After 41 years as an educator, the last six of which were spent at OHS, Prinicipal Bill Scheffler announced at the Nov. 17 faculty meeting that he will retire after this year.

“Being a high school administrator takes a lot of time (average 55-60 hour weeks) to do it right, and I think it is time I give my family a little more of my time,” Scheffler said.

Scheffler began as a math teacher at Chatham Glenwood High School in Chatham, IL. Since then, he has been assistant principal at three different schools throughout Illinois as well as principal at six different schools in Illinois, Minnesota and Missouri.

Since arriving at OHS in 2005, Scheffler has overseen improvements of academics around the school. One of the most noticeable is the increase in AP classes offered and tests given. The number of classes has increased from three to 15. Also, the number of tests given has dramatically increased from 29 tests to over 300.

OHS has also met AYP (Annually Yearly Progress) in all subgroups for the last two years. AYP is based on the EOC (End of Course) exam scores, which are a division of MAP (Measures of Academic Progress) testing. Also, ACT composite scores and National Merit rankings have improved in the last six years that Scheffler has been principal.

Scheffler implemented the PLC (Professional Learning Community) process, which helps teachers improve instruction for all students. This new process also began tiers in ANP. These tiers have reduced the numbers of D’s and F’s in the freshman and sophomore classes by 10 percent.

“I am also proud of the climate of both the students and staff,” Scheffler said. “I feel we are all working together in a much more cohesive manner than six years ago.”