Thanks to community's generosity, we strive forward

(Published Sunday, April 15, 2007 in Examiner-Enterprise)

If you take time to look around the Bartlesville High School campus these days, there are several tributes to the community's generosity.

The BHS Fieldhouse, which seats 2,200, is a product of the $30.5 million school bond issue which passed in 2001, as are the Fine Arts Center and the Science Wing. Still to come from that bond issue are the Media Center and a Connecting Link, which will allow BHS students to pass through any of the campus facilities without having to step outside.

In recent articles which have appeared in the Examiner-Enterprise, we've taken an opportunity to focus on some of the facilities which were able to be constructed thanks to the passage of the 2001 school bond issue. We turned the spotlight on the BHS Fieldhouse and the Science Wing in the Sunday, April 8 edition and shed light on the Connecting Link, the Media Center and the heating, air-conditioning and ventilation system in the Wednesday, April 11 issue.

Today, perhaps after you've finished reading this column, you can look for the story on the Fine Arts Center in this edition. We take pride in each and every facility that lies within the Bartlesville Public School District . But, of course, the new buildings naturally stand out. The BHS Fieldhouse features both chairback and bleacher seating as well as a state-of-the-art scoreboard which hangs over center court and a video board for messaging. There is ample locker room space, a training room and a weight room. The fieldhouse shares a lobby and a hospitality room with the Fine Arts Center.

When the Fine Arts Center initially opened in 2003, the high school held a special assembly which all of the students were asked to attend. To the best of my knowledge, an all-school assembly in an auditorium had never taken place before on the high school campus, which had its main building constructed in 1939. The previous auditorium had never offered that luxury. But, the Fine Arts Center, which has a seating capacity of 1,208, certainly does. In addition, it offers first-class lighting, comfortable seating and a first-rate stage set-up with an orchestra pit.

Classes are held throughout the day in the Fine Arts Center, which features rooms for special interest staples such as band, orchestra, choir and drama.

The Science Wing is something to behold. Constructed on the north side of the main building, and finished in 2002, it features six labs in all – three on the first floor and another trio on the second. The labs measure approximately 16,000 square feet each, and all offer classroom, lab, office and storage space. Altogether, the Science Wing encompasses 16,800 square feet.

We hope to have work completed on the Media Center as well as the renovated HVAC system by the beginning of the 2007-08 school year. The Media Center will offer a computer lab, a conference room and a myriad of books for our student body to utilize. The HVAC system will feature an energy-efficient heating and cooling system which will ultimately save the district money while keeping the students and faculty comfortable, also.

The reason you've seen the recent articles about our new facilities is to remind the community of where their tax dollars from the 2001 school bond issue went. Ultimately, they went toward providing our students with first-rate facilities and materials so that we could ensure they will get a top-flight education. Our students deserve the best, and the BPS family is proud to serve a community which cares so deeply about its youngsters.

In the coming days and weeks, we will feature articles in the Examiner-Enterprise which focus on some of the things we hope to get accomplished with money raised through the proposed $29.5 million school bond issue, which will go before Bartlesville voters on Tuesday, May 8. We are hoping to make additions to three elementary schools – Ranch Heights , Woodrow Wilson and Wayside – as well as the Bartlesville Mid-High School as the community continues to show signs of growth. We hope to further upgrade the areas of technology, athletics, fine arts, general curriculum and transportation as well. In fact, please look for our transportation article in today's issue of the E-E.

We thank you for your generosity and invite you to read all of the articles as they appear – in Wednesday and Sunday editions of the Examiner-Enterprise – through May 6.