Good morning, good morning, good morning, Welcome, welcome, Munckem. It's time now for our community connection right here on Kay one. The One You Trust and Today Are program is being brought to you by Wesley and Kitty College, Artol Moore, Knee Camp Funeral Home and to all Grass motors. We have both Bartlesville Public Schools is superintended Chuck mccalling in here and also from Bartlesville Public Schools Foundation.
Larry ellis with us today.
Good morning. How are we doing today on this very very autumn feeling day.
We're actually getting a little bit of a fall here.
Yeah, we get it for a couple of days and then it just turns flat winter.
Yeah, it kind of felt like spring a couple of days ago. But yeah, we're gonna enjoy it.
It is.
It is, you know, November and Thanksgiving next week. And I just wanted to mention, just want to start off to saying just being thankful, thankful to for our community for everything that they've done. You know, often try to reflect, you know, get this time here, try to reflect on some things. And I spoke at it. I was on a panel last week through the State Chamber and and and just sharing some of the things that we're able
to do here in Bartlesville. And really a lot of it comes down to our strong community support of what we've got going on, and Blair and our foundation is such a big, a big piece of that. But just just thankful to be here. It's really you know, we had our our Veterans Day assemblies this month and and across at every school and just some really neat things that are going on, uh since I've been here. Last we had a couple of uh special board meetings that
we have every year. We have our principals come and give an update of what's going on at their school and it's so it's fun. We did that over a couple of a couple of meetings and our principals come and give report and of course they talk about academic achievement, how they did on their test scores, but also I talk about all the wonderful things they are doing for our kids. I mean, and it's really it's in it's it's Uh.
I'm so thankful for.
The level the quality people that we have leading our schools. I mean, they are really there with a servants heart, art and doing the best I can. Every day to serve and it really makes me proud. So I just want to sound thankful for everyone, thankful to be in
this role. So we did have our regular board meeting Monday night, and we started off and turn it over to Blair because we started off with the Public School Foundation kind of gave us an update on a couple of things and I'll turn it over to Blair and let her. I don't want to steal any for a thunder.
It's thunder, yeah. So we were at the school board meeting on Monday. We appreciate that time to get to share with the community and the school board what's going on with the foundation. One thing we did that's always really fun is this is the second year in a row that we've held the Beat the Soup competition within the Bruin eight K, so we had to take another
opportunity to spotlight those students. There were eleven kids who came out who crossed the finish line before our superintendent at the Bruin eight K, So they were recognized as the school board meeting and take a lot of pride in that, and we just really appreciate Superintendent McAuley for letting us use him as a challenge. And also of course he had sponsored that Bruin eight K, which was
very successful. I came on LAS time to talk about that, but I sponsors at a level that allows all of our teachers and staff to participate for the costs of the shirt, and so we had a great turnout of staff and students. So again another great opportunity to get to highlight our students and their prioritizing their health.
Very good.
And then the other thing that we.
Shared just as we lead into a year and giving, and we were just talking about how many nonprofits we have here and we do and they're all amazing. We of course think public education is very important, so we continue to advocate for that and support that. And with that we have is the third year in a row that the state has offered tax credits for qualified donations
to our local school foundation. So if our donors make a contribution to the school foundation, they can receive seventy five percent of that gift back in the form of a tax credit. So for example, if any donor can is in the position to donate at least two hundred and fifty dollars to the school foundation, they can actually make a one thousand dollar or gift, it's only going to cost them two hundred and fifty dollars, So really great opportunity.
We want people to consider taking advantage of that.
Again, if they're in a position to give two hundred and fifty dollars this year to the school Foundation, all that money supports our teacher grants, so that it's required actually by law, that that money supports innovative programming in our schools, and we make sure that all of those donations are earmarked for that purpose.
Very good good investment folks to saying.
That, well, and it's a great way to maximize your dollars, especially if you can take advantage of company matching, because what we were looking at the other day with the math is that your gift can actually be eight times the
amount that it costs you. So for something that costs you two hundred and fifty dollars, the school Foundation is going to receive two thousand dollars when you're taking advantage of those tax credits and the company match So individuals are limited to a two thousand dollars tax credit, but companies are limited to a one hundred thousand dollars tax credit.
So if you have a local business or company that might be interested in saving on their Oklahoma income tax using these tax credits are a great way to support public education.
And Chuck, that's some pretty good man.
That's exactly right.
I know, I shared at the meeting and Blair mentioned Jennifer and I we sponsor, you know, so our sponsorship through the race, we use that so we donate twenty five hundred dollars and so we were able to donate that through the foundation and look forward to getting that tax credit as well. So of course people just have to think about that, you know, even some sponsorship opportunities,
and we have different events that come up. If folks are you have the ability and maybe they're already making a donation, maybe this is some way that they could expand that opportunity and give them that quality benefit as well.
Absolutely, and just going along one last thing talking about being grateful for all of our facilities and community support. Just last week we took a group through the AG Center. We had about sixteen members of our community that had not seen the a Center although they are supporters of course of our public schools, and so Marty Jones and Cameron Dale and Ashley darso All took them on and the students actually led the tour.
I took them on a great tour of the Accenter and I've been through it.
Several times now, but just a great reminder of all the resources that we offer our kids, all the opportunities and the vision of our ag teachers to really grow that program.
Yeah, it's pretty cool. I'm glad.
I'm glad that they're able to do that, and we're happy to make that happen. And a lot of folks have maybe seen that, and we'll make the definitely take the time for him to come and take a look and see how that money is being spent and how we've invested that right into our kids. You know, most recently I do Anthony Tucker, who's who works at our high school and he's in charge of our internship program, is really doing a great job.
I really appreciate him.
He's a two thousand and seven Bartlesvill graduate and he started a podcast and so that I sit on with him. It's called either Tuck and Chuck or Chuck and Tuck. I can't remember. I think Chuck and Tuck. But last week, last week we had our aviation teacher.
Actually High Tower.
Was on it, and it's encourage people if they have any interest to listen to that because it's pretty amazing what we've you know, we just started that program and really Kevin Potter is a big part of that here at the radio station being on the Oak Aviation Commission. But telling that story, we're in our third year. We have one hundred and forty two kids taking aviation and
it's it's pretty amazing. I know that are the space that we have now really two classroom spaces, but they have a you know, their flight simulators that they have and we're able to Yeah, they are really neat. I know through the foundation we might Jeffer and I and some friends we went in a couple of weeks ago and they with the kids and they had us to go through the flight simulators and the kids taught us how to use them, and I learned that I'm not definitely not ready to be a pilot.
We also learned that Jennifer is an exceptional drone pilot.
My wife was a chance drone pilot, which is not a surprise, but it's really impressive. I mean really, what was most impressive to me was the level of understanding in the way that kids were able to teach us how to do it, so they were really bought into the program and just thinking that, you know, that's something we didn't have just three years ago, and it's that's not something that we you know, acts the same way on our fifth year of that program. But those are
we don't require anybody to take those classes. Those are just things that you know, kids, our kids know what's quality, parents know what their kids they want to have their kids enrolled in. And so it's another thing that that's thankful for to have the resources to be able to offer those opportunities as well. Also, we'll mention and I speak a book on here before about we started a construction.
Class at the high school. Yeah, and so.
We have ninety two kids that are taking that class and we're going to expand that next year.
We have a construction one.
We're gonna add a second second year of that as well. And that's once again, that's one of those things that that's because of student interest, that's because of you know, we've got kids that are interested in that, and so thankful for all the resources that we have to be able to offer.
That you might not be able to build a house, but by belly, you're gonna live in one someday and you better learn it goes into it.
Yeah, that's exactly right.
If you talked of many of our some our local employers, I mean they tell us, you know, gosh, if we have a f you'll work hard and you can red a tape measure, you can make a good living, you can make a break good you can, and so those are things we want to make sure and sometimes kids aren't getting that. So we want to make sure that kids have that interest that we want to get them.
Exposed to that h as well.
So we're also we're kind of transitioning now. It's transition time from our fall you're kind of going from fall to winter activities. We've just finished up our football season last week and so we're a full fledged winter I know, Blair's got her son's a swimmer and we've had I think three swim meets now, is that right?
You know? Swimming? Yeah, swimming.
Swimming is going on, and then our wrestling has been going our I wanted to be sure and mentioned that we've got our first home basketball game is Friday night. I know, there's quite a bit of excitement, I know. Or we have a new coach with Tommy Dessom, who's kind of a well he's not kind of if he really is a local legend uh here, And I know I've been able to catch him practice a few times and was able to come to a scrimmage on Saturday.
And I really encourage people to come out, you know, we those kids are really bought in, are playing extremely hard, and it's going to look differently than what they've seen in a long time in the fieldhouse. So I really encourage him to come out and watch us play.
It's going to be a fun time.
We play Friday night play Ponca City girls play at six thirty and boys will play after as well. And then kind of the last thing I wanted to mention, at least on my end from well, like I said, a couple couple of different things. One would be over on Earl Sars Park in front of Central Middle School. Just wanted to mention that there was one house remaining there and folks were interested in the Some folks that have been around a while may remember when that whole
park was full of houses. I mean it was a neighborhood and so it's been over the last thirty years, that's been a process, and so it's become a park and there's one house remaining, and I just kind of wanted to share that we have finally the district has closed on purchasing acquiring that house, and so kind of our goal with that is to event have it demolished and and become part of really just become part of
that park. It's more space for our kids. And we received a generous, generous grant Monday from the Lion Foundation to kind of.
Help offset the cost of that.
Earl Seares himself, Earl gave me extensive history because he was extensive Earl, and it's the parks named after him. But he's really the one that made all that happen in terms of, you know, he was working, he was the principal at school and knew that they needed a playground, and so really he's.
The one that made that happen.
Him and Jane made a making a donation to help offset the cost of that. So I just wanted to share that in case people when they whenever they do see that being demolished, that that is in the in the process of happening. I shared that at the board meeting on Monday night. And then lastly, we've had on our agenda I think since July or August every month been talking about the anxious generation.
And we've continued to.
Talk about that with our all of our administrators, all of our staff, talking about social media and cell phones and that impact on our kids, really on everybody. And then also that the lack of childhood independence and people are so reliant on their phone is convenient and it's not necessarily a positive thing on us.
You know. Now there's enough research out.
There that tells us there's there's concerns with that. So we contend good more to good discussion about that on Monday night. I know our parents support group, we have a district meeting after Thanksgiving. We'll continue to talk to our parents about that. But just a couple of reminders I like to share. There's some I think and really we just want to just help our parents because it's a new world for all of us and we're just
trying to help. And there's some good recommendations in the book, and they kind of start with kids don't need a smartphone before they're in high school, really don't need to be on social media before they're sixteen years old, really don't need to have access to don't be using their phone during the school day, and then just more childhood independence.
And so it's well, I got to continue to share those things as we continue to everyone continues to navigate this world that we live in, and because so many people are just losing the ability to be present with you because they're so tied up and whatever is happening through social media on their phone. So it's called the Anxious Generation and really would encourage everybody to read it.
Larry, you have any comments about that about that, well, we just actually had our final book study on it yesterday and we.
Were just kind of saying my general takeaway as a parent is it really gave me.
Kind of empowered me to enforce some of those regulations around my kids. When my kids says everybody has Snapchat, everybody has this, you know, I'm able to kind of give some concrete information, some data on why that's not the best decision.
So it's really helped me be able to parent my kids.
Now, Blair, I saw something at the nonprofit thing and it was a hard back cover of that book, tell us a little bit about that where folks can sure so.
Good Night Bartlesville. That's a book that we wrote with the School Foundation. Gosh, it's been probably three or four years at this point. All of our local school art teachers did the art. We had even a couple of art students do the art. But it's all around Bartleswell. It's set to the tone of good Night Moon, but it's about Bartleswell, features all of our great landmarks that we all know and love. You can purchase those at Moxie on second or on our website bpsfoundation dot org.
We do have hard back copies, we have note cards, and we have soft back versions. But they're a great Christmas gift for anybody who knows and loves Bartlesville.
You know, this started out as kind of like, hey, that's a cute idea. It's got a life of its own.
Now that we've sold thousands of copies, it's been great. It's been great.
Yeah, it's something else and I need to mean no, you're good, Tom.
That's really want to say. Once again, just happy Thanksgiving everybody. We're out of school obviously all all of next week. That's a change in the calendar made a few years ago, and I don't think we'll ever go back. I think people have gotten used to that, so I hope everyone has a great holiday.
All right, thank you both for coming in and well, have a great home yourselves. Folks, you have been watching and listening to our community connection right here on K one, the one you trust,