Though the skies were overcast on the morning of Aug. 20 when Karl King, Jr. awoke, his day soon brightened.
King was contacted by officials from FOX23 News in Tulsa who informed him that his special education class at Central Middle School had been awarded a $1,000 grant through the “One Class at a Time” program. Through the program, FOX23 News and Jeff Martin, of the Law Office of Jeff Martin and Associates, award a $1,000 grant each month during the school year to a Green Country classroom to help supplement student needs.
King's special needs class at Central is the first winner of the 2008-09 academic year, which got started within the Bartlesville Public School District on Aug. 13.
“I was surprised that we had won,” said King, who had entered his class in the contest via FOX23 News' web site approximately three weeks earlier. “I thought, Wow, this is good news this morning. It was kind of a cloudy day, but it quickly got better.”
King will use the grant money to purchase five electronic readers for use in his classroom. The readers are a great asset in the special education classroom, pronouncing problematic words for students while giving them the definitions as well. They can be used in individual or group exercises. King's class currently features no electronic readers.
Now in his third year at Central, King has nine students in his class. Ranging from grades six through eight, the students are with him throughout the school day.
As part of the program, FOX23 News plans to be on the Central campus on Tuesday morning as King is presented with the check for the grant money. The news crew is expected to arrive around 9:30 a.m. King's students are aware of their winning status in the grant program, having been with their teacher whenever he received the call from FOX23 News officials.
“They were listening to me on the phone,” says King, who is in his seventh year as a special education instructor all told. “They were kind of excited. They were telling me congratulations.”
King will now request that his students be on their best behavior whenever the cameras roll on Tuesday morning. The footage will air on as a FOX23 News segment.
“I think they'll be excited once Tuesday morning comes around,” says King. “I'll let them know that everyone needs to be on their 100 percent good behavior.”
In honor of the grant their class will soon receive, the students might as well make it 1,000 percent.
A special education teacher, Karl King, Jr. is in his third year at Central Middle School.