Saluting Oklahoma's Local Education Foundations
LEF News Roundup
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.
During Oklahoma's Centennial, students at Hayes Grade Center in Ada spent this year learning about a famous Oklahoma musician. Funded by Ada City Schools Foundation, the grant for "Who? Woody Guthrie, That's Who!" enabled the students to learn more about Guthrie, writer of the song "This Land is Your Land." Second grade students also performed a play, "Year of the Centennial," which taught a variety of information about the state, including the symbols, famous people and places, flags and state songs. Pre-kindergarten students also took a trip to the Cowboy Hall of Fame to study Oklahoma's heritage and to experience what is was like to live during the land run.
The Chickasha Public School Foundation encouraged school supporters to donate a portion of their tax rebates and tax refunds to support programs that benefit students, including grants to teachers and scholarships. The foundation provided a donation link on its Web site at www.chickashapsf.org.
To raise awareness of and money for its programs, the Choctaw-Nicoma Park Schools Foundation held "meet and eats" throughout the community. Participating restaurants donated a portion of their receipts from the evening, and school choirs performed for customers.
Kelly Bristow, an English and creative writing teacher at Edmond Memorial High School, received the Eloise Rees Writing Award for 2007-08. Administered by the Edmond Schools Foundation for the Celebration of Excellence and established by the family of Edmond resident Eloise Rodkey Rees, the award is given every three year. The recipient is also given a $1,250 stipend each year for three years. It is awarded to an outstanding secondary teacher and writer in the Edmond school district who has demonstrated exceptional skills in teaching writing.
El Reno school supporters were invited to not attend the El Reno Public Schools Foundation's Phantom Ball. In lieu of "renting a tux, finding a babysitter and undergoing the many hassles associated with attending a fundraising ball," guests were able to choose their level of "uninvolvement." Member levels ranging from the $25 Black Tie Phantom to the $500 Masquerade Phantom were available.
The Enid Public School Foundation partnered with Gaslight Theatre to conduct a Shakespeare workshops, including "Shakespeare: From Swords to Sonnets" led by Kevin Coleman of Massachusetts-based Shakespeare & Company. During various workshops students learned the art of stage fighting and studied Shakespeare's language. Teachers were also able to participate in a professional development session, "Bringing Shakespeare Alive in the Classroom: Investigating Text." The workshops were also sponsored by Oklahoma Natural Gas, Champlin Enterprises, Jon Ford, Security National Bank and Maple Place.
The Kingfisher Educational Foundation raised more than $6,500 with its Rockin Down the House event. The foundation also sold T-shirts and DVDs of the concert that involved more than 60 performers. The foundation also holds and annual Duck Race during the 4th of July holiday. Individuals, businesses and organizations are able to sponsor a duck for $50 with prizes ranging from $100 to $1,000.
The Muskogee Education Foundation awarded more than $4,000 during its annual spring grant awarding patrol. Among the six proposals selected is the recipient of the Claude C. Harris grant for a project by Catherine Dennis, a teacher at the 7th and 8th Grade Center. Her proposal, "Connecting Math to the Real World," involves making videos of people using math in their everyday lives to help motivate students to learn math.
A grant from the Okarche Education Foundation made it possible for Okarche elementary students to study several habitats, including the transformation of caterpillars in their "Butterfly Nursery" and tadpoles in their "Planet Frog" habitat. The students released the butterflies into the flower garden in front of their school. They have also been able to observe fish in their "Easy-View Aquarium."
The goal of the 2008 Kruzin for Kidz, Owasso Education Foundation's annual fundraiser, is to raise money to provide six scholarships. The event features hot-rod cars and motorcycles as well as a "Battle of the Kidz Band," a competition featuring the top four high school rock/garage bands. Kruzin for Kidz partnered with the Tulsa Community Foundation, with proceeds benefit foundation's scholarship fund, K4K2008.
Pauls Valley High School anatomy students have a better understanding of the cardiovascular system after participating in a study, "Heart of the Matter," funded by a grant from the Pauls Valley Foundation for Academic Excellence. Students has the opportunity to use innovative methods to study the cardiovascular system by graphing and monitoring their hear rate, EKG readings and blood pressure through sensors that fed data to hand-held computer devices or desktop computers.
History students at Pauls Valley High School are conducting interviews of World War II veterans and compiling the memoirs on a DVD to preserve for future generations. Copies of the DVD will be given to all the Pauls Valley school libraries as well as the local library and the Oklahoma Heritage Museum. The project was funded by the Pauls Valley Foundation for Academic Excellence.
Pioneer-Pleasant Vale Academic Foundation held a contest to find out "Are You Smarter Than a Pleasant Vale Student?" Contestants,competing against fifth- and sixth-grade students, had the opportunity to answer up to 10 questions in different school subjects with one grand prize question. The competition helped the foundation raise funds for it teacher grants program and establish an endowment.
Students at Charles Page High School in Sand Springs experienced the impact of French artist Claude Monet by participating in a weeklong festival of fine arts, "All Things Monet." The art project, the idea of librarian Gayle Lawrence and art teacher Dana Johnston, was funded by a grant from the Sand Springs Education Foundation. French, geometry, history and creative writing students all contributed paintings and sculptures for the wall-to-wall art display.
Sayre Public School Foundation was named the beneficiary of community member Treva Gilliland's trust. The Treva Gilliland Trust will provide funds for the foundation's endowment as well as for the school's physical education, music and arts programs.
Sixth-grade students at Northwood Elementary in Seminole built bridges using K'NEX and displayed the final products at the school's Engineering Fair. The project was funded by a grant from the Seminole Education Foundation.
Each spring the Spiro School Foundation for Excellence in Education recognizes top seniors as Academic All-Stars and honors educators with the Polaris Award. Teachers who receive the Polaris Award are selected based on their influence on the senior academic students throughout elementary, middle and high school. The students receive scholarships ranging from $1,000 to $3000.
The Stillwater Public Education Foundation and Oklahoma State University's College of Education are partnering with Eskimo Joe's to celebrate teachers. The design theme of a special edition T-shirt is "Eskimo Joe's Celebrates Teachers -- Growing a Brighter World." A portion of the proceeds from shirt sales support the Stillwater foundation. Stillwater students were also encouraged to honor their favorite teacher by entering the Eskimo Joe's Celebrates Teachers Contest. The winning teacher receives a car to drive for the summer, an Eskimo Joe's teacher shirt and coupons for his or her class. The student submitting the winning essay wins a $50 Joe's Clothes gift card. This year the contest was also offered statewide, with the winning teacher receiving a $100 Joe's Clothes gift card, a T-shirt and shirts for students in his or her class. The student submitting the entry also receives a $50 Joe's Clothes gift card.
Sulphur students are enjoying several new books about Oklahoma or written or illustrated by Oklahomans thanks to a grant from the Sulphur Foundation for Excellence in Education. During November 2007, teachers selected books to use during the state's Centennial Celebration. Now they are housed in the elementary library for use in library lessons and are available for students to check out.
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