A day the BHS Class of 2008 will never forget

(Published Sunday, May 25, 2008 in Examiner-Enterprise)

It was a milestone event.

On Friday evening at Custer Stadium, more than 400 members of the Bartlesville High School Class of 2008 accepted their diplomas as hundreds of friends, family members and well-wishers looked on from the stands. Afterwards, the bleachers emptied as the supporters joined their newly minted graduates on the Custer Stadium turf in celebration of a monumental achievement.

This is what all of the hard work leads to – a diploma. Symbolic of a first-rate and well-rounded education courtesy of the Bartlesville Public School District, it will no doubt be a key which will unlock doors into a bright future.

I hope all of this year's graduates soaked up everything which transpired on Friday. It will likely be a day which they'll fondly recall for the rest of their lives.

For teachers and administrators within the district, graduation day is one which allows for much pride as well as some sadness. Students – many of whom have been enrolled in the district throughout their scholastic careers – are leaving us. The vast majority of them will go on to college, a testament to the strong foundation of learning which they received while they were with us. We already anticipate their visits back to various sites throughout the district in the near future. I'm sure they'll drop in on their favorite teachers from time to time, perhaps to talk about how a college class is going or maybe job prospects. The discussions will no doubt allow for reflection as well as some exciting looks ahead.

When we look back on the news made at Bartlesville High School during the 2007-08 academic year, what will we recall? We'll remember the debut of the newest facility on the BHS campus, the Library/Media Center, which was officially dedicated on Jan. 13. Located in the area which used to hold the old auditorium, it features a 32-station computer lab, an alumni/archive room and an upstairs conference room in the former balcony area. The Class of 2008 was the first which had the opportunity to utilize all of the upgrades to the BHS campus – the Science Wing, the Fine Arts Center , the BHS Fieldhouse, the connecting link and the Library/Media Center – which were products of the $30.5 million school bond issue of 2001.

Shortly after Friday evening's graduation ceremonies, installers began the work to put down new high-grade artificial turf at Custer Stadium, the product of a $650,000 grant by the Lyon Foundation. The field will be named after Lyon Foundation founder E.H. “Ted” Lyon, thus making it E.H. “Ted” Lyon Field at Custer Stadium.

The BHS Fieldhouse was put to good use this year. Not only is it a first-rate arena for the Bruin basketball and volleyball programs, it played host to the 2008 Lone Star Conference Men's and Women's Basketball Championships from March 5-9. The NCAA Division II conference, which is comprised of 15 schools from three different states, is in the first year of a three-year pact which will see the hoops championships played out in Bartlesville.

Last fall, whenever the Oklahoma State Department of Education released the ACT results from 2007, we received very good news. Our score for the college entrance exam was a lofty 22.5. The score was the Bruins' best since 2003 and far surpassed the Sooner State average, which was a 20.5. BHS students are able to excel in the classroom thanks in large part to the work and dedication put in by a fantastic group of educators. A BHS physics instructor, Granger Meador became the district's first-ever two-time winner of the BPSD Teacher of the Year honor when it was bestowed upon him at the annual ceremony in February. The district science chair, who helped to design the plans for the Science Wing, Meador collected his first Teacher of the Year honor in 1998.

During Friday's graduation ceremonies, I felt a great sense of pride whenever I saw the BHS Class of 2008 graduates crossing the stage to accept their diplomas. I was quite pleased whenever I saw them shift the tassels on their graduation caps from the right to the left, signifying an important rite of passage.

To see the night sky filled with graduation caps which had been tossed in the air in celebration was tremendous.