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With more than 80 teaching positions available for various grade levels and subjects, Broken Arrow Public Schools (BAPS) is hosting its teacher job fair from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. Monday, April 23, in the Central on Main Ballroom, located at 210 N. Main St.

“This job fair is a great way to expedite the introduction process between our school sites and those interested in working for Broken Arrow Public Schools,” BAPS Director of Employee Relations Adrienne Stout said. “With 27 school sites, we have various teaching positions that need to be filled for the upcoming school year.”

BAPS offers tuition reimbursement, mentorship programs with first year teachers, a community atmosphere, professional development opportunities, and leave and health benefits.

District representatives will be present to answer any questions, and online applications will be available on site. Applications can also be completed online before the job fair by visiting www.baschools.org/careers. For more information, please call the human resources department at 918-259-5704.

For the eighth consecutive year, the districtwide art show will allow students the opportunity to present their artistic talents and creativity to the Broken Arrow community May 1-11, Monday - Thursday (9 a.m. to 7 p.m.) and Friday - Saturday (9 a.m. to 5 p.m.) at Northeastern State University-Broken Arrow (NSU-BA). This free event is open to the public and will feature paintings, sculptures, photography and more from students in grades Pre-K through 12.

There will also be an open house for the art show from 5:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. on Tuesday, May 1. 

“Broken Arrow has a long tradition of quality visual arts programs in our schools,” said Director of Fine Arts Dr. Richard Dale. “Our districtwide art show, in partnership with NSU-BA, is a great opportunity to recognize these great programs and the many talented fine arts students. We hope that all of Broken Arrow will join us to experience the dedication our students have to their craft.”

The districtwide art show takes place in NSU-BA’s administrative services building, visitor’s center and ballroom, located at 3100 East New Orleans at the intersection of 101st street and the Creek Turnpike.

A new dual credit program offers Broken Arrow High School students the opportunity to graduate high school with a diploma and earn an associate degree from Tulsa Community College. Then, the student has the option to seamlessly transfer to Northeast State University to complete a bachelor’s degree.

“We hope this unique opportunity for our students in Broken Arrow to be triple-enrolled will create a model for schools to follow around the nation,” Superintendent Dr. Janet Dunlop said. “This will change the face of our community and provide employers a huge incentive to grow their own workforce here in Broken Arrow.”

The program is a partnership between Broken Arrow Public Schools, TCC and NSU. The college courses will be taught by TCC faculty with a majority of the classes held on the NSUBA campus. Students will be “triple-enrolled,” allowing them access to writing labs, libraries, advising and other support services at TCC and NSU while also remaining part of their BAHS class and eligible for student activities.

“TCC serves nearly 2,000 concurrent students statewide maintaining the same rigorous college-level coursework as their college peers. We know this program develops new college graduates while at the same time trains Tulsa’s workforce,” said TCC President & CEO Leigh B. Goodson, Ph.D. “Concurrent enrollment has broad community support because it helps students obtain a high-quality education while helping our state meet its demand for an educated workforce.”

Broken Arrow students have been identified to participate based on PSAT scores and those selected for the program will begin their college coursework this summer. Participating students can earn up to 60 hours of college credit and complete a TCC Associate of Arts degree in Liberal Arts while also satisfying their high school graduation requirements. From start to finish, the Dual Credit to College Degree program will cost significantly less to complete an associate degree compared to enrolling directly after high school.

“This agreement is the result of many hours of work to shape this commitment among all parties to work in the best interest of our community. NSU is proud to be a partner in this outstanding project.” Dr. Steve Turner, President, Northeastern State University.

The Dual Credit to College Degree program offers significant cost savings for students to complete a college degree. Research shows students who take college courses while still in high school are more likely to graduate high school and earn a college degree.

“This is a wonderful example of Oklahoma colleges and universities working together with a K-12 partner to provide a low-cost option for our students,” said Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education Chancellor Glen D. Johnson. “I applaud Dr. Turner and Dr. Goodson for working with Dr. Dunlop to provide a unique opportunity for Broken Arrow students to earn a college degree that is affordable and gets students into the workplace sooner.”

To help reduce hunger in Broken Arrow, Broken Arrow Public Schools once again partnered with Move For Hunger and Accent Moving and Storage for the sixth annual districtwide food drive. For five days in March, students and staff from 27 school sites donated non-perishable food items in support of Broken Arrow Neighbors, a nonprofit providing basic needs and emergency assistance to Broken Arrow families.

The effort resulted in 6,835 pounds of food. Nationwide, the BAPS event is the largest school-related drive for Move For Hunger, and the district’s assistance throughout the school year makes it the top contributor of food donations to Broken Arrow Neighbors.

“Witnessing the effort put forth during this food drive has served as a reminder of what we can accomplish when we work together to make a difference in our community,” Superintendent Dr. Janet Dunlop said. “I am so proud of our students and staff.”

The districtwide drive began with an idea generated by Candy Lievsay, teacher at Sequoyah Middle School. In January 2012, her classroom read an article about Move For Hunger, a nonprofit organization that teams up with relocation companies across the nation to deliver non-perishable food items to local food banks.

Broken Arrow’s Accent Moving and Storage supplied the muscle to deliver the collected food to Broken Arrow Neighbors.

“During these challenging times with Oklahoma education, it is still exciting to be part of something the students and faculty are doing for their community,” said Accent Moving and Storage's Jody Davis. “They are still putting others above themselves, and I welcome the opportunity to support their efforts to feed those in need.”

According to a report by Feeding America, 17.2 percent of people in Oklahoma suffer from food insecurity. In Tulsa County alone, more than 102,000 struggle with hunger and nearly 37,000 of those are children. The summer months can be especially difficult for many.

“When the academic year ends, many parents are faced with the challenge of providing daily meals that their children normally receive at school, and you can imagine that this level of fiscal responsibility can upset even the most well-balanced budgets,” said Kim Goddard, executive director of Broken Arrow Neighbors. “I am always amazed at the depth of the partnership we share with BAPS. It truly reflects and supports our mission statement of ‘providing basic needs assistance with dignity and compassion to neighbors in need through a cooperative community effort.’”

Adam Lowy, founder and executive director of Move For Hunger, echoed Goddard’s sentiments.

"The students and teachers at Broken Arrow Public Schools continue to inspire me," Lowy said. "Over the past six years, they have donated nearly 80,000 pounds of food to Broken Arrow Neighbors. More importantly, an entire generation of children has learned about the importance of giving back to their community. We are so proud to be a part of this event."

To learn more about Broken Arrow Neighbors, please visit www.baneighbors.org. For more info about Move For Hunger, visit www.MoveForHunger.org or for Accent Moving and Storage, visit http://accentmoving.com.