Area schools ready for new year

Preparations are at a high level as schools all over Garvin County have only days before another year gets started for educators, students and parents alike.

For most of those schools classes get going this week. In Whitebead the big day is the following week on Monday, Aug. 18.

“We’re working on schedules and getting organized,” said superintendent and principal Mary Smith.

“Everything is kind of in a cleaning and organizing mode right now.”

Part of that is the professional development work, which includes technology and new staff member workshops.

There are also some things that brings a bit of excitement to Smith and others, namely the fact Whitebead School has received a Healthy Lifestyles grant.

“We’re the first ever K-8 school to receive this grant,” Smith said.

The grant includes $5,000 worth of equipment with much of the focus on the physical education classes for fourth and fifth grade students.

Another $10,000 will go for fruits and vegetables.

As part of the grant, plans are in place to “adopt a doc,” which in this case is Pauls Valley’s Dr. Brian Allee working to help educate the children on healthy lifestyles.

The program could be expanded to include “adopt a dentist,” Smith said.

“By becoming more healthy and living healthy lifestyles we believe even your tests will improve,” she said about Whitebead’s students.

As for the finances Smith said rising expenses in such areas as fuel are sure to stretch Whitebead’s healthy carryover.

With that in mind the school came up with an action and response team looking at “tightening belts” by finding ways to save the school some money.

“We’ve talked about that and came up with a game plan on savings,” she said.

“We also think it’s a good teaching tool for the kids and getting them involved.”

Along with simple things like turning off lights when a room is unused, an example of the potential savings is looking for alternate funding sources to pay for student field trips.

In Wynnewood the first day of classes is Wednesday.

Superintendent Bill Weldon said the focus this year will be the same for the district as in the past — incorporating more technology into the classroom and even at home.

“We have upgraded some of our technology access to incorporate more parental involvement from home in grades six through 12,” Weldon said.

“Our parents will have Internet access to their student’s grades, attendance and other student related information.”

Weldon added that Wynnewood, in conjunction with the efforts of Elmore City-Pernell and Stratford, has received a grant to address the use and abuse of alcohol in teenage children in schools.

This grant will also make available to each of the schools a Safe School advocate to monitor and help in training students of the dangers of alcohol and its use among teens.

With classes set for Thursday at Elmore City-Pernell, superintendent Jim Smith said the district’s big news during the summer was the demolition work to part of the old elementary building.

Once that gets fully cleaned up the school will soon get a new playground.

“We will have a dedication ceremony for the new playground around the first of September,” Smith said.

Thursday is also the opening school day in Paoli as the first bell is set to ring at 8 a.m. following the year’s initial student breakfast session.

“We invite you to come and visit your child’s teachers and get acquainted with all of our school staff,” superintendent Rick Worden said

For the Stratford district a little bit of history was made as a recent bond issue has led to the opening of a new middle school there.

“Mr. Michael Blackburn will make history as Stratford’s first middle school principal,” superintendent Brent Walden said.

“This building will house grades 5-8 and should provide the overload reduction needed in both the elementary and high school.”