Education
Schools suffer librarian shortage
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DREW HARMON | The Edmond Sun Cheyenne Middle School media specialist Jennifer Babb leads a media center orientation for seventh-graders Tuesday afternoon. Babb, who was a geography teacher at Cheyenne for seven years, has 12 credit hours out of the 36 she needs for a master's degree in media information from the University of Central Oklahoma. Because of a shortage at the position, many Oklahoma schools are hiring media specialists who are still in the process of meeting degree requirements. Drew Harmon
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DREW HARMON | The Edmond Sun Seventh-graders Adam Stow, left, and Zach Franklin work on an information scavenger hunt in the media center at Cheyenne Middle School during an orientation session led by media specialist Jennifer Babb. Drew Harmon
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One Edmond school, Deer Creek High School receive exemption
EDMOND — Oklahoma public schools are experiencing a shortage of certified media specialists. This has forced many schools to ask for exemptions from the State Board of Education, which requires media specialists to have a master’s degree in education and a media specialist certification.
The Oklahoma State Board of Education reviewed applications for exemptions from eight schools Thursday, requesting they be allowed to hire media specialists who were working toward certification.
Wendy Pratt, communications director for the Oklahoma State Board of Education, said all eight schools were granted exemptions, including Cheyenne Middle School in Edmond and Deer Creek High School.
“There’s a shortage of certified media directors,” said Debbie Bendick, principal of Cheyenne Middle School. “I can’t tell you how many people that called that were working on their master’s.”
The state board already has approved 15 media specialist exemptions for the 2007-08 school year. The board approved 36 exemptions for the 2006-07 school year.
Bendick said Cheyenne’s new media specialist, Jennifer Babb, is working toward her master’s degree at the University of Central Oklahoma. Bendick said Babb has been on staff at Cheyenne for seven years and is most qualified for the job because she is familiar with the school’s curriculum.
Bendick said Babb took classes during the summer and frequently called her.
“She was so excited about what she was learning,” she said.
Lenis DeRieux, personnel and communications director for Deer Creek Public Schools, said they applied for an exemption because they did not have any certified media specialists respond to the job posting.
“There are very few positions they allow you to ask for exemptions for,” DeRieux said of the state board.
Pratt said there is a shortage of certified media specialists because having a master’s degree is a requirement. She said many schools have been hiring certified teachers to fill the positions. The teachers have three years to earn a master’s degree, take media specialist classes and pass the certification test once the exemptions are approved.
Pratt said there about five universities in Oklahoma that have degree programs for media specialists.
- Education
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Summit puts finishing touches on new construction
Summit Middle School students settled into their new surroundings the first day of school in the fall, and this week finishing touches are being added to the Fine Arts classrooms of the new wing.
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Schools set makeup dates for snow days
Edmond Public Schools will make up the two additional snow days taken this week by eliminating a teacher in-service day scheduled for Feb. 15, and tacking on one extra day to the end of the school year.
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School nutrition pilot program to expand
The scorecard is in and Edmond Public Schools Child Nutrition pilot program earned high marks.
- 2-6 School calendars
- 2-6 School menus
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Edmond joins ‘Race to the Top’
The Edmond Public School District is joining other districts across the state in pursuing a Race to the Top federal discretionary grant.
The U.S. Department of Education’s voluntary grant competition between the states is designed to foster education, innovation and reform that will lead to dramatic gains in student achievement. Nationally there is $4.5 billion available for this program, according to the National Council on Teacher Quality 2009 State Teacher Policy Yearbook. -
UCO Educators’ Leadership Academy set to begin
The University of Central Oklahoma-based Educators’ Leadership Academy is accepting applications for it’s 2010-11 academies designed for education professionals in Oklahoma.
ELA customizes each academy for the specialized needs of education professionals, and currently offers a Combination Academy for K-12, CareerTech and Higher Education Administrators, a Professors Academy, a Principals Academy, a Teachers Academy and a Higher Education Department Chair Academy. -
1-30 Calendar: Edmond schools
Memorial High School
Sunday
5-8 p.m.: Baseball Banquet, commons/cafe
Monday
8-9 a.m.: National FCCLA Week, Rooms 225 & 227
9:30-10 a.m.: Freshman Winter Sports Assembly, gym
9:40-10:10 a.m.: Key Club meeting, Room 283 -
1-30 Education: in brief
OSSM recognizes students of the month
Several students from Edmond made the Oklahoma School of Science and Math’s Students of the Month list in recent months.
Junior Grant Schleifer was recognized in October.
Matthew Stewart and Jing Zhang were recognized in November. -
North basketball clinic to benefit BALTO Week
Seventeen years ago, the Edmond North High School Student Council Leadership Class wanted to begin a charity week.
Swine Week at Edmond Memorial High School was already established, and some would argue that North copied their tradition, but the students began BALTO week, a week all their own.
“The name ‘BALTO Week’ is an acronym quite fitting to our school,” said North student Callie Heerwagen. - More Education Headlines
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