SSPS Announces 2024-2025 Site Teachers of the Year

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SAND SPRINGS, Okla. — Sand Springs Public Schools is proud to introduce the 2024-25 Site Teachers of the Year! Representing each of our schools, these outstanding educators exemplify excellence, dedication, and an unwavering commitment to the students of Sand Springs.

• Jenni Caldwell – Early Childhood Education Center

• Michele Beamer – Angus Valley Elementary

• Kim King – Garfield STEAM Academy

• Shannon Crutcher – Limestone Technology Academy

• Jenifer Ruley – Northwoods Fine Arts Academy

• Brettany Blalock – Pratt Elementary

• Shawna White – Sixth Grade Center

• Gina Myers – Clyde Boyd Middle School

• Gloria Avey – Charles Page Freshman Academy

• Lisa Wolf – Charles Page High School

• Derek Morrow – Page Academy/Tulsa Boys Home/Virtual Academy

Five teachers from this list will move on as finalists for the Sand Springs Teacher of the Year award. The finalists will be selected in February, and the districtwide winner will be announced in March.

Congratulations to these outstanding educators! Thank you for choosing to stand tall as a shining example for your students and community. #StandTallSandites

Sand Springs Couples Host 6th Annual Pregnancy and Infant Loss 5K

Left to Right: Matt Barnett, Cassie Barnett, Paige Ryan, Austin Ryan. (Courtesy).

Pregnancy is often greeted with a great deal of celebration and excitement. Couples plan photo shoots for their announcements, followed by maternity photos. Baby showers have become elaborate affairs, and gender reveals have reached comedic and even dangerous magnitudes.

But what few people want to talk about is how many of those children will never celebrate their first birthday.

According to the World Health Organization, 10 to 15% of pregnancies end in miscarriage, and nearly 2 million babies are stillborn each year.

The level of loss and heartache that a parent goes through in these situations can’t be measured, affects everyone differently, and often leaves the parent feeling alone, confused, betrayed, and any other number of emotions.

And far too often they go through that pain without the community support that they had during their pregnancy. Folks turn out for baby showers, but there are no stillbirth showers.

That’s why two Sand Springs couples are hosting an annual Pregnancy and Infant Loss 5K.

“This is the second one we’ve been involved with,” said event co-organizer Matt Barnett.

“We just partnered in with Austin and Paige Ryan. They’ve been doing this for a couple years after they lost their first kid. Paige and my wife got close after we lost our first child.”

Jacob Austin Ryan was stillborn on January 23, 2018 and the Ryan family started the 5K and Fun Run that year in his honor.

Matt and Cassie Barnett lost their daughter, Elizabeth “Elle” Jane Bartnett to stillbirth on August 28th, 2021 and joined the Ryans in co-hosting the event last year.

“We started doing the run with them last year and it went well,” said Matt Barnett. “We added HillSpring into the mix and our church really got behind it. And then unfortunately we lost another kid.”

Paxton “Pax” Brently Barnett was also stillborn on March 23rd, 2023.

The Barnetts, who are both on staff at HillSpring Church in Sand Springs, often speak from the pulpit about the loss of their children and how it has affected both their faith and their marriage, shining a light on a difficult subject that’s rarely discussed publicly.

They hope the 5K will help bring attention to the issue and let other parents dealing with loss know that they’re not alone.

“Find community,” said Matt Barnett. “I would beg people, don’t do it alone. Find a community. Find a MEND group, find churches, find organizations that you can lean on and people who have been through the same experience.”

“Grief is long and it’s weird and it’s just unpredictable. It’s not fair to do it alone, so we need people to help.”

Mommies Enduring Neonatal Death (MEND) is one of two organizations that the 5K is raising money for.

“MEND is an organization that really helps put support groups together for families who have went through infant and pregnancy loss,” said Barnett. “They were really helpful for my wife when she went through this.”

The other organization is Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep, which provides families going through a loss with newborn photography sessions.

“Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep is a weird one for us” said Barnett. “I didn’t know if I wanted that the first time we lost somebody, but I never realized how much I would cherish that. It’s just another example of how they were real and how they mattered.”

The 2023 race on October 7th drew 78 entrees for the 5K any many more participated in the fun run at Case Community Park.

11-year-old Canyon Carnahan, of Sand Springs, won the race handily with a time of 22:01. Greg and Kiera Barnes, of Mannford, finished second and third in 23:36 and 24:17.

“It’s been really successful,” said Barnett. “I think last year we raised around $8,000 or so. That’s the most we’ve ever raised and we’re hoping to get close to that or more this year.”

The race drew everyone from avid runners to supporters of the cause to families who have experienced their own losses.

“It’s beautiful,” said Barnett. “There’s a lot of community involvement. The City’s involved with this, local churches, we have about 20 sponsors for the event. It really is a lot of people coming together so it’s really cool.”

5K Results

Men

22:01 Canyon Carnahan
23:36 Greg Barnes
24:22 Jeff Parks
24:41 Kory Brown
27:19 Kenny White
27:19 Caleb Smith
28:16 Shuan Adams
30:18 Bryce Beall
32:08 Christopher Matthews
32:19 Cayden Holder
33:24 Kevin Rouk
34:29 Bradley Potts
35:07 Kaidyn Cowan
35:13 Bobby White
35:48 Kurtis Crawford
36:10 Eli Beall
36:11 Daniel Henderson
37:20 Scott Emigh
43:44 Justin Carnahan
46:17 Keaton Smith
46:27 Ryan Johnson
49:23 Jacob Rupp
54:49 Ron Mayes
55:22 John Sommers
58:07 Bobby McIntosh
58:47 George Stabler
58:50 Andrew Arms
59:19 Shawn Smith
59:25 Nick Julkowski
1:05:22 Chris Wilson

Women

24:17 Kiera Barnes
27:24 Chezney Kelley
27:29 Audrey Fincannon
28:09 Shelby Champ
28:26 Shannon Hamilton
28:43 Katelynn Castleman
28:45 Kassie Billingsly
29:11 Ashley Cox
29:25 Nancy Vanderburg
32:50 Victoria Buchanan
33:24 Kelly Holder
33:38 Kynlee Carnahan
35:54 Patricia Harsley
37:23 Victoria Middleton
38:42 Alison Holder
41:47 Andee Sage
43:10 Charity Emigh
43:42 Heather Carnahan
44:27 Sericca Walters
44:27 Kara Enkey
45:24 Regan Pidcock
45:27 Madison Smith
45:42 Amber Cowan
48:08 Haylee Dewberry
48:44 Tiffany Rowe
49:16 Michelle Key
49:23 Savannah Lytle
54:01 Emily Smith
54:03 Casey Arms
55:20 Heather Sommers
56:41 Kendra McIntosh
57:05 Karen Smith
58:07 Carolynn Canfield
58:37 Kaylee Kendall
58:38 Natasha Odom
58:44 Shannon Strabala
58:45 Claire Julkowski
58:49 Meoldy Hilligoss
58:49 Piper Brooks
58:50 Ashley Vanderburg
58:50 Hannah McGarvey
58:55 Lindsey Julkowski
59:41 Pam Jackson
1:03:26 Lana Greenfield
1:04:05 Paulette Bennet
1:04:05 Theresa Greene
1:04:10 Randy-Lynne Wach
1:05:22 Tamara Boyles

Special Teams Spark Sandites to 39-14 Win at Putnam City West

Hunter Wilson scored the Sandites first points of the game with a blocked punt for a safety. (Photo by Charity Emigh).

When Bobby Klinck first arrived in Sand Springs in January of 2020, he held a meeting at HillSpring Church where he laid out his vision for the program to players, parents, and community stakeholders.

In that meeting he stressed the importance of special teams.

“Special teams have the ability to shift a game in either direction,” said Klinck. “Either negatively from failed preparation or positively from precise execution. Hidden yardage is the biggest advantage we will look for in special teams.”

In year four of the Klinck era, it’s clear that he wasn’t just talking. Thursday night at No. 9 Putnam City West (3-4, 0-4), it was the special teams who repeatedly shifted the game in the Sandites’ favor.

A blocked punt, two safeties, and kick returns averaging more than 35 yards were the difference maker in a 39-14 win from No. 5 Charles Page High School (4-3, 2-2) to remain undefeated against the Patriots.

“Coach (Jake) Bray, our special teams coordinator, is the best in the state,” said Klinck.

So when Bray came to Klinck this week and said he thought he could bring some pressure on the Patriot punting unit, Klinck said “let’s go get it, man.”

“Credit to the kids doing a great job and credit to Coach Bray for putting that game plan together and really taking advantage of our special teams.”

The first points of the game came on the Patriots’ second possession when Hunter Wilson blocked Brandon Garcia’s punt out the back of the end zone.

Alex Dudley returned the ensuing kick 40 yards to the Patriot 25 and Jace Arnold cashed in seven plays later with a four-yard wildcat run.

The Patriots’ next punt attempt was fumbled and recovered by Christian Freitus for a touchdown.

Then, Gatlin Gunn returned the next punt 41 yards to the Patriot 14, setting up a 9-yard run by Kenneth Page on the first play of the second quarter.

Two plays later, Owen Floyd forced a fumble that Marcum Sims recovered to set up a four-play scoring drive capped by Page’s 23-yard touchdown run.

Page was the workhorse for the Sandites all night, ending with 26 carries for 138 yards. The senior usually shares the load with Ali McCoy, who is missing this week and next with an injury sustained against Stillwater.

“It’s an absolute luxury,” said Klinck, about having two dynamic running backs.

“They’re stacking the box but we’re still able to get positive yards. We get some positive push up front, but then to have a big time tailback who knows where to hit the holes and then finishes runs - that’s a huge luxury to have.”

With a 30-0 lead just two minutes into the second quarter, it looked like the game would be a runaway rout, but the Patriots had other plans.

After holding Putnam West to only 13 yards in the first quarter, the Patriots exploded for 146 yards in the second quarter to make it a two-score game.

Shyheim Johnson led a methodical 10-play, 86-yard march and scored on a two-yard sneak to get his team on the board.

Then Marriceon Gilstrap recovered a fumbled hike to set up a six-play, 45-yard drive capped by a four-yard run from Dujuan Knight.

The Patriots stymied the Sandites’ last drive of the half and opened the second half with Aaron Edwards blocking a 40-yard field goal attempt by Dawson Puckett.

Jamar McCrary recovered the ball, but the Sandites had successfully eaten up nearly eight minutes of clock to slow the Patriots’ momentum.

“When it’s 30 to nothing, we’ve got to find a way to finish opponents and not let them back in the game,” said Klinck. “But I was glad we were able to have a long opening drive. I would have liked to have gotten some points out of that, but that was a good way to open the second half.”

The next three possessions were a series of turnovers on downs.

Freitus broke up a fourth-down pass intended for Mykel Ford in the end zone.

The Patriots responded by stuffing Arnold on fourth-and-one, but four plays later Johnson dumped an incomplete pass under pressure to give it back to the Sandites.

A 58-yard punt from Puckett pinned the Patriots deep in their own red zone and when Garcia failed to corral an errant long snap, the punter decided to toss the ball out the back of his end zone for the second safety of the night.

Dudley returned the ensuing kick 36 yards and Page cashed in a 36-yard screen pass from Easton Webb three plays later to pad the lead.

Freshman Joseph Farmer put the final nail in the Patriot coffin with an interception and the Sandites ended the night in victory formation.

Webb finished the game 7-of-15 for 83 yards passing. In addition to his 138 rushing yards, Page also had three catches for 57 yards.

Dudley led the defense with six tackles, followed by Floyd and Gunn with five apiece. The defense mustered five tackles for loss while holding Putnam West to only 184 yards, with only 25 yards in the second half.

Johnson was 9-of-25 passing for 125 yards and Knight had 15 carries for 77 yards to pace the Patriots.

Sand Springs improved to a perfect 6-0 all-time against the Patriots, though this was the closest meeting since 2017.

“Coach (Gregory) Johnson did a good job,” said Klinck. “Those kids were ready to go. They had a good game plan, they’re stacking the box. They did a good job taking away what we like to do, so hat’s off to them.”

“I was happy we were able to get some younger kids in to get some meaningful snaps and we had a freshman get an interception.”

“I think our program’s to the point of we’re disappointed in a 25-point win. Our kids know that we left some plays out there and that we need to finish an opponent off.”

Next up for the Sandites will be yet another Thursday night game, this time at home against No. 6 Bartlesville (3-4, 3-1), who fell 14-10 to No. 4 Stillwater in their Week 6 meeting.

Sand Springs has won three in a row against the Bruins, but Bartlesville leads the series 21-18. The series is one of the longest-standing rivalries for either school, having been played 22 consecutive seasons. The two teams have only missed playing each other twice since Bartlesville High School opened in 1982.

CPHS 39 PCW 14

First Downs: CPHS 10, PCW 7.
Fumbles/Lost: CPHS 4/2, PCW 5/2.
C-A-Y-I: CPHS 8-16-83-0, PCW 9-25-125-1.
Rushes-Yards: CPHS 43-143, PCW 21-58.
Plays-Yards: CPHS 59-226, PCW 46-183.
Penalties-Yards: CPHS 10-65, PCW 13-95.

Scoring Summary

1Q (6:56) - Wilson Safety, CPHS 2-0.
1Q (4:23) - Arnold 4-yard Run, Puckett Kick, CPHS 9-0.
1Q (3:37) - Freitus Fumble Recovery, Puckett Kick, CPHS 16-0.
2Q (11:52) - Page 9-yard Run, Puckett Kick, CPHS 23-0.
2Q (9:51) - Page 23-yard Run, Puckett Kick, CPHS 30-0.
2Q (5:29) - Johnson 1-yard Run, Garcia Kick, CPHS 30-7.
2Q (1:56) - Knight 4-yard Run, Garcia Kick, CPHS 30-14.
4Q (7:12) - Safety, CPHS 32-14.
4Q (5:32) - Page 36-yard Pass from Webb, Puckett Kick, CPHS 39-14.

Obituary: Gloria Jean (Stephens) Wickett

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Gloria Jean (Stephens) Wickett was reunited with her parents and siblings on Sunday, October 1st. She was surrounded by her husband, children, and grandchildren when she departed St. Francis Hospital.

A beloved wife, mother, and grandmother - her legacy will live on in the hearts she touched in her family, church, and community.

Gloria was born on April 12, 1943 to Clarence and Alverina Stephens in Sand Springs. She came from a large family of seven siblings and she was the last of them to return home to Jesus.

Gloria was one of the first students to walk the halls of the new Charles Page High School, graduating in 1961.She married her husband of 60 years, Jack Wickett, on July 5th, 1963 in her sister’s back yard in Allen Bowden. They welcomed their only child, Darrin, into the world in 1966.

She was a hard worker and retired from Continental Industries after 15 years of service as an oil and gas inspector, but she will be best remembered for her commitment to her family.

Gloria enjoyed tending to her flowers and making her home a warm and welcoming place for her triplet grandkids and their families to visit.

She had a reputation of being kind, loving, sweet, quiet, and soft, and she welcomed everyone from her daughter-in-law to her grandkids-in-law into the family with open arms. She was a wonderful cook and homemaker and loved to host holiday get-togethers.

She loved animals and her dog Furby followed her in death a day later to keep her company.

Gloria was preceded in death by her parents and her siblings: Dan Stephens, Bailey Baker, Maxine Miller, Melton Stephens, Red Stephens, and Tommy Stephens.

She is survived by her husband, Jack Wickett; son, Darrin and Robin Wickett of Sand Springs; grandson, Kyle Wickett and Rachel Armstrong of Skiatook; grandson Brandon Wickett of Tulsa; and granddaughter Charity and Scott Emigh of Sand Springs.

Visitation for Gloria will be Wednesday, October 4th from 12:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. at Mobley-Groesbeck Funeral Home in Sand Springs. The funeral service will be Thursday, October 5th at 11:00 a.m. at Prattwood Assembly of God in Sand Springs.

City of Sand Springs Hires Jennifer Swezey as Assistant City Manager

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(Sand Springs, OK) - In a report to the City Council last night, City Manager Mike Carter announced his intention to hire Jennifer Swezey as the newest member of the administration team at the City of Sand Springs. He related that Ms. Swezey will start her duties with the City on October 9th, 2023 in her capacity as Assistant City Manager.

Ms. Swezey has worked since 2021 as the Assistant City Manager for the City of Muskogee. She held the positions of Communication & Media Relations Manager, Community Relations Liaison and Executive Assistant to the City Manager for the City of Broken Arrow.

She holds a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from Oklahoma State University and a Master of Arts in Administrative Leadership from the University of Oklahoma.

She holds leadership experience with the National League of Cities, City Manager’s Association of Oklahoma, Oklahoma Municipal League, as well as many other civic and business based groups.

City Manager Mike Carter stated, “Due to workload and time constraints, I have been looking for someone who can help deliver the quality of administrative services that our citizens, city council and employees deserve. After a couple of years in searching, I am confident that we now have that person in Jennifer Swezey.

He continued, “Our community deserves to have someone like her, and I know Jennifer will do great things in Sand Springs. I look forward to the opportunity to let her use her talents for the benefit of our citizens”.

Mayor James O. Spoon stated, “After meeting with Jennifer, I am confident that she will complement the excellence we have had in our city management and will specifically help with the community engagement that Mike Carter advocates for and our City Council desires”.

He further stated, “I know Jennifer has family ties to the Mannford and as such has spent time in an around our community”.

Ms. Swezey fills the position of Sand Springs Assistant City Manager which was last held by Daniel Bradley, who retired in 2021.