Academic Awards Broadcast to Honor Outstanding Students, Educators
OKLAHOMA CITY – Five outstanding educators and 100 of the state’s top public high school seniors will be recognized when the Oklahoma Foundation for Excellence 37th Academic Awards Celebration is broadcast at 3 p.m. Saturday, May 27, and 10 a.m. Sunday, May 28, on OETA Public Television.
The program will air on OETA Channel 13 in Oklahoma City and Channel 11 in Tulsa. The broadcast can also be viewed 7:30 a.m. Sunday, June 4, on the OETA World Channel. The gala celebration, recorded May 20 at the Cox Business Convention Center in Tulsa, is sponsored by the Oklahoma Foundation for Excellence, a nonprofit organization that recognizes and encourages academic excellence in Oklahoma’s public schools.
The Academic Awards Celebration recognizes 100 public high school seniors from throughout the state as Academic All-Staters. Also honored are this year’s recipients of Oklahoma Medal for Excellence Awards: Elementary Teaching recipient Barbie Jackson, a STEM teacher at Limestone Technology Academy in Sand Springs; Secondary Teaching winner Jason Paris, a fine arts teacher at Cherokee Junior High and High School; Elementary/Secondary Administration recipient Dr. Kyle Reynolds, superintendent of Woodward Public Schools; Regional University/Community College Teaching honoree Dr. Alissa Proctor, professor of optometry at Northeastern State University in Tahlequah; and Research University Teaching recipient Dr. F. Bailey Norwood, professor of agribusiness at Oklahoma State University in Stillwater. Bios of the honored students and educators are available online at ofe.org.
Described as the “Academy Awards of public education in Oklahoma,” the awards program was emceed by foundation trustee and banquet chairman Kyden Creekpaum. Creekpaum, who is a Tulsa attorney, was among the foundation’s Academic All-State honorees in 2000.
“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 Elizabeth Inbody, foundation executive director. “By working together to give outstanding students and educators the recognition they deserve, we send a message that we value their accomplishments and dedication, and we inspire others to strive for excellence.”
The program will also feature a keynote address by Sheryl WuDunn, a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist, author and business executive. WuDunn and her husband, journalist Nicholas Kristoff, are the co-authors of such best-selling books as “Tightrope: Americans Reaching for Hope” and “Half the Sky: Turning Oppression into Opportunity for Women.” In her keynote address, “Empowering Students to Change the World,” WuDunn shares ways young people can impact the lives of others in their communities and around the world.
The Academic Awards broadcast will also feature music by the Tulsa Youth Symphony, including a featured performance of “Hungarian March” by Hector Berlioz.
A link to the broadcast will be available in June on the Oklahoma Foundation for Excellence website at ofe.org. For more information, contact the foundation office at (405) 236-0006.
2023 Oklahoma Academic All-Staters take the stage with Master of Ceremonies Kyden Creekpaum for the finale of the 37th annual Oklahoma Foundation for Excellence Academic Awards Celebration. The awards ceremony, which honors outstanding educators and graduating seniors in Oklahoma public schools, will premiere statewide on OETA public television at 3 p.m. Saturday, May 27, and 10 a.m. Sunday, May 28.
