Three cheers for a productive year!

h t t p : / / b t w. t u l s a s c h o o l s . o r g /
HORNET
THE OFFICIAL
Buzz
F
R
O
M
BOOKER T.
UPDATE
May 2010
BOOKER T. WASHINGTON HIGH SCHOOL • 1514 EAST ZION STREET • TULSA, OK 74106 • 918-925-1000
Dear BTW Family,
Congratulations to Anna Muselmann for winning the
Grand Prize in Portfolio Art. She was a one thousand dollar
($1000) scholarship winner. Six of our students have qualified to take the National Olympiad Chemistry Exam. They
are Paul Williams, Adam Wisecarver, Zach Gill, Jonathan Michael, Richard Chyan, and Dan Hudgens. Congratulations to
each of these students!
Can you believe this? BTW conducts nearly 100 test
sessions at the end of the year, including End-of-Instruction
(EOI), Advanced Placement (AP) and International Baccalaureate (IB). Our EOI tests will end May 6, 2010. AP and IB
Test will begin during the second week of May and will end
May 24, 2010. Thanks to each of you for all that you have
done in support of Booker T. Washington High School.
James Furch, Principal
[email protected]
BTW PTSA is joining thousands
of communities across the
country in celebrating PTA
Teacher Appreciation Week this May 2–8. A special
thank you to all our wonderful teachers and staff!
-BTW parents and students
Three cheers for a productive year!
At the end of a long haul, it is typical to look back
over the journey and reflect. I’m at the end of one, so here
I go.
The goals that I set out with when I stepped into
the job of PTSA president last spring were
to support PARENTS with information,
to support TEACHERS
with appreciation, and
to support STUDENTS in their
education. To that
end, I think much
was accomplished.
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It wasn’t easy, and it wasn’t without controversy; but in
the end, I am very proud of what we were able to do. This
school is in a very different place than it was one year ago,
and I believe I can say that I know we’ve had a hand in
that.
The very first action taken — even before officially
taking office — was to attend every night of freshman enrollment last spring and gather email addresses so that we
could start out the Class of 2013 with a completed Yahoo
email group before they ever stepped in the doors for their
first classes! That worked great and was repeated again
Continued on next page
this spring for the Class of 2014. This is important because we
depend on those Yahoo groups for dissemination of information for the whole four years a student is
at Booker T. “Weekly Updates” were sent out to the class email
groups every week since August 1st. Monthly newsletters
were emailed at the first of each month with
the very first issue actually being mailed to
families as a hard copy. A LOT of diligent
work was put into creating a newsletter every
month that showcased our faculty, students, former students, programs, awards, and other positive information about things going on around
us. Every effort has been made to
keep families informed, to find answers
for those who had questions, and to pass along
information from the faculty, staff and administration.
Appreciation and support for our great
faculty and staff have been exhibited in a number of
ways, including, but not limited to, providing meals at Parent/Teacher Conferences and Teacher Appreciation Week
(coming up); offering staffing assistance at school functions
throughout the year; taking care of numerous requests for assistance — from making laminated name tags to finding funding for
travel and many things in between; providing for the proctoring
of the hundreds of tests given at year-end; providing assistance
with the exchange programs; providing books and supplies in
several instances; and even setting out in the teacher’s mailroom
our famed orange buckets filled with goodies throughout the
year. PTSA was host to a number of wonderful,
interesting, informative programs this year presented by faculty members. This served to inform our parents about
the great things going on right under our noses in this school
about which many of us had been previously unaware.
Students then benefit from the support parents and teachers are receiving. There are also events aimed directly at students, including College Night and Flight Night (coming up).
We’ve helped with meals for students spending Saturdays in
review and testing sessions. Also, we’ve attempted to
shine the spotlight on the great talents of our
students — whether it was by having award-winning Speech
students perform at a PTSA meeting or by writing articles about
students’ accomplishments in the monthly newsletter. In doing
so, it has been our aim to congratulate, motivate and inspire.
We’ve gone to bat over and over on issues that needed attention,
working with administration and other officials, all the way up
to and including the superintendent.
Personally, it was a privilege to be asked to serve in a number of other capacities this year while holding a PTSA office:
the Math Textbook Adoption Committee and the Search Committee for the new head football coach, as well as the newlyformed Academic Review Council at the service center. In addition, several of us worked successfully on straightening out
issues dealing the swim team and its athletic funds. It was also
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thoroughly enjoyable to be involved with the Chinese exchange program (recently completed) and to
help arrange the way for our principal to attend a conference in
Washington, D.C., that dealt with our newly-designated Confucian Classroom status. Some of us have worked on securing
private funding for other school-related projects, such as a
soon-to-be-completed school brochure and other marketing tools.
Certainly, none of these things were
accomplished in a vacuum. I know that I
have been surrounded by a wonderful group of people — from PTSA
officers to committee chairs to Booker T.
parents to friends — all of them wise in their
own ways and all contributing in ways that have
made a huge difference. I am truly grateful
for their support and for all they’ve
given through their time and talents.
I would especially like to recognize Leslie Cairns
for her extraordinary and selfless work in creating a masterpiece-of-a-newsletter each month. The best example I can
give of Leslie’s dedication is the scene in a hospital room at St.
Francis last July, where she was recovering from multiple cardiac
arrests due to a pacemaker problem — I stopped in for a visit to
check on Leslie’s health, but she wanted to talk about our plans
for the first edition of the newsletter, adding that “it might be
a few days late.” Her creativity with the layout and design have
made the monthly newsletter truly something to look forward
to. I also appreciate the faculty, parents and others who put up with my nagging about getting the articles we
were seeking in to us on time. We have enjoyed bringing the newsletter to you each month, but we are
tired now! We already had jobs!
In summary, I have found that the job of PTSA president
this year has asked of me to be a team leader, a spokesperson,
an ambassador, a nag (at times), a peacemaker (at other times),
a volunteer, an active participant, an activist, a newsletter editor,
a trouble-shooter, a follow-up person, a tenacious go-getter, a
caring friend, a researcher, a problem-solver — to name a few.
And it’s not that I fulfilled all of those requirements. That’s just
what the job demanded! My main focus was COMMUNICATION. I said that going in. I hope that we are all better
connected now. I hope that we have successfully used this year
to build on what others before us started.
Best wishes to those who come next. Let’s
support them and help them carry the load. It can be heavy
at times. Working TOGETHER for our school, our
great faculty and our stellar students should
be our aim.
Thanks for the opportunity. It was life-changing.
Julia Leifeste, PTSA President
[email protected]
Meet Shea Seals
Focus on
Faculty
Meet Annette Kennedy
Born into a family of educators, Annette Kennedy knew
at an early age that a career in the education field would be a
good fit. After graduating from Sperry High School and playing basketball for her father she completed her undergraduate
work and finished a college career in basketball at East Central
University in Ada, Oklahoma.
Coach K came to BTW 12 years ago after a 5-year stint at
Northern Oklahoma College as a health instructor and softball
coach. Prior to that she began her educational career at Tyrone
Public Schools in the panhandle of Oklahoma. During those 4
years she taught grade school P.E., high school biology, coached
grade school, junior high, and high school basketball and track,
high school softball and senior sponsor.
Her first year at BTW she coached not only softball and
basketball, but also assisted with the
freshman baseball team.
The next seven years she
joined the science team
and taught biology before
returning to the physical
education department. Besides coaching basketball
she has also coached boys
and girls golf for eight years.
In addition to her coaching
duties she also serves as the
Middle Years Program coordinator, Courtesy Committee
member, First Responder and
also mentors student teachers
from the University of Tulsa.
Some of the highlights for
her teaching and coaching career include ten consecutive appearances in the state basketball tournament with back to back titles in 2008 and 2009,
being voted Teacher of the Year by her colleagues in 2008, and
finishing her Masters of Administration in Educational Leadership in 2009.
In the few short hours each day you don’t see Coach K at
BTW she helps her family run a cattle ranch in Osage County.
Any spare time is spent on the hobby of designing and building
her own dream home. Although she is in year 8 of the building process she is confident that she may have it finished before
retirement.
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My name is Shea Brandon Seals. I was born and raised in
north Tulsa. I graduated from McLain High School in 1993.
Received a scholarship to play basketball for the University of
Tulsa. Played all four years at TU becoming the schools all- time
leading scorer. Had my number 21 jersey retired while advancing to the NCAA tournament each year. Made two sweet sixteen
appearances in ’94 & ‘95. Received my degree in Social Sciences
and played professional basketball for 6 years. Played one year
with the Los Angeles Lakers in ’97-’98. After my rookie year I
had a serious knee injury that derailed my NBA career. Played
in France, Spain, China and the Philippines during 1999-2004.
I’ve been married for 3 years now and I have 3 kids: 2 boys
Left:
Shea Brandon
Seals
Below:
Annette Kennedy
and a girl.
Professional accomplishments in my
mind is just trying to better yourself professionally. I want to become the best coach
possible and mainly it’s all continuous
learning and listening. I really enjoy what
I do, I enjoy working with the players
and my coaching staff. Winning the state
championship this year was an “AWESOME” feeling and accomplishment.
I retired from playing basketball
2004 and began my coaching career at McLain
High School. In 2005 I was awarded the head coaching position making it to the state tournament my first year. I was head
coach for 2 years at McLain, 2005 – 2007. In April 2007, I was
named the BTW boys basketball head coach. This is my third
year at BTW and we’ve been to the state tournament each year.
My first year we lost in the state championship (2008), my second year we lost in the state semi finals (2009), and this year we
became state champions (2010)! It’s been a lot of fun! The kids
and the entire BTW family showed me a lot of love and support
and for that I’m very thankful. It would be very difficult to leave
BTW. I’m very happy where I am and while I’m the coach at
BTW I will try to keep our winning tradition intact.
If you have the
opportunity,
please take time
to thank our
2009-2010 PTSA
Officers. Our
Executive Board,
Committee
Chairs and Class
Coordinators
have worked
hard this year
making things
happen for
one of the best
schools in the
nation.
Hornet Update
Thanks for everyone’s
newsletter contributions this
year. Have a great summer!
Leslie Cairns
[email protected]
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PTSA OFFICERS 2009-2010
EXECUTIVE BOARD
OFFICE NAME EMAIL
President Julia Leifeste
[email protected]
1st VP/Pres-Elect Ivana O’Brien
[email protected]
2nd VP/Fundraising Kathy Keeling [email protected]
Anne Bevilacqua [email protected]
(Bean Chowder Dinner only)
Secretary Delaina Holmes [email protected]
Treasurer Francine Fisk
[email protected]
Council Delegate Etta Taylor
[email protected]
Principal’s Advisory Annette Owens [email protected]
Council Jessica [email protected]
COMMITTEE CHAIRS
COMMITTEE NAME
Academic Community of Excellence (ACE) Claudia Brierre
Bylaws Laurie Koller
Tracye Love
Communication Leslie Cairns Directory OPEN Flight Night Judy Hudgens Susan Braselton Hospitality Pam Hillis Jaimole Rhoads Legislation Laurie Koller Membership Dana Solomon
Newsletter Leslie Cairns Parent & Family Life Jayme Broome
Parliamentarian Linda Morrissey Public Relations Carol Bush
Reflections Mary Perisho Teacher Appreciation Lynn Staggs
Terri Hozhabri
Vespers Pam and
Anthony Smith
Volunteer Record-keeping Linda Totty EMAIL
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
CLASS COORDINATORS
CLASS NAME EMAIL
2010 – Seniors Tracye Love** [email protected]
(Ms. Haughey) Annette Owens** [email protected]
2011 – Juniors Tracy Shears
[email protected]
(Ms. Asad-Pratt) Julia Leifeste*
[email protected]
Laura Daniel
[email protected]
Stacy Gill [email protected]
Kelly Simmons [email protected]
2012 – Sophomores Ivana O’Brien** [email protected]
(Mr. Fisher) Francine Fisk* [email protected]
2013 – Freshmen Leslie Cairns** [email protected]
(Ms. Casper) Julia Leifeste*
[email protected]
*Denotes Class Yahoo Group Web Parent **Web Parent and Class Parent
Booker T. Washington
CLASS OF 2010
graduation
Flight Night
Attention Senior Parents:
Flight Night is an all night, drug and alcohol free party for the graduating seniors.
The event will be held graduation night - June 3rd at BTW from 10pm until
6am and will include food, inflatable games, a D.J., great door prizes, a hypnotist
and lots of other fun activities. What better way to celebrate graduation than one
last night with the entire class at the best party ever! The cost is $45.00 and is due by May 15th.
Checks made out to BTW PTSA along with permission slips can be sent to
Booker T. or can be mailed to Susan Braselton at 1526 S. Yorktown Pl., Tulsa
74104. Copies of the permission slip can be found in the school office.
For a scholarship form, e-mail Susan Braselton at [email protected]
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Booker T.
Washington Bids
Farewell To Field
House
After nearly 50 years and fifteen state champion basketball teams, Booker T. Washington is
saying goodbye to its field house that holds a
special place in the hearts of Hornet fans and
graduates.
Monday afternoon, classes were let out early and students and faculty gave the field house
its farewell rally.
Through the years, star basketball players
Wayman Tisdale, Ryan Humphrey and Etan
Thomas have played inside the field house.
Thirteen boys basketball teams have won
the state title, including this season. In addition, the 2008 and 2009 girls team won the state
championship.
The field house will be demolished this
summer in preparation for a new, more modern
facility. It’s funded through a voter-approved
bond measure.
Brazil Bound
BTW Student Council has worked with
Tulsa Global Alliance and the State Department for the past four years to bring Brazilian
Youth Ambassadors to Tulsa. This year they are
expanding the program to take American students to Brazil in July for 3 weeks. They selected
three students from each of the four cities which
have hosted Brazilians. The following students
from BTW have been selected to participate
this summer: Seth Amos, Matt Brownlee, Jordan Green.
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Kia George, BTW senior, was crowned Miss
Black Tulsa 2010!!
Hornets swarm the Capitol
Close Up is the nation’s
largest civic education
program, and it started in
Oklahoma 40 years ago.
The goal is to offer challenging, inspirational and fun programs
for high school students. Using Washington, DC as a living
classroom, each program gives students a “close up” experience
with government and democracy in action. Students learn firsthand the role that they, as ordinary citizens, play in the United
States democracy.
BTW students have attended Close Up for over 25 years,
and I have been taking our students for the last 15. Before coming to BTW, I taught at Edison, and that is where I had my first
experience with Close Up. It didn’t take long to realize that it
was a life changing experience for young people, and has been
my driving force in trying to take as many students as possible.
The annual “logo wear” sale and daily “donut sales” are our
two biggest fundraisers to help with the cost of the trip and allow us to experience some “extra fun” events while there..
We usually attend Close Up in February, mostly because
DC is not crowded at that time of the year. We also leave Tulsa
on Saturday morning so that we have an extra day and a half
to “do tourist things” before the program starts on Sunday evening. We visit the new Newseum, The Holocaust Museum, Arlington Cemetery, Union Station , and dine at Old Ebbitts’ Grill
before the students meet their roommates and form their Close
Up groups with their PIs (program instructors). For the next two
days and every evening of the week the students will explore
Washington, map neighborhoods, here outstanding speakers,
have a debate with a conservative and liberal, and have the time
of their lives! On Wednesday we spend the day on Capitol Hill
meeting our Senators and member of the House of Representatives, visit the Capitol, Supreme Court and Library of Con-
gress. We are fortunate that our elected officials always try to
meet with our students and give them time for questions and
opinions. This year we were extremely fortunate to get to meet
with Chief Justice John Roberts. That is definitely a “once in
a lifetime” event. He spent 20 minutes with us and answered
every question the kids had for him. This was possible because
a BTW graduate, Jamie McDonald, is clerking for the Chief
Justice this year and set it up for us, and it will be an event none
of us ever forget.
Thursday is actually our free day, and we try and visit other
Smithsonian Museums including the National Gallery of Art,
the Air and Space Museum, American History Museum, Natural History Museum and National Archives. Close Up also takes
the students to an evening at the theater on Wednesday and
has a banquet and dance for them on Thursday night. Before
leaving on Friday evening, we are usually able to take a tour of
the White House which is always an high point of the trip. The
kids room with one person from BTW and two students from
some other part of America, Mexico or Puerto Rico. At first
they are a little leery of the accommodations, but after the first
few hours, they think it is absolutely the best idea ever, and many
stay friends for years.
The past two years, the President of Close Up, Tim Davis,
has offered scholarships to Tulsa students to help with the cost.
He was a student on the very first Close Up trip (from Edison
High School) and he personally realizes what a difference this
week can make in a young person’s life. I certainly appreciate his
scholarships because it has helped me tremendously in taking
more students to Close Up. We are hopeful that the scholarship
will continue in the future. Please feel free to call me if you have
any questions or your student is interested in this great trip. I will
be setting the actual date of our next trip probably before school
is out and will begin making our travel list. My great hope is
that your student will be able to
experience this wonderful educational opportunity.
Nakita Moffitt
The following students attended
Close Up this year: Tate Andoe,
Josh Bollinger, Katie Boswell, Jesse
Bradford-Rogers, Blake Chancellor,
Joseph Daniel, Osha Davis, Ashley
Drumright, Ciara Hill, Lindsay
Johnson, Madison Jones, Cyrus
Morfin, Dillon O’Carroll, Jin Jin
Paine, Rosemary Pope, Tim Reiss,
Maria Sepulveda, Blake Stacy and
Nakita Moffitt.
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BOOKER T. STUDENTS PARTICIPATE IN “MARCH OF THE LIVING 2010”
Several Booker T. students - Natalie Charney, Abby Dow,
Kerry Nierenberg, Landon Klein and Hilary Krisman - traveled to Poland and Israel in April to participate in March of the
Living 2010.
THE MARCH OF THE LIVING is an international,
educational program that brings Jewish teens from all over the
world to Poland on Yom Hashoah, Holocaust Memorial Day,
to march from Auschwitz to Birkenau, the largest concentration camp complex built during World War II, and then to Israel to observe Yom HaZikaron, Israel Memorial Day, and Yom
Ha’Atzmaut, Israel Independence Day.
The mission of the March of the Living is to challenge a
new generation of Jews with two of the most significant events
of Jewish history - the Shoah (The Holocaust) and the birth of
the State of Israel. It is achieved by bringing Jewish teenagers to
many of the key places where these events took place, in order
to understand the world that was destroyed and how Israel was
established. This is intensified by sharing these experiences with
Holocaust survivors.
The mission is to create memories, leading to a revitalized
commitment to Judaism, Israel and the Jewish People. It will allow March’ers to educate their peers about the Holocaust and
to fight those who would deny its history, while forging a dynamic link with Israel, with many returning to strengthen that
connection. The unique mission of the March brings together
Jews from different countries and cultures, secular and religious,
and of every religious denomination, to share a common Jewish
experience.
This year, on April 12, 2010, ten thousand Jewish teens
from countries around the world shared in a once-in-a-lifetime
experience when they marched three kilometers from Auschwitz
to Birkenau. The marchers retraced the steps of the “March
of Death,” the actual route which countless numbers of
Jewish people were forced to take on their way to the gas
chambers at Birkenau. The marchers experienced Jewish history where it was made but with a marked difference: it was a “March of the Living” with thousands
of Jewish youth marching shoulder to shoulder.After
arriving in Birkenau, they participated in a memorial
service at one of the gas chambers/crematoria.
For two more days, our teens visited more
death camps outside of Warsaw, the horrific camps
of Treblinka and Majdanek (which is very much
intact and could be fully operational within 48
hours). From Poland, they flew to Israel to join
the entire Jewish community in celebrating Yom
Ha’atzmaut, Israel’s 62nd Independence Day
on April 20, 2010. Undoubtedly, this was a lifechanging, remarkable experience.
Here are some actual accounts of
the experience, written by a staff
person on the trip:
8
“Today - Sunday - was our visit to Auschwitz-Birkenau. It’s an awful
place. The weather was rainy and very cold. We started in Oswiecim - the
town adjacent to Auschwitz - at the beautifully-restored synagogue learning
about the Jewish community that existed there and was completely destroyed.
Then to Auschwitz. Arbeit Macht Frei - Work Sets You Free - the first sign
of lie and deception and Auschwitz. When prisoners entered, they were
greeted to the sounds of classical music. The Nazis wanted them to think
that everything would be OK; that they were being ‘re-settled.’ The tour
guide led us through the barracks - each one set up as a museum exhibit.
Each display was like a punch to the gut - a room full of human hair and
suitcases and eyeglasses all taken from the Jews. Photos of skeletal prisoners and the corpses of victims. We saw the ‘solitary’ confinements cells, the
Killing Wall (where prisoners were executed) and the rooms where human
experiments were conducted. The gas chamber and crematorium. The Nazi
madness - their brutality and savagery - was felt throughout.”
“On Monday, we experienced the March of the Living. Over 10,000
young people - arm in arm - marching from Auschwitz to Birkenau. On
Sunday, when we toured Auschwitz and Birkenau, the weather was cold,
dreary, rainy. The next day, when we returned for the March, the weather
was beautiful. This symbolism was not lost on the teens. The March began
with the sound of shofar blasts. We locked arms with delegations from South
Africa, Belgium, Argentina, England, New Zealand, Australia, Brazil ...
countries all around the world and across North America. We celebrated
at the sight of delegations from other BBYO communities from Canada,
France, Switzerland and elsewhere. We walked silently just under two miles
from the gate of Auschwitz, under the infamous Arbeit Macht Frei sign, to
the brick entryway at Birkenau. We followed the train tracks on which 1.1
million Jews made their final journey.”
A few days later in Israel, “We rejoined the March of the Living for a
parade from the Jerusalem City Hall to the Western Wall in the Old City.
It was a beautiful day, and we caught-up with many teens from home and
abroad with whom we had connected in Poland. The sea of 10,000 Jewish
young people making its way across the Old City was inspiring. It concluded
with singing and dancing at the Wall.”
Counselors’ Corner
We are on the last few weeks of school, but now is not the
time for our students to get spring fever. Please check on your
student’s PowerSchool information about their grades and attendance. Access to each teacher’s email is available for all of
your child’s classes, along with the grades and attendance.
Missing Finals?
If your student will be missing one or more finals, a special
request in writing must be made and turned into the counselor
to reschedule finals. Do not wait until the last week of school to
get the letter and any documentation in.
Progress Reports Issued April 21
Progress reports for all students were issued Wednesday,
April 21. This is the last progress report that will be issued for
the school year. Please make sure that you have looked at the
grades for your student(s).
Testing
State EOI testing is currently going on, and all counselors
are busy with administering the tests, so it is often hard to reach
them or to get them on the phone. Please be patient in trying to
talk to them. Email often works the best this time of year.
Important Dates
IB and AP Testing
May 1-May 20 is when IB and AP tests are given in the historical building. Students must be on time for the tests. Students
cannot start tests if they are late, and if a student is late to an AP
or IB final they usually are not able to make it up.
n June 3, 2010 Graduation for 2010 Class at ORU Mabee
Center, 7:30 p.m. Thursday
n June 28, 2010 Graduation Seniors can pick up diplomas
from the Registrar
n August 17, 2010 Incoming Freshmen Orientation Check
BTW website for exact times
n August 23, 2010, Monday, School starts for 2010-2011
School Year
Summer School
Information on Summer School is available from the counselors. The cost is $170.00 for each semester, and summer school
will be held at Hale High School. First semester runs from June
7-July 2, and second semester is July 6-August 2, 2010. To enroll in any class, you must get a blue enrollment card with your
student’s name on it and the correct class and semester that he/
she needs to take.
Information on night school is not available from the district yet.
Final Transcripts for Seniors
All seniors need to pay a $1 at the bookstore for a final
8th semester transcript and then give the receipt to the registrar,
Mrs. Dougless, along with the name and address of the college
that you want the transcript sent to.
Adrian McNeil Melissa Best Elizabeth Enochs Lynn Stockley 9
Buy school supplies all year at office depot and
5% of each sale goes back to BTW when you
mention the school and give our id number.
BTW ID #70082976
Contact a Counselor: 925-1017
Freshmen 925-1004
10-12 grades A-F 925-1014
10-12 grades G-O 925-1018 10-12 grades P-Z 925-1016 [email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
Vocal Music Awards
The Vocal Music Department competed in a Music In the Parks Regional
Competition Festival in St. Louis, MO on April 16-17, 2010. Four choruses comprised of 86 students entered the competition and earned the following ratings:
n Honor Girls Chorus - Superior - 1st place in treble division
n Jazz Singers - Superior - 1st place in vocal jazz division
n Select Chorus - Excellent - 1st place in mixed chorus division
n Freshman Chorus - Excellent - 2nd place in mixed chorus ninth grade division
n Alexis Renaud, Junior, received an award for Outstanding Vocal Soloist; Booker T. Washington High School was awarded the Overall Outstanding Choral
Program in the Regional Competition.
n State Solo / Ensemble Superior medals: Alex Chong, Peter Folkins, Danielle
LeGrand, Andrea Robinson, Cody Tucker.
Eighteen members of the Booker T. Washington High School Vocal Music
Department attended the OSSAA State Vocal Solo/Ensemble Contest in Shawnee, OK on Friday, 4/23/10.
The following students earned Superior Ratings for their vocal solo or ensemble performance: Jason Clark, Cynthia Cunningham, Lindsay Pierce, Scott
Solomon, Selma Drake, Rhameil Sampson, Sue Ann Whitelock, Stephen Brower,
Lexi Tollefsen, Madeline Lackey, Jordania Smallwood.
Emery Ernst was tested and earned a Superior Rating in Music Theory II.
Earning Excellent Ratings for vocal solo or ensemble performance were: Clare
O’Brien, Ari Prescott, Daniel Weatherholt, Alexis Renaud, Emery Ernst, Joseph
Dyer, Elissa Foust, and Bailey Adkison. Please congratulate all of these students on
their accomplishments. We invite all Hornet family and friends to join us at our Spring Vocal Concert at 7:00 p.m. on Tuesday, May 11, 2010, in the Ellis Walker Woods Auditorium. There is no charge for admission. The BTW Vocal Music Department is under the direction of Julie Boucher; Mrs. Kay Beauchamp serves as the department accompanist.
Excellence in Art
The following BTW Fine and Performing Arts Students received prestigious
2010 State Superintendent Awards for Arts Excellence from State Superintendent
Sandy Garrett at the Scottish Rite Temple in Guthrie, Oklahoma on April 20,
2010.
n Emery Ernst, vocal music
n Ariel Prescott, vocal music
n Lauren McGill, visual arts
n Anna Muselmann, visual arts
The awards are presented by the Oklahoma Alliance for Arts Education, an
affiliate of the Kennedy Center Alliance for Arts Education Network, The State
Superintendent of Public Instruction, and the Masonic Fraternity of Oklahoma.
The Oklahoma Alliance for Arts Education hosts this event that honors senior
students, teachers, and administration from across the state for their outstanding
achievement and support in the arts.
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You Are Invited To A Very
Special Exhibit:
HELEN SUZMAN:
FIGHTER FOR
HUMAN RIGHTS
The exhibition, which chronicles her
courageous efforts in photographs, will be
on public display and free of charge at several university venues while in Oklahoma.
OU Tulsa, Schusterman Center - May
3rd to May 14th.
Helen Suzman was one of South Africa’s most vociferous and energetic opponents of apartheid. She takes pride of
place among those liberals who devoted
their lives to the fight for human rights
and the rule of law in South Africa. From
the start of a political career that spanned
almost four decades, she worked tirelessly,
never flinching from challenging the pernicious system created by apartheid.
“The indominatable spirit of Helen
Suzman was a gift to South Africa and the
world. A stalwart of the anti-apartheid struggle, she was a true heroine who contributed to
our country’s peaceful transition when many
predicted a racial blood bath. Through her
dignified, steadfast—and for a long period,
single handed—parliamentary opposition to
National Party apartheid rule, she shone a
light for justice and accountability.”
-Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu
Nobel Peace Prize, 1984
HELEN SUZMAN: FIGHTER FOR
HUMAN RIGHTS is being presented in
Oklahoma through the generosity of P.
Vincent LoVoi and Joel Kantor.
The exhibition was organized by the
Isaac and Jessie Kaplan Centre for Jewish
Studies and Research, University of Cape
Town, South Africa.
The United States tour of the exhibition is sponsored by
Dobkin Family Foundation
Tolan Family Foundation
Ni Hao!
Booker T. Washington hosted 10
Chinese exchange students and 2 adult
teacher/chaperones during 2 weeks in
April. From the late-night airport arrival
on April 8 to the tearful airport departure
on the 24th, a very enjoyable time was
had by all. Many of the Booker T. students who hosted these Chinese students
had visited Beihai in southern China in
November with Chinese teacher, Susie
Tattershall. Every effort was made to acquaint the guests with our city’s culture,
sports, entertainment and general friendliness. The group enjoyed a great outdoor
welcome party at Peter Adelson’s home;
a tour of Philbrook; a trip to Woolaroc;
a visit to Tulsa Ballet (complete with conversations with TB dancers from China);
a picnic in Woodward Park; baseball and
salsa lessons; a Booker T. pep rally; a wonderful outdoor farewell party, courtesy of Ginger Heller (Maggie Purdie’s mom);
and numerous other adventures with individual host families. It
was an important time of learning from and about each other....
that’s what an exchange is all about! Everyone involved had rich
experiences that they will be able to keep with them for a lifetime. The world’s not such a big place after all!
Chinese summer camp here in Oklahoma!
We need your help! The Confucius Institute at the University of Oklahoma has teamed up with STARTALK to
offer a 10 day non-residential Chinese Summer Camp on the OU-Tulsa campus. We would appreciate if you could
encourage your Chinese students (7th to 12 graders in Fall 2010) who had at least one year of Chinese to participate.
See below for more information. Contact Callie at 918-660-3497 if you have any questions.
Who: 7th – 12th graders in Fall 2010 (with at least 1 year of Chinese)
When: July 19 to July 30, 2010 • 9:00 am to 3:00 pm
Where: OU-Tulsa Schusterman campus
41st & Yale
How much: $75.00 (Early bird registration by May 1)
$100.00 (Registration from May 2 to June 1)
(Price includes daily box lunch)
Add $25.00 if going to Branson field trip to watch the spectacular Shanghai Circus (optional)
This camp targets 7th to 12th graders (grade starting this coming school year) with at least one year of Chinese
and who are interested in further developing their basic skills and enriching their understanding of Chinese language
and culture. Throughout the two weeks non-residential camp, students will receive Chinese language instruction in the
morning and have fun with hands-on activities in the afternoon. All lessons and activities revolve around the Journey to
the West story, also known as Monkey King. Cultural activities include Tai-Chi, Chinese painting, traditional Chinese
art & crafts, Chinese chess and music. Our goals are to demonstrate to students that both Chinese language and culture
are enjoyable and for them to understand Chinese folk stories, mythology, value system, and humor.
Your students will learn more Chinese, have fun doing it, and be super-ready to excel in Chinese this fall.
11
BTW Class Yahoo Groups
Your Parent/BTW Communication Hub
All issues of the Hornet Update newsletter and PTSA
communication will be distributed through the Parent Class
Yahoo Groups.
So, if you have not joined the group, please send us your
email address! These are closed groups that can only be
accessed by invited BTW parents.
To join, send an email to:
Freshmen: [email protected]
Sophomores: [email protected]
Juniors: [email protected]
Seniors: [email protected]
You will need to set
up a Yahoo identity to access the site.
If you don’t want a Yahoo
identity, you can
still receive
emails, just
not access
the site.
Yahoo Class Group features:
Informational emails
Calendar of class-related events
n Photos from BTW activities
n Downloadable forms and flyers
n Volunteer opportunities
n Fundraising Information
n Hornet Update newsletter
n All PTSA Communication
n
n
W E B S I T E
Forms or flyers don’t make
it home? Check here to
print one out.
Share photos.
Volunteer needs, Flight
Night wish list, t-shirt
orders, etc. Various Class
databases.
Our goal is to reach every
Booker T. Washington family.
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All messages are moderated to keep email
correspondence to a minimum. Only Classrelated email messages will be approved.
Responses go back to the original sender,
not the whole group. Post responsibly. :)
Class pictures, picnic, prom, cap
and gown orders, etc.
All important dates will be
posted here.
Anytown
Friends from Böblingen
Eleven German students and two teachers visited Booker
T. Washington from March 28 to April 12. They come from
the Max Planck Gymnasium in Böblingen, near Stuttgart in
southwestern Germany. The students were all in the 11th grade.
They spent one week in school visiting classes. The second week
the students stayed with their host families, but visited local sites
such as Tulsa’s museums, the Tall Grass Prairie, the Cherokee
historical village in Tahlequah, Choteau’s Amish community,
and the state capitol and Oklahoma City National Memorial.
After leaving Tulsa they spent a week touring New Mexico before dodging volcanic ash on their way back to Germany. Mr.
Mosburg would like to thank all that helped in hosting – Kelly
Ahern, Brandon Baney, Kaitlyn Butler, Cynthia Cunningham,
Melissa Hozhabri, Madison Kavanaugh, Keara Keller, Gentry Klawitter, Robert Massey, Elizabeth McClelland, Clare
O’Brien, Jack Tomlinson, Lee Ann Vestal, and their families,
as well as retired BTW German teacher Mary McIlhany who
hosted teacher Birgitta Lang.
This year’s visit follows a BTW visit to Germany in summer
2009, the first in ten years. The next planned return visit will be
in summer 2011.
If you would like to host in the future, we will be
hosting our first fall semester visit this September. Mr.
Mosburg is looking for hosts for 11 10th grade girls.
Please email him ([email protected]) or call
925-1000, xt 25029, for more information.
German Accolades
National German examination results: 2 Hornets were recognized by the Oklahoma chapter of the American Association
of Teachers of German for their performance on last January’s
National German Examination. 10th grader Carl Roberts (German II exam) and 11th grader Emily Taylor (German IV exam)
both scored above the 90th percentile for their test groups. Mr.
Mosburg would like to congratulate them and is proud of all his
students who took part in this year’s National German Examination.
13
Anytown, Oklahoma 2010 will be held July 25 – July
31 at Camp Takatoka near Lake Ft. Gibson. This program
promotes self-esteem, good citizenship, and leadership in an
atmosphere steeped in rich diversity. Incoming sophomores,
juniors, and seniors from across Oklahoma are eligible to
partipate in this award-winning, human relations camp.
The Anytown program ranks among the preeminent human relations experiences in Oklahoma.
It is often characterized as a “life-changing” opportunity by those who attend. This camp experience has made a
difference in the lives of more than 750 teens since its inception in 1994. For additional information, contact the OCCJ
office at 918-583-1361 or email [email protected].
Reflections Winners
Announced
The Results are in from the 2009-2010 Oklahoma State
PTSA Reflections judging! Congratulations to Erika Loney
for her Award of Merit in Photography & Caitrin Sneed for
her Award of Merit in Dance Choreography
These two talented Hornets created their original work
based on the 2009-2010 theme “Beauty is…”
The 2010-2011 Reflections theme is:
“Together We Can…”
For more information, visit http://www.ptareflections.org/
Volunteers of the Year
Each individual Tulsa Public Schools site recently nominated Volunteers of the Year in each of 3 categories: Site
Volunteer of the Year, Student Volunteers of the Year, and
Senior (65+) Volunteer of the Year. Booker T. Washington
chose Dr. Julia Karlak as their Site Volunteer of the Year.
Haley Holtzscher and Luke Leifeste were selected as BTW
Student Volunteers of the Year.
Summer Opportunities
AFJROTC wins first place
The Booker T. Washington AFJROTC unit took 1st place
overall at the Tulsa Public Schools Drill Meet on Saturday, April
17th. With 12 entries in the competition, all of the team members were on two or more teams. These cadets had spent months
practicing and perfecting their routines for this competition and
their hard work paid off. After first coming to the competition 3
years ago we had won several trophies, but every year had not
quite made it to the Sweepstakes level. This year extra effort
was made to enter more teams, and to make those teams better
than in years past. This effort paid off and we came home with
9 trophies! First place in Team Exhibition Drill with Arms and
Team Exhibition Drill, second place in Solo Exhibition Drill
with Arms, Junior Varsity Color Guard, Regulation Drill, and
Dual Exhibition Drill with Arms, third place in Regulation Drill
with Arms, and fourth place in Solo Exhibition Drill with Arms.
These trophies put us in the top overall position, and we came
home with one more trophy: the 1st Place Sweepstakes that was
over 5 feet tall! The Congratulations to all those cadets who put
in many hours of time to making this the best competition, so
far, for BTW’s AFJROTC!
Rowing Club Summer Camp
The Tulsa Rowing Club Juniors are looking for high school
aged athletes to join their competitive high school program. The
team regularly competes on the national level and our athletes
are also successful in gaining college scholarships at universities
all over the US .
The summer camps are offered in the month of June.
These camps are aimed at those athletes who are beginners in
the sport. The Tulsa Rowing Club coaches are trained and certified by US Rowing.
All camp sessions will run Monday through Friday.
Camp I: May 31st - June 11th, 2010
Camp II: June 14th - June 25th, 2010
Cost: $150 for 2 weeks of instruction
Sessions in the camp take place from 4pm - 6pm in the
evening (first camp) and 6pm - 8pm (second Camp)
For online sign-up to the camps please visit the club’s website at www.tulsajuniorsrow ing.org.
14
Camps at University of Kansas for students entering 9th
– 12th grade. Project Discovery for girls – July 11 – 16, $400.
Summer Engineering Camp for boys – July 18 – 23, $500.
Students must have a GPA of 3.7 or higher. To sign up go to
www.engr.ku.edu/seriousfun.
Boston University offers PROMYS, Program in Mathematics for Young Scientists. It is an intensive experience in
creative mathematical exploration from June 27 to August
7, 2010, for 65 high school students with a strong interest in
mathematics. Applications are accepted until May 30. More
information at [email protected].
An Intensive Summer Academy in Science, Mathematics,
and Technology is offered at Langston University, June 6 –
19th for rising sophomores, juniors and seniors. Applications
are due April 16, 2010 and are available in the counseling office with additional information available atwww.lunet.edu/
MSA.
Aerospace Education High School Summer Academy –
for current sophomores and juniors at Oklahoma State University, June 6 – 19. 30 students will be chosen and there is
no cost to the student. See applications in the counseling office. For more information contact Dr. Steve Marks, OSU, 300
Cordell North, Stillwater, OK. 405.744.7785.
The Boston College Summer experience – must have
completed 11th grade and have an outstanding academic record. Must enroll in 2 college courses. Applications are available in the counseling office or email [email protected].
For students wanting to explore the relationship between
their personal passions and their Jewish identity – check out
BIMA or Genesis. Apply at www.brandeis.edu/highschool.
Carleton Liberal Arts Experience – for students who have
just completed the sophomore year. Learn more at www.carleton.edu/summer/clae.
Broadreach and Academic Treks – summer opportunities.
College accredited summer adventures abroad for high school
students. Locations include the Caribbean, Central and South
America, Canada, South Africa, France, China and Fiji. Go to
www.academictreks.com.
Broadreach – educational leadership summer adventures
for teens 13 – 19 including scuba, sailing, marine biology, and
wilderness programs worldwide. Go to www.gobroadreach.
com.
Washington University’s High School Summer Scholars
Program offers up to 7 units of college coursework for rising
juniors and seniors. Talented students who are interested can
visit the Web site at summerscholars.wustl.edu for more information. New this year is a two-week long Young Writers Institute. Information is also available in the counseling office.
www.syasummer.org
School Year Abroad summer program
www.summercollege.cornell.edu
Several summer opportunities at Cornell
Meet A.J. McCoy
I grew up in Elkhart Indiana, near Notre Dame University.
I studied landscape architecture and photography at Ball State
University in Muncie Indiana. I came to Tulsa to visit family
and ended up staying for graduate school at TU. In 2003, I received my Master of Fine Arts in Photography and Film. To
supplement my meager income from freelance photography, I
began teaching through Waterworks art studio, the Arts and
Humanities Council of Tulsa, and the Philbrook Museum. I
was surprised by how much I enjoyed teaching, but a profound
experience for me was the realization of how much I was learning from my students. I Taught 8th grade photography at Holland Hall for one year and then in 2006, I got a call about a
teaching position at Booker T. Washington and I jumped on it.
Now in my fourth year at BTW, I am continually grateful for the
privilege to explore the history of art with students who are so
bright, talented…and fun.
Gilcrease and
Philbrook Museums
are free to students under 18.
This, hopefully, helps make interfacing with the arts a
family possibility. Group visits need to be arranged and
verified with the museum staff for security and safety.
A letter From Gospel, Grits & Gershwin,
On behalf of the Booker T. Washington Foundation for Excellence, thank you to everyone involved in
Gospel, Grits & Gershwin 2010 for their efforts, time &
talent in making this important fund raiser a success. Together we raised $36,207!
Through the willing commitment of the BTW family, and especially the Gospel, Grits & Gershwin committee, the impact and importance of Gospel, Grits &
Gershwin continues to be evident with each grant given
and each success story made by our students and faculty.
Please take a moment to thank these women who unselfishly and generously gave in order to build and serve the
Booker T. Washington commitment to excellence.
Gospel, Grits & Gershwin 2010 Committee
Carol Adelson
Terri Hozhabri
Glenda Murphy
Anne Bevilacqua
Judy Hudgens Diane Muselmann
Celina Burkhart
Nancy Inhofe Ivana Obrien
Betty Casey
Deborah Johnson Robin Kyle
Kathy Passmore Meyer Sheryl Chadd Karin Lackey
Jaimole Rhoads Lisa Lang
Valerie DeMarco
Lynn Staggs
Denise Senger
Stacy Gill Lori Lassman Nanette Stubblefield
Rosie Gomez Susan McCoy
Kathy Thompson
Greatfully, Susan Lyons, Chairman
Pam Hillis Audrey McGill
WANTED: Looking for person or persons interested in chairing GOSPEL, GRITS & GERSHWIN 2011! Fun job with many
rewarding benefits for the entire Booker T. Washington family. Interested or questions? Call Susan Lyons at 744-5013
For a complete, current calendar of BTW events, check:
http://www.tulsaschools.org/schools/washington/events/calendar.htm
15
National Honor Society inductees
The requirements for consideration for membership in the National Honor Society at Booker T. are a 3.6
GPA and a completed application. Students are not eligible for membership until the second semester of their
sophomore year. An induction ceremony is held annually in the spring. Members must obtain 20 service points
per semester, which can be earned by doing community service projects, by donating items during drives and
by making monetary donations. In addition, NHS members are often called on during the year to assist with
school-related activities such as College Night, Back-to-School Night and Showcase Night.
Class of 2010
Bailey Adkison
Kimberly Andrew
Madeline Beck
Phillip Bedford
Megan Bowlin
Maggie Boyett
Emma Braselton
Zachary Burgess
Kaitlyn Butler
Ariana Cano
Caitlin Cash
Alberto Chong
Richard Chyan
Valencia Covington
Matthew Crow
Chandler Douglas
Emery Ernst
Zelma Gist
Alix Goff
Elizabeth Hartney
Heather Heck
Olivia Jensen
Deseree Jones
James Jordan
Natalie Kerr
Hannah Kinnison
Gentry Klawitter
Hilary Krisman
Preston Langholz
Maggie Lee
Jordie Lefler
Erika Loney
Kylie Martineau
Milecia Matthews
Evan McElwain
Lauren McGill
Jack Miller
Anna Muselman
Ellen Musgrave
Nate Nathan
Kerry Nierenberg
Madison Orme
Teneshia Patton
Jamie Potter
Ari Prescott
Jennifer Ramirez
Setlah Robinson
Emily Shook
Caroline Slater
Caitrin Sneed
Simone Summers
Erin Tresch
Claire Walker
Grace Walker
Daniel Weatherholt
Taylor Webb
Lakia Wilson
Class of 2011 Inductees
Jennifer Cone
Sarah Crain
Bryce Davis
Ashley Goodenough
Jordan Green
Morgan Hornsby
C J Hyslop
Kassie Jackson
Christopher Laporte
Samuel Lee
Tina Musungayi
Robert Pollock
Taylor Pratt
Dominique Sells
Karlie Tipton
Danielle Young
Class of 2012 Inductees
Peter Adelson
Kelly Ahern
Oya Aktas
Tate Andoe
Jonathan Aston
Will Baker
Carly Beardshear
Elena Beene
Caroline Bennett
Robert Bloomfield
Katherine Boswell
Becca Boudrey
Jesse Bradford-Rogers
Connor Brittingham
Caden Broussard
Stephen Brower
Australia Brown
Tanner Burke
Maegan Burkhart
Bayle Burrows
Maxwell Callard
16
Thomas Carwile
Aly Cash
Kevin Chancellor
Mary Clancy
Paige Clark
William Clary
Phoenix Cooper
Marley Coyne
Kia Dorsey
Abby Dow
Ashley Drumright
Campbell Ernst
Frances Evans
Peter Folkins
Mesha Foster
Christopher Franchi
Christopher Gnaedig
Andres Gomez
Kenzie Green
Jefferson Hall
Nicholas Halsell
Rolf Hanning
Sage Harper
Ciara Hill
Aulia Hill
Kathryn Hillis
Megan Hullman
Alexis House
Steven Hyslop
Gabrielle Inhofe
Glade Inhofe
Joshua Jackson
Lindsay Johnson
Richard Jones
Madison Jones
Pranav Kaul
Jasen Kingsley
Melissa Knauf
Steven Lassman
Jacque Lucius
Ross Martin
Miranda McClung
Andrew McCollum
Mackenzie McCoy
Taylor McIntosh
Hannah McKenzie
Claire Milburn
Paige Miller
Lydia Nathan
Matthew Newman
Savannah Nicks
Ava Paine
Laura Pearson
Ali Peter
Madeline Plaster
Rosemary Pope
Kyla Rhoads
Carl Roberts
Anna Rohweder
Kajal Sangal
Maria Sepulveda
Sahar Shadgoo
Ashley Sharber
Brandon Sibala
Steven Smith
Ian Sowle
Blake Stacy
Jenna Staggs
Erin Summerton
J’Torri Thompson
Will Tracy
Jenette Truong
Cody Tucker
Moriah Vanderburg
Nicholas Vandivort
Matthew Vuong
D’Andrael Ware
Madison Warren
Ani Webb
Ciara Wilson
Log Your
Volunteer Hours
Erin Summerton proudly holding her certificate.
Latin students recognized
on National Exams
National Latin Exam
This year 150,000 students from all 50 states and 13 countries (including Singapore for the first time) participated in the
National Latin Exam.
Erin Summerton, a sophomore at Booker T. Washington,
received a cum laude rating and certificate for her performance in the top 25% nationally of the Level II Exam.
National Mythology Exam
The National Mythology Exam is sponsored by the American Classical League. The questions tested students’ knowledge
about classical mythology and literature.
Jack Koller, a junior at Booker T. Washington, scored 98%
(missing only 1 question). Jack received a National Mythology
Exam Silver Medallion.
Congratulations to these students!
Jacquelyn Carr-Lonian, Latin Teacher
Artistic Hornet
Katie Turner, Class of 2006, is graduating from
Parson’s School of Design in May and just had her work
published in the New York Times Editorial Page (below).
17
Please email parent volunteer hours
to Linda Totty at lindatotty@cox.
net by the 15th of each month or give
your name and hours to the front office
staff to include in the Volunteer Hours
binder that is kept in the office.
We have now added a column on the
PTSA meeting attendance sheet for you to
record hours from the previous month.
Please utilize whichever method is
most convenient for you.
Join TTCU
Parents and students can join the
Tulsa Teachers Credit Union simply
by having a student in the public
school system. If you do join, please
order a school spirit debit card for
the BTW Hornets. Two percent of all your debits
at a business will be given back to the school. This does not cost
you anything extra and provides money for the school.
Online Convenience
Tulsa Public Schools offers an online payment processing
system, PaySchools, to allow parents easy and convenient online
access to purchase and pay for student meals, 24 hours a day, 7
days a week. Set up an account by visiting the District’s Web site,
www.tulsaschools.org, and clicking on the PaySchools link.