BHS Student qualifies for National Debate Tournament

Bartlesville Public School District’s Weekly Email Newsletter
The Bruin
Educating
Tomorrow’s
Leaders
Volume 9, Number 26...Friday, March 13, 2015...www.bps-ok.org
Superintendent’s
Chalkboard
BPSD has
successful
students
This
school year we
have seen many
great achievements from our
students both
academically
and athletically.
We kicked off
Photo Special to The Bruin
Dr. Gary W. Quinn
Junior, Sean Mason; BHS Debate Teacher, Linda Shipley; and senior, Alex Hale, were awarded the school year
National and District honors at the recent Oklahoma Eastern District Debate Tournament.
with a great start with the Oklahoma State Department of Education
A-F Report Card grades. Results
from the A-F report cards reflect
the quality of students and staff we
have throughout the Bartlesville
Special to The Bruin
Bartlesville High School junior, Sean Mason, is one of just three students in East- Public School District.
In the third year of the A-F
ern Oklahoma to qualify for the National Forensic League’s National Debate Tournagrading system, five of our school
ment; while BHS senior, Alex Hale, was named first alternate and will be part of the
inaugural World School Debate Team. Linda Shipley, Bartlesville High School speech sites (50%) received a letter grade
of A- or better. Overall, 60%
and debate teacher, was also honored as the Eastern Oklahoma High School Debate
of our school sites improved its
Coach of the Year during the District awards ceremony.
grade and 80% of our sites scored
Mason won six of seven competitive rounds in the Lincoln-Douglas debate
either an A or B grade. These are
format at the Oklahoma Eastern District tournament qualifying him for the national
tournament. The tournament will take place this June in Dallas. Mason now joins a se- outstanding results measuring the
lect group of only 250 students from across the United States to go to Nationals, which success of our students.
In October, we celebrated the
is the largest academic contest in the nation. Final rounds at the National competition
opening
of the Project Fit America
are judged by blue ribbon panels including CEOs, former Cabinet members, stage and
equipment area on the Jane Phillips
screen celebrities, sponsors, and acclaimed community members.
“If debate were a sport, Sean’s achievement would be comparable to being named Elementary School campus. Jane
Phillips is now one of only two
an All-American,” says Shipley. “He’s 100% dedicated and committed to work hard,
prepare and compete. Sean has been
DEBATE- Continued to page 8
CHALKBOARD- Continued to page 8
BHS Student qualifies for
National Debate Tournament
Elks Students of the Month: March
Bartlesville High and Tammy Turner.
School seniors Blair
Hunter is extremely
Koster and Hunter
accomplished in music
Turner have been
being a member of
named Elks Students
both the high school
of the Month
Select Chorus
for the month
as well as, the
March.
Select Jazz
Blair
Choir. He is
Koster is
also a cajon
the daughter
player for his
of Tim and
church.
Stephanie
Turner is
Koster. She
a member of
Blair Koster
is a member
the Bruin tenof the Student Counnis team.
cil and is the Student
Outside of school,
Body vice president.
he works at Pioneer
She is a member of the College Caterers. In
National Honor Socihis free time, he enjoys
ety and Spanish Club. playing Super Smash
Koster is active in Brothers with his
Bruin athletics
friends.
being a memElks
ber of both
Students of
the varsity
the Month- all
volleyball and
of whom are
varsity track
seniors- are
teams.
chosen by a
Aside
committee of
from school,
Bartlesville
Hunter Turner
Blair is very
High School
involved in K-Life.
teachers. They must
She also works at St.
be of high moral
John and St. James as
character, have initiaa religion teacher aide tive, show leadership
as well as, an after care capabilities, be good
helper for the St. John students, and be active
School.
and interested in their
In her spare time, school and community.
she enjoys reading and
One female stuspending time with her dent and one male stusisters.
dent are selected each
Hunter Turner
month from October
is the son of Kevin
through May.
Rotary Students of the
Month: March
Bartlesville High
for the past three years and
School students Haley
American Legion baseball
Downey and Brady Sewell
as the starting center fielder
have been named Rotary
since 2014.
Students of the Month for
He was on the Bartlesthe month of March.
ville Mid-High
Haley Downey
Honor Roll and is
is the daughter of Jencurrently on the BHS
ny and Gary Downey.
Honor Roll. Sewell
Downey is a very
is also a member of
active swimmer and
the Young Republiis a member of both
cans as well as, the
the Phillips 66 Splash
Bru Crew. ThroughHaley
Downey
Club as well as, the
out his high school
State Champion Bartlesville career, he has been involved
High School swim team.
in football, wrestling and
She serves as team captain in cross country.
both groups.
During the summer
Additionally, she is
months, Sewell enjoys
a member of the National
fishing and golfing and his
Honor Society and the
favorite pastime is snowOklahoma Swimmer Athlete boarding in Breckenridge.
Leadership team.
The RoOutside of
tary students of the
school, Downey
month, which can
is a member of the
be either a senior or
Disciples Chrisjunior, are chosen
tian Church youth
by a committee of
group and works at
BHS teachers. The
the Richard Kane
student should be of
Brady
Sewell
YMCA as a lifehigh moral charguard and teaching swimacter, have initiative, show
ming lessons. In her spare
leadership capabilities, be a
time, she also enjoys spend- good student, and be active
ing time with friends and
and interested in their school
family.
and community.
Brady Sewell is the
One female and one
son of Teresa Sewell and
male are selected each
Spencer Sewell. Sewell has month from September
been playing Bruin baseball through May.
Vocal Music Students receive Superior Marks at
Solo Vocal Contest
Special to The Bruin
Bartlesville Public Schools
Vocal Music Program hosted its
annual Vocal Solo Contest on Saturday, March 7 at the Bartlesville
High School Fine Arts Center.
Students were judged on tonal
quality, intonation, rhythm, vocal technique, interpretation of
music, diction and memorization.
Each student was given constructive feedback and scored for their
performance. 46 students received the highest rating of “Superior” from the judges.
14 students from Central
Middle School, six students from
Madison Middle School and 15
from Bartlesville Mid-High/
High School received “Superior” ratings. BHS Mid-High and
High School students receiving a
“Superior” rating were Jacon Ainesworth, Gwen Belyea, Melody
Brown-Clark, Paige Cleveland ,
Samantha Coats, Kaitlyn Cole,
Abigail Hales, Josh Higgs, Alexis
Jergensen, Logan Kelly, Garrett
Lee, Katie McCollum, Katrina
Randolph, Sydney Walker, and
Julie Welch.
Middle School students
who received “Superior” ratings
were Katelynn Briggs, Gloria
Castillo, Claire Chipinda, Jessica Dunaway, Allison Hadley,
Grace Hager, Ariel Jimison, Lydia
Knollmeyer, Maggie Largess, Allison Lee, Brooke Marshall, Holly
Massey, Emily Nordhues, Jordyn
Parnell, William Pattison, Hannah
Phelps, Matthew Pryor, Adji Rosadi, Hannah Rencountre, Corbin
Valenciano.
Congratulations to all the
students who worked hard and
participated in the Vocal Solo
Contest!
Shadow Day at Madison Middle School
This past week I had the opportunity to participate in Madison’s
Shadow Day and what a privilege
it was to spend some time at the
school! My day began with Shannon McKinney, instructional coach
at Madison, introducing me to the
student I would be shadowing for the
day – sixth grader, Kamilla Anderson.
Kamilla, an amazingly bright
and kind girl, did a great job taking
me around from class to class.
My first stop with Kamilla was
Mrs. Ray’s advanced math class. As
we configured the area of several
different shapes, I couldn’t help but
wish I had a sixth grade math teacher
like Deborah Ray. She did an amazing job explaining the steps to reach
the correct answers and there was no
student feeling left behind.
Our next class was Mr. Johnson’s science class where we conducted a very cool experiment to see
which materials were insulators and
which were conductors. It was great
to see the students get so excited
when they guessed correctly on the
outcome of their experiment.
My final stop with Kamilla
was geography where we watched a
video on Martinique, an island in the
Lesser Antilles in the eastern Caribbean Sea and one of the 27 regions in
France. It was extremely interesting
learning about the beautiful island
and all it has to offer.
As I left Madison that day, I was
very thankful for the chance to explore the halls of a middle school as
a student once again, which is what
the day is all about according to the
members of Madison’s MOYA committee. MOYA stands for Month of
the Young Adolescent, and Shadow
Day is just one of the many activities
the school hosts during the month.
“Shadow day is for community
leaders to see what a middle school
day is like,” says a MOYA committee member. “It is a chance for
them to hear and see the positive that
our students are a part of every day.
Also, students gain an appreciation
of representing their school and learn
how to interact with adults.”
Shadow Day is an amazing
experience and we encourage everyone in the community to take some
time to visit our wonderful schools
and see firsthand, all the great things
happening in the classrooms and
hallways.
My guide for the day, Kamilla Anderson.
First Annual Central Classic
5k a success
Special to The Bruin
On February 28, 2015, the faculty and staff of Central
Middle School hosted the First Annual Central Classic 5k
Race and Fun Run.
325 runners pre-registered for the event, but the hours
of seemingly endless snowfall put a chill on the motivation
of many.
However, with 173 actual participants - including
out-of-state thrill seekers and 25 die-hards who signed up
THAT morning - the race ended up a colossal success!
Runners and walkers particularly enjoyed the camaraderie of fellow runners, the upbeat attitudes of race organizers, and the peace and quiet of the Pathfinder on a snowy
winter’s morn.
Central would like to extend a heartfelt “thank you” to
all sponsors and participants of the Central Classic 5k Race
and Fun Run. We look forward to many more years of this
event!
Life Principle of the Month: Courage
Each month, the Bartlesville Public School District and the Bartlesville Regional United Way
designate a Great Expectations Life Principle as Life Principle of the Month. BPSD students, staff
and members of the Bartlesville community are encouraged to incorporate the Life Principle into
their respective lifestyles as habit. The Life Principle of the Month for February is “courage,” which
means, “strength of mind to carry on in spite of fear and difficulty.”
Choir Students sing at the Capital
for Youth Arts Day
These Bartlesville 6th grade students are members of the 2015
Oklahoma Music Educators Association All-State Children's
Chorus and performed four selections at the Rotunda of the
Oklahoma Capitol Building during Youth Arts Day 2015. Along
with the students' performance, State Education Superintendent,
Joy Hoffmeister, read a proclamation from Governor Mary Fallin
declaring March 10, 2015 Youth Arts Day. Miss Oklahoma 2015,
Alex Eppler, spoke about her life in the arts as a dancer and
performed for the crowd. Youth Arts Day is a partnership with Music
in our Schools in the month of March. These programs highlight
the wonderful impact that participation in Fine Arts can have on a
student's overall education and the importance of Fine Arts classes
and teachers in our schools.
From left front: MeKayla Martinez, Madison Middle School; Erica Taylor,
Central Middle School; Sophia Walker, Madison Middle School; Colton
Green, Madison Middle School with Representative Travis Dunlap.
Photo special to The Bruin
Bruin Classic Golf
Tournament slated for
May 16
Special to The Bruin
May 16 provides your chance to spend a day on the
golf course while supporting a good cause. The popular annual Bruin Quarterback Club Golf Classic offers
tee times at 8 a.m. and 1 p.m. at Adams Municipal Golf
Course for four-person scramble teams. Cost is $400 per
team.
All funds raised at the tournament go to support
Bruin football programs. Monies are used for vital equipment and uniform needs for the teams. Sign up to participate as a team by contacting Randy Johns at randyj21@
gmail.com. Tax deductible donations can be made to the
Bartlesville Quarterback Club, Bruin Football Classic,
P.O. Box 2182, Bartlesville, OK 74005. For more information, visit www.bartlesvillefootball.com.
Project Graduation
seeks donations for
25th annual celebration
Special to The Bruin
Project Graduation is coming up May 22 bringing a fabulous celebration party for the class of
2015.
This is the 25th year for the annual post-graduation party, which offers a fun substance-free celebration sponsored by the Bartlesville High School
Parent Support Group. This year’s Project Graduation event will take place from 11 p.m. to 2:30
a.m. at Washington Park Mall with plenty of games,
food, music and festivities for the graduates.
Each year 90 percent of the graduating class
attends the BHS Project Graduation party. BHS Parent Support Group is asking for donations from the
community to help continue hosting the annual after
graduation party.
Checks should be made payable to BHS Project Graduation and mailed to Sara Meszaros, 2709
Oxford Ct., Bartlesville, OK 74006.
Project Graduation is a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt
organization making it eligible for matching contributions. The tax ID number is 73-1333467. All
Project Graduation programs are funded solely
through fundraising efforts and the generosity of the
Bartlesville community.
BPSD Needs You!
Community Volunteers Needed
Test Monitors/Proctors are needed for upcoming End
of Instruction tests. The job of a monitor/proctor is to assist
the certified teacher in administering the test to the students.
Dates Needed: April 15 — May 7th
Time required varies from two to six hours depending
on the test.
The main job of the Test Proctor is to observe the Test
Administrator and students during the test and report any
irregularities in testing procedures.
To volunteer call the school counselor for the school of
your choice:
918-336-9337 Hoover
Jessica Herrington 918-336-9479 Jane Phillips Kimi Keyes
918-337-3711 Kane
Robin Barry
918-336-3810 Ranch Heights Rhonda Willcox
918-333-8000
Wayside
918-335-1177
Wilson
918-336-9302
Central
918-333-3176 Madison
918-333-4444 Mid-High
918-336-3311
High School
Rhonda Kesselhuth
Karen Salge
Allison Ebert or Jane Sears
Holly Martin or Julie Brown
Rachel Gurule
Rebecca Brown
Test Proctors are required to participate annually in Test
Proctor orientation.
Test proctor training can be completed on line - http://www.bps-ok.org/faculty/_pdf/2015SpringOCCTProct
orTraining.pdf
Want to keep up with
construction at BHS? Check out the BHS
construction cam at:
http://www.bps-ok.org/bhs/construction/default.htm
Summer School Teacher and Assistant
applications now being accepted
The Bartlesville Public School District is now accepting applications for
summer school teachers and assistants. The summer school dates will be starting
June 1-25, 2015, Monday – Thursday.
Also, if you are a current school employee, you will not have to complete
the entire application, just follow the instructions for current employees. The
deadline to apply is April 24, 2015.
If you have any questions, contact Christie Young at the ESC at 918-3368600 x1030, or youngcm@bps-ok.org.
BMHS student recognized as Kiwanis
sophomore of the year
Bartlesville Mid-High
sophomore Pranoy Behera,
is the Kiwanis Bartlesville
Sophomore of the Year and
is the overall winner of the
Kiwanis Sophomore of the
Year. The overall winner is
chosen from the winners of
the five Washington County
schools.
Behera is pictured here with
Jeanette Miller, chair of
the Sophomore of the Year
committee, and Rachelle
Wilson, chair of the Youth
Services committee.
Photo special to The Bruin
DEBATE- Continued from page 1
working toward
this since he was
a freshman–and it’s rare for even a junior to qualify. He’s
debated 12 different resolutions and has competed in more
than 25 tournaments.”
“Last year, he went to Nationals in Student Congress
and participated in Debate Camp at Cameron University
in Lawton to help hone his skills. It’s not uncommon for
Mason to put in two-to-three hours a day researching and
preparing his positions for tournaments.”
Alex Hale, now in his fourth year of debate, qualified
to be a member of our District’s first World School Debate
Team. This team encompasses competitors from all different
types of debate to work together and forge a team.
“Alex has a brilliant, insightful mind and this new style
of debate is tailor made for him,” says Shipley.
The students work together as a team with no teachers
present for one hour before each debate round after the debate topic has been revealed. “Alex will excel in this venue,
quickly formulating interesting and complex arguments to be
presented during the debate,” said Shipley.
Bartlesville High School has 30 students enrolled in
competitive debate. Three are seniors, three are juniors and
the remaining 24 are Mid-High sophomores and freshmen.
“We’re a very young, but also a very strong team,”
says Shipley. “Our future looks promising. One of my
favorite things about teaching competitive debate is watching
the young freshman grow and mature as they develop their
critical thinking, problem solving, and persuasive speaking
skills. What these students are capable of accomplishing by
the time they graduate from high school always amazes me,
and I’ve been doing this for a very long time.”
In 2009, Shipley was named the BHS teacher of the
year and in 2008, she was the named the Oklahoma Speech
and Debate Coach of the Year. Under Shipley’s leadership,
the Bartlesville High School Debate program was named
one of the Top 40 Debate high schools in America by the
National Forensic League (NFL) in 2013. Since her arrival in
1994, the speech and debate team have boasted more than 50
and scores of others in state and regional competitions.
schools in the state of
Oklahoma to boast
Project Fit America equipment. The Project Fit America
area includes equipment such as ladders, ropes to climb,
parallel bars, pull up bars and a stretching area among other
innovative fitness equipment. This addition to the Jane Phillips physical education curriculum has been a huge success.
Also in October, Bartlesville High School seniors,
Alexander Hales and Thomas Talbot were named National
Merit Semifinalists. Seniors Marlon Cummings, Catherine
Hine and Logan Martin were named Commended Students.
In total, only 50,000 students throughout the country are
named either a National Merit Semifinalist or Commended
Student, and BHS has five.
We also had high school seniors, Gabrielle Culver and
Virginia Drummond, receive the 2015 Academic All-State
Award by the Oklahoma Foundation for Excellence. They
are among only 100 high school seniors selected from 558
nominations statewide. Culver and Drummond will receive a
$1,000 merit-based scholarship and a medallion.
Another great individual student success is that of
Bartlesville High School senior, Gloria Tso, who was selected as a member of the 2014-2015 class of Coca-Cola Scholars. She is receiving a $20,000 scholarship award, renewable
annually at $5,000, for four years of study at any accredited
U.S. college or university of her choice. Tso was also recognized with the Prudential Spirit of Community Awards .The
award presented by Prudential, in partnership with the National Association of Secondary School Principals (NASSP),
honors middle level and high school students for outstanding
service to others at the local, state, and national level.
In the realm of Bruin athletics, the Bartlesville High
School football team made the playoffs for the first time
since 2010.
Our high school girls cross country team entered the 6A
state championship meet on November 1 on a roll following
a 6A regional title win in October. The success continued as
the Lady Bruins sprinted to the 6A girls cross country state
title outpacing Norman North High School and rival Jenks
High School at the state meet which was held in Edmond.
The BHS boys cross country team also had an outstanding finish, just narrowly missing the podium with a
fourth place finish.
Recently, our girls swim team took home their first
State Championship since 1997. They competed in the State
Championship on the weekend of February 20 in the Edmond Aquatic Center. The boys swim team did great as well
coming in as state runners-up.
The many successes of our students is directly attributed to the dedicated teachers, directors, sponsors and coaches
who teach and lead them every day. These individuals who
have dedicated their personal lives for the success of our
students, all helping to shape our future.
It has been a remarkable year so far and we look
forward to the remainder of the year. We encourage you
to come out and support our Bartlesville students in one of
the many activities that will be taking place throughout the
spring season – concerts, plays, school musicals, golf, tennis,
baseball, slow pitch softball, track, and soccer.
CHALKBOARD- Continued from page 1
Check out BPSD on facebook and twitter
Keep up to date with the latest happenings
around the Bartlesville Public School District by visiting the BPSD facebook page and the BPSD twitter
page.
To visit the BPSD facebook page, search
Bartlesville Public Schools on Facebook or use the
link http://www.facebook.com/#!/BartlesvillePublicSchools. When you visit the site, make sure to like
the page. Presently, the page has over 4,200 page likes.
The BPSD is also on twitter, simply search for @
BPSDBruins. Become a follower and get district updates and announcements.
Stellar Sites
The Bartlesville Public School District offers a wide array
of useful tools for students as well as parents. For some
extra educational insight, give these websites a look:
PowerSchool
http://www.bps-ok.org Click on the PowerSchool link
toward the top of the home page.
- Parents and legal guardians can check with office personnel at their student’s school to find out how to access
PowerSchool.
- Information on students - such as grades and attendance
records available via PowerSchool.
Study Island
http://www.studyisland.com Use the “Member Login.”
- Student login information must be obtained from teachers.
Facebook
http://www.facebook.com/BartlesvillePublicSchools or
http://www.facebook.com/BartlesvilleHighSchool
- Everyone can keep up with what’s going on throughout
the BPSD or at Bartlesville High School by becoming fans
of these pages, which are updated regularly with news and
events.
Twitter
https://twitter.com/#!/BPSDBruins
- Keep up with the latest news and announcements from
throughout the BPSD.
Bartlesville Public School District Activities (March 13 - March 19)
Friday, March 13
-No School for Elementary Schools Only - Parent/Teacher Conferences
-Florida Band Trip
-Central Special Olympics Practice @ BHS (9:00 a.m.)
-Kane Spring Book Fair during conferences (9:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.)
-Varsity baseball @ Bishop Kelley (4:00 p.m.)
-Coed Varsity track @ Jenks (4:00 p.m.)
Saturday, March 14
-Florida Band Trip
-JV baseball @ Bishop Kelley (12:00 p.m.)
Sunday, March 15
-Florida Band Trip
Monday, March 16
-Florida Band Trip
-Spring Break
Tuesday, March 17
-Florida Band Trip
-Spring Break
Wednesday, March 18
-Florida Band Trip
-Spring Break
Thursday, March 19
-Vocal Music Trip to Florida
-Florida Band trip
-Spring Break
Where’s My Issue
of The Bruin?
With Spring Break set
to unfold from March 16-20
throughout the Bartlesville
Public School District, there
will be no issue of The Bruin
next week. But, look for it
again - with plenty of Bruin
news on Friday, March 27.