This month's contest is Scavenger Hunt for Golden Tickets. Tickets will be hidden throughout the school with questions that can only be answered by reading The Wampus Cat News. All tickets with answers must be returned to Mrs. Garison, but not during class time. Students who interrupt class will not receive credit for their answers. The winner will receive a $10 gift card to the Atoka school store.

This Month's Articles

View this month's news.

Upcoming Events

View upcoming high school events for February

Senior Spotlight

This Month's senior spotlight is Teagan Joseph. She is a varsity captain for cheer. Teagan has been attending Atoka Public Schools since pre-k, and plans to attend Southeastern Oklahoma State University and pursue a degree in elementary education.

Senior Spotlight

This month's senior spotlight is Dylan Clark. Dylan has been a student at Atoka since kindergarten, and his favorite class is Cybersecurity Basics with Mrs. Burnett. Dylan is active in his school, participating in football, golf, FFA, and is acting President of BPA. Outside of school, Dylan enjoys fishing and playing video games. His advice to freshmen is “Don't drop out, and pay attention to your GPA.” Dylan plans to attend Oklahoma State University and pursue a degree in Information Technology.

Student Spotlight

by Addison Stephens

The Student Spotlight for this month goes to Sage Stiles. She is very active in the school's extracurricular activities and is also a straight A student. She is in Hope Squad, YALL, BPA, Cheer, the Academic Team, TSA, Stuco, Soccer, and E-sports.

Staff Spotlight

Mrs. Capps

By: Emily Mayo & Madeline Kiser

Mrs. Capps is our proud staff spotlight this month. She teaches the Family and Consumer sciences or FACS classes. These classes include Senior Capstone, FACS Basics, Hospitality and Tourism, as well as the Middle School FACS. Mrs. Capps stated, “I do enjoy teaching FACS. It’s fun to see the students learn new things.” She hopes to teach her students new and useful skills they can use in their everyday lives. She has taught at the Atoka Public School system for 29 years. She began her career at the high school in 1996, teaching FACS. Then she transferred to the Atoka Elementary in 2000, where she was first a counselor before teaching in the 2nd grade until her retirement in 2021. She came back to the high school and worked part time in the college lab for 3 years before returning to full time teaching FACS.

In her free-time she says she likes spending time with her family, especially her granddaughter who is pretty special. She also loves to craft and sew. She has enjoyed every year that she's worked in the Atoka Public Schools even though there have been hard days. Returning to a full-time teaching position has been quite the adjustment for her, but she has enjoyed getting to see the students she taught in elementary again. She also has loved getting to know students who are new to Atoka.

Codependency Awareness Month

by Benita DeGuadalupe

January is National Codependency Awareness Month. Codependency is defined as relying on another person to a detrimental extent. Have you ever felt like your entire day depends on someone else's mood? Like if this person's energy is even slightly different from normal your entire world will crumble? For a codependent person, it can truly feel like the end of the world when the person they love acts in a way that feels unloving. Codependency affects 96% of Americans. Many people who grew up with codependent relationships will continue to seek them out into their adulthood. These relationships are often unhealthy and can lead to many other issues like abuse and depression. Most codependent people have low self-esteem and tend to be people pleasers.

This month is all about educating yourself and raising awareness for those struggling with codependency. It is so important for these people to have good support systems as they try to work on themselves and their codependency. We need to offer these people love and support, as well as healthy boundaries within our relationships with them. We must always remember that we never know what anyone is going through; most battles are fought silently. As we enter into 2025 let's remember to be kind and offer love and positivity instead of negativity.

Be an Upstander, Not a Bystander

This Kindness Week we are celebrating the Upstander Project. This project reminds us that it is important to look out for each other, to be an Upstander, not a bystander. Being an Upstander means standing up for those who need it; upstanders are the opposite of bystanders. This week and into this year please remember to stand up for what is right, be that person who cares enough to help. If someone is getting bullied, stand up for them. We need to look out for each other and be there for those who might not feel strong enough to stand up for themselves. When you see someone in need, be kind. Help those who need it. We have enough hatred in the world; let's choose to be kind.

If you would like to know more about the Upstander Project, visit upstanderproject.org

PET OF THE MONTH!!!!!! Send a picture and a description of your pet to sgarison@atoka.org for a chance for your pet to win the pet of the month.

Letter To My Valentine

Click here to write your poem to your valentine and let them know how you feel. This is a great chance to show your affection and let your love loose!!

Short Story or Poem

Want a chance to win a $10 gift to the school store?

Submit either a short story or poem!!!!

Make sure to read the instructions!!!!!

https://forms.gle/HZA5SL9xsMAJXku48