There have been many big changes this year, but there will be at least one more big change next year. Assistant principal Mr. Casey Olearnick announced recently that he will not be returning to OHS next fall. 

On April 16 Olearnick accepted an assistant principal position at Fort Zumwalt North High School and announced it to OHS students through email a few days later. He has been an assistant principal at OHS since 2018, when he took over for former assistant principal Mr. Ross Bullington, who had retired that year. 

“I sought a position at Fort Zumwalt North because it is close to where I live and the educational philosophy of the building aligns closely with my own,” Olearnick said about why he chose to accept the position. “I want to be able to effect a positive change in my home community.”

Olearnick described his experience at OHS as wonderful, and spoke about some of the lessons he’s learned from his time at OHS. He says his favorite aspects of OHS are the students, teachers, and administrators. He added that he has learned a lot from the administrative team and described the teachers as “smart and kind.”

The most valuable lesson he has learned here, he says, is how to better support students from the front office and that “the easy answer is not always the right one, and yes is not always the way to go. Students need to be challenged and heard.” 

Olearnick said he is proud of his time at OHS and will cherish the memories he has made here. 

“I wish that I were not leaving in this way — during a pandemic without being able to see and greet the students and staff,” he said, “but this is the right move for me and my family.” 

The school district has been interviewing potential candidates to replace Olearnick. A new assistant principal should be announced later this month.