School presentations

A trio of special presentations had the attention of Purcell school board members at Monday’s meeting.

Carol Testa, the district’s athletic director, shared news of a live-streaming service that went active at Tuesday’s basketball game.

After months of research during which several providers were considered, the district opted to sign a 5-year contract with the National Federation of High Schools.

Testa cited the “great quality” of the cameras provided by NFHS.

The two cameras the district has received would cost approximately $15,000.

Instead, the contract cost the district $2,500.

In addition to quality, Testa said the cameras don’t require an operator.

“They are motion-activated,” she added.

One camera was installed in The Reimer Center at the high school and the other at Conger Field.

In addition to sports, the live streaming can be used for other events, as well.

Patrons will pay $10.99 per month or $59.99 a year to view games and other content.

“They can watch any events from any schools (using NFHS),” she continued.

The district will receive a small portion of the subscription fees in year four.

In the meantime, the district can generate income through advertising sales.

“The schools will get all that revenue,” she said.

Another feature is the opportunity for subscribers to purchase DVD’s of specific events.

Patrons can register for the service at www.nfhsnetwork.com.

High school principal Jason Sanders spoke on the state-mandated report on college readiness and remediation.

The most recent remediation data is from the 2018-19 school year.

Oklahoma’s colleges and universities require remediation courses for students who score below 19 in any of the four main areas of the ACT test – science, English, math and reading.

In 2018, 87 percent of 102 seniors graduated on time. There  were three dropouts and the remainder of seniors graduated later obtained a GED.

Sanders explained the high school has implemented an 8-point plan for instructional improvement.

Key points call for all students to take college prep courses regardless whether they plan to attend college.

In addition, students will receive college and career pathway guidance from the time they enroll in the high school until they graduate.

Under the improvement plan, all juniors will take the ACT in the spring. However, they also have the option to take the test in the fall.

The third presentation was by elementary principal Cindy Stone, who shared the SMORE newsletter she is utilizing to stay in contact with parents.

SMORE is a multimedia platform and is only shared within the school setting.

Patrons can choose to read the newsletter in either English or Spanish.

The board also approved the district’s 2019-20 audit prepared by Bledsoe, Hewett & Gullekson.

The audit presentation was conducted remotely on ZOOM.