, Volleyball and other popular sports. Okeeheelee is also dedicated to the arts, including band and drum line, chorus, painted art, dance and drama. The school also has a number of before and after school activities and clubs. The most popular being chess, weight lifting, Latin and Greek club, SECME, the National Junior Honor Society and many more.

I feel this school is very good except for the teacher communication.... My daughter did very well and Im happy with her hard work in advace classes and being in the ISA... the biggest problem I have is thatwe where told that our kids would get in the ISA if they attended a dual language program since Kindergarden and since my daughter is in it we thought my san would get in... this is not how it work so before you sign your kids up for the choice program, know that they will have to take an exam and may not get in this program... Im sad about this because my kids will have to go to 2 diffrent middle schools and my son wont be able to contine his spanish education. good luch
—Submitted by a parent

i think this is a goooooood school its clean and very nice i like the spainsh classes the gym and the sports next year im going yayay :-)

okeeheelee is one of the best schools you can send your child to.. i have just graduated from okeeheelee .. i was in the class of 2009-2010.. some of the best memories of my life were there at okeeheelee middle school ... i will never forget my teachers as i hope they will never forget me ... okeeheelee is an overall fantastice school ... everyone is family .. i have also been in the band program for my 3 years at okeeheelee .. our band program is awsome ... our band director is a teacher i will never forget ... she is awsome .. i have also been on the drumline for my 3 years i was there...and i have loved it ... alot of my memories were made in the school and i will always keep them right in my heart ..

I think Okeeheelee is a great school. I love the Spanish program over there and it has helped me with my Spanish. The school has great discipline and the teachers are awesome. The safety at the school is very good as I feel very safe whenever I go to school each day. I feel like Okeeheelee is a great school.
—Submitted by a student

I'm a student at Okeeheelee and I think it's a wonderful school. The Spanish Academy program is great and I have improved on my Spanish since being there. The school is safe and the teachers are great, the discipline is taken very seriously and it is overall a great school. The principal could interact with the students more though.
—Submitted by a student

I'm a student at Okeeheelee,and it's an alright school. I don't exactly agree with most of the strict rules that they think is of our best interest. No offense,but they treat eleven,twelve,and thirteen year olds a bit too seriously. They are trying really hard to reach out to parents though,and see what they can do to make their school a little bit better. Nevertheless,the spanish academy system they have is great and you can pick up the language easily,as long as your willing to learn. Good luck!
—Submitted by a student

I go to Okeehelee now, +& personally I love it, but one thing i don't really like, is how diverse it is..i guess that could go both ways, good or bad..Also, Dr. Samore is cool, but should interact with us students more often! My previous principals talked to us +& knew our names but as freinds, not because we were in their office every other day..do you know what I mean? I'm not too crazy about the dress code, but hey; who would be? And the locker issue kind of bothers me becuase i've alwasy see nloskerso n t.v. +& stuff and was looking foward to it, but that's defenitly just like, whateverr. Anyways, the teachers are amazingg! And they have an amazing band program<3 anyways, if you're sending your child to any other school other than Okeeheelee, think it over because OMS is awesomee! I absolutly recomend it!
—Submitted by a student

I was an 8th grader in 06-07. Okeeheelee Middle was a great experience. The school is pretty much like family, everyone knows each other well. The teachers are pretty awesome. Once you leave Okeehelee, you want to go back!
—Submitted by a student

i go to okeeheelee middle and sinceraly it is the best school in this county. The teachers are extrodinary and my classmates rock.
—Submitted by a student

Okeeheelee middle was a fun school to be in but like almost all middle school you haave to start from the beginning of 6th rade just to have many friends i new alot of people in okeeheelee and i was cool with everyone.we had so much fun though teachers let us do whatever we felt like doin most of the time now im attending Congress middle a choice magnet school for 8th grade i really enjoy my new school..but of course will never forget my old friends in okeeheelee.i would never regret the fact of leaving okeeheelee
—Submitted by a student

You have so many friends there and the best teachers who make learning fun!
—Submitted by a student

I just left okeeheelee and I loved it it is a great place. It a great school
—Submitted by luis sanchez, a former student

My daughter attended okeeheelee for three years. I feel that it is the best middle school in the county. Thank you, Dr. Samore, for your no nonsense attitude, which is exactly what is needed with middle schoolers. The dress code is wonderful,the clear and mesh backpacks solved many problems. Keep up the good work! Maude Clayborn
—Submitted by maude, a parent

I just grad.Okeeheelee and i was so happy to leave. it just seemed like a jail. There were some good things about the school though. The band program is great. Ms. Shearon is the best. i loved being in her class. And my 6th grade L.A was really cool. Okeeheelee is known for there fights, but there are really no fights at all. I felt safe. But one thing, the principal needs to interact more with the kids. sometimes i didnt think he was there. I have friends that go to Okeeheelee and they have the sliding scheldue and they hate it. I did have some fun days at okeeheelee though, well rarely
—Submitted by Katherine, a former student

I got to OMS & honestly, if you had another choice for a school, i would say go to that one. because Okeeheelee will defently make or break your child. And most of the people i kno, that go there have been 'broken' the teachers are wonderful & so is the principal & staff, but it is the students that attend there, that will make you think twice about going.
—Submitted by Janelle, a student

I recently graduated from Okeeheelee Middle School, and honestly, I was more than happy to leave. I don't think the principal is involved enough with the students. Unless you are being suspended, don't expect any attention from him. The teachers are decent, and violence in the school really isn't very bad. There are very few fights, and I never felt as if I were in danger. I once filed a complaint about one of my teachers, and the guidance office put my name on it, and showed it to the teacher, who then confronted me about it. That was very wrong. We don't even have lockers! We are required to carry clear or mesh backpacks for 'safety.' Okeeheelee is not a great school.
—Submitted by a former student

Given the limited resources to teachers by the school and district, teachers contribute extra money from their pockets to increase the chance for student success in the classroom. Many teachers in the school take additional time and effort to make students feel part of the community at Okeeheelee.
—Submitted by a teacher

This year I will have my 3 sons attending the school. I just hope that this year is better than it was 2 years ago when my eldest attended the school.
—Submitted by Luz Padua, a parent