Camp, rally will help usher in new school year

(Published Sunday, July 6, 2008 in Examiner-Enterprise)

July has arrived and the 2008-09 academic year is on the horizon.

Though we're still in the midst of our summer break, we have begun working toward the new school year in the hopes of making it a terrific one. Special events can certainly help toward that end, and before the summer is officially over, we will have held two of them which should give us plenty of positive momentum as we push forward. Those events are the second annual Bruin Camp and the Bartlesville Public School District 's 2008-09 Back To School Rally.

The Bartlesville Mid-High School held its first-ever Bruin Camp last summer, and the event was a rousing success. The focus of the camp was to help incoming freshmen acclimate to their new surroundings at the Mid-High. Through the Bruin Camp, they were able to hold fun scavenger hunts in the school building and on the campus grounds to help them learn more about the lay of the land. They gathered insight into Mid-High traditions and history as well.

The camp featured a meal – to which all parents were invited – as well as a motivational speech by Dr. Bradley Cobb. Dr. Cobb is a Bartlesville optometrist and noted Paralympic athlete. After losing his leg in a car accident in 1997, Cobb went on to earn a multitude of medals. He's truly an inspirational person.

The 2007-08 academic year was a very good one at the Bartlesville Mid-High School . Test scores were up and disciplinary incidents were down. Principal Jason Langham has said several times that the Bruin Camp helped to create a positive atmosphere at the Mid-High which carried on throughout the year. The camp was held a few weeks before the school year began, and by the time the freshmen arrived for their initial classes, they already knew many of the teachers and their classmates.

As was the case last year, the 2008 Bruin Camp will be organized by teachers, administrators and other personnel at the Mid-High. They will receive plenty of assistance from their friends at Grace Community Church , who help to sponsor the event while providing plenty of volunteer workers as well.

The first-ever Bruin Camp drew more than 200 incoming freshmen to the Mid-High campus. Organizers expect even more students for this year's event, which is set to take place on Monday, July 28. Registration will take place on the day of the event – at 1:30 p.m. – and the Bruin Camp will commence at 2 p.m.

“Our new freshmen felt better about being here and about the staff members because we were willing to put on a venture of this nature,” said Langham of last year's event.

I have no doubt that this year's Bruin Camp will prove to be tremendous while creating more positive energy in and around the Bartlesville Mid-High School.

Throughout the years, the Bartlesville Public School District 's Back To School Rally has always been very well-received. Featuring keynote speakers as well as performances by the Bruin Brigade Marching Band and the Bartlesville High School cheerleaders and pom squads, the rally has proven to be a great way to generate spirit and enthusiasm as we head into a new school year.

This year's Back To School Rally – it is scheduled to be held Tuesday, Aug. 12, at 10 a.m. in the Fine Arts Center auditorium on the BHS campus – will feature LaDonna Gatlin as the keynote speaker. The sister of the performers in the famed Gatlin Brothers band, LaDonna is a lauded singer and motivational speaker. We certainly look forward to seeing her.

Though we feature musical performances by our students at the annual Back To School Rally – and we invite everyone in the community to attend – the event is focused on our teachers, administrators and other employees. The keynote speech always spotlights education and the wonderful effects it can have on a community, the state, the country and the world. We want each and every member of our Bruin family to know just how important they are to us and to the youth of Bartlesville.