Claremore Public Schools

Zebra Travel Diaries entry #10 is cruisin' in from Costa Maya and Cozumel, Mexico!🚢🏖 Here we have the Baldwin Dazzle! Lindsey (CPS Board of Education Member), her husband, and their kids, Hudson (7th grader WRJH), and Riley (6th grader WRJH) enjoyed the salty air and sunset views!🚢🦓🌅 Wherever you travel just rep' your Claremore Zebra Dazzle and send your pics to jbrace@claremore.k12.ok.us! #CPSZEBRAPRIDE #ZebraTravelDiaries

Our Claremore Zebra CHS & WRJH Cheerleaders attended the ECC Camp where they learned new skills and polished up on the ones they have! They brought home awards and new memories! We can’t wait to see these Zebras showcase their talents this year!💪🏼♥️📣🦓 #CPSZEBRAPRIDE

Once a Zebra, Always a Zebra🦓 Welcome to our Alumni series, which features our staff, who are also Zebra Alumni! As we always say, once a Zebra, always a Zebra, and these staff members understood the assignment! If you graduated with today's featured alumni or had them as teachers, give them a shoutout in the comments! 🦓 Tama (Koster) Breen 🏫 Will Rogers Junior HIgh- Art Teacher 🎓Zebra Alumni: 1980 ❤What has been your favorite part about returning as a staff member? I would say my favorite part about coming back as a staff member is I am once again a Zebra! I honestly never left Claremore as I have always been involved in some capacity or another with Claremore Public Schools. It can not be said enough about the collaboration amongst staff, administration, and my amazing co-workers. I love how everyone is one family and supports each other during the best of times and worst of times. A day never passes in our hallways that teachers are not greeting each other with a smile and encouraging each other for the day! There is no other place in the world I would rather be than where I am today! I am also afforded the opportunity to be involved in as well as watch my children and granddaughters grow as students in this district. My oldest granddaughter will graduate this year and become the fourth generation in our Zebra family. 💭What is one of your favorite memories from being a CPS student? I met by best friend and to this day 50 years later we are still best friends. 👩🏻‍🏫What was your favorite class? My favorite class or teacher stirs a lot of memories for me. My teachers from kindergarten through graduation were and are to this day have each provided me with the ability to be the teacher I would like to believe I am. 📣What was your favorite extracurricular? My favorite extra curricular activity was being co-captain of the what we called then the Flag Drill team. I loved getting up in the mornings showing up on the football field with the band preparing routines and practicing to march and show our spirit not only at the football games, but parades as well. ⭐What was trending when you graduated? Clothes, songs, movies, etc. Bell Bottom pants, hip hugger pants to high wasted jeans and tie dye shirts. Music was rock and roll from the Eagles, Peter Frampton to Bob Dylan. Saturday Night Fever, Grease and Carrie were the movies that were popular. #cpszebrapride

Zebra Travel Diaries entry #9 coming in from the Big Apple!🍎🌆 Here we have Mason and Claire Prest at the New York City Museum of Natural History and enjoying lunch overlooking Times Square! 🦓🍽🏙 Showing their "I ❤ #CPSZEBRAPRIDE", no matter where you may go just wear your Zebra logo and send it to jbrace@claremore.k12.ok.us! #ZebraTravelDiaries

Will Rogers Junior High student, Boston Hamilton, who is the quarterback for the 8th grade team was selected for his performance at the Top Gun Competition in Tulsa, OK! He was invited to the FBU Camp (Football University) in Naples, Florida where he will compete against other top QBs in the class of 2029 from all over the US and may have the opportunity to compete in the Under Armour All-American game!💪🏽🏈 Good luck & congratulations to Boston! We love seeing our Zebras put in the extra work and pursue excellence!💪🏽🦓🏈 #cpszebrapride

Happy Juneteenth! As this is a newer federally recognized holiday. On June 19, 1865 Major General Gordon Granger ordered the final enforcement of the Emancipation Proclamation in Texas at the end of the American Civil War. This was more than two years after it was signed. Today, we celebrate African American heritage, culture and most importantly freedom! #cpszebrapride

Zebra Travel Diaries #8 is parasailing in from Myrtle Beach, South Carolina!🚤🏖 Here we have Jacob Aton (8th grader) and Tucker Aton (6th grader) at WRJH along with their mom, Amanda, getting ready for their first parasailing adventure! Abiding by the law & reppin' their #CPSZEBRAPRIDE under their life jackets! ⛵🦓❤ Remember no matter where you go, just wear your Zebra logo (even under your life jacket!) and send your photo to jbrace@claremore.k12.ok.us!

Once a Zebra, Always a Zebra🦓 Welcome to our Alumni series, which features our staff, who are also Zebra Alumni! As we always say, once a Zebra, always a Zebra, and these staff members understood the assignment! If you graduated with today's featured alumni or had them as teachers, give them a shoutout in the comments! 🦓 Jen Coffey 🏫Catalayah Elementary - Art Teacher 🎓Zebra Alumni: 1964 ❤What has been your favorite part about returning as a staff member? The people I work with the teachers, staff and principals. 💭What is one of your favorite memories from being a CPS student? My time in high school. 👩🏻‍🏫What was your favorite class? Geometry Class 📣What was your favorite extracurricular? Cheerleading ⭐What was trending when you graduated? Clothes, songs, movies, etc. Elvis #cpszebrapride

Arrrrggghhhhh you having a good summer?! 🦜🏴‍☠️🦓 #cpszebrapride

📌 𝐀𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧: The Cherokee Nation is providing a one-time payment of $150 through its annual Children’s Clothing Assistance Program to income-eligible Cherokee children residing anywhere in the United States. Cherokee Nation Human Services are now accepting applications through the tribe’s online Gadugi Portal at https://gadugiportal.cherokee.org. The deadline for the application is Tuesday, July 16 at 5 p.m. Learn more at: https://loom.ly/4lR-Vrc

Once a Zebra, Always a Zebra🦓 Welcome to our Alumni series, which features our staff, who are also Zebra Alumni! As we always say, once a Zebra, always a Zebra, and these staff members understood the assignment! If you graduated with today's featured alumni or had them as teachers, give them a shoutout in the comments! 🦓 Jill (Johnson) Andrews 🏫Claremore High School - Teacher 🎓Zebra Alumni: 1993 ❤What do you love most about Claremore Public Schools? I love the sense of community and the quality of education our students receive. Claremore is a community that is rich in tradition, but we still embrace and welcome new ideas. I like that we are small enough to feel like a close-knit community, but we are large enough to offer so many educational and extra-curricular opportunities to our students. ❤What has been your favorite part about returning as a staff member? I enjoy seeing students continue the traditions that I was part of in the 1980s and early 1990s. I also love seeing how our school has grown and changed over the years. I also enjoy having children of former classmates in my classes. I also love that so many of MY former students return to CHS to pursue a career in education. There are currently 10 teachers on the faculty whom I taught, and there are three who are married to students I taught! I had a first this year: seeing students at CHS who are the children of my former students. 💭What is one of your favorite memories from being a CPS student? Linda Batty, the GT instructor, provides me with by far my fondest memories from my days as a student. She was my GT, English, Humanities, and Psychology teacher. I was in her classes for five years: 8th grade-12th grade. She was our academic team coach, which was my favorite activity in junior high and high school. She was not only an amazing and caring educator, but she was an inspiration to all who were fortunate enough to know her. She made a profound impact on thousands of students over the years, and she is one of the reasons I became a teacher myself. I also have very fond memories of falling in love with the French language. 👩🏻‍🏫What was your favorite class or teacher? Do I have to pick one? English and French were my favorite classes. I am certified to teach both of these subjects. In high school, Carol Willet, Carol Little, Beth Young, Linda Batty, and Phyllis Hess were my most influential teachers and mentors. In junior high, my art teacher, Linda Scudder, was my favorite teacher, in addition to Linda Batty. In middle school, Melba Quinton and Debbie Bonham were my favorite teachers. And finally, at Westside Elementary School, I don't think I could pick just one. I loved all of my teachers at Westside. 🧠What was your favorite extracurricular? I was involved in academic team for five years, and I was named to the all area and all state teams in academic bowl my senior year. I was also the president of the French Club and the vice president of the National Honor Society. I ran track and played tennis as well, but I was definitely more academic than athletic. My senior class voted me Most Likely to Succeed. ⭐What was trending when you graduated? Clothes, songs, movies, etc. Body suits with high-waisted shorts, Doc Martens with baby doll dresses, bell bottoms and 70s stuff (Dazed and Confused was a popular movie), plaid flannel, grunge and the movie Singles, knee socks with short skirts, Seinfeld, The X Files, Beverly Hills 90210, The Cranberries, Trip Hop music, the series finale of Cheers, and the siege on the Branch Davidian compound in Waco! Also, 1993 was the infamous prom night tornado at CHS! CHS baseball won the 4A state championship, CHS cheerleaders were not only state champions, but they were also NCA national champions for the first time ever. CHS class of 93 swept float building, winning all three years (9th grade was junior high back then). #cpszebrapride

Zebra Travel Diary #7 comes from the Gonzalez Family in Dover, Oklahoma!🏕 CHS Spanish Teacher, Mrs. Gonzalez, and her 4 children: Keziah (8th/WRJH), Elianna (6th/WRJH), Gabriela (4th/Roosa), and Josiah (2nd/Roosa) are attending family church camp! This camp is very special to the Gonzalez Family as Mrs. Gonzalez has been attending for over 40 years and her great-grandfather was one of the men who helped found the camp. To make the story a little sweeter, she and her husband met at this church camp and now get to bring their children who are 5th-generation campers! 🦓❤🏕 Where you may travel this summer, just rep' your Claremore Zebra Dazzle and send your photo to jbrace@claremore.k12.ok.us! #cpszebrapride #zebratraveldiaries

Former Claremore Public Schools Superintendent (‘77-93), Mr. Bill Salwaechter, who is 93 years young donated his 12th gallon of blood at the last OBI blood drive put on by CPS NJROTC. We think that is something to celebrate, continuously giving back to the community!🦓❤ Once a Zebra, always a Zebra!❤ #CPSZEBRAPRIDE

Once a Zebra, Always a Zebra🦓 Welcome to our Alumni series, which features our staff, who are also Zebra Alumni! As we always say, once a Zebra, always a Zebra, and these staff members understood the assignment! If you graduated with today's featured alumni or had them as teachers, give them a shoutout in the comments! 🦓 Josh Cunningham 🏫Claremore High School - Teacher & Coach 🎓Zebra Alumni: 2011 ❤What has been your favorite part about returning as a staff member? I love the tight-knit community and the opportunity to give back to the school that gave so much to me. 💭What is one of your favorite memories from being a CPS student? Either winning the class 5A dual state wrestling tournament or playing Union in the 5A state football playoffs. My favorite memories were from my time as a student athlete at CHS. 👩🏻‍🏫What was your favorite class or teacher? I had many favorites. I loved Mike Larimer, Jill Andrews, Jan McClaren, & Coach Sullivan. I loved talking sports with Larimer and Sullivan. Andrews and McClaren both pushed me to be a better student, and I truly enjoyed their classes, and how engaging they were. 🏈🤼‍♂️What was your favorite extracurricular? Football and wrestling! I love them both for different reasons. ⭐What was trending when you graduated? Clothes, songs, movies, etc. Denim, high waisted pants, call me maybe, iPhone 4s, Tebowing, Planking, Angry Birds #cpszebrapride

Track State Final Results! In case you missed it our Claremore Zebra Track & Field Athletes brought home the hardware from the 2024 State Championships! Show your #CPSZEBRAPRIDE in the comments!❤🦓🏅 Boys: 🏅100 m - Gage Deckard - 4th 🏅200 m - Gage Deckard - 3rd 🏅4x400m Relay - 4th - Dylan Cryder, Ashton Andrews, Brandon Shaw, & Eli Rodgers 🏅3200m - Devyn Lewellen - 6th 🏅High Jump - Eli Rodgers - 3rd 🏅Long Jump - Nick Garbani, 4th & Marcus Bean, 5th 🏅Pole Vault - Cooper Zickefoose, 2nd - Mason Gillespie, 2nd & Alex Miller, 8th Girls: 🏅3200m - Emma Robinson - 2nd 🏅 800m - Emma Robinson - 8th 🏅 4 x 100m Relay - 8th - Kortlynn Sansom, Addison Reavis, Presley Woods, & Lynie Bailey

Claremore Public Schools will be CLOSED on July 4th & 5th to celebrate the 🎆 Independence Day holiday! 🎇 #CPSZEBRAPRIDE

The Claremore 4th Grade (going into 5th…2032 class) Lacrosse team headed to Texas for the Texas Draw tournament! These boys have only been playing lacrosse for 2 years! They placed 2nd in the tournament only losing to Sentry Lacrosse which is a travel lacrosse club with over 100 former athletes playing in college!🦓🥍💪🏽 They will soon be flying to Kansas City for the KC BBQ tournament followed by another trip in July to Kansas for the Middle of the Map tournament! We love seeing our Zebras putting in the extra work! Way to go!💪🏽 #CPSZEBRAPRIDE Pictured (left to right): Grayson Nantois, Eli Azbell, Connor Suskey, Mac Marler, Rhett Shackelford, Kohen Williams, Easton Osborn, Camden Kimblern, Jackson Etter, Gus Boyer, Nash Williams, and Brody Davis.

IT'S NATIONAL MASCOT DAY!!!! Claremore High School's football team became known as the "Zebras" in the 1920s when they received new striped jerseys. At one of the games, a spectator noted that "they look like a bunch of zebras," and the name stuck. Did you know that the first striped uniforms were purple and gold? In 1930, the superintendent of schools, Homer C. Heard, was trying to keep costs down when it came time to order new uniforms again. He faced the economic situation by ordering cheaper red shirts and white khaki pants. Red and white remain as Claremore's school colors today. The Zebra has been a mainstay. Mascots like the Tigers, the Cardinals, and the Eagles are all over the sports landscape. Claremore is the only school in Oklahoma with a Zebra Mascot! Find more CPS history at the Claremore Museum of History. It's a great day to be a ZEBRA! #CPSZEBRAPRIDE

Zebra Travel Diary entry #6, coming in from Church Camp!🦓♥️ Here we have two Roosa Elementary 3rd graders, Tatum Ringer & Kennedy Froman, are repping their #CPSZEBRAPRIDE at Cedar Point Church kids camp! We love seeing those smiles and Zebra friendships!♥️ No matter where you travel, just rep’ your Claremore Zebra Dazzle and send your photo to jbrace@claremore.k12.ok.us! #ZebraTravelDiaries

Happy retirement to Mrs. Karen Lyon! Mrs. Lyon has dedicated 20 years of her life to education, and 5 of those have been with Claremore Public Schools. In the comments, let's give her a virtual 👏 ovation for her years of service. 🍎 What year did you start teaching for CPS, and at what school? 2019 at Westside Elementary. 🍎 How many years were you a CPS employee? 5 years at CPS 🍎 How many years have you been in education? 19 years 🍎 What are you most proud of in your time at CPS? I am most proud of making a difference in a child’s life. 🍎 What will you take from your experience here at CPS into this next season of life? I will take with me all the wonderful memories of the fantastic kids I have had the opportunity to interact with. 🍎 What are the memories you will take with you? My most memorable moment was listening to one of my students learning to read. 🍎 What advice would you give a new teacher? To have the heart to want to make a difference in a child’s life. 🍎 How do you hope your students remember you? I hope they remember me as a loving and caring person. 🍎 What are your plans after retirement? Spend more time with my grandkids 🍎 What does it mean to be a Zebra to you? It means being the best person you can be and giving it your very best. #cpszebrapride