From a trip to New York to giving the Henryetta baseball field a name, school board members were busy Monday night.
High school drama instructor Justin Been told board members of his plans to take students to New York in June as a reward for their hard work in recent musical productions.
“We have an amazingly talented bunch of kids with a work ethic second to none,” he said
The trip would allow students to see two Broadway shows as well as see some of the tourist sights. It would be four nights and five days and estimated to cost $1,500 to $2,000 per person.
Students will be responsible for raising their own money and, if parents would want to go along, they would be paying for the trip themselves.
“This is a great educational opportunity,” Been said. “This would give the kids experiences and opportunities they wouldn’t ordinarily have.”
Been said the production of Addams Family last month had around 1,200 people attending over the three nights as well as students from area middle and high schools.
High school athletic director Bryan leader presented the board with a proposal to name the baseball field in honor of former coach Keith Furer.
Leader pointed out that Furer took the HHS team to a state championship in 2003 and was runner up in 2002. “He went to state seven times and was inducted into the Baseball Coaches and Oklahoma Coaches Hall of Fame in 2018.
Leader said a fundraising effort is underway to erect a new metal fence at the baseball field at a cost of around $1,200.
The baseball field has been in its present location for over 50 years and has never had a name. It would be called the Keith Furer Field. Leader went on to say the Nathan George Hitting Facility would retain its present name.
In other business, the board approved a basketball fundraising project and set Feb. 14, 2023 for the annual school election. One board seat, currently held by David Bullard, is going to be open.
Board members accepted the resignation of third grade teacher Jessica McCall. She cited health reasons for her decision to leave.
Following a short executive session, the board hired Beatriz Garcia Hodge to finish out the year as third grade teacher. Also hired were Tammy Gates as pre-K aide and Jennifer Lee as paraprofessional.
High school vo-ag advisor Brooke Smith who reported on the recent trip to the national FFA convention.
Four HHS students went to the national convention at Indianapolis with two winning bronze medals, one silver and one gold medal for the nursery/landscape contest. Aggie Gillin received the gold medal, Chelsea Harjo won silver and Stephen Gouge and Hulleah Wincle were bronze meals winners. The team received the bronze medal plaque.
Also at the national convention HHS graduate Joey Watson was the recipient of the National FFA degree. He is the first from Henryetta to earn that award.
Superintendent Dwayne Noble said construction work on the road from the high school to Warren Road will start soon as well as work inside the golf facility.