COMMUNITY CULTIVATING OPPORTUNITY

Jenny Dakil retires from Norman Public School Foundation after 32 years of service

When her twins were born followed soon after by the adoption of her third child, Jenny Dakil decided to step away from the classroom. But that doesn’t mean she stopped making a difference in education. At the end of May, Dakil will retire from her role with the Norman Public School Foundation (NPSF) after 32 years, where she started as a volunteer before serving as its first executive director beginning in 2005. “It’s certainly been a great job, one with a lot of happiness and a lot of love,” Dakil shared. “It’s been something my heart’s been really committed to.” The foundation was established in 1984 through donations from 78 community members. Its mission is to support learn-

ing and enhance what’s happening within Norman’s classrooms by providing grants to teachers, Dakil explained. Her initial interaction with the NPSF came when she was a firstgrade teacher and received one of these grants to purchase math games. The NPSF supports a range of purchases and projects, from books designed to foster inclusion and equity to musical instruments to outdoor learning spaces to robots. This past year in response to COVID-19, the foundation helped fund some air filtration systems in the cafeterias to keep clean air flowing. Dakil joined NPSF as a board member in 1989 and has been a key part of its consistent growth. This past semester, the foundation awarded about $122,000 worth of grants. Dakil said she is proud of how hard the board has worked to reach that point. She also wanted to thank all the present and past board members as well as the teachers, staff and administrators who are “doing the hard work every day.” “My vision of working with our foundation was for our teachers and our administrators to feel the support of our foundation and the community,” Dakil shared. “I’ve been really proud to work with leaders on our board and leaders in our community and our district that are now all working to strengthen our educational system. Our main goal is helping our students prepare for a lifetime of opportunities, and I felt that for my own children who are now all grown and have benefited from the great education here.”

Dakil and her husband, Edward, have three children: Sam, Will and Caroline. Sam and his wife, Niki, live in California; Will and his wife, Connelly, are in Norman; and Caroline and her husband, Tyler Allen, and son, Carter, live in Edmond. Dakil said her family has always been supportive of the foundation and loved that she was involved with their schools.

Although she earned a business degree from the University of Arkansas and initially worked in that field, Dakil felt a draw to teaching when she started tutoring. The second oldest out of six kids, Dakil also recalled helping care for her younger siblings while growing up.

Alesha Leemaster, current executive director of communications and community relations for Norman Public Schools, will fill the executive director role upon Dakil’s retirement, joining the foundation’s associate director, Katie Merrick.

According to Dr. Nick Migliorino, superintendent of the Norman Public School District, Dakil is a giving soul who “has a true heart for kids and teachers” and wants “everyone to have the opportunity to be the best they can be.”

“The foundation truly is a complement to everything we do in Norman Public Schools,” he explained. “Without the foundation, we would not be as successful as we are, internally and externally. Jenny has created a model of foundations that districts around the United States want to copy and want to be like. To say that her impact has just been on Norman Public Schools in the classrooms with the teacher grants and those things is an understatement. That’s the beginning, and the impact generationally those gifts to the teachers have made on students is not measurable.”

Former superintendent Dr. Joe Siano said Dakil brought strength, stability and creativeness to her role. During Siano’s time in Norman, the demographics of the community and the school district began to change, and he said Dakil and the foundation were intentional about providing programs and opportunities that aligned with the district’s needs.

“There was never any motivation that Jenny had other than serving students, serving the community and providing opportunities for teachers that maybe weren’t there had it not been for the foundation,” Siano said.

Nathan Lockhart, president of the NPSF’s Board of Directors, echoed these thoughts.

“Jenny is a servant leader who has poured her heart and soul into building the Norman Public School Foundation into an organization that today is a model across the state and beyond,” Lockhart said. “For more than 30 years, she has dedicated her career to serving Norman students and teachers and as a result, millions of dollars have been invested in classrooms across the community to enrich learning experiences for our youth. I am incredibly grateful for her service to the foundation and for everything she has done to support public education in Oklahoma.” – BSM

NPS Graduations

Once again SportsTalk Media is partnering with Norman Public Schools to broadcast the Class of 2021 graduation ceremonies for Norman High and Norman North. Families and friends can watch to the celebrations planned to take place on Thursday, May 27 and Friday, May 28, respectively, at 7 p.m. at Harve Collins Stadium.

“Graduations are always such an exciting part of the school year and after a challenging year we cannot wait to celebrate our wonderful seniors with safe, in-person ceremonies,” shared Superintendent Dr. Nick Migliorino. “We are so grateful to SportsTalk for their continued partnership that allows us to stream these events so that friends and family everywhere can take part in these momentous occasions.”

Since the ceremonies are being held outdoors, inclement weather backup dates are planned for Saturday, May 29 and Sunday, May 30. Viewers can find the streams on the district website, normanpublicschools.org, and Facebook page, @NormanPublicSchools.