Volume 29, No. 4 2002-2003 Administrators Published by Dr. Cathy Burden, Superintendent Union Public Schools Debra Jacoby, Chief Financial Officer Tulsa, OK 74134-6711 uu Dr. Jim Jones, Assistant Superintendent for Curriculum & Instruction Mark Robertson, Executive Director for Support Services Kirt Hartzler, Director of Secondary Curriculum Dr. Kathleen Workman, Director of Elementary Curriculum Gretchen Haas-Bethell, Director of Communications Jackie White, Director of Student Services Dr. Bonnie Johnson, Director of Special Education Cynthia Solomon, Director of Human Resources Lee Snodgrass, Director of Technology Geoffrey Wood, Director of Accounting Bill Blankenship, Director of Athletics Ed Tackett, Director of Fine Arts Gary Greenhill, Director of Transportation Terry Wright, Director of Food Services Moore Elementary students Patrick Metz (left) and Camden Kickbusli like to work hard, but they like to play hard as well, Benny Dixon, Director of UMAC/ Marketing enjoying playground equipment often made possible for Union Schools by local Parent Teacher Associations and their commu­ nities.

2002-2003 Principals

Dave Stauffer, High School Jarod Mendenhall, Intermediate High School Richard Storm, Alternative School Charlie Bushyhead, Eighth Grade Center Richard Berumen, Sixth/ Seventh Grade Center Larry Williams, Andersen Elementary Becky Hale, Boevers Elementary Courtney Elias, Briarglen Elementary Ellen Crager, Cedar Ridge Elementary Theresa Kiger, Clark Elementary Susan Crowder, Darnaby Elementary Angela Bauer, Grove Elementary Patti Pitcock, Jarman Elementary Karen Vance, McAuliffe Elementary Sandi Calvin, Moore Elementary Jennifer Randall, Peters Elementary Cathy Collins, Community Education Elementary Principal

Behind every great student is a great teacher who is willing to give the extra attention when it is needed. Pictured here are Mehrad Mousavi and teacher Teresa Moore from Clark Elementary.

Union Public Schools 5656 S. 129th E. Ave. Tulsa, Oklahoma 74134-6711 www.unionps.org Board of Education ...... Page 2 The pride of Union Public Schools is in its people. We Superintendent's Message ...... Page 2 have students with character, dedicated staff and District Overview ...... Pages 3-15 patrons with high expectations. It is a pleasure to Introduction ...... Page 3 present this annual report to educate the community concerning the challenges and the successes of th Mission, Goals, School Sites ...... Page 4 2002-2003 school year and to celebrate the District Map ...... Page 4 plishments of the Facilities/Operational Statistics ...... Page 5 people who have Student Statistics ...... Page 5 made them hap­ Student Achievement ...... Pages 5-10 pen. Employee Information & Recognition ... Pages 10-11 Curriculum/Programs/ Due to the overall Special Events/ Initiatives ...... Page 12 economic condi­ Economic Condition & Outlook ...... Pages 12-14 tions in the state, Revenue ...... Page 13 education funding Spending ...... Page l3 during the 2002- Grants/ Federal Programs ...... Page 14 2003 school year Bond Issue & Millage History ...... Page 14 continued to spi­ Communications ...... Pages 14- 15 ral downwards District Website ...... Page 14 requiring district Publications ...... Page 14 budget cuts API-1237 District Videos & CDs ...... Page 15 throughout the Technology Progress ...... Page 15 year. Every effort Oklahoma District Report Card was made to cur­ with API Index ...... Pages 16-19 tail spending Dr. Cathy Burden Administration ...... Page 20 while minimizing the impact on student learning. However, the severi­ ty of the budget reductions required vacated positions to be left unfilled, professional training to be cur­ tailed, and adjustments to be made in every site and department. With no relief in sight by the end of the year, staff members were advised that planning for 2003-2004 anticipated a reduction of about one h dred teaching and support positions.

Even in the face of pervasive budget worries, morale and dedication remained strong. The 2002 6A State Championship in football set the tone for the year and a record number of National Merit Scholars, talented fine arts students, and caring contributors to their community kept things going in a positive direction. Union programs were highlighted for Awards of Excellence in many areas including alternative educa­ tion, the district webpage, the Native American pro­ gram and financial reporting. A total of seventeen Union teachers were Nationally Board Certified attest­ Union's Board of Education consists of five members elected by ing to the high standards of our staff. district zones for five-year terms. Pictured above are (left to right) ]ames Williams-District #3, Scott McDaniel·District #4, This administration takes our responsibility to be Beverly Laubach·District #1, Bill Bruner-District #5, Dr. Cathy Burden-Superintendent and Derek Rader-District #2. Mrs. accountable to our public seriously, so I hope that you Laubach was appointed by the Board October 20, 2003 to make it a point to review some of the year's highlights replace long-time Union patron Phil Barr who resigned to accept an out-of-state job. as a way of tracking our progress. Community sup­ port is a critical component in our success, and I am confident that the more patrons know about our dis­ the Communicator trict, the more pride and support there will be. The Communicator (USPS 097 430) is published bi-monthly with extra issues in October and January by Union Public lli-titu~ Ph :D . Schools, 5656 S. 129th E. Ave., Tulsa, OK 74134-6711. It is ~a~hy 4;den, Ph.D. ' issued to patrons of the Union Public School District free of Superintendent charge. Dr. Cathy Burden is Superintendent of Schools. the Eighth Grade Center was not available from the Gretchen Haas-Bethell is Communications Director/Editor. o' fdWi? The Communicator staff includes Janie Froman, Beverly Thummel and Michael Yore. Periodicals postage paid at On the Cover r... ,~•'Rirf,.,.,. . fifth grader Nolen Herbert ponders a question during an aca- Tulsa, OK. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to The ,h,rlll!inl1e against another Cedar Ridge team. The fast recall ot events Communicator, 5656 S. 129th E. Ave., Tulsa, OK 74134-6711 Read_ing is encouraged a_t all Union Schools. First graders practice for the students, enrichment teacher Cherry, Redus said, or call 459-3305. ' the event teaches students good life skills because they have to learn ~abnn~ Bogle (left) and ]11lian Gonderman enjoy reading dur­ mg the1r class at Moore Elementary. to work in teams. / \. Introduction GROVE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL API- 1065 Mathematics Reading % API API Completion Students Total API Union Public Schools is a rapidly growing suburban, K- 648 622 Tested 12 district in Tulsa, Oklahoma. The 28-square-mile area Reaular 904 1244 976 100 1065 :hat comprises Union is unique in that it does not Male * * * 100 1049 encompass a township, but rather incorporates within Female 863 1304 * 100 1074 its boundaries much of southeast Tulsa and the north­ Black * * * * 925 west portion of nearby Broken Arrow. The school sys­ Amer. Indian * * * * * tem acts as a unifying organization within the commu­ Hispanic * * * * * ~~ nity, providing activities for its families and a sense of Asian * * * * * pride, support and identity for its patrons. White 894 1278 * 100 1076 /~ Other * * * * * When Union was founded in 1919, it combined four Econ . Disadv. * * * * 1009 :\ small, rural communities and had only four students in ELL * * * * 156 ~ its graduating class. A two-story brick building housed IEP * * * * 453 all of its classes, K-12. In the 1980s, Tulsa's residential All Students 777 1034 976 100 913 and commercial building began booming toward the southeast, and Union's student population grew along with it. Today the district serves more than 13 ,500 stu­ dents in its eleven elementary sites, the Sixth/Seventh Grade Center, the Eighth Grade Center, the Intermediate High School, the Alternative School and Union High School. All have State Department of Education and I North Central Association accreditation.

Thanks to a supportive community, the district has been A familiar ring, the school bell welcomed hundreds of Union students to able to fund computers, local- and wide-area networking school last year. The Grove bell, pictured here, is a fixture outside Grove and other instructional technology to enhance reading, elementary, which opened in 1975. The school was named after Robert language, math, science, music and writing skills. Every B. Grove, who served as superintendent from 1960 to 1975. school has media specialists, nurses and counselors. Clark Elementary students Union's comprehensive secondary curriculum provides Marcus Parker lead the lineup in Programs for gifted students and students with special to art and music. eeds are also offered at every grade level, as are music, both college-bound and non-college-bound students a trt and physical education. wide range of offerings. Among them are Advanced Placement (AP) courses in all core academic areas and Elementary school students and their parents have the Concurrent Enrollment, which enables students to earn Boevers student Daniel Cecena finds his option of following Union's Continuous Learning college credit while fulfilling high school coursework classroom assignment. His mood was to his teacher's help. Calendar (CLC or year-round program) or the Traditional requirements. Students interested in careers or courses Learning Calendar (TLC or 9-month school year). in vocational areas are transported to the appropriate Tulsa Technology Center campus for the curriculum Another option at the elementary level is the Primary they desire. Multiage Classroom for grades 1-3. Children in the Multiage program stay with one teacher for more than a Community education, the district's central enrollment year and progress as quickly as their development center and Union Alternative School are located in the allows, but those needing more time to master skills can district's Extended Education Building, 5656 S. 129th E. do so without being "held back." Avenue. The alternative education program helps stu- dents stay in school or return to school, giving them a chance to get back on track to graduate.

Other features of the district include the Extended Day Program (before-and­ after-school care for Union students in grades K-5), a host of parent organiza­ tions and the Union Schools Education Foundation which funds innovative teaching projects to reward and rein­ force excellence. Union's Board of Education consists of five members elected by district zones for five-year terms.

Construction on the new Union Multipurpose Activity Ce nter, 6636 S. Mingo Road, continued throughout the school year. The UMAC was later opened to the public and dedicated on November 24, 2003. Our Mission

It is our Mission to provide our community of learners with educational opportunities to acquire and develop the best possible academic, vocational, recreational, social and participatory skills, enabling them to become valued, contributing members of a changing global society.

Our Goals

•!• Academic excellence for all students •!• Preparation of students for positive citizenship •!• A positive educational environment in which students, parents, community and staff assume responsibility for their role in the learning process •!• District excellence for all employees •!• Expanded opportunities for learning •!• Increased use of technology •!• Enhanced Union pride •!• Support base to include patrons, partnerships and community resources •!• Long-term plan to accommodate growth

--~--~---.....---""'131otST .S.

School Sites I Bri~len I ____0_ ~ 1) Education Service Center, Extended Education Building & Union Alternative School 5656 S. 129 E. Ave ., Tulsa 74134-6711

2) Union High School 56th ST. S. ....- 6636 S. Mingo Road, Tulsa 74133-3247 N h===b;=,.-lf--t-----t----J61stST.S. 6th/7th Gr. etr.[ 5 J 3) Union Intermediate High School 1 4 18thGr.ctr. l 7616 S. Garnett, B.A. 74012-8705 t ~~1 12 1 r:r 114 1McAuliffe I 4) Union Eighth Grade Center ~-i._~H~I g~hS~ch~oo~IJt--+-t-:=:--t-----:~not ST.S.

6501 S. Garnett, B.A. 74012-8594 76th PL S. -...... f1sl [15] ==. 11111111111 Ill I 1111111 [ 3 Moore l ~ 5) Union Sixth & Seventh Grade Center 13 [Intermediate 10100 E. 61st St., Tulsa 74133-1507 1-----~---4-!_J~a~nn~an0-+--.f----t-----1~1.....;;.•-, 8181ST.S.

6) Andersen Elementary 1200 S. Willow, B.A. 74012-4511 91stST.S. 7) Boevers Elementary 3433 S. 13 3rd E. Ave., Tulsa 74134-4041 I,. 96th ST. S. ROY CLARK ELEMENTARY SCHOOL API-1091 Mathematics Reading % ..__ Cedar Ridge r 101stST.S. API API Completion Students Total API 8) Briarglen Elementary w 3303 S. 121st E. Ave., Tulsa, 74146-2200 ;::;: 648 622 Tested NOTE: Dotted boundary w ... -...... 1051h ST.S. Re ular 1161 1047 976 100 1091 lines may be Imprecise. i g 9) Cedar Ridge Elementary For specific Information, ,. Male 100 1076 call 459·4689. "' 9817 S. Mingo Road, Tulsa 74133-5123 Female 1153 1078 976 100 1101 Black 795 10) Clark Elementary 1316 3656 S. 103rd E. Ave., Tulsa 74146-2441

11) Darnaby Elementary 14) McAuliffe Elementary 100 1224 7625 E. 87th St. S., Tulsa 74133-4818 6515 S. Garnett, B.A. 74012-8529 . Other Econ. Disadv. 1119 948 976 100 1028 12) Grove Elementary 15) Peters Elementary ELL 269 10202 E. 62nd St., Tulsa 74133-1529 2900 West College, B.A. 74012-2100 IEP 100 102 All Students 791 682 976 100 761 13) Jarman Elementary 16) Moore Elementary ELL - English Language Learners IEP - Individual Education Plan 9015 E. 79th St. S., Tulsa 74133-6510 800 N. Butternut Pl., B.A. 74012-8667 improvements were needed to accommodate the vocal and instrumental music, drama, speech and debate pro­ 2 03 Oklahoma District Report Card with API Index grams. I am pleased to the Oklahoma District/School Report Card, detailing educational information • Construction continued on the $22-million Union important for admi teachers, parents and the public. Included in this report is the Academic Multipurpose Activity Center south of Union Tuttle P-erformance Index established by Title 70 O.S. § 3-150, along with additional factors that contribute Stadium on the High School campus. The 5,662-seat to a school's or "'"~'"'"'"'· This information is provided not only as a snapshot of current perform­ arena, versatile practice and performance floor space, ance, but also as a map ing to the continued progress and success of• Oklahoma schools and our chii- student store, locker and dressing rooms, concessions, dren. offices and meeting rooms, and the SouthCrest Wellness --Sandy Garrett, State Superintendent of Public Instruction and Sports Medicine Center is scheduled to open in the fall of 2003. entary sites, the 6/?th Grade Center and 8th Grade Center. As of data for the Intermediate High School, J..ligh Scl:lool and distr,iGt J:Jave nt of Education. Mathematics and reading scores are based Student Statistics rion-Referenced Tests (CRTs) that are included in the Oklahoma have been set for mathematics and reading at 648 and 622, • Growth has been a constant factor throughout to meet or exceed the performance targets determined by the Union's history. As Oklahoma's ninth largest district, attendance rate. Union served 13,517 students in the 2002-2003 school year. Of those, 6,567 were elementary age and 6,950 I Scale 0-1500 Cedar Ridge student A/lye Plunkett arrives for her first day of school. were in our secondary schools; 50.5 percent were male OSTP - Achievement results from Oklaho For many children, school starts the moment they get on a school bus. and 49.5 percent were female. In terms of ethnic origin, Tests are administered in reading and More than 5,500 students rode buses in the 2002·2003 school year. 9.6 percent were Native American, 9.2 percent were Completion includes attendance, dropout Hispanic, 10.2 percent were African-American, 5.4 per­ **** Missing data or data involving small num cent were Asian and 65.6 percent were Caucasian. Facilities/Operational Statistics An explan n of the contents of the Academic • 8.1% or 1,097 of our students were enrolled in spe­ • Union's well-equipped buildings, swimming pool, cial education. ropes course, stadium, ball fields, tracks, gymnasiums, theaters, etc., were used by district and community • Throughout the district, approximately 1,600 stu­ organizations for everything from practices, games, dents were bilingual in 2002-2003, compared to 206 in rehearsals, performances, meetings, job fairs and craft 1995. The total bilingual count included 36 different fairs, to before-and-after-school care, classes, competi­ languages. tions and parent-sponsored fund-raising events. Over '25,607 scheduled activities were held in our facilities • More than 32% of our students reported that they last year. Booked events took place from early in the live with just one of their biological parents. morning until late at night, seven days a week, nearly every day of the year. • Approximate value of facilities: $264,920,903 for Student Achievement buildings and contents. • In 2002-2003, district-developed Criterion­ Referenced Tests (CRTs) were administered in mathe­ Transportation matics and language arts in grades 3-8. The tests meas­ ure students' knowledge at the beginning and end of • A fleet of 92 buses transported more than 5,500 the school year to inform instructional decision-making students a total of 4,200 miles per day. and curriculum planning.

• Union students also participated in the Oklahoma Food Services School Testing Program. Union students exceeded the • Counting breakfasts and lunches, our child nutri­ national average in all content areas of the SAT-9. tion workers prepared and served 2,056,928 meals. Students in grades 5 and 8 taking the state CRTs exceed­ ed the state average in every content area.

Operations • About 81% of Union's seniors took the ACT and/or the SAT. Those tested achieved an average score of 22 • In February, district voters approved a $16-million on the ACT and 1152 on the SAT. By comparison, the bond proposal which included funds to renovate national average on the ACT was 20.8 and on the SAT, Union's 8th Grade Center. Among other improvements, 1026. new classrooms and science labs may be built, the library/media center expanded, hallways remodeled to • Union's graduating classes consistently receive mil­ enhance traffic flow, a security system installed, the lions of dollars in scholarship offers to colleges and uni­ heating and air conditioning system upgraded, and rest­ versities throughout the country, and the class of 2003 rooms will be brought up to standards required by the received more than $8.4 million in scholarship offers.

• "Union District Teachers of the Year"- Photos of T_he National Me~t Scholarship Program, a privately Jnion's top teachers at work in their classrooms finc:nced_ academzc scholarship competition, named 10 Unwn H_zgh School seniors National Merit Finalists. They a~e: (pzc~ured _left to right) Travis Webb, Megan DzGregono, Katze Kyle, Deborah Mercier, Eric Paugh, ]anae W~llace, Melanie Nolen, Jennifer Haggard, Andre Union High School students Whitney Counts (left) and Connie Boustanz, and Drew Matthews. Coleman work on page layout programs in their updated computer lab. • Union had the highest number of Native American Communications students accepted to the summer internship program for the OU Medical Schusterman Center, a two-week program where students experience every aspect of the District Website medical field. Receiving $200 stipends for their atten­ • The Union web site underwent further refinements dance were sophomores Chris Emhoolah and Jamie Hall, and juniors Caleb Shahbandeh and Heather as it continued to grow in size and depth through the district's ongoing partnership with the University of Stiverson. Tulsa's electrical engineering and computer science • Members of the Speech and Debate Team were departments. Information added to the site included named Regional Champions and sent a record number news bulletins for various departments, improved of qualifiers to state competition at OU. At State, senior navigation tools, new designs for the Internet and Gabe Cole was a finalist and received a fourth place Intranet (Employee Network) portions of the site and the introduction of a new section geared to the new medal in Monologue, and sophomore Matt Nash was a Union Multipurpose Activity Center. Interactive ele­ finalist and a fourth-place medalist in Prose ments were added to the Employee Network, allowing Interpretation. departments to input news and communicate with Eighth graders Charna Rucker, Angelique Finnie & Nikki Wright are all employees. Another section devoted to employee • Seventh grader james Buchanan was recognized for smiles as they change classes at the Eighth Grade Center. news was also added. The district website is located his achievement in the top 2% of the Duke University at www.unionps.org. Talent Identification Program at the Grand Ceremony on the campus of Duke University in Durham, North Grants/Federal Programs Carolina. Receiving State Recognition in the top 25% Publications The Renegade Regiment placed second in the 2002-2003 Oklahoma were Mary Breed, Nathan Brian, Kasey Davis, Patrick • During the 2002-2003 school year, Union received Bandmasters Association 6A competition. Shown here is Mallory Farrington, Ryan Goga, Tyler Hammond, Brent approximately $3,631,955 in federal and state grant • Comprehensive Annual Financial Report- Award­ Nolen on saxophone during practice. Harkrider, Brian Higgins, David Jones, Lexie Kinion, money. Money was used for programs such as drug winning review of district finances Aaron Lawrie, Zachary Mabray, Cara Miles, Jennifer education, professional development, teachers for spe­ Student Achievement (Cont.) Mohr, Hannah Moreland, Henry Pham, Patricia Platia, cial education, remedial programs, enrichment pro­ • Union Board of Education Policies - Updated annu­ Elaine Shan, Kylie Smith, Jeff Vogt and Amelia grams in math and reading, supplies and materials. ally and distributed to every employee • High School vocal music students named to the Williamson. The 7th Grade Center also received recog­ 2003 All-State Choir included seniors Justine Eckert (3- nition as the school with the highest number of partici­ • Approximately 21.05% of Union's students took • Student Handbooks- Published annually for all stu­ year All-State member), Stephanie Washington (2-year pants in the state of Oklahoma. advantage of Free or Reduced Lunches. dents K-12 All-State member) and Michael Earl; juniors Afton Hefley, Courtney Camp, Brittany Schultz, Laura • Intermediate and High School German language • Union High School was awarded a $33,000 grant as • Communicator - An 8-to-12-page newsletter for Schultz and Ian De Silva (fourth alternate for Bass 1). students placed second overall at Deutsches Fest, the part of the Oklahoma Advanced Placement Incentives patrons; approximately 22,000 copies printed every tw State German Contest at Oklahoma Baptist University. Program (OAPIP). The funding was based on the num­ months and mailed to every district household, to are< Senior Rebecca Guinn and junior Stefani Lawbaugh, ber of Union students who scored a 3, 4 or 5 on media and to district state legislators were both two-year All-State members. Sophomore • Peters fourth graders competed at the State Advanced Placement tests. Rachael Cain made the All-State Women's Honor Chorus Mesonet Science Fair at the University of Oklahoma. • District and Foundation Annual Reports as a Soprano 1, making her one of the top 50 sopranos Superior ribbons went to Brice Clanin and Will Covalt, • Union continued as one of only two Oklahoma dis­ Combined in a special issue of The Communicator in the state. Sophomore Michael Lewis also made the and Brice also won third place for the overall competi­ tricts to participate in federal grants for school safety All-State Choir as a Tenor I, which means he is recog­ tion. Excellent ribbons were awarded to Brittney co-ops with law enforcement agencies. The $34,000 • Insider - A 2-to-4-page newsletter for employees; nized as one of the top 25 tenors in the state of Bruner, Claire Cheffey, Emmie Cook, Macie Gordan, Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) grant approximately 1,600 copies printed monthly or more Oklahoma. Taylor Gordan, Mackenzie Johns. Sarah Polakow, Amy was used for Drug-Free Youth programs at the second­ frequently as information warranted Richardson, Spencer Mitchell, Cody Vasicek, Elyssia ary level. • The Union Jazz Band was one of two area bands • Information Packets - A collection of district selected to perform in "United We Swing" at the brochures, maps and calendars providing both general Oklahoma Jazz Hall of Fame, showcasing great Bond Issue & Millage History and specific information about the district American music and artistic achievement by youth. • 2002-2003 bonding capacity: $53,896,345 • The Renegade Regiment marching band placed sec­ ond in the Oklahoma Bandmasters Association 6A com­ • On February 11, 2003, district voters approved a petition. In Bands of America regional competition in St. $16-million bond proposal which included funds to ren­ Louis, the Regiment took fourth place and also compet­ ovate Union's 8th Grade Center. No major upgrades ed at BOA Grand Nationals in Indianapolis. have been made to the building since 1985, and improvements are greatly needed to accommodate our • The 8th Grade Symphonic Band was selected as the growing student population. Middle School Honor Band for the 2003 Oklahoma Music Educators Association (OMEA) Convention. They were Other items on the bond issue included districtwide the only middle school band in Oklahoma selected to instructional equipment, textbooks and classroom perform at this year's OMEA. convention. materials; technology, building maintenance projects, land for future development, soccer field improve­ • Darnaby students worked with Tulsa Panhellenic to ments, construction of a plaza to complete the fine arts collect 2,408 new and gently-used books for the Reach addition at the High School; and lighting, fixtures, furni­ Out and Read program. The books were distributed to ture and equipment for the UMAC. area pediatricians to give to their young patients.

Union students have the option of bringing their lunch or purchasing The district's annual report received an Award of Merit from the a hot lunch, sandwich or salad in the school cafeteria. Pictured here Oklahoma School Public Relations Association. The Communications are (left to right)) Brenda Urquiza, Lunch Duty Assistant Amany Department received awards in several different categories for vari- Marcos and Maria Carreno. ous printed publications, website and video presentations. L______, Student Achievement (Cont.) Insurance, Metris, Metlife, Visteon Corporation and the national headquarters for American Airlines, Avis Rent­ Szkirpan, Will Schoenhals and Katherine Rear. Brianna A-Car and QuikTrip. Argo, Blake Barrow, Amanda Duncan, Katie Dyke and Boone McBride received Honorable Mention. Economic data indicates that the Tulsa metropolitan wea continues to be in a period of slow growth. The • Jarman's Fifth Grade Academic Team took second number of jobs in the Tulsa area dropped by 4.5 per­ place in the Monte Cassino Academic Challenge. cent, but concerted efforts by community leaders had commenced to improve the job market, and Tulsa actu­ • FJ:eshman Rachel Zimmerman was the Region 3 All­ ally outperformed the national economy in the ea:rly Around champion in the USAG Regionals gymnastics stages of a national recession. The average number of competition for Level 8, 14-year-olds. Out of 41 com­ jobs in the Tulsa area was 385,140 for the first two quar­ petitors from Oklahoma, Texas, Kansas, Colorado, New ters of the year, with gains in finance, insurance and Mexico and Arkansas, Rachel placed 2nd on bars and on construction, which reflected a combined growth beam, 3rd on floor, 11th on vault, and 1st in All-Around. through May of 2.9 percent over the same period in 2002. Despite gains in labor, the unemployment rate • At the Oklahoma USAG State gymnastics meet, rose slightly higher to 6.1 percent in May, compared to Level 6, 10-year-olds, Moore fourth grader Tori Glover the national rate of 5.8 percent. took 1st place on floor and bars and 2nd on vault. Per capita income in the Tulsa area was $30,884, an • Jarman fourth grader Ashton Collier and fifth grad­ increase of 0.6 percent over the previous year, but was er Justin Jones were selected as grade level champions projected to improve by 3.7 percent to $32,039 for 2004 Many students were involv~d in the community, joining such organi­ The High School Student Council hosted a 'senior prom' for residents of zations as the Boy Scouts or Girl Scouts. Pictured (left to right) are to compete at the state level of the first annual Reader's Woodland Terrace Retirement Center. Approximately 45 students when rebounds in hiring were expected. Tulsa boasts of Jarman students T.]. Winkle and Erin Talley. Digest National Word Power Challenge. interacted with the residents, served refreshments and danced with the having a relatively low cost of living. The American residents. Austin Ferguson is shown here dancing with one of the resi· Chamber of Commerce Research Association reports • The boys' golf team took second place in the Class dents. that Tulsa's combined cost of groceries, housing, utili­ in the nation. A number of decisions regarding higher SA state golf tournament. Team members included ties, transportation, health care and miscellaneous education in the Metropolitan Tulsa area have resulted Justin Allert, Steven Christoffersen, Blake Fugett, • Seniors Janae Wallace and Daniel Castell were hon­ items is 91.3 percent of the national average. Retail sales in expansion of courses offered through Northeastern Mark Mogelnicki, Brett Myers and Brent Potts. ored by the American Indian Chamber of Commerce of in Tulsa were down 4.0 percent for the first five months. State University, Oklahoma State University, University Oklahoma at its Students of Excellence ceremony. A total of 1,611 residential building permits were issued of Oklahoma and Tulsa University. • McAuliffe fifth grader Jeffrey Becker finished with for the first five months, down 13.3 percent from the a 1st-place medal in All-Around at the Oklahoma State • Freshman Brent Potts won 1st place at the Boys 14- previous time the year before, a total value of $22.4 mil­ Gymnastics meet. He earned three 1st-place medals, 15 , OGA State Match Golf Championship; placed 3rd at lion. Much of the new growth that did occur took place Revenue the South-Central PGA Tournament of Champions at two 2nd-place medals and one 3rd-place medal. He also within the Union School District. Lane expansion proj­ • Our 2002-2003 general fund revenue was $59.9 Shangri-La; and tied for 4th at the National Texas­ participated in Regional competition in Austin, TX, ~cts on Highway 51/64 (the Broken Arrow Expressway) million. As always, the primary source--35% of our rev­ where he placed 3rd in All-Around and qualified for the Oklahoma Jr. Golf Open. Brent also placed third (boys and Highway 169 (the Mingo Valley Expressway), as well enue--came from state aid. More than 32.6% of our Junior Olympics. Andersen fifth grader Tyler Gasswint ages 16-19) at the Jim McLean Future Collegians World as a series of improvements on several arterial road­ money ($19.2 million) came from ad valorem tax rev­ Golf Tour in Atlanta. was 3rd in All-Around with two 1st-place medals, one ways, are further indications of the rapid growth of enue, reflecting new hO\lSing and the area's commercial 2nd-place medal and three 3rd-place medals. Sixth commercial, residential and industrial properties within growth, especially along the 71 st Street corridor. grader Brock Browning finished in 4th place All­ • Senior Cara Blankenship was cast as the youngest the Union boundary. Federal, county, and other state and local sources, such member of the Discoveryland Dancers and appeared in Around, earning three 3rd-place medals and three 4th­ as auto tags, land earnings, federal grants and various Discoveryland's productions of Oklahoma! and Seven place medals. Oklahoma has one of the best vocational and applied fees, accounted for the other portions of our revenue. Brides for Seven Brothers. Cara was also one of only ten technology education systems in the country. The labor • Union's varsity baseball team was ranked #31 in accepted to the Oklahoma Summer Arts Institute at force is plentiful and better educated than in most cities • The district's exclusive vendor contract with Great the 2002-2003 preseason Top-50 poll of Baseball Quartz Mountain in the Modern Dance program. Plains Coca-Cola Bottling Company will give Union at America. least $3,072,000 over a five and one-half year period as • Sophomore Eric Reynolds won the Tulsa Teachers well as free product, promotional goods and services Credit Union scholarship of $2,500, and the totalling another $880,000 to help fund site and dis­ Intermediate High also received $500. trictwide activities. • Senior basketball player Kelli Arend was honored as the OCA Region 7 Female Scholar Athlete of the Year. Spending • Darnaby Elementary took first place in the large­ • At least 62% of every dollar spent was used for school division in the 2002 Tulsa Run, and Jarman took teacher salaries, benefits and student classroom needs. fourth. More than 9.4% was spent on operations and mainte­ nance. Another 6.8% was spent for student services • Courtney Gatlin and Drew Rucinski were named which would include counselors, nurses and other stu­ Students of the Year at the 8th Grade Center. dent support services. Transporting the students used 3%, and the rest was for general administratio~, sch~ol • . Pet~rs first grader Carson Clark was selected as a administration, including principals and therr offl~e Winner rn the Broken Arrow Police Department's "N - staff; other instructional staff services such as media the-Patrol-Car" contest. He earned a $50 sa . ~me specialists at each school site; and staff development. for his entry of "Radar." vrngs ond Average per pupil expenditure: $4,392 . Sophomore Rebecca Fairchild (left) • Figure Skating Club's most . . was honored with the Tulsa Graebel Award. Presented by";:stt_gwus t:ophy, t~e 2,003 Manual Union High School junior Ca mro~ g:l~~e !e'Y:::tog~ec~~~~':Z~~k;~ Jackson, the award is given to t~vw~s recipient Unwn Junior Nancy work at a new cosmeto1 ogy 1 a a dedication to the sport. e s ater who has shown the most Arrow Campus. Student Achievement (Cont.) Curriculum/Programs/Special Events! Initiatives • High School art students were recognized as win­ ners in the Scholastic Arts Competition at the state level. • The Seventh Grade History Department formed a Gold winners, who went on to national competition, included senior Ryan Bowling (photography) and new Geography Club to assist students in learning to appreciate the value of geography, both physical and lindsey Horn (photography) and sophomore Nattie cultural. Students participated in activities relating to Johnson (art). Silver winners were senior Megan the geography of Oklahoma, the United St'ates and the DiGregorio (photography) and juniors Kelsi Ellis (pho­ world. The objective was to stimulate critical thinking, tography) and Kara Yannaccone (art). analysis, and investigation of differing perspectives and opposing points of view, and activities centered on • Freshman josh Walker's entry won the High School preparation for the Geography Bee. Division of the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife essay competition, and his paper was published in the • About 30 High School students emolled in a new Oklahoma Wildlife magazine and qualified for national Teacher Education course which introduced students to competition. As the winner, Josh won an expense-paid the education profession. The course covered basic antelope hunting trip to New Mexico. teaching theory and methods in the first semester with limited field experience in the classroom beginning in • Fourteen eighth graders submitted works which the second nine weeks and continuing throughout the were accepted for publication in the . anthology A year. Students participated in tutoring and reading Celebration of Young Poets. The published poets includ­ activities with students from selected elementaries as ed Melyssa Cardenas, Pam Carroll, Amber Collier, The Highsteppers continued their winning ways, racking up more part of their class requirement for exposure to all levels Teacher's aid Sallie Calvert helps Grant Graston with an assignment. Brittnee Cooks, Rachel Hall, Lesley Hemphill, Kirsten awards as well as appearances throughout the community and the of elementary and secondary education. Union received He is a student in Cheryl Bigg's classroom at Briarglen. Lusk, Chelsea McCormick, Amy Moua, Catherine country. a $10,000 grant for the class and applied for additional Payton, Gina Quirarte, Carrie Rowan, Natalie Seefeldt grant monies to continue the program. and jennifer Tran. • Members of Mu Alpha Theta, the national math gle health insurance cost, which is expected to be $90 a honor society, at the Intermediate High fared well in fall month higher than it was in 2002-2003. Employees also competitions. At the OU High School Math Contest in • State funding cuts forced the district to cut 60 received a one-time stipend of $270 to cover the insur­ • Sixth grader Michael Bennett and his partner took teaching, 41 support and six administrative positions. first place in the National Dance Competition, Junior Norman, john Lee took first in Algebra 1, Jacob ance increase during the summer months. Lambert placed first in Geometry and Chris Croudy was Thirty of the teaching positions were at the elementary Division, for their 'buck-and-wing' routine. Michael also school level and 30 were in sixth through twelfth grades. placed second in Solo competition in his age group and first in Advanced Algebra. At the OSU High School Math • The district took bids to replace the nine-year-old Contest in Stillwater, 16 Union students competed All of the positions were expected to be eliminated artificial turf at Union Tuttle Stadium in time for the made the National Junior All-Star Team (Shockwave, Jr.). through attrition; that is, through retirement, resigna­ against 584 students from Oklahoma, Texas, ~kansa:', 2003 football season. The turf replacement was paid for During competition in the Junior Olympics in Detroit, tions and the non-renewal of temporary teaching con­ Kansas and Missouri for honors and scholarships. Enc with building funds generated by Union's contract wit! the duo took a silver medal in the elementary age divi­ tracts. sion. Paugh placed fifth, and he and Chris Croudy received Coke. The turf is used for a nun1ber of student activi Outstanding Achievement Awards. Earning Meritorious ties from athletics to band performances to special stu­ • Union teachers and staff received an increase in • The Highsteppers received the Circle of Champions Achievement Awards were Angie Liniger, Costa dent events nearly every day of the year, and Union has Stasinopoulus and Stephanie Hardway. their compensation to cover higher health insurance also hosted other community activities at the site. and Technique awards and the Choreography Award for costs. Each eligible employee received a $1,050 increase Jazz as well as First Place/Gold awards for Team in their 2003-2004 compensation that will cover the sin- Novelty, Precision Jazz and Kick at the Austin, TX, The Intermediate High Math Club attended the TU • By the end of March, more than $20,000 had been Starmakers Competition. The Officers earned the Hurricane Mathfest, and Eric Paugh and Chris Croudy donated to Union Public Schools by area businesses and Perfect Sweepstakes, Entertainment, Circle of Stars, and placed 2nd and 3rd respectively in Speed Computation. individuals who wanted to support students as public Technique Awards in addition to First Place/Gold Paul Ko was third in Basic Comprehensive Exam. education faced one of its worst budget crises in the state's history. Tulsa Teachers Credit Union donated Awards for Lyrical, Novelty and Precision Jazz. Cara • Highsteppers Cara Blankenship, jasmine Marshall $15,000 while Pamax Management, Inc., owner of Burger Blankenship and jennie Nye took the Gold Award in and Jennifer Nye were selected as All-State Dance Team King, donated $4,835 from its February campaign. Duet, and justine and April Eckert won the Silver members by the Oklahoma State Dance Team Director's Award in Duet. justine Eckert was a Solo Finalist, and Association. Cara Christoffersen was a fourth runner-up in Solo During the month, Burger King donated 50 cents from Finalist. • The Shining Stars JV Dance Team took the state the sale of each Whopper at its stores within the school title for Jazz routine and also received runner-up for district. Mazzio's Corporation also donated $300 to the their "Mixed Dance" routine. district, and Applebee's Neighborhood Grill and Bar donated $550 to defray school field trip expenses. • The JV Porn squad attended Universal Dance Individual contributions included $100 from Gregory Association (UDA) camp at the University of Arkansas and Cynthia Webb and more than $250 from employ­ and took 1st place in Home Routine competition, earn­ ees. Some administrators donated fees they received for ing a bid to compete at Nationals. Named as All-Stars speaking at other events. and receiving a bid to the Citrus Bowl were sophomores Laura Helberg, Haven Hoffman, Katie Nicholas and jessica Petron. The group also took first place in the Economic Condition & Outlook Porn Division at the Oklahoma Universal Dance Association State Championship and in national compe­ Within Union's boundaries is one of the most robust tition at Disney World in Orlando, Florida, they won fifth retail and restaurant areas in the Southwest, an area in place. which the state's largest shopping mall, Woodland Hill. Mall, is located. Some of Union's corporate neighbor~ Members of Union's Drug-Free Youth (D-FY) rec~ived the _Community include the new Renaissance Hotel, State Farm' Hero award from the Tulsa City Council for the1r effo_rts 111 the annu­ al Angel Bear project. Freshmen Lindsey Ameen, Tim Castell, M~tt Tara Traiber, of the Oklahoma Aquarium, presents an orca (Bailey Sackmary and Robbie King show they can lean on each o~her dunng Myers) to first-grade and multiage students at Cedar Ridge. Many a Drug-Free Youth activity, the annual Student Invaswn, at the schools invited guest speakers to school rather than take field trips 6th/7th Grade Center in October 2002. in a budget-saving venture. Student Achievement (Cont.) • Briarglen fourth grade teacher jan Green was al USEF Celebration, "2002 Stars Around U" raised more named the Teacher of the Year at the 31st and Garnett than $50,000. Proceeds from the March 25 performance • Members of the Varsity Porn Squad took 13th place Neighborhood Wal-Mart. Briarglen principal Courtney of Celebrity Attractions' Late Nite Catechism and a at National Competition in Orlando, Florida. Elias also accepted a $1,000 check from Wal-Mart in matching grant from Pinnacle Financial· Strategies honor of Green. . oundation added another $15,000. • The 9th Grade Porn squad attended the Universal Dance Association camp at the University of Tulsa • Director of Elementary Curriculum Dr. Kathleen • Head girls basketball coach Jim Stacy was named where they took 3rd place in the Home Routine, com­ Workman was selected as a participant in Leadership Frontier Conference Coach of the Year, and varsity peting against JV squads from around the state. Tulsa. wrestling coach Corey Clayton was honored with the Chelsea Holeman, Leigh Mason and Hannah Wright 2002-2003 USA-Oklahoma Coaches Achievement Award. were selected for the UDA All-Star Team. • ESL assistant Linda Wright was named the 2003 Oklahoma Bilingual Paraprofessional of the Year by the • Boys' varsity basketball coach Rudy Garcia received • The 8th Grade Cheerleading Squad placed first in Multicultural Education Institute. During the summer, the Region 7 nomination to coach the Faith 7 game the Large Junior High Division and were named overall Wright taught two Enrichment Spanish classes to ele­ (Oklahoma vs. Texas All-Stars), and girls' cross country champions of the junior high and high school divisions mentary students. She also assisted at the enrollment coach Tracy Simmons was named Region 7 Coach of the at the America Spirit Championship (ASC) Christmas center with non-English-speaking families and hosted a Year after the team took second in the state. Classic in Oklahoma City. Bilingual Curriculum Night for her students' parents. • Jarman art teacher Julie Wilcox received a $100 • Superintendent Dr. Cathy Burden received the Career Educator Award from the University of mini-grant from the Higher Educational Cultural Employee Information & Recognition Oklahoma College of Education. Dr. Burden was hon­ Roundtable. ored for leadership in education since her graduation • Union district employees donated $108,752.87 to from OU in 1970. • McAuliffe teacher Lisa Chamberlin was nominated the 2002 United Way campaign. Forty-five employees as a role model in the University of Tulsa celebration of Barbara Smith, a fourth grade teacher at Jarman Elementary School, was named the 2002-2003 District Teacher of the Year. were Bronze Key Club donors ($500-999) and five were • District Webmaster Mike Yore was named National Girls and Women in Sports Day. Silver Key Club members ($1000-2499). Outstanding Member of the Year by the Oklahoma School Public Relations Association (OKSPRA). • USPA executive committee members Sharon Prince from Jarman; Molly Linehan from McAuliffe; Donna • Boevers nurse Sally Reibert received the Clara and Sherrie Barnes were selected as Oklahoma's two Bates from Moore and Leigh Ann Keller from Peters. Barton Award from the American Red Cross for her • JoAnna Jamison, Community Education representative s to attend the NEA-ESP (National Representing the secondary level were Sally Randolph years of volunteer service as a blood drive coordinator Coordinator, received the YMCA Center for Service­ Education Association-Education Support Personnel) from the Sixth Grade Center; Scott Pennington from the and a blood donor. During the annual Boevers' blood Learning's 2003 Mark Award for her commitment to conference in Orlando, Florida. Seventh Grade Center; Amanda Howell from the Eighth drive in October, the school collected its l,OOOth unit of Service-Learning. She was one of five honorees awarded Grade Center; Carol Burgess from the Intermediate blood. YMCA 2003 Mark Awards for outstanding service to the • Union's Finance Department was awarded the High; Bob Buck from the Alternative School and Cherie community and youth. Union's Service-Learning project ertificate of Excellence for Financial Reporting from Andersen from the High School. • McAuliffe music teacher Charles Johnston was is the Teacher Education class at the High School. :he Association of School Business Officials appointed to the Board of Directors of the Arts and International (ASBO) and a Certificate of Achievement • Beverley Bighorse, district computer application Humanities Council of Tulsa. • Sixth grade teachers Kris Cunnane, Vicki Haefele, for Excellence in Financial Reporting from the specialist, was featured in the UNITE Journal (User Kate McClintic and Pam Phillips received $500 grants Government Finance Officers Association of the United Network for Information Technology in Education). She • Andersen PE teacher Lowell Ratzlaff received the from Thrifty Rent-A-Car's Neighbors Together for States and Canada (GFOA) for the tenth straight year. was also named one of the directors for the organiza­ 2002 Honor Award from the Oklahoma Association for Schools Program. To qualify, teachers must have the The department also received an Award of Achievement tion. Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance (OAH­ child of a Thrifty employee in their class, and student fro m the State Department of Education for Excellence PERD). Jarman principal Patti Pitcock and Andersen Brock Browning supplied applications to his teachers. in Annual Financial Reporting. The awards were for the • Ten Union teachers were certified by the National principal Larry Williams received the "Salute to district's Comprehensive Annual Financial Report Board for Professional Teaching Standards after a year Administrator's" Award. • Varsity football coach and athletic director Bill (CAFR) for the fiscal year ended June 30, 2001. of extensive and rigorous evaluation. Along with the Blankenship was named Oklahoma Coaches Association honor of national certification comes a $5 ,000 per year • Moore art teacher Rhonda Friday was named the (OCA) Region 7 Football Coach of the Year. Blankenship • Andersen & McAuliffe School Resource Officer Scott pay increase funded by the State Department of Oklahoma Elementary Art Educator of the Year. was in the June issue of American Football Monthly, a Oelke was honored as Employee of the Quarter by the Education for the ten-year duration of certification. national magazine featuring football coaches. The arti­ Broken Arrow City Council. Receiving the honor were Union Intermediate band cle focused on Blankenship's life and career, including instructor Joe Alsobrook, 7th Grade science teacher his tenure as Union's football coach and how he guided • Intermediate High teacher james Bond was invited Angie Hefley, Union Intermediate computer/business the Redskins to their first 6A state championship in back for a second summer to participate in the COAST­ tech teacher Terry Houck, 8th Grade government 2002. Pilot Program, a three-week institute offered at the teacher Amanda Howell, Moore music teacher Betty University of Southern Mississippi's Biloxi campus and Mitchell, Union Intermediate U.S. History teacher • Assistant football coach Mark Garner was selected sponsored by the United States Navy, the University of William Polson, Moore physical education teacher Lori as OCA All-State Football Coach and a McDonald's All­ Southern Mississippi and a number of associated organ­ Randall, Andersen physical education teacher Lowell State Football Coach. izations and institutions. The program's goal is to Ratzlaff, Cedar Ridge enrichment specialist Cherry acquaint teachers with the dynamics of the marine Redus and Jarman fourth grade teacher Barbara Smith. • The Union Schools Education Foundation awarded biome and of the influences the oceans exert upon the With the addition of these ten, Union now has 17 62 grants totaling $20,606.06 to 69 different teachers at entire planet. Nationally Board Certified teachers. 15 of the district's 16 sites. The classroom projects ranged from $52.90 to the maximum amount of • Jarman fourth grade teacher Barbara Smith was Andersen fifth grade teacher Michelle Naylor; 8th Grade $5 00.00. Two major fund raisers during 2002-2003 named the 2002-2003 Union Public Schools Teacher of Center science teacher ]ames Kerr and Intermediate allowed the Foundation to award a record number of the Year. The Union Teacher of the Year serves as an High chemistry teacher Ken Brooking were certified in grants for the largest total amount ever. The fifth annu- lill.bassador for the district as well as a role model for 2001; Jarman fifth grade teacher Vicki Perritt and other teachers. Building Teachers of the Year were Moore enrichment specialist Dr. Evelyn Roberts earned Und~r Superinten_d~nt Dr. Cathy Burden's leadership, the district Cynthia Vanderpool from Andersen; Heather Federline the distinction in 1998; Peters' reading specialist rece1ved t~e prestlgwus Benc.hmark Award from the Tulsa Chapter of from Boevers; Sue Huff from Briarglen; Judy Cairl from Kimberly Owen gained certification in 1999; and the Assocu;mon for Women m Communications for its leadership in Briarglen second grade teacher Shelia Smith-Coyle collaborative management and for its contribution toward the Cedar Ridge; Kristy Bailey from Clark; Nicole Miran.da advancement of women in the workplace, from Darnaby; Judy Kitchen from Grove; Barbara Srmth joined the ranks in 2000.

_j Student Achievement (Cont.) • Briarglen fourth grade teacher jan Green was al USEF Celebration, "2002 Stars Around U" raised more named the Teacher of the Year at the 31st and Garnett than $50,000. Proceeds from the March 25 performance • Members of the Varsity Porn Squad took 13th place Neighborhood Wal-Mart. Briarglen principal Courtney of Celebrity Attractions' Late Nite Catechism and a at National Competition in Orlando, Florida. Elias also accepted a $1,000 check from Wal-Mart in matching grant from Pinnacle Financial· Strategies honor of Green. . oundation added another $15,000. • The 9th Grade Porn squad attended the Universal Dance Association camp at the University of Tulsa • Director of Elementary Curriculum Dr. Kathleen • Head girls basketball coach Jim Stacy was named where they took 3rd place in the Home Routine, com­ Workman was selected as a participant in Leadership Frontier Conference Coach of the Year, and varsity peting against JV squads from around the state. Tulsa. wrestling coach Corey Clayton was honored with the Chelsea Holeman, Leigh Mason and Hannah Wright 2002-2003 USA-Oklahoma Coaches Achievement Award. were selected for the UDA All-Star Team. • ESL assistant Linda Wright was named the 2003 Oklahoma Bilingual Paraprofessional of the Year by the • Boys' varsity basketball coach Rudy Garcia received • The 8th Grade Cheerleading Squad placed first in Multicultural Education Institute. During the summer, the Region 7 nomination to coach the Faith 7 game the Large Junior High Division and were named overall Wright taught two Enrichment Spanish classes to ele­ (Oklahoma vs. Texas All-Stars), and girls' cross country champions of the junior high and high school divisions mentary students. She also assisted at the enrollment coach Tracy Simmons was named Region 7 Coach of the at the America Spirit Championship (ASC) Christmas center with non-English-speaking families and hosted a Year after the team took second in the state. Classic in Oklahoma City. Bilingual Curriculum Night for her students' parents. • Jarman art teacher Julie Wilcox received a $100 • Superintendent Dr. Cathy Burden received the Career Educator Award from the University of mini-grant from the Higher Educational Cultural Employee Information & Recognition Oklahoma College of Education. Dr. Burden was hon­ Roundtable. ored for leadership in education since her graduation • Union district employees donated $108,752.87 to from OU in 1970. • McAuliffe teacher Lisa Chamberlin was nominated the 2002 United Way campaign. Forty-five employees as a role model in the University of Tulsa celebration of Barbara Smith, a fourth grade teacher at Jarman Elementary School, was named the 2002-2003 District Teacher of the Year. were Bronze Key Club donors ($500-999) and five were • District Webmaster Mike Yore was named National Girls and Women in Sports Day. Silver Key Club members ($1000-2499). Outstanding Member of the Year by the Oklahoma School Public Relations Association (OKSPRA). • USPA executive committee members Sharon Prince from Jarman; Molly Linehan from McAuliffe; Donna • Boevers nurse Sally Reibert received the Clara and Sherrie Barnes were selected as Oklahoma's two Bates from Moore and Leigh Ann Keller from Peters. Barton Award from the American Red Cross for her • JoAnna Jamison, Community Education representative s to attend the NEA-ESP (National Representing the secondary level were Sally Randolph years of volunteer service as a blood drive coordinator Coordinator, received the YMCA Center for Service­ Education Association-Education Support Personnel) from the Sixth Grade Center; Scott Pennington from the and a blood donor. During the annual Boevers' blood Learning's 2003 Mark Award for her commitment to conference in Orlando, Florida. Seventh Grade Center; Amanda Howell from the Eighth drive in October, the school collected its l,OOOth unit of Service-Learning. She was one of five honorees awarded Grade Center; Carol Burgess from the Intermediate blood. YMCA 2003 Mark Awards for outstanding service to the • Union's Finance Department was awarded the High; Bob Buck from the Alternative School and Cherie community and youth. Union's Service-Learning project ertificate of Excellence for Financial Reporting from Andersen from the High School. • McAuliffe music teacher Charles Johnston was is the Teacher Education class at the High School. :he Association of School Business Officials appointed to the Board of Directors of the Arts and International (ASBO) and a Certificate of Achievement • Beverley Bighorse, district computer application Humanities Council of Tulsa. • Sixth grade teachers Kris Cunnane, Vicki Haefele, for Excellence in Financial Reporting from the specialist, was featured in the UNITE Journal (User Kate McClintic and Pam Phillips received $500 grants Government Finance Officers Association of the United Network for Information Technology in Education). She • Andersen PE teacher Lowell Ratzlaff received the from Thrifty Rent-A-Car's Neighbors Together for States and Canada (GFOA) for the tenth straight year. was also named one of the directors for the organiza­ 2002 Honor Award from the Oklahoma Association for Schools Program. To qualify, teachers must have the The department also received an Award of Achievement tion. Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance (OAH­ child of a Thrifty employee in their class, and student fro m the State Department of Education for Excellence PERD). Jarman principal Patti Pitcock and Andersen Brock Browning supplied applications to his teachers. in Annual Financial Reporting. The awards were for the • Ten Union teachers were certified by the National principal Larry Williams received the "Salute to district's Comprehensive Annual Financial Report Board for Professional Teaching Standards after a year Administrator's" Award. • Varsity football coach and athletic director Bill (CAFR) for the fiscal year ended June 30, 2001. of extensive and rigorous evaluation. Along with the Blankenship was named Oklahoma Coaches Association honor of national certification comes a $5 ,000 per year • Moore art teacher Rhonda Friday was named the (OCA) Region 7 Football Coach of the Year. Blankenship • Andersen & McAuliffe School Resource Officer Scott pay increase funded by the State Department of Oklahoma Elementary Art Educator of the Year. was in the June issue of American Football Monthly, a Oelke was honored as Employee of the Quarter by the Education for the ten-year duration of certification. national magazine featuring football coaches. The arti­ Broken Arrow City Council. Receiving the honor were Union Intermediate band cle focused on Blankenship's life and career, including instructor Joe Alsobrook, 7th Grade science teacher his tenure as Union's football coach and how he guided • Intermediate High teacher james Bond was invited Angie Hefley, Union Intermediate computer/business the Redskins to their first 6A state championship in back for a second summer to participate in the COAST­ tech teacher Terry Houck, 8th Grade government 2002. Pilot Program, a three-week institute offered at the teacher Amanda Howell, Moore music teacher Betty University of Southern Mississippi's Biloxi campus and Mitchell, Union Intermediate U.S. History teacher • Assistant football coach Mark Garner was selected sponsored by the United States Navy, the University of William Polson, Moore physical education teacher Lori as OCA All-State Football Coach and a McDonald's All­ Southern Mississippi and a number of associated organ­ Randall, Andersen physical education teacher Lowell State Football Coach. izations and institutions. The program's goal is to Ratzlaff, Cedar Ridge enrichment specialist Cherry acquaint teachers with the dynamics of the marine Redus and Jarman fourth grade teacher Barbara Smith. • The Union Schools Education Foundation awarded biome and of the influences the oceans exert upon the With the addition of these ten, Union now has 17 62 grants totaling $20,606.06 to 69 different teachers at entire planet. Nationally Board Certified teachers. 15 of the district's 16 sites. The classroom projects ranged from $52.90 to the maximum amount of • Jarman fourth grade teacher Barbara Smith was Andersen fifth grade teacher Michelle Naylor; 8th Grade $5 00.00. Two major fund raisers during 2002-2003 named the 2002-2003 Union Public Schools Teacher of Center science teacher ]ames Kerr and Intermediate allowed the Foundation to award a record number of the Year. The Union Teacher of the Year serves as an High chemistry teacher Ken Brooking were certified in grants for the largest total amount ever. The fifth annu- lill.bassador for the district as well as a role model for 2001; Jarman fifth grade teacher Vicki Perritt and other teachers. Building Teachers of the Year were Moore enrichment specialist Dr. Evelyn Roberts earned Und~r Superinten_d~nt Dr. Cathy Burden's leadership, the district Cynthia Vanderpool from Andersen; Heather Federline the distinction in 1998; Peters' reading specialist rece1ved t~e prestlgwus Benc.hmark Award from the Tulsa Chapter of from Boevers; Sue Huff from Briarglen; Judy Cairl from Kimberly Owen gained certification in 1999; and the Assocu;mon for Women m Communications for its leadership in Briarglen second grade teacher Shelia Smith-Coyle collaborative management and for its contribution toward the Cedar Ridge; Kristy Bailey from Clark; Nicole Miran.da advancement of women in the workplace, from Darnaby; Judy Kitchen from Grove; Barbara Srmth joined the ranks in 2000.

_j Student Achievement (Cont.) Curriculum/Programs/Special Events! Initiatives • High School art students were recognized as win­ ners in the Scholastic Arts Competition at the state level. • The Seventh Grade History Department formed a Gold winners, who went on to national competition, included senior Ryan Bowling (photography) and new Geography Club to assist students in learning to appreciate the value of geography, both physical and lindsey Horn (photography) and sophomore Nattie cultural. Students participated in activities relating to Johnson (art). Silver winners were senior Megan the geography of Oklahoma, the United St'ates and the DiGregorio (photography) and juniors Kelsi Ellis (pho­ world. The objective was to stimulate critical thinking, tography) and Kara Yannaccone (art). analysis, and investigation of differing perspectives and opposing points of view, and activities centered on • Freshman josh Walker's entry won the High School preparation for the Geography Bee. Division of the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife essay competition, and his paper was published in the • About 30 High School students emolled in a new Oklahoma Wildlife magazine and qualified for national Teacher Education course which introduced students to competition. As the winner, Josh won an expense-paid the education profession. The course covered basic antelope hunting trip to New Mexico. teaching theory and methods in the first semester with limited field experience in the classroom beginning in • Fourteen eighth graders submitted works which the second nine weeks and continuing throughout the were accepted for publication in the . anthology A year. Students participated in tutoring and reading Celebration of Young Poets. The published poets includ­ activities with students from selected elementaries as ed Melyssa Cardenas, Pam Carroll, Amber Collier, The Highsteppers continued their winning ways, racking up more part of their class requirement for exposure to all levels Teacher's aid Sallie Calvert helps Grant Graston with an assignment. Brittnee Cooks, Rachel Hall, Lesley Hemphill, Kirsten awards as well as appearances throughout the community and the of elementary and secondary education. Union received He is a student in Cheryl Bigg's classroom at Briarglen. Lusk, Chelsea McCormick, Amy Moua, Catherine country. a $10,000 grant for the class and applied for additional Payton, Gina Quirarte, Carrie Rowan, Natalie Seefeldt grant monies to continue the program. and jennifer Tran. • Members of Mu Alpha Theta, the national math gle health insurance cost, which is expected to be $90 a honor society, at the Intermediate High fared well in fall month higher than it was in 2002-2003. Employees also competitions. At the OU High School Math Contest in • State funding cuts forced the district to cut 60 received a one-time stipend of $270 to cover the insur­ • Sixth grader Michael Bennett and his partner took teaching, 41 support and six administrative positions. first place in the National Dance Competition, Junior Norman, john Lee took first in Algebra 1, Jacob ance increase during the summer months. Lambert placed first in Geometry and Chris Croudy was Thirty of the teaching positions were at the elementary Division, for their 'buck-and-wing' routine. Michael also school level and 30 were in sixth through twelfth grades. placed second in Solo competition in his age group and first in Advanced Algebra. At the OSU High School Math • The district took bids to replace the nine-year-old Contest in Stillwater, 16 Union students competed All of the positions were expected to be eliminated artificial turf at Union Tuttle Stadium in time for the made the National Junior All-Star Team (Shockwave, Jr.). through attrition; that is, through retirement, resigna­ against 584 students from Oklahoma, Texas, ~kansa:', 2003 football season. The turf replacement was paid for During competition in the Junior Olympics in Detroit, tions and the non-renewal of temporary teaching con­ Kansas and Missouri for honors and scholarships. Enc with building funds generated by Union's contract wit! the duo took a silver medal in the elementary age divi­ tracts. sion. Paugh placed fifth, and he and Chris Croudy received Coke. The turf is used for a nun1ber of student activi Outstanding Achievement Awards. Earning Meritorious ties from athletics to band performances to special stu­ • Union teachers and staff received an increase in • The Highsteppers received the Circle of Champions Achievement Awards were Angie Liniger, Costa dent events nearly every day of the year, and Union has Stasinopoulus and Stephanie Hardway. their compensation to cover higher health insurance also hosted other community activities at the site. and Technique awards and the Choreography Award for costs. Each eligible employee received a $1,050 increase Jazz as well as First Place/Gold awards for Team in their 2003-2004 compensation that will cover the sin- Novelty, Precision Jazz and Kick at the Austin, TX, The Intermediate High Math Club attended the TU • By the end of March, more than $20,000 had been Starmakers Competition. The Officers earned the Hurricane Mathfest, and Eric Paugh and Chris Croudy donated to Union Public Schools by area businesses and Perfect Sweepstakes, Entertainment, Circle of Stars, and placed 2nd and 3rd respectively in Speed Computation. individuals who wanted to support students as public Technique Awards in addition to First Place/Gold Paul Ko was third in Basic Comprehensive Exam. education faced one of its worst budget crises in the state's history. Tulsa Teachers Credit Union donated Awards for Lyrical, Novelty and Precision Jazz. Cara • Highsteppers Cara Blankenship, jasmine Marshall $15,000 while Pamax Management, Inc., owner of Burger Blankenship and jennie Nye took the Gold Award in and Jennifer Nye were selected as All-State Dance Team King, donated $4,835 from its February campaign. Duet, and justine and April Eckert won the Silver members by the Oklahoma State Dance Team Director's Award in Duet. justine Eckert was a Solo Finalist, and Association. Cara Christoffersen was a fourth runner-up in Solo During the month, Burger King donated 50 cents from Finalist. • The Shining Stars JV Dance Team took the state the sale of each Whopper at its stores within the school title for Jazz routine and also received runner-up for district. Mazzio's Corporation also donated $300 to the their "Mixed Dance" routine. district, and Applebee's Neighborhood Grill and Bar donated $550 to defray school field trip expenses. • The JV Porn squad attended Universal Dance Individual contributions included $100 from Gregory Association (UDA) camp at the University of Arkansas and Cynthia Webb and more than $250 from employ­ and took 1st place in Home Routine competition, earn­ ees. Some administrators donated fees they received for ing a bid to compete at Nationals. Named as All-Stars speaking at other events. and receiving a bid to the Citrus Bowl were sophomores Laura Helberg, Haven Hoffman, Katie Nicholas and jessica Petron. The group also took first place in the Economic Condition & Outlook Porn Division at the Oklahoma Universal Dance Association State Championship and in national compe­ Within Union's boundaries is one of the most robust tition at Disney World in Orlando, Florida, they won fifth retail and restaurant areas in the Southwest, an area in place. which the state's largest shopping mall, Woodland Hill. Mall, is located. Some of Union's corporate neighbor~ Members of Union's Drug-Free Youth (D-FY) rec~ived the _Community include the new Renaissance Hotel, State Farm' Hero award from the Tulsa City Council for the1r effo_rts 111 the annu­ al Angel Bear project. Freshmen Lindsey Ameen, Tim Castell, M~tt Tara Traiber, of the Oklahoma Aquarium, presents an orca (Bailey Sackmary and Robbie King show they can lean on each o~her dunng Myers) to first-grade and multiage students at Cedar Ridge. Many a Drug-Free Youth activity, the annual Student Invaswn, at the schools invited guest speakers to school rather than take field trips 6th/7th Grade Center in October 2002. in a budget-saving venture. Student Achievement (Cont.) Insurance, Metris, Metlife, Visteon Corporation and the national headquarters for American Airlines, Avis Rent­ Szkirpan, Will Schoenhals and Katherine Rear. Brianna A-Car and QuikTrip. Argo, Blake Barrow, Amanda Duncan, Katie Dyke and Boone McBride received Honorable Mention. Economic data indicates that the Tulsa metropolitan wea continues to be in a period of slow growth. The • Jarman's Fifth Grade Academic Team took second number of jobs in the Tulsa area dropped by 4.5 per­ place in the Monte Cassino Academic Challenge. cent, but concerted efforts by community leaders had commenced to improve the job market, and Tulsa actu­ • FJ:eshman Rachel Zimmerman was the Region 3 All­ ally outperformed the national economy in the ea:rly Around champion in the USAG Regionals gymnastics stages of a national recession. The average number of competition for Level 8, 14-year-olds. Out of 41 com­ jobs in the Tulsa area was 385,140 for the first two quar­ petitors from Oklahoma, Texas, Kansas, Colorado, New ters of the year, with gains in finance, insurance and Mexico and Arkansas, Rachel placed 2nd on bars and on construction, which reflected a combined growth beam, 3rd on floor, 11th on vault, and 1st in All-Around. through May of 2.9 percent over the same period in 2002. Despite gains in labor, the unemployment rate • At the Oklahoma USAG State gymnastics meet, rose slightly higher to 6.1 percent in May, compared to Level 6, 10-year-olds, Moore fourth grader Tori Glover the national rate of 5.8 percent. took 1st place on floor and bars and 2nd on vault. Per capita income in the Tulsa area was $30,884, an • Jarman fourth grader Ashton Collier and fifth grad­ increase of 0.6 percent over the previous year, but was er Justin Jones were selected as grade level champions projected to improve by 3.7 percent to $32,039 for 2004 Many students were involv~d in the community, joining such organi­ The High School Student Council hosted a 'senior prom' for residents of zations as the Boy Scouts or Girl Scouts. Pictured (left to right) are to compete at the state level of the first annual Reader's Woodland Terrace Retirement Center. Approximately 45 students when rebounds in hiring were expected. Tulsa boasts of Jarman students T.]. Winkle and Erin Talley. Digest National Word Power Challenge. interacted with the residents, served refreshments and danced with the having a relatively low cost of living. The American residents. Austin Ferguson is shown here dancing with one of the resi· Chamber of Commerce Research Association reports • The boys' golf team took second place in the Class dents. that Tulsa's combined cost of groceries, housing, utili­ in the nation. A number of decisions regarding higher SA state golf tournament. Team members included ties, transportation, health care and miscellaneous education in the Metropolitan Tulsa area have resulted Justin Allert, Steven Christoffersen, Blake Fugett, • Seniors Janae Wallace and Daniel Castell were hon­ items is 91.3 percent of the national average. Retail sales in expansion of courses offered through Northeastern Mark Mogelnicki, Brett Myers and Brent Potts. ored by the American Indian Chamber of Commerce of in Tulsa were down 4.0 percent for the first five months. State University, Oklahoma State University, University Oklahoma at its Students of Excellence ceremony. A total of 1,611 residential building permits were issued of Oklahoma and Tulsa University. • McAuliffe fifth grader Jeffrey Becker finished with for the first five months, down 13.3 percent from the a 1st-place medal in All-Around at the Oklahoma State • Freshman Brent Potts won 1st place at the Boys 14- previous time the year before, a total value of $22.4 mil­ Gymnastics meet. He earned three 1st-place medals, 15 , OGA State Match Golf Championship; placed 3rd at lion. Much of the new growth that did occur took place Revenue the South-Central PGA Tournament of Champions at two 2nd-place medals and one 3rd-place medal. He also within the Union School District. Lane expansion proj­ • Our 2002-2003 general fund revenue was $59.9 Shangri-La; and tied for 4th at the National Texas­ participated in Regional competition in Austin, TX, ~cts on Highway 51/64 (the Broken Arrow Expressway) million. As always, the primary source--35% of our rev­ where he placed 3rd in All-Around and qualified for the Oklahoma Jr. Golf Open. Brent also placed third (boys and Highway 169 (the Mingo Valley Expressway), as well enue--came from state aid. More than 32.6% of our Junior Olympics. Andersen fifth grader Tyler Gasswint ages 16-19) at the Jim McLean Future Collegians World as a series of improvements on several arterial road­ money ($19.2 million) came from ad valorem tax rev­ Golf Tour in Atlanta. was 3rd in All-Around with two 1st-place medals, one ways, are further indications of the rapid growth of enue, reflecting new hO\lSing and the area's commercial 2nd-place medal and three 3rd-place medals. Sixth commercial, residential and industrial properties within growth, especially along the 71 st Street corridor. grader Brock Browning finished in 4th place All­ • Senior Cara Blankenship was cast as the youngest the Union boundary. Federal, county, and other state and local sources, such member of the Discoveryland Dancers and appeared in Around, earning three 3rd-place medals and three 4th­ as auto tags, land earnings, federal grants and various Discoveryland's productions of Oklahoma! and Seven place medals. Oklahoma has one of the best vocational and applied fees, accounted for the other portions of our revenue. Brides for Seven Brothers. Cara was also one of only ten technology education systems in the country. The labor • Union's varsity baseball team was ranked #31 in accepted to the Oklahoma Summer Arts Institute at force is plentiful and better educated than in most cities • The district's exclusive vendor contract with Great the 2002-2003 preseason Top-50 poll of Baseball Quartz Mountain in the Modern Dance program. Plains Coca-Cola Bottling Company will give Union at America. least $3,072,000 over a five and one-half year period as • Sophomore Eric Reynolds won the Tulsa Teachers well as free product, promotional goods and services Credit Union scholarship of $2,500, and the totalling another $880,000 to help fund site and dis­ Intermediate High also received $500. trictwide activities. • Senior basketball player Kelli Arend was honored as the OCA Region 7 Female Scholar Athlete of the Year. Spending • Darnaby Elementary took first place in the large­ • At least 62% of every dollar spent was used for school division in the 2002 Tulsa Run, and Jarman took teacher salaries, benefits and student classroom needs. fourth. More than 9.4% was spent on operations and mainte­ nance. Another 6.8% was spent for student services • Courtney Gatlin and Drew Rucinski were named which would include counselors, nurses and other stu­ Students of the Year at the 8th Grade Center. dent support services. Transporting the students used 3%, and the rest was for general administratio~, sch~ol • . Pet~rs first grader Carson Clark was selected as a administration, including principals and therr offl~e Winner rn the Broken Arrow Police Department's "N - staff; other instructional staff services such as media the-Patrol-Car" contest. He earned a $50 sa . ~me specialists at each school site; and staff development. for his entry of "Radar." vrngs ond Average per pupil expenditure: $4,392 . Sophomore Rebecca Fairchild (left) • Figure Skating Club's most . . was honored with the Tulsa Graebel Award. Presented by";:stt_gwus t:ophy, t~e 2,003 Manual Union High School junior Ca mro~ g:l~~e !e'Y:::tog~ec~~~~':Z~~k;~ Jackson, the award is given to t~vw~s recipient Unwn Junior Nancy work at a new cosmeto1 ogy 1 a a dedication to the sport. e s ater who has shown the most Arrow Campus. • Union had the highest number of Native American Communications students accepted to the summer internship program for the OU Medical Schusterman Center, a two-week program where students experience every aspect of the District Website medical field. Receiving $200 stipends for their atten­ • The Union web site underwent further refinements dance were sophomores Chris Emhoolah and Jamie Hall, and juniors Caleb Shahbandeh and Heather as it continued to grow in size and depth through the district's ongoing partnership with the University of Stiverson. Tulsa's electrical engineering and computer science • Members of the Speech and Debate Team were departments. Information added to the site included named Regional Champions and sent a record number news bulletins for various departments, improved of qualifiers to state competition at OU. At State, senior navigation tools, new designs for the Internet and Gabe Cole was a finalist and received a fourth place Intranet (Employee Network) portions of the site and the introduction of a new section geared to the new medal in Monologue, and sophomore Matt Nash was a Union Multipurpose Activity Center. Interactive ele­ finalist and a fourth-place medalist in Prose ments were added to the Employee Network, allowing Interpretation. departments to input news and communicate with Eighth graders Charna Rucker, Angelique Finnie & Nikki Wright are all employees. Another section devoted to employee • Seventh grader james Buchanan was recognized for smiles as they change classes at the Eighth Grade Center. news was also added. The district website is located his achievement in the top 2% of the Duke University at www.unionps.org. Talent Identification Program at the Grand Ceremony on the campus of Duke University in Durham, North Grants/Federal Programs Carolina. Receiving State Recognition in the top 25% Publications The Renegade Regiment placed second in the 2002-2003 Oklahoma were Mary Breed, Nathan Brian, Kasey Davis, Patrick • During the 2002-2003 school year, Union received Bandmasters Association 6A competition. Shown here is Mallory Farrington, Ryan Goga, Tyler Hammond, Brent approximately $3,631,955 in federal and state grant • Comprehensive Annual Financial Report- Award­ Nolen on saxophone during practice. Harkrider, Brian Higgins, David Jones, Lexie Kinion, money. Money was used for programs such as drug winning review of district finances Aaron Lawrie, Zachary Mabray, Cara Miles, Jennifer education, professional development, teachers for spe­ Student Achievement (Cont.) Mohr, Hannah Moreland, Henry Pham, Patricia Platia, cial education, remedial programs, enrichment pro­ • Union Board of Education Policies - Updated annu­ Elaine Shan, Kylie Smith, Jeff Vogt and Amelia grams in math and reading, supplies and materials. ally and distributed to every employee • High School vocal music students named to the Williamson. The 7th Grade Center also received recog­ 2003 All-State Choir included seniors Justine Eckert (3- nition as the school with the highest number of partici­ • Approximately 21.05% of Union's students took • Student Handbooks- Published annually for all stu­ year All-State member), Stephanie Washington (2-year pants in the state of Oklahoma. advantage of Free or Reduced Lunches. dents K-12 All-State member) and Michael Earl; juniors Afton Hefley, Courtney Camp, Brittany Schultz, Laura • Intermediate and High School German language • Union High School was awarded a $33,000 grant as • Communicator - An 8-to-12-page newsletter for Schultz and Ian De Silva (fourth alternate for Bass 1). students placed second overall at Deutsches Fest, the part of the Oklahoma Advanced Placement Incentives patrons; approximately 22,000 copies printed every tw State German Contest at Oklahoma Baptist University. Program (OAPIP). The funding was based on the num­ months and mailed to every district household, to are< Senior Rebecca Guinn and junior Stefani Lawbaugh, ber of Union students who scored a 3, 4 or 5 on media and to district state legislators were both two-year All-State members. Sophomore • Peters fourth graders competed at the State Advanced Placement tests. Rachael Cain made the All-State Women's Honor Chorus Mesonet Science Fair at the University of Oklahoma. • District and Foundation Annual Reports as a Soprano 1, making her one of the top 50 sopranos Superior ribbons went to Brice Clanin and Will Covalt, • Union continued as one of only two Oklahoma dis­ Combined in a special issue of The Communicator in the state. Sophomore Michael Lewis also made the and Brice also won third place for the overall competi­ tricts to participate in federal grants for school safety All-State Choir as a Tenor I, which means he is recog­ tion. Excellent ribbons were awarded to Brittney co-ops with law enforcement agencies. The $34,000 • Insider - A 2-to-4-page newsletter for employees; nized as one of the top 25 tenors in the state of Bruner, Claire Cheffey, Emmie Cook, Macie Gordan, Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) grant approximately 1,600 copies printed monthly or more Oklahoma. Taylor Gordan, Mackenzie Johns. Sarah Polakow, Amy was used for Drug-Free Youth programs at the second­ frequently as information warranted Richardson, Spencer Mitchell, Cody Vasicek, Elyssia ary level. • The Union Jazz Band was one of two area bands • Information Packets - A collection of district selected to perform in "United We Swing" at the brochures, maps and calendars providing both general Oklahoma Jazz Hall of Fame, showcasing great Bond Issue & Millage History and specific information about the district American music and artistic achievement by youth. • 2002-2003 bonding capacity: $53,896,345 • The Renegade Regiment marching band placed sec­ ond in the Oklahoma Bandmasters Association 6A com­ • On February 11, 2003, district voters approved a petition. In Bands of America regional competition in St. $16-million bond proposal which included funds to ren­ Louis, the Regiment took fourth place and also compet­ ovate Union's 8th Grade Center. No major upgrades ed at BOA Grand Nationals in Indianapolis. have been made to the building since 1985, and improvements are greatly needed to accommodate our • The 8th Grade Symphonic Band was selected as the growing student population. Middle School Honor Band for the 2003 Oklahoma Music Educators Association (OMEA) Convention. They were Other items on the bond issue included districtwide the only middle school band in Oklahoma selected to instructional equipment, textbooks and classroom perform at this year's OMEA. convention. materials; technology, building maintenance projects, land for future development, soccer field improve­ • Darnaby students worked with Tulsa Panhellenic to ments, construction of a plaza to complete the fine arts collect 2,408 new and gently-used books for the Reach addition at the High School; and lighting, fixtures, furni­ Out and Read program. The books were distributed to ture and equipment for the UMAC. area pediatricians to give to their young patients.

Union students have the option of bringing their lunch or purchasing The district's annual report received an Award of Merit from the a hot lunch, sandwich or salad in the school cafeteria. Pictured here Oklahoma School Public Relations Association. The Communications are (left to right)) Brenda Urquiza, Lunch Duty Assistant Amany Department received awards in several different categories for vari- Marcos and Maria Carreno. ous printed publications, website and video presentations. L______, • The 2002 Redskin football team had an outstand­ Technology Progress ing season, posting a 14-0 season record and winning the State Championship gold ball for the first time since • The multi-media computer to student ratio at Union 1963 when Union played in Class C. was increased to 1:4 and the computer to teacher ratio became 1:1. • Mallory Fuhrmeister and Jared Myers were named Miss and Mr. Union - Union High School's highest honor. 2002-2003 Senior Royalty and Miss Union • At the High School, two business labs were upgrad­ Royalty also included Callie Blythe, Brittany Williams, ed; the math lab was expanded from 30 to 40 comput­ Daniel Castell and Myles Mumford. The Junior Royalty ers; a new social studies lab was installed and a new was represented by Allison Grindle, Leslie Weber, wireless mobile math lab was installed. Two business Adam Blankenship and Mark Chandler. labs were upgraded at the Intermediate High, and a mobile math lab was installed. • Thirty Union students received honors in the PTA State Reflections Program, including two first place win­ • The Eighth Grade Center received two computer ners earning Awards of Excellence. Darnaby second application lab upgrades and a new mobile general cur­ grader Mitch Carson won an Award of Excellence in the riculum lab; and one of the keyboarding labs at the Literature/Primary Division, while Cedar Ridge second 6th/ 7th Grade Center was upgraded. grader Aliya Miner won an Award of Excellence in the Music/Primary Division. • The Special Education department received a new student management program, Tranquility, along with Receiving Awards of Merit for Visual Arts were: Primary expansion of the existing Kurzweil Program and the Division - Leah Cottrill (Andersen), Miaya Daniels upgrade of two mini-labs at the 6th/ 7th Grade Center. (Boevers), Kylee Shelhamer (Darnaby); Intermediate - Eric Wenzel (Andersen), Robin Kurzyna (Briarglen), • Installation of a new bus routing program, Spencer Mclllwain was one of the many talented football players who Cedar Ridge Elementary students Matt Kepford (left) and Amir Nahangi steered the Union Redskins to their first-ever 6A State Championship. Geoffrey Gill (Cedar Ridge), Darius Nouri (Peters); learn how to use technology as a tool to improve their education, rather VersaTrans, will aid the Transportation department; Junior - Allison Campbell and Kelsey Coles (6th/ 7th than just about technology. HV AC/ Telephone technicians in Operations received Grade), Tanner Mathias (8th Grade); Senior - Megan upgraded laptop computers; and the Child Nutrition Sanders and Andee Thompson (Intermediate High) and department • Emergency Procedures Guide - An employee man­ upgraded its WinSNAP foodservice manage­ Costa Stasinopoulos (High School). Music winners were: Student Achievement (Cont.) ual for dealing with and reporting emergencies ment program. Primary - Kristen Grounds (Darnaby), Intermediate - learning about a subject in greater depth and developing Kelsey Griswold (Andersen), Melissa Nichols (Darnaby) • PTA Newsletters - Newsletters produced by mem­ • The Communications department upgraded the dis­ study and analytical skills that are important to success and Junior - Daniel Thompson (8th Grade). Winners in bers of the parent-teacher organizations at each site trict Intranet server, and Student Services received an in college. In partnership with Tulsa Community Literature were: Primary - Jordan Harris (Cedar Ridge); upgrade to the district's PhoneMaster system. College, Union offers a Concurrent Enrollment Program, Intermediate - Aaron Lawson (Briarglen), Kevin Davis enabling students to earn both high school and college (Jarman); Junior - Bukola ]aji (6th/7th Grade); Senior · • Districtwide, more than 270 teachers were upgrad­ credits at the same time. Michael Grogan and Costa Stasinopoulos (High School). District Videos ed to new multi-media computers, and all media center Photography awards were earned by: Primary - Danielle computers were upgraded - secondary schools with ten • Union Alternative School was honored with the Parker (Darnaby), Jacob Frank (Grove), Carli Williams • "Forming A More Perfect Union" - A ten-minute student look-up stations and three checkout stations Oklahoma Medal for Excellence in Alternative Education (Jarman); Intermediate - Anne Balenti (Boevers) and overview of the district and elementaries with five student look-up stations and Award. The $7,500 award is given by the Oklahoma Senior - Marcie Davis (High School). two checkout stations. Foundation for Excellence. Union Alternative's highly • "Union Alternative School"- A six-minute report on the school and its offerings successful drop-out prevention program incorporates • Andersen students represented the district well at • LAN (Local-Area Network) hubs were replaced with block scheduling of core classes with options for art, the Oklahoma State Chess Championship in Claremore. • "Sixth/Seventh Grade· Center" - A seven-minute Cisco network switches and LAN network backbones music, sports and a broad range of electives from creat· Fourth grader Drew Cottrill won first place in the K-6 video to familiarize incoming and potential students were upgraded from 155MB to 1GB. The WAN (Wide­ ing children's books to CPR training. In 2002-2003, the open category, and Cottrill and fifth grader Chris with the school Area Network) will be upgraded during 2003-2004 from program boasted a 97 percent success rate and has Hardebeck also won the second-place team trophy in a 45MB point-to-point microwave system to a 200MB been modeled by districts from Tulsa to Taiwan. the K-6 Open Section. Second graders Matthew Silvey • "CLC" (English & Spanish) - A nine-minute point-to-point redundant microwave system. and Tony Lane and fifth graders Arden Zhan and Nick • Ten seniors were named National Merit Finalists. overview of Union's year-round school program Crossley won 1st place, earning them the title of 2003 They are Andre Boustani, Megan DiGregorio, Jennifer K-6 U750 Oklahoma State Team Champion. Haggard, Kathryn Kyle, Drew Mathews, Deborah • "Union Schools Education Foundation Endowment Individually, Silvey won the title of K-6 U750 Oklahoma Mercier, Melanie Nolen, Eric Paugh, Janae Wallace and Campaign" - A twelve-minute overview of the State Champion. Travis Webb. Stefan Gordon was named a Foundation and opportunities to contribute to its Semifinalist as was joanna Noble who attended $1,000,000 Endowment Campaign the Oklahoma School for Science and Mathematics. District CDs • National Merit Commended Students were Michael Balenti, Daniel Castell, Mallory • "Union Schools Education Foundation: working to Fuhrmeister, Daniel Gimlin, Stephanie Heald Form a More Perfect Union" - A comprehensive sum­ Katie Miller, Leah Pranger, Lisa Ryan and mary of the valuable contributions the Foundation Costa Stasinopoulos. makes to the district

• "Union District Teachers of the Year"- Photos of T_he National Me~t Scholarship Program, a privately Jnion's top teachers at work in their classrooms finc:nced_ academzc scholarship competition, named 10 Unwn H_zgh School seniors National Merit Finalists. They a~e: (pzc~ured _left to right) Travis Webb, Megan DzGregono, Katze Kyle, Deborah Mercier, Eric Paugh, ]anae W~llace, Melanie Nolen, Jennifer Haggard, Andre Union High School students Whitney Counts (left) and Connie Boustanz, and Drew Matthews. Coleman work on page layout programs in their updated computer lab. improvements were needed to accommodate the vocal and instrumental music, drama, speech and debate pro­ 2 03 Oklahoma District Report Card with API Index grams. I am pleased to the Oklahoma District/School Report Card, detailing educational information • Construction continued on the $22-million Union important for admi teachers, parents and the public. Included in this report is the Academic Multipurpose Activity Center south of Union Tuttle P-erformance Index established by Title 70 O.S. § 3-150, along with additional factors that contribute Stadium on the High School campus. The 5,662-seat to a school's or "'"~'"'"'"'· This information is provided not only as a snapshot of current perform­ arena, versatile practice and performance floor space, ance, but also as a map ing to the continued progress and success of• Oklahoma schools and our chii- student store, locker and dressing rooms, concessions, dren. offices and meeting rooms, and the SouthCrest Wellness --Sandy Garrett, State Superintendent of Public Instruction and Sports Medicine Center is scheduled to open in the fall of 2003. entary sites, the 6/?th Grade Center and 8th Grade Center. As of data for the Intermediate High School, J..ligh Scl:lool and distr,iGt J:Jave nt of Education. Mathematics and reading scores are based Student Statistics rion-Referenced Tests (CRTs) that are included in the Oklahoma have been set for mathematics and reading at 648 and 622, • Growth has been a constant factor throughout to meet or exceed the performance targets determined by the Union's history. As Oklahoma's ninth largest district, attendance rate. Union served 13,517 students in the 2002-2003 school year. Of those, 6,567 were elementary age and 6,950 I Scale 0-1500 Cedar Ridge student A/lye Plunkett arrives for her first day of school. were in our secondary schools; 50.5 percent were male OSTP - Achievement results from Oklaho For many children, school starts the moment they get on a school bus. and 49.5 percent were female. In terms of ethnic origin, Tests are administered in reading and More than 5,500 students rode buses in the 2002·2003 school year. 9.6 percent were Native American, 9.2 percent were Completion includes attendance, dropout Hispanic, 10.2 percent were African-American, 5.4 per­ **** Missing data or data involving small num cent were Asian and 65.6 percent were Caucasian. Facilities/Operational Statistics An explan n of the contents of the Academic • 8.1% or 1,097 of our students were enrolled in spe­ • Union's well-equipped buildings, swimming pool, cial education. ropes course, stadium, ball fields, tracks, gymnasiums, theaters, etc., were used by district and community • Throughout the district, approximately 1,600 stu­ organizations for everything from practices, games, dents were bilingual in 2002-2003, compared to 206 in rehearsals, performances, meetings, job fairs and craft 1995. The total bilingual count included 36 different fairs, to before-and-after-school care, classes, competi­ languages. tions and parent-sponsored fund-raising events. Over '25,607 scheduled activities were held in our facilities • More than 32% of our students reported that they last year. Booked events took place from early in the live with just one of their biological parents. morning until late at night, seven days a week, nearly every day of the year. • Approximate value of facilities: $264,920,903 for Student Achievement buildings and contents. • In 2002-2003, district-developed Criterion­ Referenced Tests (CRTs) were administered in mathe­ Transportation matics and language arts in grades 3-8. The tests meas­ ure students' knowledge at the beginning and end of • A fleet of 92 buses transported more than 5,500 the school year to inform instructional decision-making students a total of 4,200 miles per day. and curriculum planning.

• Union students also participated in the Oklahoma Food Services School Testing Program. Union students exceeded the • Counting breakfasts and lunches, our child nutri­ national average in all content areas of the SAT-9. tion workers prepared and served 2,056,928 meals. Students in grades 5 and 8 taking the state CRTs exceed­ ed the state average in every content area.

Operations • About 81% of Union's seniors took the ACT and/or the SAT. Those tested achieved an average score of 22 • In February, district voters approved a $16-million on the ACT and 1152 on the SAT. By comparison, the bond proposal which included funds to renovate national average on the ACT was 20.8 and on the SAT, Union's 8th Grade Center. Among other improvements, 1026. new classrooms and science labs may be built, the library/media center expanded, hallways remodeled to • Union's graduating classes consistently receive mil­ enhance traffic flow, a security system installed, the lions of dollars in scholarship offers to colleges and uni­ heating and air conditioning system upgraded, and rest­ versities throughout the country, and the class of 2003 rooms will be brought up to standards required by the received more than $8.4 million in scholarship offers.

It is our Mission to provide our community of learners with educational opportunities to acquire and develop the best possible academic, vocational, recreational, social and participatory skills, enabling them to become valued, contributing members of a changing global society.

Our Goals

•!• Academic excellence for all students •!• Preparation of students for positive citizenship •!• A positive educational environment in which students, parents, community and staff assume responsibility for their role in the learning process •!• District excellence for all employees •!• Expanded opportunities for learning •!• Increased use of technology •!• Enhanced Union pride •!• Support base to include patrons, partnerships and community resources •!• Long-term plan to accommodate growth

--~--~---.....---""'131otST .S.

School Sites I Bri~len I ____0_ ~ 1) Education Service Center, Extended Education Building & Union Alternative School 5656 S. 129 E. Ave ., Tulsa 74134-6711

2) Union High School 56th ST. S. ....- 6636 S. Mingo Road, Tulsa 74133-3247 N h===b;=,.-lf--t-----t----J61stST.S. 6th/7th Gr. etr.[ 5 J 3) Union Intermediate High School 1 4 18thGr.ctr. l 7616 S. Garnett, B.A. 74012-8705 t ~~1 12 1 r:r 114 1McAuliffe I 4) Union Eighth Grade Center ~-i._~H~I g~hS~ch~oo~IJt--+-t-:=:--t-----:~not ST.S.

6501 S. Garnett, B.A. 74012-8594 76th PL S. -...... f1sl [15] ==. 11111111111 Ill I 1111111 [ 3 Moore l ~ 5) Union Sixth & Seventh Grade Center 13 [Intermediate 10100 E. 61st St., Tulsa 74133-1507 1-----~---4-!_J~a~nn~an0-+--.f----t-----1~1.....;;.•-, 8181ST.S.

6) Andersen Elementary 1200 S. Willow, B.A. 74012-4511 91stST.S. 7) Boevers Elementary 3433 S. 13 3rd E. Ave., Tulsa 74134-4041 I,. 96th ST. S. ROY CLARK ELEMENTARY SCHOOL API-1091 Mathematics Reading % ..__ Cedar Ridge r 101stST.S. API API Completion Students Total API 8) Briarglen Elementary w 3303 S. 121st E. Ave., Tulsa, 74146-2200 ;::;: 648 622 Tested NOTE: Dotted boundary w ... -...... 1051h ST.S. Re ular 1161 1047 976 100 1091 lines may be Imprecise. i g 9) Cedar Ridge Elementary For specific Information, ,. Male 100 1076 call 459·4689. "' 9817 S. Mingo Road, Tulsa 74133-5123 Female 1153 1078 976 100 1101 Black 795 10) Clark Elementary 1316 3656 S. 103rd E. Ave., Tulsa 74146-2441

11) Darnaby Elementary 14) McAuliffe Elementary 100 1224 7625 E. 87th St. S., Tulsa 74133-4818 6515 S. Garnett, B.A. 74012-8529 . Other Econ. Disadv. 1119 948 976 100 1028 12) Grove Elementary 15) Peters Elementary ELL 269 10202 E. 62nd St., Tulsa 74133-1529 2900 West College, B.A. 74012-2100 IEP 100 102 All Students 791 682 976 100 761 13) Jarman Elementary 16) Moore Elementary ELL - English Language Learners IEP - Individual Education Plan 9015 E. 79th St. S., Tulsa 74133-6510 800 N. Butternut Pl., B.A. 74012-8667 / \. Introduction GROVE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL API- 1065 Mathematics Reading % API API Completion Students Total API Union Public Schools is a rapidly growing suburban, K- 648 622 Tested 12 district in Tulsa, Oklahoma. The 28-square-mile area Reaular 904 1244 976 100 1065 :hat comprises Union is unique in that it does not Male * * * 100 1049 encompass a township, but rather incorporates within Female 863 1304 * 100 1074 its boundaries much of southeast Tulsa and the north­ Black * * * * 925 west portion of nearby Broken Arrow. The school sys­ Amer. Indian * * * * * tem acts as a unifying organization within the commu­ Hispanic * * * * * ~~ nity, providing activities for its families and a sense of Asian * * * * * pride, support and identity for its patrons. White 894 1278 * 100 1076 /~ Other * * * * * When Union was founded in 1919, it combined four Econ . Disadv. * * * * 1009 :\ small, rural communities and had only four students in ELL * * * * 156 ~ its graduating class. A two-story brick building housed IEP * * * * 453 all of its classes, K-12. In the 1980s, Tulsa's residential All Students 777 1034 976 100 913 and commercial building began booming toward the southeast, and Union's student population grew along with it. Today the district serves more than 13 ,500 stu­ dents in its eleven elementary sites, the Sixth/Seventh Grade Center, the Eighth Grade Center, the Intermediate High School, the Alternative School and Union High School. All have State Department of Education and I North Central Association accreditation.

Thanks to a supportive community, the district has been A familiar ring, the school bell welcomed hundreds of Union students to able to fund computers, local- and wide-area networking school last year. The Grove bell, pictured here, is a fixture outside Grove and other instructional technology to enhance reading, elementary, which opened in 1975. The school was named after Robert language, math, science, music and writing skills. Every B. Grove, who served as superintendent from 1960 to 1975. school has media specialists, nurses and counselors. Clark Elementary students Union's comprehensive secondary curriculum provides Marcus Parker lead the lineup in Programs for gifted students and students with special to art and music. eeds are also offered at every grade level, as are music, both college-bound and non-college-bound students a trt and physical education. wide range of offerings. Among them are Advanced Placement (AP) courses in all core academic areas and Elementary school students and their parents have the Concurrent Enrollment, which enables students to earn Boevers student Daniel Cecena finds his option of following Union's Continuous Learning college credit while fulfilling high school coursework classroom assignment. His mood was to his teacher's help. Calendar (CLC or year-round program) or the Traditional requirements. Students interested in careers or courses Learning Calendar (TLC or 9-month school year). in vocational areas are transported to the appropriate Tulsa Technology Center campus for the curriculum Another option at the elementary level is the Primary they desire. Multiage Classroom for grades 1-3. Children in the Multiage program stay with one teacher for more than a Community education, the district's central enrollment year and progress as quickly as their development center and Union Alternative School are located in the allows, but those needing more time to master skills can district's Extended Education Building, 5656 S. 129th E. do so without being "held back." Avenue. The alternative education program helps stu- dents stay in school or return to school, giving them a chance to get back on track to graduate.

Other features of the district include the Extended Day Program (before-and­ after-school care for Union students in grades K-5), a host of parent organiza­ tions and the Union Schools Education Foundation which funds innovative teaching projects to reward and rein­ force excellence. Union's Board of Education consists of five members elected by district zones for five-year terms.

Construction on the new Union Multipurpose Activity Ce nter, 6636 S. Mingo Road, continued throughout the school year. The UMAC was later opened to the public and dedicated on November 24, 2003. Board of Education ...... Page 2 The pride of Union Public Schools is in its people. We Superintendent's Message ...... Page 2 have students with character, dedicated staff and District Overview ...... Pages 3-15 patrons with high expectations. It is a pleasure to Introduction ...... Page 3 present this annual report to educate the community concerning the challenges and the successes of th Mission, Goals, School Sites ...... Page 4 2002-2003 school year and to celebrate the District Map ...... Page 4 plishments of the Facilities/Operational Statistics ...... Page 5 people who have Student Statistics ...... Page 5 made them hap­ Student Achievement ...... Pages 5-10 pen. Employee Information & Recognition ... Pages 10-11 Curriculum/Programs/ Due to the overall Special Events/ Initiatives ...... Page 12 economic condi­ Economic Condition & Outlook ...... Pages 12-14 tions in the state, Revenue ...... Page 13 education funding Spending ...... Page l3 during the 2002- Grants/ Federal Programs ...... Page 14 2003 school year Bond Issue & Millage History ...... Page 14 continued to spi­ Communications ...... Pages 14- 15 ral downwards District Website ...... Page 14 requiring district Publications ...... Page 14 budget cuts API-1237 District Videos & CDs ...... Page 15 throughout the Technology Progress ...... Page 15 year. Every effort Oklahoma District Report Card was made to cur­ with API Index ...... Pages 16-19 tail spending Dr. Cathy Burden Administration ...... Page 20 while minimizing the impact on student learning. However, the severi­ ty of the budget reductions required vacated positions to be left unfilled, professional training to be cur­ tailed, and adjustments to be made in every site and department. With no relief in sight by the end of the year, staff members were advised that planning for 2003-2004 anticipated a reduction of about one h dred teaching and support positions.

Even in the face of pervasive budget worries, morale and dedication remained strong. The 2002 6A State Championship in football set the tone for the year and a record number of National Merit Scholars, talented fine arts students, and caring contributors to their community kept things going in a positive direction. Union programs were highlighted for Awards of Excellence in many areas including alternative educa­ tion, the district webpage, the Native American pro­ gram and financial reporting. A total of seventeen Union teachers were Nationally Board Certified attest­ Union's Board of Education consists of five members elected by ing to the high standards of our staff. district zones for five-year terms. Pictured above are (left to right) ]ames Williams-District #3, Scott McDaniel·District #4, This administration takes our responsibility to be Beverly Laubach·District #1, Bill Bruner-District #5, Dr. Cathy Burden-Superintendent and Derek Rader-District #2. Mrs. accountable to our public seriously, so I hope that you Laubach was appointed by the Board October 20, 2003 to make it a point to review some of the year's highlights replace long-time Union patron Phil Barr who resigned to accept an out-of-state job. as a way of tracking our progress. Community sup­ port is a critical component in our success, and I am confident that the more patrons know about our dis­ the Communicator trict, the more pride and support there will be. The Communicator (USPS 097 430) is published bi-monthly with extra issues in October and January by Union Public lli-titu~ Ph :D . Schools, 5656 S. 129th E. Ave., Tulsa, OK 74134-6711. It is ~a~hy 4;den, Ph.D. ' issued to patrons of the Union Public School District free of Superintendent charge. Dr. Cathy Burden is Superintendent of Schools. the Eighth Grade Center was not available from the Gretchen Haas-Bethell is Communications Director/Editor. o' fdWi? The Communicator staff includes Janie Froman, Beverly Thummel and Michael Yore. Periodicals postage paid at On the Cover r... ,~•'Rirf,.,.,. . fifth grader Nolen Herbert ponders a question during an aca- Tulsa, OK. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to The ,h,rlll!inl1e against another Cedar Ridge team. The fast recall ot events Communicator, 5656 S. 129th E. Ave., Tulsa, OK 74134-6711 Read_ing is encouraged a_t all Union Schools. First graders practice for the students, enrichment teacher Cherry, Redus said, or call 459-3305. ' the event teaches students good life skills because they have to learn ~abnn~ Bogle (left) and ]11lian Gonderman enjoy reading dur­ mg the1r class at Moore Elementary. to work in teams. Volume 29, No. 4 2002-2003 Administrators Published by Dr. Cathy Burden, Superintendent Union Public Schools Debra Jacoby, Chief Financial Officer Tulsa, OK 74134-6711 uu Dr. Jim Jones, Assistant Superintendent for Curriculum & Instruction Mark Robertson, Executive Director for Support Services Kirt Hartzler, Director of Secondary Curriculum Dr. Kathleen Workman, Director of Elementary Curriculum Gretchen Haas-Bethell, Director of Communications Jackie White, Director of Student Services Dr. Bonnie Johnson, Director of Special Education Cynthia Solomon, Director of Human Resources Lee Snodgrass, Director of Technology Geoffrey Wood, Director of Accounting Bill Blankenship, Director of Athletics Ed Tackett, Director of Fine Arts Gary Greenhill, Director of Transportation Terry Wright, Director of Food Services Moore Elementary students Patrick Metz (left) and Camden Kickbusli like to work hard, but they like to play hard as well, Benny Dixon, Director of UMAC/ Marketing enjoying playground equipment often made possible for Union Schools by local Parent Teacher Associations and their commu­ nities.

2002-2003 Principals

Dave Stauffer, High School Jarod Mendenhall, Intermediate High School Richard Storm, Alternative School Charlie Bushyhead, Eighth Grade Center Richard Berumen, Sixth/ Seventh Grade Center Larry Williams, Andersen Elementary Becky Hale, Boevers Elementary Courtney Elias, Briarglen Elementary Ellen Crager, Cedar Ridge Elementary Theresa Kiger, Clark Elementary Susan Crowder, Darnaby Elementary Angela Bauer, Grove Elementary Patti Pitcock, Jarman Elementary Karen Vance, McAuliffe Elementary Sandi Calvin, Moore Elementary Jennifer Randall, Peters Elementary Cathy Collins, Community Education Elementary Principal

Behind every great student is a great teacher who is willing to give the extra attention when it is needed. Pictured here are Mehrad Mousavi and teacher Teresa Moore from Clark Elementary.

Union Public Schools 5656 S. 129th E. Ave. Tulsa, Oklahoma 74134-6711 www.unionps.org