Stars of Education Magazine 2013-2014 by The Foundation for Oklahoma City Public Schools

2013-2014

STARS CELEBRATING THOSE WHO MAKE A DIFFERENCE

THE FOUNDATION FOR OKLAHOMA CITY PUBLIC SCHOOLS www.okckids.com SECTION TITLE

Positive Role Models Every child has the potential to succeed â&#x20AC;&#x201C; no matter what their situation might be. With positive reinforcement, good advice and a friendly shoulder, the sky is the limit for children. Devon supports The Foundation for Oklahoma City Public Schools because it believes in the power of education. We are proud of all teachers, administrators and support professionals who make our school system great.

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FORTUNE 100 Best Companies to Work For seven consecutive years

Commitment Runs Deep 2

SECTION TITLE

TABLE OF CONTENTS EDITOR’S MESSAGE 3 “Celebration of Difference Makers”

THE BIGGEST DREAMS 4 The Foundation for Oklahoma City Public Schools dreams big for our city’s children.

PURSUING EXCELLENCE 10 The Foundation supports efforts for teachers to pursue National Board certification.

Ross; Bettie Shadoan; Carrie Snyder-Renfro; and Mary Tran.

VITAL SUPPORT: SUPER SUPPORT STAFF 55

SPEAKING UP 48

Support staff provide vital help at schools throughout the district.

2013-2014 OKCPS Teacher of the Year Heather Meldrum discovered how to be a more vocal advocate for Oklahoma City’s children.

PERFECT PARTNER 50

EL SISTEMA OKLAHOMA 58 The Foundation partners to support a new after-school orchestra program for students.

FINANCIAL REPORTS 74 Financial report and program impact for The Foundation for Oklahoma City Public Schools.

STARS OF GIVING 76 Celebrating our corporate, foundation and individual donors from 2013.

Oklahoma City Community College helps a high school get its start.

FOUNDATION & FRIENDS WIN ADDYS 15 Video, website and postcard highlighting Oklahoma City Public Schools students win local advertising awards.

COMPETITIVE EDGE 16 Oklahoma City Public Schools students shine at academic and artistic competitions.

BOOK CLUB 21 Foundation board member Helen Sullivan starts at book club.

STARS MAGAZINE STAFF

POWER SUPPLY 22

CHRISTY WATSON Editor in Chief

Teachers Warehouse provides thousands of dollars in free school supplies to students and teachers.

COLIN STRICKLAND, LORI DICKINSON & TIM WATSON Design

INSPIRING YOUNG MINDS 26

COLIN STRICKLAND, CHRISTY WATSON, LEIGH LOVE PHOTOGRAPHY & DEREK WATSON (LAMPSTAND MEDIA) Photography & Videography

Teachers infuse their classrooms with creativity and relevance to improve student learning.

OKCPS TEAM 33 Employees of Oklahoma City Public Schools give generously to support The Foundation’s work.

FOUNDATION STAFF Research and editing support

LIVING HER DREAM: TEACHER OF THE YEAR 34

Published annually by The Foundation for Oklahoma City Public Schools, 5225 N. Shartel Avenue, Ste. 201, Oklahoma City, OK 73118.

STARS Magazine Volume 5, 2013-2014

Teacher of the Year Meredith Ziegler followed her dreams to become a teacher.

FINALISTS FOR OKCPS TEACHER OF THE YEAR 38 First Runner-Up: Randa Reiger; Second Runner-Up: Carol Fletcher-Knight; David Helm; Kimberly Massicotte; Matthew

EDUCATION CHAMPION 60

ABOVE AND BEYOND: VALUABLE VOLUNTEERS 55 Volunteers provide critical support to students and teachers in OKCPS.

Randall Reed Ford donates a new vehicle to the new Oklahoma City Public Schools Teacher of the Year.

HONORING ALUMNI 62 The Foundation inducts three new members into its prestigious Wall of Fame.

THE FOUNDATION FOR OKLAHOMA CITY PUBLIC SCHOOLS CHAIRMAN

MILES TOLBERT, Chesapeake Energy Corporation

CHAIR-ELECT

J. CLIFFORD HUDSON, SONIC, America’s Drive-In

TREASURER

JOY LABAR, SandRidge Energy

PAST CHAIRMAN

ROBERT J. ROSS, Inasmuch Foundation

2013-2014 BOARD OF DIRECTORS

PACO BALDERRAMA, Oklahoma City Police Department MICHAEL BARLOW, Barlow Education Management Services BILL BULLARD, OGE Energy Corporation JEFF CLOUD, Continental Resources JASON CONSTABLE, AT&T|Oklahoma BRYCE FAIR, Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education STEVE FOSKIN, Bank of Oklahoma RYAN FREE, OPUBCO Communications Group DALE HAGEMAN, Accord Human Resources SUSAN HARDY BROOKS, Schnake Turnbo Frank DAVID R. HARLOW, BancFirst BRENT HENSLEY, KOCO-TV 5 STANLEY F. HUPFELD, INTEGRIS Family of Foundations JAMES JOHNSON, Oklahoma Department of Commerce PERCY KIRK, Cox Communications RUSTY N. LAFORGE, Bank SNB DONNA LAWRENCE, Success Redesigned JENNY LOVE MEYER, Love’s Travel Stops & Country Stores TIM MCLAUGHLIN, McLaughlin Family Foundation CRISTINA F. MCQUISTION, OGE Energy Corporation LYNDA MOBLEY, ONE Gas Foundation TERESA MOISANT, Moisant Promotions XAVIER NEIRA, Manhattan Construction KELLY PEARSON, Community Volunteer DR. BILL PINK, Oklahoma State University-OKC TOM PRICE, JR., The Price Group TERESA ROSE, Chesapeake Energy Corporation CLAUDIA SAN PEDRO, SONIC, America’s Drive-In WENDI SCHUUR, Devon Energy JAY SHANKER, McAfee Taft TONY SHINN, Bank of America HELEN SULLIVAN, Community Volunteer GLENNA TANENBAUM, Interiors, Etc. TOMMY THOMPSON, Chickasaw Nation VALERIE THOMPSON, Urban League of Greater Oklahoma City GARY E. TREDWAY, American Fidelity Group

INTERIM PRESIDENT/CEO LISA REED lisa@okckids.com

ADVISORY BOARD

DAVE LOPEZ, Interim OKCPS Superintendent

LYNNE HARDIN, Chairwoman, OKCPS Board of Education HEATHER MELDRUM, OKCPS Teacher of the Year MICK CORNETT, Mayor, City of OKC DREW DUGAN, Greater Oklahoma City Chamber

FOUNDATION STAFF ROBYN HILGER Chief Programs Officer robyn@okckids.com CHRISTY WATSON Director of Communications christy@okckids.com DEANGELA GAYMON Volunteer & Event Manager deangela@okckids.com NEWT BROWN Accounting Manager newt@okckids.com

COLIN STRICKLAND Public Relations & Development Manager colin@okckids.com MELISSA O’NEIL Program Assistant melissaoneil@okckids.com MAILING ADDRESS 5225 N. Shartel, Suite 201 Oklahoma City, OK 73118 405.879.2007 fax 405.879.2088 www.okckids.com

THE FOUNDATION FOR OKLAHOMA CITY PUBLIC SCHOOLS www.okckids.com

CELEBRATION OF DIFFERENCE MAKERS “The purpose of life is not to be happy. It is to be useful, to be honorable, to be compassionate, to have it make some difference that you have lived and lived well.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson Every single child. At The Foundation for Oklahoma City and volunteers. These amazing people pour into our children Public Schools, that’s whom we have in mind as we go about our every day. They won’t know for years, if ever, the depth of work each day. their impact. But they never doubt whether what they give to Our mission is to advance excellence, create champions and students matters. They know it does, and so everyday they put build strong community forth their best effort for our support for lasting change kids. in Oklahoma City Public The statistics on poverty Schools. Trying to fulfill that and its impact paint a mission is a challenging daunting picture for the and bold endeavor. It means 45,000 children in Oklahoma we try to provide support, City Public Schools. But opportunities and hope for when you get to know their every student and every names and faces, their hopes teacher in Oklahoma City and dreams, the children are Public Schools every day. no longer numbers. They are We know that our possibilities — kids with the programs, services and capacity to change the future partnerships help provide for themselves and our city. students and teachers with As a community, we truly the tools and experiences have very little time to help they need to make the most children defy the statistics. of their school experience. While they are still on the “Our city’s children can be so much more than just our city’s future Whether it’s school supplies, launching pad of life, we have work force. They need us all to see and believe in all their potential.” a teaching grant, funding for a chance to help aim them in competition or the chance to the right direction. We have learn a new instrument, we want all of our city’s students and a chance to help their dreams become possibilities and then teachers to feel supported and loved. reality. Our city’s children can be so much more than just our In the pages of this magazine and in accompanying videos, city’s future work force. They need us all to see and believe in all you’ll see The Foundation’s programs at work. You’ll see how their potential. we partner with schools and teachers to provide as much hope Thank you to all of our donors, the employees of Oklahoma and opportunity for students as possible. We couldn’t do that City Public Schools and all of the partners and policymakers in without the many donors who believe in our work and believe our city who are dreaming big for kids. What an extraordinary in our children. We also couldn’t do it without the dedicated opportunity to love them, support them and prepare them for educators who inspire us on a daily basis to help them meet greatness. often overwhelming student needs. You’ll also see the stories of our district’s top teachers, staff — Christy Watson Editor in chief STARS OF EDUCATION

THE BIGGEST

DREAMS

THE FOUNDATION FOR OKLAHOMA CITY PUBLIC SCHOOLS www.okckids.com

“We dream really big dreams for own kids every day. We need to dream that big for all 45,000 children in Oklahoma City Public Schools and then do everything in our power to help their dreams come true.” – Lisa Reed, The Foundation for Oklahoma City Public Schools

Craig Lasley stood at center court of the Chesapeake Arena and imagined his future. Wearing a new suit jacket and tie with his jeans, he could – if only for a moment – picture himself as a future NBA executive. The Thunder logo was under his sneakers. He couldn’t stop smiling, but he spoke little. “Awesome,” he said, over and over. The moment was overwhelming, but suddenly anything seemed possible in the imagination of this sixth grader. “We dream really big dreams for own kids every day,” said Lisa Reed, interim president of The Foundation for Oklahoma City Public Schools. “We need to dream that big for all 45,000 children in Oklahoma City Public Schools and then do everything in our power to help their dreams come true.” On that day in the Chesapeake Arena, The Foundation dreamed big for Craig while filming what has become an annual video to introduce the city to our kids in Oklahoma City Public Schools and to raise support for them and their teachers.

The Foundation is asking their mom, knows their the community to “Rise Up” education is the door that and imagine the possibilities opens a world of opportunity. for kids they don’t yet know She works full time and – every single child at every does her best to provide single school. educational support at home “Every on a daily precious day basis. they go to While school is an she does opportunity everything to make a in her difference means to in their help her lives, and it children, she goes by very knows many quickly,” of their said Miles peers aren’t Tolbert, The as fortunate. Foundation’s She also board realizes the chairman. tremendous “I want my kids to get the In many good that education they need so they can ways, Craig can come get the career they want. I want is the face from the that for not just for my kids but behind the Oklahoma for every child.” — Stacy Lasley statistics of City Oklahoma City community Public Schools. embracing Like schools throughout the the 45,000 children in the city, his school is struggling school district. to balance the academic and “I want my kids to get the social challenges of students. education they need so they That’s only part of his story. can get the career they want. Craig’s parents are I want that for not just my divorced, but both remain kids but for every child,” she active in his life and that of said. “They are our decision his sister Grace. Stacy Lasley, makers of tomorrow.”

Meg Salyer sees the opportunity, too. As a local businesswoman, city council representative and longtime supporter of The Foundation for Oklahoma City Public Schools, she understands the critical importance of not leaving the city’s kids behind. “The future for our kids is so bright. We have a real responsibility as business leaders and community leaders to rise up and embrace our school system,” she said. “The Foundation plays a really vital role in bridging between the community and the school district. There are so many things the district aspires to but can’t necessarily do or afford.” The mission of The Foundation for Oklahoma City Public Schools is to advance excellence, create champions and build strong community support for lasting change in Oklahoma City Public Schools. At the heart of the mission are two core beliefs: the community must rise up boldly for our schools and that every child in Oklahoma City is capable of greatness. That can be (continued)

THE FOUNDATION

“We need to ask ourselves whether the education we provide today to students in Oklahoma City Public Schools is at least equal to what those who came before us received. If the answer is anything but an absolutely unqualified yes, then we need to pray a prayer of gratitude for second chances. Every day is a new opportunity to build the kind of public school system we need.” – Miles Tolbert, The Foundation’s Board Chairman

In the fall of 2013, Oklahoma City Public Schools reached its highest enrollment in several decades. At the same time, The Foundation provided record amounts of funding to support students and teachers.

defined in many ways. A great doctor. A great mom. A great minister. A great public servant. An NBA executive. But there is a gap – sometimes it feels more like a gulf – that stands between our kids today and the potential greatness they possess. Who will rise up to fill it?

PAST TO PRESENT

Scan here to learn more about “Rise Up Oklahoma City” and how to be a part of transforming our schools or visit www.okckids.com

The statistics don’t lie. *Nearly 90 percent of the 45,000 students in Oklahoma City Public Schools live at or below the poverty line. *More than 12,000 students are classified as English Language Learners, and more than 40 different languages are the primary language spoken at home. *On any given day, more than 2,000 OKCPS students are considered homeless. In each one of those challenges, there are tremendous opportunities. Oklahoma City Public Schools can again become the beacon of city pride it once was. The school district’s history is one of tremendous highs and lows. It was during the lows in the

1980s that The Foundation was established. By then, the district’s glory days of the 1960s with enrollment approaching 80,000 students were gone and the “white flight” fallout of integration and cross-town busing had firmly set in. Some civic-minded residents recognized even then that the playing field was no longer level for students in Oklahoma City Public Schools. That reality and a lot of hard work gave birth to The Foundation. The idea that Oklahoma City students need and deserve a level playing field has driven The Foundation’s work for nearly 30 years. The need is as great as it has ever been. In recent years, The Foundation has recognized the importance of connecting our district’s past to the present and the future. In October 2013, The Foundation inducted three alumni into its Wall of Fame. Jo Carol Cameron, James Loftis and Wanda Jackson have three very different life stories but all have deep ties to Oklahoma City Public

Schools. “We need to ask ourselves whether the education we provide today to students in Oklahoma City Public Schools is at least equal to what those who came before us received,” Tolbert said at the induction ceremony. “If the answer is anything but an absolutely unqualified yes then we need to pray a prayer of gratitude for second chances. Every day is a new opportunity to build the kind of public school system we need.” Even as he spoke that night, the work to better public education in Oklahoma City was underway at many levels. The school district experienced a leadership change with the retirement of Superintendent Karl Springer at the beginning of the school year, and the district announced enrollment continued its upward trend. The school board appointed Dave Lopez to serve as interim superintendent, and over the course of the school year, the move came with a myriad of changes, including plans for the district to move some of (continued)

THE FOUNDATION

We always know that we can count on The Foundation to help us with what need for our kids. They are always there for us. – Heather Meldrum, 2013-2014 OKCPS Teacher of the Year

its central office employees to school sites and move from its headquarters at 900 N Klein. In cooperation with the school district and American Federation of Teachers, The Foundation conducted a teacher survey about community partnerships and their students’ needs. That survey, combined with a community-wide survey conducted by the Greater Oklahoma City Chamber, is anticipated to create a tighter link between what schools need and what the community can provide. At the same time, downtown buzzed with excitement at the planned 2014-2015 opening of the John Rex Downtown Elementary. A downtown school was part of the MAPS for Kids projects approved in 2001. The University of Oklahoma is sponsoring 10

THE FOUNDATION

the charter school, which is a joint project of the school district and a nonprofit formed to start the school. The district launched a renewed effort to capitalize on the opportunities of high school career academies and its partnership with the National Academy Foundation. It also turned its focus to literacy in the elementary grades amid the prediction many third-grade students had low reading skills that would prevent them from advancing to fourth grade. The school board also approved a pilot project to make Edgemere Elementary the district’s first full-service community school.

MAKING AN IMPACT Over time, The Foundation emerged as a stabilizing force for students and teachers. “We always know that we

can count on The Foundation to help us with what we need for our kids,” said Heather Meldrum, the school district’s 2013-2014 Teacher of the Year. “They are always there for us.” The Foundation’s recent history is one focused on raising awareness of the needs within the school district and funneling as many resources as possible to the area of most critical impact – the classroom. *Direct funding to students and teachers increased from about $56,000 in 2007 to $674,000 in the 2012-2013 school year. (Final numbers for the 20132014 school year aren’t yet available.) *In 2008, The Foundation’s core programs and services reached less than one-quarter of the district’s schools. Now, the programs and services

reach every school. * The Foundation went from serving about 2,000 students in 2007 to more than 40,000 students in the current school year. The idea that The Foundation reaches every student at every Oklahoma City Public School isn’t just a dream. It’s becoming a reality. Teachers Warehouse is The Foundation program with the deepest reach. The program takes in donations of new and gently used school supplies. Teachers can order supplies on a monthly basis during the school year via an online store. Volunteers pack the orders, and teachers pick them up during designated times. During the first half of the 2012-2013 school year and through the first half of the 2013-2014 school year, as many as 800 OKCPS teachers

placed orders every month. The next largest program, which also continued on a growth trend, is Competitive Edge, which supports students through academic and artistic competitions. In 2012-2013, The Foundation’s $220,000 budget for Competitive Edge allowed 7,000 OKCPS students to compete across the nation – and even in other countries. Students attended 215 competitions and traveled as far as Vienna, Austria. Through mid-March of the 2013-2014 school year, The Foundation had committed about $240,000 to students through Competitive Edge, mostly to attend competitions in Oklahoma. The growth of the Competitive Edge program has allowed teachers throughout the district to extend learning outside the classroom, help students experience the thrill of competition and expose them to new places and opportunities. “It’s really enabled the students to focus on their creativity, on their imagination because they’re not having to spend all this additional time fundraising,” said Jaimie Gargas, the speech and debate teacher at Harding Fine Arts Academy. “There’s no way we could have expanded our program like this without The Foundation.” The Foundation’s Great Idea Grant program is its longest continually running program. Each year, the organization awards $90,000 in grants for teachers to help make classroom lessons more creative and relevant. In 2012-2013, 18 collaborative and 22 individual grants were awarded. In 2013-2014, The Foundation funded 20 collaborative and 19

individual grants requests totaling $91,372. Grant recipients used the money for projects ranging from an All-City Orchestra Concert featuring secondary schools from across the district at Northwest Classen High School to an owl pellet dissection unit for fifth graders at Stanley Hupfeld Academy at Western Village. The Foundation’s Advancing Teaching Excellence initiative also continues to improve the level of teaching quality in Oklahoma City Public Schools for veteran and new teachers alike. Chef Carrie Snyder-Renfro, a teacher at Oklahoma Centennial Mid-High, achieved National Board Certification with scholarship support from The Foundation. Several other teachers are preparing their entries for submission for 2013-2014. Nine veteran teachers are active in the service aspect of National Board

Certification by serving as mentors for rookie teachers in a partnership with the University of Central Oklahoma’s Urban Teacher Preparation Academy. Already-certified teachers also serve as mentors for teachers in the certification process. During the 2013-2014 school year, The Foundation partnered with St. Luke’s United Methodist Church and the Wanda L. Bass School of Music at Oklahoma City University to launch El Sistema Oklahoma, a free after-school orchestra program for Oklahoma City Public Schools students. Currently in its inaugural year, the program serves 116 students from six city schools. More than 750 parents and community members attended its first concert in December. Partners hope to expand the program in the future to serve more students from more schools. The widening impact of

The Foundation simply wouldn’t be possible without generous community support. The number of annual donors and the amount of funds raised/pledged to The Foundation have been on an upward trend. The Foundation also counts 200 people on its list of active volunteers – up from just three individuals five years ago. “We are proud of The Foundation’s efforts to serve an increasing number of students and teachers,” said Reed, The Foundation’s interim president. “But we also know that we are only scratching the surface of the need. The opportunities for Oklahoma City to truly rise up in support of our kids are many. Gifts of time, resources, energy and money will help our children’s dreams become reality.”

THE FOUNDATION

PURSUING EXCELLENCE Teachers going through the process of National Board Certification must evaluate what they know about their current group of students and what they do with that knowledge.

There’s nothing magical when it comes to teaching students about volume and converting quarts to gallons. The math isn’t really all that complicated. In fact, when sixth-grade math teacher Kelly Sehon taught a lesson on that topic to students last school year, he provided them with a conversion chart to do such calculations. That was before he began the process of pursuing National Board Certification, which emphasizes reflecting on whether teaching strategies improve student learning. So in the 20132014 school year, Sehon went a different route. He bought gallon and quart containers. Using water, students could see for themselves that it takes four quarts to make a gallon. “No doubt the lesson stuck better in their minds,” said Sehon, who is a fourth-year teacher at Belle Isle Enterprise Middle School. Sehon will learn in late 2014 whether he achieved full certification – an effort that can take successful candidates as long as three years. Unlike many other forms of professional development more broad in nature, teachers going through the national 12

TEACHING EXCELLENCE

certification process must analyze what’s happening in their classroom in the moment. They must evaluate what they know about their current group of students and what they do with that knowledge. While the certification process is undergoing changes, the process for those teachers currently in the pipeline contains 10 components. Through its Jean G. Gumerson Endowment, The Foundation for Oklahoma City Public Schools offers $2,500 scholarships to pay for the application fee. The Foundation also utilizes already-certified teachers to provide a support network for those teachers pursuing the certification. After all, one idea behind national certification is that these master teachers would become leaders in their schools and support other teachers in their efforts to become more effective. Part of The Foundation’s Advancing Teaching Excellence initiative seeks to help those teachers fulfill the service aspect of national certification. The Urban Teacher Preparation Academy at the University of Central Oklahoma helps prepare its teacher candidates for the challenges of working in an urban district. As a partner to that program, The Foundation helps pair the academy’s teacher

The Urban Teacher Preparation Academy at the University of Central Oklahoma helps prepare its teacher candidates for the challenges of working in an urban district. As a partner to that program, The Foundation helps pair the academy’s teacher candidates and recent graduates working in OKCPS with master teachers to provide support.

candidates and recent graduates working in OKCPS with master teachers to provide support. Debbie Adam is one of many nationally certified teachers in Oklahoma City who feels compelled to help her peers. For now, she teaches fourth graders at Buchanan Elementary, but she hopes to eventually join the ranks of the district’s peer assistance review team, which helps teachers become more effective. She serves as a mentor to a UTPA teacher at Buchanan and also helps other teachers pursuing national certification. “I have a lot to offer in terms of classroom management, organizing a classroom and behavior management,” Adam said. “I’m happy to share that experience and knowledge.” Again and again, teachers report the process changes them as teachers. They learn to be more reflective, to actively pursue changes when a strategy isn’t working and to make sure they focus on each child’s learning. Adam said mentoring National Board candidates is particularly rewarding. She believes the process can

help any teacher improve. Providing mentoring support on a regular basis doesn’t mean the mentors give their fellow teachers the answers. The mentor’s job is to help make sure the

certification candidates are fully embracing the reflection process to improve their teaching and student learning. Sehon said other nationally certified teachers

at Belle Isle encouraged him to pursue certification, but without the financial assistance and other support from The Foundation “the burden would just be too huge.”

ADVANCING TEACHING EXCELLENCE Research consistently points to the classroom teacher as the most important in-school factor affecting student achievement. That’s why investing in teachers is one of The Foundation for Oklahoma City Public Schools’ top priorities through its Advancing Teaching Excellence program. What started as a program to help pay for teachers to pursue National Board certification is developing a continuous pipeline of teachers interested in improving their craft. There’s a place in the pipeline for everyone: new teachers, those who have been teaching several years and even master teachers with decades of experience. Pre-candidacy courses allow teachers who want to learn more about the certification process or don’t have quite enough teaching experience to pursue certification learn more about the National Board certification. Scholarships are available to pay the $2,500 associated with applying for National Board certification. Recipients also qualify for a $250 materials stipend. Scholarship recipients must agree to teach in the OKCPS district for three years. They also have access to support group meetings where mentors provide advice on the process. Certification lasts for 10 years. The Foundation also offers scholarships and support for teachers who seek recertification. Scholarships for teachers to pursue certification or to renew certification is supported by the Jean G. Gumerson Endowment for the Pursuit of Teaching Excellence. Donors created the endowment in recognition of Gumerson, a past president of the Foundation.

TEACHING EXCELLENCE

OKCPS NBCT Dozens of Oklahoma City Public Schools educators have undergone the rigorous, multi-year process to earn National Board certification in their areas of expertise. The Foundation for Oklahoma City Public Schools is proud to recognize those who have dedicated their time and energy for the betterment of public education. ART Rebecca Collins Classen School of Advanced Studies Marcia Greenwood Cleveland Elementary Michael Muller Belle Isle Enterprise Middle School Randa Reiger Heronville Elementary Gail Sloop Sequoyah Elementary Elizabeth West Hawthorne Elementary

CAREER & TECHNICAL Mary Pipps Cloos Southeast High School Patrick Dennis Roosevelt Middle School Colleen Elliott Peer Assistance Review Kathleen Haydon Northwest Classen High School Karen Montgomery Star Spencer High School Michael Payne Classen School of Advanced Studies Carrie Snyder-Renfro Oklahoma Centennial Mid-High School Murrell Thompson Southeast High School Teresa Trail Capitol Hill High School

Angela Absher Johnson Elementary Bill Bullock Extended Educational Services Diane Crepeau Cleveland Elementary Donna Greenberg Rogers Middle School Doris Harris Northwest Classen High School Lee Jones Bodine Elementary Laneeta Malone Telstar Elementary Jana Newsom Ridgeview Elementary Bettie Shadoan Monroe Elementary Ginger Sherman Hawthorne Elementary

GENERALIST Debbie Adam Buchanan Elementary Deborah Bentley Quail Creek Elementary Heather Bullock Wheeler Elementary Glenda Carlson Quail Creek Elementary Kara Cordell Westwood Elementary Gena Fincher Nichols Hills Elementary

ENGLISH & LANGUAGE ARTS

Beth Ann Fint Ridgeview Elementary

Mindy Barmann Classen School of Advanced Studies

Joy Rainey Fugett Greystone Upper Elementary

Jonetta Jonté Southeast High School

Sandra Futrell Putnam Heights Elementary

Angela Lister Belle Isle Enterprise Middle School

Cheryl Halaoui Wilson Elementary

Susan Miller Southeast High School

Joanne Harman Linwood Elementary

Allison Stark Taft Middle School

Dusty Hendon Heronville Elementary Tekoa Hill

EXCEPTIONAL NEEDS

North Highland Elementary

Rikki Abrams Ridgeview Elementary

Cynthia Lindauer Wilson Elementary

Eileen Martin Nichols Hills Elementary

Martha Twichell Quail Creek Elementary

Shelly Michael Mark Twain Elementary

LITERACY

Carrie Price Arthur Elementary

Leigh Azlin Coolidge Elementary

Ruthie Rayner Stanley F. Hupfeld Academy at Western Village

Shelly Campbell John Marshall High School

Jennifer Sinclair Nichols Hills Elementary Cheryl Smith Cesar Chavez Elementary Heather Sparks Taft Middle School Samantha Twyman Buchanan Elementary Lisa Ummel-Ingram Wheeler Elementary Vanessa VanTrease Telstar Elementary Jami Veenstra Willow Brook Elementary Marlene White Rockwood Elementary Betty Winters Capitol Hill Elementary

HISTORY Nancy Brewer Belle Isle Enterprise Middle School Matthew Jackson U.S. Grant High School Virginia Kennedy Southeast High School Belinda Wall Southeast High School

LIBRARY MEDIA John Allen District Office Priscilla Allen Classen School of Advanced Studies Cathy Carlson Emerson High School

Alicia Hughes Fillmore Elementary Thuy Nguyen Buchanan Elementary Sharon Scott Coolidge Elementary Diana Steele Telstar Elementary Charlene Stewart Buchanan Elementary Kristin Whitmore Sequoyah Elementary

MUSIC Rhonda Taylor Cesar Chavez Elementary Glen Woods Wheeler Elementary

PHYSICAL EDUCATION Valerie List Ridgeview Elementary

SCIENCE Carolyn Bish Classen School of Advanced Studies Daniel Buckmaster Belle Isle Enterprise Middle School Ann Kelly Coolidge Elementary Jennifer Lynch John Marshall High School Linda Meier Belle Isle Enterprise Middle School Meredith Wronowski Capitol Hill High School

Linda Hickerson Wheeler Elementary

WORLD LANGUAGES OTHER THAN ENGLISH

Denise Phillips Jefferson Middle School

Lourdes Charry Capitol Hill High School

Are you a NBCT and don’t see your name on the list? Let us know by calling Robyn Hilger at 405.879.2007 or robyn@okckids.com. 14

TEACHING EXCELLENCE

THANK YOU TO THE STARS VOLUNTEERS OKCPS TEACHER OF THE YEAR SELECTION COMMITTEE Passion Bradley OKCPS Central Office Liaison Cindy Brown Nichols Hills Elementary Susan Bumgarner Wilson Arts Integration Elementary Suzanne Carter Telstar Elementary Nikki Coshow Bodine Elementary Sherry Dew Webster Middle School Robyn Hilger The Foundation for Oklahoma City Public Schools Jonetta JontĂŠ Southeast High School Heather Meldrum Stanley F. Hupfeld Academy at Western Village Michael Payne Classen School of Advanced Studies Heather Sparks Taft Middle School Michael Spellis Taft Middle School Lisa Ummel-Ingram Wheeler Elementary Marcus Wright Randall Reed Ford Meredith Wronowski Capitol Hill High School

GREAT IDEA GRANTS SELECTION COMMITTEE Debbie Adam Buchanan Elementary Paul Bianchi John Marshall High School Jamie Buckmaster OKCPS ELL, multi site Susan Bumgarner Wilson Arts Integration Suzanne Carter Telstar Elementary Kay Childers Linwood Elementary Dawn Collums Gatewood Elementary Diana Dawson OKCPS Central Office Robert Green Oklahoma Centennial Mid-High School Caroline Hatfield Adams Elementary Juanita Hayes Oklahoma Centennial Mid-High School Kim Iraggi Nichols Hills Elementary Jana Newsom Ridgeview Elementary Ginger Sherman Hawthorne Elementary D.J. Watts-Bowker OKCPS Central Office Kristin Whitmore Sequoyah Elementary Betty Winters Capitol Hill Elementary

STARS OF EDUCATION SELECTION COMMITTEE James Johnson Foundation Director Kelly Pearson Foundation Director Christina Rehkop Devon Energy Helen Sullivan Foundation Director STARS OF EDUCATION

THE FOUNDATION & FRIENDS

WIN ADDYS

The Foundation debuted a new website in early 2014 to provide better services for students and teachers and improve communication with donors.

For the second straight year, the Oklahoma City Advertising Club honored The Foundation for Oklahoma City Public Schools with three awards during its annual ADDY competition to reward creative excellence in advertising. The Foundation won a gold ADDY in the public service video category for its “Rise Up” video. The video was designed to better connect the Oklahoma City community to its schools, and encourage individuals, businesses, and organizations to invest in student success. The video theme illustrated the importance of the community building up the school system and its children “brick by brick” by investing in students and teachers through The

Foundation. The awardwinning piece featured civic leaders, teachers and students from across the city holding a brick and talking about the importance of community support of the schools and The Foundation’s work to provide much-needed support for students and teachers. “Our city is at a time when it must choose to create a new future for our students and their teachers,” said Lisa Reed, interim president of The Foundation. “We are proud to rally that support by sharing the stories of our students and teachers every chance we get.” The video will advance to the multi-district ADDY competition. Oklahoma City-based Lampstand Media produced the video in

cooperation with Foundation staff. The Foundation also won silver ADDYs for its new web site and for a promotional post card featuring Luis Valadez, a dancer at Capitol Hill High School. The Foundation also won the top award for public service video in 2012.

Scan to watch “Rise Up Oklahoma City” or visit www.okckids.com

ADDYS

THE FOUNDATION FOR OKLAHOMA CITY PUBLIC SCHOOLS www.okckids.com

COMPETITIVE

EDGE

The Foundation’s Competitive Edge program enabled more than 6,000 students to attend academic and artistic competitions in the 2013-2014 school year. The uneven playing field for Oklahoma City Public Schools competition, they pulled back their hair, swiped on a bit of lip students may be at its most steep when it comes to competition. gloss and buttoned up their chefs coats. On a very big stage in The income reality for students and their families means they downtown Oklahoma City, they would compete against culinary can’t afford to write a check for a far-away competition. professionals. Snyder-Renfro emphasized the importance looking Too often, candy-selling fundraisers don’t get the job done like you belonged. They did belong. when students earn their way to an academic or artistic Students had been working for days to bake their cakes, competition. prepare the fondant icing, create gum paste flowers, and place The Competitive Edge program at The Foundation for edible ribbons in just the right spots. Their work impressed the Oklahoma City Public Schools is a shining judges. Several students and Chef Carrie example of the belief that Oklahoma City’s brought home medals for their outstanding kids are talented and that outside-thework. classroom learning opportunities are an “When we go, it’s not just about winning. incredibly valuable part of public education. It’s about the process and experience,” Funding allows Oklahoma City Snyder-Renfro said. “They always talk about students to travel all over the state and working as a team and how to communicate. country, demonstrating their abilities and It’s also about perseverance and character.” gaining confidence and experience that are But the work ethic of preparation and the important ingredients in school and beyond. thrill of competition isn’t the only benefit of Teachers can apply for up to $2,500 Competitive Edge. Most of the time, Snyderin funding per contest on a first-come, Renfro tries to teach her students how first-served basis. Additional funding is they can cook and eat well without a lot of Since 2008, The Foundation has awarded reserved for students who win competitions money. But competitions offer students a more than $600,000 to send 15,000-plus or who advance to regional and national glimpse outside their normal world. SnyderOklahoma City Public Schools students to competitions. Renfro vividly recalls a competition when artistic and academic competitions. In the 2012-2013 school year, The students stayed in a hotel overnight and Foundation provided $220,000 for more ate as a group at a sit-down restaurant. than 7,000 students to attend 215 contests. By mid-March of the Students sent messages to parents and friends about the 2013-2014 school year, more than $240,000 had been committed luxuriousness of their hotel – an Embassy Suites. “It was like to send more than 6,000 students to academic and artistic they had just arrived at the Eifel Tower in Paris,” she said. competitions. When students attend competitions, Snyder-Renfro takes them to restaurants they’ve never been to before and orders a CULINARY ARTS, variety of foods to create a tasting-like atmosphere. “It makes OKLAHOMA CENTENNIAL MID-HIGH them so happy just to be full. A lot of them aren’t used to that.” As Chef Carrie Snyder-Renfro’s students at Oklahoma Centennial Mid-High prepared to head to a culinary

(continued)

COMPETITIVE EDGE

Firehawk Forensics, the speech and debate program at Harding Fine Arts Academy, has grown significantly with the support of the Competitive Edge program.

SPEECH AND DEBATE, HARDING FINE ARTS ACADEMY Two years ago, Jaimie Gargas had five students in the fledgling speech and debate program at Harding Fine Arts Academy. That was before he discovered how The Foundation for Oklahoma City Public Schools partners with schools to expand learning opportunities for students. A year later, Gargas’ team had 25 students, including two who brought home state titles. In the 2013-2014 school year, the team added a handful of new members. For the 2014-2015 school year, Gargas will have to limit participation on the team because of the growth. The school may even need to hire another teacher to take over Gargas’ senior English class so he can focus on the growing speech and debate program. Success begets success. 20

COMPETITIVE EDGE

And Gargas said there’s no doubt a huge contributing factor to the success is the support of The Foundation. The school has used Competitive Edge funding to pay for most of the competition expenses last year and this year, and his students have excelled at competitions. Two-thirds of HFAA’s students qualify for free- and reduced-price lunches. Gargas said students wouldn’t be able to pay for many of the fees associated with competition without spending significant time and effort raising money – time that would take away from muchneeded preparation. “It’s really enabled the students to focus on their creativity, on their imagination because they’re not having to spend all this additional time fundraising,” he said. “There’s no way we could have expanded the program like this without The Foundation.”

Gargas said he knows the Competitive Edge program is an investment in students’ futures. One of last year’s state title winners received a $25,000 college scholarship based on his speech and debate skills. He said HFAA’s participation in meets has also brought diversity to the competitions they attend, and other coaches have commented on the talent of his students. “It’s also neat because my students are developing friendships with kids at a lot of these other schools, too. They’re becoming friends on Facebook and just crossing those school boundaries.”

STEEL DRUM BAND, SANTA FE SOUTH HIGH SCHOOL Competition has always been a key part of having an accomplished band program. Without the chance to go up against other bands, Scott

Scan to watch the story of Luis Valadez, a dancer at Capitol Hill High School or visit www.okckids.com

“When we go, it’s not just about winning. It’s about the process and experience. They always talk about working as a team and how to communicate.” – Chef Carrie Snyder-Renfro, Oklahoma Centennial Mid-High

Filleman would struggle to help his Santa Fe South students understand the value of practice and to what level they should aspire. But even he couldn’t have predicted what would happen in January 2014, with the support of the Competitive Edge program. The school’s steel drum band performed at halftime of the All-State Sugar Bowl – the only nonmarching band to do so on such a prominent stage. The group received a $2,500 Competitive Edge

grant, which was the largest single gift of the $30,000 the program had to raise to send 25 students plus adult chaperones to the game in New Orleans. In addition to performing in front of 80,000 football fans, the band played outside the legendary Café Du Monde and received high honors in a competition for all groups invited to perform at the game. “That was such a big deal. The students realized that we really can compete

on a national stage,” said Filleman, the band director at Santa Fe South High School. The students also took a riverboat cruise, held a baby alligator on a swamp tour, listened to live jazz and learned hard work can pay off in unexpected ways. “The opportunity to spend time with my steel band family and experience New Orleans with them was amazing,” said Zach Taylor, a senior. See the complete listing of Competitive Edge grants through March 2014 beginning on page 66.

Harding Fine Arts Academy students have become regular winners at speech and debate competitions throughout Oklahoma.

Pandemic, the steel drum band at Santa Fe South High School, performed at halftime of the All-State Sugar Bowl in New Orleans, La., in January 2014. COMPETITIVE EDGE

Congratulations to all this yearâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Stars of Education honorees.

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STARS OF EDUCATION

BOARD MEMBER SPOTLIGHT

“BOOK CLUB”

Four women who love to read are sharing that love with Heather Meldrum’s fifth-grade class at Stanley Hupfeld Academy at Western Village, a north Oklahoma City charter school. The women, who belong to a book club, have connected with students in ways the pupils’ teacher didn’t think were possible. “The kids feel really important about being able to share something they’ve learned and something that they’ve been able to read with people that are from a completely different generation,” Meldrum said recently following the group’s second visit.

Chase Crutchfield, 11, and Helen Sullivan, 67, don’t have much in common except for a book about a family that travels from Michigan to Alabama at the height of the Civil Rights movement. “The Watsons Go to Birmingham” has sparked an interest in reading for Chase, who once struggled to read at grade level. “I like the book because it’s good, and it’s funny,” said Chase, one of nearly two dozen students who receive monthly visits from the women. “I like that they’re encouraging kids to read because a lot of kids sit around and play video games all day.”

Meldrum credits much of the success to the universal themes contained in the four books she has selected for her students to read. The books that will be discussed by the children and their mentors over the next several months include characters who are fearful, bullied, lonely and neglected. “Whether you’re 90 or you’re 9, you’ve experienced everything that has gone on in these books,” she said. Nyla Chuku, 10, finished her book, “The Liberation of Gabriel King,” in three days. The book’s hero is afraid of everything, including the fifth grade. His best friend, the only black kid in school in a

town with an active Ku Klux Klan, is afraid of nothing. “It’s been making me want to read at home, at school and in my free time,” Nyla said. Meldrum didn’t think the reading club would work when she was approached by Sullivan. The teacher wasn’t sure her students could stay on task between monthly visits by the women. “That’s a lot to expect for kids to wait a month to be excited,” she said. “That’s not normal.” On their last visit, Sullivan and her cohorts — Kathy Walker, Sandra LeVan and Barbara Crandall — came prepared to talk about the books and brought enough cupcakes to go around. Lively discussions and imaginative presentations by the students followed. “It’s a simple idea that can be replicated anywhere,” said Sullivan, who sits on the board of The Foundation for Oklahoma City Public Schools. Meldrum credits Sullivan with creating a love of reading that can “never be repaid.” “That’s all she wanted,” Meldrum said. “She doesn’t want to save them. She doesn’t want to teach them a lesson. She just wants them to love to read, and by all means she has accomplished that.” —Tim Willert The Oklahoman

THE FOUNDATION FOR OKLAHOMA CITY PUBLIC SCHOOLS www.okckids.com

POWER

SUPPLY

Bank SNB made a major donation to Teachers Warehouse when officials renamed the company.

A team of volunteers from Oklahoma Natural Gas was among many groups who volunteered to pack school supply orders. 24

TEACHERS WAREHOUSE

“It all started with pizza boxes,” laughs Robyn Hilger, chief programs officer at The Foundation for Oklahoma City Public Schools. “Someone asked us if we could use all these pizza boxes, and we said, ‘Sure, why not.’ ” This was back in 2008 and was the impetus behind the establishment of The Foundation’s Teachers Warehouse. Six years later, Teachers Warehouse is the most popular program at The Foundation. Each year, the demand for everyday school supplies grows and so does community support to make sure teachers and students have the classroom basics. Pencils, pens, glue sticks, crayons and so much more fill bin after bin in Teachers Warehouse. In the 2012-2013 school year, teachers placed 5,729 orders and received more than $275,000 in supplies. With two order periods still left in the 2013-2014 school year, teachers had placed 5,263 orders and received more than $300,000 in supplies. Any OKCPS teacher can order supplies they need through an online store that’s open four days each month during the school year. The store logs hundreds of orders within the first few hours it opens each month. Dorothy Thadani, one of the very first to volunteer at Teachers Warehouse back in the pizza box days, remembers seeing an ad in the Oklahoma Gazette for Teachers Warehouse volunteers. “That’s how I got involved with Teachers Warehouse,” recalls Thadani. “I saw the ad in the Gazette, and talked to Robyn. At that time, it was just me and one other lady.” In those early days, Teachers Warehouse was housed out of one of the empty offices at The Foundation. “We had shelves all around the room, and a hole in the middle of the room for packing,” said Thadani. “We had some pencils, erasers, a little paper, not much. We packed everything in sacks from Crest.” With a humorous glint in her eye, Thadani went on, “The paper bags we were stuffing with supplies split down the sides. We had to staple them to keep them shut. Everything is so streamlined now.” The office where the supplies were stored and bags were packed is on the second floor. The bags had to be carried downstairs where teachers would come by to pick them up. Sounds easy, but not when at your disposal is the world’s slowest and crankiest elevator. Improvements and growth eventually occurred in a big way. Teachers Warehouse now fills downstairs office space, and elementary and secondary teachers have different designated

When Feed the Children delivered a truck load of paper to Teachers Warehouse, the basketball team from Harding Charter Preparatory High School helped with the unloading.

pick-up weeks to make room for the large number of orders. Over time, the online ordering system required upgrading to keep up with demand. Now, more than 200 active volunteers pack teachers orders. The number of school supply donations continues

to increase, too. Feed the Children is a regular donor of paper and other supplies. Teachers received a major boost when Bank SNB donated $50,000 worth of outdated promotional items after the bank changed its name. The donation included pens, highlighters, rulers,

calculators and many other items with the bank’s retired name and logo. “We know these types of items are in high demand in classrooms. We don’t want to see these items go to waste when we have the opportunity to help students (continued)

TEACHERS WAREHOUSE

and teachers put them to good use,” said Matt Pollock, President of Bank SNB’s Oklahoma City division. Rusty LaForge, Bank SNB’s general counsel and a longtime director at The Foundation, arranged the donation. A new partnership with Jo-Ann Fabric and Craft Stores and the Kids in Need Foundation also provided teachers with hundreds of seasonal craft items, fabric and other goodies every month to use in their classrooms. Rather than include many of those items as part of the online store, teachers can make in-person visits to Teachers Warehouse to dig through the goodies. The annual Team Up OKC supply drive started by former Foundation director Michael Morrison continued to boost not only the supply stock but also increased awareness of the needs in OKCPS. Clear Channel

Communications donated tens of thousands of dollars in advertising for the drive, and Keep It Local OK joined as a sponsor and recruited member stores to serve as drop-off locations. “It helps out the kids, but it’s also just an investment in our community and our future,” said Bryce Bandy, cofounder of Keep It Local OK and a graduate of Northeast High School. “We wanted to be able to help out.” As Teachers Warehouse has grown, volunteers have played an increasingly important role. “My favorite thing about Teachers Warehouse,” said Thadani, “is the way the volunteers are treated. They are greeted well. Everyone is so friendly and welcoming. Volunteers are very much appreciated and made to feel that way.” Without the help of a number of community partners who provide hundreds of hours of

Aspire to…

volunteer time, and individual volunteers such as Thadani, Teachers Warehouse would become just one big place with box after box. Volunteers are the true backbone. From inventorying items as they come in, to packing orders, to taking part in the twice-yearly inventory count, nothing happens without the work of these volunteers. “What drew me initially to volunteering at Teachers Warehouse was hearing about the shortage of supplies in OKC public schools,” said Thadani. “What an additional burden this was to teachers. Teachers Warehouse relieves teachers of having to buy school supplies out of their pocket.”

…an America where every student graduates high school with the knowledge and skills to power the nation’s workforce. AT&T salutes the Star Award winners for working to raise the graduation rate and bring this vision to reality. In Oklahoma, $3,327,503 has been invested through the Aspire program

TEACHERS WAREHOUSE

THE FOUNDATION FOR OKLAHOMA CITY PUBLIC SCHOOLS www.okckids.com

INSPIRING

YOUNG MINDS With all this knowledge I’m getting, I can get ready for the real world. – Mallela Dia, Roosevelt Middle School

Applications for The Foundation’s Great Idea Grants program are always full of surprises. Oklahoma City Public Schools is home to amazingly creative teachers who have great ideas about how to make their classrooms more interesting and relevant for students. That’s why The Foundation for Oklahoma City Public Schools offers its Great Idea Grant funding on a twice-a-year basis. Individual teachers and teams of teachers can apply for classroom grants to implement their ideas. In the two grant cycles during the 20132014 school year, The Foundation awarded 20 collaborative and 19 individual grant requests totaling $91,372. Individual grant recipients can receive up to $1,000, while collaborative grant recipients can receive up to $5,000.

District orchestra directors assembled the All-City Orchestra off and on for years, Sy said. Last year, the directors wrote a collaborative Great Idea Grant to The Foundation for Oklahoma City Public Schools to pay for the program. The $3,000 grant underwrote the cost of clinicians and section leaders. Meals during the long rehearsals were also provided for students. Antony Wright, a seventh-grade cellist from Taft, participated for the second year. “It’s really neat to get to know kids from other parts of Oklahoma City who are still learning like I am,” he said. “I can see how they hold their bows and how they hold their instruments. This is an awesome program.” For Zephra Rice, a Taft eighth grader who plays double bass, the draw was the opportunity to be surrounded by other students who are as MAKING MUSIC IN OKCPS serious about orchestra as she is. The laughter and chatter coming from the Kelli Taylor, orchestra director at Harding stage was music to Samantha Sy’s ears. Her Charter Preparatory High School, said the first love, of course, was the actual music these clinic and concert laid the groundwork for middle school orchestra students made as they improvement for the rest of the school year. She prepared for their first concert of the year. On also hoped it will serve as a reminder of the vital Aug. 30, 2013, The All-City Orchestra concert importance of fine arts programs in schools Fifth-grade students at Stanley featured 150 students in orchestra programs beyond the music. Hupfeld Academy at Western from nearly every secondary school in Oklahoma “Putting Oklahoma City kids together in Village dissected owl pellets City Public Schools. a setting like this gives them the opportunity as part of a grant from The “I love to listen to them make good music,” to work with other students from similar Foundation. said Sy, the orchestra director at Taft Middle backgrounds. It’s a safe rehearsal and School and Northwest Classen High School. “But performance space and I know my kids learn I also enjoy watching all of our kids from different schools come much from the teachers and students at the other Oklahoma together and form a community in a short amount of time.” City schools.” (continued)

GREAT IDEAS

The participating orchestra programs were Belle Isle Enterprise Middle School, Classen School of Advanced Studies, Harding Charter Preparatory High School, Harding Fine Arts Academy, John Marshall Mid-High, Northeast Academy of Health Sciences and Engineering, Northwest Classen High School, Rogers Middle School, Southeast High School, Taft Middle School and Webster Middle School.

GIVE A HOOT, STANLEY HUPFELD ACADEMY AT WESTERN VILLAGE Dressed in a surgical lab coat, latex gloves, and safety goggles, Camron, a fifthgrader, wondered: Is this how Einstein felt? Camron and his fifthgrade classmates at Stanley Hupfeld Academy at Western Village certainly looked like scientists as they used tweezers, scales and rulers for a lab lesson on dissection, animal classification, life cycles, food chains and measurements. They couldn’t wait for the moment they could finally dissect owl

GREAT IDEAS

pellets. Sounds kind of yuck, right? The students didn’t think so! In the sterilized pellets, they found rodent and bird skulls. The Foundation for Oklahoma City Public Schools funded the lab unit through a Great Idea Grant. Teacher Heather Meldrum applied for a grant, which she titled “Give a Hoot,” to help her students learn the science skills expected of fifth graders. The grant provided the pellets, four computerprojected microscopes and 10 hand-held microscopes as well as other basic supplies. Students had to weigh, measure and graph their findings. They also completed drawings of the bones they discovered and submitted written reports. The project allowed students to learn new vocabulary and develop a better understanding of nature. Students also understood generous donors made the project possible. “You really gave us a chance to experience something we never had before and that was really nice,” Johnae,

one of Meldrum’s students, wrote in a thank you card. “In the future, this experience will help me if I become an archaeologist.” That sort of future thinking is exactly what Meldrum hopes to spark in her students. “I’m thankful to The Foundation and its donors for providing students with a catalyst to dream beyond their neighborhood.”

ROOSEVELT LEADERSHIP ACADEMY, ROOSEVELT MIDDLE SCHOOL When asked to write a letter to their state representative during the 2012-13 school year, Roosevelt Middle School students remarked that they believed their letter would never be read and thus their voice was not important. It wasn’t until U.S. Congressman James Lankford of Oklahoma’s 5th District visited Roosevelt and referenced the students’ letters that the students realized their voices could be heard. And not only could their voices be heard, but they could be used to positively impact their community. From pencil and paper

in the hands of babes, to an elected official of significance who said “yes, your words had an impact on me,” to outstanding teachers who realized this was just the tipping point – this is how great ideas are born. As a result, two Roosevelt teachers — Felix Linden, an 8th grade English Enhancement and 7th and 8th grade Leadership Class teacher, and Lauren Knobbe, a 7th grade ESL teacher — took the lessons learned from that letterwriting experience to heart. “When Rep. Lankford told the kids that he had read their letters,” said Linden, a Star Spencer graduate, “it illuminated the disconnect that exists between our students and their perception of what role they can play. This precipitated the need for us, as educators, to truly empower our students in a way that benefits our community beyond the classroom and the arbitrary boundaries that exist only in their minds.” It was from this understanding that Linden and Knobbe joined forces to develop the Roosevelt Leadership Academy (RLA).

“The RLA,” added Knobbe, “will serve as the means to begin to change the culture of cynicism among our students and start the process of creating student selfadvocates and leaders.” In the fall of 2013, Linden and Knobbe invited 7th and 8th grade students to apply for the 35 spots in the RLA. Those who applied had to get parental permission, and sign statements saying they would meet certain requirements (keep a journal, grade and attendance parameters, etc.). This was not for the faint of heart. It was for those students wanting to learn about the political process, civic involvement and decision making. “The vision of the RLA,” said Linden, “is to provide our students with equity. The academy will consist of the students and key leaders in our local and state community working in tandem and learning the intricacies and nuances of the various levels of government, the differences between them, and the role each plays in our daily lives.” This has happened on a bigger scale than anyone might have imagined. The RLA has been to an Oklahoma City School Board meeting and an Oklahoma City Council meeting. Among others, State Senators David Holt and Al McAffrey, Mayor Mick Cornett, city councilwoman Meg Salyer and school board member Jay Means, and state Rep. Rebecca Hamilton have met with the RLA to discuss local, city and state politics. In addition, Metro Transit’s “Roads Scholar” program provided free roundtrip transportation for the RLA to visit the legislators in their offices so they could witness firsthand where the people’s business is conducted. Throughout the year, academy participants kept a journal of their experiences, likes and dislikes, and general thoughts

Students in the Roosevelt Leadership Academy visited an Oklahoma City Council meeting to learn more about democracy and becoming good citizens.

related to their time spent with each elected official. “The best part of being in RLA,” said 7th grader Brandon Chico, “has been the people we have met. It has showed me that there is still much kindness and hope.” “We’ve learned about how much people care,” added classmate Serena Rostead. There was also a field trip to the Oklahoma State Capitol, where the RLA sat in the gallery taking in the proceedings. All the brainstorming with elected officials and hands-on research were but precursors to the main event – a spring break trip to Washington DC. With the assistance of a $5,000 Great Idea Grant, and generous funding from the Kirkpatrick Foundation among many other donors, the RLA walked the streets and hallways of the most political and powerful city on earth. With the expertise they had gained from months of learning, research and

planning they were not wideeyed tourists, but well-versed citizens in the operations and function of our federal government. Mallela Dia, summed it up as only a 7th grader can: “With all this knowledge I am getting, I can get ready for the real world. It has changed the way I feel about politics. I thought they [politicians] were heartless people that don’t care, but now I know they do care and they also want to make a good change in the world.”

It’s really neat to get to know kids from other parts of Oklahoma City who are still learning like I am. I can see how they hold their bows and how they hold their instruments. — Antony Wright, seventh grader, Taft Middle School

GREAT IDEAS

GREAT IDEA GRANTS A complete listing of individual and collaborative grants given to Oklahoma City Public Schools teachers for the 2013-2014 school year.

TOTAL STUDENTS SERVED: 4,967 TOTAL FUNDS DISTRIBUTED: $91,373 COLLABORATIVE GRANTS

Belle Isle Enterprise Middle School War, Peace, and All That Jazz Unit/ Festival Angela Lister, David Barnes, Isreal Solis, Dan Covey, Holly Catlin, Mary Watson Award: $1,677.93 Students Served: 144 Belle Isle Enterprise Middle School Freedom Rock Festival Courtney Caruthers, Linda Meier, Linda Kerr, Holly Catlin, Tony Owens, Nancy Brewer Award: $4,995.05 Students Served: 170 Bodine Elementary Under The Microscope Of Academic Excellence Matthew Gillingham, Erica Fernandez, Ryan Schweikhart, Alex Ronan Award: $4,802.95 Students Served: 600 Bodine Elementary Move Over Michaelangelo! Lee Peacock Jones, Mary Jo Gigax, Mike Christian, Randall Allison Award: $4,720 Students Served: 130

Capitol Hill High School Engineered Thinking: Drones! Michael Jennings, Jon Imhoff, Samira Khashayari, Kendra Hill, Stacy Garcia, Shurby Johnson, Roger Jackson, Payden Reynolds, Jasmine Smith, Kristen Richardson Award: $4,198.95 Students Served: 150 Capitol Hill High School All-City Guitar Grant Aaron Vasquez, Scott Sunderman Award: $3,000 Students Served: 100 Classen School of Advanced Studies Sewing Success: Exploring the Business of Costume Construction Michael Payne, Sammy Waldrop, Tom Harrington Award: $4,800 Students Served: 300 Coolidge Elementary The River Flows through Third Grade Tammy Craig, JL Dye, Molly Long, Sharon Scott, Amy Seerey Award: $3,013.15 Students Served: 120

Gatewood Elementary “I Do and I Learn” Michelle Platt, Pam Schleining, Marsha Ambrose, Dawn Collums Award: $4,995.88 Students Served: 150

Monroe Elementary Together We Can Do More Beverly Rosenberg, Megan Palmore Award: $576.69 Students Served: 41

Hayes Elementary Leer un Libro! Christopher Stofel, Ofelia Flores, Elena Johnson Award: $4,534.30 Students Served: 225

Monroe Elementary Dancing For Life Change Nicole Mercer, Brittany Juntenen, Adrienne Lombaerde Award: $5,000 Students Served: 60

Hillcrest Elementary What’s Cooking Around School Genella Green, Barbara Hutchison, Melissa Dewitt Award: $3,465.32 Students Served: 500

Nichols Hills Elementary Checkmate! Kim Iraggi, Dolisa Muse, Deserae Jackson Award: $2,307.94 Students Served: 230

Kaiser Elementary Writing Workshop Rachel LeForce, Stephanie Bowman, Denise Penner, Dealva Matar, Kelly Harris, Tiffany Dickerson Award: $3,777.69 Students Served: 120

North Highland Elementary Littlest Learners Writers Workshop Julie Boon, Tiffany Fleming, Kelly Miller, Iva Wetzel Award: $197.94 Students Served: 60

Linwood Elementary Raising Rigor Through Raised Bed Gardening Carla Cox, Rebecka Graffigna Award: $4,422.88 Students Served: 45

Oakridge Elementary Bringing the Classroom Outdoors Samantha Higgins, Laura Childress, Megan Williams Award: $4,009.92 Students Served: 58

THANK YOU SandRidge Energy is proud to support The Foundation for Oklahoma City Public Schools

SandRidge Energy is a proud supporter of The Foundation for Oklahoma City Public Schools

GREAT IDEAS

GREAT IDEA GRANTS Prairie Queen Elementary Creating Young Scientists Sally Wade, Sharla Paxton, Ginger Fenwick Award: $4,994.50 Students Served: 60 Roosevelt Middle School Roosevelt Leadership Academy Felix Linden, Lauren Knobbe Award: $5,000 Students Served: 35

INDIVIDUAL GRANTS

ASTEC Charter High School A “Cut” Above the Rest: Zoology Dissection Erin Crosby Award: $779.05 Students Served: 65 Belle Isle Enterprise Middle School Making Biology Come to Life Daniel Buckmaster Award: $989.58 Students Served: 154 Edgemere Elementary Caterpillar Reading! Sara Johnston Award: $1,000 Students Served: 30

Edwards Elementary Edwards Elementary Readers’ Theater Troupe Project Fannie Bates Award: $995.45 Students Served: 100 Gatewood Elementary Amazing Asian Brush Painting Rubie Schroeder Award: $999.16 Students Served: 170 Harding Fine Arts Academy Amazingly Enhanced Printmaking with a Press Connie Seabourn Award: $948.81 Students Served: 86 Hawthorne Elementary Sitting Pretty: Wiggle Like a Worm and Focus Like a Scholar Ginger Sherman Award: $903.88 Students Served: 40 Heronville Elementary Inquiring Minds Want To Know Dusty Hendon Award: $976.82 Students Served: 29

Jackson Middle School The Electrical and Magnetic Power Seyithan Demirdag Award: $970.10 Students Served: 105

Nichols Hills Elementary Time Before Technology Deserae Jackson Award: $270.93 Students Served: 75

James Monroe Elementary Let’s Get Reading Bettie Shadoan Award: $622.85 Students Served: 10

Nichols Hills Elementary Moving to Learn Heather Martinez Award: $998 Students Served: 24

John Marshall High School Jump Into the Future With a Drive! Shelly Campbell Award: $605 Students Served: 110 John Marshall High School Drawing Kyla Kaufman Award: $1,000 Students Served: 250

Southeast High School The Clay Portraiture Bust Project and Clay Mask Project Joe Cox Award: $1,000 Students Served: 91 Southeast High School Changing Our Destiny Jonetta Jonté Award: $997.25 Students Served: 51

John Marshall High/Middle School Printmaking for John Marshall LaQuincey Reed Award: $1,000 Students Served: 135

Stanley Hupfeld Academy at Western Village Give a Hoot! Heather Meldrum Award: $824.73 Students Served: 44

Linwood Elementary Tutors With Tails Rebecka Graffigna Award: $1,000 Students Served: 100

GREAT IDEAS

STARS OF EDUCATION

OKCPS

TEAM

Every time I enter the lottery, I imagine adding to my donation to The Foundation. This is the best use of my money I can make. – Marcia Greenwood, teacher, Cleveland Elementary Marcia Greenwood’s decision to support The Foundation for Oklahoma City Public Schools isn’t just about her students. It’s about all 45,000 students in Oklahoma City Public Schools. Greenwood is a faithful donor to the TEAM campaign, The Foundation’s workplace giving program for Oklahoma City Public Schools employees. “Every time I enter the lottery, I imagine adding to my donation to The Foundation. This is the best use of my money that I can make.” Collectively, school district employees make up one of The Foundation’s largest donor groups. TEAM donors can give a one-time gift or throughout the year via payroll deductions. During the 2013-2014 school year, nearly 1,400 OKCPS employees contributed more than $92,000. TEAM donations help fund programs focused on teacher grants, entry and travel fees for student academic and artistic competitions and training for teachers pursuing National Board Certification.

For years, Greenwood has seen The Foundation’s programs make a difference at Cleveland Elementary, where she is a teacher. Greenwood is a National Board Certified teacher, and while she obtained certification before The Foundation began its scholarship program for teachers, she understands and appreciates its value for all teachers. “Becoming nationally certified and re-certified made me the professional I am today. I learned the importance of the discipline of art, how to integrate art with other subject areas, and of helping students take the next best step in their development, always starting with where they really are.” Cleveland has used the Great Idea Grant program to enhance its photography program to give students creative opportunities. It also allowed students to help produce a yearbook and create photo collages using computer technology. The school’s Odyssey of the Mind teams use Competitive Edge funding to seed their competition

Cleveland Elementary teacher Marcia Greenwood said she donates to The Foundation because her students have benefited in many ways from The Foundation’s programs.

efforts. During the 2012-2013 school year, three teams from Cleveland and a group of former Cleveland students at Classen School for Advanced Studies advanced to the state competition. “With every student we see a growth in confidence in thinking outside the box, being truly creative problem solvers, and just trusting the worth of their own ideas,”

Greenwood said. “Getting to world competition opened our students’ eyes to ‘the world.’ Imagine their excitement as they meet students from across the world, Poland, China and South Korea, to name a few.”

OKCPS TEAM

TEACHER OF THE YEAR OKLAHOMA CITY PUBLIC SCHOOLS 36

TEACHER OF THE YEAR

THE FOUNDATION FOR OKLAHOMA CITY PUBLIC SCHOOLS www.okckids.com

LIVING HER

DREAM MEREDITH ZIEGLER

VOCAL MUSIC WILSON ARTS INTEGRATION ELEMENTARY “I didn’t want to be a teacher to just play school anymore, and line up my students and have them follow me around. I now wanted to be a teacher to have an opportunity to love students in a way they might not receive love otherwise.” It’s not difficult to picture Meredith Ziegler as a 4-year-old, surrounded by stuffed teddy bears and dolls, pointing to a chalkboard and prodding her charges to recite their ABCs. Now, she sits in a circle with Wilson Arts Integration Elementary students singing their own melodies about apples, kiwis and boysenberries. In another class, students use their bodies as percussion instruments to make music. And in yet another class, students progressively work through a music pattern on xylophones. The dreams of her childhood weren’t some passing fancy. “Unlike many of my peers and friends growing up, my response to the question, ‘What do you want to be when you grow up?’ has never changed,” she said. “My

response has always been, ‘a teacher.’ ” Her first student – at least of the non-stuffed variety – was her younger brother. When his work wasn’t up to par, she would throw it in the trash and make him start over. School, she says, was the ultimate playroom. “School was a great love for me. It was a place where I felt safe, engaged, and alive. In fact, I distinctly remember walking from place to place at school, constantly pretending I was teaching and that my classmates were my students following behind me or engaging with me in a lesson at center time. “It was very early on that I developed this love for school and learning and knew that this was the place where I wanted to spend my life.” In only a few years’ time, Ziegler would have a new perspective on teaching.

She and her brother attended the school where their mother taught. They did not know it was a highpoverty school. Then one night their mother took them along as she delivered food to a family living in a motel and unable to afford dinner. “It was then that the whole reason I wanted to be a teacher changed. I didn’t want to be a teacher to just play school anymore, and line up my students and have them follow me around. I now wanted to be a teacher to have an opportunity to love students in a way they might not receive love otherwise. Just like my mom.” Ziegler, a graduate of Oklahoma City University who is pursuing a master’s degree from the University of Oklahoma, teaches at one of the district’s highestperforming elementary

“It was very early on that I developed this love for school and learning and knew that this was the place where I wanted to spend my life.” — Meredith Ziegler

(continued)

TEACHER OF THE YEAR

schools. Wilson parents frequently show up for open house and join the PTA. While it has less ethnic and socioeconomic diversity than most district schools, nearly 45 percent of Wilson students are classified as low income. As is true throughout Oklahoma City Public Schools, most students in that classification qualify for free lunches. Music, though, isn’t about race or income or class. Ziegler believes every student has an innate ability to make music. Her job is to make sure her students believe that. “I grew up making friends and learning from kids who came from a harsh background. We worked hard and learned together,” she said. “I was able to help my friends at school, and they were able to help me in different ways that I wouldn’t have been able to learn if I had only gone to school with kids who were like me.” The biggest challenge in Ziegler’s classroom is students who have missed out on the excitement of learning and already have given up on the idea that school has something to offer them. The purpose of school isn’t just to make good students, she said. “Growing up today, our students need to know we aren’t just preparing them to be excellent students in our school. We’re preparing them to be adults. They are going to do be adults much longer than they are students in our schools.” 38

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Wilson’s focus on arts integration means Ziegler works closely with other teachers to make sure music and traditional classroom learning overlap. Principal Kirk Wilson said Ziegler “devours training opportunities,” works collaboratively with core subject teachers and serves as the “teacher in charge” in his absence. Even as she shoulders the full-time load of a teacher, school leader and graduate student, Ziegler rarely passes up an opportunity to teach or help a student develop a love for music. Barbara Brockhaus’ son Blake wanted nothing to do with music or music class. “It was boring and about at the bottom of his list of things to do,” Brockhaus said. Then Ziegler became Blake’s music teacher at Wilson. Within one semester, music was Blake’s second-favorite class (after math), and he told his mother he wanted to audition for the vocal music program at Classen School of Advanced Studies. At first, Brockhaus said her son struggled to sing basic songs on pitch and with rhythm. But under Ziegler’s instruction, he auditioned and was accepted to Classen. He also was accepted to the Canterbury Youth Chorus, where Ziegler serves as the apprentice choir’s director. “I know in Mrs. Ziegler’s class kids learn to love the process

of learning, and as a parent, I could not ask for more from a teacher,” Brockhaus said. Despite only having spent four years as a full-time classroom teacher, Ziegler’s first mentor declares her a “master teacher” with no hesitation. “She was at home in front of a class of students from the first day,” said Dolisa Muse, a music teacher at Nichols Hills Elementary. “It was obvious that she had a love for music and a love for students that was genuine.” People are surprised when Ziegler said her job isn’t to produce great musicians, although that’s a nice side benefit. “I would rather just produce better people who learn the skills they need through music.”

She knows those lessons are sinking in. A student recently told her she was “the sneakiest teacher” because students were learning even as they had fun. She’s undoubtedly a student favorite. “The thing I like about Mrs. Ziegler is that she has a great personality which makes me and the other kids feel comfortable and ready to learn,” said fifth-grader Carley Miller, who attends Wilson and sings with the Canterbury Youth Chorus. Ziegler believes music programs become more important with schools so focused on testing. “So many students wouldn’t have the motivation to go to school if wasn’t for music and

other extra opportunities. We need students to have opportunities to be creative and think in a different way because we weren’t made to sit in a desk and be perfectly still all day.” That Ziegler would be considered as a top teacher so early in her career is hardly a surprise to Judith Willoughby, the artistic director for Canterbury Youth Choruses who also served as Ziegler’s professor and collegiate adviser. “She had a passion for teaching and was already demonstrating a detailed, thoughtful and effective approach to learning all in college that would be of value to her as a future classroom music teacher.”

Scan to learn more about Meredith and her work in OKCPS or visit www.okckids.com

TEACHER OF THE YEAR

FIRST RUNNER-UP

RANDA REIGER VISUAL ART HERONVILLE ELEMENTARY Art, Reiger says, opens her students’ minds. In return, her students have repaid the favor many times over.

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FINALISTS

Randa Reiger’s classroom is nothing like the school experience of her childhood. Growing up in Syria, school was business for both students and teachers. Teachers spoke. Students took notes. Everything was secondary to what happened in the classroom. Reiger loved art. But because her parents had so stressed the importance of career, she chose architecture. That choice took her across the globe – Hong Kong, India, New York. When she and her husband settled in Oklahoma, Reiger worked for a firm overseeing school renovations. That was her first introduction to the U.S. style of education. She learned even more when her oldest son started school, and she decided to volunteer. “I just felt so inspired to teach and to be part of the

arts. Art has always been part of my life … but it wasn’t professional.” Reiger worked to obtain her teaching certification. Before long, she became an art teacher in Oklahoma City Public Schools. She sees 1,000 students a week as the full-time art teacher at Heronville Elementary in south Oklahoma City. She obtained her National Board Certification in 2010. Reiger operates her classroom with the words of Georgia O’Keefe always in mind: “I found I could say things with color and shapes that I couldn’t say any other way – things I had no words for.” Those words and the lessons of her early schooling are displayed in her classroom. Whether it’s kindergarten students working together to build

block towers or fourth graders teaming up to create a still life portrait, the classroom is bustling with creativity and energy. Over time, Reiger has become more adept at partnering with traditional classroom teachers to reinforce core subjects, but fun is still an important component. Art, she says, opens her students’ minds. In return, Reiger’s students have repaid the favor many times over. As she dealt with a personal crisis during the school year, her students and colleagues supported her through many dark days. “From my students, I learned that every day is a new day. My students carry me. They encourage me. They help me. They show me different ways of seeing.”

SECOND RUNNER-UP

CAROL FLETCHER-KNIGHT HISTORY ROGERS MIDDLE SCHOOL Carol Fletcher-Knight retired before she went to college. She took early retirement when her job in telecommunications was in danger. It was only after her first career was in the rear view mirror did FletcherKnight realize she almost missed out on the career of a lifetime. Nine years teaching history to special education students at Rogers Middle School in Spencer has helped Fletcher-Knight connect with her Oklahoma City Public Schools roots. Her mother graduated from Douglass High School, and her aunt taught in the district for three decades. Fletcher-Knight graduated from the nowclosed Dunjee High School. Fletcher-Knight’s children attended Oklahoma City Public Schools. She’s the grandmother of OKCPS

students, and the greatgrandmother of future OKCPS students. “In case you can’t tell, I have skin in the game,” Fletcher-Knight said. She wasn’t exactly destined for a middle school classroom. After her retirement, she planned a career in adult education. That was the focus of her graduate degrees. But there’s something about helping her students thrive through the awkward transition of the middle school years that gives Fletcher-Knight purpose. “I believe at the end of the day, these are still children. They may look grown up, but sometimes their behavior doesn’t match with the new bodies they have,” she said. Fletcher-Knight is a selfdescribed old-school teacher. When class discussions begin, students raise their hands

before speaking. FletcherKnight roams the classroom with an iPad, awarding electronic points for good behavior. A microphone amplifies her voice as she talks about critical moments in the American Revolution. Fletcher-Knight’s compassion for her students is boundless. She’s involved in parent outreach efforts, engaging volunteers and helping manage the school’s food closet. She wants to make sure her students aren’t lost in the middle. “Our students are under resourced, and that is about much more than just money,” she said. “Middle schools are often forgotten with the focus on early childhood and high school graduation. We have a moment here where we can help make sure they are successful. We shouldn’t miss the opportunity.”

“We have a moment here where we can help make sure they are successful. We shouldn’t miss the opportunity.” – Carol Fletcher-Knight

Scan to learn more about Carol and her work in OKCPS or visit www.okckids.com

FINALISTS

DAVID HELM

ALGEBRA CAPITOL HILL HIGH SCHOOL TEACHER OF THE YEAR FINALIST

“It teaches them to listen to those who love them, and that one bad decision can cost them everything. It reminds me, especially in difficult times, why I chose to be a teacher.” – David Helm

Scan to learn more about David and his work in OKCPS or visit www.okckids.com

When the bell sounds at 8:30 a.m. and students roll into the cafeteria at Capitol Hill High School, there’s no time to waste. They grab their notebooks and then dodge trash cans to find a seat at one of dozens of round tables. By the time they’re all seated, David Helm has a wireless microphone fitted around his head and colored pens clipped to his shirt. He’s ready to start the day. The cafeteria makes for an odd classroom setting. Trash cans are set up every few feet in preparation for lunch. Helm positions himself at the front, using a projector screen to magnify the day’s objectives and problems so students can see. Two other teachers roam from table to table, offering help and advice as students work to decipher the day’s word problems. No matter the odd set-up,

Helm is known throughout Capitol Hill as one of the school’s best math teachers. But to say his teaching of math is what makes him a student favorite is an incomplete picture. Take this day’s class, for instance. Mastery of algebra – or at least something close to it – stands between this class of students scattered about the cafeteria and high school graduation. Each of the students in this early morning class had yet to earn passing marks on the algebra end of instruction test. Without it, they will not graduate on time. The reality weighs heavy on Helm. He reminds them repeatedly the choice to be successful is theirs – do the homework, ask for help, work hard. Helm’s path to teaching was a long one. A stint in the U.S. Air Force allowed Helm to complete a degree

in mechanical engineering. But instead of following his friends to the private sector, he followed his heart to a Peace Corps assignment in Guatemala. Brother David, as he was known there, eventually found himself living in a 6-by-10-foot room in a notoriously dangerous neighborhood. He vividly recounts the stories of those young people he tried to save. And every year in his classroom, he tells the emotional story of one young man he could not save. Helm gave fatherly counsel to the boy, known as Gato, and prayed over his body after the boy was shot while committing a robbery. “It teaches them to listen to those who love them, and that one bad decision can cost them everything. It reminds me, especially in difficult times, why I chose to be a teacher.”

FINALISTS

KIMBERLY MASSICOTTE HISTORY JOHN MARSHALL HIGH SCHOOL TEACHER OF THE YEAR FINALIST

“They don’t deserve the reputation they have. They are really good kids who are just misunderstood sometimes.” – Kimberly Massicotte

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FINALISTS

Being a good student was never Kimberly Massicotte’s problem. In fourth grade, an outstanding teacher taught her the value of a good student-teacher relationship. She learned the same lesson later during her service in the U.S. Navy when she began tutoring in an inner-city school as part of a community outreach program. “One little girl to whom I was reading stopped me and told me she wanted to be just like me when she grew up. That moment helped me to recognize the value of role models some of these children needed and to live my life as such.” During that same time, Massicotte worked with inmates to obtain high school equivalency diplomas. The majority of the men were illiterate high school

dropouts. “That was heart wrenching to me because the society that was punishing them for various crimes was the same society that let them down in the first place. I decided at that moment to pursue a teaching career so I could alleviate some of these problems,” she said. Massicotte served as a substitute teacher for two days at John Marshall MidHigh School before she was hired to a full-time position. That was five years ago. “There are some days that are really difficult, and there are many others where the kids remind you why you’re there,” she said. Massicotte admires the tenacity of her students to fight through their problems at home and said more community support

to guide students through their critical teenage years is needed. The district also needs teachers willing to make an extra investment. “We need teachers that really want to be here. It takes a special person to teach in Oklahoma City.” For John Marshall graduate Kiera Stafford, Massicotte was one such teacher. “Mrs. Massicotte was more than just an educator; she was a counselor, a friend, and a second mom to many other students, including myself, and colleagues,” said Stafford, now a student at Oklahoma State University. “She took the time out to get to know all of her students individually so that we were able to connect to her in a way that we were not able to with other staff.”

MATTHEW ROSS

ALGEBRA NORTHWEST CLASSEN HIGH SCHOOL TEACHER OF THE YEAR FINALIST Matthew Ross is a coach in the best sense of the word. An encourager. A guide. A listener. And yes, a teacher. It’s obvious on the soccer field at Northwest Classen High School, where Ross serves as head coach for the boys’ team. It’s just as obvious in the classroom, where he teaches freshman algebra. “Numerous students I have taught lack the support at home to accomplish much outside of the classroom. That makes every moment I spend with my students precious. I know that we have to take advantage of every second we spend together,” he said. That means he doesn’t spend much time at the head of the classroom. Using a classroom set of iPads, he teaches algebraic concepts with real-life lessons. Students use technology to research the differences between hybrid and traditionally fueled vehicles. Which car ultimately costs more? How long would an owner have to keep a hybrid to make the extra expense economically advantageous? Each team of students works together to solve the problems and then must report their conclusions as a group to the class. He moves from group to group, offering support and guidance, if needed. Teamwork isn’t just for soccer. Ross believes strongly that repeatedly putting students in teams to solve problems will have long-term

payoff. “Every day, I try to remind my students that struggling with something is not failure. Giving up and not trying is what leads to failure,” he said. “Practice leads to self-confidence and the ability to persevere.” Students know they can trust Ross with their struggles. As a young child, one of Ross’ senior soccer players lost his father. The player recently told Ross how much he appreciated Ross’ support and guidance. The student received a soccer scholarship and will be the first in his family to attend college.

Moments like those remind Ross why Oklahoma City Public Schools is the right place for him. “I can’t imagine going anywhere else. This is where I feel like I need to be. It’s where I want to be,” he said. “I’m able to mentor and build relationships with the kids. I’m able to impact their lives far past algebra. I know God has called me to be a servant to the kids of Oklahoma City Public Schools, and I wouldn’t give that up for the world.”

Scan to learn more about Matthew and his work in OKCPS or visit www.okckids.com

“Every day, I try to remind my students that struggling with something is not failure. Giving up and not trying is what leads to failure.” - Matthew Ross FINALISTS

BETTIE SHADOAN SPECIAL NEEDS MONROE ELEMENTARY TEACHER OF THE YEAR FINALIST

“Hope is potent, powerful and there is always, always hope in my classroom.” – Bettie Shadoan

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FINALISTS

“Hope is potent, powerful and there is always, always hope in my classroom.” That’s not the only message parents and others hear coming from Bettie Shadoan’s classroom. But it may be the most important and life-changing one. For 14 years, Shadoan has taught special needs preschoolers at Monroe Elementary. Every year is a different mix of students. Some students have autism, while others are deaf or hard of hearing. She’s had students suffering from traumatic brain injuries, multiple disabilities and visual impairments. Josiah and Elizabeth Daniel made the decision to trust Shadoan with their 3-year-old special needs child and never regretted it. “Simply put, she has changed our child’s life, which in turn has improved and enriched the lives of our entire family,”

the couple wrote in support of Shadoan’s district teacher of the year candidacy. “Her reputation in the Oklahoma City special needs community is without equal.” The idea of individualized learning – that each student should be taught according to their style of learning – is more than theory in Shadoan’s classroom. With students from ages 3 to 5 and even larger gaps in their learning abilities, Shadoan has little choice but to tailor each student’s instruction to his or her challenges and capabilities. And despite their disabilities, Shadoan has high expectations for each of her students – and their families. “Preschool teachers have the opportunity to help everyone off to a great start, parent and child alike. Our position as early childhood educators is ideal to help these families,” she said. “A parent who is struggling to

keep food on the table, gas in the car, and the electricity on, must understand that they have the power to give educational success to their child now, right from where they are. Not as a dream but a reality.” Shadoan earned National Board certification in 2010. She also has certifications in early childhood, special education, deaf/hard of hearing, autism, other health impairment, multiple disabilities, traumatic brain injuries and in mobile devices for children with special needs. Monroe Principal Eric Meador is full of high praise for Shadoan. “Mrs. Shadoan is hands down the best special education teacher I have had the pleasure of working with. The expectation in Mrs. Shadoan’s class is that every student no matter their disability will learn.”

CARRIE SNYDER-RENFRO FAMILY & CONSUMER SCIENCES OKLAHOMA CENTENNIAL

“We have so many awesome students. They are so talented, and they have so much imagination.”

TEACHER OF THE YEAR FINALIST

– Carrie Snyder-Renfro

Chef Carrie SnyderRenfro remembers clearly the student comment that changed her teaching: “This is her first year.” Up to that point, SnyderRenfro had worked for years in hospitality and tourism. She was a certified master baker and certified executive pastry chef. She had owned a catering business and restaurant; developed a line of spices; written a cookbook; appeared on television and in national magazines; and trained college students in baking and pastry. She had

even served as a mentor for high school students interested in culinary arts. Technically, SnyderRenfro had all the skills and experience she needed to become a classroom teacher — so she received her alternative certification. “The transition was more challenging than I had thought it would be because I did not know the academic vocabulary a teacher needs, especially in a public school.” Snyder-Renfro knew she needed to up her teaching game – even her students

recognized that – so she headed back to college to finish her degree. She recently earned National Board certification and is now pursuing a master’s degree in adult education and training. At Oklahoma Centennial Mid-High School, SnyderRenfro teaches family and consumer sciences and career and technology education. She also teaches teachers, having developed a program to help educators new to the school adapt and become better teachers. Her classroom is a hive of

activity and a safe haven for students. Snyder-Renfro isn’t afraid to give her teen-aged students a dose of reality. But her enthusiasm is contagious, and she’s always ready with warm and encouraging words. Whether the topic is cooking or childcare, SnyderRenfro never loses sight of the big picture. Her students need to understand how what they learn in their core academic classes connects to real life. Fractions in cooking. The science of proper food handling. The advantages of nutritious eating. “We have so many awesome students. They are so talented, and they have so much imagination,” she said. “One student told me he wanted to be held accountable. They just need more care and not to get lost. It would be easy for them to get lost.” One of Snyder-Renfro’s colleagues describes her larger-than-life presence at Centennial well: “Students crowd around her door, they take her classes, they seek her advice. In an earlier time, she could have been the pied piper. Students will follow her wherever she might take them.” Scan to learn more about Carrie and her work in OKCPS or visit www.okckids.com

FINALISTS

MARY TRAN

PRE-ENGINEERING NORTHEAST ACADEMY HEALTH SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING ENTERPRISE SCHOOL

TEACHER OF THE YEAR FINALIST Mary Tran’s parents are Vietnam War-era immigrants. Her dad didn’t finish the second grade. Her mom completed the sixth grade. Her family took seriously the opportunity America presented them. No opportunity was more important than education. Their daughter didn’t quite understand the emphasis until her family took a return trip to Vietnam. There, she finally understood her parents’ sacrifice. So when she encounters tough days as a middle school math and pre-engineering teacher at Northeast Academy for Health Sciences and Engineering, Tran reminds herself how much she took for granted. She remembers her own days as a student at Northeast. “I have some of the best students in the state,” she said. “But sometimes I remind 48

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myself that my students act the way I did because they do not realize what privileges they have.” In her younger years, Tran thought she was headed for the international mission field. As a Northeast student, she figured the health careers classes would serve her well. She was active in the school’s business club as well, thanks to the guidance of an outstanding teacher. The club started a mentoring program, and Tran won a state business competition that required her to perfect her interviewing skills, develop a resume and learn parliamentary procedures. She can see how former teachers changed her life. “I am the teacher I am today due to my wonderful family, and the great examples I have had in my education career. Both my kindergarten and high school

business teachers left a legacy in my life. They taught me the balance of and need for patience, consistency and compassion within my very own classroom.” Tran expects hard work from her students. In return, Tran works hard to provide them the best school environment possible. She’s particularly active in the school’s academy initiatives, which includes coordinating student internships. Seeing Tran successfully return to Northeast as a teacher is a source of pride for her former business teacher. “I have seen her grow from the shy ninth grader in my business class into an outstanding teacher and young woman,” said Mary Best. “Her transformation has been remarkable. She is one of those unforgettable students.”

“I have some of the best students in the city and in the state.” – Mary Tran

Scan to learn more about Mary and her work in OKCPS or visit www.okckids.com

OKCPS BUILDING TEACHERS OF THE YEAR In addition to the OKCPS Teacher of the Year finalists, we would like to congratulate each of the teachers representing individual schools as building Teacher of the Year: Patty Oâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Brion, Adams Elementary Debbie Neitzel, Arthur Elementary Linda Kerr, Belle Isle Enterprise Middle School Ryan Schweikhart, Bodine Elementary Alonzo Cowles, Britton Elementary Kathy Buttry, Buchanan Elementary Michelle Sanders, Capitol Hill Elementary David Helm, Capitol Hill High School Cherry Mays, Cesar Chavez Elementary Trena Brown, Classen School of Advanced Studies Carly Chambless, Cleveland Elementary April Mickelson, Columbus Enterprise Elementary Quentell Scott, Coolidge Elementary Nancy Stalcuup, Edgemere Elementary Judith Evans, Emerson High School Lindsey Woods, Eugene Field Elementary Anjanette Wallace, F.D. Moon Academy Andrea Gibson, Fillmore Elementary Dawn Collums, Gatewood Elementary Tori Elmquist, Green Pastures Elementary Gayle Howard, Greystone Upper Elementary Mary Ibanez, Hawthorne Elementary Margaret Anne Herriott, Hayes Elementary Preston Finney, Heronville Elementary Megan Marshall, Hillcrest Elementary Janet Jennings, Jackson Middle School Mary Weeter, Jefferson Middle School Kimberly Massicotte, John Marshall Mid-High School Angela Absher, Johnson Elementary Rachel LeForce, Kaiser Elementary Katherine Harper, Lee Elementary Taylor Snyder, Linwood Elementary Nicole Washington, Mark Twain Elementary Mary Geurin, Martin Luther King Jr. Elementary

Bettie Shadoan, Monroe Elementary Koko Sparks, Nichols Hills Elementary Patricia Marable, North Highland Elementary Mary Tran, Northeast Academy for Health Sciences & Engineering Enterprise School Matthew Ross, Northwest Classen High School Shawntae Ballard, Oakridge Elementary Carrie Snyder-Renfro, Oklahoma Centennial Mid-High School Sharon Rysted, Parmelee Elementary Pamela Begley, Pierce Elementary Jesica Boulanger, Prairie Queen Elementary Kellie Nelson, Putnam Heights Elementary Lynne Zahn, Quail Creek Elementary Monica Green-Griffin, Ridgeview Elementary Michelle Dominguez, Rockwood Elementary Carol Fletcher-Knight, Rogers Middle School Ashley Montgomery, Sequoyah Elementary Ashley Desilva, Shidler Elementary Chele Crosby, Southeast High School Colby Torres, Southern Hills Elementary Stephanie Cobb, Stand Watie Elementary Rachel Belmon, Stanley Hupfeld Academy at Western Village Linda Brooks, Star Spencer High School Emily Ray, Taft Middle School Cynthia Wells, Telstar Elementary School Orlando Ceville, U.S. Grant High School Shelley Ellis, Van Buren Elementary Elizabeth Kuhlman, Webster Middle School Jameica Seay, West Nichols Hills Elementary Margot Rytter, Westwood Elementary Brandt Ratcliff, Wheeler Elementary Danita Foster-Ramsey, Willow Brook Elementary Meredith Ziegler, Wilson Arts Integration Elementary

Southwestern Group of Companies is proud to support Oklahoma City Public Schools, teachers & students growing our community.

www.SouthwesternOK.com 405.525-9411

FINALISTS

SPEAKING UP “The Teacher of the Year experience changed my perception of teaching. It’s so much bigger than my classroom, and I have a much better awareness of why I do what I do.” – Heather Meldrum

Heather Meldrum’s path to the classroom was long and winding. But her year spent as the Oklahoma City Public Schools Teacher of the Year has, in her view, been much too short. When she stood on the stage in April 2014 to accept the honor, she seized the opportunity to talk about her kids. And then she never 50

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really stopped. “I really didn’t know how many people were fighting every day for our kids in Oklahoma City,” said Meldrum, a fifth-grade teacher at Stanley Hupfeld Academy at Western Village. “There just aren’t enough of them.” Meldrum spoke at meetings of important

business people. At the state Capitol, she implored state lawmakers to better support public education with good policy. She helped a statewide education group plot its future. She hosted school board members in her classroom and at school events. She told anyone who would listen that her fifthgrade students and students

across Oklahoma City have the capacity to achieve great things, but that will only happen with a plugged-in community ready to challenge the notion that the job of educating children is the exclusive responsibility of parents and teachers. Finding her voice meant that it was no longer enough to be the teacher of just her students. She challenged herself to become a teacher of the community. After all, she had worked in healthcare and banking before deciding to become a teacher. “There are so many wrong assumptions out there about Oklahoma City Public Schools. People think our kids are limited, that their parents don’t care and that our district is failing children,” she said. “When people start caring about all kids as much as they care about how much money they make, things will look different.” Not long into her Teacher of the Year journey, Meldrum also realized she needed to continue to be a student of teaching. With scholarship support from The Foundation, she is pursuing National Board Certification. “The Teacher of the Year experience changed my perception of teaching. It’s so much bigger than my classroom, and I have a much better awareness of why I do what I do,” she said. “I would never have asked for an award like this, but I wouldn’t trade it for anything. It’s changed me forever.”

THE STAN HUPFELD ACADEMY AT WESTERN VILLAGE

The State Department of Education designated it as “High Challenge” and “Low Performing.” Juvenile crime in the area was at an all-time high and student attendance was at an all-time low – until 2000, when INTEGRIS and the OKC Public School Board established what was to become The Stanley Hupfeld Academy at Western Village – Oklahoma’s first elementary charter school. Now, arts-integrated curricula, after-hours programs, parent outreach initiatives and reading programs are the norm, and 300 members of the business community regularly volunteer their time as mentors. And as the nation’s only healthcare system-managed elementary school, the Academy also serves the healthcare needs of its students and their families. With students reaching new levels of success and stability, INTEGRIS is issuing a new kind of “High Challenge” to each of them: work harder, dream bigger and never underestimate your potential.

Scan to learn more about Heather and her work in OKCPS or visit www.okckids.com

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OKLAHOMA CITY COMMUNITY COLLEGE

PERFECT PARTNER Carol Brogan’s classroom at then-Harding Middle School was almost ready to go. Then a last-minute phone call changed her life. “Very few principals ever get the chance to grow their own school,” Brogan said. When Brogan was offered her first principal’s post in 2000, her new school didn’t even exist. Today, Pathways Middle College High School is thriving. That’s due in no small part to an innovative partnership with Oklahoma City Community College, the 2014 recipient of The Foundation for Oklahoma City Public Schools’ Perfect Partner Award. “We believe we’re just 52

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doing the right thing,” Paul Sechrist, OCCC’s president, told Pathways students during an award ceremony. “The dream of a high school on this campus began before you were born. It was very unusual at the time. We weren’t even sure it was going to work.” Pathways is considered an alternative school within Oklahoma City Public Schools, but its partnership with OCCC makes it unlike any other school program in Oklahoma City. Students in eighth through 12th grades attend classes in five rooms on the third floor of a building on OCCC’s south Oklahoma City campus.

Every teacher on the school’s small staff teaches every subject. When the school opened in January 2001, it had only 13 eighth-grade students. Pathways added a grade each year thereafter. Since its opening, Pathways has produced 115 graduates, nearly all of whom have pursued some form of postsecondary education. In speaking with students, Sechrist rattled off a list of once big-time Oklahoma City employers that offered goodpaying jobs for adults with just a high school diploma. “They’re all gone now,” he said. “A college preparatory curriculum is more important

Our students come here with dreams, and we help realize them. That wouldn’t be possible without this amazing partnership. – Carol Brogan, Pathways Middle College High School Principal

than it’s ever been because a high school diploma is no longer good enough.” As students walk across the stage at graduation, they receive a diploma. Sechrist also hands them their college transcript. Since Pathways opened, its graduates have earned more than 1,300 college credit hours. “This is due in no small part to the fact that every day, OCCC students who look like our students, act like our students, and come from backgrounds like our students model what it means to be a college

student,” said Catherine Huey Klasek, the Pathways teacher who nominated OCCC for the partnership award. “They show Pathways students what it takes to be a college student and assure our students that they will be successful.” In addition to the concurrent enrollment, Pathways students also have access to the college library, computer lab and other campus facilities, including the swimming pool. Students are required to perform community service as a way to pay forward OCCC’s generosity.

Klasek said students recognize the unique opportunity. Over the years, discipline rates have remained extraordinary low while parent participation has been above the rates of schools serving similar students. For the last five years, Pathways graduates have scored an average of 19.9 on the ACT. “Our students come here with dreams, and we help realize them,” Brogan said. “That wouldn’t be possible without this amazing partnership.”

Students at Pathways Middle College High School attend classes on the third floor of a building on Oklahoma City Community College’s south Oklahoma City campus.

PERFECT PARTNER

THE FOUNDATION FOR OKLAHOMA CITY PUBLIC SCHOOLS www.okckids.com

GOING ABOVE

AND BEYOND The kids are just great kids who need opportunity.

– The Honorable Noma Gurich, Valuable Volunteer | Southeast High School

The Calvos aren’t just volunteers at Monroe Elementary. “They are like our family and they are the students’ and teachers’ biggest advocates,” commented Adrienne Lombaerde, who teaches fifth grade there. Will and Michelle Calvo have been filling gaps at Monroe since their oldest daughter Maggie started in kindergarten. Maggie is now in third grade and the Calvo’s youngest daughter, Sophie, is in first. Michelle, a stay-at-home mom, jumped in as a PTA officer three years ago when there were only two people involved. The PTA now has eight parents helping in various roles — fundraising, recognizing teachers and enriching students in some capacity. In a typical week, Michelle maintains the PTA financials, gets the supplies for snack Friday and tutors two students in Maggie’s thirdgrade class. Year round, the PTA teams up with teachers 54

VALUABLE VOLUNTEERS

for curriculum fun nights, plans fundraising nights and feeds the teachers during Teacher Appreciation Week. Will and Michelle are a team in all of this. “Will is my organizer, my motivator,” Michelle says. Will agrees that he works wherever he is needed to be a support. He tries to take one day off per month to help in Mrs. Hodde’s sixth-grade class, a classroom of more than 30 students. “I try to be an over-theshoulder volunteer or mentor to help them read through a passage or work through a math problem or behave a little bit better by helping them focus instead of wander off course,” he said. Will also has worked to expose the students in Mrs. Hodde’s class to real-life experiences in the classroom. After asking students where they see themselves in the future, he’s recruited an ER doctor and a past Air Force Academy football player to share with the class about their careers. This is only

the beginning in Will’s mind. Archeologists, restaurant owners and basketball players are all on the list for future class periods. “My wife and I, while my

kids are here, whatever little difference we can make, we’ll try to do that. There are other great PTA officers that give their heart and soul, too.”

WILL & MICHELLE CALVO MONROE ELEMENTARY

NOMA GURICH

SOUTHEAST HIGH SCHOOL

The list of Denise HookerShepherd’s activities at Cleveland Elementary is long. She started and has continued to operate the school’s multicultural night. She’s active in the school’s PTA. She helps students tend to their manners in the school office, where she has volunteered many hours. She’s also served as a substitute in any class where she’s needed. “I believe in helping wherever I can,” she said. Her children began attending Cleveland Elementary when she moved to Oklahoma from Texas in 2009. Her daughter Phoenix is at Classen School of Advanced Studies. Her son London is in fourth grade at Cleveland. “There will be a time when they don’t need me so much, but they do now, and I can be

there for them.” Hooker-Shepherd said she loves the family environment at Cleveland and wants to contribute. From Marcia Greenwood’s view, HookerShepherd has done her fair share and then some. “My personal favorite quality of Denise is that she always shows up and smiles,” Said Greenwood, a Cleveland teacher. “She helps me remember we are here for the kids and that we need to leave our worries and troubles at home and to always smile. She is a favorite among the students, teachers, parents, visitors and administration.” Part way through the school year, Hooker-Shepherd became a part-time district employee doing many of the same tasks she did as a volunteer. She also hopes to become a certified teacher.

One visit to Southeast High School was all it took to convince members of local Kiwanis Clubs that the school was a great place to start a Key Club, a leadership organization for students. The Honorable Noma Gurich, an Oklahoma Supreme Court Justice, already knew it was true. Her friend Mary Cloos had been teaching at the school for years, and Gurich knew from working with the students that she only needed an opportunity to persuade the doubters. “A few people had some misgivings, but they were very impressed by the school and saw how respectful the students are,” said Gurich, who spent about 200 hours volunteering with students and setting up the Key Club. The school hosted a chartering event for its

Key Club in October 2013. About 30 students, Kiwanis members from across the metro area and Kiwanis leaders were in attendance. By then, the club had been meeting unofficially for months. “People really wanted to see how we did it,” Gurich said. “The kids are just great kids who need opportunity. My Kiwanis Club is so in love with these kids.” Cloos said unlike many organizations, every student is eligible to join Key Club. By mid-year, more than 50 students had joined. Students have donated to tornado victims, cleaned a neighborhood park and volunteered to help with a local marathon, Cloos said. “The excitement is all around,” she said. “This organization has changed the climate of the school.”

DENISE HOOKER-SHEPHERD

CLEVELAND ELEMENTARY

VALUABLE VOLUNTEERS

DAVID PURCER EUGENE FIELD

"I really hope I’m able to bring them some consistency and a familiar face they can count on." – David Purcer

Katy Leffel’s son Zander was just beginning school when she started volunteering at Wilson Elementary five years ago. She’s been a fixture ever since. She’s active with the school’s PTA, including serving two years as president. A former teacher, she tutors students who need extra academic help. She’s also a huge helping hand for teachers, said Debbie Brashier, a second-grade teacher at Wilson. “She volunteers to help teachers with anything they need from organizing closets to copying papers. She always has a smile and a helping hand,” Brashier said. “She helps organize school carnivals, field trips, fundraisers, and campus cleanup days. She is one of the reasons that Wilson Elementary is a nice place 56

VALUABLE VOLUNTEERS

“This is totally a God thing.” That’s the short story of how David Purcer came to be a volunteer at Eugene Field Elementary. The long version is a bit more complicated and begins with a shoulder surgery. The medical issue eventually led Purcer to retire from his 40-year career at St. Anthony’s Hospital. With a retiree’s open schedule, Purcer

got involved in Crossings Community Church’s school partnership with Eugene Field Elementary. What started out as a simple opportunity to deliver supplies to the school took a different turn when Purcer was asked to provide help for the school’s music teacher. “When he arrived at the school, he heard that we did not have a teacher in our Seriously Emotionally Disturbed classroom,”

Principal Paige Bressman said. “He said that he would love to volunteer in that classroom as well, to help the substitute and the classroom assistant.” Bressman said the students in that classroom can be difficult to connect with but that presented no challenge for Purcer, who also continues to provide support for the music teacher. “I enjoy it because I was one of those kids,” Purcer said. “I had a lot of learning problems and had no one to help me at home. I really hope I’m able to bring them some consistency and a familiar face they can count on.”

KATY LEFFEL

WILSON ARTS INTEGRATION for teachers to teach and students to learn.” Leffel’s daughter Zella also attends Wilson. “I really just love the extras and the experience our children get at Wilson,

including the exposure to the arts curriculum.” Leffel said she understands the gaps students and teachers face that make receiving and providing a high-quality

education challenging. “We have a great school community, and I’m honored to be able to help.”

THE FOUNDATION FOR OKLAHOMA CITY PUBLIC SCHOOLS www.okckids.com

VITAL

SUPPORT “I’ve lived in the neighborhood for 30 years, and I never give up on the kids.” – Renee Anderson | Bodine Elementary

RENEE ANDERSON TEACHING ASSISTANT | BODINE ELEMENTARY For 25 years, Renee Anderson has been a mainstay at Bodine Elementary. She started as a teaching assistant in the first grade and later switched to kindergarten. For the last 17 years, she’s worked in the pre-kindergarten classroom. “I’ve lived in the neighborhood for 30 years, and I never give up on the kids. They need someone who is a constant,” she said. “I wouldn’t trade this building or these kids.” Jan Gardner, the pre-K teacher, can’t imagine a more hardworking assistant. Anderson helps with classroom activities and assignments, planning, making copies, record keeping, reads to students and helps with whatever else needs to be done, Gardner said. When the school decided to begin serving breakfast in the classroom, Gardner said Anderson took it upon herself to bring coolers containing

the breakfasts for each class upstairs so there was no worry about students using the elevator unsupervised. Every day, Anderson greets parents and students and then makes sure each student gets on the right bus for the ride home.

“She works hard every day with every child, to help them get the best education possible,” Gardner said. “Her organizational skills are a great help to me. She does her job to the ‘nth’ degree, truly going above and beyond what is required of her.”

SUPER SUPPORT STAFF

CHERYL CAMPBELL

BENJAMIN DENTON

MEDIA ASSISTANT | JEFFERSON

“Those were my babies, and I didn’t know those people.” That’s what Cheryl Campbell told herself when she first began volunteering in Oklahoma City Public Schools in 1986. Since 2001, she’s been a district employee, and the library is her love. “I have a blast in my library,” she said. “There’s nothing more pleasurable than meeting the mark with kids by finding them the right book.” Her live-readings of books in the library are the stuff of Jefferson Middle School lore. “Mrs. Campbell brings the book to life. We all hold our breaths when she has an

TEACHING ASSISTANT | US GRANT

impromptu book talk because the books will fly off the shelves and a waiting list will start,” said Denise Phillips, the Jefferson media specialist who nominated Campbell for the Super Support Staff award. Campbell said her role at Jefferson brings her pure joy. “There are graduates who come back to visit me,” Campbell said. “The students know that they can trust me, and that I will help them. I am somebody they can talk to, and I try to listen to them. The wisdom you get as you get older … it’s just from living life and experience. I try to share that with them.”

For Benjamin Denton, U.S. Grant High School is home. He graduated from the school in 2005. Now he’s in his third year on staff, serving as a teaching assistant and handling various coaching duties. His primary assignment is to help with Grant’s special education students. He studied journalism and sociology, and he’s completed part of the certification process to become a special education teacher. “My whole family went here. I know Grant so well. It feels like home,” he said.

Wanda Cudjo, who nominated Denton for a Super Support Staff award, said Denton is always willing to help. That’s been particularly true with a special needs student sent to Grant because the home school wasn’t equipped to deal with his needs. “He came to Grant and was accepted. Mr. Denton is one of the people helping us meet these demands. He has inspired us all to have a more positive attitude.” Denton said he just wants the students who he assists to be happy and to be helpful to the rest of the Grant staff.

HONORABLE MENTION

JENNIE FONDREN

BARBARA JOHNSON

Super Support Staff

Valuable Volunteer

SUPER SUPPORT STAFF

KINDALYN KILPATRICK Valuable Volunteer

LINDA OCHSNER

LIEN VU THACH

Valuable Volunteer

Super Support Staff

TAMMY MAYFIELD

WANDA THOMPSON

TEACHING ASSISTANT | OAKRIDGE

When Tammy Mayfield’s son was a third grader, he became the victim of a bully. Volunteering at the school was Mayfield’s way of getting involved and improving the situation. “I was able to spend time with him and help him with his homework. It allowed me to build a better relationship with my son,” she said. Mayfield’s son is now a junior at Harding Fine Arts Academy. She’s still at Oakridge, now serving as a paid computer lab assistant. Samantha Higgins, who nominated Mayfield for the Super Support Staff award, describes her co-worker as exceptional.

SECRETARY | CAPITOL HILL HS

“She always goes above and beyond her job duties to make sure the children at our school are learning and feeling loved,” Higgins said in her nomination. “She can be found in the cafeteria, playing with children on the playground and making copies for someone else all before lunch.” Mayfield has lived in the Oakridge neighborhood for years, so she even sees local students in the summer. She hopes to go back to school so she can be a certified technology teacher. “I love the kids here. So many of the kids in our schools just need love.”

Wanda Thompson’s phone starts ringing at 5:30 a.m. Within an hour, she’s sitting outside the principal’s office at her desk and her to-do list is already long. She has papers to pass out, substitute teachers to place, payroll to create and copier paper jams to clear. “There’s just so much going on, but the important things are that you’re helping the students and the teachers.” Thompson started out as a volunteer at Eugene Field Elementary in the 1990s when her children attended school there. She’s

also worked at Britton Elementary and the central office before ending up at Capitol Hill High School eight years ago. “When I go to the main office and the principal’s secretary’s door is closed, I feel this sort of panic — as if there is no captain at the head of the ship,” said Linda Dudley, who nominated Thompson for the Super Support Staff award. “I think I speak for most of the faculty when I share this feeling. If Wanda Thompson is not at work, I believe half of us are lost; that’s how well Wanda takes care of all of us.”

HONORABLE MENTION (not pictured)

ANTONIA RAMIREZ

LUCRETIA VIEWINS

CAMILLA WINFREY

Super Support Staff

Valuable Volunteer

Dale Alexander Baysone Chanthaboury Larry Doss Tina Duenas Esther Ingersoll JoAnn McCollum Linda Montgomery Maria Elena Moreno Sylvia Noyes Natalia Schumacher Shirley Stevens Florenda J. Williams Lisa Quishenberry

SUPER SUPPORT STAFF

THE FOUNDATION FOR OKLAHOMA CITY PUBLIC SCHOOLS www.okckids.com

EL SISTEMA

OKLAHOMA

Cathy Busey remembers the days she and her husband Phil lived paycheck to paycheck. She also hasn’t forgotten the times when they couldn’t make one paycheck last until the next. “It has always been our dream to leave the world a better place and leave a program with a legacy that would last long after we are gone,” Cathy said. Malachi Lewis isn’t 60

EL SISTEMA

thinking much about a legacy. But his grandma figures he and the Buseys are forever connected. “I’m not sure I can even find the words to explain how he’s changing,” said Alta Gleason, who is raising Malachi with her husband. “This is changing his life.” Malachi, a third grader at Gatewood Elementary, is a tuba player in the El Sistema Orchestra, an after-school

orchestra program the Buseys started to benefit innercity children. The program, which launched in August 2013, is a partnership of St. Luke’s United Methodist Church, the Wanda L. Bass School of Music at Oklahoma City University and The Foundation for Oklahoma City Public Schools. “I don’t trust easily,” Gleason said. “But I watch everyone who is involved with

El Sistema students gather every Friday for their weekly full orchestra rehearsal.

Everything we’re doing has a common purpose. The purpose is to provide an activity and an avenue of hope for children. – Cathy Busey

this program, and I just know that Malachi is in good hands. They treat him like he was their own child.” The inaugural group of 100 student musicians attends one of six participating schools (Linwood Elementary, Gatewood Elementary, Putnam Heights Elementary, Kaiser Elementary, Cleveland Elementary & Sequoyah Elementary). Each day after school, the participating students ride the bus to Trinity Baptist Church, which is leasing space to the El Sistema program. There, teachers and volunteers greet the students, provide students with a healthy snack and help with homework before music instruction begins. Cathy has no idea if this first group of El Sistema musicians will go on to become orchestra prodigies, although one student is already composing her own music which will be premiered at the orchestra’s final concert of the year. The plan is for slow growth, with the addition of 40 more students in the second

year. Participating students can stay with the program throughout middle school and high school, she said. “Everything we’re doing has a common purpose. The purpose is to provide an activity and an avenue of hope for children.” During snack time, students are served a meal. Pizza isn’t on the menu, but lentil soup is. Students are trying out new foods and like them, Cathy said. More importantly, at every moment during the program, students experience nurturing through their interactions with staff and volunteers. “You can see a child turn their attitude around when someone knows who they are and cares for them,” she said. “Sometimes it’s through words and sometimes it’s just a look. The message is the same: You matter.” Gleason said students and their families are getting that message loud and clear. The encouraging handwritten notes she regularly receives from staff is just one way she knows the program is impacting her family.

“Malachi loves the staff and everyone here,” his grandmother said. “He loves to practice and never wants to miss. But it is not lost on me that this is about much more than music.” Tiwan McCarver said she was never interested in music so her daughter’s interest in El Sistema came as a surprise. Amaury, a fifth grader at Gatewood, has become a dedicated violin player who adores her teachers. “She is just so happy and determined. She’s really competitive and wants to be the best violin player.”

EL SISTEMA

THE FOUNDATION FOR OKLAHOMA CITY PUBLIC SCHOOLS www.okckids.com

EDUCATION

CHAMPION

That first phone call was almost too good to believe. A free car for the Oklahoma City Public Schools Teacher of the Year? Totally free? To keep? “There is no one that is more deserving of such an honor,” said Randall Reed, owner of Randall Reed Ford. “Teachers do so much to help shape and mold our children’s minds and our communities.” The Foundation for Oklahoma City Public 62

FOUNDATION PARTNERS

Schools has long managed the Teacher of the Year program in partnership with the school district and the Oklahoma City chapter of the American Federation of Teachers. The new partnership with Randall Reed Ford was kept secret until the district teacher of the year finalists were announced during a news conference at the dealership in December 2013. “We always believe it is important to support

the school district, but this year we also wanted to find a special way to show our appreciation to the amazing teachers who go the extra mile for our children,” said Todd Ritz, the dealership’s general manager. Each school has the option to select a building Teacher of the Year. A committee of district educators, including several former Teacher of the Tear finalists and winners, select the finalists

OKCPS Teacher of the Year finalists Mary Tran and Kimberly Massicotte check out the 2014 Ford Escape, one of the two cars offered by Randall Reed Ford to this yearâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s winner.

and ultimately the district Teacher of the Year. Finalists must complete a written portfolio and a video of their classroom teaching. The selection committee conducts interviews with each finalist. Wilson Elementary music teacher Meredith Ziegler was announced as the 20142015 Oklahoma City Public Schools Teacher of the Year

at a May 8 ceremony. She will choose from a 2014 Ford Fusion or a 2014 Ford Escape, donated by Randall Reed Ford. She also received $1,500 and the chance to compete in the state Teacher of the Year contest. All other finalists receive $750. Devon Energy, Chesapeake Energy Corp., Cox Communication and Sonic,

America's Drive-In, are the presenting sponsors for the Teacher of the Year and Stars of Education program, which honors district staff, volunteers, and community organizations and business partnerships that provide outstanding support for the children and teachers in Oklahoma City Public Schools.

WALL OF FAME

HONORING OKCPS ALUMNI The Foundation for Oklahoma City Public Schools inducted three city district alumni into its Wall of Fame on Oct. 10, 2013, at the Skirvin Hilton. Jo Carol Cameron, Wanda Jackson and James Loftis became the 29th class honored for their contributions to the city, state and nation. Attendees lauded each of the honorees for their contributions to the community. Miles Tolbert, chairman of The Foundation’s Board of Directors, encouraged the community to fully commit to the success of the school district and its students. “We need to ask ourselves whether the education we provide today to students in Oklahoma City Public Schools is at least as equal to what those who came before us provided for Wanda Jackson, James Loftis and Jo Carol Cameron,” Tolbert said. “If the answer is anything but an absolutely unqualified yes then we need to pray a prayer of gratitude for second chances. Every day is a new opportunity to build the kind of public school system we need.”

City for decades. With her husband, C.B. Cameron, she founded Westminster School, which serves students in pre-kindergarten through eighth grade. While her husband served as president of American Fidelity Assurance Company, she was active in convention planning and is a member of the American Fidelity Foundation Board. Cameron was a longtime executive member of the Junior League, served as an officer for the OKC Symphony Orchestra League and was on the board of the Oklahoma City Art Museum. She is also a founding member of the Annie Oakley Society at the National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum. The Cameron’s have two children, Bill and Lynda.

JO CAROL CAMERON Edgemere Elementary, Harding Junior High, Classen High School

WANDA JACKSON Capitol Hill Junior High, Capitol Hill High School

Jo Carol Cameron’s commitment to community service and improving quality of life has been felt throughout Oklahoma 64

WALL OF FAME

Wanda Jackson and her musical talent were already well known in Oklahoma City by the time she graduated Capitol Hill High School in 1955. Shortly after graduation, she went on tour with her father serving as manager and signed a deal with Capitol

Records. She performed with Elvis Presley and became known as the Queen of Rock. In the late 1960s and 1970s, she turned to country and gospel music went on to perform country and gospel hits. Jackson was named to Oklahoma Music Hall of Fame in 2000 and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2009. A year later, the Americana Music Awards presented Jackson with the Lifetime Achievement Award. She wasn’t finished yet. Jackson released her 31st studio album in 2012.

JAMES LOFTIS Culbertson Grade School, Sequoyah Elementary, Taft Junior High, Northwest Classen High School In the architectural profession, few stand taller than James Loftis. This 1960 graduate of Northwest Classen High School is leaving a mark on Oklahoma City. Loftis, a Fellow of the American Institute of Architects, led the design team for the award-winning Murrah Federal Office Building. His

firm’s work at the Myriad Gardens includes the water stage and the botanical garden’s interior. He has also placed a high priority on the architectural profession and community involvement. A Class IV member of Leadership OKC, community service highlights began with the AIA’s first acquisition and renovation of the Overholser Mansion, continued with three terms on the Oklahoma State Architects Licensing Board, numerous civic board service, and culminated in his presidency of the Downtown Rotary Club 29. Loftis has maintained his ties with Northwest Classen, providing leadership with his class reunions and the Auditorium Board. He is married to Jan Gilmore Loftis, has two children, Jeff and David Loftis, and three grandchildren. Proceeds from the Wall of Fame support Foundation programs that provide enhanced educational opportunities for students in Oklahoma City Public Schools. The Wall of Fame celebration was made possible with support from Devon Energy, Chesapeake Energy, American Fidelity Foundation James Loftis accepts his induction into The Foundation’s Wall of Fame. and other generous sponsors.

ENJOY WATCHING THE 2013 WALL OF FAME VIDEOS BY SCANNING THE QR CODES WITH A SMART PHONE Jo Carol Cameron

Wanda Jackson

James Loftis

Partnering with

Okahoma City Public Schools since 1979 to provide Career & Technology Education Metro Technology Centers Preparing for Life

www.metrotech.edu WALL OF FAME

WALL OF FAME MEMORIES

Current and former Wall of Fame honorees celebrate at the champagne reception and reunion that preceded the induction ceremony.

JROTC students served as greeters at the Wall of Fame dinner.

Wendell Goodman and Wanda Jackson posed for a picture before the induction ceremony.

Jo Carol Cameron and her family celebrated her induction into the Wall of Fame.

The family of James and Jan Loftis posed for a photo as they celebrated Jamesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; induction in the Wall of Fame.

Luis Valadez, a senior at Capitol Hill High School, and his dance teachers attended the dinner to see a video debut featuring Luis.

MARK YOUR CALENDARS FOR THE 2014 WALL OF FAME Champagne Reception, Wednesday, Oct. 1 Awards Dinner & Induction Ceremony, Thursday, Oct. 2 66

WALL OF FAME

CONGRATULATIONS

OKCPS NURSE OF THE YEAR Joyce Foltz

Think Globally... Teach Locally. Independent Insurance Agents of Greater Oklahoma City are proud to support the work of The Foundation and its positive impact on Oklahoma City children.

STARS OF EDUCATION

COMPETITIVE EDGE LISTING The following is a listing of all the grants provided by The Foundation for Oklahoma City Public Schools to support students and teachers who attended and participated in academic and artistic competitions during the 2013-2014 school year (through March 11, 2014). Listed is the type of competition, school name, competition name and location, teacher name, grant amount, and number of students served.

TOTAL STUDENTS SERVED: 6,081

•

TOTAL FUNDS DISTRIBUTED: $229,616

Counting Bee, Adams Elementary, All-City Counting Bee, Oklahoma City Teacher: Caroline Hatfield Award: $296 Students Served: 9

Business Professionals of America, Capitol Hill High School, BPA State Competition,Okmulgee Teacher: Adam Rogers Award: $2,000 Students Served: 20

Band-MS, Classen School of Advanced Studies, Six Flags Over Texas Band Festival, Arlington, TX Teacher: Reginald Irons Award: $2,500 Students Served: 45

Mariachi, Adams Elementary, Arbuckle Wilderness, Davis Teacher: Christiaan Osborn Award: $1,500 Students Served: 40

Choir, Capitol Hill High School, Pride of Oklahoma Music Festival, Norman Teacher: Tristianne Asbury Award: $1,000 Students Served: 25

Choir, Classen School of Advanced Studies, Young Men’s Vocal Competition, Norman Teacher: Rebecca Lindley Award: $600 Students Served: 30

Odyssey of the Mind, Classen School of Advanced Studies, Odyssey of the Mind Regional, Yukon Teacher: Tom Harrington Award: $785 Students Served: 7 Orchestra-HS, Classen School of Advanced Studies, State String Orchestra Contest, Edmond Teacher: Justin Pourtorkan Award: $1,000 Students Served: 65

Health Occupations Students of America, Capitol Hill High School Health Occupations Students of America State Leadership Competition, Norman Teacher: Meredith Wronowski Award: $1,000 Students Served: 40

Choir, Classen School of Advanced Studies, OCDA Honor Choir Auditions, Oklahoma City Teacher: Rebecca Lindley Award: $300 Students Served: 24

Orchestra-HS, Classen School of Advanced Studies, State Full Orchestra Contest, Edmond Teacher: Justin Pourtorkan Award: $1,000 Students Served: 65

Choir, Classen School of Advanced Studies, OMEA AllState Auditions Lawton, Oklahoma Teacher: Rebecca Lindley Award: $750 Students Served: 40

Orchestra-HS, Classen School of Advanced Studies, District Solo & Ensemble, Putnam City Teacher: Justin Pourtorkan Award: $850 Students Served: 65

Mariachi, Adams Elementary, Heartland Music Festival, Oklahoma City Teacher: Christiaan Osborn Award: $1,000 Students Served: 20 Band, Belle Isle Enterprise Middle School, OSSAA Music Contest, Oklahoma City Teacher: Jeremy Scott Award: $340 Students Served: 30 History, Belle Isle Enterprise Middle School, National History Bee, Atlanta, GA Teacher: Nancy Brewer Award: $2,500 Students Served: 4 Orchestra, Belle Isle Enterprise Middle School, OSSAA Music Contest, Edmond Teacher: Jeremy Scott Award: $340 Students Served: 29 Science/Engineering, Belle Isle Enterprise Middle School, Oklahoma Engineering Fair, Oklahoma City Teacher: Daniel Buckmaster Award: $704.50 Students Served: 31 Mariachi, Capitol Hill Elementary, Heartland Music Festival, Oklahoma City Teacher: Christiaan Osborn Award: $1,000 Students Served: 20 Mariachi, Capitol Hill Elementary, Arbuckle Wilderness Music Festival, Davis Teacher: Christiaan Osborn Award: $1,400 Students Served: 20 Band, Capitol Hill High School, District Vocal Solo & Ensemble Contest, Mustang Teacher: Tristianne Asbury Award: $400 Students Served: 12 Band, Capitol Hill High School, District Instrumental Solo & Ensemble Contest, Mustang Teacher: Tristianne Asbury Award: $400 Students Served: 12

COMPETITIVE EDGE

Robotics, Capitol Hill High School Metal-Skins, US FIRST Robotics Competition, Oklahoma City Teacher: Jonathan Imhoff Award: $1,000 Students Served: 20 Robotics, Capitol Hill High School, US FIRST Robotics Competition, Denver, CO Teacher: Jonathan Imhoff Award: $2,500 Students Served: 20 Technology Students Association, Capitol Hill High School, TSA State Competition, Midwest City Teacher: Samira Khashayari Award: $1,000 Students Served: 100 Choir, Cesar Chavez Elementary Pride of Oklahoma Music Festival, Norman Teacher: Norman Whisenhunt Award: $1,000 Students Served: 35 Band, Classen School of Advanced Studies, State Jazz Band Contest, Edmond Teacher: Reginald Irons Award: $600 Students Served: 22 Band, Classen School of Advanced Studies, Bluebonnet Classic, San Antonio, TX Teacher: Reginald Irons Award: $2,500 Students Served: 44 Band, Classen School of Advanced Studies, OSSAA Concert Band Contest, Edmond Teacher: Reginald Irons Award: $700 Students Served: 44

Choir, Classen School of Advanced Studies, State 5A Choir Contest, Norman Teacher: Rebecca Lindley Award: $1,000 Students Served: 60 Choir-HS, Classen School of Advanced Studies, OSSAA District Solo & Ensemble, Bethany Teacher: Rebecca Lindley Award: $500 Students Served: 50 Choir-MS, Classen School of Advanced Studies, OSSAA State Choir Contest, Oklahoma City Teacher: Jessica Wheeler Award: $500 Students Served: 85 Choir-MS, Classen School of Advanced Studies, OMEA AllState Children’s Chorus, Tulsa Teacher: Jessica Wheeler Award: $2,000 Students Served: 6 Guitar, Classen School of Advanced Studies, OSSAA District Contest, Bethany Teacher: Brandon Cink Award: $1,000 Students Served: 60 Guitar, Classen School of Advanced Studies, Brownsville Guitar Ensemble Festival and Competition, Brownsville, TX Teacher: Brandon Cink Award: $2,500 Students Served: 30

Orchestra-MS, Classen School of Advanced Studies, State String Contest, Edmond Teacher: Justin Pourtorkan Award: $1,000 Students Served: 80 Orchestra-MS, Classen School of Advanced Studies, State Full Orchestra Contest, Edmond Teacher: Justin Pourtorkan Award: $1,000 Students Served: 80 Orchestra-MS, Classen School of Advanced Studies, District Solo & Ensemble Contest, Putnam City Teacher: Justin Pourtorkan Award: $850 Students Served: 80 Piano, Classen School of Advanced Studies, District Achievement Audition, Bethany Teacher: Marye Cory Award: $1,000 Students Served: 65 Theatre, Classen School of Advanced Studies, OSSAA One Act Play Contest, Tulsa Teacher: Michael Payne Award: $2,000 Students Served: 50 Odyssey of the Mind, Cleveland Elementary, Odyssey of the Mind West Regional Competition, Yukon Teacher: Marcia Greenwood Award: $175 Students Served: 7 Business Professionals of America, Emerson High School, Fall Leadership Conference, Oklahoma City Teacher: Sandra Gooden Award: $400 Students Served: 6

Business Professionals of America, Emerson High School, State Leadership Conference, Okmulgee Teacher: Sandra Gooden Award: $1,900 Students Served: 10 Delta Epsilon Chi, Emerson High School, DECA Fall Leadership Conference, Oklahoma City Teacher: Sandra Gooden Award: $350 Students Served: 5 Delta Epsilon Chi, Emerson High School, DECA State Leadership Conference, Tulsa Teacher: Sandra Gooden Award: $1,500 Students Served: 5 Health Occupations Students of America, Emerson High School, Oklahoma Health Occupations Student Association State Conference, Oklahoma City Teacher: Rebecca Daniels Award: $1,000 Students Served: 15 Health Occupations Students of America, Emerson High School, Oklahoma HOSA Fall Leadership, Norman Teacher: Rebecca Daniels Award: $960 Students Served: 8 Mariachi, Fillmore Elementary, Arbuckle Wilderness Festival, Davis Teacher: Christiaan Osborn Award: $1,500 Students Served: 30 Mariachi, Fillmore Elementary, Directorâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Choice Festival, Dallas Teacher: Christiaan Osborn Award: $2,500 Students Served: 25 Band, Harding Charter Preparatory High School, OSSAA Solo & Ensemble Contest, Edmond Teacher: Kelli Taylor Award: $194 Students Served: 21 Band, Harding Charter Preparatory High School, OSSAA Large Group Band Contest, Edmond Teacher: Kelli Taylor Award: $70 Students Served: 46 Band, Harding Charter Preparatory High School, UCO Pre-District Festival, Edmond Teacher: Kelli Taylor Award: $1,000 Students Served: 46 Band, Harding Charter Preparatory High School, CODA/ All-State Auditions, Edmond Teacher: Kelli Taylor Award: $170 Students Served: 13 Band, Harding Charter Preparatory High School, Oklahoma Small School Band Director Association All-State Auditions, Tecumseh Teacher: Kelli Taylor Award: $120 Students Served: 7

Band, Harding Charter Preparatory High School, District Large Group Band Contest, Edmond Teacher: Kelli Taylor Award: $915 Students Served: 45 Band and Orchestra, Harding Charter Preparatory High School, State Instrumental Solo & Ensemble Contest, Stillwater Teacher: Kelli Taylor Award: $1,118.45 Students Served: 34 Choir, Harding Charter Preparatory High School, State Vocal Music Contest, Shawnee Teacher: Laura Gilson Award: $888 Students Served: 41 Choir, Harding Charter Preparatory High School, All State, Enid Teacher: Laura Gilson Award: $55 Students Served: 4 Choir, Harding Charter Preparatory High School, District Chorus Festival, Edmond Teacher: Laura Gilson Award: $945 Students Served: 50 Choir, Harding Charter Preparatory High School, District Solo and Ensemble Contest, Mustang Teacher: Laura Gilson Award: $169 Students Served: 34 Martial Arts, Harding Fine Arts Academy, Sooner State Games Winter Qualifier, Oklahoma City Teacher: Jennifer Allman Award: $1,000 Students Served: 20 Orchestra, Harding Charter Preparatory High School, OSSAA Solo & Ensemble Contest, Oklahoma City Teacher: Kelli Taylor Award: $148 Students Served: 18 Orchestra, Harding Charter Preparatory High School, North Central Honor Orchestra Auditions, Edmond Teacher: Kelli Taylor Award: $59 Students Served: 7 Orchestra, Harding Charter Preparatory High School, OMEA All-State Auditions, Moore Teacher: Kelli Taylor Award: $45 Students Served: 3 Photography, Harding Fine Arts Academy, National Young Arts Foundation, Online Teacher: Jennifer Allman Award: $175 Students Served: 5 Photography, Harding Fine Arts Academy, 34th Annual Student Photo Contest, Online Teacher: Jennifer Allman Award: $249.90 Students Served: 42

Photography, Harding Fine Arts Academy, 2014 Scholastic Art & Writing Awards, Online Teacher: Jennifer Allman Award: $410 Students Served: 41 Speech and Debate, Harding Fine Arts Academy, Okarche Speech and Debate Competition Okarche Teacher: Jaimie Gargas Award: $540 Students Served: 30 Speech and Debate, Harding Fine Arts Academy, Marlow Speech and Debate Competition, Marlow Teacher: Jaimie Gargas Award: $540 Students Served: 30 Speech and Debate, Harding Fine Arts Academy, Fairview Meet, Fairview Teacher: Jaimie Gargas Award: $540 Students Served: 40 Speech and Debate, Harding Fine Arts Academy, Prague Meet, Prague Teacher: Jaimie Gargas Award: $540 Students Served: 40 Speech and Debate, Harding Fine Arts Academy, Cordell Meet, Cordell Teacher: Jaimie Gargas Award: $590 Students Served: 50 Speech and Debate, Harding Fine Arts Academy, Kingfisher Meet, Kingfisher Teacher: Jaimie Gargas Award: $540 Students Served: 50 Speech and Debate, Harding Fine Arts Academy, SW Oklahoma Regional Speech and Debate, Weatherford Teacher: Jaimie Gargas Award: $710 Students Served: 29 Dance, Jefferson Middle School, OSDTDA State, Oklahoma City Teacher: Juan Iglesias Award: $1,000 Students Served: 15 Dance, Jefferson Middle School, Jamfest, Tulsa Teacher: Juan Iglesias Award: $2,000 Students Served: 15 Dance, Jefferson Middle School, ASC Regionals, Oklahoma City Teacher: Juan Iglesias Award: $1,000 Students Served: 15 Art, John Marshall High School, SWAG, Weatherford Teacher: Kyla Kaufman Award: $1,000 Students Served: 12 Band, John Marshall High School, Oklahoma State Fair Band Day Competition, Oklahoma City Teacher: Rajah Kennedy Award: $475 Students Served: 31

Band, John Marshall High School, Deer Creek Spring Music Festival, Deer Creek Teacher: Rajah Kennedy Award: $900 Students Served: 70 Choir, John Marshall High School, OSSAA Contest, Oklahoma City Teacher: Denise Caton Award: $325 Students Served: 40 Business Professionals of America, John Marshall High School, BPA State Leadership Conference, Okmulgee/Tulsa Teacher: Traci Conklin Award: $2,000 Students Served: 15 Business Professions of America, John Marshall High School, Spring Leadership Conference/ Competition, Tulsa Teacher: Sharon Marker Award: $2,000 Students Served: 10 Business, John Marshall High School, Competitive Edge Stock Market Challenge, Oklahoma City Teacher: Sharon Marker Award: $425 Students Served: 60 Business Professionals of America, John Marshall High School, BPA Fall Leadership, Oklahoma City Teacher: Sharon Marker Award: $700 Students Served: 10 Choir, John Marshall High School, OSSAA District High School Contest, Oklahoma City Teacher: Denise Caton Award: $65 Students Served: 4 Choir, John Marshall High School, State Vocal Competition, Shawnee Teacher: Denise Caton Award: $151 Students Served: 3 Dance, John Marshall High School, Jamfest, Branson, MO Teacher: Sherri Smith Award: $2,500 Students Served: 11 Dance, John Marshall High School, American Spirit Championships, Oklahoma City Teacher: Sherri Smith Award: $1,000 Students Served: 12 Delta Epsilon Chi, John Marshall High School, 2013 DECA Fall Leadership Conference, Oklahoma City Teacher: Todd DeArmon Award: $1,000 Students Served: 8 Delta Epsilon Chi, John Marshall High School, Oklahoma DECA State Career Development Conference, Tulsa Teacher: Todd DeArmon Award: $2,000 Students Served: 25 (continued)

COMPETITIVE EDGE

Drama, John Marshall High School, OSSAA Regional One-Act Play Contest, Oklahoma City Teacher: Brandy Clark Award: $1,000 Students Served: 25 Family, Career and Community Leaders of America, John Marshall High School, Junior AchievementInvestor Challenge, Oklahoma City Teacher: Erica McCollum Award: $190 Students Served: 20 Family, Career and Community Leaders of America, John Marshall High School, FCCLA District STAR Events, Oklahoma City Teacher: Erica McCollum Award: $505 Students Served: 10 Future Farmers of America, John Marshall High School, State FFA Interscholastics Competition, Stillwater Teacher: Brad Corn Award: $1,450 Students Served: 12 Robotics, John Marshall High School, First Tech Challenge, Muskogee Teacher: Jennifer Lynch Award: $1,400 Students Served: 10 Robotics, John Marshall High School, First Tech Challenge, Ada Teacher: Jennifer Lynch Award: $1,350 Students Served: 10 Robotics, John Marshall High School, First Tech Challenge, Oklahoma City Teacher: Jennifer Lynch Award: $350 Students Served: 19 Band, Kaiser Elementary, Directorâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Choice Music Festival, Dallas, TX Teacher: Christiaan Osborn Award: $1,000 Students Served: 20 Band, Kaiser Elementary, Arbuckle Wilderness Music Festival, Davis Teacher: Christiaan Osborn Award: $1,500 Students Served: 30 Band, Kaiser Elementary, Pawnee Band Day, Pawnee Teacher: Christiaan Osborn Award: $1,500 Students Served: 30 History Bee, Martin Luther King, Jr. Elementary, MLK History Bee, Oklahoma City Teacher: Marsha Grace Award: $1,000 Students Served: 12 Writing, Martin Luther King, Jr. Elementary, MLK Story-Writing Competition, Oklahoma City Teacher: Marsha Grace Award: $1,000 Students Served: 24

COMPETITIVE EDGE

Band, Northeast Academy, OSSAA Regional Marching Band Contest, Lawton Teacher: Chris Lehew Award: $1,500 Students Served: 30

Orchestra-HS, Northeast Academy, OSSAA String Contest, Edmond Teacher: Chris Lehew Award: $1,000 Students Served: 20

Band-HS, Northeast Academy, Lawton Superior Marching Contest, Lawton Teacher: Chris Lehew Award: $1,500 Students Served: 30

Orchestra-MS, Northeast Academy, NCHO, Edmond Teacher: Chris Lehew Award: $1,000 Students Served: 20

Band-HS, Northeast Academy, CODA, Edmond Teacher: Chris Lehew Award: $1,000 Students Served: 20 Band, Northeast Academy, AllState Jazz Audition, Midwest City Teacher: Chris Lehew Award: $1,000 Students Served: 16

Orchestra-MS, Northeast Academy, OSSAA Solo & Ensemble, Bethany Teacher: Chris Lehew Award: $1,000 Students Served: 20

Band, Northeast Academy, AllState Jazz Audition, Kansas City, MO Teacher: Chris Lehew Award: $2,500 Students Served: 16 Band-MS, Northeast Academy, CODA, Edmond Teacher: Chris Lehew Award: $1,000 Students Served: 20 Band-MS, Northeast Academy, NOC Honor Band, Ponca City Teacher: Chris Lehew Award: $2,000 Students Served: 30 Band-MS, Northeast Academy, Arbuckle Fun Fest, Davis Teacher: Chris Lehew Award: $1,000 Students Served: 30 Color guard, Northeast Academy, Lawton Superior Color guard Contest, Lawton Teacher: Chris Lehew Award: $1,500 Students Served: 12 Health Occupations Students of America, Northeast Academy, HOSA State Leadership Conference, Norman Teacher: Kristine Sigman Award: $1,000 Students Served: 37 Orchestra-HS, Northeast Academy, OSSAA Solo & Ensemble, Bethany Teacher: Chris Lehew Award: $1,000 Students Served: 15 Orchestra- HS, Northeast Academy, NCHO, Edmond Teacher: Chris Lehew Award: $1,000 Students Served: 15 Orchestra-HS, Northeast Academy, All-State Orchestra Auditions, Moore Teacher: Chris Lehew Award: $1,000 Students Served: 15

Orchestra-MS, Northeast Academy, Arbuckle Fun Fest, Davis Teacher: Chris Lehew Award: $1,500 Students Served: 20

Speech and Debate, Northeast Academy, Kingfisher HS Speech & Debate Tournament, Kingfisher Teacher: Michael Ferguson Award: $750 Students Served: 20 Technology Students Association, Northeast Academy, TSA Fall Leadership Conference, Weatherford Teacher: Mary Tran Award: $1,400 Students Served: 30 Band, Northwest Classen High School, CODA Honor Band, Edmond Teacher: Rheuben Green Award: $1,000 Students Served: 30 Band, Northwest Classen High School, NOC Honor Band, Tonkawa Teacher: Rheuben Green Award: $1,500 Students Served: 30

Color guard, Northeast Academy, OSSAA Color guard Contest, Lawton Teacher: Chris Lehew Award: $1,500 Students Served: 12

Band, Northwest Classen High School, Jazz Band, OMEA All-State Jazz Band Auditions, Midwest City Teacher: Rheuben Green Award: $1,000 Students Served: 10

Piano, Northeast Academy, OMTA, Bethany, Teacher: Chris Lehew Award: $1,000 Students Served: 11

Band, Northwest Classen High School, Northern Oklahoma College Jazz Band Contest, Tonkawa Teacher: Rheuben Green Award: $1,500 Students Served: 20

Piano, Northeast Academy, OMTA Achievement Audition, Bethany Teacher: Chris Lehew Award: $1,000 Students Served: 11 Piano, Northeast Academy, Marlow Music Festival, Marlow Teacher: Chris Lehew Award: $1,500 Students Served: 11 Speech and Debate, Northeast Academy, Okarche Speech & Debate Tournament, Okarche Teacher: Michael Ferguson Award: $600 Students Served: 10 Speech and Debate, Northeast Academy, Marlow Speech & Debate Tournament, Marlow Teacher: Michael Ferguson Award: $700 Students Served: 16 Speech and Debate, Northeast Academy, Latta Speech & Debate Tournament, Latta Teacher: Michael Ferguson Award: $700 Students Served: 16 Speech and Debate, Northeast Academy, Prague Speech & Debate Tournament, Prague Teacher: Michael Ferguson Award: $700 Students Served: 16 Speech and Debate, Northeast Academy, Okeene HS Speech & Debate Tournament, Okeene Teacher: Michael Ferguson Award: $650 Students Served: 12

Band, Northwest Classen High School, UCO Jazz Camp, Edmond Teacher: Rheuben Green Award: $1,000 Students Served: 6 Band, Northwest Classen High School, Lawton Superior Marching Contest, Lawton Teacher: Rheuben Green Award: $1,500 Students Served: 50 Business Professionals of America, Northwest Classen High School, BPA Spring Leadership Conference, Okmulgee/Tulsa Teacher: Pamela Glover Award: $1,000 Students Served: 16 Choir, Northwest Classen High School, OCDA All-State Jazz Choir, Oklahoma City Teacher: Rheuben Green Award: $1,000 Students Served: 10 Choir, Northwest Classen High School, Northern Oklahoma College Jazz Choir Contest, Tonkawa Teacher: Rheuben Green Award: $1,500 Students Served: 16 Choir, Northwest Classen High School, PAC Jazz Contest, Kansas City, MO Teacher: Rheuben Green Award: $1,500 Students Served: 20

Choir, Northwest Classen High School, OSSAA District Vocal Solo Competition, Bethany Teacher: Dena Frankenfield Award: $40 Students Served: 1 Choir, Northwest Classen High School, OMEA All-State Choir First Round, Lawton Teacher: Rheuben Green Award: $1,500 Students Served: 30 Choir, Northwest Classen High School, OSSAA District Solo & Ensemble, Bethany Teacher: Rheuben Green Award: $1,000 Students Served: 30 Choir, Northwest Classen High School, Southwestern Oklahoma Regional Honor Choir, Lawton Teacher: Rheuben Green Award: $1,500 Students Served: 30 Color guard, Northwest Classen High School, Choctaw High School Winter Guard Competition, Choctaw Teacher: Cassandra Sharp Award: $ 940 Students Served: 13 Color guard, Northwest Classen High School, Winter Guard of Oklahoma Championships, Moore Teacher: Cassandra Sharp Award: $300 Students Served: 13 Color guard, Northwest Classen High School, Western Heights High School Winter Guard Competition, Oklahoma City Teacher: Cassandra Sharp Award: $300 Students Served: 13 Culinary, Northwest Classen High School, Culinary Team ProStart State Competition, Norman Teacher: Angela Doss Award: $1,000 Students Served: 5 Dance, Northwest Classen High School, Dance Company Talent On Parade, Midwest City Teacher: Katelyn Perkins Award: $1,000 Students Served: 20 Drama, Northwest Classen, One Act Regional Competition, Putnam City Teacher: Marsha Stewart Award: $875 Students Served: 20 Health Occupations Students of America, Northwest Classen High School, HOSA State Leadership Conference, Norman Teacher: Natalie Bowman Award: $1,000 Students Served: 75 Music, Northwest Classen High School, OSSAA Theory Test, Stillwater Teacher: Dena Frankenfield Award: $300 Students Served: 10

Orchestra, Northwest Classen, Heartland Music Festival,Edmond Teacher: Samantha Sy Award: $1,000 Students Served: 30 Orchestra, Northwest Classen High School, OSSAA String Contest, Edmond Teacher: Samantha Sy Award: $700 Students Served: 30 Orchestra, Northwest Classen High School, OSSAA District Solo & Ensemble, Oklahoma City Teacher: Samantha Sy Award: $1,000 Students Served: 30 Orchestra, Northwest Classen High School, Director’s Choice Music Festival, Dallas Teacher: Samantha Sy Award: $2,500 Students Served: 30 Orchestra, Northwest Classen High School, OSSAA State Solo & Ensemble Contest, Stillwater Teacher: Samantha Sy Award: $210 Students Served: 6 Orchestra and Vocal, Northwest Classen High School, Tri-State Music Festival, Enid Teacher: Dena Frankenfield Award: $400 Students Served: 8 Piano, Northwest Classen High School, OMTA Theory Test, Bethany Teacher: Dena Frankenfield Award: $225 Students Served: 10 Piano, Northwest Classen High School, Tri-State Music Festival, Enid Teacher: Dena Frankenfield Award: $1,200 Students Served: 40 Piano, Northwest Classen High School, Central Oklahoma Music Solo Festival, Edmond Teacher: Dena Frankenfield Award: $1,000 Students Served: 30 Piano, Northwest Classen High School, OMTA District Auditions, Bethany Teacher: Dena Frankenfield Award: $1,000 Students Served: 40 Business Professionals of America, Oklahoma Centennial High School, Business Professionals of America Spring Leadership Conference, Tulsa Teacher: Fayetta Freeman Award: $500 Students Served: 2 Choir, Oklahoma Centennial High School, OSSAA Solo/ Ensemble, Oklahoma City Teacher: William Calvin Award: $850 Students Served: 15

Choir, Oklahoma Centennial High School, OCDA, Oklahoma City Teacher: William Calvin Award: $850 Students Served: 15

Speech and Debate, Oklahoma Centennial High School, Hinton Speech/Debate Tournament, Hinton Teacher: Michael Hocking Award: $1,035 Students Served: 45

Choir, Oklahoma Centennial High School, COCDA, Oklahoma City Teacher: William Calvin Award: $650 Students Served: 15

Speech and Debate, Oklahoma Centennial High School, Marlow Debate Tournament, Marlow Teacher: Michael Hocking Award: $1,500 Students Served: 45

Choir, Oklahoma Centennial High School, Little Dixie Choral Competition, Ada Teacher: William Calvin Award: $850 Students Served: 15

Speech and Debate, Oklahoma Centennial High School, Fairview Meet, Fairview Teacher: Michael Hocking Award: $430 Students Served: 45

Choir, Oklahoma Centennial High School, State OSSAA Solo/ Ensemble Competition, Shawnee Teacher: William Calvin Award: $1,075 Students Served: 15

Writing, Oklahoma Centennial High School, Centennial Writers Competition, Oklahoma City Teacher: Marsha Grace Award: $1,000 Students Served: 50

Choir, Oklahoma Centennial High School, Tri-State Music Festival 2014, Enid Teacher: William Calvin Award: $378 Students Served: 25

Band, Rogers Middle School, State Fair Parade, Oklahoma City Teacher: Andre’ Francisco Award: $600 Students Served: 65

Family, Career and Community Leaders of America, Oklahoma Centennial High School, Star Events, Oklahoma City Teacher: Carrie Snyder-Renfro Award: $450 Students Served: 12 Family, Career and Community Leaders of America, Oklahoma Centennial High School, ProStart Invitational Management, Norman Teacher: Carrie Snyder-Renfro Award: $1,000 Students Served: 4 Family, Career and Community Leaders of America, Oklahoma Centennial High School, ProStart Invitational Management, Norman Teacher: Carrie Snyder-Renfro Award: $1,000 Students Served: 4 Family, Career and Community Leaders of America, Oklahoma Centennial High School, FCCLA State Star Events, Stillwater Teacher: Carrie Snyder-Renfro Award: $1,000 Students Served: 8 Family, Career and Community Leaders of America, Oklahoma Centennial High School, American Culinary Federation Ben E. Keith, Oklahoma City Teacher: Carrie Snyder-Renfro Award: $300 Students Served: 12 Speech and Debate, Oklahoma Centennial High School, Okarche Speech/Debate Tournament, Okarche Teacher: Michael Hocking Award: $1,035 Students Served: 45

Band, Rogers Middle School, OSSAA District Contest, Edmond Teacher: André Francisco Award: $1,000 Students Served: 50 Band, Rogers Middle School, Langston University Battle of the Bands, Langston Teacher: André Francisco Award: $800 Students Served: 65 Band, Rogers Middle School, 89ers Day Parade, Guthrie Teacher: André Francisco Award: $1,350 Students Served: 65 Choir, Rogers Middle School, Large Ensemble District Contest, Oklahoma City Teacher: Patricia Trosper Award: $1,000 Students Served: 46 Technology Students Association, Roosevelt Middle School, TSA State Conference, Midwest City Teacher: Robert Lowery Award: $1,000 Students Served: 10 Band, Santa Fe South Elementary School, Deer Creek Band Festival, Edmond Teacher: Martha Stallings Award: $1,000 Students Served: 25 Band, Santa Fe South Elementary School, Deer Creek Band Festival, Edmond Teacher: Martha Stallings Award: $1,000 Students Served: 22 Band, Santa Fe South Elementary School, Deer Creek Solo & Ensemble, Edmond Teacher: Martha Stallings Award: $850 Students Served: 21 (continued)

STARS OF EDUCATION

Band, Santa Fe South High School, OSSAA Solo & Ensemble, Shawnee Teacher: Scott Filleman Award: $1,500 Students Served: 30

Band, Santa Fe South Middle School, OSSAA Solo & Ensemble, Shawnee Teacher: Martha Stallings Award: $835 Students Served: 15

Band, Santa Fe South High School, Heartland Music Fest, Oklahoma City Teacher: Scott Filleman Award: $1,000 Students Served: 44

Band, Santa Fe South Middle School, Heartland Music Fest, Oklahoma City Teacher: Martha Stallings Award: $1,000 Students Served: 23

Band, Santa Fe South High School, All-State Sugar Bowl, New Orleans, LA Teacher: Scott Filleman Award: $2,500 Students Served: 24 Choir, Santa Fe South High School, OSSAA Large Ensemble Contest, Oklahoma City Teacher: Ruben Alcala Award: $1,000 Students Served: 25 Choir, Santa Fe South High School, American Classic Music Festival, Dallas, TX Teacher: Ruben Alcala Award: $2,500 Students Served: 25 Choir, Santa Fe South High School, American Classic Music Festival, Dallas, TX Teacher: Ruben Alcala Award: $2,500 Students Served: 65 Choir, Santa Fe South High School, OMEA All-State 1st Round, Lawton Teacher: Ruben Alcala Award: $1,500 Students Served: 20 Drama, Santa Fe South High School, North Texas Drama Auditions, Plano, TX Teacher: Chauncey Shillow Award: $135 Students Served: 1 Band, Santa Fe South Middle School, OSSAA Solo & Ensemble, Shawnee Teacher: Scott Filleman Award: $1,000 Students Served: 32 Band, Santa Fe South Middle School, Heartland Music Fest, Oklahoma City Teacher: Scott Filleman Award: $1,000 Students Served: 34 Band, Santa Fe South Middle School, Deer Creek Solo & Ensemble, Edmond Teacher: Martha Stallings Award: $810 Students Served: 16 Band, Santa Fe South Middle School, Deer Creek Band Festival, Edmond Teacher: Martha Stallings Award: $1,000 Students Served: 25

STARS OF EDUCATION

Choir, Santa Fe South Middle School, Heartland Music Festival, Guthrie Teacher: Ruben Alcala Award: $1,500 Students Served: 30 Choir, Santa Fe South Middle School, OCDA All-State 1st Round, Lawton Teacher: Ruben Alcala Award: $1,500 Students Served: 30 Choir, Santa Fe South Middle School, COCDA Honor Choir, Edmond Teacher: Ruben Alcala Award: $1,000 Students Served: 35 Business Professionals of America, Southeast High School, Oklahoma BPA State Leadership Conference, Okmulgee and Tulsa Teacher: Valerie Bryant Award: $2,000 Students Served: 40 Business Professionals of America, Southeast High School, Oklahoma BPA State Leadership Conference, Okmulgee and Tulsa Teacher: William Chamberlain Award: $500 Students Served: 22 Business Professionals of America, Southeast High School, National BPA Competition, Indianapolis, IN Teacher: William Chamberlain Award: $2,500 Students Served: TBD Band, Star Spencer High School, Langston University Battle of Bands, Langston Teacher: Torrey Purvey Award: $1,500 Students Served: 90 Brothers of Stomp, Star Spencer High School, Stompzilla, Garland, TX Teacher: David Mosley Award: $2,500 Students Served: 40 Brothers of Stomp, Star Spencer High School, Martin High School, Arlington, TX Teacher: David Mosley Award: $1,500 Students Served: 20 Business Professionals of America, Star Spencer High School, ODCTE State Leadership Conference, Okmulgee/Tulsa Teacher: Karen Montgomery Award: $1,100 Students Served: 10

Culinary Arts, Star Spencer High School, Oklahoma ProStart (National Restaurant Association), Norman Teacher: Sharon Love Award: $1,000 Students Served: 6 Drama, Star Spencer High School, One Act Competition, Oklahoma City Teacher: Samantha Murch Award: $450 Students Served: 10 Health Occupations Students of America, Star Spencer High School, HOSA Spring Conference/ Competitions, Norman Teacher: Tiamber Derrick Award: $825 Students Served: 15 Band, Taft Middle School, Central Oklahoma Directors Association Honor Band, Edmond Teacher: Rheuben Green Award: $1,000 Students Served: 30 Band, Taft Middle School, Northern Oklahoma College Honor Band, Tonkawa Teacher: Rheuben Green Award: $1,500 Students Served: 30 Band, Taft Middle School, OSSAA District Solo & Ensemble, Mustang Teacher: Rheuben Green Award: $1,000 Students Served: 30 Band, Taft Middle School, Arbuckle Band Contest, Davis Teacher: Rheuben Green Award: $500 Students Served: 40 Orchestra, Taft Middle School, OSSAA District Contest Edmond Teacher: Samantha Sy Award: $800 Students Served: 35 Orchestra, Taft Middle School, Heartland Music Festival, Oklahoma City Teacher: Samantha Sy Award: $1,000 Students Served: 30 Orchestra, Taft Middle School, Arbuckle Music Festival, Davis Teacher: Samantha Sy Award: $900 Students Served: 30 Business Professionals of America, U.S. Grant High School, BPA State Leadership Conference, Okmulgee/Tulsa Teacher: Susan Turpen Award: $2,000 Students Served: 28 Dance, U.S. Grant High School, American Spirit Championship, Denton, TX Teacher: Sarah Smith Award: $2,500 Students Served: 14 Drama, U.S. Grant High School, OSSAA Regional One-Act Competition, Choctaw Teacher: Racey Ballard Award: $825 Students Served: 38

Family and Consumer Sciences, U.S. Grant High School, JA Investor Challenge, Oklahoma City Teacher: Lisa Ann Berg Award: $180 Students Served: 8 Guitar, U.S. Grant High School, District Competition/State Competition, Oklahoma City Teacher: Scott Sunderman Award: $590 Students Served: 14 Guitar, U.S. Grant High School, OSSAA State Competition, Stillwater Teacher: Scott Sunderman Award: $900 Students Served: 13 Technology Students Association, U.S. Grant High School, North Central Mini Conference, Frontier/ Red Rock Teacher: Garry Montgomery Award: $550 Students Served: 20 Technology Students Association, U.S. Grant High School, TSA Mini Conference, Claremore/ Oologah Teacher: Garry Montgomery Award: $660 Students Served: 20 Technology Students Association, U.S. Grant High School, Cherokee Strip TSA Conference, Ponca City Teacher: Garry Montgomery Award: $550 Students Served: 20 Technology Students Association, U.S. Grant High School, State TSA, Midwest City Teacher: Garry Montgomery Award: $1,000 Students Served: 15 Robotics, Webster Middle School, Heartlands Best Teacher: Artie Lowery Award: $1,100 Students Served: 15 Technology Students Association, Webster Middle School, TSA Fall Leadership Conference, Weatherford Teacher: Artie Lowery Award: $500 Students Served: 15 Technology Students Association, Webster Middle School, North Central TSA Mini-Conference, Frontier Teacher: Artie Lowery Award: $500 Students Served: 20 Technology Students Association, Webster Middle School, Oklahoma TSA State Conference, Midwest City Teacher: Artie Lowery Award: $1,000 Students Served: 20 Technology Students Association, Webster Middle School, OologahClaremore TSA Mini-Conference, Claremore Teacher: Artie Lowery Award: $550 Students Served: 20

MVPs I n rec o gn i t i o n o f O KCPS d istr i ct em p l o y ees w h o p l e d ge d $ 240 or m ore to t h e 201 3-201 4 T E A M Ca m p a ign To g et h er Ev er y o n e A dds M o re! Anonymous Anonymous Vincent Atkins Karen Baker Paul Bianchi Jennifer Bortvit-Mapes Susie Bratcher Jamie Buckmaster Heather Bullock Laura Buxton Shelly Campbell Charlotte Canida Jeremy & Sarah Carnes Rachel Carroll William Chamberlain Robert Chambers Cliffton D. Conatser Diana Cook Nikki Coshow Hartley Crawley Amy Davis John Divelbiss Heather Elias Judy Evans

Terry Fraley Shannon Freeman Susan Gabbard Stacey Garcia Mary Geurin Susan Good Sandra K. Gooden Pamela Greathouse Cynthia Hamilton Sarah Hayhurst Jean Haynes Pamela Hibbs Eric Hileman Kathryn Hock Kimberly Iraggi Pamela Jameson Lisa S. Jefferson Michael Jennings Natalie JohnsonPapageorge Jonetta JontĂŠ Scott Kaufman Tommie Kelly Sherry Kishore

Dave & Lana Lopez Elizabeth Moakley Dr. Laura Morris Telannia Norfar Christiaan Osborn Sandra Park Holly Partin Ryan Patten Carol Perry Carol Phillips Kristeen Regalado Sandra Rose Cindy Schmidt Linda Sexton Bettie Shadoan Heather Sparks Susan Staples Melissa Sullivan Debra Thomas Mary Tran Susan Turpen Jessica Weaver Louise Williford Meredith Wronowski

STARS OF EDUCATION

ALL STARS In rec o gn i t i on o f O KCPS d istr i ct em plo yees w h o ple dge d $120-$239 to t h e 2013-2014 T E A M Cam paign â&#x20AC;&#x201C; To get h er Ever yon e A dds M ore! Anonymous Angela Adams John Addison Andrea Adrian Michael Aitken Angela Allen Ed and Sallie Allen Glenda Allen Saundra Alvarez Lee Ava Sarah Bailey Lisa Banta DaCe Beaty Carolyn Bish Christina Bonar Vickii Brashears Cynthia Brown Daniel Buckmaster Earnest Bush Delois Byrd Denise Caton David Clark Dawn Collums Susan Combs Evelyn Conden Christine Cooper Joe Cox Tamula Craig Maria Cruz de Montelongo Phillip Cunningham Rebecca Daniels Jacquetta Davis Meredith Davis Sharland Deitz Mario Delgado Marcelle Despain Kelly Dugan Dâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Mondre Ealy Amy Fillman Susan Fuller Nancy Gaertner Dianna Gann Sam Garcia Vickie Garrett Julie Gathright Glen Gean Susan Gee Dennis Giddens Katrinka Greear Lynn Green Glenda Greenhoward Marcia Greenwood Stefanie Hacker

Michel Harris Jean Hartmann Stephen Henry Steven Hernandez Kay Herriott Donna Hill Leonard Hill Michael Hocking Linda Holder Barbara Holland Penelope Holloway Amy House William Hughes Rena Hurd Susan Hurst Jonathan Imhoff Esther Ingersoll Corbie Jackson James Jacob Chantel Jones Edith Elizabeth Jones Lynn Kellert Kathleen Kennedy Cherylann Kidd Catherine Klasek Thanh Le Cheryl LeClair Kaneta Lee Cameron Lewis Charles Lockwood Sylvia Long Robert Lowery Sharon Marker Evette Martin Shirley Maxey Aimee McCracken Brenda McCracken Susan McGowan Rhonda McGuire Susan Miller Rose Miranda Robert Montgomery Deborah Morgan Sally Morgan Paula Morrow Angela Nealy Tam Thi Nguyen David Nixon Amy Ohlheiser Della Orr Michelle Owens Robin Parker Timothy Pelletier Linda Pelton

Warren Pete Denise Phillips Shamon Pickens Laurel Pierce Amber Polach Dina Pullen Scott Randall Beverly Ray Emily Ray Cindy Reidl David Remy Matthew Rice-Johnson John Riley Cedric Robinson Catherine Rollins Beverly Rosenberg Theodore Ross Mary Rozotto James Schlup Rhonda Schroeder Ryan Schweikhart Kelly Sehon Cathy Seward Catherine Sherman Cheryl Shults Keith Sinor Cheryl Smith Teresa Sneed Koleta Snyder Carrie Snyder-Renfro Alexandre Souza Anne Swan Teresa Tedder Curtis Thompson Tierney Tinnin Chuck Tompkins Heidi Tuers Jackson Jesse Turpin Sherry Ward Patricia Watson Tenishea Weatherall Rebecca Weber Iva Wetzel Sara White Annette Williams Deborah Williams Marvin Williamson Holly Wilson Melissa Winston Betty Winters Glin Witt Angela Wood Sue Zangri Sheila Zummer

STARS OF EDUCATION

FINANCIAL OVERVIEW

AUDITED STATEMENT OF ACTIVITIES AND CHANGES IN ASSETS FOR JULY 1, 2012- JUNE 30, 2013

FINANCIAL OVERVIEW

STATEMENT OF ACTIVITIES AND CHANGE IN ASSETS FOR JULY 1, 2012-JUNE 30, 2013

Revenues, Gains and Support Grant-making foundations

$135,286

Programs

Corporate contributions

$667,364

Management & general

Individuals

$329,496

Fundraising

In-kind contributions

$428,410

Total Expenses

Investment income

$205,855

Total revenues, gains and support

Foundations 8% Individuals 19%

In-Kind 24%

* Teachers Warehouse began during the 2008-2009 school year

Expenses

ANNUAL REPORT

$1,766,411

$1,625,558 $74,121 $147,207 $1,849,886

Change in net assets

($83,475)

Net assets, beginning of year

$2,142,100

Net assets, end of year

$2,058,625 Fundraising 8%

Investments 11%

Management & General 4% Corporations 38%

Programs 88%

DIRECT PROGRAM IMPACT

x x x x

x x x

x x

x x x x x

x x

x x x

x x

x x x x

School

Monroe Elementary Nichols Hills Elementary North Highland Math & Science Academy Northeast Academy Northwest Classen High School Oakridge Elementary Oklahoma Centennial High School Parmelee Elementary Pathways Middle College High School Pierce Elementary Prairie Queen Elementary Putnam Heights Academy Quail Creek Elementary Rancho Village Elementary Ridgeview Elementary Rockwood Elementary Rogers Middle School Roosevelt Middle School Santa Fe South Elementary School Santa Fe South High School Santa Fe South Middle School Seeworth Academy Sequoyah Elementary Shidler Elementary Southeast High School Southern Hills Elementary Spencer Elementary Stand Watie Elementary Star Spencer High School Taft Middle School Telstar Elementary The Stanley Hupfeld Academy at Western Village Thelma R. Parks Elementary U.S. Grant High School Van Buren Elementary Webster Middle School West Nichols Hills Elementary Westwood Elementary Wheeler Elementary Willow Brook Elementary Wilson Elementary

x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x

x x x

x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x

Competitive Edge Grants

Great Idea Grants

Teachers Warehouse

Competitive Edge Grants

x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x

Great Idea Grants

School

Adams Elementary Arthur Elementary ASTEC Charter High School ASTEC Charter Middle School Belle Isle Enterprise Middle School Bodine Elementary Britton Elementary Buchanan Elementary Capitol Hill Elementary Capitol Hill High School Cesar Chavez Elementary Classen School of Advanced Studies Cleveland Elementary Columbus Elementary Coolidge Elementary Douglass High School Dove Science Academy Dove Science Academy Elementary Edgemere Elementary Edwards Elementary Emerson High School Eugene Field Elementary F.D. Moon Academy Fillmore Elementary Gatewood Elementary Green Pastures Elementary Greystone Lower Elementary Greystone Upper Elementary Harding Charter Preparatory High School Harding Fine Arts Academy Hawthorne Elementary Hayes Elementary Heronville Elementary Hillcrest Elementary Horace Mann Elementary Independence Charter Middle School Jackson Middle School Jefferson Middle School John Marshall High School Johnson Elementary Kaiser Elementary KIPP Reach College Preparatory Lee Elementary Linwood Elementary Marcus Garvey Charter School Mark Twain Elementary Martin Luther King Jr. Elementary

Teachers Warehouse

GRANT AND SUPPLY DISTRIBUTIONS DURING THE 2012-2013 AND 2013-2014 SCHOOL YEARS*

x x x x

x x x x x

x x x x

x x

ANNUAL REPORT

STARS OF GIVING MAKING A DIFFERENCE IN THE LIFE OF A CHILD The important work of supporting the children and teachers of Oklahoma City Public Schools wouldn’t be possible without our generous corporate, foundation and individual donors. Every donation gives our children the opportunities and tools they would otherwise go without. It gives them the confidence and encouragement to rise above their sometimes difficult circumstances. The Foundation and the children and teachers we serve are grateful for the support of each donor. Donations are recognized for Jan. 1, 2013 - Dec. 31, 2013.

CORPORATIONS AND FOUNDATIONS $200,000+ Chesapeake Energy Corporation Devon Energy Corporation $50,000-$99,999

Bank SNB Kids in Need Foundation OGE Energy Corporation

$35,000-$49,999 Clear Channel Communications E.L. & Thelma Gaylord Foundation Feed the Children

$20,000-$34,999

American Fidelity Group, In honor of Jo Carol Cameron Comtech Design, Print & Mail Independent Insurance Agents of Greater OKC Phillips Murrah PC SandRidge Energy Inc. SONIC, America’s Drive-In 78

STARS OF GIVING

$10,000-$19,999

The Anschutz Foundation AT&T Oklahoma BancFirst Cox Communications INTEGRIS Health JP Morgan Chase NA MA+ Architecture Oklahoma Natural Gas, a division of ONE Gas William T. Payne Fund

Inasmuch Foundation Junior League of Oklahoma City OPUBCO Communications Group Positive Tomorrows Records-Johnston Family Foundation Inc. Ron Ward Investments Rotary Club 29 Foundation Westminster School Whataco Companies-Whataburger PRO Events

$5,000-$9,999

$1,500-$2,499

AGK Foundation Angela Bachman/Bachman Services, Inc. The Chickasaw Nation National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum Oklahoma City Retailers Foundation

$2,500-$4,999 The Center for Education Law Continental Resources Copelins Office Center First National Bank of OklahomaPat and Marianne Rooney Gardner-Tanenbaum Holdings Greater Oklahoma City Chamber

7-Eleven Stores Accord HR/TriNet/SOI Casady School Oklahoma State UniversityOklahoma City PL Studios Schnake Turnbo FrankOklahoma City

CORPORATIONS AND FOUNDATIONS $500-$1,499 Accel Financial Staffing/Meg Salyer Access Midstream ADG Inc. Alpha Iota Chapter of Delta Gamma Sorority, in honor of Jo Carol Cameron Anderson & House Inc. Bank of Oklahoma Foundation BC Clark Jewelers Bockus, Payne & Associates Architects Christmas Connection CPSI Ltd. Crowe & Dunlevy Foundation DCP Midstream

Great Plains Coca-Cola Bottling Company Harrison-Orr Air Conditioning Hudiburg Auto Group Impressions Printing Jividen and Company, PLLC Junior Achievement of Oklahoma Lou C. Kerr/The Kerr Foundation Manhattan Construction Metro Technology Centers Bill and Gail Beals/O.K. Detrick Foundation Fund Oklahoma Christian University Oklahoma City American Federation of Teachers Quad Graphics Quail Creek Bank, NA

RK Black Inc. Simmons Foundation Small Group, LLC St. Anthony Foundation Staples, The Office Superstore Stonegate-Hogan Real Estate Investments LLC The First State Bank Trochta’s Flowers Inc. Valentine Charitable Trust Weokie Credit Union Foundation Clements Foods Foundation Crowe & Dunlevy Oklahoma City University Oklahoma City Community College

LEGACY CIRCLE

I n r e c o g n it io n o f do n o r s w h o ha v e i ncl u d e d The F o u nd a t i o n i n t he i r e s t a t e p l a nni ng .

The late Robert & Marie Leonard

The late Thomas W. Utterback

GUIDING HANDS SOCIETY

I n reco g n it io n o f do n o r s w h o h av e ma d e mu l t i - y e a r co mmi t me nt s t o s u p p o r t The F o u nd a t i o n’s w o r k.

VISIONARY ($75,000) Reggie & Rachelle Whitten

CHAMPION ($30,000) Dr. and Mrs. Robert S. Ellis/ William T. Payne Fund

INNOVATE ($15,000) AGK Foundation, in honor of Carl Edwards Angela Bachman/Bachman Services J. Clifford & Leslie Hudson

LEAD ($7,500)

Michael W. & Lori Dickinson James & Beth Tolbert III Ron Ward Brian Wilks and Pam FountainWilks

BUILD ($3,000)

Michael & Anita Barlow Chuck & Ann Bonsteel Newt Brown Kent Gardner Chris & Julie Hammes David & Robyn Hilger Joy Hofmeister Phil & Marian Horning Joy & John LaBar Rusty & Mandy LaForge Donna & Bruce Lawrence Ed & Kathy Martin Cristina & George McQuistion Mr. Homer and the late Dr. Ramona Paul Kelly & Paul Pearson Ray & Pat Potts Mrs. Berta Faye Rex

Paul Sund & Claudia San Pedro Mr. & Mrs. Ben Shanker Stephen Smith & Lisa Reed Helen & Robert Sullivan Marnie & Clayton Taylor In honor of Cliff Hudson

Miles & Molly Tolbert In support of the Craig R. Kennamer Legacy Fund

Carol & Mac Troy Mark & Stacy McDaniel/ Valentine Charitable Trust, In memory of Roger W. Cole

Tim & Christy Watson Mary & Scott Whitson

In memory of John W. Rex

Councilwoman Meg Salyer

STARS OF GIVING

FRIENDS OF THE FOUNDATION $10,000-$9,999 Dr. & Mrs. Robert S. Ellis Jim & Christy Everest Lana & Dave Lopez

$7,500-$9,999 James & Beth Tolbert III

Pat & Marianne Rooney

$1,000-$2,499 Ann S. Alspaugh Michael & Anita Barlow Chuck & Ann Bonsteel Nikki Coshow Alson & Victoria Dacalio Carl & Susan Edwards Mr. and Mrs. Ted Elam,

$5,000-$7,499

in honor of Jo Carol Cameron

Robert Augst, in honor of Lenna Wagner Angela Bachman Newt Brown James R. Daniel Roger & Jane Goodell J. Clifford & Leslie Hudson Joy Kennamer

Ryan & Marian Free Kent Gardner Chris & Julie Hammes Jane B. Harlow Phil & Marian Horning Jonetta Jonté Mrs. Lou C. Kerr Rusty & Mandy LaForge Donna & Bruce Lawrence Edmund & Kathy Martin Cristina & George McQuistion Cynda & Larry Ottaway Kelly & Paul Pearson Dr. Joseph Phillips Ray & Pat Potts Stephen Smith & Lisa Reed Berta Faye Rex Councilwoman Meg Salyer Paul Sund & Claudia San Pedro Mr. & Mrs. Ben Shanker Richard & Jeannette Sias Helen & Robert Sullivan Miles & Molly Tolbert In support of the Craig R. Kennamer Legacy Fund Tim & Christy Watson Mary & Scott Whitson Brian Wilks & Pam Fountain-Wilks

In support of the Craig R. Kennamer Legacy Fund

Richard & Glenna Tanenbaum Lori Walle, in honor of Mike Walle

$2,500-$4,999 Anonymous Josephine Freede, in honor of Jo Carol Cameron Charles & Laurie Givens Dan & Sarah Hogan Wallace Johnson & Family Percy & Becky Kirk Mrs. Jeaneen & the late Robert Z. Naifeh and family Nancy & George Records 80

STARS OF GIVING

$750-$999 John & Joy LaBar Kathleen Ram Melissa Sullivan Mary Tran

$500-$749 Bill & Gail Beals Paul Bianchi Annie Bohanon & Henry Browne Major General W.P. Bowden The Honorable & Mrs. Timothy DeGiusti Michael W. & Lori Dickinson Joan Frates Susan Gabbard J. Don Harris David & Robyn Hilger Jeanne Hoffman Smith Joy Hofmeister Sue & Bill Hood Kirk & Danna Humphreys Sherry Kishore J.W. & Connie Mashburn Anthony McDermid Frank & Nadine McPherson Brian & Charlotte Mitchell Dr. Laura Morris Michael Morrison/ Comtech Sandra Park Lisa & Kevin Putt Cindy Schmidt Fred & Patricia Schonwald Jr. Jay Shanker & Sara Jane Rose Lee Allan Smith Heather Sparks Marnie & Clayton Taylor The Honorable and Mrs. Ralph G. Thompson, in honor of Jo Carol Cameron Carol & Mac Troy Renate & Chuck Wiggin

Martha V. Williams

$250-$499 Dr. Ann Ackerman Capt. & Mrs. Paco Balderrama Gerald Bednar, III, In honor of James Loftis Jennifer Bortvit-Mapes Bill & Lisa Bullard Dr. & Mrs. C. Allan Carter Russell Claus & Lisa Kibblewhite Dennis & Suzi Clowers Cliffton D. Conatser Mr. & Mrs. Douglas Cummings Page & Nancy Dobson Tricia Everest Bryce & Sherri Fair Kay & Richard Floyd Scott & Lucy Fritts Miller & Nina Gerardy Albert & Kimberly Gray David & Aimee Harlow Pamela Hayes Brent Hensley Pamela Jameson Commissioner Willa Johnson Natalie Johnson-Papageorge Scott Kaufman Former Governor & First Lady Frank and Cathy Keating, In honor of Jo Carol Cameron Theresa Lee Mary McElroy Frank & Debbi Merrick Lynda Mobley George & Donna Nigh Jennifer A. Price Terry & Wendi Schuur James & Nancy Sharrock Colin Strickland Teachers Credit Union Debra Thomas Gary & Sheila Tredway Derek & Kerry Villanueva Dr. Larkin & Jean Warner

FRIENDS OF THE FOUNDATION $100-$249 Angela Adams John Addison Andrea Adrian Michael Aitken Fred Alavi Angela Allen Ed & Sallie Allen Glenda Allen Saundra Alvarez Dr. & Mrs. John Armitage Vincent Atkins Lee Ava Sarah Bailey Everett E. Baker Karen Baker Lisa Banta DaCe Beaty Carolyn Bish Christina Bonar Dr. John R. & Sharon Bozalis Vickii Brashears Susie Bratcher Dr. Carrie Brown Cynthia Brown Daniel Buckmaster Jamie Buckmaster Heather Bullock Earnest Bush Laura Buxton Delois Byrd Michael Byrnes Shelly Campbell Charlotte Canida Jeremy & Sarah Carnes Rachel Carroll Denise Caton William Chamberlain Robert Chambers Dawn Chernicky David Clark Lindsey Clift Dawn Collums Susan Combs Evelyn Conden Diana Cook Christine Cooper Joe Cox Tamula Craig Hartley Crawley Maria Cruz de Montelongo Phillip Cunningham

Rebecca Daniels Amy Davis Jacquetta Davis Meredith Davis Sharland Deitz Mario Delgado Marcelle Despain Teresa & James Dickson John Divelbiss Kelly Dugan Dâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Mondre Ealy Heather Elias Irma Elliott Barbara Eskridge, in honor of Jo Carol Cameron Judy Evans Amy Fillman Betty Fletcher Terry Fraley Shannon Freeman Susan Fuller Nancy Gaertner Dianna Gann Sam Garcia Stacey Garcia Vickie Garrett Julie Gathright Glen Gean Susan Gee Mary Geurin Dennis Giddens Kay Goebel, PhD Susan Good Sandra K. Gooden Pamela Greathouse Katrinka Greear Lynn Green Glenda Greenhoward Marcia Greenwood Stefanie Hacker Cynthia Hamilton Bob & Lauren Hammack Susan Hardy Brooks Michel Harris Jean Hartmann Leigh Ann Harville Sarah Hayhurst Jean Haynes Robert & Darcie Henderson Stephen Henry Steven Hernandez Kay Herriott Board of Director/Foundation Staff

Pamela Hibbs Eric Hileman Donna Hill Leonard Hill Kathryn Hock Michael Hocking Linda Holder Barbara Holland Penelope Holloway Amy House Leigh Howell Love William Hughes Marian Hulsey Rena Hurd Susan Hurst Michele Huston Jonathan Imhoff Esther Ingersoll Kimberly Iraggi Corbie Jackson James Jacob Lisa S. Jefferson Michael Jennings Edith Elizabeth Jones Chantel Jones Lynn Kellert Tommie Kelly Kathleen Kennedy Chris Kenney Linda Kerr Cherylann Kidd Misty Kimbrough Catherine Klasek Thanh Le Cheryl LeClair Kaneta Lee Cameron Lewis Charles Lockwood Sylvia Long Robert Lowery Carol Magness Sharon Marker Ryan & Jennifer Marshall Evette Martin Janice Matthews Shirley Maxey Mr. & Mrs. John McCharen III, In honor of James Loftis Aimee McCracken Brenda McCracken Mark & Stacy McDaniel, In memory of Roger W. Cole OKCPS Employee

Susan McGowan Rhonda McGuire Billy McMeans Susan Miller Rose Miranda Elizabeth Moakley Teresa Moisant Paul & Jennifer Monies Robert Montgomery Deborah Morgan Sally Morgan Paula Morrow Mark & Laura Nance Dennis & Robin Nauman Angela Nealy Tam Thi Nguyen David Nixon Telannia Norfar Amy Ohlheiser Della Orr Mr. & Mrs. Roy Orr Christiaan Osborn Michelle Owens Dr. Marion Paden Stephen & Theresa Paris Carolyn Parker Robin Parker Holly Partin Ryan Patten Sonya Paul Timothy Pelletier Linda Pelton Carol Perry Warren Pete Carol Phillips Denise Phillips Shamon Pickens Laurel Pierce Amber Polach Dina Pullen Scott Randall Emily Ray Beverly Ray Christy Reed Kristeen Regalado Cindy Reidl David Remy Matthew Rice-Johnson John Riley Cedric Robinson Catherine Rollins Sandra Rose STARS OF GIVING

FRIENDS OF THE FOUNDATION Beverly Rosenberg Theodore Ross Alan Routh Mary Rozotto Paula & Bill Sanford James Schlup Rhonda Schroeder Ryan Schweikhart Janice & Lee Segell Kelly Sehon Cathy Seward Linda Sexton Bettie Shadoan Catherine Sherman Tony and Kelly Shinn Cheryl Shults Janice Singer Jankowsky Keith Sinor Tena Slaughter Cheryl Smith Teresa Sneed Koleta Snyder Carrie Snyder-Renfro Alexandre Souza T. Scott & Suzanne Spradling, In honor of James Loftis Marsha Stafford Susan Staples Joseph & Margaret Strealy, In support of the Craig R. Kennamer Legacy Fund Anne Swan Teresa Tedder Curtis Thompson Tierney Tinnin Chuck Tompkins Heidi Tuers Jackson Susan Turpen Jesse Turpin Lisa Ummel-Ingram Sherry Ward Patricia Watson Susan Watts-Bowker Tenishea Weatherall Jessica Weaver Rebecca Weber Iva Wetzel Sara White Deborah Williams Annette Williams Marvin Williamson Louise Williford Holly Wilson 82

STARS OF GIVING

Melissa Winston Betty Winters Glin Witt Angela Wood Meredith Wronowski Carol Yarbrough Shino Yeager Sue Zangri Sheila Zummer $24-$99 Angela Absher Millie Adams Cathy Adams Jennifer Addison Deborah Affentranger Dustin Akers Leah Akers Jeanette Akers Claudia Alamillo Dr. Roksana Alavi Michele Albanys Daniela Aleman Carol & Kerry Anderson Manuela Alger Priscilla D. Allen LaRadius Allen John Allen Ann Allen Suzanne Allen Portia Allen Anania Almonte Katie Alsup John & Nancy Alsup Faye Amos Nicole Amzycki Sam Anaya Jose Anaya Gloria Anderson Edward Anderson Ashley Anderson Stephanie Angier Rosa Baeza Roxanne Baker Shawntae Ballard Margret Ballard Mindy Barmann Tonye Barnes Sheryl Barnett Linda Barnett J.J. Barrington, In honor of Whitney Ray Katie Barton Tara Bassett Fannie Bates Tobytha Battle Keren Beasley Teri Bell James Berry Glenna Berry Leota Betts Roy Bishop Kandy Bishop Betty Blackburn Abigail Blackford Janeene Blalock Michelle Bland Brenda Blum Tuyet Bolin Vickie Bonner

Sarah Botone Stephanie Bowman Lisa Bozarth Passion Bradley Linda Brasuell Nolen Breckenridge James Brewer Nancy Brewer Tamera Brewster Becky Brinkley Anne Brinkmeyer Carol Brogan Elizabeth Brooks Linda Brooks Cheryl Brouwer Trena Brown Debbie Brown Samaya Brown Whitney Brown Mary Bruce Dub & Betsy Brunsteter Harry Bryant Valerie Bryant Jackie Buchanan Yolanda Buckley William Bullock Susan Bumgarner Chanda Burdine Linda Burke Debra Burmaster Connie Burnett Judy Burns Alma Burrell-Pearson DeNay Burris Josephine Burton Jeri Bush Kenneth Butler April Buxton Tara Byfield Jordana Bynum Rebecca Byrd Deborah Byrne Janet Caesar Glenda Callahan William A. Calvin William Cameron Kaitlyn Camp Chad Campbell Katie Campbell Jillian Campbell Maryann Campbell Teresita Carreon Suzanne Carter Cathy Carter Margaret Carter Mary Casteel Amy Castleman Sarah Cates Anita Chambers Michele Chambers Carly Chambless Anita Chambless Wesley Chase Shelly Cherry Belinda Christ Jackie Christian Janet Cimbalo Jamie Clark Laura Clark Joshua Clayton-Bagby Mary Cloos Danielle Coats Stephanie Cobb Laurie Cochran Lisa Cochrane Bryan Coleman

Rosalind Coleman Dodie Collett Lourdes Collins Ramona Collins Diane Combest Christen Conger Stephen Cookson Karolyn Corbett Brad Corn Mary Cornelius Marye Cory James Coursey Ashley Cox Mary Cox Jeanie Cox Joel Cramer Connie Crawford Letia Crawford Marva Crawford Williamson Maria Croce Patsy Crookshanks Chele Crosby Patrick Cudjoe Christopher Cudjoe Tanya Cunningham Debbie Curry Henry Curtis Ycedra Daughty Betsy Davidson Valerie Davis Amanda Davis Jeanne Davis Shelly Deas Tamia DeBerry Paula Dedmon Jennifer Defee Susan DeTurk Michael DeTurk Stephanie Devero Edward Dial Pamela Dobbs Deborah Dodd Lydia Dowdell Barbara Dozier Marieรก Drain Linda Dudley Tina Duenas Lonzetta Dukes Silvia Duran James Durley Sandra Duty Susan Dye Donna Eagleston Anne Edwards Joe and Charlotte Edwards Michelle Edwards Sharon Elkins Michael Ellis Michael Kevin Ellis Shelley Ellis Matthew Emde Sheila Ennis Rejeanna Eski Lisa Estes Char Evanson Harold Factory Melissa Farris Linda Felton Ginger Fenwick Traci Ferguson Evon S. Finklea Brenda Finney-Fenner Carla Fitzgerald Judy Flatt Jennie Fondren Nicole Foust

FRIENDS OF THE FOUNDATION Andre Francisco Dena Frankenfield Fayetta Freeman Shalanda Freeman Omaira Freites Deborah French Jennifer Frikken Susan Fulks Eyvonne Fulsom Sandra Futrell Michael Gallmore Loretta Gallo Deneen Gambrell Jenna Garcia Cassie Garrett Janet Garrett Mr. & Mrs. Roderick Gaymon Eldon Gentry Maryanne Gentry Dana George Helen Gilbert Jenny Gilbert Stephanie Gilliam Mary Glasson Pamela Glover Wanda Glover Carrie Goertz Flores Traci Goodwin Rebecka Graffigna R. Sue Graham Maria E. Grandez Perez Anna Graven Loretta Grayson Liesl Green Jeanne Griffin Monica Griffin Jennifer Grizzle Ethel Grubbs Cynthia Grundy April Gustafson Derik Hale Kevin Hamilton Tammy Harbolt Michelle Harbrook Jamie Harden Sharon Hardin Debra Harmon Ann Harper Katherine Harper Thomas Harrington Alison Harris Betty Harris Doris Harris James Harris Sherri Harris Keta Hartman-Pope Caroline Hatfield Darlene Hawkins Juanita Hayes Tracy Hayes Shari Haygood Barbara Hayworth Becca Hazlett Laura Head Cynthia Heckman Ashleigh Helmick Emily Hemphill Judy Reyes Henderson Sharon Henderson Rhonda Hensley Toni Henson Samantha Herbel Linda Herida Brad Herzer Jeff Hicks Samantha Higgins

Board of Director/Foundation Staff

Kelly Higham Gwendolyn Hill John Hill Jessika Hill Kendra Hill Stacey Hill Tekoa Hill Rebecca Hines Douglas Hinkle Elizabeth Hise Jamie Hite Alice Hixenbaugh April Hobson Cecilia Hodde David Hodgson Myrna Holliday Marshade Holmes Madera Holstein Jacqueline Holt Crystal Hoogeveen Barbara Houston Chelsea Howard Gale Howard JoAnna Howsden Claudia Hoyos Lyndsi Huberty Charleen Hudson Homer Huff Joe Hughes Kathy Hughes Laura Hughes Margaret Hutchinson Barbara Hutchison Marion Hutton Najah Hylton Kathy Irion Susan Isbell Lynda Izevbingie Grizette Jackson Johnnie Jackson Jeffrey Jameson Vera Jantz Barbara Jaramillo Shelly Jarvis Susan Jeffreys Brooke Jenkins Lisa Jobe-Elkins Elena Johnson Jawan Johnson Joan Johnson LaNita Johnson Mary Johnson Monta Johnson Portia Johnson Rachel Johnson Sharon Johnson Barbara Jones Barbara Jones Carol Jones Curtis Jones David Jones Madeline Jones Pam Jones Rochelle Jones Robert Jones Sue Jones Alma Joseph Wendy Joseph Kyla Kaufman Clifford Keester Jordan Kelley Shelly Kelley Neal Kellogg Michelle Kemery Catherine Kendall Rachel Kennedy

OKCPS Employee

Virginia Kennedy Tammy Ketch George Kimball Brenda King Jessica King Zakee King Kathy Kisselburg Dorothy Klein Tamara Knapp Faira Knezevich WyAngela Knight-Singh Karen Koch Lisa Kongs Winter Kozak Alfreda Laskey Alexander Lau Kimberly Lavielle James Lawrence Vivian T. Le Ashley Leadford Amy Leazer Deanna Lee Angela Lewis Donnie Lewis Jennifer Lewis Kathleen Lewis Michelle Lewis Thomas Lewis Raquel Leyva Kathleen Lienke Rebecca Lindley Robin Lindsey Angela Lister Franklin Little Melissa Little Barbara Livengood Billy Loch Susan Lodes Emily Longo Rachel Loop Juana Lopez Sharon Love Barbara Lowery Benjamin Ludovici Linda Luther Jennifer Lynch William Lynch Diane Mace Michelle Madole Londa Madron Scott Maiorca Susan Malloy Laneeta Malone Donna Manley Kay Manning Patricia Marable Delia Marand Cynthia Marigny Gary & Judy Marrs Curtis Marshall DeAnna Martin Dorcha Martin Eileen Martin Heather Martin Susan Martin Brenda Martindale Calley Martinez Juana Martinez Sandra Masopust Linda Mathieson Christopher Matlock Cherry Mays Scot McAdoo Diane McBride Marilyn McCall Thelma McClain

Gloria Mcclure Janel McCully Jessica McDannald Elaine S. McIlroy-Hargrove Teena McKeown Sarah McKim Cynthia McKinney Donna McKinney Herbert McKinney Sandra McKinney-Lee Roxanne McKnight Shawna McLellan John McMahan Andrea McMillan Eric Meador Kimberly Means Cathy Mears Linda Meier Pat & Heather Meldrum Brandi Mercer Bevra Merritt Jay Merritt Jeff Metcalf Stewart & Sandra Meyers Shelly Michael Max Miller Rebecca Miller Cristina Moershel Angelina Molina Caron Monday Katherine J. Monroe Ashley Montgomery Karen Montgomery Sarah Moody Charles Moore D. Moore Julienne Moots Magdalena Morales Joshua Morgan Courtney Morton Charles Mosley David Mosley Sharilyn Mosley Paul Mueller Gary Murray Kevin Myers Celeste Nelson Sarah Nelson Wendy Nelson Hue Ngo Ha Nguyen Phuong Nguyen Thuc Nguyen Trien Nguyen Cale Nockels Karlita North Diane Nowakowski Dora Obuobisa Larry Ogee Karen Ohlheiser Paul Olguin Tiffany Olvera-Magee Melissa Oâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Neil Kasey Organ Nancy Organ Beth Ortiz Lacy Pappano Joyce Parham Clifford Parrett Joby Patchen Katherine Patterson Karen Paul James Payne Carole A. Peery Elianne Perez Katelyn Perkins STARS OF GIVING

FRIENDS OF THE FOUNDATION Timothy Perkins Doris Perry Donna Perry-Griffith Karen Peters-Miller Eric Pevehouse Andrew Pierce Paula Pluess Diana Polley Liliana Ponce William J. Pool Todd Potter Kimberly Powers Carrie Price Wanda Price Lauren Proffitt Bryan Pumphrey Jane Putnam Jovette Quinn Antonia Ramirez Krystal Ramsey Eric Randall Kelly Randle Mary Ray Ana Raygoza Sherry Read Katy Reagan LaQuincey Reed Mollie Reid Philip Reid Cheri J Reilly QuaNetta Relerford Sarah Reynolds Julie Reynolds Teresa Reynolds Andrew & Apple Rice Donna Rice-Johnson Karen Rich Lori Richardson-Morphew S. Richison Christie Richmond Kristina Rickey Tina Rickner Toshia Riddle Brandon Risenhoover Erika S. Rivera Molly Robbins Deborah Robertson Candace Robinette Jessica Robinson Kristie Rodriguez Lori Rodriguez Delia Roland Alexander Ronan Lisa Rose, In honor of Ben & Shirley Shanker Margy Rose Bianca Rose Shaun Ross Bryanna Ross Bob & Heather Ross Taylir Ross Jana Roth Sherry Rowan September Rowlett Michal Rundell Chris Rushton Sarah Rybicki Sharon Rysted Mary Sue Sample Kara Sanders Brenda Sanders Francine Sanderson Sunshine Sarrington Tahira Saylors Chana Scantlin 84

STARS OF GIVING

Patricia Schrader Christy Schweppe Rebecca Scott Jameica Seay Monica Seif Julia Senecal Vasithy Sengdara Emily Sewell Judith Shadix Heather Shaffery Leon Shaw Marla Shepherd Ginger Sherman Sherrie Shoemaker Janis Shue Becky Shultz Kelly Silvers Julieann Simms Melanie Simms Karen Simpkins Carol Simpson Gowry Sivanesan Luella Skopak Angela Smith Kenneth Smith Lori Smith Margret Smith Tondaleria Smith John Smythe Israel Solis Rhythm Spasic Katie Spencer Terry Spencer Michael Stafford Thomas Stanke Allison Stark Colleen Stark Diana Steele Tonya Steele Letha Stein Marian Stephenson Michelle Stevenson Rashanda Stockard Lenard Street Joyce Stripling Barbara Stueve Aimee Stutzman Ester Sullivan Scott Sunderman Mary D. Sursa Benjamin Swagerty Tammy Swinney Samantha Sy Liz Tate Evgeniya Taylor Richelle Taylor Tiffany Taylor Valerie Teh James Thatcher Leslie Thomas Barbara Thomas Jennifer Thomas Ernest Thompson Lisa Thompson Murrell Thompson Wanda Thompson Marsha Tidwell Shannon Tiger Lesla Tilley Ann Tinnin Tina Tommaso Jennings Martha Torres Jocelyn Trager Melissa Tran Joshua Traynor Sheila Tripp

Patricia Trotter Nancy Truelove Erin Trussell John Tsotigh Deborah Ummel Amy Upchurch Clarissa Urbina Michelle Vanswearingen Milagros Vasquez Sharon Vaughan Narcesa Vaughn Jill Vaught Jean A. Vawter Jami Veenstra Jerry Venz Jennifer Vesper Jennifer Violette Hattie Wagenseller Mark Waldrip Erika Walker Howard Walker Karen Walker Leslie Warden Glimerine Ware Rochelle Ware David Warner Lynette Warnock Stephen Washam Paula Washington Nicole D. Washington Marjorie Waters Neva Sue Waters Mary Watkins-Bradley Maria Watley Vicki Watson Janet Weaver Rachel Webb Stacy Webb Jason Webster Mary Weeter David Wehba Rebecca Welch Kelly West Jessica Wheeler Anna White Marlene White Kristin Whitmore John Whittington Valerie Wiegman Cynthia Wiley Susan Wilkerson Sherri Wilkerson Melissa Williams Brenda Williams Donna Williams Mary Lou Braddy Williams Tina Williams Donald Willis Angelia Wilson Austin Wilson Ashley Wilson Iris Wilson-Diaz Ted Wimer Rhonda Wingate Tony Wise Beverly Womack Carol Womble Bianca Woods Vicki Woods David Woodside DeLynn Woodside Debra Woody Kimberly Wooldridge Teri Wooley Greg Worley Kate Wren

Judith Wright Lance Yates Melissa Yearwood Christyne Yeldell Dana Young Sarah Young Heather Zacarias Kimberly Zachery

FRIENDS OF THE FOUNDATION PASS-THROUGH GIFTS

I n re c og nition of d o n ors who h ave g ive n g ifts to Ok l ah oma C it y Publi c S chools utilizing The Found ation for a pas s throug h d on ation .

David and Susan Abeln The Anschutz Foundation Jose Arias-Cardoza Glenn & Arlene Ashmore Louise & Clay Bennett David & Pamela Bigham Bob Graham Land Company William & Nicole Bondurant John & Deborah Brady Jennifer Brock Rev. Leslie & Joyce Brown Elizabeth Bullen Phil & Cathy Busey Bernest Cain & Dr. Joan Parkhurst Cain Rudy Cardenas The Chickasaw Nation Claims Management Resources Linda Clement Mark & Marian Clopton Edward & Kaye Cook Sr. Kim Cooper-Hart E.W. Curtis Beverly Davis Barbara Denny Devon Energy Corporation John Doddy Michael & Rosanne Dover Richard & Betty Dubreuil Thomas & Sheila Dutton Douglas & Loutitia Eason Eat Wise OKC, Inc. Daniel Ede Edgemere Park Preservation Inc. Janice Falkenberg Frankfurt-Short-Bruza Associates, P.C. Carolee Galbraith H.T. & Susan Gee Larry & Jo Goddard Anna Graven Jeromy & Kristi Grissom Michael Hampton Sandra Harrison Darren & Kerri Harvick Patricia Hazelwood Kimberly Hodges Terry & Jann Hook Priscilla & Skip Iba Jason & Edwina Johnston Board of Director/Foundation Staff

Jo Lynne Jones Kevo Properties Paul & Samantha Kickingbird Kimray, Inc. Justin King & Jami Smith Thomas Kirkpatrick James Knobbe David Knobbe Kohl’s D.C. & Beverly Laughead Richard & Sandra Laws Jennifer Leath John & Sherri Malget Darrell & Karen Marshall Mathis Brothers Furniture Senator Al McAffrey McLaughlin Family Foundation Philip & Nancy McNayr Linda McPherson Mike Taylor Realty, LLC Robert & Charlotte Mitchell Amy Naftzger Pamela Northcutt Oklahoma Society of Certified Public Managers Oklahoma Structural Engineers Association OPUBCO Communications Group John Peebles Brian & Lindsey Pever Cary & Randa Pirrong Scott & Kendra Plafker Perry & Ilene Pollet Quail Creek Bank, NA QuiBids Dr. & Mrs. Rahhal Sherry Read Nancy & George Records Elizabeth Reeves Julie Robinson Rotary Club 29 Foundation Diane Sanger Shepherd Self Storage Clifton & Luella Skopak Jami Smith St. Luke’s United Methodist Church Star Vinyl The Honorable and Mrs. Ralph G. Thompson Karen Thompson D. Thornton Saundra Vallejo-Delgado Mark Van Dorn Dr. Laura Vanderwindt Mr. & Mrs. Tony Vaughn John Virtue George & Elvira Waters Rachel Weintraub Philippe Weintraub Robert White OKCPS Employee

Brian Winkeler & Vi Le Roy Williams & Linda Schulz Terri Woodland

MAPS FOR KIDS ANNUAL GIVING FROM CONSTRUCTION COMPANIES

In recognition of companies f u l f i l l i n g m u l t i - ye a r commitments to The Foundation during the construction phase of MAPS for Kids.

Albright Steel & Wire Company Anderson & House, Inc. Architectural Design Group Inc. Associated Glass Company Beck Associates Architects The Benham Companies, Inc. Bockus, Payne & Associates Architects The Boldt Company Cobb Architecture LLC/ Engineering Co. Commercial Carpet Contractors Connelly Paving Jim Cooley Construction, Inc. Dolese Brothers Company E.V. Cox Construction Company Elliott + Associates Architects Mark Eudaley Structural Engineers, Inc. Fox Building Supply Frankfurt-Short-Bruza Associates, P.C. Globe Construction Co. C.H. Guernsey & Company Harrison-Orr Air Conditioning LLC Howard-Fairbairn Site Design, Inc. J.L. Walker Construction Jividen & Company, P.L.L.C. Lippert Brothers, Inc. LWPB Architects & Planners, P.C. MBK Architects/Planners, PC Metheny Concrete Products, Inc. MA+ Architecture LLC HSE Architects Nashert Constructors, Inc. Osborne Electric Company PowerSmith Cogeneration Project, LP

PSA Consulting Engineers The Small Group, LLC Smith & Pickel Construction, Inc. Smith, Roberts & Baldischwiler, LLC Southwestern Roofing & Metal Standard Roofing Co., Inc. Triad Design Group, Inc. Ron Ward Investments Zahl-Ford, Inc.

A MESSAGE TO OUR DONORS We have made every effort to verify and recognize all calendar year 2013 gifts and pledges. If you identify an error or wish to be recognized differently, please kindly bring it to our attention so we may update your record. Contact Lisa Reed, interim president, at lisa@okckids. com or call 405.879.2007.

STARS OF GIVING

Whatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s on Your

Bucket List?

Planned Giving can leave a legacy for generations.

(405) 879-2007 | www.okckids.com

Honoring Oklahoma Educators At Chesapeake, it’s our pledge and our privilege to make a difference in the places we call home. We proudly support the Foundation for Oklahoma City Public Schools, its Stars of Education program and the teachers who motivate so many students to imagine, create and accomplish.

LEADING A RESPONSIBLE ENERGy FutuRE ™ SECTION TITLE

5225 N. Shartel, Suite 201 Oklahoma City, OK 73118