News Releases

Tannehill seventh and eighth grade GEAR UP students visit the Oklahoma Aquarium

Twenty Tannehill seventh and eighth grade GEAR UP students recently visited the Oklahoma Aquarium in Jenks. Students began the day on the “Behind the Scenes” tour led by Jamie Gaylor, Oklahoma Aquarium Volunteer Coordinator. “Our moral responsibility is to give the animals the very best quality of life,” Gaylor said. “Animal welfare comes before anything else at the aquarium.” The first stop on the tour was Sea Turtle Island, an exhibit that is home to

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Panama seventh grade GEAR UP students tour The University of Arkansas Fort Smith

Forty-four Panama seventh grade GEAR UP students recently toured UAFS (University of Arkansas Fort Smith). Upon arrival, tour guides Crstina Recinos, Anna Kidd, and Daniella Infante introduced the students to the heart of the campus, Smith-Pendergraft CC (Campus Center). The CC offers a bookstore where students purchase textbooks, class supplies, and Lions gear.  UAFS students receive free or discounted tickets to athletics and campus events at the Box Office and have opportunities to stay involved

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Panama eighth grade GEAR UP students tour the University of Arkansas Fort Smith

Forty-two Panama eighth grade GEAR UP students recently toured UAFS (University of Arkansas Fort Smith). Tour guides Monet McGill, Brayden Likens, and Anna Thammovongsa introduced the students to the heart of the campus, the Smith-Pendergraft CC (Campus Center). The CC offers a bookstore where students can purchase textbooks, class supplies and Lions gear. UAFS students can get free or discounted tickets to athletics and campus events at the box office and have the opportunities to

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Shady Point GEAR UP students tour Tulsa Glassblowing School and Connors State College

Twenty-five Shady Point GEAR UP students recently toured the Tulsa Glassblowing School and Connors State College. Students began their day at TGS (Tulsa Glassblowing School) where they met Susan Teeters, Program Director. As TGS students demonstrated how to create a large glass ornament, Teeters explained the process. Students learned that glass blowing is a process that begins as the glassblower reaches inside the furnace and into the crucible (where clear glass is melted) and gathers

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Poteau eighth grade GEAR UP girls explore the Tulsa Air and Space Museum & Planetarium

Fifty-three Poteau eighth grade girls recently traveled to Tulsa to explore the Tulsa Air and Space Museum & Planetarium. The museum houses many different aircraft and replicas related to different eras of flight, including the aviation history in Oklahoma. In the planetarium, viewers can recline and enjoy full-dome videos. Poteau students enjoyed the show “Stars”. This production propelled students through space as they witnessed up close and personal the birth and death of stars in

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Poteau eighth grade GEAR UP boys tour Tulsa Air and Space Museum & Planetarium

Fifty-five Poteau eighth grade students recently toured The Tulsa Air and Space Museum & Planetarium. Upon arrival, students entered the planetarium and experienced the high-definition visual presentation “Stars,” They learned of the creation and death of stars, space travel, and how stars impacted past cultures, and their travel habits. “I liked learning about the solar system in the planetarium and how stars are born and die” said eighth grade student Andrew Riley. After viewing “Stars,”

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Canadian GEAR UP seventh graders tour area public libraries

Twenty-four Canadian GEAR UP students recently visited area public libraries to learn about resources and programs available within the different library systems of Oklahoma. Library cards are free to patrons and give free access to numerous research and entertainment options. Students began the morning at the Eufaula Memorial Library. Library Assistant Kim Patterson welcomed students to The Charles L. Follansbee Room to guide them through the tools available online at www.eodls.org. From the website, students

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Panama GEAR UP students tour Science Museum Oklahoma

Eighty-four Panama seventh and eighth grade GEAR UP students recently toured Science Museum Oklahoma in Oklahoma City. The two-story museum consists of a wide-array of hands-on activities that allow students to have fun in an engaging way. Students roamed, ran, and played while learning about various science principles. The museum, as well as the name, has evolved since its creation in 1958. The mission of Science Museum Oklahoma, formerly known as the Omniplex Science Museum,

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Whitesboro GEAR UP students tour the University of Arkansas, Ft. Smith

Twenty-six Whitesboro GEAR UP students recently toured the University of Arkansas campus in Ft. Smith. Students met tour guide Haylie West, a sophomore nursing major at the Smith-Pendergraft Campus Center. West led students across campus and described the programs offered in each building. Buildings included the Math-Science Building, the Pendergraft Health Sciences Building and the Boreham Library. Students toured the Recreation and Wellness Center (RWC) was next. The RWC houses a climbing wall, ball courts,

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Wister eighth grade GEAR UP students tour the University of Arkansas Fort Smith

Wister eighth grade GEAR UP students recently toured the University of Arkansas (UAFS) campus in Fort Smith, Arkansas. Before the tour began, Admissions Officer Morgan Kratts spoke with the students in the Smith-Pendergraft Campus Center. Kratts discussed the importance of choosing a college that meets specific needs such as size of classes, location, price, and programs. There are over 80 future-focused bachelor’s and associate’s degrees and certificates and an 18:1 student to professor ratio. They

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Wister seventh grade GEAR UP students tour the University of Arkansas Fort Smith

Wister seventh grade GEAR UP students recently toured the University of Arkansas campus in Fort Smith, Arkansas. Admissions Officer Morgan Kratts spoke with the students in the Smith-Pendergraft Campus Center before the tour began. Kratts discussed the importance of choosing a college that meets specific needs such as size of classes, location, price, and programs. As the students were led through campus, the guide informed them of where specific classes were held. Some of these

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Frink-Chambers eighth grade GEAR UP students tour Southeastern Oklahoma State University

Thirty-two Frink-Chambers eighth grade GEAR UP students recently toured Southeastern Oklahoma State University (SOSU) in Durant. Students began the day at the Glen D. Johnson Student Union where they were greeted by Admissions Counselor and High School Recruiter Kourtney Kaufman and Transfer Student Recruiter Charles Jackson. Students separated into two groups to tour the student union and other buildings on campus with Kaufman and Jackson each leading a group. Located in the student union, students

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Frink-Chambers seventh grade GEAR UP students tour Southeastern Oklahoma State University

Twenty-seven Frink-Chambers seventh grade GEAR UP students recently toured Southeastern Oklahoma State University (SOSU) in Durant. Students began the day at the Glen D. Johnson Student Union where they were greeted by Director of Admissions and Recruitment Jeremy Rowland, Admissions Counselor and High School Recruiter Sarah Hughes, and Transfer Student Recruiter Charles Jackson. Students were asked which careers they wanted to pursue, and then Rowland discussed the paths students could take through high school to

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Cameron GEAR UP students tour Eastern Oklahoma State College

Cameron 7th and 8th grade GEAR UP students recently traveled to Wilburton to tour Eastern Oklahoma State College. Eastern Oklahoma State College is a public community college offering associate degree and certification programs. Students visited the nursing department, radio station, science department, the library/administration building, and student center. Recruiter Karen Darby led the tour and spoke to the students about the importance of college and the opportunities that Eastern can provide because it is close

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Eufaula GEAR UP eighth grade girls tour area public libraries

Twenty-nine GEAR UP students recently visited area public libraries to learn about resources and programs available within the different library systems of Oklahoma. Students began the morning by visiting the McAlester Public Library. Yuliya Zhugina, McAlester Public Library’s Youth Services Coordinator, talked with students about summer and after-school programs the library offers free of charge. The programs offered are educational, social, fun, and FREE. Zhugina is excellent at planning activities that teens are interested in

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Eufaula GEAR UP eighth graders tour area public libraries

Thirty-two Eufaula eighth grade GEAR UP students recently visited McAlester Public Library, in the Southeastern Public Library System of Oklahoma, and the Eufaula Memorial Library, which is in the Eastern Oklahoma District Library System. Both libraries are within 30 miles of each other but are in different Oklahoma library districts and can offer different resources. Students began the morning by visiting the McAlester Public Library. Chris Elliott, the Information Resources Librarian, welcomed students to the

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Eufaula GEAR UP seventh grade boys tour area public libraries

Forty-three Eufaula GEAR UP students recently visited area public libraries to learn about resources and programs available within the different library systems of Oklahoma. Students began the morning in McAlester touring the large library. Ellen Barlow, Branch Manager, greeted students and led them through the building to showcase the various sections and how items are organized. Students were surprised to learn the various types of media available to patrons. There are video games for PS3,

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Eufaula GEAR UP seventh grade girls tour area public libraries

Forty-nine Eufaula GEAR UP students recently visited area public libraries to learn about resources and programs available within the different library systems of Oklahoma. Students began the day visiting the McAlester Public Library. McAlester’s Senior Library Assistant Heath Standfield welcomed students and explained the history of the public library system’s start and the evolution it has experienced over the years. As he guided students through the main floor of the library Standfield highlighted the library’s

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Canadian GEAR UP eighth graders tour area public libraries

Thirty-four GEAR UP students recently traveled to McAlester and Eufaula to learn more about resources available through the different public library systems. Students began the morning by visiting the McAlester Public Library. Heath Stanfield, Senior Library Assistant welcomed students to the library and led them through a tour of the facilities. Students began the tour looking at various video games patrons can check out with a library card. There was quite a selection with games

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Savanna GEAR UP students tour East Central University

Twenty-six GEAR UP students from Savanna school recently traveled to Ada to tour East Central University (ECU). The seventh and eighth grade students began the day in the Estep Room inside the Bill S. Cole University Center with a brief introduction to ECU and collegiate life given by Admission Recruiter Claudio Harvey. Harvey asked the students if they had previously toured a college and explained what they could expect to see on campus while at

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