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On Tuesday, February 14, area residents will be asked to open their hearts to the Bruins during a special Valentine’s Day vote. On the ballot will be a school bond issue proposal which would aid the Bartlesville Public School District in a myriad of ways. Among the highlights of the proposal would be an 18-room classroom addition at Bartlesville High School to allow sophomores to begin attending, a new sixth and seventh grade center that would be the city’s first new school built since 1985, and the construction of new early childhood classrooms at Richard Kane Elementary School. The proposal would result in no tax increase as it would be a continuation of the last school bond issue which voters approved in 2007. Thus the tax levy would remain at the same level. The school bond issue proposal was crafted by the Long Range Facilities Planning Committee, a group of approximately 30 citizens and BPSD representatives who met frequently from March through November. The plan was eventually brought before the Bartlesville Board of Education, who unanimously approved a resolution to call for a citizens’ vote of the proposal during a special meeting in December. Since that time, BPSD superintendent Dr. Gary W. Quinn, who was part of the Long Range Facilities Planning Committee, has made numerous presentations focused on the different facets of the school bond issue proposal throughout the community. The presentations feature a PowerPoint – which can be viewed in PDF form – and Quinn answers questions from the audience thereafter. “I’m impressed with the careful consideration of the Long Range Facilities Planning Committee,” says Michele Robertson, the president of the Central Parent Support Group, following one of Quinn’s presentations at Central Middle School. “This bond issue addresses so many needs of our district. “This package definitely has my support.” Recent school bond issues passed by voters – in 2001 and 2007 – have helped to transform district campuses. Added to the BHS campus have been the Science Wing, the Fine Arts Center, the BHS Fieldhouse, the Library/Media Center, the Bruin Activity Center, the varsity football locker room facility and the connecting link. New classrooms have been added at the Bartlesville Mid-High School as well as Ranch Heights, Wayside and Woodrow Wilson elementary schools. The front entrance and office areas at Ranch Heights and Wayside have been made over, giving the schools new, invigorated looks. The Bruin Softball Field was a school bond issue product, also. While crafting the new school bond issue proposal, the Long Range Facilities Planning Committee identified approximately $60 million in needs for the district. Those needs were then prioritized – and reduced – as the proposal was finalized. Under the terms of the proposal, the 18-classroom expansion at BHS would take place on the north side of the building. The expansion would allow for the district’s sophomores, who currently attend the Bartlesville Mid-High School, to begin attending BHS and therefore have easier access to its curriculum, facilities and other amenities. With BHS featuring the BPSD’s seniors, juniors and sophomores, the district’s eighth graders would be moved to the Mid-High School to join the freshmen. The BPSD currently has two middle schools – Central and Madison – which house the district’s sixth, seventh and eighth grade students. Under the new proposal, which calls for a new sixth and seventh grade center, Madison would be closed and Central would become an administrative building, housing the current operations at the district’s Education Service Center as well as the Will Rogers Complex. The terms of the plan would allow the district to realize savings by operating three secondary sites – BHS, the Mid-High School and the new sixth and seventh grade center – instead of the current four. The current ESC facility and the Will Rogers Complex would be closed as well, allowing for more operating expenses to be curbed. The proposal calls for the utilization of lease purchase opportunities, which means construction would begin at BHS and Kane later this year, and on the new sixth and seventh grade center shortly thereafter. The timeframe would likely allow for the new additions at BHS and Kane to be ready for the start of the 2013-14 academic year while the new sixth and seventh grade center would be set to debut by August of 2014. “I love the idea of the sixth and seventh grade center and the idea of including the 10th grade at the high school,” says Robertson. “Having a new building for sixth and seventh grade students and teachers would solve so many of the problems they deal with in an older building such as Central. I also like the idea of using the bond money to build the new building and additions so quickly.” The new classrooms at Kane would be constructed for kindergarten and pre-kindergarten students in a “pod” style as has been the case in recent construction projects at three other district elementary schools – Ranch Heights, Wayside and Wilson. The new classrooms would allow Kane’s younger students to move out of their current portable buildings as well. Another highlight of the proposal would be the construction of a new cafeteria at BHS to replace the current one, which is shy on space and showing signs of age. The new addition would be able to comfortably fit the 10th graders who would be attending the school.The proposed bond issue calls for the expansion of the cafeteria at the Mid-High School, also. The updates in the area of athletics would include several additions at Custer Stadium such as a new press box, lighting and sound system, visitors’ concession and restroom areas, and handrails in the home side grandstand seating area. In addition, new tennis courts would be added and the old BHS fieldhouse practice and dressing areas would be renovated to allow them to be more easily utilized by the Bruins’ wrestling, pom and cheer programs. Among the planned improvements at the elementary school sites would include the renovation of the front entry area at Hoover as well as a new canopy for the east-side entrance. In addition, the west side of the school’s gymnasium would be repainted and resurfaced. Other updates would include new windows the cafeteria at Jane Phillips, improvements to the playground areas at Ranch Heights and Wilson, and a new walkway cover and storage area for Wayside. |
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Community volunteers are being sought for the Great American Conference basketball tournament which will be held on March 1-4, 2012 in the Bruin Field House. If you are interested, fill out and send in the attached form. Or visit the bartlesvillesports.com website. |
 Last February, Henderson was named the BPSD’s 2011 Teacher of the Year. She went on to become a finalist for the 2012 Oklahoma Teacher of the Year honor. An esteemed educator at Bartlesville High School, Henderson has earned no shortage of accolades and honors. She is a member of the Oklahoma Science Fair Hall of Fame and received the coveted Jimmie Pigg Memorial Outstanding Teaching Award from the Oklahoma Junior Academy of Science. She has been decorated with the Kurt Schmoldt Teacher Appreciation Award and was presented with the Golden Apple Teaching Award by the Bartlesville Chamber of Commerce. She even received a special commendation from the Queen of Sweden. With Henderson’s mantle seemingly filled with hardware, is there any one piece which shines more brightly than all the others? The answer is a simple “no.” “While I am grateful for these awards, I do not feel that they are my greatest accomplishments,” says Henderson. “That is reserved for when my students develop an understanding of biology and desire to discover something new.” Henderson’s greatest accomplishments are found not on her mantle but in communities throughout the country and the world in the form of former students who have gone on to live rewarding and meaningful lives. “Knowing that I have positively influenced my students’ lives and their future success makes me feel that I have held true to my values,” says Henderson, “passing along my love of learning and helping my students to become productive citizens in their own right.” Henderson serves an advanced placement biology teacher for the juniors and seniors at BHS as well as an anatomy and physiology instructor. Henderson is firm in her belief that one of the most important factors in the quality of a student’s education is the teachers who guide them. Thus, she does everything she can to be the best educator for all of the young people in her care. Henderson is now in her 24th year as a teacher – all of them spent within the BPSD – and promotes the development of critical thinking skills among her students as well as creativity. “I labor to extend education beyond the rote recall of facts,” notes Henderson. “I provide students with a safe haven where they are supported in the process of learning and motivated to showcase their own talents through their research, stretching themselves beyond the typical skill set in designing and conducting an experiment and presenting it effectively to an impartial judge.” Henderson promotes teaching as a worthwhile profession which her students might consider as a career option. Then, in the way she lives her life, she demonstrates that of which educators are capable. For the last 26 years, Henderson has served as a safety instructor and lifeguard for the American Red Cross in her hometown of Caney, Kan. In addition, she is a member of the American Red Cross Disease Service Team for Washington County. In that role, she has run shelters for those from the area who have been displaced by inclement weather, such as floods and snowstorms. Henderson is a trained first responder, also. She has rendered aid to those involved in car accidents and helped a woman who fell and broke her hip as well. Over the years, Henderson has invested much time and effort toward being the best educator she can possibly be. The payoff has been tremendous, for her as well as the students who have been fortunate enough to learn under her. |
 The Bartlesville High School Drama Department is set to deliver its version of the Pulitzer Prize winning work on Thursday, Feb. 9 and Saturday, Feb. 11 in the Fine Arts Center auditorium on the BHS campus. Both productions are due to begin at 7 p.m. Set in 1901, “Our Town” revolves around two families – the Webbs and the Gibbs. The families become intertwined as a romance between Emily Webb and George Gibbs results in marriage. In the BHS production, Katie Gerth and Ben Pauls star in the roles of Emily Webb and George Gibbs, respectively. In “Our Town,” stage managers play characters in the play and help to narrate it as well. Handling the chores in the BHS production will be Andrew Costes, Claire Malaby and Spencer Welch. Directing the play will be Susan Crabtree, the instructor of the Secondary Theatre Department at BHS. “The message of the play – that life is a journey to be relished – is truly timeless,” says Crabtree. “One of the stage managers – as part of the narration – puts it this way: ‘This is the way we were, in our growing up, and in our marrying, and in our living, and in our dying.” Tickets for “Our Town” will be available in advance – at a discounted rate – and on the evenings of the two performances. Ticket prices are $5 (advance) and $10 (at the door) for adults, and $3 (advance) and $5 (at the door) for children and students as well as faculty and staff members of the Bartlesville Public School District. Advance tickets are available by calling (918) 336-3311, ext. 5088. In addition to being a tale set at the turn of the 20th Century, the BHS production of “Our Town” will feature several unique aspects. Among them will be an original score for the play which has been composed by Welch, who is a junior. “The score includes a variety of styles of music and requires Spencer to compose for many different instruments – piano, tuba, violin, harmonica, guitar and French horn,” notes Crabtree. “I believe the music will add tremendously to the production.” While the play will offer plenty of live music, it will offer sound effects which are produced live on stage as well, much in the style of an old radio play from yesteryear. The BHS Drama Department is no stranger to offering compelling works. In October, the group presented “Crimes of the Heart,” which debuted in 1978 and went on to become a Broadway hit as well as a popular movie. “Our Town” was originally performed in 1938 and has been the focus of countless productions since then. The play is known for its minimalist sets which help to draw the focus of the audience to the actors and their performances. “‘Our Town’ is an important American play that every educated person should be familiar with as it is referenced in so many aspects of our culture,” says Crabtree. “Many audience members will remember ‘Our Town’ as one of the most powerful plays they’ve experienced, and we want the student body to have the opportunity to share in the impact that this play can have on its audience.” The cast of the BHS production of “Our Town” is comprised of 27 students in all, 14 of whom actually hail from the Bartlesville Mid-High School. The 13 members of the BHS contingency include Katherine Boulanger (sound effects courtesy of a radio play), Tyler Everett (Dr. Gibbs), Jessica Purvis (Mrs. Gibbs), Devin Davis (Mrs. Webb), William Wade (Howie Newsome) Leanna Elkins (Mrs. Newsome), Anthony Milligan (Simon Stimson), Abigail McKee (Mrs. Soames), Seline Alp (lady in the choir), Megan Morrow (Mrs. Stoddard), Costes, Malaby and Welch. The Mid-High School members of the cast include Erin Reeve (Rebecca Gibbs), Jacob Coordeson (Mr. Webb), Christian Farnsworth (Wally Webb), Cory Peterson (Joe and Si Crowell), Tyler Geissler (Constable Warren), Jeremy Morillo (Joe Stoddard), Kasia Jarmola (Lady 1), Catherine Hine (Lady 2), Katrina Randolph (Lady 3), Nicole Boulanger (Lady 4), Julie Welch (sound effects), Haley Snowden (sound effects), Gerth and Pauls. Auditions for “Our Town” took place in January, and the cast has been rehearsing daily for the last five weeks. “By the time the show is in production, the cast will have spent well over 100 hours of their own time outside of school in rehearsal,” notes Crabtree. “We had auditions during the first week of school and have had rehearsals daily since the second full week.” Though not part of the cast, stage manager and BHS senior Jennifer Cheung has played a vital role in the production. “Jennifer attends every rehearsal and works harder than any of us,” says Crabtree. “Jennifer is responsible for writing all the blocking/movement on stage for each character, prompting, writing and calling all technical cues (if the lights turn on, Jennifer made it happen), scheduling, communication with cast and technical crew, coffee, and just keeping us on task. She even designed the set for this show and is generally in charge of its construction. Her job requires many skills and she does it with a smile every day. I could not have a production without her.” The production would not be possible without the work of the BHS stagecraft classes either. The students who are in the classes have been busy building the set and working on lighting for the last month. “All that you see on stage,” says Crabtree, “has been created by my terrifi c stagecraft students who work hard in the Fine Arts Center every day.” |
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A student-organized and multi-faceted variety show, “Bruins on Broadway” is scheduled to kick up its heels on Friday, January 27 at 7 p.m. in the BHS Fine Arts Center auditorium. The special event is a fundraising effort by the Bartlesville High School and Bartlesville Mid-High School choirs. “Bruins on Broadway” will feature the Bruin choir students in several solo and small ensemble performances as well as three large ensemble pieces. Admission to the show will be $5 per person, and all of the money raised will help to cover the cost of the students’ upcoming spring musical, “My Fair Lady.” Tickets can be purchased at the Fine Arts Center shortly before show time. |
Five outstanding BHS seniors were interviewed by Keith Taylor from Channel 8 for their Cool Schools feature. The segments will air next week starting at 5:20 a.m. and 6:20 a.m. Monday, 1/30 – Michael Spence Tuesday, 1/31 – Haley Culver Wednesday, 2/1 – Tim Hamilton Thursday, 2/2 – Allie Hoppe Friday, 2/3 – Jack Wiseman |
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 In the 2013-2014 school year, the long-deferred dream of bringing sophomores back to BHS for the first time since 1982 could become a reality. Among the highlights of the proposed school bond issue which will go before voters on Feb. 14 is an 18-room addition at BHS that would allow for 10th graders to begin attending the school. The move would allow the sophomores to enjoy all aspects of a high school curriculum at an earlier age, become more accustomed with BHS counselors and educators, and take advantage of the BHS campus and its many recent upgrades. The 18-room expansion would allow plenty of room for the BPSD’s estimated 430 sophomores who would join BHS. If the bond issue passes, then work on the project would be scheduled to begin this year, and the district’s current crop of eighth graders would be able to utilize it by the time they are sophomores during the 2013-14 academic year. The expansion would be added to the north side of the BHS building. It would feature three floors and would allow for a natural fit with the current look of BHS. The above concept rendering approximates how it might look, being a north extension to the 2003 Science Wing. The window sizing and layout is an initial idea subject to change to meet interior design needs. The first floor would offer six classrooms to comprise the Bruin Academy, which is the BPSD’s alternative program, which currently occupies four classrooms on the lowest level of Custer Stadium and two more on the middle level. Those rooms would return to serving regular classes. The second floor would be a northward extension of the first floor of the existing Science Wing, adding eight more regular classrooms. The top floor would have four new science classroom/laboratories adjacent to the three chemistry labs on the top floor of the Science Wing. Most of them would be designed for Biology I, the science course taken by sophomores in the traditional track. The 18-room expansion would offer a separate ground level entrance on the east side of the facility for the Bruin Academy. The glass box in the rendering is a stairwell with an emergency exit. The west side of the new construction shown in the rendering would emerge from the hill on the north side of campus. The mascot tree north of the Science Wing could be relocated to the Alumni Garden on the front lawn near the northwest corner of the Science Wing. “We feel like we can comfortably integrate the sophomores into the high school, not just in terms of our facilities but in terms of academics as well,” says BHS principal Teri Brant. “They are a great fit for us." |
Back in 2000 a community survey showed support for bringing sophomores back to BHS, which converted to an 11-12th grade site in 1982 when Col-High and Sooner High merged. But the campus wasn't ready for sophomores because it had a small windowless cafeteria, insufficient parking, a cramped and decrepit auditorium and band/orchestra and choir rooms, the historic but limited-capacity Phillips Field House, small science labs scattered on either end of the academic buildings, and a small library. The 2001 and 2007 bond issues have changed most of that. We now have plenty of parking, six big science labs, a gorgeous Fine Arts Center with state-of-the-art auditorium and performing and visual arts rooms, the big Bruin Field House which can host tournaments like the Lone Star Conference, and the old auditorium, which could barely hold one grade of students at a time, was converted into a spacious new library. But BHS still lacks a cafeteria capable of handling sophomores. The proposed bond issue would finally bring sophomores back to BHS, providing BHS with something most modern high schools enjoy: a spacious cafeteria/commons where students can gather before or after school to visit, eat breakfast, study together, access computers, and of course enjoy a nutritious lunch.  Click the image to enlarge it, showing the proposed new cafeteria/commons at BHS adjacent to Custer Stadium. The current cafeteria at BHS began as an unexcavated space below the main building back in the College High days. It was later scooped out and turned into a small windowless cafeteria which barely accommodates the current student body even with an open campus where most juniors and seniors leave for lunch. Most sophomores cannot drive, so the current cafeteria would be entirely inadequate in serving them. The new cafeteria/commons would be built off the connecting link between the academic buildings and the Fine Arts Center (click on the map below to see its placement). Situated right where most students enter and leave the buildings from the large east parking lot, it would be more like a food court and would include computer terminals and study areas, providing a welcoming place for students to gather. It would have enough capacity to serve sophomores as well as those juniors and seniors who stay on campus for lunch. Its proximity to Lyon Field at Custer Stadium could also benefit football events and the like with its large glass wall and doors for viewing and accessing the field and stadium. (See above concept rendering.) Click the map below for a visual summary of the construction projects at BHS in the proposed bond issue.  | What other schools provide for their students: Spacious Cafeteria/Commons (click a snapshot to enlarge it)  Cafeteria/Commons at Owasso High  Cafeteria/Commons at Booker T. Washington High in Tulsa  Touchdown Stations at Willowbrook High in Illinois Structural columns were turned into stations offering wireless computing and local printing.  Commons Area with Food Court at Barberton High in Ohio |
Bartlesville High School juniors Nicole Biddinger and John Tobola have been named the Rotary Students of the Month for January.   The Rotary students of the month – both seniors and juniors are eligible – are chosen by a committee of BHS teachers. The students should be of high moral character, have initiative, show leadership capabilities, be good students, and be active and interested in their school and community. One boy and one girl are selected each month from September through May. |
As part of the 2012 Oklahoma Music Educators Association Winter In-Service Conference, two special concerts will be held in the Fine Arts Center auditorium on the Bartlesville High School campus. The University of Central Oklahoma Wind Symphony of Edmond is due to perform on Tuesday, Jan. 17 beginning at 7:30 p.m., while the Southeastern University Symphonic Winds of Durant are set to showcase their talents on Wednesday, Jan. 18 with a show time at 8:30 a.m. Both concerts are free and open to the public. The OMEA Winter In-Service Conference is an annual event, and this year’s gathering will span from Jan. 18-21 in Tulsa. The UCO and Southeastern wind ensembles’ Bartlesville performances will each be in preparation of their special honor concerts which will be held later during the week at the Tulsa Convention Center as part of the OMEA Conference. The groups auditioned last summer for the opportunity to play at the event. The supervisor of instrumental music for the Bartlesville Public School District, Alex Claussen is helping to coordinate both concerts on the BHS campus. “Both groups are preparing challenging programs that will offer diversity and something to interest everyone in the audience,” notes Claussen. “It’s not often that the Bartlesville community is treated to this caliber of wind band music, especially in the form of two concerts within 24 hours. I encourage everyone to consider coming out to both of these great concerts." |
There will be a schoolwide assembly on Thursday, January 5 in the FAC auditorium. Judge Vaclaw will be speaking about cyber-bullying and the implications of social networking. Students will sit with their 1st hour teacher in assigned seats.
(Bruin Academy will follow a different schedule.) |
The 2012 Bartlesville District Science Fair is scheduled to take place in February at the ConocoPhillips Technology Center. The annual event, which is open to area students from grades one through 12, is slated for Friday, Feb. 3 and Saturday, Feb. 4. Elementary students (from grades one through six) are set to complete on Feb. 3 while secondary students (grades seven through 12) will test their skills on Feb. 4. The elementary event is due to begin at 5:30 p.m. on Feb. 3 while the secondary competition will get started at 7:30 a.m. on Feb. 4. In addition to numerous category and special awards presented at the Bartlesville District Science Fair, up to 30 student projects will be selected for a subsequent competition in the Oklahoma State Science and Engineering Fair in Ada from March 8-10. In addition, two projects will be selected to compete in the International Science and Engineering Fair in Pittsburgh, Pa., from May 13-18. Teachers of students competing at ISEF will also be invited to attend the International Fair. “We are proud to celebrate our 59th anniversary of providing this competitive science and engineering opportunity to our students,” says Lee Carvell, the director of the Bartlesville District Science Fair. “We sponsor the Bartlesville District Science Fair as an opportunity to promote science, mathematics and engineering education. We know that schools operate on a tight budget and hope that the science fair helps teachers enhance science curricula.” The Bartlesville District Science Fair is an affiliated International Science and Engineering Fair, which means that ISEF rules must be followed. This year’s set of rules have minimal changes from those of last year. All students, teachers and parents are encouraged to be familiar with the rules, as they provide excellent guidance to assure student safety and are mandatory for grades seven and above at the Bartlesville fair. A handy tool for helping students determine the exact forms they need is located on the ISEF website at http://apps.societyforscience.org/isef/students/wizard/index.asp. The full ISEF handbook is available at the following website, and includes rules, forms, and a student handbook: http://www.societyforscience.org/document.doc?id=312. Further information on the state and international fairs can be found on their respective web pages at: http://ossef.ecok.edu/ and http://www.societyforscience.org/isef/. Applications from those who wish to compete in the 2012 Bartlesville District Science Fair are due by Jan. 20. Entry forms are available at the BDSF website at http://bartlesvilledsf.org. Entry or placement at a school science fair is not required for students to apply to the District Science Fair. Teams can participate at the BDSF and OSSEF competitions, and are considered for ISEF. A team consists of no more than three students, and those who are part of teams are not allowed to compete as individuals. |
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 Three Bruins advanced from the initial audition to the final round on Dec. 2, including Sung. Most of the students began preparing for their All-State auditions in April. The auditions consisted of an advanced three-octave scale, an advanced etude and excerpts from concert selections. The BHS and Mid-High School students were assisted in their auditions for coveted All-State Orchestra status by five private teachers – David Kazmierzak, Mary Snider, Robin Smith, Rhonda Carr and Greg Carr. Sung is a private student of Kazmierzak. Rhonda Carr serves as the director of the BHS orchestra as well as the Central Middle School Orchestra. Husband Greg Carr directs the Mid-High School and Madison Middle School orchestras. The auditions on Dec. 2 in Moore for the 2011-12 OMEA All-State Orchestra drew 75 violin, 50 viola, 50 cello and 30 bass players from throughout Oklahoma. The 2011-12 OMEA All-State Orchestra is scheduled to perform a special concert on Jan. 22 at the Performing Arts Center in Tulsa. Tickets will be available on the day of the performance. The concert is set to feature the “Finale from Symphony #4” by Peter Tchaikowsky, the “Academic Festival Overture” by Johannes Brahms, and “The Enchanted Garden” from the “Mother Goose Suite” by Maurice Ravel. |
 Other Bruin selections for the 2011-12 Oklahoma Music Educators Association All-State Band include seniors Rosabelle Zhou (second chair clarinet) and Kelsie Hoelscher (15th chair clarinet), and juniors Cameron Villines (first chair timpani – All-State Orchestra), Dylan Adkins (third chair French horn – All-State Orchestra), Rachel Wittenbach (first alternate flute) and Jacob Coordsen (third alternate tuba). A former Bruin currently enrolled at the Oklahoma School of Science and Mathematics, Sam Inn was named the 14th chair clarinet. Dobbs distinguished herself as the first chair timpani in the All-State Band. “What Megan accomplished is pretty incredible,” says Alex Claussen, the BPSD’s supervisor of instrumental music. “Students are eligible to begin auditioning for the All-State Band as sophomores, so to earn that status three years in a row is very special.” With their latest selections, Villines and Adkins are now two-year All-State musicians and as juniors will have the chance to earn the coveted three-year status in 2012. Schmidt earned All-State status last year and has distinguished herself this year by being named an alternate in two different areas of percussion. As a junior, Schmidt will have the chance to become a two-year All-State selection next year. The final auditions for the 2011-12 OMEA All-State Band were held earlier this month on the Westmoore High School campus and an estimated 1,000 students from across the state earned the right to be a part of them. Around 113 spots were available in All-State band in all. Preliminary auditions, which were held in November, drew around 2,000 band students. Twenty-nine BPSD band students qualified for the All-State finals. All-State auditions are always intense as students who earn the status often go on to collect scholarships and invitations to play in national level honor groups which perform throughout the country and tour Europe. Auditions for band students involve them learning new pieces of music and displaying their sight reading skills. Students often work on their All-State music during their personal time, away from the school music setting. All of the 2011-12 All-State groups – including the band – will go on to perform at the Tulsa Performing Arts Center during the 2012 OMEA Winter Conference, which is scheduled to take place from Jan. 18-20. All-State Band final auditions were held during the day on Dec. 3, and students found out later that evening whether or not they had earned a coveted spot. “For our students who made it, there were a lot of high fives handed out,” notes Claussen. “We saw a lot of hugs, and even some tears of joy.” All-State Band finals auditions are done in a “blind” setting, as the judges sit behind a curtain and never see the musicians. Thus, they go strictly by what they hear. The BPSD boasts three clarinet players on this year’s All-State Band roster. In all, 157 clarinet players tried out for the band and 24 made it, including the Bruin trio. |
The Bartlesville High School varsity and junior varsity pom squads excelled in the 2011 Oklahoma State Dance Team Championship, which was held in December on the Oklahoma City University campus.Competing in the Class 6A Varsity Division, BHS varsity squad earned a coveted state championship in the Hip-Hop category. The varsity team place fourth in the state in the Pom category as well. In the Junior Varsity Division, the BHS JV squad distinguished itself by placing second in the Pom category and third in Hip-Hop. “They all did amazing and represented our school district very well,” said BHS pom coach Stephanie Stewart. “I am quite proud." Last month five members of the Bartlesville High School varsity pom squad – (pictured from left) – Mackenzie Boles, Taylor Haag, Natalie Bond, Lindsey Barnes and Courtney Landon – marched with more than 700 other girls from throughout the country as part of the 2011 Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade last month in New York. The BHS varsity pom squad earned the right to participate in the annual event – as part of a Spirit of America Productions contingency – after finishing as one of the top six teams in a competition in Texas last spring. The parade was broadcast by NBC, and the girls performed in front of the famed Macy’s store in downtown New York City. As part of the performance, 20 girls were selected to be showcased in a special routine, including Barnes and Bond, who are the two captains of the BHS varsity pom squad.
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HELP! Have you taken any pictures this year? Funny? Silly? Serious? WE want them! Click here to upload pictures for the yearbook. username: 400133595 Password: bruins |
 Michael is the son of Craig and Michele Spence. He attends the Town and Country Christian Church. He enjoys mission work and is one of five leaders as part of a student Bible study group at BHS. Michael is a member of the BHS student council and is always eager to help those in need. He has trained in the martial arts for the last nine years and is a third-degree black belt. Michael enjoys science and engineering as well as singing and playing guitar.  Oklahoma Interscholastic Press Association, and is a member of the Washington County Youth Court and the Examiner-Enterprise Reader Advisory Board. She works at the East Cross Early Childhood Center. Katie was a finalist in the 2011 Intel International Science and Engineering Fair. Elks Students of the Month – all of whom are seniors – are chosen by a committee of Bartlesville High School teachers. They must be of high moral character, have initiative, show leadership capabilities, be good students, and be active and interested in their school and community. One boy and one girl are selected each month from October through May. |
Bartlesville High School seniors Kolin Tribble and Hayden Powell have been named the Rotary Students of the Month for December.   The Rotary students of the month – both seniors and juniors are eligible – are chosen by a committee of BHS teachers. The students should be of high moral character, have initiative, show leadership capabilities, be good students, and be active and interested in their school and community. One boy and one girl are selected each month from September through May. |
 A professional cartoonist, Richard Jenkins, recently spent a two-week residency at BHS. The residency was made possible by the Oklahoma Arts Council, and Jenkins taught cartoon storyboarding to students in art teacher Jane Harlow’s regular class and political cartooning to those in her AP Studio class. This year marked the second straight in which Jenkins has worked with BHS art students.  |
 Thirty-two Bruins made the high school all-district choir while 21 were chosen for the junior high all-district choir. Qualifying for high school all-district choir honors from Bartlesville High School and the Bartlesville Mid-High School were Stacee Blake, Jeff Boeve, Kailyn Brown, Abigail Callaghan, Alexandria Canoy, Gabe Carr, Andrew Costes, Devin Davis, Thomas Dykstra, Leanna Elkins, Tyler Everett, Collin Ford, Ben Hibbard, Blake Holcombe, Sarah Klawun (alternate), Taft Lard, Leonte Mayhew, Anthony Milligan, Lindsay Pauls, Jessica Pope, Bonnie Pope, Kaitlin Quinn, Anne Reburn, Sadie Schaffner, Molly Singleton, Hannah Steward (alternate), Tim Stouffer, Austin Vaclaw, William Wade, Kellen Watt, Rachel Watters and Spencer Welch.
Those seventh, eighth and ninth grade students from the Mid-High as well as Central and Madison middle schools who made the junior high all-district choir were Madalyn Amaro, Tori Bade (alternate), Melody Baxter, Anna Buhlinger (alternate), Paige Cleveland, Brandon Cragun, Christian Farnsworth, Katie Gerth, Hannah Gray, Melissa Hadley, Shanya Hartman (alternate), Kasia Jarmola (alternate), Joseph Lard, Emily Leupp, Mat McClellan, Jeremy Morillo, Katrina Randolph, Abby Satterfield, Tanner Thompson, Julie Welch and Andrew Lehman.
Serving as the choir directors for the BPSD’s four secondary schools are Wes Singleton (BHS), Tamara Walker (Mid-High School), Ariel Ortega (Central Middle School) and Erin Thrash (Madison Middle School). Margie Green serves as a choir assistant at both Central and Madison.
Auditions for the 2011-12 Northeast Oklahoma Choral Directors All-District Choirs were held in October at Owasso. The students who comprised the All-District Choirs performed a special concert at the First United Methodist Church in Tulsa last month. |
 The BPSD features 10 schools in all and there is also a teacher of the year selected at the Will Rogers Complex, which is the home to several different district programs, such as adult education, Operation Eagle, child nutrition and homeless services. The BPSD’s 2012 Teacher of the Year Ceremony – during which the district’s newest TOY will be announced – is scheduled for the evening of Monday, Feb. 27 in the Fine Arts Center auditorium on the Bartlesville High School campus. The district’s reigning Teacher of the Year is Betty A. Henderson, a science instructor at BHS, who was later selected as one of 12 statewide finalists for Oklahoma State Teacher of the Year. The 10 other candidates for the BPSD’s 2012 Teacher of the Year honor – and the 2012 teachers of the year at their respective sites – are Theresa Merrifield (first grade instructor at Hoover Elementary School), Christy Swanson (pre-kindergarten and kindergarten, Jane Phillips Elementary School), Lana Bell (kindergarten, Richard Kane Elementary School), Stephanie Terry (third grade, Ranch Heights Elementary School), Sherrie Lavery (fourth grade, Wayside Elementary School), Shannon Hamilton (kindergarten, Woodrow Wilson Elementary School), Sue Berry (social studies, Central Middle School), Theresa Miller (earth science, Madison Middle School), Bridgette Smith (language arts, Bartlesville Mid-High School), and Ann McKelvey (adult education/English as a Second Language, Will Rogers). The BPSD initially began naming district teachers of the year in 1981, with the selection of Limestone Elementary School’s Mary Brock. While the district’s newest teacher of the year will be unveiled during the 2012 ceremony in February, the recipient of the annual Kurt Schmoldt Teacher Appreciation Award will be recognized as well. A 1975 graduate of Bartlesville’s College High School, Kurt Schmoldt died of complications from leukemia in 1995. The Schmoldt family has been handing out the distinguished award since 1996 to BPSD educators who demonstrate dynamic qualities as instructors and community leaders. A first grade teacher at Jane Phillips, Rita Coale was the recipient of the 2011 Kurt Schmoldt Teacher Appreciation Award during last year’s TOY ceremony. |