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December 9, 2024

August 5, 2024

As we wrap up the first semester of the school year, it’s almost like the end of a school year when we feel a mix of emotions from excitement to gratitude, sadness to hopefulness. These emotions carry through in tonight’s superintendent’s report as we acknowledge some well-earned awards for our educators and begin to process the end of an era.

First, we have several PC teachers throughout the District who have recently received awards and recognitions. Mr. Casey Goodwin from Lake Park Elementary was surprised last week as the Magic 104.1FM Teacher of the Month. Now, as you listen to holiday music on the radio you will hear a quick commercial recognizing Mr. Goodwin for the month of December! Ms. Angee Wallen from Western Oaks Middle School was recently recognized as the UCO College of Education and Professional Studies Dr. Joann McCarthy Inspiring Educator Award recipient. This annual award goes to UCO alumni who have excelled in education. Ms. Wallen is a former site teacher of the year and embodies excellence in teaching. Ms. Jennifer Evans from Ralph Downs Elementary is the December Teacher of the Month for the OKC-City Council and the OKC Downtown Rotary. She was presented with an official commendation from Mayor David Holt. And finally, Mr. Patrick Runnels from PC North was selected for the Fulbright Teacher Exchange Award, the world's largest and most diverse international educational exchange made possible by the U.S. Congress. This is an incredible honor! We are so proud of all our PC educators, their accomplishments, and their dedication to making every beat count.

Next, we concluded the Student Advisory groups with a visit to PC West this last week. As Cabinet, we have been so impressed with our high school students.  Anyone who has doubts about the quality of our public schools or worries about the future of our country, needs to visit our high schools and talk with students. They are bright, articulate, mature, confident and certainly candid in offering constructive feedback. We will now compile what we have learned from our students at all three high schools and come up with an action plan so we continue to improve. Thank you, to all our student leaders for participating and representing your peers and school so well!

And as we conclude tonight’s report, we now realize and must acknowledge that are near the End of an Era.  Let’s be honest. The next few months are going to be very difficult as we say, “Goodbye” to Mrs. Gail LoPresto, the longest serving board member in the 110-year history of the District. Twenty-eight years. Let that soak in for a minute.  Her service to our District is unprecedented.  We have had many outstanding board members in our history. Several have gone on to hold other elected positions as mayor, state legislators, candidates for governor and federal level positions.  But none have served our District with such loyalty, dignity, and wisdom as Gail LoPresto. Her heart has always been to serve all students and all employees and the entire community. If my calculations are accurate, she has worked with four superintendents (Dewar, Capps, Hurst, Rhodes). She has served as Board President at least 5 times and has attended 672 board meetings. During issues such as: “The Audit”, block scheduling, teacher walkouts and the pandemic, those board meetings were not 30 minutes in length but lasted into the wee hours of the night. Through all of this, she has always served with such grace. She has been as stalwart as an oak tree, the iconic symbol of public education. Stalwart is defined as strong, brave, resolute, loyal and bold. How fitting that our District’s motto is “Go Boldly!” Gail, it is so difficult to imagine Putnam City without you being around to mentor and guide us. But your legacy will be ever present until kingdom come. Thank you for being our friend and guide.  

-Dr. Fred Rhodes

December 23-January 3 - Winter Break - No School, District Offices Closed

January 6 - Staff Work Day, No School, District Offices Open

Fire, sound waves, and disappearing water were just some of the amazing demonstrations brought to Cooper Middle School by Science Museum Oklahoma! This event was made possible by the generous support of Dr. Elliott and Pam Schwartz through their A/E/I/O/U Foundation. What a fun and engaging way to learn about STEAM and spark curiosity in young minds!

Elementary students across the District read about the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, watched clips of past years, and then made balloon animals for their very own parade around their schools! We are in love with all this creativity!

1st grade Little Pirates at Kirkland Elementary were spreading their wings with turkey math fun before this Thanksgiving break!

One of the longest-running traditions at PC North, the annual Leadership Development Institute, "LDI," retreat took place this weekend! This weekend-long event at Canyon Camp in Hinton, Oklahoma is for 10th-12th graders to hone their leadership, communication, collaboration, and creativity skills. It is always a memorable experience for the students and adults year after year, with many former Panthers even coming back to help facilitate.

Our talented fine arts students from PC High had the incredible opportunity to perform in front of Broadway Actor Jesse Sharp during a hands-on workshop! They received valuable feedback, participated in creative exercises, and wrapped up with a lively Q&A session. What a great experience for growth and inspiration!

Governor Kevin Stitt visited the PC Aviation Program at Wiley Post Airport. He toured the facility, talked with our teachers and students, and then showed off his skills on the drone and flight simulator! The students even got to see him take off from the airport on his way to his next stop.

Engaging conversations to memorable connections, student leaders to District leaders The Superintendent's Student Advisory finished making its rounds about the District, stopping at PC North and PC West to hear from the students about their likes, dislikes, and wishes for their school communities.

PC High Senior Pirate, Brayden Knox, made it official today in front of his family and peers, revealing that he's going to the University of North Texas to play football! Congratulations, Brayden! Hard work pays off and we know you'll do great things with the Mean Green!

PC North StuCo students teamed up with the PC Foundation to shop for the CareShare program! 🛒 These hardworking elves were able to check off several student wishlists thanks to generous donations to the PC Foundation from the community.

🤗 Learn more about CareShare here: putnamcityfoundation.org/about-careshare

On Thursday Dec 5th all members of the PCW Choir program visited Heritage Park and Heritage Manor Nursing Homes to spread holiday cheer through the gift of music! The choirs then sang at Quail Springs Mall. Ensembles performing included Advanced Mixed, Treble Choir, El Coro and Show Choir. It was a beautiful day of altruism and outreach.

Western Oaks MS Teacher, Angee Wallen was recently recognized by the UCO College of Education and Professional Studies for receiving the Dr. Joann McCarthy Inspiring Educator Award! This annual award is for outstanding UCO alumni who have excelled in education and Ms. Wallen has done just that!

𝚆𝚊𝚢 𝚝𝚘 𝚐𝚘, 𝙼𝚛. 𝙶𝚘𝚘𝚍𝚠𝚒𝚗! Casey Goodwin, 3rd grade Teacher at Lake Park Elementary, was surprised today as the Magic 104.1, KMGL Teacher of the Month!

Jennifer Evans, Teacher at Ralph Downs Elementary, was recently recognized by the OKC City Council, Mayor David Holt, the Rotary Club of Oklahoma City, and the OKC Downtown Rotary as December's Teacher of the Month! Ms. Evans is a shining example of how our PC Teachers and Staff are making.

Putnam City North FCCLA students competed in District STAR events on November 13 and came away with several wins!

Natalia House - Placed 1st in Professional Presentation, Angelasia Braxton and Rhianna Dumas - Placed 1st in Repurpose and Redesign, Iris Peral Ngu - Placed 1st in New Member Facts, and Jacueline Sweeten - Placed 2nd in Creed Speaking.

All first place winners will move on to Regionals in January.

Jimmy Heberto Escobar Mendez from PC West has received $1,000 at the Tomás Rivera Educational Empowerment (TREE) Conference of Omega Delta Phi at the University of Oklahoma. A PC student has received this award every year since 2017! Way to go, Jimmy!

The 2025 Innovation Bond Special Bond Election is set for February 11, 2025.

Please mark your calendars to vote and boldly invest in our future of PC Schools the week of Valentine's Day!

To learn more about the exciting projects included in the Bond for each school and districtwide, visit our 2025 Bond website at putnamcityschools.org/2025bond

Putnam City Schools does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, identity, national origin, age, marital or veteran status, or disability. Translations are completed by Google Translate.