CASTING a WIDE Net

Most readers know of our generous grant from the Kirkpatrick Foundation, which allowed us to hire three people to serve the district in new ways. In just the 6 short weeks it’s been running throughout the whole district, our staff has made a palpable difference in the lives of teachers and staff. We are still working out the kinks, but I am so gratified to see how much good stuff is in progress or has already been completed.

In the Putnam City High School area, Kelly Suchy continues her long career of serving Putnam City’s children. She worked with Principal Ashley Hoggatt to write a grant to the PC Foundation providing books for our youngest students to take home and read with their families. Central Elementary will soon be getting a facelift thanks to a connection Kelly made with our CAST Steering Committee and Little Brother Roofing. She’s working on building a personal hygiene closet and already has several products for that.

In the PC West area, Jacob succeeded in getting some great support for the teachers at Overholser Elementary School. They have a new refrigerator for the staff workroom thanks to Metro Appliances. The school is also getting a ton of water bottles since the children are restricted from using water fountains during COVID. The good people at In the Gap decided to provide all that the school requested and is conducting a special drive to get their supporters to help.

DiAnne Bryant has many efforts moving forward for the schools in the Putnam City North area. She’s met with principals to get ideas of what they need and is working to fill those needs. One school is desperate to prevent students from getting on the wrong bus or in the wrong car, and wants a system that provides an extra layer of security against such possibilities. She's also coordinated the placement of a Little Free Library at one school in partnership with the Assistance League of OKC. In addition, principals are requesting child-sized face masks, so we are actively looking to the community to help us fill that need.

We are working with a growing list of partners to fill those needs that staff bring to us. We encourage all staff to reach out to us. Maybe we can help!

by Jennifer Seal

October 4, 2021

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