KT&FP Managing Editor

It’s deja vu…again.

Whether it’s new personnel, new construction, recently-finished construction or major plans in the works, there’s yet again lots of change in Kingfisher County as the new school year is upon us.

Three schools have new superintendents this year, including Kingfisher for a second straight year.

Most every district has some sort of construction project ongoing…some of them quite major.

Others have recently completed major projects and have even more planned in the near future.

There are changes in most classrooms (some schools have disallowed the use of cell phones) and in the lunchrooms (breakfasts and lunches are no longer paid by the federal government).

So the one constant of late is definitely change.

Following is a look at what our county districts have going on.

While it doesn’t scratch the surface of all that’s happening behind the scenes, it gives you a small glimpse of some of the work that’s been done, is ongoing or what’s on the horizon for our students and staff:

Kingfisher

As you see on these pages, Kingfisher has no fewer than 26 new certified personnel this year.

That includes Superintendent David Glover taking over July 1 for Dr. Daniel Craig, who resigned at the end of last school year after one year.

Also new in the admin room for KPS is a high school principal, junior high principal and athletic director.

The Kingfisher Junior High was completed last year and was able to house the seventh and eighth grades for the last couple months of school.

The chain reaction of changes from that will be implemented this year.

Kingfisher Middle School is no more. It is now Kingfisher Upper Elementary and is now home to the fourth, fifth and sixth grades.

Kingfisher Heritage School, formerly home to third and fourth grades, now has second and third graders.

Gilmour Elementary School will now house pre-k, kindergarten and first graders.

The school itself is due for some major upgrades, which should be approved in the coming months. The board of education reviewed some preliminary plans for renovations to the decades-old facility at this month’s meeting and will review more next month.

Also in the works for Kingfisher is an addition to the vo-ag building that sits north of the softball fields (west of the high school), renovations to the football field concession stand and a brand-new building that will serve as a locker room for junior high athletes as well as the soccer teams.

Cashion

This is another district with a new superintendent as Leon Ashlock takes over.

Ashlock made the move from Tahlequah, where he’s been superintendent since 2018. Prior to that, he was the superintendent at Nowata for four years.

He succeeds Sammy Jackson, who oversaw a ton of growth - both in students and construction - in his eight years before retiring at the end of last year.

Cashion was in a seemingly constant state of construction during Jackson’s tenure as the district has grown.

The growth “curve” is expected to continue in an upward trajectory.

Cashion grew by about 100 students when comparing the number of enrolled students at the beginning of last year to the start of the year before.

That trend is once again expected as the town itself is seeing a huge influx of new construction.

The district is in the process of having some demographic studies completed to help project the growth of the district over the next 10-15 years.

Unfortunately for Cashion, its current facilities can’t accommodate the expected growth over the next decade, which means Ashlock himself could be seeing some major con-

[See Schools, Page 14] struction projects…if Cashion voters oblige.

That much was acknowledged by Michelle Miller, president of Cashion’s board of education when Ashlock was hired.

“He’s got superintendent experience at both a big school and a smaller school,” she said. “We’re experiencing growth. He’s got experience with that as well as bond issues, which we’ll need to look at as we continue to grow.”

Among the other new administrators at Cashion are Lauri Blosser, the new elementary principal after several years as the district’s librarian and media consultant, and Ruth Godbout, the special education director.

Dover

Dover rounds out the schools with a new superintendent this year.

Jay Wood makes the drive nine miles north after serving last year as high school principal at Kingfisher.

Wood will also be the high school principal. He takes over for Max Thomas (superintendent) and Kyle Karns (principal), both of whom retired.

Dover has its own major construction project…a new elementary building is being erected on the north end of the campus.

It will replace the aging structure on the south end and will give Dover a pair of new facilities for students as the junior high-high school was completed a few short years ago.

Dover also has a brand new softball field, which was completed last spring.

Hennessey

Further north in Hennessey sees that district with a number of smaller projects in the works under second-year Superintendent Jason Sternberger.

Districtwide, work is being completed on the concession stand/press box at the softball complex and other routine updates that are needed around campus.

The district last year bought property that borders the north end of the campus grounds. That property has been a tire shop. Once it’s vacated, that building will be demolished and cleaned up to be prepared for its intended use.

There is also currently work being done on a drainage ditch on Mitchell Road, which sits between the school buildings (west side) and the athletic complexes (east side).

Work has also continued on an outdoor classroom at the Early Childhood Center.

“We are preparing to plant pollinator gardens and vegetable plants in our raised beds when our students arrive,” said Stacey Mack, principal. “We have a small classroom section marked off with tables, benches, and chalkboards to teach our English language arts, math and STEM lessons outdoors. We have also added a sand table and water table for experimenting with solids and liquids.”

Lomega

Lomega’s Steve Shiever is entering his sixth year at the school, making him the longest-tenured superintendent in the county. (Note: Sternberger has been a superintendent in the county for 11 years, but only one so far at Hennessey.)

The high school students are about to “enjoy” their second full year at that new facility.

That leaves only minor projects for now.

Among them is a remodel of the school’s vo-ag facilities.The baseball field is also getting an upgrade with a new backstop, fence, outfield fence, dugouts, concession stand and restrooms.

The district is also adding additional parking spots at the high school.

Okarche

In Okarche, upgrades to already-new facilities are still being made.

Band students will soon have a new room in which to practice.

Construction of that room is expected to be completed by the end of September.

As that’s being wrapped up, Superintendent Josh Sumrall said he hopes the construction of an FFA shooting sports range will be in the beginning stages.

The school is also planning to build new baseball and softball fields just north of the current high school.

The district is finalizing plans for that project and Sumrall said they hope to release those soon.

Students will have new and different options in the lunchroom as well.

Okarche has partnered with Keystone Food Service.

Among the perks, Sumrall said, is the opportunity for students in grades 7-12 to order certain foods ahead of time using their smartphones.