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School News - Tip Sheet - 9/2/2009

Rogers Celebrates 70th Anniversary 

9/2/2009, 2:10 p.m.

Will Rogers High School celebrates its 70th anniversary this week with a massive day of festivities, culminating in the mid-afternoon with a parade featuring teachers, other faculty and students.

“The kids are very excited,” said biology teacher Dwayne E. Gardner. “We have very good kids here at Rogers and they are very fired up.”

While all of Wednesday, September 2, will be dominated with a sense of the school’s long history, the parade at 2:10 p.m. is designed to show the community what Rogers’ spirit is all about. Other events during the day include rock climbing, face painting and a Guitar Hero contest.

“There are so many things that we will have going on,” said Lyda Wilbur, Rogers’ principal, “that every single student will have the opportunity to participate.”

Built in 1938, Will Rogers High School is now on the National Register of Historic Places. Some of its approximately 39,000 alumni include: author S.E. Hinton, NCAA college football coach Dave Rader, musicians Leon Russell, Elvin Bishop, Anita Bryant and David Gates and cartoonist Russell Myers, creator of the “Broom Hilda” comic strip.

 

Science in the School Day Comes to TPS  

9/3/2009, 9 a.m.

A program involving one of the coolest science experiments ever comes to four district schools on Thursday, September 3.

Science in the School Day has already been to over 110 cities and in front of over 25,000 elementary schools. Each student tomorrow will perform the Puff Mobile experiment where they are given the material to build a vehicle in 35 minutes and then race to determine the fastest engineered mobile. The experiment also serves as a math and science lesson focusing on the principals of alternative energy.

The program pulls into Houston Elementary (5402 N. Cincinnati Ave.) and Whitman (3924 N. Lansing Ave.) at 9 a.m. and Penn (2138 E. 48th St. N.) and Anderson (1921 E. 29th St N.) at 1 p.m. Science in the School Day is a partnership between Cities United for Science Progress, the U.S. Conference of Mayors and the Du Pont Company.

Mayor Kathy Taylor will be at Houston Elementary at 9 a.m. and Anderson Elementary at 1 p.m.

 

Park Principal Lauded for Focusing on Health 

9/3/2009

Park Elementary School Principal Anita Schroeder has been recognized by former President Bill Clinton and officials from the American Heart Association for transforming her school into a healthier place for students.

“As kids head back to school this fall, it is important to remember that healthy students are more likely to attend class, concentrate on their schoolwork, and perform better academically,” President Clinton said.

Schroeder has worked diligently to promote physical activity and healthy eating for the staff and students of Park. Through the grant writing process, the school has been able to fund several initiatives including a healthy snack bar as part of their Micro Society Program, where only nutritious items are available. Checks and weight management assistance are also furnished to staff. A number of after-school exercise options are in place to increase physical activity, promote fellowship and help manage stress. The activities vary in their degree of difficulty to meet the needs of all staff members.

One of Schroeder's goals for this coming year is to increase parent involvement and awareness. Schroeder stated, “I plan on hosting a health fair for our school community and work with our PTA to participate in fund raisers that promote healthier life styles. It’s time we work together to change the national trend of obesity.”

 

McLain Golf Tournament 

9/19/2009, 8 a.m.

An upcoming golf tournament builds on the success McLain School for Science and Technology is experiencing after being removed from the state’s Needs to Improve List. In the past half decade McLain has achieved a stunning academic turnaround. In 2004 the average End-of-Instruction test score was 562 in Algebra 1 and 204 in English II. In 2009 those numbers skyrocketed to 1285 in Algebra 1, 1115 in English II.

“It feels great,” said Latina Busby, McLain’s parent facilitator, “and credit goes to everyone—the teachers, the students and the parents. Our students in particular need to be applauded for proving to the community that they can succeed and that we at McLain can match up with any high school in TPS.”

McLain activities move outdoors on Saturday, September 19, as the school holds its first annual golf tournament at the Cotton Club Golf Course in Mounds. A shotgun start is at 8 a.m. with lunch served at 12:30 p.m.

As one of four new, interest-based magnet high school in the district, McLain offers courses in aerospace, avionics, robotics, materials science, environmental and meteorological studies, wave mechanics, and aviation maintenance technology. Administrators at McLain, where a banner reads “Success is the ONLY Option,” say there is now an exciting sense of accomplishment at their school.

“There was a lot of hard work that everyone put in to get us where we are today,” said Ebony Johnson, co-principal at McLain.

The first annual McLain High School Golf Tournament is Saturday, September 19, at the Cotton Club Golf Course in Mounds, Oklahoma. A shotgun start is at 8 a.m. with lunch served at 12:30 p.m. Anyone interested in signing up or becoming a sponsor should call 853-3636 or 200-4427. The fee is $60 per golfer.

McLain's magnet program offers courses in aerospace, avionics, robotics, materials science, environmental and meteorological studies, wave mechanics and aviation maintenance technology.

 

Essay Contest Blows Away Competition 

9/25/2009

"Sustainable Energy: It's Important to Our Community" is the theme of an essay contest awarding $30 thousand in total prizes and open to all district middle school science students. The contest runs September 8-22, with Tulsa Mayor Kathy Taylor announcing the winner on September 25. The winner's school will receive a fully operational, 30-foot wind turbine to be unveiled October 23. Second and third place winners earn DVDS, books and other educational materials for their school’s library.

Other rules: The essay must be at least 500 words and no longer than 1500, typed and double-spaced using the Times New Roman 12-point font. The essay must also contain a cover page including the student’s name, school, grade and science teacher’s name. Submit printed entries to Trish Pruitt in the ESC by 4 p.m. on September 22. p>

Essay Flyer

 

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