Hale School News - 2005-06
|
"You make the time for the things that are important to you," said community leader Hannibal Johnson. Simple enough. But what qualifies as important to the typical teenager? Today, more and more young adults are breaking away from the stereotypical "it's all about me" mantra. In fact, many Tulsa teens are making service and philanthropy a high priority. "My motivation was to set a good example for my brother and sister," said 18-year-old Hale senior, Kimi Dempsey. After moving to Tulsa in 2004, Dempsey attended a Youth Listening Conference, an annual event featuring teenagers giving 15 to 20 presentations to a panel of community leaders. The goal is to alert these leaders to the concerns and issues facing this community's adolescents. Dempsey saw immediate results and changes being made in response to the students' concerns. One presentation addressed the poor condition of public school restrooms and "within two weeks, Nathan Hale had all-new bathroom stalls," said Dempsey. Impressed by the conference's impact on the community, Dempsey went straight to the brains behind the operation: Productive Youth Rendering Safety, or PYRS (pronounced peers). PYRS is the youth advisory board for Tulsa's Mental Health Association, and Dempsey soon became its ringleader. PYRS gives the Mental Health Association a first hand teenage perspective for decision and policy making.
"A nonprofit's youth board definitely makes a difference," said
Dempsey, "because we are the future. It's not a matter of if you're
a teen, an adult or a middle school student. Everyone has an
opinion that deserves to be heard." And Tulsa is beginning to take
steps to see that happens. |
|
Sweet Elite
Tulsa Public Schools salutes 21 seniors as best and brightestEach year, officials with Tulsa Public schools select two seniors -- a guy and a girl -- from each TPS high school and alternative academies who exemplify excellence. |
|
 |
Stephen
Clark, the son of Timothy and Martha Clark, is a four-year member of
the Class Board, vice president of the senior class and National Honor
Society secretary. He's been the Academic Team captain for two years,
earned five superior state music contest ratings and has been the top
Academic Team TPS conference scorer in the regular and tournament season. "Music teachers have greatly impacted my life," he said. "I have spent my life in church and plan to continue that trend. I believe that trend will continue when I make ministry my occupation." Goals: Become a music minister or teach music to high school students, attend seminary after college graduation. |
| Rachael
Marshall, daughter of James and Janee Marshall, was Miss Nathan Hale
2005, has received the TPS Award of Excellence, participated in Youth
Leadership Oklahoma and was a page for State Sen. Tom Adelson. Her other
interests include student council, academic team, National Honor Society
and Knitters Anonymous.
"Nathan Hale High School has provided me with many memorable experiences through academics, student organizations and athletics," she says. "Relationships that I formed with my coaches, teachers and friends have helped me overcome struggles and I know they will always be there for me. My favorite memory is when our student council was preparing our campaign and skit for OASC state president, and then seeing all of our hard work pay off, when we took state office." Goals: Attend college and pursue a promising career. |
|
|
Sophomore, Alix
Perkins,
They received Honorable Mention on the |
|
Did you know that Hale's '94 Girls
Basketball team is the ONLY Story by JOHN D. FERGUSON 03/09/2006 Tulsa World |
|
|
|
Hale set standard in '94 Three TPS teams have aspirations to join the elite Rangers.The Hale High School girls basketball team had just lost a 37-31 first-round state tournament game in March 1993. The Rangers finished the season 14-13 as a surprising state qualifier. Eventual state champion Ardmore sent Hale packing. The Rangers had done well, but the locker room atmosphere was down. Coach Donna Vujnovic was trying to come up with something inspiring to say. She resorted to a coaching maxim: Ask them a simple question. "Did we want to work to be seven points better?" the coach asked. Something ignited in the imagination of enough of the Ranger players. That would be Hale's credo for the 1993-94 campaign, a season that would end in a 23-5 record and the first girls Tulsa public Schools' state basketball championship. |
|
Beginning Thursday, three TPS schools - Class 5A's Edison and East Central and 6A's Booker T. Washington - could join that Hale championship team. Vujnovic, who is now Donna Gradel, looked back at the championship march. "It was our first time to the playoffs since 1988 and we did well to turn the program around (that 14-13 season)," said Gradel, who talked from her home while recovering from recent surgery. "We didn't do what we wanted to do. I told them if we were seven points better we'd still be playing. "I asked them if they wanted to get those seven points. We even later got T-shirts that said '7 points better.' " Hale paid more than lip service to the goal. That summer found hot and humid conditioning workouts with assistant coach Tammy Smith pushing the girls to get better and reminding them of the quest. Gradel pointed to one incident that revealed the team's grit and drive. "We were doing agility drills in the old Hale wrestling room," she said. "There was no air conditioning and they had to do footwork over the mats." One player, Summer Kroll, was dripping wet from the heat and no air movement. Gradel noticed and called it quits for the day. She got a surprising response. "Summer said, 'Was that enough to be seven points better? You are not pushing us hard enough to get better. There should not be an easy day,' " Gradel recalled. Gradel changed her mind, and the team kept working. Hale had more than a championship attitude - the Rangers had talent. Summer and Pepper Kroll anchored the inside, while multitalented Carrie Moss, Julie and Jamie Fetters, and Dee Dee and Dawn Holmes did the rest. "They were on a mission," Gradel said. Hale breezed through the regional and area playoffs. At state, the Rangers beat El Reno by five and Woodward by eight to reach the state final against Duncan. Hale played the last game of all the girls state tournament classes and beat Duncan 44-39. "Everything has to go the right way or you must be incredibly talented," Gradel said about what it took. "Someone wrote me a note after we had won state; it said 'Enjoy it. You may never do this again.' " Then-Tulsa mayor Susan Savage signed a proclamation to honor the Hale girls. For weeks, groups and organizations took the team out for lunch or dinner after the gold ball found a home in the Hale trophy case. Gradel, who teaches at Broken Arrow High School, has no desire to be the only TPS coach to win a basketball championship. "You don't want to be the only one," Gradel said. "You want the programs to be successful and you want them to do it." Gradel thought the 1997 East Central team was going to join Hale. The Cardinals lost to Ada in a hard-fought 47-41 decision. There have been two recent TPS runners-up. Washington lost in the 2004 final to Claremore 41-37 and East Central followed last year with a 36-32 loss to Claremore. Other close calls included Central in the 1993 and 1988 finals, McLain in the 1991 final, and Webster was denied a gold trophy in 1987. |
|
|
Donation nets new scoreboards for Hale
Jim Moon did not graduate from Nathan Hale High School, nor does he attend sporting events there. But he has given the school's athletic program an assist. Moon donated nearly $7,000 for two scoreboards in the Hale gymnasium. Three of Moon's children and one granddaughter attended Hale, 6960 East 21st St. His daughter, Karen Moon-Tinker, a member of the Nathan Hale Alumni Foundation and a 1974 Hale graduate, told Moon about the need for the scoreboards after a Hale alumni foundation meeting. "We were just talking about things that I was involved with at the school. I told him we were trying to raise money for new scoreboards," Moon-Tinker said. Moon told his daughter he would be happy to help the school. "I thought it was great," Moon-Tinker said. "He's always been a generous guy, but this was a surprise -- a pleasant surprise." Moon said it is an honor to help the community. "You don't really get that many chances to affect so many people," said Moon, who retired in 1998 as owner of Time Mark Corporation, an industrial electronics manufacturer. "It's worth it if they (students) can keep their interest in the sports program. It's just nice to be able to do something like that." John Houchin, a 1965 Hale graduate, is president of Houchin Electric Co., an electrical contractor. His company installed the new Electro-Mech Model 2655 LED basketball-volleyball-wrestling scoreboards on Jan. 19 and 20, free of charge. "It's just good business. It promotes community spirit," Houchin said. Houchin has good memories about his alma mater. One of those came in 1964, when he was on Hale's state championship swim team. "That year, we won almost everything. We excelled in athletics," he said. Those memories are part of the reason he wanted to help. "I guess it's a little pride in my school," Houchin said. "It was a great school when I went there." The scoreboards were scheduled to be used for the first time on Jan. 24 for basketball games against Memorial High School. Hale Principal Chris Johnson said the donations show the importance of community involvement. "The administration, students, coaches and staff greatly appreciate a donation of this size," Johnson said. "(The donation) means a further improvement of our athletic program and further improvement for our facilities." Hale recently added a new roof, a new air conditioning system, new interior paint, and new exterior windows and doors throughout the school, Johnson said. Improvements also were made to both gymnasiums and all the locker rooms, where new floor tiles were installed. This summer, the lockers and the gym floors will be replaced, Johnson said. "This scoreboard kind of keeps pace with the other improvements in the school," he said. Tammy Altaffer, girls' basketball and track coach at Hale, said the new scoreboards were overdue. "They (were) very old and outdated, so it hurt the appearance of our gym, which looks great since the new painting," she said. Boys' basketball coach Lester Johnson agreed. "The upkeep on our gym makes it one of the most modern in the city right now. The way the gym is kept and the way our scoreboard is, it's time for a new one. I'm more than glad to see them come," he said.
By Cory Young Tulsa World 1/25/2006 |
Hale Takes Hale High School in Tulsa is earning a reputation for producing future leaders. For the third time in the past five years, a student from Hale has been chosen president of the Oklahoma Association of Student Councils. Sarah Baker, a junior at Hale, will assume duties as president in January. Baker's selection was a team effort from the Hale student council, which attended the state student council convention earlier this month at Union High School, said Jason Byrd, faculty sponsor. Before a student is selected as state student council president, the person's school must have a gold chapter council. That standard is based on points earned through school projects, community service and attending leadership conferences, Byrd said. During the state convention, each student council interested in having someone become state student council president must campaign for the position. The Hale student council centered its campaign on having a passion for student activities and representing a diverse student population, Byrd said. About 45 percent of Hale students are white, 40 percent are black, and 15 percent are other ethnic groups such as Hispanics and Asian Americans. "Most schools do not have that balance in ethnicity -- we think that is an advantage to us and one of the things that makes us unique," Byrd said. Another factor in the school's selection was the council's selflessness, he said. "One of the things that we focus on in the student council is that it is not about us," Byrd said. "We're not here for self-gratification -- it is about planning events for other people and what other people want." Thinking of others has helped Hale students build positive relationships with other schools, he said. At the state meeting, a vote among the 200 councils in attendance gave Hale the right to choose one of its students as the state student council president. Ashley Marengo, a member of the Hale student council, said the school was selected because other councils can see how well Hale students work together in providing activities that benefit many students. Once Hale was chosen to pick the state student council president from its council, a committee from Hale chose Baker as president. Baker has been a member of the Hale student council for two years and has a 3.75 grade-point average, she said. She is a member of the school's academic team; swim team; Rangers for Christ, a student Christian club; and Hale Hooters, a school pep club. Baker said her new position is an opportunity to represent Hale. She said council members can work together in improving student council organizations. She also said her experiences on the student council have made her a better person. "It teaches you lessons that you can work on throughout your life and to become a better citizen," Baker said. By David Schulte Tulsa World 11/30/2005 |
High School Sports
Magazine - December, 2005
|
"This is The National Broadcasting Company." These words were immediately followed by three notes - at various times struck by hand, played on a mechanized electronic music box, or generated through a vacuum tube apparatus - for several decades. The most famous sound on radio is today an abandoned trademark, but in its prime it stood for some of the very best in radio programming and entertainment. |
|
Click on photo to
hear NBC Chimes KVOO in Tulsa, OK,
owned a set of Deagan 200 chimes These chimes exist today in the library of Nathan Hale High School in Tulsa. sound file courtesy of http://www.nbcchimes.info/ |
Picture this, by GeorgeTulsa World-11/2/05 |
|
 |
"We read there were people who were graduating who didn't know who George Washington was," said John Pribram, chairman of Project George Washington and a member of the Military Order of the Purple Heart. Before the end of the 2004-05 school year, Pribram said, the group had donated 3,000 25" x 8" posters of the first president in Tulsa, Broken Arrow, Owasso, Union and Catoosa school districts. |
|
John Pribram (right), Robert
Marks and Ted McDaris are members of the Tulsa chapter of the Military
Order of the Purple Heart. The chapter started Project George
Washington, with a goal of placing a picture of George Washington in
every classroom in area schools.
|
|
|
"We felt every student who has social studies should see a picture of George Washington," Pribram said. "In first grade, they see the picture; in middle school, they see the picture; and in high school they see it, so there's no way they won't know who George Washington is." Steve Pittman, principal of the Union Eighth Grade Center, 6501 S. Garnett Road, said as a veteran, he appreciates what the organization is doing. "I'm proud of these guys still trying to get kids interested and to connect our students back to what we studied," Pittman said. "I think it's critical. We have such a rich heritage, and we're trying to connect students to history." Chris Clark, principal at Hoover Elementary School, 2327 S. Darlington Ave. in Tulsa, said the posters are a great contribution. "(George Washington's) picture belongs in the classroom with the American flag," Clark said. "It's provided an opportunity for teachers to discuss him." Maj. Mike Maguffee, the senior instructor for Nathan Hale High School's Junior ROTC program, has known Pribram for 10 years and supports Project George Washington. "My impression of (Pribram) is that he understands the importance of this generation knowing our country's roots and history, especially those that were developed and guided by our first president," he said. Pribram said a reminder of the United States' history needs to be present in schools. Maguffee agrees. "Many students, in general, lack some basic historical knowledge, for which (the poster) provides a vehicle for discussion," he said. "(The order) brought a visual source into schools as a daily reminder of our country's first president." Robert Marks, past National Americanism Officer for the Military Order of the Purple Heart, said he presented Project George Washington at the National Convention in August. Marks said chapters in cities such as Tucson, Ariz., were interested in starting the project in their schools. The new National Americanism Officer will not know how the project has done nationally until chapter reports are filed in the spring, Marks said. Pribram said the Washington's picture used to be in every classroom. "George Washington's picture was in classrooms before, but for some reason, his picture was taken away. People in my generation wondered why he left," he said. "It's simply that the father of our country be displayed in our classroom. Why not honor the person who helped get the country started?" Pittman said as teachers cleaned out their classrooms, pictures of George Washington were set aside to make way for new activities and decorations. "Over time, it got relegated to the back of the closet," he said. Pribram said since starting the project, the order has received numerous thank-you cards and notes from students, teachers and administrators about the project. "I was amazed by some of the letters that came after we started. We had not the slightest idea that would happen," he said. "I'm grateful (for the success). "After Sept. 11, we were united at that point. Flags in front of every house. Patriotism was rekindled. George Washington does the same thing." |
|
| Webmaster's Note: I had the pleasure of meeting John Pribam in 2003 at a neighborhood meeting. He is a retired Union schools social studies teacher, and has had an amazing life. He was born in Czechoslovakia, escaped from the Nazi's on a bicycle, and crossed the ocean to America during WWII submarine warfare. He went back to Europe with the US Army as a medic, losing his leg during the battle for Colmar, France. He has written a fascinating autobiography, "Horizons of Hope" which includes many of his interesting life experiences, including his years of teaching for Tulsa's Union schools. He would be a wonderful guest speaker for any social studies or history class. | |
|
|
'Well worth the limp'
Tulsa
World 10/05/2005 -
|
|
Trish
Pruitt, Hale's athletic director and
Marshall looked to other school activities to fill her time. She became active in student council, National Honor Society, Key Club, Business Professionals of America and High School Heroes. "She channeled all that energy that would have gone to sports into leadership," Pruitt said. Marshall said sometimes it was hard to adjust to high school life after the accident. "Little quarrels would bother me. I was like, 'I almost died.' It would bother me when someone would say, 'Ouch, that hurt.' I would say, 'You don't know what pain is,'" she said. Being a spectator at games she would have been playing in also was tough. "Watching other people play sports was hard," she said. Marshall said she knew she wanted to play again, but didn't let on how much she wanted to, because she did not want to get her hopes up. "I don't think (my parents) realize how important it was. It was like a hidden goal," she said. "I knew I had one more year to play sports or (the doctors) would be right." A few weeks ago, Marshall's doctors gave her the good news that she would be allowed to play volleyball again. "I'm still ecstatic. I'm still smiling," she said. "After we lost (our first game), it was Marshall said she will never be the kind of athlete she once was. "I can't play full out like I used to, and it's discouraging. Even walking on grass is hard, because it's uneven," she said. "I have some pain, and it will always be there, but it's well worth the limp." Pruitt said she never doubted Marshall would play again. "She has the passion and the perseverance," she said. "The way she handled the accident, not many adults could have handled it the way she did. It was life changing, but in a positive way." Sara Plummer World Staff Writer |
|
|
New
principal hopes to boost Hale's image Tulsa World 9/28/05~ With a schoolteacher and principal as his mother, Chris Johnson got an early start at education. "I grew up around educators. Several others in my family are educators, too," said Johnson, who became the principal of Nathan Hale High School on July 5. Johnson has come a long way since his childhood, when he did addition in the sand with his mother, Mary Johnson, a former teacher and principal for Bristow Public Schools. "She'd put some sand in a baking sheet. Then she'd draw two numbers in the sand, and then I'd answer them. She'd erase them if I got (the answer) right," Johnson said. "Then, we'd go to the next problem." He wants to give the same parent-like push to youngsters and colleagues at Hale, 6960 E. 21st St. I had been looking for a principal job in a school that had potential and that had strong traditions. I found that here," he said. He replaces Fred Wright, who was principal at Hale for seven years. Johnson -- who has a bachelor's degree from Oklahoma State University and a master's degree in education administration from Northeastern State University -- wants to instill the importance of education in youths. "It gives them the skills and knowledge that they need to be successful," Johnson said. Once known as an educational and athletic powerhouse, Hale's reputation has faded in recent years, said Kathy Sebert, president of the Moeller Heights Neighborhood Association. Sebert, who has lived in the neighborhood for 16 years, said she has been impressed with Johnson's vision. The association, which is northeast of the school, wants to help boost Hale's image as well. Upon arriving at Hale, Johnson contacted several area neighborhood associations, including Moeller Heights, to explain his goals for the school. "His desire for excellence at Nathan Hale mirrors that of our community at large," Sebert said. She said Johnson stressed close ties between the school and community during a welcome reception that residents held in his honor. "He mentioned several times in his speech that he wanted the school to work with the community, and vice versa, because the school's success is intricately related to the success of this area of Tulsa," Sebert said. "Chris Johnson is a very focused, positive, and forward-thinking person who should be a wonderful role model to the students, parents and employees at Hale. "Several TPS board members assured me at his reception that they are 110 percent behind him in making it possible for him to be successful at Hale." Low test scores, low attendance numbers, and low-performing athletic teams are all perceived factors to that drop. But that is no excuse to give up on a school, said Johnson, an 11-year educator who spent the past six years as an assistant principal at Memorial High School. Johnson said community partnerships are important. "I want to change the culture of the building and bring a sense of pride back to Nathan Hale," he said. Johnson said his goal is to motivate Hale -- the students, staff and surrounding community -- to become more involved in the school. "This is their school, and they should have a voice in their own school," he said. Johnson, 36, is the Tulsa Public Schools district's youngest high school principal, said Kristy Amos, compensation and benefits supervisor for the district. Johnson said some staff members might be concerned about his age. "Sometimes it can be an issue. Not with the students, but with the staff members," he said. "I just show them that I support them and demonstrate good leadership. I show them that I know what I'm doing, and then that problem tends to go away." Johnson said his age allows him to relate better with students. "There's still things in pop culture that students enjoy, that I can still identify with," he said. "At school, I'll see students wearing T-shirts of rock bands that I remember listening to when I was their age." Johnson changed his course of study from radio and film production to education when he was at OSU. After his second year of studies, he ran into one of his former high-school teachers. The teacher was completing his master's degree, and Johnson was working toward a bachelor's. "We were on campus, just talking about old times, old stuff in high school," Johnson said. "It made me realize what impact he had on my life." Neither his father, Tim Johnson, who represents Bristow Public Schools as an attorney, nor his mother pushed him into education. "They always wanted me to choose my own path," said Johnson, whose wife, Wendy Johnson, is a retired fifth-grade teacher from Union Public Schools. "They supported it." Cory Young, World Staff Writer |
|
New coach hopes to
break streak |
|||||
 R. J. Bernardo of Hale High School (right) blocks Jonathon Lawrence during an offensive line drill at a recent football practice. The Rangers will try to break a 23-game losing streak Friday against East Central. |
When
Kevin Busch was hired as Hale High School's head football coach just days
before the start of practice, the Rangers already were behind other
schools.
While other teams went through off-season workouts this summer, most of Hale's players did not work out, because they had no coach to supervise them, Busch said. Without a head coach, players did not know what offense or defense they would run this season. Being behind is nothing new for football teams at Hale. Last season, the team lost all 10 games. It has a 23-game losing streak that dates back more than two seasons. The team's last winning season was in 2000. Busch, who previously was a defensive coordinator at Royal Palm Beach High School in Palm Beach, Fla., hopes to rebuild the program. A former offensive lineman at Northeast Louisiana University -- now known as University of Louisiana at Monroe -- Busch was interested in the job at Hale because the state and the Tulsa area are known for producing outstanding high-school football players, he said. |
||||
|
|||||
