As quickly as one school year ends, another begins. We are well underway in the 2026 Fall semester at Tahlequah High School with new and improved hallways, our football stadium under construction, and a renewed sense of purpose for the academic well-being of our students. I am looking forward to all that this school year has in store!
One day after the end of the 2026 school year, crews began demolition on the oldest portion of our building that was opened in 1965. Crews removed old lockers, flooring, wall bump-outs, and they gutted four of our oldest restrooms. With just days to spare before school started in August, they had our building complete. Brand new tile in a large portion of our building, new paint on the walls, wider halls, updated restrooms, new ceiling tiles and grid, and painted doors. It’s hard to imagine what our building looked like just four months ago when looking at it today. The difference is astounding! Looking ahead to the Fall of 2027 the Media Center will have completed major renovations and our new Tiger Football Stadium will be complete. Once the stadium is complete, work will begin on the new STEM center on our campus. This is an exciting time to be a Tiger!
Tahlequah Public Schools’ motto this year is Rooted in Progress and with that in mind we are working hard at THS to make sure our students’ educational foundation is solid. As a school we are collectively working on building our students’ abilities to read, write, speak, and reason. These skills will pay off for our students in their adult lives regardless of the path they choose. Whether students attend college, join the workforce, or attend a Career Tech after they have completed their time at THS, we want all students to be prepared for success in life and the ability to read, write, speak, and reason will provide them with the opportunity to succeed. With that in mind, all juniors will take the ACT twice during this school year. The first time will be on October 28 of this year and the second time on March 31, 2027. These are two important opportunities for our students, even if they do not plan to attend college. There is no shelf life on ACT scores, so if a student has no intention of attending college, but many years later changes their mind, colleges will still use their high school ACT score to determine admittance and which classes a potential student can take. On October 27, our sophomores will take the Pre-ACT and these scores will determine if they can be concurrently enrolled as juniors.
Moving further into the Fall, there are some important dates for our families and community to note. On Friday, September 25, students will be out of school for a professional development day for our staff. Then, on October 1 from 4pm to 7pm we will have Parent-Teacher Conferences and again on the morning of October 2 at 8am to 11am. October 2 is also our Homecoming parade and football game! Then, we will be out of school the week of October 12 through 16 for Indigenous Peoples day and Fall Break.
This is an exciting time to be a Tiger and I am looking forward to what this year will bring!
Mark Jordan
Tahlequah High School
Principal