BPSD s 2015 Teacher of the Year, Ariel Ortega, with BPSD Superintendent, Dr. Gary Quinn, at the 2015 TOY award ceremony on Tuesday night.

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1 Bartlesville Public School District s Weekly Newsletter The Bruin Volume 9, Number 23...Friday, February 20, Educating Tomorrow s Leaders BPSD s 2015 Teacher of the Year, Ariel Ortega, with BPSD Superintendent, Dr. Gary Quinn, at the 2015 TOY award ceremony on Tuesday night. Top teacher: Central s Ortega named 2015 TOY On an evening which saw superb educators from throughout the Bartlesville Public School District honored, the highest honor was reserved for Central Middle School s Ariel Ortega. The Central vocal music teacher was named BPSD s 2015 Teacher of the Year during the annual Teacher of the Year Ceremony, which was held Tuesday night in the Fine Arts Center on the campus of Bartlesville High School. A teacher for 13 years, Ortega has been with the BPSD for the past six years. As Ortega s name was announced as the winner, it was clear just how much the honor meant to him. I m incredibly honored and humbled to receive this award because there are so many deserving teachers in this district, said Ortega. I am also very grateful that our district and community value the arts so much that they would choose a choir teacher to represent the district as their teacher of the year! Music education is such an important part of the curriculum and it s a shame that some districts do not value it as much as TOY- Continued to page 4 Clark begins new term on BOE Alison Clark began her new term on the Bartlesville Public School District Board of Education at Thursday s BOE special meeting, which was held in the Field House Hospitality Room on the BHS campus. Clark was sworn in following the board s acknowledgement of the receipt of certificate of election from the Washington County Election Board. She ran unopposed and will continue to occupy the seat she previously held. Clark was originally appointed October 8, She represents District 3. Clark will serve a four-year term on the board, with the term set to expire in February Additionally, in voting among Board of Education members, the group selected its officers for the upcoming year at Thursday s meeting. Doug Divelbiss was selected to remain serving as board president, while Mike Orr was tabbed as vice president. Allison Clark being sworn in at the BOE special meeting on Thursday Photo courtesy of Nathan Thompson

2 Mid-High NHS officers attend state conference Bartlesville Mid-High's National Honor Society officers attended the OANHS State Conference on February 2nd at Edmond Santa Fe High School. Students were welcomed by a surprise keynote speaker, Joy Hofmeister - State Superintendent of Education, and UCO President, Dr. Don Betz. Over 342 students across the state, from 31 schools were in attendance for the all day event. Students attended several breakout sessions focused on the "Make A Difference" theme. Sponsors Terri Bryan and Warren Neff accompanied the students and attended sessions themselves. "Being able to attend these events provides a wonderful opportunity for our students, says Terri Bryan. Having the chance to share and learn from peers across the state is vital to the growth of our leaders of tomorrow. Pictured are NHS officers: Duke Schaffner, Melody Brown-Clark, Prerna Priyadarshini, and Pranoy Behera Photo special to The Bruin

3 Spring training baseball camp slated for March 7 The Bartlesville High School baseball coaching staff, and players, will be conducting a Spring Training Youth Baseball Camp on March 7, 2015 from 9 a.m. 12:00 p.m. The Bartlesville High School coaching staff has over 50 years of combined coaching experience and will be stressing the fundamentals of throwing, fielding, hitting, pitching, catching and base running - all of which are essential skills needed to prepare your child for the upcoming 2015 spring season. WHAT: Spring Training Skills Camp WHERE: Bartlesville High School Indoor Facility WHEN: March 7, 2015 TIME: 9:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. COST: $30 (fee includes a camp t-shirt) For more information, please contact Spence Rigdon at (office phone) or (cell phone). All campers will need to bring their own mitts, bats and helmets. Camp participants also need to be dressed in appropriate baseball attire. Classified Person of the Year finalists announced BHS Leadership Class hosts BHS Got Talent tonight The 2015 Classified Person of the Year finalists have been announced. This year s nominess include Diana Shelts, Administrative Assistant (Kane Elementary School); Shelba Thomas, Child Nutrition (Wilson Elementary School); Jesse Carley, Custodial/ Maintenance (Central Middle School); Olga Herrera, School Assistant (Jane Phillips Elementary School); Mindy Freeman, School Age Care (Wayside Elementary School); George Miner, Transportation (Transportation department); and Shane Casto, Technology/Media/Other (Will Rogers Complex). Ballots have been distributed to all school sites and should be sent to Linda Jones at Wilson Elementary School no later than March 6. Late ballots will not be accepted so please be sure to vote early. Only classified staff is eligible to vote. The winner will be announced at the Classified Reception on Thursday, March 26 at the Bartlesville Community Center. Bartlesville High School s Leadership Class is presenting BHS Got Talent tonight, February 20. The event will take place at the Bartlesville High School s Fine Arts Center and begins at 7:00 p.m. All proceeds from BHS Got Talent will benefit D Manuel Bryant, a student at Kane Elementary School. D Manuel is suffering from a brain tumor. Everyone is welcome and the event is open to the public. Tickets are $5 at the door. For more information, contact Lyndsey Stuart at StuartLL@bps-ok.org.

4 Varsity and JV Pom dominate in regional competition Bartlesville varsity and junior varsity pom competed this month in Lee's Summit North Regional competition in Kansas City, Missouri. The teams competed against 52 other dance squads from all over Missouri and Kansas. Bartlesville was the only team from Oklahoma. The ladies competed in the categories of dance, hip hop and pom. Varsity swept the competition bringing home first place in all three categories. They also received the Choreography Award in jazz, (choreographed by Lauren Haskell) and highest cumulative score overall. Varsity pom also competed in solo and ensemble categories. First place soloist was Meredith Brown. Hannah Oakley placed seventh in her age bracket. Anna Buhlinger and Meredith Brown placed third in the duet division. The ensemble routine received second place, which included Mary Teague, Anna Buhlinger, and Hannah Oakley. Junior varsity finished strong with a second place in pom and third place in jazz. Varsity pom is coached by Stephanie Stewart and the junior varsity's coach is Lauren Haskell. Up next for varsity pom is the National Dance Association competition, which is held in Orlando, Florida. They will be defending their National Championship title. (Photos special to The Bruin) Varsity Pom JV Pom Martin and Satterfield serve as state representative pages Last week, February 9-12, the first week in session at our State Capital Building, Bartlesville sent two high school seniors, Logan Martin and Abby Satterfield, to serve as pages for two of our local state representatives. Logan Martin, who was recruited as page by Travis Dunlap s office, earned the esteemed title of Page of the Week. Earl Sear s office recruited page, Abby Satterfield. The two local students were joined by about 14 other accomplished area teens, which assisted our state representatives for the week. Photo special to The Bruin

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6 CMT s Mary Poppins auditions fast approaching Special to The Bruin A magical, Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious adventure is soon arriving when local students will have the opportunity to audition for the classic P.L. Travers Mary Poppins. In order to audition, students must be between the ages of 7 and 17 (by Sept. 1, 2015). The production will appear on the Bartlesville Community Center main stage July 16-19, with rehearsals beginning June 15. Auditions for Mary Poppins will be held March 4-8 at Madison Middle School. Appointments may be made online at com/auditions or by calling First-round auditions are scheduled for March 4-6 with callbacks set for March 7-8. Audition participants should prepare a short song, for firstround. Candidates need to bring a CD, sheet music, their own accompanist, or mp3/phone to accompany him or her throughout the song. A pianist will be available at the auditions to accompany anyone if the need be, but students have to provide sheet music to the accompanist. During callbacks, participants will work with the choreographer to learn dance movements and may also be asked to read from a script during the process. The artistic staff for this production includes director, Cranston Dodds; assistant director, Caitlyn Caughell; music director, Roberta Eberhard; choreographer, Lesley Jennings; and orchestra conductor, Travis Dunlap. This professional team will train and direct a cast of talented students from the surrounding area for five intensive weeks of rehearsals and performances in June and July. There will be high-flying adventure and magic as classic character Mary Poppins, and Bert, the jack-of-all trades, introduce us to a 1910 England and the troubled Banks family. Young Jane and Michael Banks have sent many a nanny packing before Mary Poppins arrives on their doorstep. Using a combination of magic and common sense, she must teach the family how to value each other again. Mary Poppins takes the children on many magical and memorable adventures, but Jane and Michael aren t the only ones in which she has a profound effect. Even grown-ups can learn a lesson or two from the nanny who advises that, Anything can happen if you let it. The mission of Children s Musical Theatre is Enriching the lives of youth by providing quality musical theatre performance and educational opportunities. This effort is made possible with assistance from the Oklahoma Arts Council, National Endowment for the Arts, ConocoPhillips and P66, ABB, and many other corporate and individual donors. An integral part of CMT and all productions are the board members, community volunteers, and parents of cast members. Volunteers are key players behind the stage - making and/or fitting costumes, applying stage make-up, set construction, props management, set decoration, and helping run the show with the many backstage and onstage performance tasks. For more information about CMT or auditions, visit the website at or call Life Principle of the Month: Honesty 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 honesty, which means, being truthful in your words or actions.

7 TOY- Continued from page 1 we do here in Bartlesville. What we do in the classroom is incredibly important regardless whether it is math, science, or the performing arts! Along with his new title, Ortega received the Schmoldt Foundation for Education Bartlesville Teacher of the Year Award, which includes a cash prize. Each of the 11 candidates for BPSD s 2015 Teacher of the Year honor was introduced by current or former students. Ortega was introduced by Christopher Harris. Tuesday evening s ceremony also featured the awarding of two other distinguished honors. Bartlesville High School s Spence Rigdon was announced as the winner of the 2015 Kurt Schmoldt Teacher Appreciation Award. The annual award honors the memory of Kurt Schmoldt, a 1975 graduate of College High School who died of complications from leukemia in Since 1996, the Schmoldt family has been presenting the award to BPSD educators who demonstrate dynamic qualities as teachers as well as, community leaders. Rigdon received a plaque and cash prize as part of the award. Zack Michel, Bartlesville Mid-High School ninth grade Oklahoma history and financial literacy teacher, was named BPSD s Rising Star teacher. The inaugural award, created by the Teacher Recognition Committee, recognizes a teacher new to the profession that has exemplified excellence in the first few years of teaching. As part of the award, Michel received a plaque and a cash prize. The Schmoldt family and Schmoldt Foundation for Education provided over $5,000 in awards during the evening, continuing its longstanding tradition of generous giving to BPSD teachers. The Foundation also provides grants annually to Bartlesville art teachers. Also honored during the ceremony was Phillips 66, which received the Bartlesville Education Association s Friends of Education Award. The award was presented in recognition of the company s $1.7 million award in 2014 to the district to build STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) labs at all secondary school sites. The labs, which are currently being built is part of the district-wide construction work taking place on bond projects. The BPSD would like to thank the numerous people and organizations that helped make the evening special, specifically the Bartlesville Education Association, the Bartlesville Public School Foundation, United Linen, the Schmoldt family, the Schmoldt Foundation for Education and the Spears family. BPSD volunteer opportunities available Have you been searching for a way to help out Bartlesville youth? Search no further. The Bartlesville Public School District has numerous volunteer opportunities available at school sites throughout the district. Currently, the BPSD is in need of volunteers to serve as tutors, mentors, lunch buddies, classroom helpers, elementary school crossing guards and state test proctors. If you are not interested in any of the volunteer opportunities listed, the BPSD will gladly find tasks that fit your volunteer interests. In order to become a BPSD volunteer, you must be 18 or older, be of good moral character, complete a volunteer inquiry form and pass a background check. Additionally, all volunteers must complete a volunteer orientation program and work under the direct supervision of BPSD staff while completing assigned volunteer tasks. Volunteering is a great way to get involved with the youth of the Bartlesville community and make an impact. We are thankful for any amount of time our volunteers are willing/able to give to help our students and schools be more successful, added district volunteer coordinator, Christina Rigdon. To begin the sign-up process, please contact Christina Rigdon, at ext or RigdonCV@bps-ok.org. Want to keep up with construction at BHS? Check out the BHS construction cam at:

8 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 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 Use the Member Login. Stellar Sites - Student login information must be obtained from teachers. Facebook or - 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 - Keep up with the latest news and announcements from throughout the BPSD. Bartlesville Public School District Activities (February 20 - February 26) Friday, February 20-9th to 10th Enrollment BMHS Library -Speech Owasso -Wayside Assembly by 2nd Grade -Wayside Popcorn Day - Kindergarten parent volunteers -Central Student Council (7:45 a.m.) -Central Special Olympics (9:00 a.m.) -Fundraiser Talent BHS FAC (7:00-9:00 p.m.) -Varsity wrestling vs. 6A Regionals -Varsity girls and boys swimming vs. 6A State Edmond Santa Fe -JV girls and boys Bixby (3:30 p.m.) -Varsity girls and boys Bixby (6:00 and 7:30 p.m.) Saturday, February 21 -All Schools Chess BMHS Cafeteria (10:00 a.m.) -Speech Owasso -Varsity wrestling vs. 6A Regionals -Varsity girls and boys swimming vs. State Edmond Santa Fe -Varsity baseball Claremore (3:30 p.m.) -Varsity girls and boys soccer scrimmage vs. Intra-squad (3:30 and 4:30 p.m.) Sunday, February 22 (No events scheduled) Monday, February 23-9th to 10th Enrollment BMHS Library -MAD BHS -JV boys baseball blue and white Dewey (3:30 p.m.) -Varsity baseball scrimmage vs. Skiatook (4:00 p.m.) -JV boys soccer white and blue scrimmage vs. Noah (6:00 p.m.) -JV girls soccer scrimmage vs. Noah (6:00 p.m.) Tuesday, February 24-5th Grade State Writing Test Window -9th to 10th Enrollment BMHS Library -Central 8th Grade Writing Test -Central MathCounts (3:00-4:00 p.m.) -Central Science Olympiad Practice (3:00-4:00 p.m.) -Varsity baseball Owasso (3:30 p.m.) -JV boys soccer white scrimmage vs. Ponca City (4:00 p.m.) -Varsity boys soccer scrimmage vs. Ponca City (6:00 p.m.) Wednesday, February 25-5th Grade State Writing Test Window -Central 8th Grade Writing Test -Central Quarterly Assessment - 8th Spanish -Ranch Heights 5th Grade Writing Test -Ranch Heights Prevent Blindness Day -Kane PTO Meeting in Library (12:15-1:15 p.m.) -Central Battle of the Books (3:00-4:00 p.m.) -Central Science Olympiad Practice (3:00-4:00 p.m.) -Central Percussion BMHS (7:00 p.m.) -JV baseball blue and white Dewey (3:30 p.m.) Thursday, February 26 -Central 8th to 9th Grade Enrollment Appointments in Library -10th to 11th Enrollment BMHS Library -Central Mrs. Herron s Insect Adventure in the Library -Central Battle of the Books Practice in Library (3:00-4:00 p.m.) -Central Science Olympiad Practice (3:00-4:00 p.m.) -BMHS Percussion FAC (7:30 p.m.) -Varsity girls basketball 6A Regional Tournament -JV and Varsity girls slow-pitch softball Jenks -Varsity and JV blue baseball Collinsville (3:30 p.m.) -JV girls and boys soccer (white and blue) Miami (4:30 p.m.) Editing, writing, design and photography by Jamye Ryan, Bartlesville Public School District Community Relations Coordinator, unless otherwise noted