Oldham County High School was established in 1953 with the consolidation of LaGrange and Crestwood High Schools on its current campus in Buckner, Kentucky. Oldham County’s close proximity to Louisville and its reputation for outstanding schools have made it one of the fastest growing areas in Kentucky over the past half century.
OCHS has been recognized twice as a National School of Excellence, and as a Kentucky Blue Ribbon School. Our school has always been blessed with solid administrative leadership, an outstanding faculty, and students who are genuinely interested in learning. As a result, OCHS has been consistently ranked as one of the top high schools in Kentucky, has had many student participants in the Kentucky Governors’ School programs, National Merit Scholars, and numerous academic honors.
The OCHS band has received consistent Distinguished ratings for performance in KMEA events for well over three decades. Prior to 2004, the Marching Colonels were very active in marching events including Bands of America regionals, the KMEA State Marching Band Championships (5 time finalists) and major parade performances at the Fiesta Bowl (1987), Macy*s Thanksgiving Day Parade (1988) and the Orange Bowl Parade (1988). The program refocused their emphasis on concert performance and support of school athletics since 2004.
Since 1992, the OCHS band has performed with distinction in concert events throughout the eastern United States and Canada, most recently in the WorldStrides Festival of Gold/Chicago in the spring of 2015, the Grand National Adjudicators Invitational in 2017 and the Dixie Classic Williamsburg Concert Festival in 2019. The Symphonic Band performed as a featured ensemble at the KMEA In-Service Conference in 2006, 2010, 2014, and 2018, and served as a clinic ensemble on three other occasions. Our Tuba-Euphonium ensemble and the Flute Choir performed at the Conference in 2013 and 2014. Students in the OCHS band participate in all aspects of the program (concert band, marching band, pep bands and small ensembles), and are well represented on academic teams and in academic honors organizations. Students excel individually as well, with many representing the program in All District and All State Ensembles, university-sponsored honors band clinics, and national honors bands (NAfME All National Ensembles). A considerable number of band students are also involved in at least one team sport as well, including soccer, cross country, lacrosse, wrestling, track and field, tennis, and others.
The Marching Colonels are a non-competitive ensemble made up of the total enrollment of all instrumental classes. This group performs for home football games and community events throughout the summer and fall semester, and is split into two pep bands to perform for girls and boys basketball teams during their season.
OCHS returned to a seven-period traditional schedule in 2010 after twelve years on a 4 x 4 block schedule. All music performance classes meet for 50 minutes daily, with percussionists scheduled in a separate percussion class. One after school rehearsal each week is scheduled to tie the ensembles together for performances. Instrumental courses include Jazz ensemble, Percussion Techniques, and two ability-leveled Symphonic bands.
