Produced for Muskogee Public Schools

May, 2012Farewell Class of 2012

Inside

Superintendent’s Message

Top Ten Seniors

District Pages

Calendar

Around The District

Superintendent’s Message .......................................... 1Table of Contents .......................................................... 1School Character Awards ............................................. 2Education Foundation Awards .................................... 2Math Initiative .............................................................. 3MHS Top Ten Seniors .................................................... 4Cherokee School ........................................................... 5Irving School ................................................................ 6Tony Goetz School ........................................................ 7MHS Takes Center Stage ......................................... 8-12Education Foundation Awards ..................................13MPS Calendar of Events 2012-2013 .........................14Bulletin Board .......................................................15-18

PublisherFranklin GraphicsLayout DesignFranklin Design Staff

Content/PhotographyMuskogee Public SchoolsEditingMelony CareyMuskogee Public Schools

May, 2012 • Volume 1 • Issue 3

Mike GardeSuperintendent,

Muskogee Public Schools

The Superintendent’s Message

The Class of 2012 can take

great pride in their individual success and collective leadership that has resulted in so many successes for MHS this year. Whether it is socially, artistically, academically,

athletically, robotics, broadcasting/video production, or marketing, you’d be hard-pressed to fi nd an area in

which the class of 2012 hasn’t been successful. There is no question that this graduating class has had the experiences at MHS to prepare them to succeed and do great things in the future.

As you graduate, you can stand up and be proud of your accomplishments and look to

the future. Remember, this road we all follow, which we call life, is fi lled with challenges, large and small. The rewards for meeting those challenges are great. So, do not be afraid to struggle, do not be afraid to give your best, learn from all your challenges,

and always strive to achieve your dreams. Remember, anything your mind believes, you have the potential to achieve.

Hopefully at the end of your life you, like Saint Paul, can say that you have fought a good fi ght,

have fi nished the race, and have been true to yourself.

I challenge each of you, our 2012 Graduates, to take heed of the task before you and embark on your

voyage to maturity and fulfi llment.

Notice of Non-Discrimination:Muskogee Public Schools provides equal opportunities without regard to race, color, religion,

national origin, gender, age, qualifi ed disability or veteran status in its educational programs

and activities, in access to them, in treatment of individuals with disabilities, or in any aspect

of their operations. This includes admissions, educational services, fi nancial aid, and employ-

ment. This notice is provided as required under Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act

of 1990 and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. Questions, complaints or requests

for additional information regarding ADA, Section 504, Title VII/ADEA and/or Title IX may be

forwarded to the designated ADA, Section 504, Title VII/ADEA or Title IX compliance offi cer, the

site principal or other district administrator. Students and parents may also bring complaints

to the assistant principal, counselor, or a teacher. The administrator or staff member notifi ed

shall immediately report the complaint to the site principal. The site principal will notify the

appropriate compliance offi cer. The following people at MPS will handle inquiries regarding

non-discrimination policies: Title II/ADA, 504 compliance, and Title VII will be handled by the

Director of Special Programs; Title IX will be handled by the Assistant Supt. of Curriculum &

Instruction; Title VII/ADEA will be handled by the Assistant Supt. of Personnel/Support Services,

all located at Muskogee BEST Center, 202 W. Broadway, Muskogee, OK 74401.

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Muskogee schools continue to earn recognition from the Character Education Partnership, a national organization promoting 11 Principles of effective character education in children. In 2011 Muskogee High School earned the title of National School of Character by going through a rigorous evaluation of their commitment to the 11 Principles. In order to be considered as a National School of Character, schools must fi rst earn a Promising Practice award, followed by State School of Character recognition, and then advancing to the National School of Character competition.

This year Muskogee Schools received 7 Promising Practice awards from the Character Education Partnership in Washington, D.C. The district and individual schools have been

recognized for innovative practices that develop good character in K-12 students. This year’s recognized practices are:• Muskogee High School - Rougher 300 program to encourage and recognize students for 300 hours of volunteer service.• Muskogee Public Schools - Character Camp, which offers students a week-long summer experience in building leadership and good character.• Muskogee Public Schools - Cafe Conversations, a district-wide opportunity for students to let their voices be heard.• Rougher Alternative Academy - Serve to Learn program in which students partner with the Muskogee Animal Shelter to care for dogs at the shelter.

• Sadler Arts Academy - The

Power of Legacy, building a school legacy that extends to our community and state.• Sadler Arts Academy - S.U.P.E.R. Club (Students Understanding Philanthropy and Educating Relationships)• Whittier Elementary - 80’s for Alzheimer’s, Students Dancing a Cure in which students sponsored a dance to raise money for Alzheimer’s research.

This May community partners convened to pass out this year’s National School of Character medals to all students attending Muskogee High School, as a touchstone reminder of their achievement.

Muskogee Public Schools is working toward district-wide recognition as a National District of Character.

Character Education Partnership Awards

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MHS Math Initiative for ExcellenceIn the Common Core State Standards

Testing based on the Common Core State Standards will begin during the 2014-2015 school year. From a school perspective, there are three years to prepare for testing that will be much more thoughtful and rigorous than our current state testing. The CCSS will not be about what is covered in class so much as what students have learned and how students can demonstrate this learning. The testing will be not so much about what problems students know how to work, as what they can do with this knowledge.

A result of teaching for the Common Core Standards, students will be asked to focus on fewer topics at each grade level, but to work and understand these concepts deeply. The result will be a math classroom that is student learn-ing centered. Our school district is very aware of the changes that will be re-quired for our students to demonstrate that they have each learned the Com-mon Core Standards for their grade level. The district’s fi rst math initiatives, beginning next school year (2012-13), to help our students make the grade for Common Core will be three-fold.

First, the district will begin using Ev-

eryday Math in grades K-5. This pro-gram has been successful in Jenks, Union, Norman, Mid-Del, Edmond, Moore and other school districts across

our state and the nation. The reason for the program’s success is it focus-es on deepening the student under-standing of math. The use of games, math work stations, peer discussions, journaling, student presentations, and teacher dialogue all contribute to each student’s understanding of mathemat-ics appropriate to the their grade level. By using Everyday Math students will have multiple opportunities to be good in math. The work will be less about mem-orizing and more about understanding. It will be different, but better for kids.

The second initiative the district will begin next year is the use of Connected Mathematics Project (CMP) materials in grades sixth to eighth. The program is rated one of the highest in the use of the Common Core Mathematical Practices. The CMP course is structured around students exploring tasks that require math in order to bring clarity to impor-tant concepts in mathematics. The CMP tasks are math applications to add strat-egies students can use to make sense of their math or to connect the mathe-matics to real-world situations. The em-phasis is on doing mathematics instead of knowing how to work problems in iso-lation.

The third initiative that will begin next year takes place at our high school. Through testing we know that there are

certain students who are ready to go to the high school, but who have not mas-tered the prerequisite skills for taking Al-gebra I. These students will be placed in a new high school program called Ramp Up Algebra. By improving each stu-dent’s understanding of math concepts and correcting the misconceptions they hold, the expectation is these students can then successfully take Algebra I in the tenth grade and continue with suc-cess on the math track they choose.

Parents can help us with this transition, even if they feel inadequate at math. Each of us has challenges in math at some level. Only hard work, teacher and parent support and perseverance will overcome them. Parents, teachers and school administrators must support and be part of the learning process with our students. The results of a sustained effort will be worth it, with students grad-uating from high school prepared for col-lege, their career, and challenges of in-formed citizenship. That is our mission.

Captions for pictures: Teachers in grades 6 – 8 are spending the summer investigating the applications of math in the new textbook series, Connected Mathematics Project. The teaching strategies prepare students to under-stand the “why” of mathematical con-cepts, as well as the “how.”

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Derrick Jones

Shane Strickland

Aaron Colvin

Victor Willams

Danielle Murphy

Lindsay Sholes

Shelby Gardenhire

Morgan Walker

Maiqui Jimena

Joanna Boughner

SeniorsTop Ten

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Cherokee Students Learn from Julius Caesar. Cherokee students took to the stage for a dramatization of Shakespeare’s The Tragedy of Julius Caesar following a yearlong study of Latin language and cul-ture. Students also discussed the pos-sibility of putting the conspirators on trial for the murder of Caesar with Muskogee city attorney, Roy Tucker. Mr. Tucker, who is active in the Oklahoma Bar Associa-tion, visited the school at the end of OBA’s Law Day activities to engage and encour-age students in the study of law. Chero-kee Elementary was the 2011 Oklahoma Supreme Court School of the Year.

Marc Antony, Calpurnia, Brutus and Caesar make their appearance in a scene from The Tragedy of Julius Caesar using the original Shakespearean dialogue.

City Attorney, Roy Tucker, explains the various charges that could be levied against the conspirators in the play The Tragedy of Julius Caesar.

Cherokee Students StudyThe Tragedy of Julius Caesar

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Irving Leadership DayIrving Elementary School held a Leadership Day in May, opening its door to the community for an exhibit of student leadership skills. Irving Elementary is in line for the prestigious Covey Light-house School status. This recognition, sponsored by the Franklin-Covey company re-nowned for their 7 Habits of Highly Effective People and The Leader in Me, highlights schools that focus on student leader-ship through school-wide practice of the 7 Habits. Irving is one of the fi rst schools in Oklahoma to showcase student achievement and receive Lighthouse status.

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Tony Goetz Students Present Science FairHow can we be more eco-friendly? Which lip balm protects the best? Which sun screen is most effective? All these questions and more were explored during the Tony Goetz upper grades science fair. Students investigated the big ideas of science inquiry during the last quarter of the school year and presented their fi ndings at a juried exhibit. “The qual-ity of these projects and the level of thinking are excellent,” said judge Cheryll Hallum, sci-ence literacy instructional coach for the dis-trict. Students and teachers traditionally put on the science fair as a culminating project for the year .

Tony Goetz Science Fair

MHS Takes Center Stage

2011 – 12 proved to be another excellent year for Muskogee High School, a year in which our teachers, students, and programs took center stage in many areas. Muskogee High School continued to represent not only Muskogee, but the State of Oklahoma as a National School of Character. In October MHS principal Dewayne Pemberton and character education director Madison Tomlinson, along with Superintendent Mike Garde and other district representatives, attended the Character Education Partnership Conference in San Francisco to receive the award for National School of Character.

While there, they presented a workshop on the Promising Practices and other programs available at MHS that earned the school the right to the title.

During the year our athletes continued their pursuit of personal and team excellence. Muskogee High School offers a wide range of athletic opportunities including football, cheerleading, volleyball, basketball, track and fi eld, baseball, softball, tennis, wrestling, and soccer. Our student athletes go on to pursue athletics on the collegiate level, earning valuable scholarships in their selected sports.

Continued on next page

MHS Takes Center Stage

Accompanying athletics are a variety of supporting activities, such as student athletic trainers, band, dance team, and student managers. Going hand-in-hand with good athletic character are the many community service projects our athletes participated in during the school year, from community clean ups to recycling projects.

Student Council takes center stage every year as its members organize pep assemblies, homecoming festivities, and other activities to inspire and excite students at MHS. This year students collected over

4,000 canned goods for the Salvation Army during the yearly canned food drive. Student Council also organized the yearly United Way penny drive and many other charitable service projects that benefi tted the Muskogee community. Muskogee High School offers a diverse array of 42 clubs and activities to suit the special interests of our students. Activities range from co-curricular clubs such as Junior Classical League and National Forensic League to band, FFA, and ROTC. These clubs and activities win state and national competitions yearly, giving our students real-world application of

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MHS Takes Center Stage

their content knowledge, special interests, gifts and talents. Engaging students in their passions and giving them a voice is a priority at MHS. Fine Arts took center stage this year as they sponsored the oldest qualifying speech and drama event in Oklahoma, Rotary Club’s Little Nationals tournament. Later in the year the art department sponsored the fi rst ever district-wide juried art show for students in grades K-12. In April students showcased their talents in the fi ne arts at Fine Arts Night at the Oklahoma Music Hall of Fame. Band, jazz band, choir, drama, art, and foreign language students all convened with

their parents to highlight a night of student talent.

2011 – 12 also proved to be a successful academic year for Muskogee High School’s seniors. Derrick Jones was selected as a National Merit Finalist by the National Merit Scholarship Corporation, a division of SAT, and an Academic All-Stater by the Oklahoma Foundation for Excellence. Derrick and Aaron Colvin were also recognized by the College Board as Muskogee High School’s Advanced Placement Scholars. Muskogee High School offers 18 Advanced Placement and pre-AP courses, including Latin

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MHS Takes Center StageLiterature (Vergil), Spanish Language, Physics, Calculus, and Studio Art. An exciting addition to the curriculum offered this year at MHS was Project Lead the Way’s engineering courses. Students in this program learned the basics of engineering design and toured the Exxon-Mobile Engineering Practice Facility at the University of Oklahoma. More classes will be added to the engineering program next year and beyond. Because of their achievement, Muskogee High School seniors were awarded over $3 million in scholarships and grants to colleges and universities this year.

This year MHS was again recognized by the Character Education Partnership for another Promising Practice. While it is ineligible to try for National Recognition again until 2014, it continues to gain notoriety for honoring students’ voices, input and service. One Promising Practice that inspired evaluators for National School of Character was giving all students a chance to have a voice in Café Conversations. At lunch students were given CPS “clickers” to vote on important issues. This year’s award was given to the practice of honoring student community service at the Rougher 300 banquet.

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MHS Takes Center Stage

Seniors who have put in 300 hours of documented community service by their senior year are given an honor cord to wear at commencement. Rougher Alternative Academy was also recognized as a Promising Practice school and as honorable mention for State School of Character. Their service at the city Animal Shelter, where they walked and groomed the stray pets while learning how civic disengagement by pet owners contributes to stray animals that have to be put down monthly, was recognized as a powerful service learning tool. Students gained insight and opinions on methods to control animal populations

through things like starting a free spay/neuter clinic. Our high school students’ opinions and service are valued as a driving force for change at the school, in the district, and in the community.

We salute the Class of 2012, their accomplish-ments and contributions to Muskogee High School and the Muskogee community. Good luck in all your future endeavors!

Education Foundation Awards Grants to Teachers

Education Foundation of Muskogee delivered grants to excited teachers as part of their yearly recognition of outstanding enrichment programs. This year’s awards and the projects they fund are:• Mallory Paige Coburn Grant – Here in the Real World, Beverly Boyer, Creek Elementary• Yaffe Iron and Metal Grant – Jazz It Up, Mellissa Agee, Irving Elementary• Claude C. Harris Grant – Doh-A-Deer, Shalyn Gallaway, Alice Robertson Jr. High• Bank of Oklahoma Grant – En”core” Common Core Information Texts, Regina Batie, Harris Jobe Elementary• Armstrong Bank Grant – The Writing Fix: A Common Core Necessity, Georgie Chapuis, Sadler Arts Academy• First National Bank Grant – Can You Catch a Falling Star, Angela Cummings, Creek Elementary• Omni Valve Grant – Cloudy with a Chance of Learning, Gina Batie, Harris Jobe Elementary• American Bank and Citizens Security Bank Grant – The Music In Me, Teresa Pointer, Pershing Elementary• Mahylon’s Inc. Grant – Sing Me a Song, Rogena McClain, Whittier Elementary• David and Linda Edwards/Carlisle and Linda Roberts Grant – Common Core Connection, Rogena McClain, Whittier Elementary• Muskogee Phoenix/Virgil Matthews Grant – Anger Management and Abuse Recovery, Shirley Morgan-Glenn, Rougher Alternative Academy• Rossco Construction, Inc./Charles Lamont-Wilcox and McGrath Insurance Grant – Take Me Home Tonight, Sheila Rolland, Whittier Elementary• Exchange Club Grant – Parent University, Judy Myers, Harris Jobe• Stifel Nicolaus Grant – Steam: The Intersection of the Arts and Sciences, District Art Teachers

Thanks to the generosity of our patrons and sponsors, EFM was able to grant over $12,000 to teachers in our district. Yaffe Iron and Metal provided a matching grant that will be distributed in the fall. A sincere thanks to all who support our mission to provide grants for outstanding classroom enrichment for our students.

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July

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Muskogee Public Schools

2012-2013 Calendar

July 1 – Aug 10 One day for Prof Dev for Site Data Analysis Aug 7 ............. Professional Prof Develop Aug 17 Convocation/Prof Develop. Aug 20 Professional Development Aug 22 First Day of School Sept.3 Labor Day Sept 18, 20 & 21 (Parent/Teacher Conf.)

Elementary on 18th and Secondary on the 20th Afterschool 4:00-7:05 PM

And 21st half day 9:00-12:05 ALL Sept 21 No School Oct 12 1st 9 Weeks Ends Oct. 18 & 19 Fall Break Nov 21-23 Thanksgiving Break Dec 21 1st Semester Ends Dec 24-Jan 4 Christmas Jan 7 2nd Semester Starts Jan 21 Martin Luther King Feb 5, 7, & 8 (Parent/Teacher Conf.)

Elementary on 5th and Secondary on the 7th Afterschool 4:00-7:05 PM

And 8th 9:00-12:05 ALL Schools Feb 18 ½ Professional Development March 15 3rd 9 Weeks Ends March 18-22 Spring Break May 24 Last Day of School May 24 MHS Graduation May 27 Memorial Day May 28 ½ Professional Development

Professional Day / No School

Holiday / No School

___ End of Grading Period

( ) Parent Teacher Conference

January

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April

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