According to the bosses of Heart of Oklahoma High Schools, education in McClain and Cleveland County continues to move right along.

Those superintendents, Chad Hall at Lexington, Dr. Sheli McAdoo at Purcell, Chris Reynolds at Washington and Dr. Toby Ringwald at Wayne all sounded upbeat when addressing the chamber of commerce at a luncheon last Thursday at Mid-America Technology Center.

One common denominator all the superintendents agreed on was the positives from having bell-to-bell no cell.

They reported students being happier, more in touch with each other and more attentive to learning.

Mike Eubank, superintendent at Mid-America, also spoke at the luncheon telling those in attendance Mid-America serves 19 school districts.

Eubank who sang the praises of internships for students, told the group MATC has 38 Wayne students, 62 from Purcell, 42 from Washington and 53 from Lexington currently attending classes there.

Dr. Ringwald, who brought his daughter, Taelyn, to the luncheon, said he recently asked her what she liked best about attending school in Wayne.

Her answer was “the family atmosphere.”

“Wayne has a family atmosphere,” Toby Ringwald confirmed.

The superintendent reported Wayne has recently added Cross Country to its athletic program and Family Consumer Services, what was home economics in earlier times.

Hall told the audience Lexington Schools have introduced a middle school STEM program and have opened an eight lane track that can be used for larger track meets and even post season events.

Over the summer, Lexington added numerous windows to some older buildings that really transformed their appearance.

Reynolds told the group about the upcoming $7,150,000 bond issue patrons will be voting on October 14.

The funds will be used to upgrade and refurbish existing campus buildings.

“We have one wing of our elementary school that was built in 1954,” Reynolds said.

The plan is to completely gut the structure down to the studs and put in new wiring. Also, he announced plans to tear down the home football bleachers and build new ones with a new press box and put in a new sound system.

“We have a district instructional coach to build a unified teaching process,” Reynolds  said. “We want to put the best instruction in front of students every day.”

Dr. McAdoo applauded the academic success going on at Purcell Schools that includes 13 students in AP Biology.

A grant has been secured by the district for a flight simulator to enhance the aviation curriculum.

Purcell Schools, she reported, are striving to prepare students for career tech and college.

With concurrent studies for college in mind, Dr. McAdoo said Purcell’s goal is to become OCCC South.

She reported walls will be soon going up for the FEMA gymnasium, the Ag barn has been demolished. That demolition was done by alumni saving the district funding that can be used to go into the new Ag barn project.

She applauded the district’s  internship program and called public education, “the cornerstone of America.”