May 3, 2025 Issue, Page 8 of 10

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NEWS 8• SATURDAY, MAY 3, 2025 The Elk City News THINK Continued from page 1 WOHS Eyes Flea Market and Beutler dle School, 159 students took the eighth-grade math test for Rodeo Chutes Completion the state of Oklahoma, and 95.5 percent of those students By Sheryl Ponce Flea Market report, given by the general history of West- from the bucking chutes to were considered below grade Jordan. She said that she will ern Oklahoma and asked connect to the caboose. level in 2021. In 2024, un- The Western Oklahoma be getting the flyers printed the board if anyone knew of Curator, Anna Wray, re- der Mr. Moran’s leadership Historical Society’s Board of and will be sending them out. books or other information ported that roofers will be and the implementation of Directors met for their regu- She also noted that she has about the area. Mike Blevins completing one building and this math program, Elk City lar monthly meeting on Mon- had interest in people chang- said that he will be forward- then moving to the Farm and Middle School in 2024, had day, April 28th, at 11 a.m., in ing booth locations. Addi- ing information about the Ranch Museum and Opera 84 students out of 120, I be- Elk City Public Schools District Elk City’s Western Technolo- tionally, she has been posting community of Sweetwater in House. She also said that the lieve, either scored advanced Teacher of the Year middle school gy Center. The meeting was the event on different Face- the near future. baseball exhibit on display or proficient on the state of math teacher and soccer coach, called to order by president book pages. Donnie Jordan gave the re- in the Arrowhead Center Oklahoma math test. So they Jason Xenos. Linda Long, and the invo- The membership report port on the Education Build- has been well received. In went from 95 percent of the cation was given by Doug was given by Cindy Wood. ing and the artists that have addition, she said that the non-thinking children. They kids being considered below Haught, followed by the ap- She said that there were two an exhibit in the building. He new budget had been ap- don’t want to think, why? grade level to 12 percent in proval of March’s minutes. new members, one from Al- also said that the rodeo com- proved that had an additional Because they’re on their cell three years.” The treasurer’s report was abama and one from Anadar- mittee was pleased with the $20,000 to for maintenance. phones. It’s so common to see Moran was recognized by given by Beverly Jordan and ko. These two memberships Beutler Rodeo Chutes dis- It was also noted by Don- a kid, heck, we even see adults the State Department of Ed- approved by the board. Long were the result of a post on play. They are working on the nie Jordan that the Rodeo all day long walking around ucation for his leadership in continued to ask for the com- Facebook. She added that sound bites that will be added Committee donated $1500 to aimlessly in a prison, itself. turning around his school, mittee reports. The first re- they are up to 90 members. to the display. the chutes project. The board Getting these kids to get out- which resulted in his being port was given by Jim Coffey Judy Haught gave the Ar- Haggard reported on the then discussed the need for side of themselves and start placed on a committee that on the Farm and Ranch Mu- chive’s report. She said that museum commission. He file cabinets and where they thinking is making a differ- works with other schools seum. He said that the wind- there were three board mem- said that they are working on should be kept. ence,” Xenos said. across the state that are strug- mills will be put up as soon as bers who went to Delhi to see maintenance of the buildings. There was no old business, He then directed the Rotar- gling. he can locate the person that the school and other parts of During the month of March, nor any new business pre- ians to shift the cards around “It was teachers that rolled will be helping with the proj- the town. Haught went on to they had 1800 visitors, and sented at the meeting. The to make all the rows equal to up their sleeves, worked to- ect. show a film about the muse- the gift shop sold approxi- meeting was adjourned by 19. The first table to get the gether with their principals, Randy Haggard said that um, and other photographs mately $5000 worth of mer- Long. The next meeting will answer would be the winners. and who truly care about kids there was not anything to re- that are on the website. chandise to visitors coming take place the fourth Tuesday The Rotarians went to work, and creating a better life for port on the blacksmith shop, Haught is putting togeth- through the museum. He also in May due to the Memorial trying to solve the problem. kids than may be what they which was followed by the er a list of information about suggested making a walkway Day holiday. Xenos walked around the thought was possible that room, asking each table if made the difference,” Sparks they wanted hints. After sev- added. eral minutes, he told them a Moran then talked about how hiring the right people made all of the difference in couple of ways to get to the answer. Once a table achieved the Southwest Playhouse’s “Clue” bringing up the scores in the area of math. The eighth- grade math scores have been the largest struggle across the task, he increased the puzzle to have each row add up to 20. As the frustration grew, Xenos helped the tables is to Die For—Literally state. come to some conclusions. By Jeff Johnson panache that makes the may- “The scores were declining His demonstration gave the hem not only believable, but across the state, and we need- members a taste of how he Tucked away in a repur- downright irresistible. ed to figure out how to beat gets his students to think and posed livestock sale barn in The final act is a mer- those odds. How do we over- solve problems. Clinton, Oklahoma—because ry march of misdirection, come and not become just “You’re going to start to of course—lies one of the topped off with what can part of the statistic in the state experience and develop frus- sharpest, sassiest, and most only be described as Western of Oklahoma? In the past, we tration. Guess what? My stu- side-splitting productions Oklahoma’s own Keystone had tried different programs. dents feel it too, and it’s frus- this side of Broadway (or at Kops—stumbling, bumbling, We bought different comput- tration because we have a least Weatherford). When and utterly delightful as they er online things, and it wasn’t problem to solve. We have a the Southwest Playhouse attempt to restore order to helping. It wasn’t doing what task that we need to complete. rolled the dice on *Clue*, the mansion of madness. And we needed. We had this idea If you can start getting kids they didn’t just cast the usual somehow… it works. Again. that we are going to make a to think about what tasks are suspects—they threw a party And again. And again. new class. It cost the students going to complete, they are full of murder, mayhem, and By the end, you’re not just one of their elective hours, but thinking, and that’s what we marvelously timed mischief. clapping—you’re half con- we were going to make a class need, thinkers,” Xenos said. You still have three chances vinced you committed the called accelerated math,” Mo- He tells his students that to catch the show, Friday May crime yourself. Or maybe it ran said. just like life, there are always 2nd, 7:30pm; Saturday May was the tech crew. They *did* They developed the class one or two obstacles that can 3rd, 7:30pm; and May 4th, know all the cues. with 60 students, with 20 to make life difficult. Xenos has 2:00pm. Tickets are available intellectual, shuffled through ing every blackout, every en- So whether it’s the dagger a class. Those were students taken this new approach to at southwestplayhouse.com the scenes with the distract- trance, every reveal, deserves or the lead pipe, the study or that were considered on the teaching math. He begins The set sprawled across ed charm of a man who’s its own standing ovation. It’s the lounge, the butler or the bubble of improving their each class with a thinking test. the stage like an architectural definitely read all the murder easy to forget that behind ev- bird-brained guest—*Clue* scores, and remediated them “If I can get them (stu- game board, with every room, mystery books—and still can’t ery perfectly timed pratfall at Southwest Playhouse de- in math. Xenos was teaching dents) to start thinking hallway, and dramatically lit quite solve one in real life. and dramatic gasp is a back- livers a deadly dose of theater art when Moran went to him the minute they walk into stairwell packed to the gills Houck gave Plum a lovable stage army armed with cues, magic. And if you don’t know to take on the new math class, my room, they’re not sit- with suspicious activity. Bo- mix of absentmindedness and dimmers, gels, and sheer grit. whodunit by the time the and they got the results they ting behind a Chromebook nus points for a long upstairs sly wit, making him as suspi- This crew didn’t just elevate lights go out? were looking to improve. typing in letters. They’re table—a tableau so theatrical- cious as he was hilarious. the performance—they *an- Well… maybe it was *you* “We saw a tremendous looking at problems on ly composed it looked like Da And speaking of that chored* it. all along. amount of growth in the first boards now. They have ac- Vinci himself had staged it for Maid—mon dieu. Gini Smith And the laughter? Oh, the Cast of Characters (and the year. We continued on, to tually asked me to stay af- a murder. delivered one of the strongest laughter. Every giggle and Crew Who Caught Them) where we got the results that ter class to solve this. Kids At the helm of this mystery French accents ever heard on gasp was exactly where it The suspects were played we got last year. We actually naturally want to learn, but madness was first-time direc- an Oklahoma stage, and it belonged. Scripted? Prob- to perfection by a cast that were three and a half times the traditional classroom tor Natalie Houck—whose never slipped—not once. She ably. Hysterical? Definitely. couldn’t miss—even with a higher than the state average has deterred them from debut performance proved was sharp, sultry, and com- At times, the cast seemed to lead pipe: in eighth grade,” Moran not- doing that. I hated school. she’s got the chops to turn manding, holding her own laugh right along with us— Wadsworth – Whitten Eu- ed. It was boring. We are the chaos into choreography. Pac- with whip-smart comedic but never out of character. Just stace At that point, Xenos com- parents in the classroom. ing? Tight. Blocking? Clever. delivery and stage presence enough to feel like we were Miss Scarlett – Gina Jones plemented Moran’s leadership We are these kids’ parents Homage to the original mov- that rivaled anyone else’s. She all in on the joke, solving the Colonel Mustard – John and the people he works with as much as the parents are, ie? Faithful without being a didn’t just sweep the stage— mystery together. Williams in the middle school. He also if not more. It is hard for a copycat. She didn’t just direct she stole it. But Wait—Was That the Mrs. Peacock – Sheri Mc- attributed the opportunity to teacher to give an expecta- a play—she conducted a sym- Now, let’s talk about the real Ending? Or Was It… Coy teach in Elk City to Edward tion in the classroom. So phony of suspicion. stars: the dead bodies. Bodies In true *Clue* fashion, just Professor Plum – Ryan Albert. He is a cousin to Ed- I have changed the narra- Each character came dropped faster than internet when you think the curtain’s Houck ward, who encouraged him tive. I have the highest ex- dressed to kill—figurative- service during an Oklahoma coming down, it swings right Mrs. White – Julie K. Bar- to move to Elk City. Xenos pectations. They’ll come to ly and occasionally literally. windstorm. It was less a mur- back up again. Was it Profes- nett was a teacher by trade, and me with a 16 on their state Colonel Mustard (John Wil- der mystery and more like a sor Plum in the library with Mr. Green – Wesley although he thought he was test score, and I tell them, liams) blustered around with boneless actor farm. One par- the wrench? Miss Scarlett— Javorsky going to get out of the pro- ‘Okay, by the end of the the swagger of a man who’s ticularly stiff guest remained gliding through the ballroom Yvette – Gini Smith fession, he said that God had year, you will have an 86.’ both armed and absolutely motionless for nearly 45 min- in a red dress that could stop Cook – Karolyn Koester other plans for him. They’re like, ‘There’s no confused. Miss Scarlett (Gina utes—call it performance art a heartbeat—with the can- Mr. Boddy / Telegram Girl “We’ve got a great commu- way.’ We found a way,” he Jones), gliding through scenes or extreme napping, but it was dlestick? Or perhaps Mr. – Diana Torres nity, and we have some real- continued. in a red dress that seemed to impressive. Green in the kitchen, visibly Police Chief – Jerry Shep- ly great kids. We’ve got a lot They are building a com- carry its own spotlight, was When the lights come down sweating bullets while reach- pard of not-so-great kids, and so munity in the classroom impossible to ignore. Mr. at Southwest Playhouse… ing for the revolver? Could it Motorist – Amy Baker we can build the balance to where kids do well. While Green (Wesley Javorsky) was they *really* come down. In have been Colonel Mustard Unexpected Officer – Ma- making some of those kids a Xenos also coaches soccer, green with nerves, guilt, or a production full of surprises, in the study with the lead lynda Blevins little greater, so that you guys he said that he is totally im- both—who knows? Mrs. Pea- the lighting and sound didn’t pipe, puffed up with patriotic Backup Cop – Shona can hire people in the future. mersed in the school and cock (Sheri McCoy) strutted just support the show—they confusion? Or Mrs. Peacock, Stermer Then we will have a better community. He wants to see in full-feathered glory, flap- amplified it. Timing was ev- feathers flying in full flair, Directed by Natalie Houck community later. That’s why the next generation of stu- ping like high society one erything, and this tech crew flailing through the lounge Lights – Ashley Under- I teach,” Xenos said. dents eager to become a part martini deep. And Mrs. White hit every mark with the pre- with a dagger tucked just out wood & Lupita Mora Xenos put a stack of cards of the community, too. (Julie K. Barnett), dressed in cision of, well, Chekhov’s gun of sight? Then again, maybe Soundboard – Nic Adkin- on each of the Rotarians’ ta- As Xenos concluded, he black—because irony is the on a dimmer switch: slow, de- it was Mrs. White, all in black son & Julie Adkinson bles. He told them to put the told the Rotarians things that best color—glided through liberate, and perfectly in sync and twice as sharp, tightening Props – Misty Brooks & Ju- cards four across the top, they could do to help teachers. scenes with deadly preci- with the rising tension of each the rope with a smirk from lie Adkinson four across the bottom, with Some of those things includ- sion. Scene-stealing cameos scene. the shadows. Set – Jerry Sheppard, John one card in between them to ed donating incentives for the from Yvette the Maid (Gini This was not tech in the At Southwest Playhouse, Williams, Ryan Houck, Craig make a square. Before he told classroom, such as candy, gift Smith) and the Cook (Karo- background—it was tech as you don’t just get a show. You McCoy & Marji Anderson each table what to do with the cards, or dry erase markers. lyn Koester) reminded us that character. The lighting didn’t get every ending, every twist, Costumes – Jasey Burnam, cards, he said that the biggest For more information about fewer lines sometimes lead to just reveal the scene, it sculpt- and every possible combi- Kathy Gregory, Teddi McA- problem with math is the fear the program or how to donate, louder applause. ed it. The sound didn’t just nation of suspect, room, and bee & Elizabeth McLean of math. contact Sparks, Moran or Xe- And Professor Plum (Ryan support the action, it drove it. weapon—played out with the Soundtracks – Emma “We have a generation of nos at Elk City Public Schools. Houck), ever the bumbling The stage management, call- kind of timing and theatrical Brown