When the Watonga School Board met Monday evening in regular session, there was a new face at the table inside the packed board room. That face was Courtney Robison, who applied for and was appointed to fill the unexpired term of Andy Wigington. Robison has two children in Watonga Public Schools. The board room was packed because of the presence of the Watonga girls cross country team. They recently won the state championship academic title and were on hand to be congratulated by the board members. Elementary principal Amber Wilson noted her campus was getting ready for the community Thanksgiving meal set for November 20 and said the staff was using the disinfecting machines purchased during the COVID pandemic to spray down common areas in the elementary to help combat the flu. She also said the new furniture ordered just as school started has arrived, as has the new playground equipment. At the middle school, principal Ty Hussey said his students were preparing for the Veterans Day commemoration Tuesday and said both the boys and girls basketball teams were 2-1 on the season.
The boys, he said, had been runner up at the Okeene Tournament. High school principal Lauren Coleman announced the cheer squad had achieved entry into the state competition set for Saturday, Nov. 15 in Tulsa. It was also noted that every member of the state champion cross country team was also a cheer squad member. Board member Aaron Clewell spoke to the team, saying, “We want you to know we are very proud of you.” Basketball season tips off November 21 at home against Canton, Coleman said. That night will also be basketball homecoming. Wrestling season is coming up quickly as well, and its homecoming will be on December 4. When it was time for the superintendent’s report, Kyle Hilterbran said “You gotta feel really good about this. From FCCLA to the band, the wrestlers, the cheer squad, with cross country winning state, the middle school ranking 57th in the state, it’s because of our students, principals, coaches, aides and teachers.”
Hilterbran announced that Hussey is in the running for principal of the year and those results should be announced soon. Even though the revenue from the gross production tax, a type of fee collected from oil and gas exploration companies when they extract natural resources in the state, has dropped somewhat, Hilterbran said the budget was going to remain unchanged at least for the time being. The district expects a carryover of some $9.2 million year to year. Some of the anticipated projects for the remainder of the school and fiscal year include completion of the baseball/softball field and the fencing for it. The decision was made to install a ‘batter’s eye’ style fence, where the center outfield fence jumps to 16 feet in height, eliminating any optical illusion behind the ball. This has become the preferred type of fencing for baseball fields. As for the softball games, a moveable fence will mark off the smaller field for those games. Work is also progressing on the monument for the now demolished Dunbar School. It was on the edge of Legion Field near the Head Start buildings and was a traditionally Black school during the days of segregation. The monument will be of granite, featuring the names of educators and pictures of football teams from the school.
The next phase will be setting the concrete, but the superintendent will check with the designers of the monument to ascertain whether electrical wiring needs to be in place prior to the concrete being poured. Hopes are to dedicate the monument in the spring. Board member Dwight McGee said he has been in touch with many former residents who want to be at the dedication and are willing to make the trip to Oklahoma, providing they are given enough notice. Perhaps one of the most welcome votes the board took was to allocate a $1,500 stipend to certified and support staff. Those checks are set to go out the Friday before the Thanksgiving holiday break, November 21. The stipend was part of the negotiated agreement with educators and support staff. There will be an additional stipend of $1,500 distributed just before school lets out for the Christmas break.