Hennessey already has five local businesses that have agreed to offer internships to juniors and seniors this fall, said High School Principal Josh Faulkner at Monday night’s school board meeting.

“Our program has the potential to be better than a career tech,” he said, after the board hired Kim (Spencer) Hallmark as the coordinator and director of the school’s new career internship program.

“She has a lot of great ideas,” Faulkner said.

“We have a committee that’s been working on this,” he said, and added that board member Christopher Choate is part of that group.

Juniors are allowed only one hour a day for their internship and seniors may have two hours a day with a one-hour work program, the principal told the board.

He said there will be a supplemental online program that students will be able to access and that cost is $150 for each student.

Faulker was asked who is responsible for insurance when students are at job sites.

“We are,” the principal said.

Why internship program?

This new program was prompted after the board voted 3-2 in February against calling an election to ask district voters to approve joining a Career Tech program.

That vote came after patrons filled the board room because it would cost district taxpayers more than $1 million each year.

Also, if the tax was approved by 50 percent plus one, it would take another vote to stop tech membership.

The board had discussed for three months joining either Autry Technology Center in Enid, or Chisholm Trail Technology Center west of Kingfisher.

Hennessey students had been allowed to attend CTTC for three years for $1,000 per student. CTTC removed its name from consideration at that February meeting.

The three board members who opposed calling the election were then-president Dr. James Matthew Matousek, then-vice president Luke Lough, and thenclerk Patrick Griffin.

Board members David Tillman and Choate wanted voters to decide.

About Kim Hallmark

Hallmark is a 1979 HHS graduate and former HPS counselor (2002-04) and teacher (seventh-eighth English, 2000-02; fifth grade (1995-2000); third grade (1988-1995) and kindergarten (1987-88).

Hallmark also coached, as did her husband, Wayne.

The couple live in Enid now and Wayne is retired.

They moved to Texas in 2004 and Hallmark was a counselor at Joshua High School, 2004-16.

They returned to Oklahoma in 2016 and she was the Enid High School counselor (2016-21) and is currently the Dover Public School counselor.

After Hallmark graduated from HHS, she received a bachelor’s in elementary education from Phillips University, 1983, and earned her master’s in education school counseling from NWOSU, Enid, in 2003.

Consumer science teacher Haley Fisher

The board also hired another HHS grad, Haley Fisher, class of 2015.

She will be the family and consumer science teacher at the high school.

She earned her bachelor’s in human sciences (human development and family science: child and family services) from Oklahoma State University in August 2020 and has an alternative teaching certificate.

She most recently worked as a family preservationist specialist at NorthCare, Enid; was an intern at United Way of Northwest Oklahoma, Enid; was a chiropractic assistant in Hennessey 2018-19, and a childcare teacher at My Small Wonders, Edmond in 2017.

She is the daughter of Sara and Trey Fisher of Hennessey.

Science teacher/coach Keith Fletcher

Keith Fletcher of Stillwater was hired to teach high school science and as head boys cross country and track coach, head junior high boys basketball and assistant high school boys basketball coach.

He attended Northern Oklahoma College and earned a bachelor’s degree from Southern Nazarene University.

He is certified to teach American history/government and economics/Oklahoma history as well as business education.

Since 2020, he has been a middle school history/geography teacher at Blackwell Public Schools where he is also the assistant boys high school baseball coach and head high school golf coach.

He taught business education (accounting, computers 1 and 2, keyboarding, financial literacy) at Mulhall-Orlando Public Schools from 2018-20 and served at Blackwell 2015-18 as the assistant high school basketball coach, assistant high school football coach and head high school golf coach.

He was also emergency certified to teach eighth grade science there for those three years.

Resignations

Superintendent Jason Sternberger said he’d accepted resignations from teachers Jordan Waltman, third grade, and Melissa Hardison, family and consumer science.

Extra duty summer assignments

Remediation certified teachers at $30/hour: Teresa Hugaboom, Cindy Woods, Gerri Russell, Shavonn Heidlage, Kaitlyn Norton, Katie Matthews, Flo Conway, Barry Crosswhite, Chelsey McArthur, Dawn Jones, Emily Bellinger, Amy Hochstrasser, Kaylena Grellner, Marie Parrish, Beth Curran.

Paraprofessionals at $20/hour: Sherri Fipps and Katie Soudek.

“Together con Exito” English Learners Grant Summer Program at $30/hour: Amy Shelite, Lissette Sosa, Rosa Velazquez, Daniel Rios and Perla Blanco. (Note: Sternberger noted that summer certified teachers are usually paid $20 an hour, but the grant with that program requires $30. )

Speech pathologist Erica Beckner hired for IEP (Individualized Education Program) students an extended school year (June 1-30, 2022) at $80 an hour.

Support staff: Cooks Maria Fierro, Olga Roldan, Veronica Roman at their regular hourly rate. Maintenance, Korey Walker at $15/hour. Technology Assistants Humberto Velasco and Andres Velasco at $10/ hour.

Softball concession stand bid approved

There was only one bid submitted that afternoon on construction of a con cession stand at the softball field, Sternberger told the board.

He said Hennessey Metal Buildings bid $72,425.

That includes a 21x15 metal building with two windows and a canopy, he said.

Damian Hugaboom also said that includes all the concrete, plumbing and electricity, Sternberger said.

The board – President Lough, Vice President Choate, Clerk Tillman, and members Griffin and Matousek – unanimously approved the bid.

Track will open May 25

Crews have finished the spreading at the track and it should be open to the public by May 25, Sternberger said during his monthly report.

“It looks good,” he added.

The Tire Store

That area needs to be cleared, said Lough, and board members agreed.

They refer to the property on the southeast corner of State Highway 51 and Mitchell Road north of the softball fields.

The school purchased those 2.75 acres for $82,732 in August.

“Half the roof is off,” said Griffin.”It hasn’t been mowed since August.”

“By the end of summer, after they help farmers with tires during harvest, or at least by fall, they need to find another place,” said Matousek.

“When we bought that property we were in no obligation to rent it.”

“What are we going to do with it, once we get it cleaned up?” asked Tillman.

“What do we want it to look like, or use it for once we get it cleaned up?” asked Lough.

“There is a safety issue at stake, too, with those 18-wheelers parked there next to the softball fields,” said Griffin.

“There are two different companies on the property,” he said.

Other projects

Sternberger said another project is the old bus barn and getting it to accommodate the track.

“We don’t want a hodgepodge of buildings,” said Lough after discussion that the middle school gym is being used for wrestling and the need for a softball building came up.

“Maybe when it’s time for another bond issue we can come up with a plan and do it nice, do it right,” he said.

Lough also asked about the technology needs.

“We’re four years into the one-to-one-plan,” said Todd Cameron, technology director, from the audience.

“We’re replacing 350 computers this year: first, fifth and ninth grades.”

At the meeting

All board members were at the May 9 meeting. In addition to Sternberger other staff there were Timberly Mitchell, office manager and minutes clerk; Principals Ricardo Tarango (middle school); Barry Crosswhite (elementary), Stacey Mack (early childhood center), and Faulkner (high school). Also, Amy Shelite, English Language Learner teacher; Rae Fuksa, tech assistant and sixth grade math teacher, and Cameron.