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Westbrook News February 22 2018

By
Patty Bryant
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We hope everyone had a wonderful Valentines Day.  We sure did here. The Trinity Holiness
Church brought each resident a beautiful flower in a vase.  We would like to thank them so much
for this.  We loved them.  Also a special thanks to the G F W C  Sorosis Club for providing our
Valentine party; they do this annually.  Ladies attending were: Rinda Griffin, Ginger Fitzgerald,
Melicia McFadden, Starr Herron, Vicki Etheridge, America Dudley, Denise Linzman,
Norma Skelton, Ann Medlinger, Gloria England, Lisa Adkins and Liz Scott.  They provided lots
of delicious foods, each resident a bag of goodies and played our favorite game Bingo with
great prizes.  We love this party and really appreciate it.
      Our Band/Family night is coming up March 1st at 5:30.  If you would like to enjoy a delicious
meal and listen to great music and singing, come join us.
      We really appreciate all of our Volunteers. Mike Bates and Ron Switzer do a Bible Study on
Mondays.  Joyce at Garrett’s Flower Shop furnishes flowers for each Birthday.  Have a blessed
week.

The Federal Testing Dinosaur with Little Arms

By
Tom Deighan
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“I am never gonna defeat Zurg!” exclaims a frustrated Rex, the lovable cartoon Tyrannosaur as he plays a video game. “Look at my little arms!” In contrast to the terrifying dinosaur in Jurassic Park, Toy Story pointed out the absurdity of tiny arms attached to such a deadly monster!  I suspect they went extinct out of sheer frustration.

Another deadly beast with little arms emerged about the same time as Jurassic Park and Toy Story: the federal testing monster.  And just as those franchises that have spanned over two decades, today’s millennial parents cannot imagine an educational system without federalized testing.  Many of our current parents attended school during No Child Left Behind, and many of them carried Toy Story or Jurassic Park lunchboxes.  As much as they like the movie Tyrannosaurs, I suspect parents no longer like the testing monster.  

Perhaps federalized testing started like the loveable Rex from the cartoon, but a T-Rex is a T-Rex, and it eventually needed to feed.  Twenty years into this adventure, little arms and hands may ultimately defeat the beast, however.  A Tyrannosaurus Rex cannot run a keyboard, but neither can our third-graders. Trust me, eight and nine-year-olds are just as frustrated as Rex trying to defeat the evil Emperor Zurg during marathon testing sessions. I cannot imagine how this is developmentally appropriate or valid, but third-graders often cry and/or vomit from the stress of taking their first high-stakes test under these conditions.  “Look at my little fingers!”    

As you can imagine, third-grade is when Toy Story’s loveable Rex turns into the terrifying monster from Jurassic Park. Those absurd little arms become less cute as children are chased relentlessly for the next decade.  Teachers and administrators fear its wrath.  Parents tremble at its roar.  It has even invaded cities with completely arbitrary A-F scores that disingenuously compare communities and impact everything from property values to economic development. Those little arms aren’t so funny now.

To make it worse, parents and students emerge from the jungle as juniors and seniors only to discover that none of these tests had any bearing on their college or career readiness.  The vomiting and crying begin again as they face ACT, SAT, ASVAB, and other vocational tests that employers, recruiters, and colleges actually value. We spend so much time running from the federal testing dinosaur that we never really prepare students with essential skills and assessments that impact adulthood.  

Perhaps we have given the big-headed, little-armed beast too much credit – like Tiny the dinosaur from Meet the Robinsons. “I have a big head and little arms,” Tiny says in frustration when he cannot reach a boy standing in a corner. “I am just not sure how well this plan was thought through,” he confesses.  

Next week, the Oklahoma State Testing Program results will be released statewide.  Schools will be bludgeoned for test scores that invalidly compare pre-pandemic 2019 students with 2021 students who were forced to stay home an entire spring and then endure an entire year of school disrupted by quarantines or worse, no school at all.  This is entirely fair, of course, because the pandemic has not had any significant impact on anything or anyone else.

By design, this system ensures public schools fall short, but dinosaurs are always destined to fail. I wonder what would happen if we focused on those essential skills for college and career readiness instead of big monsters with tiny arms that cannot grasp our future?  Just imagine a school system wholly invested in preparing adult-ready graduates with essential skills instead of running from dinosaurs.  Twenty years of this has proven that we can no longer do both, so maybe it’s time to ask what we really want for our children and grand-children.  Perhaps, parent and educator frustration will eventually kill this dinosaur, too, but please keep those cool lunch boxes.

Tom Deighan is currently the superintendent of Duncan Public Schools. He may be reached at deighantom@gmail.com  You may read past articles at www.mostlyeducational.com

Cole Statement on Retirement of NIH Director Francis Collins

By
Tom Cole
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Moore, OK – Congressman Tom Cole (OK-04) issued the following statement after it was announced that Dr. Francis Collins, Director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), will retire at the end of 2021 after a 12-year tenure under three consecutive presidential administrations. Cole is the Ranking Member of the House Appropriations Subcommittee that provides funding for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, which includes the NIH. 

“It is with very mixed emotions that I learned of the retirement at the end of this year of Dr. Francis Collins, long-time director of the National Institutes of Health,” said Cole. “Naturally, I am pleased that someone who has worked so long and hard for the American people and for all of humanity is going to have an opportunity to take some time and smell the roses along the way. However, as a strong supporter and advocate of the NIH, I know how much he will be missed at the Institute, by the biomedical community, in the halls of Congress and amongst his scientific peers around the world.

“Dr. Collins has served with exceptional distinction. The only person appointed by three different presidents to directorship of the NIH, I have often called him the ‘best politician in Washington, D.C.’ Who else could be appointed by President Barack Obama, President Donald Trump and President Joe Biden? The fact that Dr. Francis Collins holds this unique distinction is a testament to the high regard in which he is held across the political spectrum.

“A brilliant scientist in his own right, no one matches the ability of Dr. Collins to marshal and focus the scientific community. His concentrated attention to the well-being and health of people all over the world are literally unmatched. During his tenure, Dr. Collins advocated for greater federal investment in the NIH’s budget, and he worked to advance many biomedical research initiatives focused on such ailments as cancer and Alzheimer’s disease. Indeed, his crowning achievement was probably the critical role he played in coordinating private and public efforts to produce the coronavirus vaccines that were the product of Operation Warp Speed. That effort alone has already saved millions of lives in America and around the world. 

“I do not believe we have heard the last of Dr. Francis Collins. I have no doubt that future administrations of both parties will call upon him for his wise counsel, brilliant insights and exceptional public credibility. While I wish my good friend well in his retirement, I would suggest he not go far because I suspect his country will call upon his services again.”

Cole Mourns Loss of General Charles McGee

By
Curtis Plant
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Washington, D.C. — Congressman Tom Cole (OK-04) issued the following statement in remembrance of Brigadier General Charles McGee, who recently passed away.

“We lost a true American hero over the weekend with the passing of Tuskegee Airman Charles McGee, who left a remarkable legacy during his 102 years on earth,” said Cole. “Not only did he serve as an airman who flew 409 fighter combat missions in three wars, he was also a known civil rights leader who fought for racial equality by bringing attention to the black pilots who served our country and encouraging several generations of young Americans to enlist for military service. 

“As a representative of the House Defense Appropriations Subcommittee, I had the distinct privilege of meeting and speaking at a ceremony honoring then-Colonel General McGee when he was a spry 92 years old. I was delighted to see him again just two years ago as one of the honored guests during the annual State of the Union address in the House chamber of our Capitol. During the speech, he was singled out by former President Donald Trump, who had promoted McGee to Brigadier General, recognizing also McGee’s great grandson, who wanted to become an astronaut and was seated with him. It was truly an amazing moment.

“General McGee was an amazing man — erect, sharp, confident, serene and unflappable. At the time of his retirement, he had flown more combat missions in three different wars than any other pilot in the history of the United States Air Force. It was a privilege to be in his company, shake his hand and thank him for his service to America. As a grateful nation, we will never forget his service. Indeed, it will continue to inspire generations to come.”

Long-Time Ryan Coach Steps Aside From Grid Responsibilities

By
Trey Smart
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Veteran Ryan football coach Stan Mueggenborg has stepped away from the program after 12 seasons as the head of the Cowboy program.

 Mueggenborg will remain on the faculty at Ryan and will coach fast-pitch softball this fall and slow-pitch softball next spring.

 Tony Tomberlin, who served as an assistant under Mueggenborg for all 12 seasons, will take over the head coaching reins and it is hoped the transition will be seamless.

 Tomberlin will be the 33rd different head coach in school history.  

 In 2006, Mueggenborg took over the coaching duties of the football program at Ryan after coaching stops at Wichita Falls Notre Dame and Grandfield. He was a football assistant at Grandfield for 19 years.

 There are a number of accomplishments for Mueggenborg in his 12 years at the helm of the Cowboys.

 Mueggenborg is the longest tenured coach in program history and no one else comes close.

 Ryan’s first football coach, G.J. Williams coached nine seasons at Ryan, but that was over three different time periods.

The only other football coach to come remotely close to Mueggenborg’s tenure would be Raymon West, who coached football on three different occasions totaling seven years.

 Mueggenborg will end his career at Ryan with an 81-52 mark. That is the most wins by any Ryan coach in school history.

 The winning percentage of .609 is the third best among coaches who have served at Ryan for at least three years or more.

 In his first season as head coach of the Cowboys, Mueggenborg directed the squad to an 11-2 record and an appearance in the state semifinals where the Cowboys were upset by Temple, 26-7.

 In 2009, Mueggenborg coached the Cowboys to a 10-0 record in the regular season and then helped.

 In 2009, Mueggenborg coached the Cowboys to a 10-0 record in the regular season and then helped Ryan make another semifinal appearance where the Cowboys fell to eventual state champion Canton, 42-8.

 The 2009 campaign is one of only four seasons in school history that Ryan posted an undefeated record in the regular season and each season had a different head coach.

 Those two semifinal appearances are part of nine semifinal contests for Ryan and only Phil Elerick has coached more state semifinal games at Ryan than Mueggenborg.

 In his last season, Mueggenborg helped the Cowboys to a 6-5 mark and a playoff appearance that ended a two-year drought of post-season play for Ryan.

 Mueggenborg led the Cowboys to nine playoff appearances in his 12 seasons and has two district titles to his credit.

 The Ryan teams that Mueggenborg coached were always highly competitive, hard-nosed and hard-hitting.

 The Cowboy squads coached by the veteran coach did not quit – even in the midst of tremendous adversity such as was experienced in the 2015 and 2016 seasons when the Cowboys won only three total games.

 Mueggenborg was also the baseball coach for 11 years and his teams won two conference tournament titles and one district championship. Mueggenborg gave up the baseball coaching duties last season to coach slow-pitch softball

 Another noted achievement for Mueggenborg during his coaching reign was the construction of a new stadium for Ryan in 2008. The metal bleachers and press box replaced the stadium seating that had been in existence since 1947.

 Tomberlin, who has primarily been in charge of the defense during his 11 years as an assistant, will face a tough challenge in returning the Cowboys to the playoffs.

 Ryan is assigned to District B-4 for the next two seasons and will face stiff competition in the upcoming season from Central High, Wilson, Waurika and Empire.

 However, Tomberlin will be one of five new coaches among the district schools. Only Central High will have the same coach from the 2017 season.

 The Cowboys have been engaged in summer conditioning and Tomberlin noted that those who have been participating have been working hard.

 Ryan has been the only coaching responsibility for Tomberlin and he has served in nearly every sport.

 He has been the head coach for boys’ and girls’ track for nine seasons where he coached one individual state champion and six individual regional champions.

 In 2009, he was the head coach of the Cowgirl basketball squad for the second half of the season. He also was the boys’ coach for the 2010-2012 seasons and he led the Cowboys to a pair of district titles.

 For the past 12 seasons he has also served as the assistant for baseball and was named the high school principal in 2014.

 The Cowboy football season gets underway on August 24 when Ryan will welcome Snyder to Bob Givens Sports Complex.

Dave Says

By
Dave Ramsey
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Hope is a good thing

Dear Dave,

What is the main difference between people who follow your plan, stick with it and succeed, and those who fall off along the way?

Damon

Dear Damon,

I’ve walked with thousands of families through financial problems. Some of them were speedbumps that just needed to be smoothed out, while others seemed like mountains. The biggest factor I’ve noticed separating those who stick with it and gain control of their finances, from those who give up and go back to their old ways, can be boiled down to one simple word—hope.

Hope is stolen when we misunderstand failure and believe lies. One of the biggest lies that robs people of hope is the one that says failure is permanent. The moment we start seeing failures of the past as predictors of our futures, it extinguishes that ember of hope. Failure happens to all of us at times. It’s natural, and it is normal. The way to reach your goals, though, is to keep failure in its cage. And failure is caged when we begin to understand it isn’t permanent. 

Winston Churchill once said, “Success is going from failure to failure without loss of enthusiasm.” If we believe failure is here to stay, we lose enthusiasm. And that leads to an inability to re-focus on success. People often make dumb, short-term decisions when they’re in financial difficulty. If you talk yourself into believing you’ll never be able to save enough money to pay cash for a car, you’ll lose hope and borrow the money. Debt not only robs you of the ability to build wealth, but it’s also usually the result of losing hope. 

Have you done something stupid or wrong in the past that you are still reliving daily? Is that memory haunting you, and stealing your hope? Remember, the past only has power over you if you let it have that power. Don’t get me wrong. The past canhurt, and it can be disappointing. But you can either give in to it and let it control you, or you can learn from it and make a conscious decision to keep moving forward.

The choice is yours!

— Dave

* Dave Ramseyis a seven-time #1 national best-selling author, personal finance expert, and host of The Ramsey Show, heard by more than 18 million listeners each week. Hehas appeared on Good Morning America, CBS This Morning, Today Show, Fox News, CNN, Fox Business, and many more. Since 1992, Dave has helped people regain control of their money, build wealth and enhance their lives. He also serves as CEO for Ramsey Solutions.

Westbrook Nursing Home News

By
Patty Bryant
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 We had a wonderful Mother’s Day. On Friday we enjoyed our annual Mother’s Day party. Each lady received a beautiful flower and we presented certificates to our oldest Ethel Anthony (Pictured above), Youngest Minia H., and Mother with the most children Lupe R., A very special thanks to our CDM Cora Bailey, The Local Flower Shop/Tina Morrison and everyone who helped make this day so special for our ladies.

Lupe R

Last week was nursing home week. Each day we dressed up and had special foods. We had pajama day and enjoyed donuts. We had cowboy day with a cookout, grilled hamburgers, potato salad, baked beans and cobbler. It was delicious. We had a cow chip throw and Ronnie won that. We enjoyed Hawaiian day with delicious fresh fruit and dip served in pineapples. On Friday we enjoyed Rootbeer floats and had karaoke. Then we had a drawing for wonderful door prizes. A special thanks to these wonderful merchants for donating door prizes for our residents and staff. Thanks to action fitness, addington station and antiques, Beaver Creek Lumber, Bills Fish House, Dees restaurant, Eagle Nutrition, Eck Drug, Markette, QuikMart, Sheltons, and Sonic, we really appreciate you all. A special thanks to our CDM Cora Bailey and maintenance Eric Bailey for all the cooking. Also thanks to our residents and staff for a fun week. Have a blessed week.

The Fall Breaking Point and Funyuns

By
Tom Deighan
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For many educators, Fall Break is the best break because it marks the end of the hectic march connecting school years. Since Spring Break, we have ended one year (with the endless reports) and started another. Then in August, school starts again, and a new generation of reports begins. Virtually everything converges in the days before Fall Break, from grades to budgeting, so for your local educators, it really can be the Fall Breaking Point. Thankfully, hunting season is here!  

We lowly educators are not alone this year, however. Many parents and students have also developed a twitch, or worse, a blank stare. I also see it across the service industries:  restaurants and retail workers and customer service people are at the Fall Breaking Point. Whether they work at a drive-thru or the counter at City Hall, ask them, and I bet they have been cussed lately. People are downright mean. Surly. Abusive. Beavis and Buttheads. No wonder people are quitting in droves. Economics are surely a factor, but I bet they are also tired of getting attacked over the most trivial of matters. 

My job connects me to people from all walks of life, so I can assure you that it’s not just limited to frontline workers. If you are nearing the breaking point, just consider those in law enforcement. In addition to endless attacks on their credibility in recent years, they face Beavis and Buttheads who are also potentially armed. Furthermore, substance abuse is the other pandemic in this pandemic, exacerbating domestic abuse, child abuse, and other horrendous crimes. When I knock on a door during the school day, I am greeted by happy children, but when they knock on a door, they brace for violence instead of smiles. 

It gets worse, however, for those who have traditionally maintained our safety nets are nearing the Fall Breaking Point, too. Pastors and counselors are dragging after this two-year slog through COVID and all the baggage it has produced.  Our medical professionals, however, may have suffered most after living in bizarro universe for the past two years. When our mental and physical health providers are barely holding on, what will the rest of us do?

Regardless of your profession or position, however, the COVID age has depleted you. If you are human, something about this is getting to you: politics, economics, supply-chain issues. Did you realize there was a Funyuns shortage recently. Come on, man!  Funyuns, for God’s sake!  

Fortunately, I read in a good book once that none of us is facing anything alone. If we are stressed, we can be reassured that our fellow brothers and sisters are stressed, too. Sometimes, just knowing that we are not suffering alone is the blessing. When you’re ready to tear into that clerk because you cannot get your favorite snack, consider how many cussings they have endured lately. Don’t be the one who breaks them this fall.  

We have heard that misery loves company, but that only applies if that company somehow makes things better. More accurately, it should be misery loves kind company, for we can only reduce others’ stress if we offer love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control as alternatives. Against such things, Beavis and Buttheads don’t stand a chance. Otherwise, we just make each other more miserable. So if you are near the Fall Breaking Point, just remember that literally everyone you know is also angry about something. Instead of pushing them over the edge, however, reassure them that we will somehow get through this. And if that doesn’t work, get a hunting license. Even if you don’t kill anything, sitting out in the cold for a few hours would likely do us all some good. Wear lots of orange, however, because the other hunters are mad about Funyuns, too, and they are definitely armed. 

Tom Deighan is currently the superintendent of Duncan Public Schools. Email him at deighantom@gmail.com  Read past articles at www.mostlyeducational.com

Waurika Cub Scouts Earn Highest Rank

By
News Release
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Cub Scouts Advancement ceremony 2022

Arlington Forst earned Tiger Rank

Canyon Carter & Heston Etheridge- Wolf Rank

Eli Patterson- Bear Rank

Jackson Edwards & Jake Reagan- Webelos Rank

Easton Barnes, Landon Brackett, Oat Wyler and Ace Dyer earned the Arrow of Light award (This is the highest rank you can achieve in Cub Scouts. It’s like getting your Eagle Rank in Boy Scouts.)

Cole Mourns the Passing of State Senator Charles Ford

By
Tom Cole
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Moore, OK – Congressman Tom Cole (OK-04) today issued the following statement on the passing of the longest serving Republican state legislator in Oklahoma history, Charles Ford of Tulsa.

“I learned of Senator Ford’s passing with a heavy heart. He was a colleague, a personal friend and a great Oklahoman who served our state with great integrity, skill and decency over the course of a long and distinguished career in the Oklahoma Legislature.

“Both my late mother, Helen Cole, and I had the privilege of serving with Senator Charles Ford in the Oklahoma State Senate. And during my tenure as Secretary of State and Chief Legislative Liaison for Governor Frank Keating, Charlie Ford was an invaluable ally, wise counselor and critical voice in moving Oklahoma forward.

“Senator Ford was respected on both sides of the aisle and brokered many a deal between the two parties in the Oklahoma Legislature. Everyone who served with him respected his wisdom and wit. Charlie made his points with a home spun humor that made legislators laugh and pushed them toward making the deals necessary to move the state forward.

“No one loved and revered the Oklahoma Legislature as an institution and a fraternity more than my friend, Senator Ford. He founded and served as president of the Oklahoma State Senate Historical Fund, Inc. When my mother passed, Senator Ford helped me to secure the funding for an appropriate memorial — a portrait of my mother’s revered Aunt Te Ata, the famous Chickasaw artist and storyteller, painted in the 1920’s. It now is permanently displayed at the Oklahoma State Capitol.

“Charles Ford was a visionary Oklahoma leader who served our state and his party with distinction, honor, integrity and great professionalism. He was the greatest Republican legislator of his era and probably in the history of Oklahoma. 

“We have lost a great Oklahoman and I have lost a wonderful mentor, trusted advisor and dear friend. I will miss Charlie Ford. Oklahoma will miss him even more.”

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