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Author: Brenda Wheelock

Boren Mentoring Initiative Grants Announced

To help support the growth and development of K-12 mentoring programs in Oklahoma, the Oklahoma Foundation for Excellence has announced the recipients of its 2023 Boren Mentoring Initiative start-up and opportunity grants totaling $22,500. 

Start-up grants of $3,000 each have been awarded to the James Booth Foundation Mentoring of OKLAHOMA CITY, an athletics-driven mentoring organization; and the Bulldogs PAWS of OKMULGEE, which will use funds to launch an after-school mentoring program serving students in Okmulgee Public Schools. Start-up grants are awarded to organizations in their first three years of operation and are designed to encourage communities to establish quality youth mentoring programs. 

Eleven opportunity grants of $1,500 each were awarded to existing mentoring programs to help fund programming, training, materials or other needs that advance excellence in mentoring for K-12 students. Recipients are the Northwestern Oklahoma State University Literacy Center of ALVA; Big Brothers Big Sisters of Oklahoma in BARTLESVILLE; Bruins on the Run of BARTLESVILLE; The Lowe Family Young Scholars Program of BARTLESVILLE; BEST! Mentoring of CACHE; Volunteers for Youth Pal+ Program of CLAREMORE; One True Light Inc. of DUNCAN; Gentlemen and Generals of LAWTON; and Lincoln County Partnership for Child Well Being programs in AGRA, CARNEY and MEEKER Public Schools.  

“We are thrilled to announce our 2023 Boren Mentoring Initiative Grant recipients as they expand and continue their mentoring programs across the state,” said Lauren Dow, manager of the Boren Mentoring Initiative. “This year, we’re honored to support 13 organizations leading innovative and meaningful efforts to foster mentorship in their communities.”

The Oklahoma Foundation for Excellence is a statewide nonprofit founded in 1985 by then U.S. Sen. David L. Boren to recognize and encourage academic excellence in Oklahoma’s public schools. The David and Molly Boren Mentoring Initiative – one of the foundation’s five programs — promotes the growth and development of quality mentoring programs in Oklahoma. The initiative grew out of the Borens’ own commitment to mentoring and the proven impact mentoring can have on a student’s success in and out of the classroom. For more information, visit www.ofe.org or contact Program Specialist Lauren Dow at (405) 236-0006. 

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(EDITOR: Boren Mentoring Initiative Grant recipients are listed below by the city in which they serve. Each listing includes a brief description of how the Mentoring Program plans to use its grant funds.) 

ALVA – Northwestern Oklahoma State University Literacy Center provides individual academic mentors and tutoring services to P-12 students and prioritizes tutoring for rural students. Grant funds will be utilized to purchase laptop computers and video cameras to support virtual tutoring services. 

 

AGRA – The Lincoln County Partnership for Child Well Being is partnering with Agra Public Schools to make positive changes that will improve safety and health across Lincoln County public schools through schoolwide mentoring programs. Grant funds will support Agra Public School’s peer-to-peer mentoring group to make a positive change in their school culture by mentoring Agra elementary students and by hosting a “shout out” assembly to introduce their group and goals. 

 

BARTLESVILLE – Bruins on the Run is an after-school mentoring and running program for fifth graders who run after school with their teacher-mentors. The program is sponsored by the Bartlesville Public Schools Foundation. Boren Mentoring Initiative Grant funds will help fund running shoes for participating students and allow the program to grow to meet an expanding need within the community. 

Big Brothers Big Sisters of Oklahoma provides fully vetted, caring mentors for children ages 6 through 18. Big Brothers Big Sisters’ mission is to create and support one-to-one mentoring relationships that ignite the power and promise of youth. Grant funds from the Boren Mentoring Initiative will cover the cost of three months of match support for seven new Bartlesville Big Brother Big Sister matches. 

The Lowe Family Young Scholars Program assists academically promising, yet economically disadvantaged 12 to 22-year-old students in the Bartlesville Public School System to earn a college degree. Seventh graders are matched with mentors to help prepare them for college and eventually for college graduation. Students and mentors meet weekly as well as eight times a year for meetings and volunteering with the whole LFYS Program. Boren Mentoring Initiative Grant funds will support ongoing mentor training and educational materials as well as match activities like museum visits, college visits, meals and other activities. 

 

CACHE – Established in 2019, BEST! Mentoring is a community-based mentoring program in Southwest Oklahoma. BEST! matches fifth-12th graders with a positive role model in the community. Mentoring focuses on life skills, career exploration, and character building. Boren Mentoring Grant funds will cover the cost of BEST! Mentoring’s annual kickoff event and educational materials for participating mentors. 

 

CARNEY – The Lincoln County Partnership for Child Well Being partners with Carney Public Schools to make positive changes that will improve safety and health across Lincoln County public schools through schoolwide mentoring programs. Boren Mentoring Grant Funds will be utilized to purchase mentoring peer-to-peer curriculum and plan a positive mental health day for the students at Carney Schools. 

 

CLAREMORE – Volunteers for Youth’s PAL+ Program is a mentoring program that serves youth grades K-12. The PAL+ Program serves youth in a one-on-one match as well as in group settings. The purpose of the PAL+ Program is to enhance the lives of youth through prosocial activities and healthy relationship building. Boren Mentoring Grant funds will cover the cost of Innovative Mentoring software, which allows the program to track mentees and mentors waiting, matches, and allows mentors to log their interactions with mentees. 

 

DUNCAN – One True Light was incorporated in 2012 with the mission of “Linking Generations to Learn, Love and Live Together.” Its focus is to unite the community to meet the physical, emotional, and academic needs of our children. One True Light focuses on serving the children in Duncan through two programs, Summer Food and Fun and Link One Mentoring. Boren Mentoring Grant funds will be used to purchase items for a summer sendoff goodie bag for all the mentees to receive from their mentor. The goodie bags, along with a heartfelt note from the child’s mentor, will provide fun activities for the summer when mentors and mentees are not meeting weekly. 

 

LAWTON – Eisenhower Elementary School’s The Gentlemen and Generals program (G2) is an after-school club that serves boys in third through fifth grades. At each meeting, boys learn various skills that teach them about becoming gentlemen. Grant funds will be used to sponsor an end-of-the-year field trip to an OKC Dodgers baseball game and a meal at a local restaurant on the way home to practice their etiquette skills. 

 

MEEKER – The Lincoln County Partnership for Child Well Being partners with Meeker Public Schools to make positive changes that will improve safety and health across Lincoln County public schools through schoolwide mentoring programs. Boren Mentoring Grant funds will be used to purchase curriculum for an in-school Peer-to-Peer Mentor program between Meeker’s middle and high schools. 

 

OKLAHOMA CITY – The James Booth Foundation provides new basketball shoes and socks and is launching an accompanying mentorship program to support middle and high school students (13 to 18-year-olds) in the Oklahoma City metro area. Boren Mentoring Initiative grant funds will cover the cost of printed materials, such as books and workbooks, along with snack and food items for mentees and mentors. 

 

OKMULGEE – Bulldogs PAWS (Partners at Work in Schools) is a startup mentoring endeavor which will provide community mentors to elementary students in Okmulgee Public Schools. Boren Mentoring Grant funds will support the recruitment and training of PAWS volunteers, including background checks and training materials.

2023 Oklahoma Medal for Excellence-Winning Educators Announced

The Oklahoma Foundation for Excellence has announced the recipients of its 2023 Oklahoma Medal for Excellence Awards honoring five outstanding educators in Oklahoma’s public schools.

This year’s Medal for Excellence Award recipients and their award categories are: Barbie Jackson, STEM teacher, Limestone Technology Academy, SAND SPRINGS, elementary teaching; Jason Paris, fine arts teacher, CHEROKEE Junior High and High School, secondary teaching; Kyle Reynolds, superintendent, WOODWARD Public Schools, Elementary/Secondary Administration; Dr. Alissa Proctor, professor of optometry, Northeastern State University, TAHLEQUAH, Regional University/Community College Teaching, and Dr. F. Bailey Norwood, professor of agribusiness, Oklahoma State University, STILLWATER, Research University Teaching

“The Oklahoma Medal for Excellence is one of our state’s most prestigious educator awards and recognizes public school educators for their passion and innovation, their commitment to professional development, and their extraordinary impact on student learning,” said Elizabeth Inbody, executive director of the Oklahoma Foundation for Excellence, a nonprofit that recognizes and encourages academic excellence in Oklahoma’s public schools. “By honoring these exceptional educators, we are sending a message that we value excellence in public schools and the professionals who have given so much of themselves to enrich the lives of our children.”

The awards will be presented at the foundation’s 37th Academic Awards Celebration on May 20 at the Cox Business Convention Center in Tulsa. Each of the five honorees will receive a $5,000 cash prize and a glass “Roots and Wings” sculpture, designed by the late Oklahoma artist Ron Roberts and produced by Artistic Glass Studio of Edmond.

Barbie Jackson, recipient of the Oklahoma Medal for Excellence in Elementary Teaching, teaches STEAM – Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Math – for kindergarten through fifth-grade students at Limestone Technology Academy in Sand Springs. Jackson is passionate about providing students with creative, hands-on learning experiences that go beyond curriculum standards and engage them in solving real-world problems.

“I focus not only on academics, but also on those soft skills needed to be successful in life,” Jackson said. “Students practice those skills when they are able to communicate, present, create, make mistakes, recover from those mistakes, try something different, and think critically about what they need to do next.”

In Jackson’s STEAM Lab, students use the engineering design process in the Maker Space – an area filled with household items, from paper towel tubes and crafting sticks to string and tape – to create prototypes to solve problems. Jackson has also set up a “Breaker Space” with a work bench and hand tools, where students learn to take apart and repair equipment. In addition, Jackson teaches a schoolwide Science of Flight curriculum, engaging students in creative projects involving flying insects, hot air balloons, kites, airplanes, parachutes and 3-D printed rockets.

Among Jackson’s students’ favorite projects is the Monarch Butterfly WayStation, where students help maintain a butterfly garden and then move caterpillars into the STEAM Lab, where they can observe their metamorphosis. In 2022, students tagged and released 52 monarch butterflies and were able to track their migration.

The learning continues after school with three STEM clubs sponsored by Jackson. Drone Club members code and pilot drones through student-designed obstacle courses, while the Brick Buddies collaborate on building a LEGO City. In her Girls Who Code Club, Jackson seeks to close the race and gender gap in STEM fields by providing hands-on computer science projects for girls.

“Mrs. Jackson challenged my daughter to use critical thinking skills and helped her develop perseverance when things didn’t work perfectly the first time.,” said Mandi Cloud, a parent and colleague. “My daughter has carried these skills with her to middle school, where science and math are her favorite subjects.”

Jackson said the future of STEM occupations ranges from what exists now to jobs yet to be discovered. “I want my students to be ready in either case. Early STEM exposure is the key.”

Jason Paris, recipient of the Medal for Excellence in Secondary Teaching, teaches fine arts at Cherokee Middle and High School, a rural northern Oklahoma school serving just over 200 students. A successful playwright with a graduate degree from New York University’s Directing Educational Theater program, the Oklahoma native has found his true calling as an arts teacher and mentor to students in Cherokee. 

“I discovered an incredible sense of purpose in building a speech, debate and theater program where one no longer existed,” he said, noting that the program grew from an enrollment of three students when he started to 53 today. Paris also expanded his instruction to include film and media production, studio art and vocal music. In any given hour, one can find his students editing a film for a local business, learning music for a community service project, creating visual arts from Paris’s online art lessons, or reading speech and debate materials.

“Students learn so much more than just techniques from him,” said colleague Michelle Baldwin. “He helps students see how important art is and what place it has in their lives. More importantly, students learn how to see themselves in the world through the art they experience and create.”

Paris has an innate ability to see talent and potential in students and draw it out of them, Baldwin added. He has led students to numerous state championships during his tenure and provided unique opportunities for them to showcase their talents in the community and beyond. Last year, Paris raised funds to take current and former students to Red River, N.M., to perform their show “The One-Act Play that Goes Wrong.”

In a time when young people face increasing rates of depression and apathy, Paris has found that his most critical role right now is to be a caring adult in his students’ lives. “They need guides who show them that, for all the challenges, all the hardships, all the really bad days, life remains full of joy, beauty, wonder and magic.

“Being an effective educator means that everything I do should provide young people with appreciation for all that is good in the world and as many tools as I can provide them to save it,” Paris said. “The best way I know how to achieve that, frankly, is to turn them into artists.”

The recipient of the Medal for Excellence in Elementary/Secondary Administration is Kyle Reynolds, superintendent of Woodward Public Schools.  The Woodward native was named superintendent of his alma mater in 2014 and has focused his tenure on helping build bridges out of adversity and creating solutions for all students to excel in academics and in life.

“My job is to serve all kids, and one of my most frequently repeated mantras is ‘All means all,’” Reynolds said. “Our team works every day to build bridges that will connect to our most needy students. … We must build bridges to those who are hungry, those whose home lives lack stability and support, and those who have suffered adversities most of us cannot fathom.”

            Recognizing the number of students who faced food insecurity and lacked after-school care, Reynolds partnered with district supporter Bruce Benbrook to fund Boomer ExSTREAM, an after-school program centered on hands-on activities in science, technology, reading, engineering, arts and math (STREAM). Due to its success, the district received two $1.3 million federal grants to sustain the program.

            Seeking solutions to address dropout rates and a skills gap in the region’s career market, Reynolds partnered with High Plains Technology Center to create the Technical Applications Program (TAP), which provides electives to introduce middle schoolers to technical skills and trades. The program seeks to spark students’ interests in careers and establish a foundation for post-secondary opportunities.

            Recognizing the high percentage of rural students dealing with mental health issues and traumatic experiences, Reynolds and his team partnered with the State Department of Education to receive a multimillion-dollar Project AWARE grant. The grant provided for additional school counselors and trained every teacher in mental health first-aid.

            Reynolds also worked with the Office of Juvenile Affairs and Western Plains Youth and Family Services to create COPE: Community Outreach Prevention and Education. Juvenile offenders who would have previously been suspended from school are now able to continue their education while receiving counseling and other services to address their issues.

            “Kyle Reynolds is an innovator, problem solver, visionary and a man who always leads with the courage of his convictions,” said Kevin Evans, executive director of the Western Plains Youth and Family Services. “As superintendent, his leadership has impacted not only the quality of education for our students, but also the quality of their health and well-being.”

Dr. Alissa Proctor, the recipient of the Oklahoma Medal for Excellence in Teaching at a Regional University/Community College, is a professor of optometry at Northeastern State University in Tahlequah. She has frequently been honored as Outstanding Teacher of the Year by NSU optometry students because of her passion for her subject matter and her unique teaching style that combines learner-centered techniques and service learning opportunities. In her 17 years as a professor, Proctor’s teaching philosophy has evolved from a lecture-style presentation to creating a learner-centered environment.

“A learner-centered classroom engages students in the learning process while empowering them to take ownership of their learning,” she said. “I avoid relaying information students can read elsewhere by encouraging thinking, application, clinical connections and information retrieval.”

Proctor connects content to real-world applications through case studies and hands-on learning opportunities to apply knowledge to patient care. In her pediatrics course, for example, Proctor invites alumni to bring their children in for students to conduct exams. She also recruits faculty and staff to volunteer as patients while her students work in small groups to examine them and prescribe lenses.

As an advocate for children’s vision programs, Proctor engages her students in service learning by inviting them to participate in vision screenings at local elementary schools. Her students learn how to interact with children, use language children understand and collect data in a fun and engaging way.

“During the past 16 years, I have supervised the screening of almost 21,000 children,” Proctor said. “I am proud of the work optometry students do to take care of the children of Cherokee County.”

As the advisor for SVOSH, Students Volunteering Optometric Services for Humanity, Proctor has organized 12 student service-learning trips to Roatan, Honduras. Joined by professional optometrists, the students have examined thousands of patients who would otherwise not receive eye care, providing glasses, eye drops and referring many for additional care, such as cataract surgery.

“Dr. Proctor uses her profession to advocate for those in need and fosters the same mindset of giving back to the community in her students,” said former student Kayla Cook. “In addition to her work in Honduras, Dr. Proctor is a huge proponent of InfantSee, a program that provides no-cost, comprehensive eye exams to infants before their first birthday. … Her advocacy of SVOSH and InfantSee are awe-inspiring and a testament to her service-oriented mindset.”

The winner of the Medal for Excellence in Teaching at a Research University is F. Bailey Norwood, a professor of agribusiness at Oklahoma State University. Norwood’s passion for economics and teaching were inspired by a college professor, his “Socrates,” who gave him a thirst for learning. “I am living testimony to the importance of a remarkable instructor,” he said. Now, Norwood himself is inspiring future generations as an engaging professor, mentor and community volunteer.

“Dr. Norwood brings challenging topics to life in a way that resonates with students, enhancing their capability for life-long learning,” said colleague Kellie Curry Raper. “He gives students that one class that provides them with the fondest of memories, where the instructor did things no other instructor dared, and where the instructor stepped up to meet the challenge of short attention spans. He makes students take agricultural economics seriously by inspiring them to see all that it has to offer the world.”

Norwood goes to great lengths to learn all his students’ names early in the semester and holds a “Meet Your Classmates” activity to build relationships. He infuses his courses with humor and provides opportunities for students to “get their hands dirty” and learn things they know they will be need in their careers.

In his popular Farm to Fork course, Norwood presents the science and economics behind agricultural production and marketing decisions, as well as touching on controversial issues like food insecurity. As part of the course, students help manage a garden at a local food pantry to provide produce for neighbors in need. In Norwood’s Quantitative Methods course, students gather at the baseball field to hit three balls as far as they can and then collect data to determine why someone would hit further than others. The exercise helps students understand statistical concepts used to forecast crop yields and other agricultural applications. In his courses, Norwood has even dressed in character as historical figures to help bring complex economics concepts to life.

“Dr. Norwood is the teacher you never forget,” said student Jaci Deitrick. “He made each of his students excited to come to class and tackle difficult subjects like economics and supply chain management. While the material was not easy, Dr. Norwood made it easy to understand and taught us how to apply textbook formulas and definitions to real world applications.”

In addition to presenting the Medal for Excellence awards, the Oklahoma Foundation for Excellence will honor 100 of Oklahoma’s top public high school seniors as Academic All-Staters at its May 20 banquet. The Academic Awards Banquet is open to the public, with admission priced at $65. Registration will open online April 3 at www.ofe.org.

OKLAHOMA FOUNDATION FOR EXCELLENCE ANNOUNCES 2023 ACADEMIC ALL-STATE SCHOLARS

OKLAHOMA CITY — The Oklahoma Foundation for Excellence has announced the recipients of its prestigious 2023 Academic All-State Awards. These 100 top public high school seniors, selected from hundreds of applications statewide, hail from 75 schools in 68 Oklahoma school districts.

The 2023 Academic All-State class is the 37th to be selected by the Oklahoma Foundation for Excellence.  Since the award program’s inception in 1987, some 3,700 high school seniors from 335 school districts have been named Academic All-State scholars. Two high schools will celebrate their first Academic All-Stater: Pittsburg and Texhoma high schools.

Each of this year’s All-Staters will receive a $1,500 merit-based cash award and a medallion. The All-Staters will be recognized at the foundation’s 37th annual Academic Awards Banquet on Saturday, May 20, at the Cox Business Convention Center in Tulsa.

Andrew J. Morris, president of the Oklahoma Foundation for Excellence, describes the selection of the scholars as “Oklahoma’s most rigorous academic awards selection process.” To be eligible for Academic All-State, students must meet one of the following criteria: an American College Test (ACT) composite score of at least 30; a combined SAT evidence-based reading & writing and math score of at least 1370; or be selected as a semi-finalist for a National Merit Scholarship.

This year’s All-Staters scored an average of 33 on the ACT, with six recipients scoring a perfect 36. The students’ average GPA was 4.25. In addition, 29 of this year’s All-Staters are National Merit semifinalists.

Academic All-Staters are selected based on academic achievement, extracurricular activities, and community involvement, as well as letters of recommendation and an essay submitted by each applicant. The selection committee, which is chaired by retired educator Jan McClaren, works independently of all other foundation activities. The committee members are a diverse group of business, education, and civic leaders, as well as past Academic Awards Program honorees.

“The Oklahoma Foundation for Excellence Academic Awards Program is Oklahoma’s premiere awards program honoring academic achievement, innovation and leadership among students and educators in our public schools,” said Executive Director Elizabeth Inbody. “By working together to give outstanding students and educators the recognition they deserve, we send a strong message to our state and to the nation that Oklahomans value academic excellence.”

The Academic Awards Banquet is open to the public, with admission priced at $65. Registration will open online April 3 at www.ofe.org. The awards ceremony will also be available for viewing on the foundation’s website following the event. For more information, call the Oklahoma Foundation for Excellence office at (405) 236-0006.

 Founded in 1985, the Oklahoma Foundation for Excellence is a statewide, nonprofit organization dedicated to recognizing and encouraging academic excellence in Oklahoma’s public schools. Through its Academic Awards Program, the foundation has provided more than $5.4 million in awards to recognize outstanding graduating seniors as Academic All-Staters and exceptional educators as Medal for Excellence honorees.

(EDITORS: The 100 Academic All-Staters are listed below alphabetically by school district, school and the city where they reside. For more information on a particular student in your area, contact Brenda Wheelock at 405/236-0006.)

*Indicates the All-State Scholar is the family member of a past honoree.

Name

School District

School

Hometown

Morgan Beason

Altus

Altus High School

Altus

Wyatt Jensen

Altus

Altus High School

Altus

Laura Anton

Alva

Alva High School

Alva

Ejeehi Umobuarie

Arapaho-Butler

Arapaho-Butler High School

Clinton

Joyce Yang*

Bartlesville

Bartlesville High School

Bartlesville

Bryce Looper

Bethany

Bethany High School

Bethany

Tressa Briggs

Bixby

Bixby High School

Bixby

Sophia Rehman

Bixby

Bixby High School

Bixby

Sydney Bennett

Broken Arrow

Broken Arrow High School

Broken Arrow

Tony Le

Broken Arrow

Broken Arrow High School

Tulsa

Eli Alley

Buffalo

Buffalo High School

Buffalo

Ethan Stone

Chandler

Chandler High School

Chandler

Rylee Sisson

Checotah

Checotah High School

Checotah

Riley Anderson

Choctaw-Nicoma Park

Choctaw High School

Choctaw

Raegen Hofstetter

Claremore

Claremore High School

Claremore

Finn Murray

Clinton

Clinton High School

Weatherford

Taylor Rhoton

Collinsville

Collinsville High School

Collinsville

Eli Swartwood

Coweta

Coweta High School

Coweta

Lindsey Fagan*

Deer Creek

Deer Creek High School

Edmond

Dylan Hardy

Durant

Durant High School

Durant

Carter Haney

Edmond

Edmond Memorial High School

Edmond

Molly Starrett

Edmond

Edmond North High School

Edmond

Mikayla Stewart

Edmond

Edmond North High School

Edmond

Aarav Jilka

Edmond

Edmond Santa Fe High School

Edmond

Sophia Montoya

Elgin

Elgin High School

Apache

Benjamin Roberts

Elgin

Elgin High School

Lawton

Mason Friesen

Elk City

Elk City High School

Elk City

Tyler Cholerton

Enid

Enid High School

Enid

Elsa Stewart

Enid

Enid High School

Enid

Sophie Ellis

Fort Gibson

Fort Gibson High School

Fort Gibson

Jake Schreiner

Frederick

Frederick High School

Frederick

Aeryn Shields

Guthrie

Guthrie High School

Guthrie

Macie Middendorf

Harrah

Harrah High School

Newalla

Raymond Jiang

Jenks

Jenks High School

Tulsa

Reed Trimble

Keys

Keys High School

Muskogee

Brycen Ward

Kingston

Kingston High School

Durant

Landon Schultz

Kremlin-Hillsdale

Kremlin-Hillsdale High School

Kremlin

Kyndal Schlup

Latta

Latta High School

Wanette

Leonardo Hermosillo

Lawton

Lawton High School

Lawton

Emily Spotts

Lawton

Lawton High School

Lawton

Madisyn Myers*

Lomega

Lomega High School

Omega

Maya Joseph

Midwest City-Del City

Carl Albert High School

Midwest City

Katie Ellis

Moore

Southmoore High School

Oklahoma City

Devin Snyder

Moore

Southmoore High School

Moore

Cadence Walton

Moore

Southmoore High School

Oklahoma City

Jacklyn Crabbe

Moore

Westmoore High School

Oklahoma City

Jaci Walker

Muldrow

Muldrow High School

Muldrow

Alexander Vo

Mustang

Mustang High School

Yukon

Madeline Reinke

Norman

Norman High School

Norman

Olivia Tedesco

Norman

Norman High School

Norman

Justin Yang

Norman

Norman High School

Norman

Tuqa Alibadi

Norman

Norman North High School

Norman

Evelyn Combs

Norman

Norman North High School

Norman

Dylan Wall

Norman

Norman North High School

Norman

Robert Reiden Walker

Okemah

Okemah High School

Okemah

Danny Ly

Oklahoma City

Classen School of Advanced Studies at Northeast

Oklahoma City

Semony Shah

Oklahoma City

Classen School of Advanced Studies at Northeast

Edmond

Sean Wu

Oklahoma City

Classen School of Advanced Studies at Northeast

Oklahoma City

Nicolas Jackson

Oklahoma Union

Oklahoma Union High School

Nowata

Brett Wigginton

Oologah-Talala

Oologah High School

Oologah

Jinghao Dai

OSSM

Oklahoma School of Science & Math

Ardmore

Charles Liu

OSSM

Oklahoma School of Science & Math

Stillwater

Sarvesh Ramakrishnan

OSSM

Oklahoma School of Science & Math

Edmond

Carina Galutia

Owasso

Owasso High School

Owasso

Aminata Kamara

Owasso

Owasso High School

Owasso

Chloee Nunez

Pauls Valley

Pauls Valley High School

Pauls Valley

Mason Stone

Perkins-Tryon

Perkins-Tryon High School

Perkins

Titus Johnson

Piedmont

Piedmont High School

Yukon

Joshua Nix

Pittsburg

Pittsburg High School

McAlester

Zachary Zimmerman*

Plainview

Plainview High School

Ardmore

Emma Gertken

Ponca City

Ponca City High School

Ponca City

Savannah Valgora

Ponca City

Ponca City High School

Ponca City

Benton Raymer

Pryor

Pryor High School

Pryor

Aubrey Atkins

Putnam City

Putnam City High School

Warr Acres

Cora McKinney

Putnam City

Putnam City North High School

Oklahoma City

Luis Rivera-González

Putnam City

Putnam City West High School

Bethany

Alec Anderson

Ringwood

Ringwood High School

Ringwood

Rani Gandhi

Sallisaw

Sallisaw High School

Sallisaw

Kaden Nathaniel Bolte

Sand Springs

Charles Page High School

Sand Springs

Jaidyn Adams

Sapulpa

Sapulpa High School

Sapulpa

Audrey Gordon

Silo

Silo High School

Durant

Marek Oomens

Stillwater

Stillwater High School

Stillwater

Sydnee Sisneros

Stillwater

Stillwater High School

Stillwater

Robert Batson IV

Tahlequah

Tahlequah High School

Tahlequah

Krisalyn Maples

Texhoma

Texhoma High School

Texhoma

Jin Bohling

Tulsa

Booker T. Washington High School

Tulsa

Lance Brightmire

Tulsa

Booker T. Washington High School

Tulsa

Lukacs Acker-Breslin

Tulsa

Thomas A. Edison Preparatory High School

Tulsa

Reagan Romero

Turpin

Turpin High School

Forgan

Kayden Kehe

Union

Union High School

Broken Arrow

Celestine Kim

Union

Union High School

Broken arrow

Yale Gray

Verdigris

Verdigris High School

Claremore

Christopher LaPrairie

Vinita

Vinita High School

Vinita

James Richard Hardin

Wagoner

Wagoner High School

Wagoner

Ethan Muehlenweg

Wagoner

Wagoner High School

Wagoner

Denna Bussinger

Walters

Walters High School

Walters

Kendall Meason

Walters

Walters High School

Walters

Kate Boothe

Washington

Washington High School

Purcell

Jennie Higdon

Washington

Washington High School

Washington

Bryce Callen

Weatherford

Weatherford High School

Weatherford

Oklahoma Foundation for Excellence Announces New School Foundations Network Director, Program Specialist

Lauren Dow, a leader in nonprofit operations and development, has been named director of the Oklahoma School Foundations Network and program specialist for the Oklahoma Foundation for Excellence, a nonprofit that recognizes and encourages academic excellence in Oklahoma’s public schools.

In her new role, Dow will provide training and networking opportunities to Oklahoma school foundation leaders and groups seeking to establish foundations in their communities. Through its outreach program, the Oklahoma Foundation for Excellence has helped build one of the nation’s largest networks of public school foundations, with more than 200 established to date. These citizen-led nonprofits raise millions of dollars each year to promote academic excellence in their districts and encourage community involvement in their local schools.

In addition, as program specialist, Dow will oversee the foundation’s Boren Mentoring Initiative, which supports the growth and development of quality K-12 mentoring programs. She will also be involved in the support and growth of the foundation’s other programs serving teachers and students, including its Teacher Professional Development and Early American History Education programs.

“We are thrilled to welcome Lauren Dow to our staff,” said Elizabeth Inbody, executive director of the Oklahoma Foundation for Excellence. “Lauren’s passion lies in developing internal operations which will support meaningful relationships with school foundations, students, teachers and our supporters. She is an expert in developing win-win partnerships. Lauren will be an impactful asset to our team and those we serve.”

Dow previously served as development coordinator for Oklahoma Contemporary Arts Center, where she managed grants and development operations for the organization’s $30 million capital campaign. She has also worked in the social services sector, supporting development operations for SISU Youth Services and the Homeless Alliance. A Perry native, Dow earned her bachelor’s degree in English from the University of Central Oklahoma.

“I’m so honored and excited to support the incredible work of educators and school foundations across the state,” Dow said. “As a graduate of a rural Oklahoma school, I know firsthand the impact and importance of equitable, quality education. The work of the Oklahoma Foundation for Excellence champions the needs of Oklahoma public schools and students, and I’m proud to help advance that mission in my new role.”

Norman Public School’s Fifth-Grader Wins Colonial Day Literature Contest

Natalia Alca, a fifth-grader at Truman Elementary School in Norman, has been named winner of the 2023 Colonial Day at the Capitol Literature Contest sponsored by the Oklahoma Foundation for Excellence.

Natalia, 11, was recognized and read her award-winning essay, “What It Means To Be An American,” during Colonial Day at the Capitol on Jan. 27 in the House of Representatives Chamber at the Oklahoma State Capitol. Nearly 500 students participated in the contest.

Ben Franklin, portrayed by historical interpreter Stephen Smith, presented Natalia with a plaque and a $100 prize during Colonial Day opening ceremonies. She also received a citation from her state representative, Jacob Rosecrants, during the ceremony. Natalia wrote about the rights and responsibilities that Americans share as citizens and about her dream of one day becoming president of the United States.

“I am beyond impressed with Natalia’s essay submission,” said her teacher Janet Villani. “It truly reflects the endless possibilities our country offers. I have no doubt Natalia will carry out the hopes and dreams she put in writing. I am so blessed to have her in my class this year!”

Natalia is a member of Truman Elementary School’s GLAMS Club: Girls Learning Agriculture, Math and Science. She is active on the swim team and participates in dance and piano lessons. She is proud to be a Peruvian American who speaks both Spanish and English. Natalia is the daughter of Rebecca Borden Alca and Carlos Alca.

Also recognized at the Colonial Day opening ceremony were three literature contest finalists, who received certificates of merit. They were Mya Blanchard of Eisenhower Elementary in NORMAN; Maximilliano Arellano of Tulakes Elementary, Putnam City Schools, OKLAHOMA CITY; and Michael Glanzer of Cache Elementary School in CACHE.

During Colonial Day, nearly 500 Oklahoma fifth graders traveled back in time to meet historical figures, learn about the daily lives of early Americans, and debate whether the colonies should remain loyal or seek independence from the British crown. Colonial Day is presented by Colonial Williamsburg and George Washington Teacher Institute Alumni in partnership with the Oklahoma Foundation for Excellence, a statewide nonprofit that recognizes and encourages academic excellence in public schools. The program director is Teresa Potter, an instructional coach at Kenneth Cooper Middle School in Putnam City Schools.

The event is also made possible with support from Jami Rhoades Antonisse, Loyd Benson, Diana Brown, Bob Burke, City Bites, Cory’s Audio Visual, the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation, Daughters of the American Revolution: Samuel King Chapter, George Washington’s Mount Vernon Estate and Gardens, Lou C. Kerr – The Kerr Foundation Inc., National Society of the Colonial Dames of America in Oklahoma, Polly Nichols, the Oklahoma History Center, Oklahoma Society of the Daughters of the American Revolution, Charles L. Oppenheim, Mattocks Printing, Tara C’s Sweet Treats, Catherine Wootten, and the Wyndham Grand – Oklahoma City Downtown. 

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(EDITOR: Below is the text of Natalia Alca’s essay, “What It Means To Be An American,” in case you wish to print it.)

 What does it mean to be an American? You might have asked yourself that before. If not, I’m here to tell you what I think being an American means. First, being an American means to have the freedom to live the life you want to live. It also means to not have anyone (except your parents if you’re under 18) control it. Finally, being an American means supporting each other no matter what.

For instance, living the life you want means having opportunities. One of the opportunities Americans have would be that girls are able to go to school and are able to pursue any dreams they have. For example, when I grow up, I want to be the president of the United States of America, and because I am able to go to school and get a good education, hopefully I can make this dream become a reality.

As an American, part of living the life you want for yourself means having control of it. That’s why having rights is important. Specifically, I believe that having freedom, the right to free speech, and the ability to make decisions about my health and well-being is essential. These rights are just a few of the examples of living the life you want as an American.

Lastly, being an American means that we support each other no matter what. We do this by being kind; voting for laws and practices that are good for all people; and remembering, respecting and honoring not only the people who lived here before us but the people who are here now. Given that we live in a multicultural and multilingual society, supporting each other is crucial.

In conclusion, being an American is an honor. The opportunities, rights and support we give each other allow us to live the lives we want to live and be a community

Three Public School Foundation Programs To Be Recognized For Outstanding Achievement

A community engagement event, a literacy initiative and a Pre-K transition camp have been selected as recipients of the 2022 Outstanding Program Awards for Oklahoma School Foundations presented by the Oklahoma Foundation for Excellence and its Oklahoma School Foundations Network.

The awards recognize innovative programs sponsored or administered by public school foundations in Oklahoma. Receiving plaques and monetary awards of $1,000 each will be the State of the Schools Luncheon sponsored by the Bartlesville Public Schools Foundation, ReadOKC Literacy Initiative sponsored by the Oklahoma City Public Schools Foundation and the Union Pre-K Transitional Camp sponsored by the Union Schools Education Foundation.

“We are honoring these programs for their creativity and the positive impact they have in supporting academic excellence in their communities,” said Elizabeth Inbody, executive director of the Oklahoma Foundation for Excellence. “In addition, we plan to share their success stories so other school foundations might emulate or adapt these programs in their own school districts.”

State of the Schools Luncheon
Bartlesville Public Schools Foundation

Just as government leaders hold State of the Union or State of the State addresses to inform citizens about goals and achievements, the Bartlesville Public Schools Foundation began hosting a State of the Schools Luncheon five years ago to educate and engage community stakeholders in their school district.

“The State of the Schools Luncheon is more than a luncheon. It is more than a fundraiser,” said Blair Ellis, executive director of the Bartlesville Public Schools Foundation. “It is a community engagement and education advocacy event that the foundation hosts the week before school starts. … By partnering with our district, the foundation has grown this event to be something our attendees look forward to each year.”

The State of the Schools Luncheon is held in the Bartlesville High School Commons and features a keynote address by Superintendent Chuck McCauley, who reviews the past school year and gives an overview of the district’s priorities for the year ahead. Approximately 250 district stakeholders attended this year’s event, including business leaders, parents, school board members, educators, state and community policy makers and local college and career-tech leaders.

“We have found that by increasing our community’s awareness of all there is to be proud of in our district and of our challenges, it increases the likelihood that they will engage in our school system, offering their time and financial support, and – perhaps most importantly – serving as advocates for our district,” Ellis said.

The State of the Schools event has become one of the foundation’s largest fundraisers through ticket sales, table sponsorships and an online auction – all of which support teacher grants in the fall. A text-to-give matching challenge is hosted by the presenting sponsor. The foundation also provides information on its programs during the event and provides information to attendees on how they can volunteer and get involved in the district. One of the greatest results of the program has been the increase in community engagement, Ellis said.

“So many great partnerships have arisen from this luncheon – businesses reaching out to host high school interns after learning about our internship program; experts in fields like STEM and aeronautics who offer to come in to visit with students; and reading tutors at our elementary schools,” Ellis said.

ReadOKC Literacy Initiative
Oklahoma City Public Schools Foundation

ReadOKC is a districtwide literacy initiative with the mission of instilling a love for reading in students of Oklahoma City Public Schools and in the community. The initiative was started in 2017 by the OKCPS Compact, comprised of the school district, the Oklahoma City Public Schools Foundation, the Greater Oklahoma City Chamber, City of Oklahoma City and United Way of Central Oklahoma. The Oklahoma City Public Schools Foundation oversees and leads all aspects of ReadOKC, including program management, volunteer engagement and fundraising.

“To accomplish its mission, ReadOKC works toward three primary goals: hosting reading challenges during each school break, increasing access to reading materials, and recruiting volunteers to serve as Reading Buddies,” said Abbie Vaughan, director of Community Outreach for the Oklahoma City Public Schools Foundation.

Through its Reading Challenges, all OKCPS students are encouraged to read at least 20 minutes each day during school breaks. Students who meet their reading goals receive a backpack button that says, “I met my goal!” Those who log the highest number of minutes receive prizes donated by the community, such as zoo passes, RIVERSPORT Adventure passes or bookstore gift cards. The school with the highest number of reading minutes logged receives a coveted traveling banner to hang outside its building.

The Oklahoma City Public Schools Foundation also helps recruit Reading Buddies who volunteer once each week to read with a small group of students. These volunteers help instill a love of reading and foster a mentoring relationship with students. More than 500 people have volunteered as Reading Buddies since the program’s inception.

ReadOKC also improves access to reading materials through 69 Little Libraries, free public bookcases which are located outside each OKCPS school building and in many city parks. The libraries are stocked and maintained by volunteers, and students are encouraged to “Take a Book, Leave a Book.” The initiative also offers ReadOKC On the Go!, a school bus that has been retrofitted as a moving library. The bus visits each OKCPS school site and invites students to choose a brand-new book to take home as their own.

Since 2017, ReadOKC has hosted 23 reading challenges, with more than 72,000 students reading for over 30 million minutes. ReadOKC On the Go! has distributed over 22,000 new books to students since July 2021. Preliminary data shows a connection between high performing reading challenge schools and improved benchmark scores for students in those schools.

“Literacy is the foundation of learning and student success in academics,” said Mary Mélon-Tully, president and CEO of the Oklahoma City Public Schools Foundation. “All aspects of ReadOKC strive to improve student literacy by creating lifelong readers and a culture of literacy in our schools.”

Union Pre-K Transition Camp
Union Schools Education Foundation

Union Public Schools’ Pre-K Transition Camp is a summer program that gives incoming Pre-K students the opportunity to experience “school” before the beginning of the formal school year. Students are introduced to school personnel, peers and the routines of each school day. The camp also gives parents the opportunity to participate in parent education programs and to get acquainted with teachers.

“Pre-K can sometimes be an overwhelming transition for some students,” said Shea Ludwig, executive director of the Union Schools Education Foundation. “Union’s Pre-K Camp is designed to ease students and families’ anxiety about this new transition.”

Taking place before the new school year, Pre-K Camp gives teachers the opportunity to lead students through routines of the school day and immerse them in opportunities to develop literacy, math and socio-emotional skills. Meanwhile, parents are invited to attend educational sessions on topics such as establishing healthy sleep habits and reading with children. Parents learn how they can partner with teachers to support their child’s educational goals.

Union began offering a Pre-K Camp in 2012 targeting Title I schools that served many low-income and immigrant families. The success of the program quickly caught the attention of the Union Schools Education Foundation Board of Directors, who sought to support and expand the program to all elementary schools in the district. The foundation provides materials for each Camp, including supplies and, beginning this year, gifting each student with a book titled “The Night Before Pre-School.”

The foundation seeks to measure outcomes of the program through attendance data, parent and child surveys, and reports from teachers on how Pre-K Camp participants adapted to school compared with peers who did not participate.

“Pre-K Camp serves as a crucial first step in building relationships with children and families to promote good behaviors that lead to academic achievement throughout school,” Ludwig said. The positive implications of this preparation are immense. On the first day of school, preschoolers will be ready and confident to begin their journeys as students. Families will also benefit from learning about strategies to support their child’s development.”

Students line up to participate in Union Public Schools’ Pre-K Transition Camp, which helps prepare children and their families for a successful transition to Pre-K. The program is sponsored by the Union Schools Education Foundation.

Bartlesville Public Schools Superintendent Chuck McCauley speaks to community stakeholders during the State of the Schools Luncheon, a community engagement and fundraising event sponsored by the Bartlesville Public Schools Foundation.

Tyniyah, a student at Adams Elementary School in Oklahoma City, displays her Outstanding Reader sign she received as part of the ReadOKC Literacy Initiative. The award-winning program is sponsored by the Oklahoma City Public Schools Foundation.

Fifth and Eighth-Grade Teachers Encouraged to Apply for Colonial Williamsburg Teacher Institute

Applications are now available for Oklahoma fifth- and eighth-grade teachers interested in attending the 2023 Colonial Williamsburg Teacher Institute next summer in the restored capital city of 18th-century Virginia. The fifth-grade institute is scheduled June 4-10, and the eighth-grade institute is scheduled June 11-17, 2023.

The Oklahoma Foundation for Excellence coordinates the selection of Oklahoma teachers to participate in the renowned teacher institute. Applications are being accepted through an online portal at www.ofe.org. Applications must be submitted by 5 p.m. Feb. 1, 2023.

The fellowships cover all program activities, airfare, lodging and most meals. Each teacher also receives a $300 stipend for classroom materials. While in Colonial Williamsburg – the world’s largest living history museum – Oklahoma teachers will have the opportunity to meet character interpreters of 18th-century people and be immersed in early American history through hands-on activities and reenactments of historic events. Participants also will meet daily with a Master Teacher to discuss interactive teaching techniques and develop creative lesson ideas based on their experiences.

“No textbook can replace the inspiration and knowledge gained by walking in the footsteps of early Americans, both famous and ordinary,” said Teacher Institute alumna Linda Goodnight of Wewoka. “Visualizing George Washington and his troops at Surrender Field, debating in the very courtroom where Thomas Jefferson and Patrick Henry pled the cause of liberty, and learning to make rope by hand in Jamestown colony will ignite my teaching – and my students – forever.

“The Colonial Williamsburg Teacher Institute is by far the finest, most comprehensive teacher training I have ever attended,” Goodnight added.  “I am a better American and a better teacher because of it.”

Oklahoma’s fifth-grade teacher institute is open to fifth-grade social studies/history teachers and resource teachers, such as school librarians or gifted-talented teachers, who plan to teach U.S. history in their schools in 2023-2024. Their sessions will focus on the daily life of colonial Virginians and the transition from subject to citizen that occurred during the Revolutionary War period. Teachers will be immersed in content and hands-on activities that highlight the stories of the people who lived and worked in 18th-century Williamsburg.

Oklahoma eighth-grade classroom teachers who will teach U.S. history as part of their social studies curriculum can apply for fellowships to attend the Teacher Institute’s program for secondary teachers. Their sessions will examine how the concept of American identity began in the colonial period and continues to evolve and transform with each generation. Through inquiry-based analysis of primary sources, teachers will explore how that identity influenced American citizens to shape and change the Republic through the 1860s.

The fellowships are available to public and private school teachers. The Teacher Institute requires participants to be fully COVID-19 vaccinated prior to attendance. Participants are asked to share materials, skills and experiences with fellow teachers through two workshops or in-service programs upon their return from the institute.

The Oklahoma Foundation for Excellence has coordinated Oklahoma’s participation in the Colonial Williamsburg Teacher Institute since 1993. The program is made possible through the leadership and support of the late Oklahoma City businessman Edward C. Joullian III, who was an active supporter and former board member of the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation. Joullian was also a trustee of the Oklahoma Foundation for Excellence, a nonprofit organization that recognizes and encourages academic excellence in Oklahoma’s public schools. Joullian’s family, along with a group of loyal donors, continues to support the fellowship program, which has served 922 Oklahoma teachers to date.

For more information, visit the Oklahoma Foundation for Excellence website at www.ofe.org or call Brenda Wheelock at (405) 236-0006, Ext. 11.

Clinton teacher Allison Resendiz meets a historical interpreter portraying Founding Father James Madison during the Colonial Williamsburg Teacher Institute. Applications are now available on the Oklahoma Foundation for Excellence website at www.ofe.org for Oklahoma fifth- and eighth-grade teachers to apply for summer 2023 teacher institute fellowships.

Oklahoma Foundation for Excellence Seeking Submissions for 2023 Academic All-State, Educator Awards

OKLAHOMA CITY – The Oklahoma Foundation for Excellence is seeking submissions for its 2023 Academic Awards, which honor five exceptional educators and 100 outstanding high school seniors in Oklahoma’s public schools. Awards criteria and online nomination/application forms can be accessed on the foundation website at www.ofe.org.

   Founded in 1985, the Oklahoma Foundation for Excellence is a statewide nonprofit organization that recognizes and encourages academic excellence in Oklahoma’s public schools. Awards totaling $175,000 will be presented at the foundation’s 37th annual Academic Awards Banquet on May 20, 2023, at the Cox Business Convention Center in Tulsa. The celebration has been described as the “Academy Awards for public education in Oklahoma.”

   “Oklahoma public school educators and students need and deserve our recognition and encouragement,” said Elizabeth Inbody, executive director of the Oklahoma Foundation for Excellence. “We are calling on Oklahomans to help recognize extraordinary educators in their communities by nominating them for Medal for Excellence Awards and to encourage eligible students to apply for Academic All-State Awards. Together, we can shine a bright light on students and educators who go above and beyond to achieve academic excellence in our public schools.”

   Nominations are now being accepted for Oklahoma Medal for Excellence Awards, which recognize public school educators for their passion and innovation, commitment to professional development, and extraordinary impact on student learning. Awards will be presented in each of the following categories: Elementary Teaching, Secondary Teaching, Elementary/Secondary Administration, Regional University/Community College Teaching and Research University Teaching. Each recipient will receive a $5,000 cash award and an etched glass Roots and Wings sculpture.

   Anyone – including colleagues, parents, students, former students or community members – can nominate a public school educator for an Oklahoma Medal for Excellence Award. Nominations must be submitted by 5 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 29. Nominators are encouraged to complete their nomination statement early so nominees will have time to provide information and collect letters of recommendation prior to the Nov. 29 deadline.

   The foundation is also accepting applications for $1,500 Academic All-State Awards, which recognize 100 exceptional public high school seniors for academic achievement, leadership and community service. To be eligible, students must meet any one of the following criteria: a composite ACT score of at least 30, a combined SAT evidence-based reading & writing and math score of at least 1370, or be selected as a National Merit Scholarship Program semi-finalist. Academic All-State applications must be submitted by 5 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 1.

   Awards recipients are chosen by an independent selection committee comprised of business, education and civic leaders, as well as former Academic All-Staters and Medal for Excellence winners. Since 1987, the Oklahoma Foundation for Excellence has awarded more than $5.2 million in academic awards.

   For more information, visit the foundation’s website at www.ofe.org or call (405) 236-0006.

CONTACT: Brenda Wheelock, Communications Director (405) 236-0006, Ext. 11; bwheelock@ofe.org

Oklahoma Foundation for Excellence Announces 2022 Academic All-State Scholars

OKLAHOMA CITY — The Oklahoma Foundation for Excellence has announced the recipients of its prestigious 2022 Academic All-State Awards. These 100 top public high school seniors, selected from 397 nominations statewide, hail from 75 schools in 67 Oklahoma school districts.

The 2022 Academic All-State class is the 36th to be selected by the Oklahoma Foundation for Excellence.  Since the award program’s inception in 1987, some 3,600 high school seniors from 333 school districts have been named Academic All-State scholars. Three high schools will celebrate their first Academic All-Stater: Heavener, Le Flore, and North Rock Creek high schools.

Each of this year’s All-Staters will receive a $1,000 merit-based scholarship and a medallion. The All-Staters will be recognized at the foundation’s 36th annual Academic Awards Celebration on Saturday, May 21, at the Omni Oklahoma City Hotel.

David L. Boren, founder and chairman of the Oklahoma Foundation for Excellence, describes the selection of the scholars as “Oklahoma’s most rigorous academic awards selection process.” To be nominated for Academic All-State, students must meet one of the following criteria: an American College Test (ACT) composite score of at least 30; a combined SAT evidence-based reading & writing and math score of at least 1370; or be selected as a semi-finalist for a National Merit, National Achievement or National Hispanic Scholarship.

This year’s All-Staters scored an average of 33 on the ACT, with six recipients scoring a perfect 36. The students’ average GPA was 4.22. In addition, 28 of this year’s All-Staters are National Merit semifinalists, and one student is a National Hispanic Scholar semifinalist.

 Academic All-Staters are selected based on academic achievement, extracurricular activities and community involvement, as well as letters of recommendation and an essay submitted by each nominee. The selection committee, which is chaired by retired Tulsa attorney Teresa B. Adwan, works independently of all other foundation activities. The committee members are a diverse group of business, education, and civic leaders, as well as past Academic Awards Program honorees.

The awards ceremony will be televised statewide May 28 and 29 by OETA, the Oklahoma Educational Television Authority. For more information, call the Oklahoma Foundation for Excellence office at (405) 236-0006 or visit its website at www.ofe.org.

“The Oklahoma Foundation for Excellence Academic Awards Program is the Oklahoma’s premiere awards program honoring academic achievement, innovation and leadership among students and educators in our public schools,” said Executive Director Elizabeth Inbody. “By working together to give outstanding students and educators the recognition they deserve, we send a strong message to our state and to the nation that Oklahomans value academic excellence.”

Founded in 1985, the Oklahoma Foundation for Excellence is a statewide, nonprofit organization dedicated to recognizing and encouraging academic excellence in Oklahoma’s public schools. Through its Academic Awards Program, the foundation has provided more than $5.1 million in merit-based scholarships and awards to honor outstanding graduating seniors as Academic All-Staters and exceptional educators as Medal for Excellence winners.

(EDITORS: The 100 Academic All-Staters are listed below alphabetically by school district, school and the city where they reside. For more information on a particular student in your area, contact Brenda Wheelock at 405/236-0006.)

*Indicates the All-State Scholar is the family member of a previous winner.

Name

School District

School

Hometown

Lakota Tolloak

Ada

Ada High School

Ada

Reagin Roudebush

Altus

Altus High School

Altus

Carson Kinder

Arapaho-Butler

Arapaho-Butler High School

Arapaho

Matt Fries

Bartlesville

Bartlesville High School

Bartlesville

Morgan King

Bartlesville

Bartlesville High School

Bartlesville

Stephanie Thanscheidt

Bethany

Bethany High School

Oklahoma City

Kyler Cagle

Big Pasture

Big Pasture High School

Randlett

Landen Plumlee

Bixby

Bixby High School

Bixby

Lauren Hsieh

Bixby

Bixby High School

Tulsa

Evan Kamriguel

Broken Arrow

Broken Arrow High School

Broken Arrow

Josh Mooney

Burns Flat-Dill City

Burns Flat-Dill City High School

Burns Flat

Jayden Collier

Cashion

Cashion High School

Cashion

Jessica Brannon

Chandler

Chandler High School

Chandler

Leah Brannon

Chandler

Chandler High School

Chandler

Shelby Elliott

Charter

Santa Fe South Pathways Middle College

Norman

Lake Lyon

Cherokee

Cherokee High School

Cherokee

Elizabeth Bain

Chisholm

Chisholm High School

Enid

Anna Dewey

Choctaw-Nicoma Park

Choctaw High School

Midwest City

Sean Sumrell

Choctaw-Nicoma Park

Choctaw High School

Choctaw

Layne Havlik

Coweta

Coweta High School

Broken Arrow

Kyler Baldwin

Davis

Davis High School

Wynnewood

Crayton Haney

Deer Creek

Deer Creek High School

Edmond

Julia Harper

Deer Creek

Deer Creek High School

Edmond

Nina Bugg

Deer Creek

Deer Creek High School

Edmond

Campbell Christensen

Edmond

Edmond Memorial High School

Edmond

Irene Cui

Edmond

Edmond Memorial High School

Edmond

William Loughridge*

Edmond

Edmond Memorial High School

Oklahoma City

Christopher Lee

Edmond

Edmond North High School

Edmond

Sydney Saenz

Edmond

Edmond North High School

Edmond

Jaclyn Fan

Edmond

Edmond Santa Fe High School

Edmond

Alyssa Johnson

Elgin

Elgin High School

Elgin

Madeline Benton

Elk City

Elk City High School

Elk City

Krystal Archer*

Enid

Enid High School

Enid

Eden Gray

Eufaula

Eufaula High School

Eufaula

Makaela Krebs

Fairland

Fairland High School

Fairland

Sawyer Hutchison*

Fairview

Fairview High School

Fairview

Sydney Martens

Fairview

Fairview High School

Fairview

Caleb Campbell

Fletcher

Fletcher High School

Fletcher

Gavin Sonnenberg

Frederick

Frederick High School

Frederick

Paul Oakes

Guymon

Guymon High School

Guymon

Sean Miller

Heavener

Heavener High School

Poteau

Levi Carter

Hooker

Hooker High School

Guymon

Jonathan Menzel

Inola

Inola High School

Inola

Chansong Won

Jenks

Jenks High School

Tulsa

Ezra Power

Jenks

Jenks High School

Tulsa

Haeyn Seo

Jenks

Jenks High School

Tulsa

Ignacio Yockers

Jenks

Jenks High School

Tulsa

Kayla Cao

Jenks

Jenks High School

Tulsa

Katon Lunsford

Kingfisher

Kingfisher High School

Kingfisher

Elizabeth Crawford

Latta

Latta High School

Ada

Justin Strickland

Lawton

Eisenhower High School

Lawton

Emily Masters

Lawton

MacArthur High School

Lawton

Marshall Barnett

Le Flore

Le Flore High School

Wister

William Reece Conway

Lone Grove

Lone Grove High School

Ardmore

Luke Tolle

Marlow

Marlow High School

Marlow

Allison Bond

McAlester

McAlester High School

McAlester

Eric Nguyen

Miami

Miami High School

Miami

Stephanie Trejo

Midwest City-Del City

Midwest City High School

Midwest City

Alex Ho

Moore

Moore High School

Moore

Ashton Key

Moore

Southmoore High School

Oklahoma City

Braxdyn Huber

Moore

Southmoore High School

Oklahoma City

Lindsey Michael

Muldrow

Muldrow High School

Muldrow

Kylee Mitchell

Mustang

Mustang High School

Mustang

Lexi Lindemann

New Lima

New Lima High School

Seminole

Chloe Woodruff

Noble

Noble High School

Norman

Sydney Pierce

Norman

Norman High School

Norman

Grace Qi

Norman

Norman North High School

Norman

Syed Aslam

Norman

Norman North High School

Norman

William Noah McMullan

North Rock Creek

North Rock Creek High School

Shawnee

Aishwarya Swamidurai

Oklahoma City

Classen School of Advanced Studies at NE

Oklahoma City

Amelia Oei

Oklahoma City

Classen School of Advanced Studies at NE

Oklahoma City

Katherine Schein

Oklahoma City

Classen School of Advanced Studies at NE

Oklahoma City

Anna Boevers

Oklahoma City

Harding Charter Preparatory High School

Oklahoma City

Ronald Walker

Owasso

Owasso High School

Sperry

Gracie Meade

Piedmont

Piedmont High School

Piedmont

Madison Lake

Piedmont

Piedmont High School

Piedmont

Jenna Stockton

Ponca City

Ponca City High School

Ponca City

Emma Taylor

Pond Creek-Hunter

Pond Creek-Hunter High School

Pond Creek

MaKenna Bailey

Pond Creek-Hunter

Pond Creek-Hunter High School

Pond Creek

Mason Pendley

Pryor

Pryor High School

Pryor

Raven Parkhurst

Sayre

Sayre High School

Sayre

Jaxon Smith

Seminole

Seminole High School

Seminole

Taylor Wise

Skiatook

Skiatook High School

Skiatook

Noah Thompson

Stigler

Stigler High School

Stigler

Connor Zamborsky

Stillwater

Stillwater High School

Stillwater

Lenna Abouzahr

Stillwater

Stillwater High School

Stillwater

Nicholas Belden

Stillwater

Stillwater High School

Stillwater

Elizabeth Kipps

Tecumseh

Tecumseh High School

Tecumseh

Makayla Greening

Thomas-Fay-Custer Unified

Thomas-Fay-Custer Unified High School

Fay

Haley Nettleship

Tulsa

Booker T. Washington High School

Tulsa

Michelle Woolridge

Tulsa

Booker T. Washington High School

Tulsa

Miles Udwin

Tulsa

Booker T. Washington High School

Tulsa

Joshua Le

Tulsa

Tulsa Memorial High School

Tulsa

Sarah Estes

Turpin

Turpin High School

Turpin

Meghana Venkatesha

Union

Union High School

Broken Arrow

Graham Curtsinger

Verdigris

Verdigris High School

Claremore

Shelby Russell

Wagoner

Wagoner High School

Wagoner

Taylor McConnell

Wellston

Wellston High School

Wellston

Don’Derek Lane Jr.

Yukon

Yukon High School

Yukon

Kinley De Leon

Yukon

Yukon High School

Yukon

Oklahoma Foundation for Excellence Announces Boren Mentoring Initiative Grant Recipients

To help support the growth and development of K-12 mentoring programs in Oklahoma, the Oklahoma Foundation for Excellence has announced the recipients of its first Boren Mentoring Initiative start-up grants and opportunity grants totaling $15,000.

The announcement coincides with National Mentoring Month in January, a campaign that aims to celebrate the power of mentoring relationships and raise the awareness of the importance of youth mentoring around the United States.

Two start-up grants of $3,000 each have been awarded to BEST! (Building Extraordinary Success Today) Mentoring, a community-based mentoring organization sponsored by the CACHE Schools Education Foundation; and Positive Presence, a mentoring program serving students ages 5-19 in WILSON Public Schools. Start-up grants are awarded to organizations in their first three years of operation and are designed to encourage communities to establish quality mentoring programs.

Six opportunity grants of $1,500 each were awarded to existing mentoring programs to help fund programming, training, materials or other needs that advance excellence in mentoring for K-12 students. Recipients are Big Brothers Big Sisters of Oklahoma in BARTLESVILLE, which serves children ages 6 to 18; Volunteers for Youth Pal+ Program of CLAREMORE, which serves youth ages 6-18 in Rogers County schools; One True Light Inc., which serves DUNCAN K-12 students through Summer Feeding and Link One Mentoring Programs; Freedom City, which helps at-risk OKLAHOMA CITY Public Schools students catch up academically through in-school and after-school programming; Thunderbird Challenge Program in PRYOR, a 22-week program for high school dropouts sponsored by the Oklahoma National Guard; and Oklahoma State University Reading and Math Center and Pre-Service Teachers Program in STILLWATER, which provides mentoring and literacy help to Upward Bound high school students.

“We are excited to announce our first Boren Mentoring Initiative Grant recipients and to watch how this year’s recipients will use their funds to strengthen mentoring and impact student growth in their communities,” said Elizabeth Inbody, executive director of the Oklahoma Foundation for Excellence. “We look forward to sharing success stories from each of these programs in the coming year.”

The Oklahoma Foundation for Excellence is a statewide nonprofit founded in 1985 by then U.S. Sen. David L. Boren to recognize and encourage academic excellence in Oklahoma’s public schools. The David and Molly Boren Mentoring Initiative – one of the foundation’s five programs — promotes the growth and development of quality mentoring programs in Oklahoma. The initiative grew out of the Borens’ own commitment to mentoring and the proven impact that mentoring can make on a student’s success in and out of the classroom.

In addition to awarding grants, the Boren Mentoring Initiative provides on-call support and resources for mentoring organizations, school districts, businesses and others seeking information on how to start or strengthen their mentoring program for K-12 students. For more information, visit www.ofe.org or contact Program Director Katy Leffel at (405) 236-0006.

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(EDITOR: Boren Mentoring Initiative Grant recipients are listed below by the city in which they serve. Each listing includes a brief description of how the Mentoring Program plans to use its grant funds.)

 

BARTLESVILLE – Big Brothers Big Sisters of Oklahoma provides fully vetted, caring mentors for children 6 to 18. Its mission is to create and support one-to-one mentoring relationships that ignite the power and promise of youth. The agency’s Bartlesville office will use its opportunity grant funds to help revitalize its school-based mentoring program in Dewey Public Schools, recruiting and training high school volunteers to serve mentees in need.

 

CACHE – The BEST! (Building Extraordinary Success Today) Mentoring Program, sponsored by the Cache Schools Education Foundation, focuses on leadership, career exploration and life skills education for middle school and high school students. Start-up grant funds will be used to support group Lunch-and-Learn events, a spring leadership event at Skills for Life Academy, a Mentor Appreciation Day as well as marketing materials for recruiting and retaining volunteers.

 

CLAREMORE – Volunteers for Youth’s PAL + Program serves youth ages 6-18 in school systems in Rogers County. The mentoring program provides at-risk youth with positive adult leadership. As part of the mentor training process, volunteers complete a six-hour pre-match training addressing topics such as how to respond if a youth is engaged in substance misuse, mandatory reporting, effective communication techniques and motivational interviewing. The PAL + Program will use its Opportunity Grant funds to purchase updated training materials and resources for mentors.

 

DUNCAN – One True Light Inc. was founded in 2012 with the mission of “linking generations to learn, love and live together.” Its focus is to unite the community to meet the physical, emotional and academic needs of K-12 students in Duncan through a Summer Feeding Program and Link One Mentoring Program. One True Light plans to use its opportunity grant funds to purchase sensory chairs and cushions and sensory-rich bucket kits for each of the seven school sites to help enhance sensory input to promote self-regulation, behavior and attention. They also plan to incorporate STEM educational toys that will help students develop creative thinking and problem-solving skills.

 

OKLAHOMA CITY – Freedom City works with at-risk students in Oklahoma City Public Schools, helping them to catch up academically through in-school and after-school programs, with a special focus on reading and math. The program will use its opportunity grant funds to help cover after-school staff expenses and purchase supplies for math and reading instruction.

 

PRYOR – Thunderbird Challenge Program provides 16 to 18-year-old school dropouts with the opportunity to gain control of their lives. The program, a division of the National Guard and National Guard Bureau Youth Challenge Program, utilizes a structured approach to self-discipline, improving self-esteem and physical fitness to address the needs of the whole person. The program plans to use its opportunity grant to provide mentor appreciation gifts and prizes to be awarded during mentor training events. Mentor appreciation is critical to mentor retention and the program’s success.

 

STILLWATER – Oklahoma State University’s Reading and Math Center and Pre-Service Teachers Program provides mentoring and literacy support to Upward Bound high school students. The program will utilize opportunity grant funds to purchase materials benefiting mentees such as journals, curriculum materials and assessments. They also plan to use the funds to host closing events in fall and spring for mentors and mentees.  

 

WILSON – Positive Presence matches positive adult role-models with Wilson students ages 5 to 19. Mentors will read with students, participate in game nights, talk about careers, provide tutoring and simply spend time visiting with their mentees. Start-up grant funds will be used for volunteer background checks, for activities such as the School Unity Project, and for mentoring supplies such as books and games.

Foundation to Honor State's Top Educators, Students at 35th Academic Awards Celebration May 22 in Tulsa

Five outstanding Oklahoma educators will be honored along with 100 of the state’s top public high school seniors when the Oklahoma Foundation for Excellence hosts its 35th Academic Awards Celebration at 2 p.m. Saturday, May 22, at the Cox Business Convention Center, 100 Civic Center.

Due to COVID-19 safety protocols, attendance for the 2021 Academic Awards Celebration is limited to honorees and their registered family members. The public is encouraged to view the awards ceremony broadcast at 3 p.m. Saturday, May 29, or 10 a.m. Sunday, May 30, on OETA Public Television. The broadcast will also be available on the foundation’s website at www.ofe.org.

“Rising Above, Going Beyond” is the theme for this year’s celebration, which will feature a keynote address by award-winning teacher and education activist Erin Gruwell. She is the collaborative author of “The Freedom Writers Diary: How a Teacher and 150 Teens Used Writing to Change Themselves and the World Around them.”

Emmy Award-winning television journalist Scott Thompson – an Oklahoma Foundation for Excellence trustee – will serve as the emcee for the afternoon ceremony honoring “the best of the best” in Oklahoma’s public schools. Foundation Trustee Ken Busby, executive director and CEO of the Route 66 Alliance, serves as chair of the event.

“The Academic Awards Celebration is such an inspiring, entertaining, and important event for public education in Oklahoma,” Busby said. “Some have described it as the ‘Academy Awards’ of public education in Oklahoma because we really roll out the red carpet to honor extraordinary teachers and students. Top that off with an inspiring address by educator Erin Gruwell, and you have a very memorable celebration.”

The Oklahoma Foundation for Excellence is a nonprofit, charitable organization founded in 1985 by then-U.S. Sen. David Boren to recognize and encourage academic excellence in Oklahoma’s public schools. Through its Academic Awards Program, the foundation has awarded more than $5 million in merit-based scholarships and cash awards to honor outstanding graduating seniors as Academic All-Staters and exceptional educators as Medal for Excellence winners.

The foundation will present its 2020-21 Oklahoma Medal for Excellence Award in Elementary Teaching to Michelle Rahn, a sixth-grade STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) teacher at Will Rogers Junior High in Claremore; in Secondary Teaching to Shelley Self, an art teacher at Coweta High School; in Elementary/Secondary Administration to Chuck McCauley, superintendent of Bartlesville Public Schools; in Regional University/Community College Teaching to Dr. David Bass, professor of biology at the University of Central Oklahoma, Edmond; and in Research University Teaching to Dr. Edralin Lucas, professor of nutritional sciences, Oklahoma State University, Stillwater. The honorees, who were unable to be recognized in person in 2020 due to the pandemic, will receive awards at this year’s awards ceremony.

Each Medal for Excellence recipient receives a $5,000 cash award as well as a glass “Roots and Wings” sculpture. With support from scholarship sponsors, the Oklahoma Foundation for Excellence will also present merit-based Academic All-State Scholarships of $1,000 each and medallions to 100 Academic All-State Scholars.

The 2021 Academic All-State class hails from 77 schools in 69 Oklahoma school districts. The honorees were selected from 379 nominations in what is described by Boren as “Oklahoma’s most rigorous academic awards selection process.”  Four high schools will celebrate their first Academic All-Stater: Davenport, Porum, Soper and Stigler high schools.

For more information on the Academic Awards Celebration and this year’s honorees, visit the Oklahoma Foundation for Excellence website at www.ofe.org or call (405) 236-0006.

Oklahoma Foundation for Excellence Announces 2021 Academic All-State Scholars

OKLAHOMA CITY — The Oklahoma Foundation for Excellence has announced the recipients of its prestigious 2021 Academic All-State Awards. These 100 top public high school seniors, selected from 379 nominations statewide, hail from 77 schools in 69 Oklahoma school districts.

The 2021 Academic All-State class is the 35th to be selected by the Oklahoma Foundation for Excellence.  Since the award program’s inception in 1987, some 3,500 high school seniors from 330 school districts have been named Academic All-State scholars. Four high schools will celebrate their first Academic All-Stater: Davenport, Porum, Soper and Stigler high schools.

Each of this year’s All-Staters will receive a $1,000 merit-based scholarship and a medallion. The All-Staters will be recognized at the foundation’s 35th annual Academic Awards Celebration on Saturday, May 22, at the Cox Business Center in Tulsa.

David Boren, founder and chairman of the Oklahoma Foundation for Excellence, describes the selection of the scholars as “Oklahoma’s most rigorous academic awards selection process.” To be nominated for Academic All-State, students must meet one of the following criteria: an American College Test (ACT) composite score of at least 30; a combined SAT evidence-based reading & writing and math score of at least 1370; or be selected as a semi-finalist for a National Merit, National Achievement or National Hispanic Scholarship.

This year’s All-Staters scored an average of 33 on the ACT, with 11 recipients scoring a perfect 36. The students’ average GPA was 4.26. In addition, 34 of this year’s All-Staters are National Merit semifinalists, and two are National Hispanic Scholar semifinalists.

Academic All-Staters are selected based on academic achievement, extracurricular activities and community involvement, as well as letters of recommendation and an essay submitted by each nominee. The selection committee, which is chaired by retired Tulsa attorney Teresa B. Adwan, works independently of all other foundation activities. The committee members are a diverse group of business, education, and civic leaders, as well as past Academic Awards Program honorees.

The foundation will also recognize five innovative public school educators who were selected in 2020 as Medal for Excellence winners but were unable to be honored last spring due to the pandemic. The Medal for Excellence honorees are elementary teaching recipient Michelle Rahn, a sixth-grade STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) teacher at Will Rogers Junior High in Claremore; secondary teaching honoree Shelley Self, an art teacher at Coweta High School; elementary/secondary administration recipient Chuck McCauley, superintendent of Bartlesville Public Schools; regional university/community college teaching recipient Dr. David Bass, professor of biology at the University of Central Oklahoma, Edmond; and research university teaching honoree Dr. Edralin Lucas, professor of nutritional sciences, Oklahoma State University, Stillwater.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, this year’s Academic Awards Celebration will have limited attendance for the safety of honorees and their guests. The awards ceremony will be televised statewide May 29 by OETA, the Oklahoma Educational Television Authority. For more information, call the Oklahoma Foundation for Excellence office at (405) 236-0006 or visit its website at www.ofe.org.

“The Oklahoma Foundation for Excellence Academic Awards Program is the Oklahoma’s premiere awards program honoring academic achievement, innovation and leadership among students and educators in our public schools,” said Executive Director Emily Stratton. “By working together to give outstanding students and educators the recognition they deserve, we send a strong message to our state and to the nation that Oklahomans value academic excellence.”

Founded in 1985, the Oklahoma Foundation for Excellence is a statewide, nonprofit organization dedicated to recognizing and encouraging academic excellence in Oklahoma’s public schools. Through its Academic Awards Program, the foundation has provided more than $5 million in merit-based scholarships and awards to honor outstanding graduating seniors as Academic All-Staters and exceptional educators as Medal for Excellence winners.

View Academic All-Staters

The Oklahoma Foundation for Excellence puts the health and safety of students, teachers, their families, and their communities first. After monitoring recommendations from state and local health officials to contain the spread of the coronavirus (COVID-19), we have decided to cancel the May 16 Academic Awards Banquet.

We will continue to pay tribute to our 2020 Academic All-Staters and Medal for Excellence-winning educators in statewide media and social media, as well as through cash awards. We are proud of our honorees and we will do all that we can to celebrate and publicize their remarkable achievements.

REFUND POLICY: Those who have submitted payment for banquet registration will receive a full refund. 

We appreciate your patience and understanding as we navigate this unprecedented public health crisis and its impact on Oklahoma’s premier event honoring excellence in public education.


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