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School News - Tip Sheet - 2/13/2008

One Cool School 

2/11/2008, 5:20 a.m

Memorial High School is being highlighted all this week on KTUL’s “Cool Schools” feature, with a different Charger being interviewed each segment. The five Memorial seniors appearing on the early-morning show are Blaise Staab, Patrick Flesher, Dallin Burns, Denise Young and Julia Bond.

 

Booker T. Washington Key Club Adopts Newcomer 

2/13/2008

Booker T. Washington’s Key Club has taken Newcomer Elementary under its wing, adopting the school as the site for the club’s charitable activities this year.

Back in November club members donated to Newcomer students a backpack chock-full of school supplies. And earlier this month they sprung another donation —gathering up slightly used coats and brand-new art supplies.

“These are extraordinary student leaders who have great compassion,” Booker T. school counselor Mary Waters said about the club members.

The members of the Key Club are: Andrea Horowitz, president; Madelyn Randolph, vice president; Helen Agnew, secretary and Billy Chyan, activities coordinator.

 

Snow Poem Contest 

2/13/2008

A series of photographs hanging in the hall of McKinley Elementary is the basis of a voluntary school-wide contest. The pictures are centered on something we Tulsans have become all too familiar with these past few months: ice and snow.

Photographer Joe Rohr and photojournalists from the school newspaper took the snaps. Now students in K-5 may submit any kind of poem—from haiku to standard four-line rhyme to everything in-between— inspired by the photos be judged by staff and sponsors.

Winners will be announced February 25. Contact McKinley reading specialist Sandra Hunt at 833-8720 or huntsa@tulsaschools.org for more information.

 

Central Singers Get Into Valentine’s Day Spirit 

2/14/2008

A program offered by Central High School’s vocal music department puts you in good with your sweetie while raising money for a worthwhile cause.

Central’s Barbershop Men and BeautyShop Women —that’s the name of the singing groups —are performing Valentine's Day grams.

“We go out and sing all over the city of Tulsa,” said Central vocal music instructor Denise Davis.

Davis says last year the singers trekked over to City Hall to deliver a gram to an employee in the mayor’s office. Another worker witnessed it and is using the group’s services this year.

“Just give us the name of the person, the best time to come and we go out and sing,” Davis said.

The cost is $25. Proceeds benefit the vocal music department. Contact Davis at 833-8433 to book a gram.

 

Alcott Welcomes Noted Historian 

2/19/2008, 4:15 pm

Alcott Elementary is hosting an appearance by author/educator/ historian Eddie Faye Gates. Gates will be the featured speaker during the February meeting of the Tulsa Area Alliance of Black School Educators.

According to her website, Gates “is a former high school history teacher, public school administrator, and curriculum writer. She is presently an education consultant…and an activist working at local, state, national, and international levels to make the world a better place for all mankind. She has always loved old people and history, and has had previous experience in oral history and videotaping. An oral history project of her Edison High School students in Tulsa was designated an Oklahoma Diamond Jubilee Project in 1981 and student essays were displayed at the State Capitol.”

Alliance officials say the meeting is open to the public and anyone is invited to attend. The meeting is February 19 at 4:15 p.m.

 

Dealership Adopts Penn Elementary 

2/21/2008, 1 p.m.

The Partners in Education program continues to reap benefits as Dodge Chrysler Jeep of Tulsa adopts William Penn Elementary.

Penn—whose motto is “achieving academic excellence through high expectations for all"—will usher in the partnership with a February 21 ceremony beginning at 1 p.m. The community is invited to attend.

Partners in Education is orchestrated by the Tulsa Metro Chamber and TPS. Since 1983 the program has brought thousands of volunteers into local schools, connecting students and educators with folks they might not otherwise have the chance to interact with.

Penn’s Victoria Ellington credits Yvonne Hovell, owner of the dealership, with helping to facilitate the agreement.

 

Longtime TPS Employee Retires 

2/29/2008, 3 p.m.

An integral part of Bryant Elementary —and TPS as a whole —is leaving. After 34 years in the district and 19 at Bryant, Beverly Moore is retiring.

“I have so many passions that I want to explore while I’m still young enough,” says the 1969 Booker T. Washington graduate and grandmother of eight.

Moore worked as a counselor at Bryant and while she won’t be there anymore, the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree: she now wants to work with area churches to help at-risk youth. As for her lengthy tenure at TPS, Moore wouldn’t change a thing.

“”I’ve really enjoyed the position I’ve been in,” she says. “I think I was able to work with the community and help things move forward.”

Her co-workers obviously appreciate her service. They’re inviting TPS employees to attend a reception on Moore’s behalf at Bryant on February 9 at 3 p.m.

 

Memorial Golf Fundraiser 

3/8/2008, 11:30

A fundraiser for Memorial High School’s golf program is set for Saturday, March 8.

The price tag for the four-person scramble runs $160 a team and $40 a head. Sponsoring a hole is $100. Sponsoring a hole and a team runs you $250.

Officials say proceeds from the event will help defray the cost of equipment, camps and travel for the school’s boys and girls gold teams. The scramble is at the White Hawk Golf Course in Bixby.

 

Hale Hosts Impulse Control Seminar 

3/13/2008, 7 p.m.

Poor impulse control has been associated with everything from social problems to school failure, from addiction to crime. An upcoming seminar at Hale High School examines the problem.

“STOP and THINK: Teaching Children Impulse Control,” is for parents, teachers, school counselors, social workers and mental health professionals who are interested in learning more about gender and developmental aspects of impulse control along the most recent research on effective interventions. A description of some specific cognitive-behavioral techniques will be presented. Games, role-plays, videos and worksheets will be presented. Hand-outs will also be available. The seminar is Thursday, March 13, at 7 p.m. The featured speaker is Tonia Caselman, PhD, an assistant professor at the University of Oklahoma’s School of Social Work.

The cost is $20 per person, $10 for students. Contact Rachel Long at sswaok@yahoo.com for more information. The seminar is sponsored by the School Social Work Association of Oklahoma.

 

Kids, Kows, and More  

3/13/2008, 9:15 a.m.

TPS third and fourth graders are invited to participate in a program that gives a hands on agricultural experience.

“Kids, Kows and More” is sponsored by the Tulsa County OSU Extension Service, Southwest Dairy Association and the Texas Extension Service. An expo on March 13 in Tulsa provides up-close and personal experiences for students, parents and teachers from the area.

The exhibits and demonstrations include dairy, cotton, beef, swine, wheat, sheep and wool. Students attending the expo are encouraged to write an essay called, “What I learned about agriculture on my field trip to Kids, Kows, and More.” Essays are evaluated on agriculture knowledge, originality, creativity and mechanics —including grammar, organization, and punctuation. The winning student will receive a $100 savings bond and the class will receive an ice cream party. For more information, contact the Tulsa County OSU Extension Center at 746-3709.

 

Art Ambassadors on the Move 

4/9/2008

Beth Howard, art teacher at Mark Twain Elementary and mentor of the Art Ambassadors, continues to blaze a trail of creativity. Her workshop proposal has been picked for next year’s 19th Annual National Service-Learning Conference, Youth for a Change.

The conference is billed as the largest gathering of youths and practitioners involved in the service-learning movement. The 2007 conference drew attendees from across the United States and 19 other countries. The event provides access to new ideas and networking opportunities, with more than 200 workshops and countless opportunities for informal meetings.

The conference runs from April 9-12 in Minneapolis. Archbishop Desmond Tutu of South Africa and urban educator Pedro Noguera are delivering the keynote addresses.

Howard is used to awards. In 2006 she was named the Oklahoma Elementary Art Teacher of the Year. She mentors the Art Ambassadors, an organization of students attempting to bridge the gap between school and community with art that beautifies and teaches us all to give back.

 

Booker T Students Make Team Oklahoma 

6/6/2008

Dylan Hames and Onkur Sen have their summer plans already set.

At least for a couple of days in June that is.

The two Booker T. Washington students have earned positions on the six-member academic quiz team that will represent the state of Oklahoma at the Panasonic Academic Challenge to be held at Disney World in Orlando, Florida.

Hames is a senior and Sen is a sophomore. Their trip to the Sunshine State comes after the duo took part in a three- hour competition against students from Oklahoma in the areas of mathematics, science, social studies, and humanities to earn the right to be a part of Team Oklahoma this year. The Panasonic Academic Challenge runs from June 6 through June 11.

 

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