This summer, Brylee Rice from Sand Springs will join outstanding elementary school students from across the state to take part in a unique academic and career oriented development experience, the National Youth Leadership Forum (NYLF): Pathways to STEM, taking place in Dallas, Texas.
Read MoreSand Springs Public Schools officials, students, and community leaders gathered Friday afternoon for a ground-breaking ceremony on a new gymnasium at Angus Valley Elementary. The gym will also serve as a hardened storm shelter.
Sand Springs voters overwhelmingly approved the project in March of 2019 as part of a $32.85 million bond proposition. Of the nearly 2,000 votes cast, 92.83% were in favor of the proposal, which also funded the recently-completed Freshman Academy and STEM center at Charles Page High School.
“This is the last elementary school that has yet to have a separate cafeteria and gym in our district,” said Superintendent Sherry Durkee. “They’ve been having to share a space as a place to eat, a place to do assemblies, and a place to hold P.E. classes. Now we have the versatility of having different schedules, so that P.E. can be held in a separate place.”
Construction will officially begin next week, and the project is expected to be completed by the summer of 2021, before the new school year. Part of the construction will be to include a reinforced grass surface that will be able to support fire trucks, while still maintaining a natural look, instead of a paved fire lane.
The gym will be large enough to hold the entire school, both students and staff, in the event of a serious weather event.
The project is expected to cost approximately $2 million, with half coming from the 2019 bond election, and half coming from existing building funds.
Angus Valley Elementary second-grade student Landon Durborow was presented with a Sandite Spirit Award at Monday evening’s Board of Education meeting. Board President Jackie Wagnon praised Durborow for his “servant’s heart.”
“He has developed wisdom beyond his years,” said Wagnon. “He knows the meaning of being a servant.”
“This little boy definitely has Sandite Spirit,” added Angus Valley Principal Angelia Noel. “He comes by it honestly. He comes from a great family full of great people. Every day when you see him he has a smile on his face. He stays after lunch and helps the custodians clean up. No one’s ever asked him to do that, he just does it because he’s sweet.”
Durborow is also a star on the elementary cross country team, placing in the top-25 at this year’s Case Cross Country Invitational and running a 7:23 mile at the Holland Hall Invitational.
HillSpring Church invaded Sand Springs Saturday morning, undertaking dozens of projects to show the love of Christ for the community.
On their annual summer “Serve Day” more than a hundred volunteers in Sand Springs joined with hundreds of churches across the nation to make an impact both physically and spiritually.
“We’re doing this so we can make a difference,” said Lead Pastor Brent Kellogg. “To show the love of Christ and show the power impact of the church.”
At the Sand Springs Care Closet volunteers helped Katie Acuna sort clothing in preparation for an upcoming outreach. On August 6 & 7 the Care Closet will partner with Clary Sage College to provide children with free haircuts and a free outfit to start the school year. The organization opened last July and offers free diapers, formula, toys, clothes, and more at 3417 South 113th West Avenue.
Helping schools was a big part of the day. Volunteers painted at Lake Country Christian, Angus Valley, and Limestone Elementary schools. At Lake Country they also repaired appliances like sinks. At Pratt Elementary they mowed the lawn and worked in the flower beds.
Kellogg led a team at American Legion Post 17 painting the exterior, replacing old caulking, and serving the community’s veterans. HillSpring volunteers have plans for additional work at the Legion in the near future.
Workers cleaned up and organized storage rooms at the Sand Springs Cultural and Historical Museum and Sand Springs Community Services. At SSCS they cleaned out the basement and sorted through food and clothing donations.
"Folks from the Sand Springs area are connecting with the agency in a way that allows for us to better utilize the donations and the items that we have," said SSCS Director Nathan Woodmansee. "It really is meaningful to us. We really appreciate the work they're doing, it's going to help us serve our clients better."
Just down the road from the those two teams was a group including Vice Mayor Phil Nollan and State Representative Jadine Nollan. The crew completely moved the Sand Springs Chamber of Commerce from their old location to a new facility around the corner.
At the Salvation Army campus workers cleared hundreds of yards of brush along their back fenceline. They also picked up trash in downtown, cleaned up overgrown areas obstructing City traffic signs, did home and lawn improvement for the elderly, and painted the front gate at the Keystone Ancient Forest.
One group constructed a raised wooden walking path at Hamalot Pot Bellied Pig Rescue to keep the organization volunteers from having to walk in the mud and risk getting knocked down by the pigs at feeding time.
Another team spent the day making blankets for the Make-A-Wish Foundation.
Associate Pastor Matt Barnett said that they had around 130 volunteers, up from 100 the year before. He hopes to see HillSpring team up with other churches for a city-wide service day in the future.
HillSpring meets at 8801 West 41st Street on Sundays at 10:00 a.m. They can be found online at http://www.hillspring.tv/
Biztown Mayor Jacob Simpson and Sand Springs Mayor Mike Burdge pose in front of the Biztown Town Hall. Burdge is a volunteer with the Biztown program.
74 students from Angus Valley Elementary traveled to Biztown last week to experience a day in the life of an adult at the simulated city owned by Junior Achievement of Tulsa.
The fifth-graders spent a month in preparation, filling out applications, interviewing, learning how to do their jobs, and learning how to balance a checkbook.
Business managers began the day by taking out loans for their companies. They set rates for their products, such as Reasor's groceries, Arby's snacks, newspapers, and souvenirs, and had to make enough profit to pay their employees' wages and repay their loans by the end of the day.
Wayne Moore A+ Auto Collision co-sponsored the trip for the second year and according to JA Development Manager Brian Jackson, the Angus Valley PTO was crucial in providing the opportunity for the kids.
According to Jackson, more than 120,000 students have gone through the Biztown program since its 2003 inception, and in that time they haven't had a single disciplinary issue. Every Sand Springs elementary school sends students through the program.
Junior Achievement is a non-profit youth organization that aims to prepare young people to succeed in a global economy. The students work in various sponsored businesses, including Bank of Oklahoma, The Linde Group, Cancer Treatment Centers of America, Cox Radio, and the Cherokee Phoenix newspaper.
Garfield STEAM Academy will visit Biztown on January 18th, and Limestone Technology Academy will visit March 2nd.
A student in Stephanie Forister's STEM Club test flies a glider.
Second and third grade students at Angus Valley Elementary are hard at work studying aeronautical engineering and designing their own gliders as part of Project Lead The Way's STEM Club.
Sand Springs Public Schools has a heavy focus on science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) and students begin working on their own designs and projects at an early age.
Stephanie Forister's STEM Club designs gliders.
The students in Stephanie Forister's STEM Club are learning about drag, lift, thrust, and fixed-wing aircraft. They utilize Computer-Aided Design, or CAD, with their own personal iPads to plan their projects then put together gliders to test their understanding. Each student can customize their wing shape, angle, and number of wings so each plane is unique.
After each test flight the students would brainstorm ways to make their plane go farther faster and with a more subtle landing at the end. They then altered their wings and stabilizers and tried again till mastering their design.
Two students in Janet Johnson's science class show off a scale-model wardrobe with functioning doors and drawers.
Angus STEM students have constantly been ahead of the curve in recent years, experimenting with robotics, MinecraftEdu, 3D printing, even balloon-powered cars. They just completed a lesson series on civil engineering.
Mrs. Forister recently received the Fall 2017 Flight Night Science of Flight Classroom Grant from the Tulsa Regional STEM Alliance for ten Elf Owl Drone kits. They are also trying to raise money for supplies to build their own Mini Vibrating Robots. At press time they are $293 away from their $792 goal. Click here to donate or read more about the project.
You can follow along with the students' progress on Facebook at this link.
An important part of SSPS's goal is seamless transition from one grade level to the next, and the district is working to build additional STEM programs at all of their school sites.
Oklahoma Teacher of the Year finalist Janet Johnson's class at Clyde Boyd Middle School doesn't even have traditional desks. Each student has a computer and work station where they can engineer projects such as heat shields and even a functioning prosthetic hand.
One of the neatest tools in Johnson's class is a pair of virtual reality goggles that allow students to explore inside the human body and interact with it in 3D.
By: Scott Emigh, Editor-in-Chief
The State Board of Education released the 2016 A-F Report Cards for all public schools in Oklahoma Thursday, and the average Sand Springs Public School received an 80.87%, or a B-.
"The report cards released today are likely to be the last using the A-F calculations that have been in effect since the 2012-2013 school year. Under the federal Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) and a new state law, House Bill 3218, the Oklahoma State Department of Education (OSDE) is developing a new school accountability calculation to take effect in the 2017-2018 school year," says a press release from the Department of Education.
“Our sights are fixed on a stronger school accountability system that will be a more meaningful and accurate measure for Oklahoma schools and districts, one that will better provide contextual information that educators, families and communities need to know about our schools, their academic performance, student growth and progress especially for high-need and at-risk student groups,” State Superintendent of Public Instruction Joy Hofmeister said.
"Also at today’s meeting, the SBE approved OSDE’s Fiscal Year 2018 budget request of $2.64 billion for common education, which includes an increase of $221 million over the FY 2017 budget. The increase maintains per-student funding to reflect Oklahoma’s student population growth, adding $56.7 million to the school funding formula and restoring funding for the Instructional Materials, Support of Public School Activities and Agency Support for Schools line items," says the release.
Angus Valley Elementary received the highest grade of 97%, with Central Ninth Grade Center being the only other school to receive an A. Charles Page High School received a C-. The Early Childhood Development Center did not receive a grade.
Grades are based on three criteria. 50% of the grading is based on Student Performance, with Overall Student Growth and Bottom Growth accounting for 25% each. Student Achievement is based on the Oklahoma School Testing Program assessments in grades three through high school. Student Growth is based on annual student learning gains as measured by Oklahoma's standardized assessments in reading and mathematics in grades three through eight, and Algebra I and English II End of Instruction Exams.
Angus Valley Elementary
Angus Valley, located at 412 West 55th Street, on the South side of town, received a 97%. Angus serves students from Pre-Kindergarten through Fifth Grade. On Student Achievement, the students received a B in all curriculum, including Reading, Mathematics, Science, and Social Studies. In overall growth they received an A in both Reading and Mathematics. The bottom quarter of students received an 86% on growth. The school maintained an attendance rate greater than 95% for an additional 10 points. The strongest subject for the school was Social Studies with 88% and the weakest subject was Science with 81%.
Northwoods Fine Arts Academy and Garfield STEAM Academy
Northwoods, located at 1691 Old North Road, in Northeast Sand Springs, and Garfield, located at 701 North Roosevelt Avenue, just north of downtown, were graded together and received a 71%. Northwoods serves students from Kindergarten through Second Grade, and Garfield serves students from Third through Fifth Grades. This will change in the next school year as both schools separate and adopt a K-5 format. On Student Achievement, the students received a C in Reading, a D in Mathematics, and Fs in Science and Social Studies. In overall growth they received a C in Reading and a D in Mathematics. The bottom quarter of students received a 46% on growth. The schools maintained a 95% attendance rate for an additional 10 points. The strongest subject for the schools was Reading with 73% and the weakest subject was Science with 42%.
Limestone Elementary
Limestone, located at 4201 South Walnut Creek Drive, in South Sand Springs, received an 85%. Limestone serves students from Pre-Kindergarten through Fifth Grade. On Student Achievement, the students received a B in Reading, Cs in Mathematics, and Social Studies, and a D in Science. Overall Student Growth received an A in Reading and a C in Mathematics. The bottom quarter of students received a 58% on growth. The school maintained an attendance rate greater than 95% for an additional 10 points. The strongest subject for the school was Reading with 86% and the weakest subject was Science with 63%.
Pratt Elementary
Pratt, located at 305 West 35th Street, in South Sand Springs, received an 84%. Pratt serves students from Kindergarten through Fifth Grade. On Student Achievement, the students received Bs in Reading and Mathematics, a D in Social Studies, and an F in Science. Overall Student Growth received Bs in both Reading and Mathematics. The bottom quarter of students received a 55% on growth. The school maintained an attendance rate of greater than 95% for an additional 10 points. The strongest subject for the school was Reading at 84% and the weakest subject was Science with 55%.
Clyde Boyde Middle School
Clyde Boyd, located at 305 West 35th Street in South Sand Springs, received a 74%. The school serves students from Sixth through Eighth Grade. On Student Achievement, the students received Cs in Reading and Mathematics, and Fs in Science and Social Studies. Overall Student Growth received Cs in both Reading and Mathematics. The bottom quarter of students received a 50% on growth. The school received 10 bonus points for a 94% attendance rate, a sub-5% dropout rate, and an advanced coursework participation rate greater than 95%. The strongest subject for the school was a tie between Reading and Mathematics at 72%, while the weakest subject was Social Studies at 48%.
Central Ninth Grade Center
CNGC, located at 14 West 4th Street in downtown, received a 94%. On Student Achievement, the students received a B in Mathematics, and did not receive grades on the other subjects due to an insufficient number of students' scores. Overall Student Growth received an A in Mathematics, while the bottom quarter of students received an 80% on growth. The school received 10 bonus points for a 94% attendance rate, a sub-5% dropout rate, and an advanced coursework participation rate greater than 95%.
Charles Page High School
CPHS, located at 500 North Adams Road, received a 71%. On Student Achievement, the students received a C in English, Ds in Mathematics and U.S. History, and an F in Biology I. Overall Student Growth received a B in English II and an F in Algebra I. The bottom quarter of students received a 60% on growth. The school recorded an 87% for graduation rate, a 65% on EOI performance, a 52% on College Entrance Exams, and a 64% on College Entrance Exam participation. They received 3 bonus points for advanced coursework participation and performance greater than 95% and year-to-year growth.
By: Scott Emigh, Editor-in-Chief
Several community organizations are hosting Back to School events in the coming weeks.
Trinity Baptist Church will be hosting a Back to School Bash from 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. Saturday, August 13th at 13 West 40th St. in Sand Springs. The church will be providing games, food, inflatables, and free haircuts. It is also a gym in the hit game Pokémon Go!
The Sand Springs Ministerial Alliance and Sand Springs Chamber of Commerce are partnering to host a Back to School Bash Sunday, August 14th at the Tulsa Tech campus at 924 East Charles Page Boulevard.
The event will last from 2:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. and will offer free haircuts and school supplies.
Sand Springs Community Services is hosting a three-day Back to School program in which they will be distributing backpacks, school supplies, and clothing vouchers. The program is only available to Sand Springs, Anderson, and Keystone students with proof of enrollment and proof that the child received free lunches las year.
The event will take place Monday, August 15th through Wednesday, August 17th. SSCS will be open from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. each day, and on Tuesday will reopen from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.
Angus Valley Elementary is having their Back-to-School Night Monday, August 15th from 5:30 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. This is an opportunity to meet your teacher and the principal, Mrs. Noel. You can also fill out applications for free and reduced lunches, as well as sign up for the Salvation Army’s after school program.
Pratt Elementary is hosting their Meet and Greet event on Thursday, August 18th from 6:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. The PTO will have a table set up for memberships and new spirit wear will be available for purchase.
Northwoods, Limestone, and Garfield Elementary will hold Meet-n-Greet events Monday, August 22nd, the day before school starts. Northwoods and Garfield will last from 5:30 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. Limestone will last from 6:00 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.
By: Scott Emigh, Editor-in-Chief
The Sand Springs Board of Education handed out three Coins of Excellence at the regular monthly meetings Tuesday night. Jamie Guthrie received a coin for her appointment to the Executive Committee for Oklahoma Directors of Special Services. Clyde Boyd Middle School teacher Janet Johnson was recognized as an Outstanding Middle Level Science Teacher. Board member Bo Naugle was recognized for his services on the board and formerly as Board President.
Superintendent Sherry Durkee had the reigns for the first time since officially moving into her new position as of July 1st.
Durkee walked the meeting through the new mandates concerning student evaluation since the passage of House Bill 3218 which eliminated the controversial End of Instruction exams. Incoming classes will still have evaluation exams, but the tests won't impede graduation for students who have satisfied curricular requirements.
The Garfield Elementary renovations will be done by the end of July according to Durkee, and the district is actually ahead on budget, allowing them to green-light several additional items.
The 2016-2017 school year will feature a new security feature across the district, called "Lobby Guard." Lobby Guard will allow school visitors to scan their drivers license or state-issued ID upon entering the school. The program will run visitors' ID through a database of sex offenders and other potentially dangerous individuals. Visitors cleared for entry will then receive a photo ID sticker allowing for easy identification by teachers. On a lighter note, the program will also allow for easier tracking of volunteer hours.
The district is looking at a general fund of about $3.8 million dollars compared to $4.3 million the prior year, but is still above worst case scenario predictions. According to Treasurer Greg Morris, the district was at one point looking at a general fund of $2.9 million before the repercussions of the latest legislative session balanced out.
The board approved the hiring of eleven new employees for the new school year. The new employees will be filling positions vacated since the previous school year and are not newly created positions. Despite the new hires, the district will still be down 51 personnel since the last school year.
CBMS will gain three new employees in Tiffany Golightly, Sarah Thayer, and Baine Wise. Golightly will teach sixth grade English, Thayer will teach sixth grade English as well as coach the eighth and ninth grade Cheer teams, and Scott Patton will be the middle school Head Football Coach and In-School Intervention Supervisor.
Pratt Elementary gained Special Education teacher Haleigh Mattingly. Angus Valley Elementary gained Speech Language Pathologist Kama Wilson. Limestone Elementary gained kindergarten teacher Megan Kernell and second grade teacher Kristina Medina.
Charles Page High School will add Amanda Lair, Jason Thomsen, and Blaine Wise. Lair will teach History, Thomsen will teach Special Ed, and Wise will teach History as well as coach Football and Golf.
Sandite Pride News, LLC is a locally owned and operated Sand Springs, Oklahoma news source, serving the community since 2014.
What is Sandite Pride News?
Sandite Pride is the only locally owned and operated news source for Sand Springs, Oklahoma. Sandite Pride News was founded in 2014 by Scott Emigh. The site is primarily focused on Sandite sports, Sand Springs city development, events, and community news.
