Local Education Foundation Outreach

LEF News Roundup

Partnerships

EDITOR’S NOTE: The LEF News Roundup is designed to recognize LEF achievements and share ideas with others. To submit information for the LEF News Roundup, write to Brenda Wheelock, Oklahoma Foundation for Excellence, 120 N. Robinson, Suite 1420-W, Oklahoma City, OK 73102 or e-mail bwheelock@ofe.org.

To celebrate the opening of a new branch, Bank of Oklahoma donated $1,000 to the Broken Arrow Public Schools Foundation.

Clinton Public Schools Foundation is partnering with Clinton High School marketing students to build a new brick entrance to the football stadium. Marketing students developed the idea of selling engraved bricks to fund the project which involves building a brick wall containing a tornado design with wrought iron gates on each side of the structure.

Central Rural Electric Cooperatives donated more than $5,000 to Coyle School Foundation to provide new playground equipment for Coyle schools. Some of the funds are being used to provide wheelchair access to the new equipment. The foundation hosted a dinner, pie and cake auction, and volleyball tournament to raise additional money for the playground equipment.

A dedication, which included the burying of a time capsule, was held to celebrate the opening of the new Elmore City-Pernell Elementary School. The Elmore City Foundation for Excellence worked with the schools and community to host the event. The time capsule, donated by a local family, contains items, such as CDs, DVDs, a yearbook and students' artwork.

The Enid Public Schools Foundation is continuing to support an elementary school's reading program initially funded by a state Department of Education grant. While the state grant only funded the program for three years, other organizations, including the local education foundation, are helping the school continue the Literacy First program by providing funds for resources and teacher training.

The Enid Public School Foundation took part in a technology seminar hosted by Enid Public Schools. The seminar focused on innovative technology and its application in the classroom. Dinner was provided by the school foundation.

Holdenville Education Foundation and the Holdenville Creek Community provided funds to purchase and install playground equipment for the pre-K class at the Indian Community Center. In addition to a few swings and a basketball goal, the playground now contains a structure with two slides, a tower, playhouse, arch climber and stairs.

Jenks Public School Foundation is playing a significant role in the implementation of Jenks High School's new program, AVID, which stands for Advancement Via Individual Determination. The program was approved by the school board in early 2006 but required more than $10,000 to implement, which the foundation agreed to provide. AVID was created to increase enrollment in AP classes.

The Oklahoma Public Schools Foundation and the Oklahoma RedHawks joined together as part of the Equip Kids for School partnership to provide about 3,600 kindergartners with school supplies. During the month of August, baseball fans gained free admission to RedHawks games by bringing school supplies.

Pauls Valley students participate in last year’s Missoula Children’s Theatre production. (Photo courtesy of the Pauls Valley Daily Democrat.)
Pauls Valley students participate in last year’s Missoula Children’s Theatre production. (Photo courtesy of the Pauls Valley Daily Democrat.)

The Pauls Valley Foundation for Academic Excellence partnered with several area organizations to sponsor the Missoula Children’s Theater tour group. The Missoula production works with different communities to cast, rehearse and perform a play within a week. Pauls Valley and Whitebead students, in addition to home-schooled students and those from Christian schools, were invited to audition for a production of Robin Hood.

Putnam City Schools Foundation has partnered with Possibilities, an agency focused on strengthening families, creating safer neighborhoods and increasing economic growth. To support Possibilities' efforts to ensure that every child enters school ready to learn, the organizations are partnering to get the community more involved by working on communications, developing an incentive program for students and creating a welcoming environment.

Central Fine Arts Academy in Sand Springs was the recipient of a $7,500 donation by Bank of America, thanks to the efforts of the Sand Springs Education Foundation. The donation will fund a special study unit, "Oklahoma Art: Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow," which will culminate with a performance, living museum and art exhibit. The foundation applied for the donation on behalf of the school.

The Union Schools Foundation benefited from the quilting efforts of more than 100 ninth-grade biology students. Students used microscopic views of cells and sub-cellular features as inspiration in their block designs, which their teacher, Kathy Pursley, quilted together to create three different microbiology quilts. The biology classes donated one of the quilts for the foundation's auction. The family who purchased the quilt then donated it back to the school where it is on display in the science wing.

Elementary students in Walters are expanding their musical education thanks to the Walters Education Foundation and Dr. and Mrs. Jim Tuloh. They purchased 10 guitars at a discounted rate from a music store in Lawton, which is owned by a former resident of Walters. The students will learn cowboy songs in preparation for a study on the state of Oklahoma.