Putnam City - Public Schools Foundation

Putnam City Public Schools Foundation celebrated its 21st annual Celebration of Excellence Banquet on April 21st.  Over 400 people gathered to honor excellent educators, school site grants and scholarship recipients at the National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum.

The Foundation also honored its sixth annual Wall of Fame recipient, Oklahoma City Mayor Mick Cornett.  Cornett's portrait will join former Putnam City Superintendent Leo C. Mayfield, aerobics creator Dr. Kenneth Cooper, NASA Commander Neil Woodward, orthopedic surgeon Dr. Carlan Yates, and forensic scientist Dr. Rhonda Roby. 

Mayor Cornett is a 1976 graduate of Putnam City High School.  Raised in Putnam City schools, he also attended Coronado Heights Elementary and Hefner Junior High School.  His mother was a long time elementary school teacher in the district.  While at Putnam City High School, Cornett was active in student council, honored as the most outstanding student in government, and played on the state championship golf team.  He also started dating his wife, Lisa, his sophomore year of high school and they have been together ever since.  They have raised three sons, Michael, Casey and Tristan-all have attended Putnam City schools.

Putnam City Foundation also honored this year's excellent educators; Patricia George, an alternative education teacher at Cooper Middle School and Rachel McDaniel, library media specialist at James L. Dennis Elementary.  Each teacher was presented an award of $1,000 and $500 to be used to enhance learning opportunities in their classroom. 

School site grant recipients for 2008/2009 are:

Central Elementary School ($500)-Books: A Passport to the World

Lake Park Elementary School ($1,500)-FASTT  Math...On the Fast Track to Math Fluency

Ralph Downs Elementary School ($900)-Overcoming Learning Disabilities with Computers

Hilldale/Tulakes Elementary Schools ($4,250)-Putnam City Elementary Basketball League

Putnam City Strive ($2,400)-Putnam City's Traveling Classrooms

Northridge Elementary School ($1,400)-Reading with Your Ears

Putnam City Academy ($3,150)-SMART Technology=SUPER Learning

Rollingwood Elementary School ($900)-What's That You Say?

Scholarship recipients were:

Ralph Downs Memorial Scholarship ($500)-Melissa Jill Urie-Lanman, teacher at Harvest Hills Elementary School

Roberta Jo Lowe Memorial Scholarship ($500)-Tami Richmond, a certified occupational therapist at Lake Park Elementary School

Carol Casey Memorial Scholarship ($1,500)-Jammy Salinas, a senior at Putnam City High School.

Also honored during the evening were the first recipients of the Dorothy Nixon Memorial Scholarship ($500)-Amy Kilby and Linnea Hammack, both seniors at Putnam City North. 

Plans for next year's banquet are already under way!  Please mark you calendar to attend the 22nd annual Celebration of Excellence Banquet on Tuesday, April 20, 2010 at the National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum.

For more information about the Celebration of Excellence Banquet or to find out how you can be involved, please call (405) 495-5200 x1205 or email dfloresca@putnamcityschools.org.

The mission of the Putnam City Public Schools Foundation is to enhance and enrich educational opportunities in the Putnam City Schools.