Claremore Public Schools

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! 🦓 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

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

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.

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

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! 🦓 Keeli (Garroutte) Coyle 🏫Claremore High School - Teacher 🎓Zebra Alumni: 2009 ❤What has been your favorite part about returning as a staff member? I think continuing to be a part of school/community traditions is my favorite part. There are so many events/opportunities at the high school, and it is so fun to see students get to participate in them each year. 💭What is one of your favorite memories from being a CPS student? In High School, I have lots of softball memories. I was fortunate to play with my sister and other best friends, which was a blast. We played at Hall of Fame in three different state tournaments and I loved every minute of that experience. 👩🏻‍🏫What was your favorite class or teacher? At Roosa, I loved Mrs. Lehman in Kindergarten and Mrs. Salley in third grade. In High School, I had too many favorites to list, but I got to have my mom as a teacher in three different classes, and she was fantastic. In fact, she taught me in both classes I teach currently. 🥎What was your favorite extracurricular? Softball ⭐What was trending when you graduated? Clothes, songs, movies, etc. Harsh side part, low rise jeans, original yoga pants with a flair, layered shirts, long necklaces, silly unnecessary belts, and Poker face by Lady Gaga and Boom Boom Pow were two top songs in May 2009. #cpszebrapride

Future Friday🏫🎓 ＄2 , 4 5 5 , 4 1 0 That is the amount of scholarships the Class of 2024 reported receiving this year. Five CPS seniors received $1,000 each from the Claremore Alumni Association Scholarship, totaling a $5,000 investment. Pictured: Madison Ferrel, Mason Pixley, Annabelle Vanaman, Abbey Hendrickson, Drew Mason, Meredith Andrews, Adele Wilson, and Jay Arkie. If you want to donate to the Alumni Scholarship Fund, contact Wendee Henry at alumni@claremore.k12.ok.us. #CPSZEBRAPRIDE #FUTUREFRIDAY

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, 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! 🦓Karisa Morgan 🏫Claremore High School - Counselor 🎓Zebra Alumni: 2016 ❤What has been your favorite part about returning as a staff member? I love the community and have been so welcomed, and I feel like I am right where I belong. It is also fun getting to work with some of the teachers who taught me while I was a student at CHS.I love that I feel confident in knowing I can always ask questions and have mentors to help me navigate my first year at CPS. No one has ever turned me away or said they couldn't help; it is like a big family helping each other succeed. 💭What is one of your favorite memories from being a CPS student? It is hard to choose just one, but doing the lip dubs every year was always a lot of fun. 👩🏻‍🏫What was your favorite class? Art was definitely one of my favorite classes. 🏈What was your favorite extracurricular? I loved to play soccer! ⭐What was trending when you graduated? Clothes, songs, movies, etc. One thing I remember being big when I graduated was the students putting Chuck Norris memes everywhere, lots of people wore scarves, and we had to wear lanyards with our student ID everywhere. #cpszebrapride

New PR’s and #CPSZEBRAPRIDE in today's #ZebraTravelDiaries, from Chanute, KS!🏊🏼‍♂️🦓 Keldan Wheeler, an incoming sophomore, traveled to Chanute, Kansas, for a swim meet with the Green Country Swim Team! While there, he achieved new PRs in all his events, even shaving 22 seconds off his 200 IM! All while reppin’ his Zebra Soccer pride! Congratulations, Keldan!💪🏼🦓 Whether you go to Grandma’s, Grand Canyon, or Grand Caymans, wear your Zebra gear and send your photo to jbrace@claremore.k12.ok.us!

Happy retirement to Mrs.Terri Tugmon! She has dedicated 35 years of her life to education, and to close the chapter, she chose to spend her last 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? 2023, Will Rogers Junior High 🍎 How many years were you a CPS employee? 1 year 🍎 How many years have you been in education? 35 years 🍎 What are you most proud of in your time at CPS? Helping the new teachers who have never taught not to be afraid and just to relax. There are just some things you have to let go. 🍎What will you take from your experience here at CPS into this next season of life? CPS really tries to give the teachers anything they need to help teach the kids. In my 30 years of teaching, this was a first! 🍎 What advice would you give a new teacher? Relax, take care of yourself, always love the kids well enough that you discipline them, be strong, and never stop. 🍎 How do you hope your students remember you? I loved them and taught them with fun and lots of laughter. 🍎 What are your plans after retirement? Teach people to fly and spend a lot of time with my 2 daughters, 6 grandchildren, and my BFF in the world, my husband of 53 years. Spend quality time with the Lord and see who I can minister to. 🍎 What does it mean to be a Zebra to you? I met many amazing teachers, and I hope God says to me on the last day I walk out, "Well done, my Good and Faithful Servant!" #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, 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! 🦓 Jenni (O’Connor) Howard 🏫 Claremont Elementary - Secretary 🎓Zebra Alumni: 1994 ❤What has been your favorite part about returning as a staff member? Returning to my elementary school and making many new friends, my Claremont students & coworkers are family to me! 💭What is one of your favorite memories from being a CPS student? I loved going to football games and school dances. 👩🏻‍🏫What was your favorite class or teacher? My favorite class was French with Mrs. Little ⭐What was trending when you graduated? Cruising main Street in Claremore was the thing to do! #cpszebrapride

Zebra Stripes Summer Camp The Zebra Stripes Summer Day Care Program is held during the summer season. Our program focuses on providing exceptional care for kindergarten through fifth grade. (Pre-K enrolment is accepted on a case-by-case basis.) The program will offer age-appropriate activities to provide the children with social, emotional, and physical development. June - August 2024 Kindergarten - Fifth Grade 2 Camp Sessions 🌞June 3 - June 28, 2024 🌞July 8 - August 2, 2024 ⌚ 6:30 AM - 6 PM Full-Time l Part-Time l Drop-In Rates Available Summer Enrollment Packet https://5il.co/gxfd

Happy retirement to Mrs. Jennifer Montgomery! She has dedicated 32 years of her life to education, all at 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? 1991 at CUE 🍎 How many years have you been in education? 32 years, all with CPS. 🍎 What are you most proud of in your time at CPS? Coaching Volleyball, teaching Science, and making friends that are like family. 🍎 What will you take from your experience here at CPS into this next season of life? Not to take myself so seriously and to pick my battles about what is truly important. 🍎 What are the memories you will take with you? Anytime you see that look in the students' eyes when they understand a new concept. 🍎 What advice would you give a new teacher? Be patient and remember you aren't their friend; you are more than that. You are teaching them values and skills that extend beyond the classroom. 🍎 How do you hope your students remember you? Someone who would listen to them and be encouraging. 🍎 What are your plans after retirement? Exploring Oklahoma and places near by. We have a farm so that keeps us close. 🍎 What does it mean to be a Zebra to you? School and town pride. My family has lived in Claremore for multiple generations. My great-grandfather, E. V. Story, attended school here and played on the 1907 Claremore football team. #cpszebrapride

#ZebraTravelDiaries entry #3 coming in from Charleston, South Carolina!🌊🦓 Claremont Elementary’s, Mrs. Keener is sporting her #CPSZEBRAPRIDE while enjoying the sites and hydrangeas of Charleston!🌸☀️🦓 Near or far, just wear your Zebra gear and send a photo to Jbrace@claremore.k12.ok.us!

Happy retirement to Perry Cagle! Mr. Cagle has dedicated 32 years of his life to Claremore Public Schools. In the comments, let's give him a virtual 👏 ovation for his years of service. 🍎 What school are you currently teaching at for CPS? Claremore High School 🍎 What year did you start teaching for CPS, and at what school? 1992, Claremore Junior High 🍎 How many years were you a CPS employee? 32 years 🍎 How many years have you been in education? 37 years 🍎 What are you most proud of in your time at CPS? Watching my 3 kids graduate and go on to college and be successful. Hopefully, I have impacted most students I have interacted with in class or athletics. 🍎What will you take from your experience here at CPS into this next season of life? I have memories of students saying thank you in the classroom, of coaching, and of just being able to help students believe in themselves a little more to be successful. That one kind, positive, or encouraging word may be all they need to get through the day. 🍎 What are the memories you will take with you? I love it when students win scholarships or awards that I had in class or athletics. Maybe I had a little to do with that accomplishment. 🍎 What advice would you give a new teacher? It is hard sometimes, but the good you will do is very rewarding. 🍎How do you hope your students remember you? Just as a very fair person who they knew really liked to teach. 🍎What are your plans after retirement? I plan to spend time with my wife doing whatever she wants to do, a little bit of travel, and some of the things that she wants to do. She has been a blessing to me for the 45 years that I have known her and the 44 years we have been married. I also plan to work at the farm with the cattle, fishing, and hunting. 🍎 What does it mean to be a Zebra to you? It has been almost half of my life. When Mr. Blevins hired me, he told me, Perry, you will really like it. He told me he could tell that I was passionate about what I was doing in my life as a Husband, Parent, Coach, and Teacher. On earth, that would be a wonderful way to be remembered. I appreciate the many people I have worked with over the years. My friends will be missed, but I will keep in contact. I hope people consider me a good person who represents OUR school. It is Our school and a lifelong special HONOR known as a ZEBRA. #cpszebrapride