News Releases

Area math and science teachers attend GEAR UP-sponsored Beginners T3 BOOST Math and Science Training in McAlester

Thirty-one area middle school math and science teachers recently participated in a two-day workshop sponsored by Eastern Oklahoma State College GEAR UP. The workshop was designed to help them integrate technology effectively into instruction. The beginner training was conducted by Texas Instruments (TI) Specialists Sandra Hocutt and Cassie Whitecotton. “What an exciting group of educators!” exclaimed GEAR UP Professional Development Coordinator John Spiegel. “These beginners were eager to learn and share their classroom experiences with

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Howe GEAR UP students tour the Oklahoma City National Memorial & Museum

Sixty Howe seventh and eighth grade GEAR UP students recently visited the Oklahoma City National Memorial & Museum. The Museum and memorial were established to remember and honor those who were killed, those who survived, and those who were affected by the bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building on April 19, 1995. The Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building was home to 17 federal agencies including the Department of Agriculture, Social Security Administration, and

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Rattan GEAR UP students tour Southeastern Oklahoma State University

Rattan GEAR UP students recently toured Southeastern Oklahoma State University, “The Campus of a Thousand Magnolias.” Students were welcomed by University Admissions Counselor/Recruiter Sheridan Burns and Admissions Counselor and Transfer Recruiter Charles Jackson joined by SOSU seniors Cara Worsham and Callie Bryant. Students began their tour at the Glen D. Johnson Student Union. Burns and Jackson led the Clayton students to the Paul Laird Field, the football stadium that was renovated with funding by the

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McAlester 7th grade boys tour Bacone College and the Five Civilized Tribes Museum

Students from Puterbaugh Middle School recently toured Bacone College and the Five Civilized Tribes Museum in Muskogee. First stop was Bacone College where Vice President of Student Affairs Kaila Harjo shared the history of the academic institution. Harjo said Bacone College was initially a private school founded 138 years ago and was the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of Oklahoma. Bacone is related to the American Baptist Association but participation in religious

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Krebs 8th grade students tour the Oklahoma City Zoo

Krebs Public School’s 8th grade GEAR UP students recently traveled to Oklahoma City to tour the Oklahoma City Zoo. The tour began at the Rosser Conservation Education Center where Education Instructor Abby Hurt presented the program “Animal Training in Zoos” to the 26 GEAR UP students. Hurt stated animals are ambassadors and assist with saving them. She provided students with valuable information regarding why animals are trained stating it provides mental stimulation, allows the animals

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Puterbaugh 7th grade boys tour Bacone College and The Five Civilized Tribes Museum

Thirty-four 7th grade GEAR UP boys from Puterbaugh recently traveled to Muskogee to tour Bacone College and The Five Civilized Tribes Museum. The tour began at Bacone College in the Ginny Palmer Center where students met with Kaila Harjo, Interim Vice President of Student Affairs. Harjo shared the history of Bacone, stating the college was established in 1880 prior to Oklahoma becoming a state. Harjo reported all students at Bacone have the opportunity to participate

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Clayton GEAR UP students tour Southeastern Oklahoma State University

Clayton 7th and 8th grade GEAR UP students recently toured Southeastern Oklahoma State University, “The Campus of a Thousand Magnolias.” Students were welcomed by University Admissions Counselor/Recruiter Sheridan Burns and Admissions Counselor and Transfer Recruiter Charles Jackson. The tour began in the Glen D. Johnson Student Union. Next, Burns and Jackson led the Clayton students to the Paul Laird Field, the football stadium that was renovated with funding by the city of Durant sales tax.

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Spiro seventh grade GEAR UP students visit Oklahoma Aquarium

Sixty-seven Spiro seventh grade GEAR UP students recently traveled to Jenks to tour the Oklahoma Aquarium. Students began the morning with an introduction to by Education Specialist Michelle Zarantonello. The tour began with a visit to Reasor’s Shrimp Boat Exhibit where students enjoyed putting their hands in tanks to feed and feel the shrimp. Students toured Amazing Invertebrates to explore the spineless wonders of the world, including sponges, barnacles, starfish, and sea urchins. Students were

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Fanshawe 7th and 8th grade GEAR UP students tour Wonders of Wildlife National Museum & Aquarium in Springfield, MO

Fanshawe 7th and 8th grade GEAR UP students recently visited Wonders of Wildlife National Museum & Aquarium in Springfield, Missouri. Wonders of Wildlife has 35,000 live fish, mammals, reptiles, amphibians and birds in the 350,000 square-foot complex. It contains more than 1.5 miles of trails through authentic, immersive habitats and features 1.5 million gallons of freshwater and saltwater aquariums using innovative designs and over-the-top creativity that transports guests to the heart of the ocean. First

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Shady Point GEAR UP students tour the Oklahoma State University Museum of Art and Oklahoma State University

Twenty-three GEAR UP seventh and eighth graders from Shady Point School recently toured the Oklahoma State University Museum of Art in Stillwater. Upon arrival, students met with Education and Programming Coordinator Casey Pankey and Education and Programming Interns Gianna Martucci-Fink and Audrey Gleason. Students were divided into two groups to explore the galleries within the Museum. The first exhibition was curated by art history professor Louise Siddons and named Centering Modernism: J. Jay McVicker and

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McCurtain GEAR UP students tour Connors State College

Twenty-three McCurtain GEAR UP seventh and eighth grade students recently toured Connors State College (CSC) in Warner. Students began their day at CSC in the Fine Arts Auditorium. CSC Assistant Director of Recruitment Megan Duvall and Director of Recruitment Logan Nero provided an introduction to CSC and gave students a flyer and a CSC Cowboys sticker. The flyer showcased CSC’s academic degrees, campus life, tuition cost (comparing the rates of in-state tuition versus out-of-state tuition

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Wister 8th grade students visit the Janet Huckabee River Valley Nature Center in Fort Smith, Arkansas

Wister 8th grade GEAR UP students recently visited the Janet Huckabee River Valley Nature Center in Fort Smith, Arkansas. The Janet Huckabee Arkansas River Valley Nature Center sits on 170 acres of land in Fort Smith that were previously part of Fort Chaffee. Exhibits play a large part in the nature center. Students discovered representations of the Ouachita and Ozark mountains, a life-sized oak tree exhibit crawling with game and nongame animal displays and a

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Spiro Middle School GEAR UP students tour the Oklahoma Aquarium

Sixty-four GEAR UP students from Spiro Middle School recently traveled to Jenks to tour the Oklahoma Aquarium. Upon arrival, the eighth graders explored the aquarium and eight exhibits which includes the Amazing Invertebrates exhibit, which explores the spineless wonders of the world featuring sponges, barnacles, starfish, and sea urchins. Other exhibits included Extreme fishes, Marvels and Mysteries, and Aquatic Oklahoma. The Aquatic Oklahoma exhibit features a 120-year-old alligator snapping turtle, a seven-foot-long alligator gar, and

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Wister 7th grade students tour the Janet Huckabee River Valley Nature Center in Fort Smith, Arkansas

Wister seventh grade GEAR UP students recently visited the Janet Huckabee River Valley Nature Center in Fort Smith, Arkansas. The Janet Huckabee Arkansas River Valley Nature which was previously part of Fort Chaffee, sits on 170 acres of land in Fort Smith. Exhibits play a large part in the nature center. Students discovered representations of the Ouachita and Ozark mountains, a life-sized oak tree exhibit crawling with game and nongame animal displays and a 1,200-gallon

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Antlers 8th grade GEAR UP students tour the Tulsa Air and Space and Museum & Planetarium

Antlers 8th Grade GEAR UP students recently toured Tulsa Air and Space Museum. Museum Volunteer Pete Barnosky led the tour and pointed out several highlights of the Museum. Following the tour, students had free time to explore the Museum and experience many of the hands-on exhibits—the Grumman F-14A Tomcat, Rockwell Ranger 2000, Bell 47-K Helicopter, the Aeromet Aura, Space Shuttle Robotic Arm and a Model of the Space Shuttle. Next, students boarded the Museum’s MD-80,

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Antlers 7th grade GEAR UP students tour the Tulsa Air and Space Museum & Planetarium

Antlers 7th grade GEAR UP students recently toured the Tulsa Air and Space Museum & Planetarium. The tour began at the Tulsa Air and Space as Tour Guide Don Cowrey led students aboard the museum’s MD-80 that was donated by American Airlines after 26 years of service and 39,968 flights. On board they had the “Flight Experience” which is a video presentation about space exploration and flight. Students explored the museum and many of the

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McAlester 7th graders tour Bacone College and The Five Civilized Tribes Museum

Thirty-six McAlester Public School seventh grade GEAR UP students recently traveled to Muskogee to tour Bacone College and The Five Civilized Tribes Museum. The tour began at Bacone College in the Ginny Palmer Center where students met with Athletic Compliance Director/Admission Specialist Juan Davis. Davis shared the history of Bacone, stating the college was the oldest institution of higher learning in Oklahoma. While Bacone was originally established to provide education to Native American students, the

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Eufaula GEAR UP eighth graders tour Oral Roberts University

Thirty-five GEAR UP students recently traveled to Tulsa to tour Oral Roberts University (ORU). Students began the morning by participating in a guided tour at ORU led by Student Ambassadors Joseph Thomas, a freshman from Montgomery, AL majoring in Business Administration and Allyson Woods, a sophomore from McKinney, TX majoring in Communications. Eufaula students had an inside look at ORU’s campus and learned about programs and resources available for attendees. After a quick welcome at

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Hartshorne 8th grade GEAR UP students tour Carl Albert State College

Fifty- two Hartshorne Public School 8th grade GEAR UP students recently traveled to Poteau to tour Carl Albert State College (CASC). CASC Viking Ambassador D’karre Lynch began the tour with students in Hemphill Hall where the Student Affairs Office is located. Lynch said the Student Affairs office can assist with anything fun on campus. Students saw the Enrollment Management office where staff assist with scheduling, transfers, and scholarships. Students were advised to visit the Office

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Seventy-five Poteau GEAR UP students visit TCC–SE campus

Seventy-five Poteau GEAR UP students recently traveled to Tulsa to tour the Southeast campus of Tulsa Community College (TCC–SE). Students were greeted by Admissions Counselor William Baldwin and Student Recruiter Lucia McFarland. Students were led through the VanTrease Performance Arts Center for Education, also known as the PACE Building. Students were given a behind the scenes tour of the auditorium where hair and makeup preparation for productions happens. They also looked inside the shop used

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