OKCPS Bragging Rights - November 2006

November 21, 2006 That a Wrap... Students in Susan Pike's Northwest Classen High School class assisted her cut, fringe and tie knots to create 124 fleece scarves to donate to the City Rescue Mission. The helpers were 9th grade students and the district is very proud of their selfless efforts to help those in need.
November 20, 2006 Flying High... Capitol Hill Elementary has been very busy this year. They invited their families to share in the school's Thanksgiving lunch. They had approximately 125 parents and grandparents attend. They were also honored with visitors from Fire Station #7. Firefighters attended breakfast with the students and read stories to the Pre-kindergarten and Kindergarten classes. Capitol Hill Church of God invited Capitol Hill Elementary's Whiz Kids and their families to Thanksgiving dinner. Whiz Kids is a tutoring program with approximately 20 students and 20 tutors from Capitol Hill Church of God. Throughout the year, they work together to learn from each other. In other good news, the 5th grade class went on a field trip to the OU Sooner Flight Academy hosted by Eisenhower Elementary. Students learned about aeronautics, geography and flight communications.



November 17, 2006 Fulfilling the Promise... We are proud to announce that the Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education recognized Northwest Classen High School and Northeast Academy as “State Champions” for having the most Oklahoma’s Promise-OHLAP graduates in 2006. Oklahoma’s Promise-OHLAP (Oklahoma Higher Learning Access Program) is the state scholarship program that allows high school students to earn free college tuition if they meet certain eligibility requirements. Northwest Classen High School had 48 graduates in Class 5A and Northeast Academy had 43 graduates in Class 4A qualifying both schools as state champions.
November 11, 2006 Blending of the Arts... Seventy-two Sequoyah Elementary kindergarteners spent weeks learning about Egyptian Art, the lines and colors of Dale Chihuly’s glassworks, classical painting styles of landscape, still life and portrait, topped off with the P.A.S.S. skill of visiting a Museum. With the support of Oklahoma City Art Museum’s fabulist docents, Inasmuch Foundation and the Meinders Foundation the schools youngest students had a meaningful learning cultural experience. Sequoyah Elementary is an A+ Arts and Core Knowledge school that celebrates the Arts.
November 11, 2006 Music to the Ears... Congratulations to Taft Middle School Student, Teresa Zajac, for being named one of only two middle school students to audition and earn a position in the Central Oklahoma Directors’ Association Honor Band. The band will be performing on the OU campus in January.
November 10, 2006 Welcome Aboard... Welcome to Stonegate-Hogan, one of the district's newest mentors. The company has joined with Parker Elementary to help the students do better in school with a little encouragement and inspiration.

November 10, 2006 Make a Joyful Noise... Classen School of Advanced Studies is proud of Shaelynn Morefield for her successful performance on Flute where she took the State Award at the Music Teachers National Association competition. She will compete at the regional level in January for a chance to go to the National competition. Congratulations also goes to the following band students for their outstanding showing at the CODA/All-State tryouts. Shaelynn Morefield (Flute), Elliot Choi (clarinet), Anthony Godbout (Alto Saxophone), Jessica Hernandez and Gabriel Montgomery (percussion), all are eligible to go to the final round of All-State tryouts. They will compete to make the All-State Honor Band. Elliot Choi and Anthony Godbout also made the CODA Wind Ensemble while Shaelynn Morefield made the CODA Symphonic Band. And more good news, Daniella Perez (flute) and Evan Crabtree (trumpet) made the middle school CODA Honor Band. They will perform in a special concert to be held in Catlett Center on the University of Oklahoma campus in January.
November 8, 2006 Drawing on Inspiration... Arthur Elementary was honored with a special visit from children's book illustrator, Danny Gordon. After presenting several of his pieces of work and giving a history of his inspiring career, Gordon gave all of the students a drawing lesson. Because of his passion for his work and his talent, Gordon makes a wonderful role model for the students. Also, Arthur Elementary was chosen as one of only 50 schools nationwide to host a “Passport to Play” live event. This event is designed to encourage 3rd through 5th graders to become more active and have fun through the exploration of games children play all around the globe. Students learned to play Oba. It is a fun and simple game from Columbia that challenges student’s stamina and creativity. Other games taught included an Australian game called Down, Down, Down and a game from Holland called Korfball. The favorite game learned was Thailand's Buka Ball. Passport to Play was wonderful mix of physical activity and exploration of cultural diversity.	Mr. Gordon gives students a drawing lesson.
	Aaliyah Dawson looks on as Mr. Gordon autographs some artwork for students

November 6, 2006 Exhibit to Remember... The 6th graders at Capitol Hill Elementary enjoyed the opportunity of seeing the Temples and Tombs: Treasures of Egyptian Art from The British Museum. This exhibit featured 85 magnificent pieces of art, on display at the Oklahoma City Museum of Art. Every year, students from Capitol Hill Elementary visit the museum. A special thank you to the Meinders Foundation for making this year's trip possible.