Vision - education,faith and community

photos provided

March 29, 2013 Stained glass windows showcase the 12 disciples at Saint Mark's Catholic Church. photo by Julie Bragg

Dr. Joe Siano Superintendent

Clark Mitchell Journey Church

Keith Humphrey Chief of Police

education, faith & community

Norman Ranks in the Top 100 Small Cities to Live in

Both high schools were ranked in the Top 1000 High Schools in 2012

Oklahoma has the largest Native American population of any state in the U.S.

OU has the highest ranked student body academically at a public university in Oklahoma history.

In 1870, the U.S. Land Office commissioned Abner E. Norman to survey the Unassigned Lands in Oklahoma Territory, in anticipation of the future settlement of the area.

On April 22, 1889, the Oklahoma Land Run brought settlers streaming across the Kansas and Texas borders to claim their piece of land.

In a single day, over 150 people piled off of the Santa Fe Railroad at the Norman station and spent their first night in makeshift camps on their newly established town site.

The next morning a downtown was already under construction.

The city of Norman was formally incorporated on May 13, 1891, sixteen years before Oklahoma Statehood.

By 1902 the downtown district already had two banks, two hotels, and a flour mill. By 1913 there were over 3,700 residents living in Norman.

The Signs Of Spring Growing up the first clues that Easter was near could always be found tucked in the back of the copper-brown

by Andy Rieger refrigerator at our northeast Norman home.

Looking for after-school snacks was an everyday occurrence for growing boys. When my brothers and I discovered extra eggs and whipping cream, we quickly sounded the alarm.

Mom always bought extra eggs from Meiser’s farm on Tecumseh Road and a pint of whipping cream from the milkman John Potts. Nevermind that you could already whip the top layer of cream from the quart milk bottles.

Meisers was a place where you could bond with the contented chickens that were supplying the Easter eggs and Potts’ cows were easy to spot in south Norman. The whipped cream made a nice finish to a piece of Easter Sunday pecan pie.

What usually followed the egg discovery was a wave of shopping trips. The girls needed dresses and bonnets. The boys could use some sprucing up, too. That usually meant a Saturday trip to Midway Barber Shop and the semi-annual hauling out of the homemade shoe-shine kit that was tucked away in a corner closet.

Nowadays, the signs of spring and Easter’s arrival are all around us. Merchants have seized on spring

as an opportunity to move some products that have limited shelf life.

One marked his winter goods down 75 percent last week. That rack didn’t last long.

Local churches are beginning to get more aggressive, too. Yard signs, sometimes competing for space with political races, welcome the unchurched. Flyers stuck in doors give me the service times and attire suggestions.

Other signs for me are the annual daffodil entrance.

Bulbs planted by my daughters and their Brownie troops 20 years ago still manage to pop up in front of McKinley Elementary.

Even through drought, construction and hundreds of trampling students, the yellow flowers manage to arrive about the time students return from spring break.

Lately, early-morning drives through OU’s north campus en route to the Cleveland County Family YMCA include spring rabbit sightings. My unscientific research says the large rabbits make the morning moves after 45 degrees, which usually happens in

mid-March.

For the rabbits, the chickens and the flowers, spring is a season of renewal and rebirth. For Christians, it is the most important season of the year. Our faith is formed by the crucifixion, death and resurrection of Jesus.

Spring cleaning means more than removing clutter around the yard, home and office.

It easily translates to our hearts and minds. Baggage carried from years past serves little good. It’s an ideal time to drop grudges, make peace with friends, co-workers and estranged family members.

Although my country music knowledge is rather limited, there’s a line in the Shedaisy song, “Don’t Worry About A Thing” that always seems to roll around in my head this time of year.

“We all carry a little junk in our trunk,” the bridge goes. It has taken me a long time but I know they’re not just singing about our cars.

Andy Rieger 366-3543 editor@normantranscript.com

Baggage carried from years past serves little good. It’s a good time to drop grudges, make peace with friends, co-workers and estranged family members.

It’s The Students say “thank you” by paying service forward.

Come April 13, Norman and the greater Oklahoma City metro area will be flooded with over 5,000 volunteers serving their community as a part of the University of Oklahoma’s Big Event.

In its 13th year, OU students, faculty and staff are serving over 150 jobsites — community-based and non-profit organizations and agencies — doing various projects. Big Event Chair Krishna Suthar, microbiology senior from Tulsa, said the entirely student-run event allows students to give back to the community.

“For me The Big Event is very important for our campus and community because it serves a variety of purposes, gets students out into the community to serve and meets needs for nonprofits and organizations,” she said. “A lot of work is painting and yard work, providing supplies the organization is unable to fulfill through financial constraints and more. We’re able to make a large impact.”

This year’s Norman jobsites include: Kennedy Elementary, Assistance League of Norman, East Main Place, Middle Earth Child Development Center, Community Services Building, Inc., Cleveland County Family YMCA, NAIC Norman Addiction Information & Counseling, Central Oklahoma Community Action Agency, and Council for Developmental Disabilities.

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exactly what makes this service event Judy Vasiloff, Middle Earth Child Development Center interim executive so unique, OU President David Boren director, said the center has been said. participating in the event for several “OU’s Big Event has continued years. Every to grow since its year volunteers start in 1999, have assisted breaking records the center in for student performing attendance heavy labor. This recently. Seeing year, volunteers thousands of will be painting our students several classrooms as joining together well as spreading to give back to sand around the our university playground area. and surrounding “We’re communities nonprofit so sends a strong it’s tremendous message about help to us,” our values as a David L. Boren Vasiloff said.

President, University of Oklahoma university family,” “In some years Boren said. “I they’ve provided am grateful to our students for their equipment we didn’t have to get that work done. In some years they’ve even continued commitment to OU’s Big supplied the paint. In terms of the cost Event.” of labor, that’s critical.”

The Big Event began at Texas Vasiloff said her favorite part of A&M University in 1982 as a the Big Event experience is the sense student-led initiative to return the of camaraderie created between service and support to the university community members and students. provided by the surrounding The mutual good feelings has been so community. good, she said some volunteers have Since then the event has even returned to apply for teaching become an annual event at more jobs at the center. than 60 major universities across That sense of community is the nation. - by Hannah Cruz

Seeing thousands of our students joining together to give back to our university and surrounding communities sends a strong message about our values as a university family

The University of Oklahoma Big Event is no longer accepting jobsite application submissions for this year’s event on April 13. To sign up next year, community organizations can visit bigevent.ou.edu in late October/November. For more information email bigevent@ou.edu.

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(top)Bradyn Littles, left, and Harmony Hughes dig a hole where they will plant flowers Saturday afternoon at Roosevelt Elementary School during the Big Event. (bottom) Caleb Van Horn pushes a wheel barrow full of soil as he helps other OU students do landscaping work at Roosevelt Elementary School during the Big Event Saturday morning. photos by Kyle Phillips

Construction workers use a crane to set steel posts at the Norman Public Schools administration building Monday, March 4. photo

by Jay Chilton

A Capital Investment

- Norman Public Schools always looking ahead.

The Norman Public School district is now in the final phase of its 2009 Bond Issue projects, and though this is cause for great pride, the work is never “finished” and the process of improvement is ongoing.

“Capital investments are an ongoing process,” said Superintendent Joe Siano. “You make your investment, you evaluate where you are, look at district growth and demographics to anticipate where they might be, and then you plan the next step forward.”

Approved by voters Dec. 8, 2009, the bond issue encompassed renovations to each of the district’s school sites, new technology for every school and a new elementary school, Reagan Elementary.

The bond’s lease revenue model, new to the district, enabled NPS to complete its projects fully and quickly by consolidating community approval to a single vote, and saving taxpayers millions in low interest rates.

“Whether a Norman resident has a kid in the schools or not, these are community facilities, and everyone here has a stake in what we do,” Siano said.

Focusing especially on renovations and expansions to the district’s four middle schools, Superintendent Joe Siano described the bond issue as “transformational” for the district’s facilities.

Still, the district’s mission to serve its growing students and a growing student population means that administrators must keep looking forward.

“From my viewpoint, bonds must be based on needs assessment. We’re in the process now of running a facility study of the entire district and coupling that with our demographic study of projected student growth, and from there we’ll create a needs list. That will be the beginning formulation of our projects,” Siano said. “This next bond issue we’re preparing for will take the next step in that transformation of facilities.”

Siano and Assistant Superintendent Roger Brown said that, though planning stages are still in the data-gathering and assessment phase, they expect the next bond issue will focus on the district’s two high schools.

“Both of our high schools will need to be a priority,” Siano said. “We did a lot of work at our high schools in the previous bond issue, but not to the level we worked on elementary and middle schools. I don’t want to pre-determine the study, but I would see our high schools being a priority in the next bond issue.”

Also of paramount concern in the next bond issue: school security.

“One of the main things we’re doing is, we’ve developed a district safety committee of Norman police, mental health representatives, a parent from the citizens’ advisory committee, and we’ve introduced what NPS and the NPD have already been doing,” Brown said. “Also we’re anticipating a security review as part of our pending facility study. Security updates were a part of the last bond issue, but

we need to continue that and tie both the committee and facility study results together.”

The study is expected to be complete in late April to early May. Brown anticipated that by the start of the 2014/2015 school year, updated guidelines and crisis plans will be in place, but more importantly, he said, a climate of aid and accesible care for students who need it.

“We think of capital investments, and that’s good, but we need to build the climate within the school of awareness of student needs and sharing information. So if a student hears or sees something, they should be in a climate where they feel comfortable sharing it with a teacher or administrator,” Brown said.

Additionally, collaboration between the school and other agencies within law enforcement and mental health will be crucial to future school safety policy.

“If a situation arises where a student needs assistance, we hope to have assessment teams on each school site to help determine the best response, and the committe is helping us make good contacts and ensure that we’ll have professionals to help us,” Brown said.

“What a school should be is a hub or facilitator that uses professionals within the community,” Siano said. “We need a collaborative way to get needed services to the right people at the right time. We gain a lot by collaborating.” - by Caitlin Schudalla

Norman parents check out the interior of Reagan Elementary photo by Kyle Phillips

Children gather at Reagan Elemetary for an assembly. photo by Kyle Phillips

Reagan Elementary School during construction. photo by Jerry Laizure

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A Time To Question Faith

- Prof. Charles Kimball explains why college students and faith don’t always mix. photo provided

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or many, going away to college means cutting the apron strings and learning several of life’s lessons along the way.

For some that means simple tasks of doing laundry, paying bills and even learning how to cook for themselves. And, being away from home for the first time, can also lead some students to question their religious upbringing.

Charles Kimball, presidential professor and director of the Religious Studies Program at the University of Oklahoma, said students straying from their faith in college is not groundbreaking.

“Part of the college experience, part of the growing up experience, is to learn to be more on your own, to be more of an adult, to think, to ask questions,” Kimball said.

For many students, going to college is a time when they first realize there is a larger world out there, leading youth to learn how make sense of their own place.

“That doesn’t mean abandoning what one holds true, but to realize that there are various religious traditions and various cultural contexts and various ways of seeing the world. You are living with a roommate in college who has a very different nuclear family than you do,” Kimball said. “It has been a case for a long time that college is a time when a lot of students begin to challenge their own perception or question things, one of the areas that comes under a lot of scrutiny is their religious background. That

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doesn’t mean abandoning religion. There are all kinds of people that will drift away from what mom and dad taught them and find their way back to that. There are others who might have grown up Baptist and question some things and end up marrying a Presbyterian.

There is no predictable outcome, but I try to help students intellectually as they are taking religion courses to learn to think for yourself and ask questions. Whatever you conclude, that is your business.”

Traditionally, college students can stay in touch with their faith through campus ministry.

However, due to financial strains, Kimball said, many churches have been forced to scale back their presence on campuses.

“I think there’s a lot of changes going on in terms of campus ministry. In the last 30 to 40 years, a lot of campus ministry has slowly shifted away from a denominationall base. They are still around, but for a lot of the churches, a lot of the money for campus ministry has dried up. A lot of non-denominational groups have made a major push on college campuses,” Kimball said.

“I think we are seeing a time of transition now and part of it is driven by funding. Many of the major denominations that historically have had a presence on campus are just in tighter financial straights as their numbers have been shrinking.”

But, Kimball adds, many new models for campus ministry have been forming. Kimball uses the Second Wind Coffee House as an example.

The coffee house, which is located on Campus Corner, is operated entirely by volunteers and is a division of First Presbyterian Church.

“That’s just a new kind of model that is making a welcoming place. You don’t have to go there to go to a Bible study or go there to listen to a speaker, you just go there and have coffee. I think part of the approach there is to provide some kind of environment and some programming for people who are interested, but it is communicating that you can be a person of faith and you can ask questions,” Kimball said.

Studies show, Kimball said, that college students are not the only ones that have a tendency to question their religion.

“There is quite a significant trend in the

country documented by a Pew Study in October that there is a large group of ‘nones’, people who check ‘none of the above’ when it comes to religion,” Kimball said.

According to the professor, between 20072012, 15 to 20 percent of the population of people in America considered themselves to not be affiliated with a certain denomination.

“At the same time, well over 50 percent say that they pray, even the people who check none of the above. And over 60 percent believe in some kind of God or ultimate reality of spirit. So it’s not a complete ‘no’ to religion, but it seems to be more of a ‘I don’t feel the need to identify myself with a particular religion or a particular tradition within Christianity,’” Kimball said. “That’s a very clear trend. It demographically tracts from one age group to the next. So when you look at the total population, in this most recent study, it’s 1 in 5 people say that they don’t check any of the above. If you take the World War II generation, it’s only 1 in 20 that would check none of the above. Each generation, there is a growing number who don’t identify with organized religion.”

Kimball also notes that studies show that there are quite a significant percentage of people who don’t identify a religion because they have been turned off by the politics of religion and the role that religion plays in politics.

“The impression they get from TV preachers and from religion politics is if I am this, a Christian, then I have to believe X, Y or Z or God is a Republican or whatever it might be,” Kimball said. “From a social standpoint, it seems far less important that people identify themselves specifically. This may be an outgrowth of a larger trend. When I was growing up in the ’50s in Tulsa, people very clearly identified themselves as Episcopalian or Baptist or Lutheran or whatever.

The last 20 or 30 years, an awful lot of people, and I’m not talking about younger people but older people, too, they couldn’t tell you much about what separates the Methodists from the Presbyterians. They can tell you which church has the best youth director and the basketball league their kid is playing in and the church where something is happening.” - by Shana Adkisson

For The Community

- Norman is full of opportunities to volunteer

Be it health, education, mentorship or the arts, in Norman, there’s a place in Norman for every volunteer to find a cause they are passionate about.

For example, Big Brothers, Big Sisters, Sam Noble or Fred Jones. Check out the list below to discover a good match for yourself.

United Way of Norman

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eenagers can volunteer their time serving the community with the United Way of Norman’s Teen Advisors of Norman program.

Diane Murphree, United Way of Norman director of community impact, said the community service program is for 10th to 12th grade high school students.

“I think it’s important for kids to volunteer because it gets them out of themselves, it allows them to see that there’s a bigger picture than what they’re involved in on a daily basis at school,” Murphree said. “I think there’s a sense of accomplishment and pride that they’re actually going

out and helping other people and not just themselves. I think it’s a really humbling experience a lot of times and I think it provides an emphasis for them to go on and have that philanthropic attitude throughout their lives.”

Projects vary from year to year but may include raising funds or supplies for schools, hosting parties for Head Start programs, gifting various objects to those in need, and more.

Murphree said the group of 30 students meets several times a month.

Applications can be filled out on the United Way website at www.unitedwaynorman.org or picked up from school counsel.

Norman Arts Council

Norman Regional Health System

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he Norman Regional Health System (NRHS) offers volunteer opportunities for teenagers, college students and adults interested in a wide-range of activities.

NRHS Volunteer Services Coordinator Jessica Carwile said each campus stands in need of volunteers in a variety of functions such as manning the front desk and gift shop, assisting in the emergency room or participating in service projects.

The adult programs includes positions for information desks, gift shops and the hospitality house, as well as assisting in surgery waiting areas.

The college program includes positions in the

emergency room department to assist with various tasks, help at the Health Club or assist with distribution and transportation of hospital equipment.

The teen program includes a monthly service projects during the school year, and weekly projects during the summer.

No matter the function, Carwile said volunteers help ensure an improved experience for hospital patients.

“The volunteers give the hospital experience a personal touch for people who are in a really difficult time.”

For more information on volunteer opportunities visit www.normanregional.com or call Carwile 405-307-1789.

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he Norman Arts Council is seeking volunteers for a variety of events throughout the summer.

Norman Arts Council Executive Director Erinn Gavaghan said the help is critical in hosting successful events.

“Obviously we have a very small staff so when we do these large events we need a lot of help,” she said. “It’s a great way to support an organization whether or not you can make a monetary donation. Man hours are important as well.”

Volunteers are needed during for The One Event, NAC’s only yearly fundraiser, March 30 at MAINSITE, 120 E. Main St. Two shifts are available, 6:30-8 p.m. and 8-11 p.m., for volunteers to: check-in and sell tickets at the door, monitor the auction and raffle, housekeeping, courtyard

supervision, bar help, raffle ticket/ auction sales and clean up.

During the Festival of the Arts, April 23-28, in Downtown Oklahoma City, NAC needs volunteers to assist Kona Ice, a sno-cone booth, in making and serving sno-cones. Several shifts are available each day.

Norman Open Studios needs volunteers May 11 to stamp “passports” and greet guests at studios and to provide information at MAINSITE. Two shifts are available 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. and 12-3 p.m.

Norman Public Arts Board needs volunteers for various projects throughout the spring. More information is available to those interested.

For more information visit www.normanarts.org or call 405-360-1162.

Pioneer Library Provides More Than Books - To serve East Norman better, the library is adding a satellite at Irving.

In Norman, public library service will expand in 2013 to include service points on the east and west sides of the city in addition to the downtown main branch site.

With more than 750,000 books, DVDs, periodicals and downloadable items as part of its collection, the Pioneer Library System offers a variety of resources one typically would expect from the library.

To better serve customers in East Norman, Pioneer’s 24-hour Library is due to open later in the spring on the campus of Irving Middle School. The 24-HourLibrary is a self-service, standalone unit, similar to the library system’s Movie Boxes but much larger. It will hold about 400 items and will be available for books, movies and items on hold, and can be used for check-ins and checkouts.

The facility, produced by Envisionware, is in use in several places worldwide, including hundreds of units throughout China. But the PLS 24-Hour Library will be the first of its type in the United States. It will be located on an island in the parking area to the northwest of the school building.

Late 2013 is the projected opening for a West Side Satellite of the Norman Public Library in the Pioneer Building at 300 Norman Center Court.

The 25,000-square foot building also will house administrative functions for the system, with those personnel and resources expected to move into the building this summer. The building formerly was the location of Borders Bookstore.

The satellite library will be housed in 6,617 square feet of that space and will feature books, computer work stations, a Movie Box and eventually a 24-Hour Library outside the building like the one on the east side of town.

Plans also are in place for a café on the northwest corner of the facility to be run by an outside vendor.

Kaighn Associates is the architect handling the redesign of the building, with Meyer, Scherer & Rockcastle, planning the design of the satellite library space. That group also did the design for the newest PLS branch, the Southwest Oklahoma City Public Library, which opened in March 2012.

CMS Willowbrook is serving as the Project Manager.

The Pioneer Library System provides library

services in Cleveland, McClain and Pottawatomie counties, through 10 branch libraries and eight Information Stations in rural communities. Anyone who lives, works, attends school or owns property in the three-county area is eligible to have a library card free of charge.

PLS transfers items between its libraries six days a week to quickly get a reader what they are seeking. While access to books and a quiet, cool place to read them is a part of the library, so too are the variety of programs offered for all ages.

In spring, the library system takes part in the national initiative The Big Read. The seventh edition of The Big Read in March and April centered on the Tobias Wolff novel “Old School,” and culminated with Wolff visiting Oklahoma to speak in Shawnee and Norman. Past selections for The Big Read include Amy Tan’s “The Joy Luck Club,” Dashiell Hammett’s “The Maltese Falcon,” and John Steinbeck’s “The Grapes of Wrath.

During June and July, PLS libraries open their doors for programming options nearly every day of the week.

The 2012 Summer Reading Program brought in total attendance of more than 12,000 children, teens and adults who signed up to participate, and thousands more beyond that number came through the doors of the 10 branch libraries during their busiest time of the year.

While these events garner a lot of attention, the library’s programming schedule runs yearround.

In the previous

fiscal year, more than 136,000 people attended nearly 4,000 programs put on at PLS branches.

More than 20 book discussion groups hosted by PLS libraries meet monthly, including several tailored specifically teens or even tweens in the 8- to 11-year-old range.

Throughout the system, about 30 to 35 programs a week for children are offered, ranging from the musical Rhythm Babies and Music Connections programs in Norman to Baby and Lapsit Story Times for the youngest of library users and their caregivers to a number of outreach Story Times in communities, including Norman staff conducting a weekly Sooner Mall Story Time that draws around 75 guests each week.

The PLS Virtual Library branch has more than 40,000 downloadable eBooks and audio books, which are available for download to a number of eReaders, including the Amazon Kindle, Barnes & Noble Nook and Sony Reader, as well as other mobile devices such as a Smartphone or an MP3 player.

The library system subscribes to several online databases, such as Ancestry.com for genealogy researchers, Reference USA and BusinessDecision for small business entrepreneurs or Brainfuse for students and homework help.

The Norman, Moore and Noble libraries also offer in-person homework help for school-age from volunteer tutors during the school year. And the PLS Literacy Department is in tune with the needs of adult literacy, with volunteer tutors working with both English as a Second Language students as well as native speakers who need help with their literacy skills.

The Pioneer Library System operates branch libraries in Blanchard, McLoud, Moore, Newcastle, Noble, Norman, Purcell, Shawnee, Southwest Oklahoma City and Tecumseh. Each of the libraries is open seven days a week. For a schedule of hours, activities and services offered at each library, go online to the PLS home page, www.justsoyouknow.us - by Christian Potts

photo provided 11 - March 29, 2013

Gaylord Greats Students celebrate 100 years of OU Journalism.

In the fall of 1913, when the University of Oklahoma’s newly formed school of journalism, housed in the College of Arts and Sciences, accepted its first students, print was king and modern American journalism was still in its infancy. That first semester, the school offered two courses to 28 students, who had one degree option: journalism.

One hundred years later, the school has been elevated to college status - with an enrollment of about 1,200, the fifth-largest at the university; its faculty, staff and students are housed in a beautiful, spacious and state-of-the art facility; and students have the choice of several degree options in addition to journalism: advertising, broadcasting and electronic media, professional writing, and public relations.

As the Gaylord College of Journalism and Mass Communication celebrates its centennial, two current Gaylord College students - one of whom is pursuing the recently initiated doctoral degree program in the college - and two recent graduates were asked to share their experiences in a field that, while grounded in solid journalism values, is changing as rapidly as an IM.

committee chair Dr. Meta Carstarphen and shopping it around to major publishers,” he said.

He has nothing but praise for Gaylord College's new doctoral program. “The Ph.D. program is fantastic. The depth and breadth of courses offered has been incredibly useful not only for a deeper understanding of core concepts but also for improving research skills and general knowledge. …The faculty are incredibly diverse and very knowledgeable, and more importantly will challenge your knowledge and perceptions about the world. They are dedicated to seeing students succeed, and offer support and guidance even when they don't have to.”

He added, “The facilities are fantastic and facilitate many forms of research and teaching. Moreover, if you have a good idea for a course or want to pursue a particular area of study, it is easy to make your case and find faculty support. It is incredibly beneficial to someone that is just starting their academic career. My only wish is that I had more time!”

But has his course of study in Gaylord College prepared him for a future career? Responds Carr, who will earn his Ph.D. in May: “I should say it has, as I have recently accepted an assistant professor position at the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay!”

- Bryan Carr When Bryan Carr began his doctoral studies at Gaylord College in fall 2010, he had never before stepped foot on the OU Norman campus. His decision to pursue his postgraduate education at Gaylord College was made after meeting with some the college's faculty in 2008 at the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication conference in Chicago, where he recalls being “really impressed with the faculty and the program” and the “welcoming and accommodating atmosphere” they portrayed.

As a doctoral student in Gaylord College, Carr says he has had a myriad of opportunities, as he puts it, “to do things I would never have expected to do.”

Last summer, for example, Carr created and taught a course called Survey of Gaming and Interactive Media, in which he covered the social and technological developments of video games and other forms of interactive media, as well as their impact on culture and the role they play in society.

“I'm also working on a book of essays and research about race, gender and identity in superhero media with my

- Rachel Worthen Rachel Worthen transferred to OU the spring of her sophomore year after attending a small private school in Missouri. A public relations major, she says she was frustrated by the lack of opportunities to develop outside the classroom at the other school.

She transferred to Gaylord College in part because of the strong presence of the OU chapter of the Public Relations Student Society of America there. Other selling points she identified were the Lindsey + Asp advertising and public relations agency within the college and the beautiful, state-of-the-art Gaylord Hall.

Worthen said Gaylord College has met her expectations - and more. “I've loved getting to be involved with the PRSSA as the webmaster, programming director and now chapter president. …Though we're large (107 members), I still feel like people get a chance to be involved and get to know each other. I've loved being a mentor in our mentorship program and being involved in different committees. Our chapter adviser, Robert Pritchard, is also the PRSSA National Faculty Adviser. I constantly have students at PRSSA conferences tell me how jealous - Bryan Carr

photos provided

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they are of our chapter because of Pritch. He is a great encourager and asset to the chapter.”

She called her involvement with Lindsey + Asp from the fall of 2011 to the present “a phenomenal experience,” adding, “I adore having a space specifically devoted to agency students where we can work for our clients as well as do our work for classes.”

During her first year with the student-run PR/ advertising firm, Worthen served as an account coordinator on an American Airlines team, which was responsible for monitoring conversations on social media platforms and compiling a monthly analysis of travel trends and consumer issues from various airlines. In fall 2012, she worked as an account executive in charge of the Zenith Awards, a national competition for public relations and strategic communications students, and also as a member of the Bystander Initiative, a program developed to educate students about measures they may take to avoid or prevent sexual harassment, to be implemented this spring.

This semester, Worthen was appointed as account executive for the agency's newest client, U-Jam Fitness, and continues to work on the Bystander Initiative team.

“I have already seen my experiences in the agency help me obtain internship offers and am confident they will continue to help me post-graduation,” Worthen said. “Working in the agency gives students an amazing opportunity. The chance to not only work for well-known clients, but to be in charge of strategy development and implementation for these clients gives me and other students the confidence we need to step up in our internships and post-graduate jobs.”

Upon graduating this May with a bachelor's degree in journalism with an emphasis in public relations, Worthen hopes to pursue a public relations career “in a public relations firm to continue developing my skills and continue learning about the variety of ways public relations skills can be used across a wide spectrum of industries.”

- Keegan Kirkhart Keegan Kirkhart, who graduated from OU in May 2012 with a bachelor of arts degree in broadcasting and electronic media, calls his time at Gaylord College “some of the best” of his entire life.

“I never had a hard time choosing which university I wanted to attend,” he recalls. “In high school, I knew instinctively that I wanted to apply to OU. It was one of those obvious decisions … And then because I was so - Rachel Worthen

involved in video production in my hometown, I knew I had to go straight for a broadcasting degree. So I called up Gaylord College and set up a tour. After seeing the computer labs, news studio and the editing bays, I was sold on Gaylord College 100 percent.”

While attending Gaylord College, he was part of the original crew that started OUr Sports Pad, a studentproduced sports show that allowed him to work with the OU men's basketball and wrestling teams, as well as direct the show live on air. He also worked for OU Nightly, one of the top, award-winning student-produced newscasts in the nation. Through that involvement, he says, “I was able to see firsthand how a TV and an editorial crew worked together to produce a daily newscast that was visible by 186,000 homes. I worked my way up from camera operator to director over the course of five years and I ended making some of the best friends in my life.”

Calling Gaylord College “one of the most cuttingedge colleges on campus,” Kirkhart related: “I can't tell you the number of times I have seen students from other colleges using our study lounges or commenting on how nice our facilities are. … I made Gaylord College my second home. I would literally attend classes at Gaylord Hall, stay during the afternoon for our news shows and then utilize the computer labs and editing bays to finish up all of my homework. You almost don't even realize just how awesome Gaylord College is, in terms of access to professional equipment, until you graduate and no longer have access to it.”

Upon coming to OU, Kirkhart continued working on a business he had established several years earlier that focused on mobile DJ, web design and video production services.

“I kept the business running, but really focused on expanding my knowledge of broadcasting and video production,” he said. “I also received plenty of hands-on experience with live sports and news shows during this time. Today, my business has expanded, and because of the experiences I had at Gaylord College, I was able to land a freelance position at SoonerVision, where I have worked on over 75 shows in the last five months.”

In addition to serving as a technical director or audio engineer for SoonerVision at live sporting events, he also currently owns Kirkhart Studios, a multimedia company that specializes in DJing, video production and web design.

- by Jerri Culpepper - Keegan Kirkhart

OU is home to one of the two largest natural history museums in the world associated with a university. The Sam Noble Oklahoma Museum of Natural History has more than 7 million artifacts and contains 195,000 square feet on 40 acres of land.

Frank Lloyd Wright visited the campus and termed the architectural style “Cherokee Gothic” because of the combination Native American and European influences.

The highly acclaimed journal of international literature, World Literature Today, is published at the University of Oklahoma.

Just Push Play

- Get out there and have some fun Video games do not qualify for starting that new activity you promised yourself almost three months ago while toasting the calendar change. Spring is here, winter is over and there are many options to get off the couch and start having fun, no television or computer screen needed.

The Norman Parks and Recreation Department will sponsor many options for outdoor fun and friendly competition. To kick off the season, Norman’s NE Lions Park will host the George Hulsey Memorial Trout Derby at willow pond. The pond will be stocked early in the first week of April with rainbow trout and be off limits until 8 a.m. Saturday, April 6 when children 15 and under will gather around the pond with an adult to try to catch a four fish limit before noon. To prepare the kids for the derby, 12th Avenue Recreation Center will hold a trout fishing clinic to teach angling basics to help the young people return home with a full stringer of fish.

May 18 Norman High

An OU Debate Team from the Shannon Self Debate Program has won the national championship in debate four of the last six years.

Westwood Golf Course hosts its Men’s Golf Association on Thursday afternoons and Westwood Tennis Center right next door offers walk-in drills for beginners every Tuesday evening at 7 p.m. and drills for intermediate to advanced players every Monday.

The spring season started and runs through May 31 with the summer season starting June 1 for women, men and doubles. Socials and tournaments are offered throughout the season.

For more adventurous outdoor fun the Norman Roundup Club on the east side of 60th Avenue N.E. between Alameda and Robinson offers fun for all ages. The Norman Roundup Club focuses on youth events and rodeos for girls and boys of all ages but also has opportunities for adults who ever wanted to strap onto the back of a bull and try to go the full eight seconds, run flat out against the clock to a hairpin turn around a barrel or lasso a steer, competing for prizes and cash.

Outdoor fun is not only for the competitive at heart. For people fortunate to live in or near Norman and Cleveland County, recreational options are abundant.

Lake Thunderbird and the Little River State Park lies on our doorstep offering camping, horseback riding, fishing, skiing and all the advantages of a large lake facility while the City of Norman enjoys seven recreation centers and 62 parks. - by Jay Chilton

VIPs

Dance Magazine places the OU School of Dance in the top three of all dance programs in the country.

Some names and numbers to know Norman Parks and Recreation Jud Foster, Director 366-5427 Westwood Golf Course David Lisle, Head Pro 292-9700 Westwood Tennis Center David Minihan, Tennis Pro 366-8859

OU ranks No. 1 in the nation among all public universities in the number of National Merit Scholars enrolled.

Norman Roundup Club Kimberly Bartle, Chairman of the Board 503-6442 Cleveland County Family YMCA 364-9622 Norman Optimist Club 366-1177

photos provided

14 - March 29, 2013

School Track will be filled with kids seven to 15 years of age competing in the Hershey’s Track and Field Games. Entry deadline is Friday, May 10 and check-in at the track will begin at 2:30 p.m. and races kick off at 3:30 p.m.

Late registration is still open for youth baseball and softball or spring volleyball.

The season for youth baseball and softball begins April 29 and spring volleyball will begin April 18.

Spring junior golf is starting at Westwood Golf Course where they will host first-time options for juniors new to the game and well-known national and regional programs such as First Tee and tournaments conducted by the South Central Section of the PGA. Age specific junior tennis clinics begin March 29 and run through May 22 at Westwood Tennis Center with an option for more advanced players interested in competitive play.

Norman parks and recreation has many spring programs for youngsters but the adult community has not been forgotten. Norman Amateur Softball starts its season April 26 at Reaves Park and registration is at the east complex of Reaves park.

Lake Thunderbird State Park 360-3572