August 31, 2022 Issue, Page 1 of 30

Page Text

Rodeo Tab Inside! Check out the Rodeo Tab inside for stories fea- turing people in and around the rodeo along with the 2022 contestants. Serving Western Oklahoma Wednesday, August 31, 2022 Leadership Class VII Project First year teacher hopes Make Elk City Live to impact students By Merritt intern Emma Wells Oklahoma State Univer- sity (OSU) graduate Alexia Newman began her first year of teaching at Merritt High School. Originally from Co- manche, she brings her high school agriculture _experi- ence to her classes. Newman teaches seventh through 12th grade ag education classes. “The agriculture program (Comanche) was awesome. I Alexia Newman loved my ag teacher and the influence she made on me,” dasses, a communications she said. class, a horticulture class, ag Picture are members of the Leadership VII class, except Newman hopes to influ- Sumer Dupree. Seated are Kristi Chervenka and Connie Fer- science two and one which is ence her students like her freshmen. Newman hasa lot of rero and standing are Robert Rodgers, Rob Stephens, and teacher influenced her. She Chris Nidey. Staff photo by Sheryl Ponce. different ideas for projects and said the best thing about goals for her classes. teaching is being able to in- “We are learning a lot in By Sheryl Ponce Members of Leader- fluence a student in a positive horticulture. We're going to | ship VII class point to way. start a hydroponics project | the webcam on top the “Be able to help them or for all the kids. In seventh Two and a half years ago Leadership VII class started, but in chamber building. Pic- anyone in the school for the and eighth grade, we're going the middle of COVID they were put on hold and so was their class tured are Chris Nidey, better, the change that you to try some projects. One day, project. Although the holds on their project were not directly Connie Ferreo, Kristi can make on someone,” she we're going to make ice cream, Chervenka, Rob Ste- related to COVID, it caused hurdles they had to overcome. The phens, and Robert Rodg- continued. homemade in baggies. It’s a She thinks Merritt is dif- very interesting project,” she “Elk City Cam” project is almost completed with two of the three ers. Not pictured is Sum- cameras operational, and the world can see live streaming scenes ex Dupree. Staff photo by ferent from other schools explained. from atop three different locations around the town. To view go Sheryl Ponce; Webcam on because the kids are well-be- Her main expectations are to https://www.elkcity.com/community/live-view. top of the Elk City Cham- haved for high schoolers. to get through these first years Members of the class include Connie Ferrero, Kristi Cher- ber of Commerce. Newman is also appreciative of teaching and to impact stu- venka, Chris Nidey, Robert Rodgers, Rob Stephens, and Sumer of the staff and administra- dent(s) along the way. tion. “They told me when I grad- Dupree. The group is sponsored by the Elk City Chamber of Com- be on top of the Holiday Inn Express, which is not active yet. The “When I interviewed (at uated college, if you can get merce and have been led by Elk City Police Chief Eddie Holland main sponsor for the project came from Great Plains Analytical Merritt) it felt like home. It through your first couple of and Executive Director of the Chamber, Susie Cupp. Services or G.A.S, who purchased the equipment. ITL has helped felt homey and the staff was years, you'll stick with it. So I “Originally we wanted to bring a weather cam to our commu- to set up the stream website and donated a computer monitor. really nice. It was a really good think that’s just my goal is to nity. And that idea wasn’t ours. It came to us from a good friend Other sponsors for the project include the Chamber, the City opportunity that fell in my get there my first couple years of ours (Eddie Holland) who worked with us from the beginning. of Elk City, as well as Gold Sponsors: Great Plains National Bank, lap,” she said. and influence a kid along the He was talking about that with different people in the community United Country Exploration, Cudd Pressure Control, Patterson “The classes she is teaching way or help a kid along the way, and our group. We quickly learned that we were able to get more Services, TLR Well Services, Innovative Technology, Ltd. Sil- are two seventh and eighth but survive,” she concluded. than one camera. So it proved to not only be a weather camera, ver sponsors are First National Bank & Trust, and Main Street but cameras around the community that show people around the Coffee. Bronze Sponsors are Northfork Electric Cooperation, Man vs Beast Hutchinson Oil Company, Barber/Dyson, Everett Blake Society, world our community, and what we love about our town,” Ferrero explained. First Assembly of God, Janning Welding, and Edward Jones, An ‘There are two already active, one on top of the chamber build- See Cameras page 2. ing, and one on top of a tower behind city hall. The third one will Bullfighting event to entertain fans during Elk City Rodeo WTC Offers the Only CAN-AM Motorcycle Certification Class in the State ern Technology Center Danny course also goes through dif- repairs on those trikes. This is Britton jumped on the oppor- ferent maneuvers, evasive ac- just like we did with the two- tunity to bring the class to the tions, stop and go, and how wheel bikes, so it evolved into Elk City Campus of WTC. to apply the brakes front and adding a three-wheel course, “I thought that'd be a great back properly. under the same umbrella,” he =p 3 2 ene thing for our Elk City campus “We did that (two-wheel continued. BO bullfighter Austin Ashley steps around a bull at to do. So I applied for a grant motorcycles) for three or four Instructors for the cours- the freestyle bullfighting competition. BEO bullfighting with the Motorcycle Safety years and ended up getting sev- es are Aaron Donaldson, WTC will be part of the entertainment of the Elk City Rodeo. Foundation. The grant pro- en bikes. We have 14 bikes now. at Weatherford, Todd Brooks, Photo by Todd Brewer. vides the bikes, instructor pay, So we have two classes of six, WTC Elk City, and Kathryn supplies, repair, and insur- or one class of six, two classes Halleen, WTC adjunct instruc- Elk City - ‘The most dangerous sixty seconds in pro sports will be on exhibit during the 2022 Elk City Rodeo of Champi- ance, an all-inclusive type of of 12, or one class of six. Then tor at Elk City. This got started ons. The BFO: Bullfighters Only, will be on hand, as entertain- deal. Then we started our first that evolved into CAN-AM whena retired Oklahoma City ment during each night of rodeo. motorcycle class,” Britton ex- reaching out to us and wanted police officer, Don Browning, Aaron Donaldson plained, to know if we would want to began the Oklahoma Rider Ed- Some of the toughest men on the planet; BFO bullfighters, ‘They started three of the ucation Program (OREP). Don- do a three-wheel class. With will be matched up against the meanest, toughest, bulls in the business. By Sheryl Ponce two-wheeled safety classes CAN-AM they have supplied aldson began teaching with BFO bullfighters will show off their talent as they jump the with the Oklahoma Highway the CAN-AM, three wheeled Browning in ’03-04, and then In 2015 the Oklahoma Safety Office and the Motor- bikes and the same course he came to Elk City. bull, avoid getting hooked by his horns, and keep taking the ac- Highway Safety Office an- cycle Safety Foundation, who with the MSF safety Motor- When he moved to Elk City, tion to him. They are required to “fight” the bull for forty sec- onds, and can add an additional twenty seconds, to get more nounced that they needed emphasize wearing a helmet. cycle Safety Foundation, and Britton approached him about someone in western Oklahoma ‘Their course stresses helmet the same Oklahoma Highway teaching the course again, and points. After two rounds of BFO action September 2-3, the highest to provide motorcycle safety use due to the number of mo- Safety grant that covers the in- he became what is called a rid- training. BIS director at West- torcycle wreck fatalities. The _ structors. They also handle the See Class page 3. See Beast page 2. Weather & Vol. 120, No. 69 Mail delivery View online AAA TA somorrow 87/63 75 cents, 10 pgs. 580.225.3000 elkcityoknews.com