News and Happenings from Around the District
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Eisenhower Middle, Pat Henry Elementary boast top spellers
Blaise Manuel, a seventh grader at Eisenhower Middle School, was crowned champion of the Central Oklahoma Spelling Bee’s Region 14 competition, held Jan. 31 in Lawton. Isaiah Roberson, a fifth grader at Pat Henry Elementary, was crowned runner-up. “Luminaria” was the winning word in this year’s competition. Local sponsor of the spelling bee was the Junior League of Lawton.
by Keith Mitchell on 31 January 2012 @ 4:08pmElementary progress reports go home next week
The Lawton Public Schools will send home progress reports with elementary students on Tuesday, Feb. 7. Information previously released indicated it would be this week. LPS apologizes for the inconvenience.
by Keith Mitchell on 30 January 2012 @ 3:03pmPioneer Park to sponsor blood drive
The student council at Pioneer Park Elementary School, 3005 NE Angus Pl., will sponsor a blood drive from 1-4 p.m. Friday, Jan. 27. All healthy donors ages 16 and older are invited to participate. Free health screenings, including book pressure and cholesterol check, are available to donors. Appointments can be made by calling the school at 580.355.5844, or the Southwest Oklahoma Blood Institute at 877.340.8777.
by Keith Mitchell on 24 January 2012 @ 10:19amArchery tournament set for Saturday at MMS
A very good turnout has been reported for the upcoming Bulls-Eye Bash Archery Tournament is coming up this Saturday at Mac Middle School. Organizers report that 216 archers have pre-registered from the following schools: Bishop, Cache, Comanche, Flower Mound, Indiahoma, MacArthur Middle, MacArthur High School, Park Lane and Trinity Christian Academy. Arrows fly at 9 a.m., with awards to be presented at the conclusion of the student competition around 2 p.m.
by Keith Mitchell on 24 January 2012 @ 10:19amGentry Singers plan show choir workshop
Eisenhower High School's award-winning Gentry Singers will sponsor a show choir workshop for students in grades 2-8 at EHS. The workshop is set for 9 a.m.-4 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 11, and ends with a free concert for participants' families. The workshop will include a day filled with fun activities as participants learn 3-4 songs with choreography. Walk-ins are welcome, but those who pre-register by Feb. 6 will also receive a free shirt. Cost to register is $30 and includes lunch. Registration that morning begins at 8:30 a.m.
For details, contact EHS choir director Debbie Wood at 580.355.9144, or via email at dwood@lawtonps.org. A registration form for the workshop can be downloaded at www.ikechoir.org.
by Keith Mitchell on 24 January 2012 @ 10:19amPTA gets grant for Crosby Park Elementary
The Crosby Park Elementary PTA has been selected to receive a $4,500 "Toolbox for Education" grant from the Lowe's Charitable and Educational Foundation to fund its proposal, "Technology for Tomorrow." The grant will be matched by the PTA to purchase two electronic whiteboards, laptops and related projection equipment.
by Keith Mitchell on 19 January 2012 @ 11:05amRegional spelling bee set for Jan. 31 at CMS
Fifty students from 25 LPS elementary and middle schools are hitting the books hard this month as they prepare for the 2012 Central Oklahoma Scripps Regional Spelling Bee. These schools have already held their own spelling bees in grades 4-8, choosing two students to represent them at the regional contest, which begins at 1:30 p.m. Jan. 31 at Central Middle School, 1201 NW Fort Sill Blvd.
The top two winners in the regional competition will advance to the state level. Oklahoma’s top two winners will go on to represent the state in the national spelling bee, which takes place in Washington, D.C. this year. The Oklahoman sponsors the Oklahoma Spelling Bee each year. The Junior League of Lawton will sponsor the event locally, as it has done for several years, and will provide medals and trophies for the winner and runner-up, along with participation medals for all competitors.
by Keith Mitchell on 18 January 2012 @ 3:11pmSeveral LPS elementaries to test school uniforms
A program to test the benefits of school uniforms will be piloted at Edison, Pioneer Park, Sullivan Village and Woodland Hills elementary schools when next school year begins. Around mid-year, the Lawton Board of Education will evaluate the project to determine how well it was received and problems that might have impacted implementation. Based on those results, a decision will be made as to whether to continue with the program.
In many ways, the pilot program is more like a modified dress code instead of a school uniform, since students will not be dressed identically at a particular school. Both boys and girls will have the freedom to select from a variety of colors for polo shirts, sweaters and sweatshirts. Slacks, shorts and skirts must be black, blue or khaki. Denim pants will not be an option, due to the wide variety of shades of fabric produced. Shirts cannot have designs or wording, and must be solid in color.
Several Lawton businesses will stock the uniform choices, eliminating availability problems. Clothing costs should be comparable to, or less than, what families currently pay for school clothes.
by Keith Mitchell on 11 January 2012 @ 2:21pmLHS, EHS JROTC drill teams compete in Cowtown Classic Invitational
Two of Lawton’s Junior ROTC programs turned in solid efforts recently in Fort Worth, garnering several awards at the Cowtown Classic Invitational Drill Meet. Eisenhower High’s unarmed drill team finished first in inspection.
Lawton High School’s female color guard finished fourth in the inspection phase of the competition, sixth in the performance phase and sixth overall. The armed drill team from LHS brought home a second place trophy for its performance in the exhibition drill competition and placed sixth in the regulation phase of the competition. The Wolverine unarmed drill team finished fourth in the exhibition drill competition and sixth in the regulation phase of competition.
by Keith Mitchell on 4 January 2012 @ 4:08pmMHS lands three on All-State Band
Three MacArthur High School musicians were selected for All-State recognition, according to band director Larry Hatch. The three were selected during tryouts Dec. 3 at Westmoore High School in Moore. The honorees are senior Micheal Barnes on percussion, junior Kessa Fehring on flute, and junior Jonathan Martin as an alternate on trumpet. This is Fehring’s second year to be selected. All-state concerts will take place Jan. 21 at the Performing Arts Center in Tulsa.
by Keith Mitchell on 4 January 2012 @ 4:08pmLPS Board announces 2012 meeting dates
The Lawton Board of Education has announced its regular meeting dates for 2012. Meetings are typically held on the first Monday and third Thursday of each month, although this can vary due to holidays or scheduling conflicts. On these occasions, a revised date will be announced.
The 2012 dates are: Thursday, Jan. 19; Monday, Feb. 3; Thursday, Feb. 16; Monday, March 5; Monday, April 2; Thursday, April 19; Monday, May 7; Thursday, May 17; Monday, June 4; Thursday, June 21; Thursday, July 19; Thursday, Aug. 2; Thursday, Aug. 16; Tuesday, Sept. 4; Thursday, Sept. 20; Monday, Oct. 15; Monday, Nov. 5; Thursday, Nov. 15; and Monday, Dec. 10.
Regularly scheduled meetings are held at 5 p.m. in the auditorium of the Shoemaker Education Center, 753 NW Fort Sill Blvd. and are televised live in Lawton on Fidelity Communications Channel 17 and at Fort Sill on Suddenlink Channel 2. All meetings are open to the public and comply with the Oklahoma’s Open Meeting Act. Agendas are posted at the front door of Shoemaker Center at least 48 hours prior to each meeting.
by Keith Mitchell on 4 January 2012 @ 4:08pmTwo from LPS earn National Board Certification
Two Lawton Public Schools teachers have achieved National Board Certification, according to an announcement by the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards. Shelley Brennan and Kristine Johnson are among 174 Oklahomans who earned the teaching profession’s top recognition this year. Brennan, a teacher at Brockland Elementary, was certified as a middle childhood/generalist, while Johnson, a teacher at Sheridan Road Elementary, was certified as an early childhood/generalist.
National Board Certification measures a teacher's practice against high and rigorous standards through an extensive series of performance-based assessments, which includes teaching portfolios, student work samples, videotapes or DVDs and a thorough analysis of the candidate's teaching and students' learning. The process involves written exercises that probe the depth of a candidate's subject-matter knowledge, as well as his or her understanding of how to teach those subjects.
by Keith Mitchell on 4 January 2012 @ 4:08pmTMS essayist places third in Oklahoma City National Memorial contest
Tomlinson Middle School student Lauren Anderson has been selected as the third place winner in the Grade 7-8 division of the Oklahoma City National Memorial and Museum’s annual fall essay contest.
Anderson is a student in Kimberly Stormer’s Pre-AP English class at TMS. Her 350-word essay, “Coming Together with Love,” was a response to a quote from Bob Johnson, founding chair of the museum, who said, “Our community could easily have responded to Timothy McVeigh’s hate with more hate, but we didn’t. The memorial is a very special place where, in 1995, profound loss was met with profound love, beyond measure.”
Initiated in 2002, the essay contest is a cornerstone of the memorial's educational programs. The event has expanded from a state contest to a national one, allowing more students to use it as a vehicle for sharing their perspectives and engaging in the lessons of the memorial.
Recognition of Anderson and other essay contest winners is set for 2 p.m. Dec. 13, at the Oklahoma Judicial Center. Oklahoma Supreme Court Chief Justice Steven Taylor – who presided over the trial of McVeigh co-conspirator Terry Nichols – will be the host. Anderson’s essay will join other winners in the museum’s virtual archives, where they will remain for the coming year. She also receives a $50 cash prize for placing third.
by Keith Mitchell on 1 December 2011 @ 4:27pmIndian Education PAC meetings planned
The Lawton Public Schools' Title VII Indian Education Parent Advisory Committee meets regularly during the school year to allow parents an opportunity to provide the district with input regarding the program.
Three meetings remain this school year: Feb. 7, March 6 (both at 5 p.m. in the Federal Programs conference room in the basement of the Shoemaker Education Center) and May 8 (5:45 p.m. in the Central Middle School Auditorium). The May 8 meeting will be followed by a student recognition night from 6-7 p.m. in the Central Middle School Auditorium.
by Keith Mitchell on 1 December 2011 @ 4:27pmMHS artists recognized by Toyota dealership
Michael Rentschler, general manager of Jim Norton Toyota in Lawton, visited MacArthur High School on Nov. 3 to surprise two students in the art class of Larry Johns. Senior Samantha Pigadiotis and junior Vincent Baza were the first and second-prize winners of a contest to design new artwork for the dealership. Pigadiotis won a $200 cash price for her first-place entry, while Baza received $50 for his second-place drawing. Pigadiotis' design already appears on license plates used by the dealership and will soon appear on its courtesy van.
by Keith Mitchell on 4 November 2011 @ 2:53pmLPS seniors recognized by National Merit, Achievement programs
LPS recently honored 13 seniors who have been selected for recognition by two of the nation’s most prestigious national scholarship programs.
Five students – Mitchell LeFebvre and Austin Warren from Eisenhower High School, Sara Collins and Gage Hull from MacArthur High School, and Joseph Lemque from Lawton High School – are semifinalists in the National Merit Scholarship Program. The program also named EHS seniors Jed Johnson, Abigail Magee and Colton Warren as “Commended Students.”
Eisenhower High senior Darius Dixon is a semifinalist in the National Achievement Program, and four other students – Nikayla Gibbs and Chrystal Stallworth from EHS, Seane Gibbs from MHS and Asia Lockwood from LHS – were named “Outstanding Participants” by the organization.
The National Merit Scholarship Program is widely regarded as the most prestigious national recognition that can be given to high school seniors. Less than one percent of the 1.3 million students who compete for the award make the semifinal round.
The National Achievement Scholarship Program recognizes minority students, with honorees chosen on academic ability and participation in extracurricular activities. Of the 130,000 who apply, only 1,600 are named semifinalists. The Lawton students who were named semifinalists in the National Merit program now have the opportunity to advance to the finalist round, carrying an opportunity to receive scholarships to help them get a college education.
by Keith Mitchell on 1 December 2011 @ 4:27pmFFAers win Silver Emblem
An Lawton FFA team received the Silver Emblem Award during a recent trip to Indianapolis, Ind., for the Environmental & National FFA Resources & Career Development event. Individual results gave a gold emblem to Hannah Barber (EHS), silver emblems to Rebecca Brisolara & Heather LaPierre (both EHS) and a bronze emblem to Jessica Cauthon (MHS). All are juniors. The Lawton FFA is comprised of students from Lawton High, Eisenhower High and MacArthur High.
by Keith Mitchell on 31 October 2011 @ 2:34pmSullivan Village teacher picked for "mission"
Sullivan Village teacher Art Hoffman is one of 10 teachers selected to attend the Oklahoma Space Grant Consortium's "Mission to Planet Earth" next summer. The University of Oklahoma will host the 11-day workshop in June 2012 that will help teachers learn to use the excitement of aerospace education to motivate students. The workshop will cover the principals of flight, satellites, living and working in space and how to use model rocketry in the classroom.
by Keith Mitchell on 13 October 2011 @ 10:31amParent Portal is now operational
Lawton Public Schools' "Parent Portal" is now operational for the new school year. The program allows families to track student grades on a daily basis over the Internet. Tracking grades helps student stay on top of homework and avoid unpleasant surprises at the end of the semester.
A code is required access Parent Portal, and must be picked up in person from the student's school. To save time, parents are strongly encouraged to call ahead and arrange a meeting. Paperwork will be prepared in advance, saving time.
by Keith Mitchell on 9 September 2011 @ 4:40pmNew immunization law takes effect for 2011-2012 school year
Beginning immediately, Oklahoma law requires all students entering the seventh grade to present a record proving they have received a Tdap vaccination, which provides a booster dose to fight pertussis (whooping cough), tetanus and diphtheria. Parents with questions about the new law can call the Comanche County Health Department at 580.248.5890.
by Keith Mitchell on 8 August 2011 @ 3:49pmDVDs, web broadcasts of graduations available
Would you like a DVD of the any of LPS' middle or high school graduations this year? Copies can be purchased for $12 each from the LPS Media/Technology Center. Call 580.357.6900 to place an order.
In addition, as a service to graduates' parents who are serving overseas and other family members who were unable to attend high school graduations, the LPS Media/Technology Center has posted streaming video of each high school's 2011 graduation ceremony on its website for a limited time.
by Keith Mitchell on 31 May 2011 @ 11:47amBusiness/organizational partnerships benefit schools
LPS and the Lawton-Fort Sill Chamber of Commerce believe that schools, organizations and businesses have much they can offer each other. By working together, the community can produce better schools, better educated children and an improved business climate. That's the idea behind "Partners in Education," a collaboration of local educational institutions and the chamber's education committee that seeks to build close relationships between schools and a community partner.
Collaborations are not restricted to businesses or industries. Civic clubs and local institutions are also invited to partner with schools. Size isn't important; partners can be individuals or industries. Partnerships do not have to involve money; they can involve volunteering, mentoring and tutoring. Possibilities are limitless. Schools and their partners develop their own plans based on their needs, interests and ability to help.
Anyone interested in this program should contact the Lawton-Fort Sill Chamber at 580.355.3541. Fliers explaining the program are also available at all LPS schools.
by Keith Mitchell on 15 September 2011 @ 9:02am