Latest news with #StillwaterHighSchool
Epoch Times
26-05-2025
- General
- Epoch Times
Oklahoma High School Holds Signing Ceremonies Not for Athletes, But for Military Recruits
Signing day ceremonies are always a big deal across the football-crazy Sooner State. In the Stillwater High School gym adorned with an Under Armour sports apparel backdrop, several graduating seniors recruited to take their skills to the next level recently affirmed their commitments for the next four years. But the familiar favorites—Oklahoma State, University of Oklahoma, Texas A&M, LSU—were absent from the April 23 events. No coaches from any collegiate sport were there. Instead, military recruiters took center stage with the proud, patriotic teenagers and their parents. Seven honorees committed to the Oklahoma Army National Guard, and one enlisted in the Navy. Each one explained his or her choice to the audience and talked about future goals. For decades, Stillwater High School held ceremonies to recognize college commitments for student athletes. But this was the first time military enlistees were honored with similar pageantry, said principal Walter Howell. Related Stories 5/3/2025 3/4/2025 'It was a cool thing,' he told The Epoch Times. 'It worked out really well. We're going to keep this going every year.' The event was Howell's idea. He first thought about it in 2020, when the graduation ceremony was postponed because of COVID-19. Five military enlistees had to report for basic training before the rescheduled date months after the last day of school, so the principal quickly organized a special commencement event for them. Similar military enlistee recognition events took place in other communities throughout Oklahoma and across the country in recent weeks ahead of high school graduations and Memorial Day. The recognition ceremonies are appreciated and appropriate, but America has a long way to go in complying with federal laws that require high schools to provide the same level of access to military recruiters as they do to higher education institutions, federal lawmakers and policy organizations report. A 2024 Rand Corporation research The research agency surveyed 1,107 public schools. It found that 51 percent of schools in 2023 did not provide lists of student names to military recruiters, even though they did so for colleges, and 32 percent of schools did not provide military recruiters any access to facilities to set up information booths, participate in career fairs, make classroom presentations, or display posters. Rand found that high schools in the southeast and Midwest were more recruiter-friendly, while access issues were more common in suburban and urban schools in the west and northeastern parts of the country. Some school administrators and guidance counselors accused recruiters of 'poaching students from colleges, targeting them to be front-liners, or preying on communities of lower socioeconomic status,' the report said. 'There was pushback initially in inviting military in due to social justice concerns,' the report said, quoting an administrator from one unidentified school saying 'Our population of students was vulnerable, and we didn't want to exploit students.' At another school, a parent complained after a recruiter visited a classroom, saying they 'don't want their child to be in that position again,' the report said. 'School representatives sometimes view the military as the last resort option and do not recognize military opportunities for educational benefits as sufficient pathway to developing a wide range of skills,' the report said. 'Some recruiters perceived that school counselors and other school personnel have greater incentives to send students to college and hence improve school rankings, and therefore limit recruiter access to schools to discourage students from pursuing military opportunities. ' In response, Sen. Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) recently proposed the Service Enlistment and Recruitment of Valuable (SERVE) Engagement Act. The legislation promotes Junior ROTC programs, recognizes recruiter-friendly institutions as 'HERO Schools,' and creates a National Week of Military Recruitment. 'By increasing avenues to the benefits and pathways of a career in the military, we can unlock even more opportunities and brighter futures for our next generation,' Ernst, a combat veteran with 23 years of military service, said in an April 30 'The call to service is loud and clear, and through the SERVE Act, our nation can bolster recruitment efforts and build the most lethal, efficient, and effective force in the world.' The U.S. military has struggled to meet recruitment goals in recent years, though in February, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth In addition, the Air Force Howell, the Stillwater High School principal, said the military is deeply personal to him. His father and grandfather fought in wars, along with many other distant family members. He was disappointed by Rand's findings but not surprised. He challenges guidance counselors across the nation to set aside any biases against the military and at least suggest enlistment in measure with college or the workforce. 'With military or going into the trades, sometimes kids were afraid to raise their hands,' Howell said. 'I think we've made a mistake in the past 30 years in public education because we have pushed college for all. Whether it's college, work, or the military, I want kids to be able to connect with something they believe in.'
Yahoo
17-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
SPS district plans demolition for current high school
Parts of the current Stillwater High School are slated for demolition after the new high school is completed, Stillwater Public Schools said in a news release. The Board of Education voted unanimously Tuesday to demolish the old high school after the district completed a feasibility study of the building. Assistant Superintendent of Operations Bo Gamble, speaking to the Board on behalf of a Long Range Facility Planning Executive Committee, presented a recommendation for demolition of the current SHS. Gamble said the decision is the best economically for the district, but demolition won't begin until after the new high school is operational, and the district plans on keeping some existing structures such as the Fieldhouse and the Performing Arts Center. 'Retiring district facilities is not without precedent in the district,' Gamble said in a statement. 'SPS has seen several high schools – Alcott School, Horace Mann, South High and North, and other facilities like Hamilton Field and the original Will Rogers, Westwood and Highland Park have either been demolished or sold to other organizations. Nevertheless, this was not an easy decision for the committee to make.' The planning committee met over a three-month period as they reviewed the study and considered options, finally determining it "would not be economically efficient to maintain or remodel that facility for other purposes." 'We know there's a lot of history there,' Gamble said. 'But the building is past its functional lifespan. While updates to the front help the existing structure look good and tie it in with newer structures like the Fieldhouse and Performing Arts Center, our students and staff know that the age of that facility is apparent to those inside, and repairs to the facility are becoming cost prohibitive. Repurposing the existing structure for any purpose would have come with a significant cost, and would not be economically viable.' The change will also allow the district to plan for future projects for extracurricular spaces. 'The current SHS, of course, has the longest legacy of housing our Pioneers, but now the time has come for a new facility to serve our students into the future,' Gamble said. The committee will discuss integrating ninth graders at the high school campus 'in accordance with the Board of Education's established grade reconfiguration plan." Gamble said the new high school's capacity would accommodate freshmen through seniors, and said initial discussions with Director of Secondary Education Ashley Moore and High School Principal Walter Howell about adding the ninth grade class to the high school configuration have already begun. The committee's recommendation will include 'a timeline for that change and the planned shifts in grade configuration at SJHS, SMS and the elementary schools,' the district said. The current grade configuration includes elementary: Pre-K-5; Stillwater Middle School: grades 6-7; Stillwater Junior High: grades 8-9; and SHS: grades 10-12. The district said the Board's 2021 approved grade configuration – with a start date to be determined – is as follows: – Elementary: Pre-K–4 – SMS: Grades 5–6 – SJHS: Grades 7–8 – SHS: Grades 9–12 'This is a transformative moment for our district,' Acting Superintendent Janet Vinson said. 'We're building an exceptional high school building that meets the needs of today's students and laying the groundwork for the campus we'll need in the future, while also creating a more connected, efficient and student-centered system across all grade levels.'
