Jenks Tribune Digital Issue #1

PUTTING YOUR FAMILY FIRST IN ALL WE DO! Tiffany Neely Agency 918-438-7111 tneely1@farmersagent.com

• FRIDAY, AUGUST 16, 2019 • JENKSTRIBUNE.COM •

SEE INSIDE

QUARTER OF A CENTURY SUCCESS River City Trading Post celebrated 25 years in Jenks April 4. Read the story on Page 9A.

VOLLEYBALL TAKES DOWN BRUINS The Jenks volleyball team started the 2019 sesaon off strong Tuesday with a three-set sweep of Bartlesville. Read the story on Page 1B.

FROM JENKS HIGH TO BROADWAY Jenks High School graduate Cody Davis is living his dream of being a musical theatre professional in New York City. Read the story on Page 9B.

HEARING FROM THE OWNERS BOX •Hayden Tucker, Jinger Wiesman, Joe and Andrea Salomon• Hello Jenks, America and welcome to the Jenks Tribune.

After countless hours, days, weeks and months of preparation, the day is finally here. If you live or work in Jenks and have a mailbox, today you received your very first copy of the Jenks Tribune.

All I can say is get used to it because from this week on you will receive it every Friday in your mailbox and it will be stockpiled with hyperlocal Jenks community information that will shine a light of transparency and positivity on Jenks.

If you live or work outside of the 74037 zip code, you can still get the Jenks Tribune, just give us a call at 918-528-7272 or email us at ksalomon@jenkstribune. com and let us know you want in and we will make sure you get a Jenks Tribune every week.

My name is Kyle Salomon and I am the founder and owner of Hyperlocal LLC, which is the owner and publisher

Kyle Salomon Owner/Publisher of the Jenks Tribune.

I was born and raised in Tulsa and attended Jenks Public Schools from kindergarten through high school graduation in 2006. I moved to the City of Jenks with my family the summer between my eighth and ninth-grade school years, so we have been involved in the Jenks community since I was born. Needless to say, maroon and white run through my veins.

After graduating from the University of Oklahoma in 2011 with a bachelor’s degree in journalism, I have worked Continued to JENKS, Page 4A

GAME CHANGER Simon Malls officially purchased the 51-acres just south of the Creek Turnpike in Jenks to build an outlet mall. Photo/Kyle Salomon

Simon Malls signs deal to build outlet mall in Jenks Hayden Tucker htucker@jenkstribune.com Citizens of Jenks had questions answered last week with the news of Simon Malls officially purchasing the land for the much-anticipated outlet mall.

Simon Property Group bought the 51 acres south of the Creek Turnpike and east of Elm Street, ending speculation of whether the outlet mall would ever materialize.

Many in Jenks are happy they don’t have to ask those questions anymore.

Continued to MALL, Page 2A

Jenks becomes Purple Heart City

Butterfield credits ‘team’ after achieving high honor

By HAYDEN TUCKER

htucker@jenkstribune.com

By KYLE SALOMON

ksalomon@jenkstribune.com

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Postal Customer Jenks, OK 74037

Jenks Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Stacey Butterfield was named the 2019 State Superintendent of the Year by the Oklahoma Association of School Administrators June 5 at the Cooperative Council for Oklahoma School Administration Summer Leadership Conference.

Butterfield has served as Jenks Public Schools’

“This is something we get questions about all the time,” Mayor Robert Lee said. “We haven’t always been able to give an answer on it just because we’ve been waiting along with everyone else. Now we have an answer and we can let people know.”

Lee said the mall is set to break ground Jan. of 2020, after re-routing utility lines.

According to sources, up to 80% of available store space has been committed. Simon Property Group wanted that much before signing paperwork to the land.

Mayor Lee confirmed that Simon

Dr. Stacey Butterfield receives the Oklahoma Superintendent of the Year Award from Pam Deering, Executive Director of the Cooperative Council for Oklahoma School Administrators (CCOSA) at the annual Summer Leadership Conference in Norman on June 5. Photo/Courtesy Superintendent since March of 2013 and is preparing to enter her seventh school year as the leader of JPS. “I am extremely humbled to receive

this award, and I am incredibly grateful to the CCOSA and OASA for all they do to support school adminisContinued to HONOR, Page 2A

PRSRT STD U.S. POSTAGE PAID JENKS, OK PERMIT NO. 7

301 E. Main StrEEt JEnkS, Ok 918-637-5402

As you drive into town on Main Street, new signs can be seen that welcome a small faction of former military members.

The sign reads “Purple Heart City,” and bears the crest of the honor. Signs like the one installed last week can be found in many cities around the nation and Jenks is one of the newest.

“It’s nothing more than an official recognition of the fact that a city may or may not have recipients of a Purple Heart,” city council member Cory Box said.

Box has led the charge for Jenks to

The City of Jenks was recently named a Purple Heart City. Photo/Hayden Tucker become a Purple Heart city in the months since discovering the gesture.

Box says he was drivContinued to HEART, Page 8A

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JenksTribune.com

Friday, August 16, 2019 Dr. Josh Wedman was elected as vice mayor of the City of Jenks in July after Kaye Lynn stepped down.

Photo/Hayden Tucker

Wedman elected vice mayor

By KYLE SALOMON

ksalomon@jenkstribune.com

After being elected April 2, long-time Jenks resident Kaye Lynn resigned from her position as vice mayor last month at a Jenks city council meeting.

Lynn, who has lived in Jenks since 1974, nominated Dr. Josh Wedman as her replacement after she stepped down from the vice mayor position. Wedman was unanimously voted in as Jenks’ newest vice mayor.

Lynn will remain on the city council and fulfill her term. She said she decided to run for vice mayor and

Honor

city council because of her experience and knowledge of Jenks.

“I wanted to bring a multigenerational perspective to the council because the council was so young,” Lynn said. “I stepped back because we needed somebody with more experience.

Dr. Wedman provided more of the leadership skills, which is what was needed more than the multigenerational skills.”

Wedman has been involved in the Jenks city council for seven years and has served as the Jenks mayor from 2017 through May of this year.

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trators,” Butterfield said. “It is an honor to represent my colleagues from around the state, who work tirelessly to advocate for public education here in Oklahoma. It takes a team of dedicated people to make our districts operate effectively and provide the best educational experience for our students. I am thankful to work with so many talented individuals at Jenks and around the state, who are committed to ensuring success for all students.”

Before becoming superintendent in 2013, Butterfield has served Jenks Public Schools as a teacher, building principal, director of communications, human resources supervisor and deputy superintendent. She said this award is all about the people she works with on a daily basis.

“I am a firm believer that none of us work in isolation,” Butterfield said. “None of us achieve goals or dreams working alone. It takes a team. What I do on a

“After the vice mayor announced her resignation, I informed the council, mayor and city manager that I was prepared to step up and help,” Wedman said. “The residential boom in Jenks has been happening since I have been on the council. I think we are going to see a big growth in the commercial area here in the next couple of years.”

Wedman will take over vice mayor responsibilities immediately. He and his family have lived in Jenks since 2004 and have a chiropractic practice in Jenks city limits.

daily basis is made possible with the team I have here at Jenks. I love what I do because it’s working with young people, professional educators, business leaders and philanthropic organizations to create an educational experience that establishes a platform for our students to be able to achieve the success they want.

“For some that’s college, for some it’s a career, for some it’s going into the military service. Whatever their dream is, I am thrilled that here in Jenks, we work together to make it happen. For me, it’s

Mall

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wanted a large portion of the stores to be taken up before the purchase.

“That’s been a big part of the process. they want to get commitments from their tenants before Simon was willing to commit to the project,” he said. “I don’t have any specifics on stores but my understanding is that they’ll be more high-end stores like Woodland Hills, for instance.”

Multiple reports say the outlet mall is targeting an open date in early 2021.

For Jenks, opportunities the outlet mall can bring are just beginning to be realized. The impact of the increase in sales tax is among the top.

“First of all, I’m excited about the additional revenue this is going to bring to the city,” Lee said. “We rely on sales tax revenue. The fact that we have something coming that stands to generate a large amount of sales tax revenue is such a positive thing.”

Not only will the outlet mall boost sales tax numbers, many hope it will boost other Jenks businesses.

all about the team.”

Butterfield said what makes the Jenks community special is the people. She added that people in the Jenks community believe in community and the school district and have a desire for a quality of life. She said they believe in unity in the community and that feeds success.

In her six years at the helm of the Jenks school district, Butterfield says she has grown immensely.

“I’ve grown in learning how to maximize resources,” Butterfield said. “People and organizations all coming

“It’s also going to bring many positive impacts to the entire area,” Lee said.

“The aquarium, the downtown area and also the Riverwalk. Anything that helps them out is a good thing.

“The other benefit this brings is further development of the river district.

We’ve had to wait for an answer on this until we could make plans on what we want to see for the rest of the district. Going ahead we can move ahead with some ideas there.”

For city officials, the news came with much relief. Lee says he and others have been left in the dark throughout the process.

“It’s good to have that confirmation,” he said.

“But it’s certainly a relief for us because, as a leader, to the best of our knowledge, yes this is still coming and they are working on it but it’s frustrating to have to give people the same answer over and over, you lose a little bit of credibility. It’s nice to finally know.”

together behind an initiative or an idea and the outcome of that and how it can influence students and opportunities for the district.

I’ve grown in learning how to advocate for students, advocate for teachers and advocate for public education, but also celebrating and recognizing that the work of our elected officials is challenging, and they have needs they are trying to address across the entire state.

“While we know what we need for public education, we need to respect that they are trying to balance the

needs for public education and all the other needs in other areas of the state to help us grow and prosper. I’ve also grown in learning how to solicit and getting input from all stakeholder groups and then applying it to help guide the work we do here.”

The OASA has 20 districts that consists of multiple counties and in April, Butterfield was one of 20 superintendents named OASA District Superintendents of the Year. Eligible members are nominated and selected by their peers in their OASA District.

Recycling carts will be delivered the last part of August/first week of Sept? American Waste Control is using the parking lot for Central Park (just west of City Hall) to store carts until they are all delivered- so parking there will be limited and traffic may be impeded at times while carts are loaded onto the truck(s). Courtesy of the City of Jenks

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Several school buses equipped with new cameras

By HAYDEN TUCKER

htucker@jenkstribune.com

This year Jenks Public Schools is making the ride to and from school safer.

Twelve buses will be equipped with cameras that give a 360-degree view of the vehicle.

The new safety feature will ultimately usher in a generation of buses unlike any before it.

Cameras were installed on new buses using bond money. JPS will start out with 12 and add to the group until it is fully staffed with bus cameras.

Cameras on the front, back and both sides allow for a 360-degree overhead view of the bus. A screen inside the mirror of the bus shows what the cameras are detecting with two screens.

As drivers use turn signals or back up, the monitor will show a better view of the blind spots that can be hard to see.

“From a bus stop, when you come back into traffic, you turn on your left turn signal and you can see what’s beside you,” Director of Transportation Jeremy Hairrell said.

“If there’s a car trying to pass you, while you’re going to get on a highway and you’re

coming down an on-ramp and you need to move over to traffic, and you turn on your left turn signal. It’s a big vehicle, there are a lot of blind spots you’re trying to check, and this is just another way to check those blind spots and see what’s beside you.”

This technology is the latest from Safety Vision, a mobile video surveillance company.

Safety Vision and Jenks have been working together for over a year to make this happen.

Last year Safety Vision came to Hairrell and pitched their new equipment. Right away, Jenks knew this was the correct technology to invest in.

With a new way to ensure the safety of children and others on the road, Hairrell says this gives everyone more peace of mind.

“At Jenks schools, we’re safety first,” he said. “Student safety is our number one priority. With that added piece, that’s all it took for me is to know you could save somebody’s life.

“A kid chasing a ball that rolls under the bus, drop a book bag and reach down to grab

something. Now you can see what’s all around you.”

This camera technology is just the beginning of what buses will have.

The 12 buses with outside cameras are accompanied by three to five inside that watch the cabin. Soon, its likely cameras on the stop sign will be added to nab those who ignore it.

“That law is about to come into effect where you can use video to help,” Hairrell said.

“These cameras will pick up some of it, but I see us in the future us going to the stop sign cameras. Those can be linked into this system.”

Hairrell ultimately believes adding the cameras will be well received among parents of children riding the bus.

“It makes the parents feel better, they know things are being watched, they can feel safer with their kids on the bus,” he said. “They feel safe knowing at a moment’s notice the principal can call us wanting to check on film. Whatever it could be, now we have an extra set of eyes watching everything that’s going on.”

Jenks schools develops new areas of focus to open new school year

By KYLE SALOMON

ksalomon@jenkstribune.com

Jenks Public Schools recently announced its updated district areas of focus for the next three school years starting with this year.

The new district areas of focus were developed based on survey results of students grades fifth through 12th, parents of students and JPS employees. Also, a community focus group was put together to look at the progress made on the previous three years of the district areas of focus and to determine what Jenks students need to be prepared in the 21st century.

Jenks Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Stacey Butterfield said now that the new District Areas of Focus have been developed and announced, the individual school sites and departments within JPS now must implement the plan.

“School sites and departments will now establish goals on how to address and support these strategic objectives,” Butterfield said.

“Ultimately, we are all working together to achieve these strategic objectives throughout the next three years.”

The Jenks Public Schools School Board approved the new objectives in June at the School Board Meeting.

Here are the 2019-2022 District Areas of Focus for Jenks Public Schools: Support and celebrate our diverse community of learners -Deliver exceptional learning opportunities across the Five A’s …

Academics, Activities, the Arts, Athletics and Attitude.

-Provide pathways for student engagement in classroom, virtual and co-curricular settings -Enhance the safety and security and district facilities to create an environment where students and employees can thrive Foster innovation and collaboration -Deepen the culture of innovation in classrooms, schools and departments -Promote collaboration to spread effective instructional and operational practices -Strengthen and grow access to services that support the social, emotional and physical needs of students, families and employees Focus on continuous improvement -Utilize stakeholder feedback to add value to district activities, processes and procedures -Support the work of district employees by providing effective professional learning opportunities for all staff members -Leverage available funding sources for classroom expenditures, capital improvements and operational costs.

On top of the new District Areas of Focus, areas of construction are nearing completion as the new school year approaches.

Several entrances to newer buildings in the district have been adjusted to be more secure. Butterfield said as the district opens new buildings, enhancing the security of the entrances is important.

Also, at Jenks Middle School, 20,000 square feet of space has been added opening up more elective classroom space for drama, speech and debate, FFA, world language and stage craft. With the space being opened up from those departments moving to the new area, two more science labs were added and more office space for counseling services.

As the Jenks community continues to become more diverse, Butterfield said it is vital that the needs of all students are met, that equity is provided and that all students are prepared for life beyond Jenks Public Schools.

Here is the Jenks Public Schools 2019-2020 ethnicity breakdown: -African American 9% -American Indian 13% -Asian 15% -Hispanic 11% -White 52% Jenks Public Schools is comprised of 10 school sites. Going into the 2019-2020 school year, there are currently 12,465 students from Kindergarten through 12th grade enrolled at JPS. That number has jumped from 7,284 students in 1990.

In 2019, the percentage of free and reduced students is at 39 percent. That number was at 9% in 1996.

Classes begin at Jenks Public Schools Tuesday.

Twelve Jenks Public Schools school buses were equipped with cameras that give a 360-degree view of the vehicle. the new safety feature will ultimately usher in a generation of buses unlike any before it. Photos/ Hayden Tucker

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JenksTribune.com Jenks Tribune

Founded, owned, operated and published

by Hyperlocal LLC 329 S. Elm Street Suite #201 Jenks, Oklahoma 74037 Phone: 918-528-7272 Fax: 918-528-5605 www.jenkstribune.com

Friday, August 16, 2019

Home sweet home There is one constant in this world we live in and that is change is inevitable.

Born in Tulsa in 1987 and raised in Jenks Public Schools since kindergarten, all I could ever think about when high school graduation approached was moving away in the summer of 2006.

Like most teenagers in my position, I wanted to spread my wings and fly around the world and get out of the Tulsa area as quickly and swiftly as possible.

After almost six years of multiple colleges, I settled in the western Oklahoma City area of Canadian County and worked in the community newspaper industry with the Mustang News, El Reno Tribune and Yukon Review.

Kyle Salomon Owner/Publisher I spent nearly eight years in Canadian County cutting my teeth as a sports editor, general manager, managing editor and advertising director for what would end up being a dream come true.

That dream became a reality in February of this year, when I made the decision it was time to come home and give my hometown of Jenks a community newspa-

per.

The Jenks Tribune’s number one responsibility will be to bring this community together and shine a light of transparency and positivity that Jenks has not seen in quite some time.

Is this a dream come true? Yes. Was this my childhood dream?

Absolutely not.

Sports was my passion as a child and became even more so as I grew into middle school and high school.

Baseball earned me a scholarship to go play collegiately and of course, my initial goal was to be a star in Major League Baseball.

After I came back to reality and realized ball-diamond stardom wasn’t in my future, I focused on school and what I wanted to do with the rest of my life.

I loved sports and loved to write, so I thought I would put those two together and make it big in the world of sports writing.

After I graduated from the University of Oklahoma in 2011 with a journalism degree and started my career as the sports editor for the Mustang News, I had it in my mind that I was going to be writing for ESPN in less than five years.

That’s not what was planned for me.

Instead, I developed a love and a passion for community journalism that set me on the path I am today, bringing community journalism back to Jenks through the Jenks Tribune.

While my dreams and goals have changed, sometimes like in my situation, change is for the better.

Ready to stick around Kyle Salomon Owner of Hyperlocal LLC Publisher of Jenks Tribune

Office Phone: 918-528-7272 Mobile Phone: 918-231-0787 Email: ksalomon@jenkstribune.com

I’d like to stay here a little while, if that’s OK. For the past nine years, it seems like I haven’t hung around anywhere for very long.

I grew up in McAlester and nine years ago this summer my mom decided to move my brother and I to Oklahoma City. I had my reservations, at 12 years old I wasn’t ready to leave the only place I knew along with my family and friends.

I specifically recall pointing to the trees and rolling hills of southeastern Oklahoma and saying, ‘you don’t have that in Oklahoma City.’

Hayden Tucker Director of Media But we moved. And it turned out to be the best thing for me.

From there I switched high schools, from Mustang to Yukon.

Since moving to OKC in 2010, I’ve moved

seven times, five in the past three years.

I’ve jumped around from job to job in the newspaper business.

My byline has been printed in five papers since the summer of 2016.

Stability hasn’t been my forte as of recently, but I’d like that to change.

I moved to Jenks a month ago and I already feel like this is a place I won’t mind staying for more than a few months.

The trees and rolling hills are back in my daily commute. It feels like home.

I’ve already seen the unique restaurants and

shops this town has to offer. The community is tight knit and alive.

Jenks Public Schools have a rich history of academic and athletic success, something I can’t wait to highlight.

I came to Jenks to cover the sports programs but being a new newspaper, I’ll have to branch out and handle multiple beats at one time, however, I don’t mind. I look forward to getting to know the people and I hope I can become one of your own.

I haven’t been in one place for very long, but I think Jenks can change that. Jenks is a place I’d like to stick around for a little while.

Wiesman ‘thrilled’ to join Jenks Tribune

Hayden Tucker Director of Media Jenks Tribune

Office Phone: 918-528-7272 Mobile Phone: 405-651-8451 Email: htucker@jenkstribune.com

Jinger Wiesman Graphic Designer/Staff Writer Jenks Tribune

Office Phone: 918-528-7272 Email: jwiesman@jenkstribune.com

Jenks Tribune Mission Statement “We are the Jenks community’s hometown source for hyperlocal news, sports and information that the people of our community need to know.”

Jenks Tribune is mailed weekly through the Jenks Postal Office and United States Postal Service to all U.S. Postal customers in the 74037 zip code.

I graduated in 2008 from OSU/OKC with a degree in Graphic Design. I’ve spent 13 years working as an in-house graphic designer for non-profits, tech schools, and convention centers.

I have an amazingly supportive husband and four wonderful,

Jenks

crazy kids.

My love of art and design comes from my grandmother, Winabel, who always encouraged me to paint, draw, and be creative.

I love music, live and recorded, and frequently car dance! In my spare time, I like to watch B movies with

my husband and find the plot holes.

I like drinking craft beer and PBR and can be heard yelling “GO POKES” on Saturdays in the fall.

I survive on coffee and eat way too much candy! I am thrilled to join the team at The Jenks Tribune.

dard that is beyond most people’s comprehension and has the talent to back it up. We are extremely fortunate to have Hayden on board and can’t wait to see what he can accomplish with the Jenks Tribune.

Our Graphic Artist/ Staff Writer is Jinger Wiesman. Jinger is one of the more talented people that I have seen in my career. Her creativity with her graphic design is out of this world and she also has the ability to cover events, take photos and write stories for us. Not only is she extremely gifted, but she is a tremendously hard worker. We are unbelievably fortunate to have her on our team with the Jenks Tribune.

I can promise all of our readers and followers that you will get 110 percent from all of us here at the Jenks Tribune. Our top priority every day will be to inform the citizens of Jenks with what is happening in their community and to put out a product that not only we are proud of, but the entire Jenks community can take pride in every time they look at it, whether it be our print product, our website or our social media platforms.

I have chosen a unique model with our distribution at the Jenks Tribune. Many

newspapers across the state go with the subscription model and build up a circulation base over a period of time. We have eliminated that model and are going with full saturation mail through the United States Postal Service and the Jenks Post Office.

I believe our job is to inform the Jenks community of what is happening in their town.

Therefore, everyone that resides in town, needs to get a paper every week.

Also, I believe all of our advertisers need to have their ads seen by as many people as possible. Simply put, we are here to serve the people who live and work in the Jenks community.

There are 9,340 mailboxes in Jenks and every Jenks Public Schools site will get a certain number of newspapers each week and we will be in several other locations throughout the area.

Of course, you can always come by our office to get a copy at 329 S. Elm Street Suite 201 in Jenks. All of our newspapers whether they are mailed or picked up in another location will be free to the public. Our website is also free to the public and is very user-friendly.

To our inaugural edition advertisers, I want to thank you all personally for your investment into the Jenks

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in the community newspaper industry in Mustang, El reno and Yukon since November of that year.

In Canadian County, I met, became friends with and learned from a number of people that helped mold me professionally and put me on the path to launching my own newspaper in my hometown.

I will take everything I learned from my experiences in the Oklahoma City area and apply it to the Jenks Tribune to make it the best possible community newspaper it can be.

I moved back to the Tulsa area in May and have had the summer months to go around and meet quite a few Jenks community leaders.

Following those meetings and numerous interactions throughout June, July and August, there is no doubt in my mind that the men and women leading this great community are amazing people and the entire Jenks community is in good hands.

Our staff here at the Jenks Tribune is comprised of three people, including myself.

Our Director of Media is Hayden Tucker. Hayden is one of the hardest workers I have ever met. He holds himself to a stan-

Jinger Wiesman Graphic Designer Tribune. We hope and believe you will see the value in choosing to advertise with us and choose to do so again in the near future.

To our potential advertisers, we hope that because you have now seen a product of what we are going to do on a weekly basis, you will see the value in advertising with the Jenks Tribune. Our goal is put out products that will be appealing to everyone in the community, therefore getting your advertisement in front of as many eyeballs as possible.

Through our hyperlocal coverage, we hope that we give you the feeling of community support if you purchase an ad with the Jenks Tribune.

Last but definitely not least, I would like to personally dedicate this inaugural Jenks Tribune newspaper to my parents Joe and Andrea Salomon.

Without their love and support, there is absolutely no way I would be here giving Jenks a community newspaper.

There are not enough words in the English language to say how much they mean to me and how much I love them.

Thank you for reading and I sincerely hope you enjoy the Jenks Tribune.

Kyle Salomon ksalomon@jenkstribune.com

377 E Main Street Jenks, Oklahoma 74037 918-528-6766

Friday, August 16, 2019

JenksTribune.com

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STRENGTH IN FAMILY

Insurance Agency gives Tiffany Neely a way to give back Kyle Salomon ksalomon@jenkstribune.com

Tiffany Neely Farmers Insurance Agency’s slogan reads, “Putting your family first in all we do!”.

For Tiffany Neely, that couldn’t be more accurate.

Having a child at the age of 16, and graduating high school early followed by an abusive relationship set Tiffany on a path that would allow her to help those dealing with an emergency.

“Being in an abusive relationship in my past, I had seen a lot of home emergency situations,” Tiffany said.

“Those who are going through a home emergency, I know how they are feeling at the time. The reason why I love insurance is it allows me to help and love people.”

Tiffany started the Tiffany Neely Farmers Insurance Agency in 2018 with her cousin Josh Rylander. They were joined by Tiffany’s brother Joey Neely shortly after they started.

On Dec. 31, 2018, they signed the lease to their new office, located at 807 E. A Street Suite 101 in Jenks.

It took several months of construction to get the new office ready for business, but the doors to the new location opened April 1 of this year.

“I couldn’t believe it when I Continued to FAMILY, Page 11A

Jenks High School graduate Tiffany Neely opened the doors to the Tiffany Neely Farmers Insurance Agency office April 1 of this year.

The new location is 907 E. A Street Suite 101 in Jenks. Photo/Kyle Salomon

SPAIN RANCH Serving Tulsa and Surrounding Areas

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JenksTribune.com

Friday, Augu

A very

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to our Jenks Fi

Greg Ostrum, Chief; Kyle Z

Andrew Brooks, Driver; Richard Edwards, Firefighter; Kyle Flora, Captain; Josh Knoepel, C Matt Mitchell, Driver; Nick Morgans, Captain; Kirk, Morris, Captain; Mike O’Brien, C Chris Todd, Firefighter; Alex Watk

ust 16, 2019

JenksTribune.com

special

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ire Department!

Zickefoose, Assistant Chief

Captain; Chase Landkamer, Driver; Richard Martinez, Firefighter; Cliff McConnell, Driver; Captain; Matthew Osgood, Firefighter; Dave Owen, Captain; Justin Thompson, Driver; kins, Driver; Jeff Winn, Firefighter

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JenksTribune.com

Friday, August 16, 2019

Letter to the Editor: Welcome Jenks Tribune I am pleased to welcome the Jenks Tribune to our city. In the past year I have spoken to many residents and found there exists a yearning for printed media in Jenks.

In today’s digital society there are still those who do not have access to computers and smart phones unless they visit schools or libraries. We as a community need to welcome and embrace our new newspaper the Jenks Tribune. It is available online and will also be

Heart

mailed to every household in the city limits of Jenks. Be sure to keep an eye out for the delivery via mail because the content is pertinent to the city, the citizens, the school systems, and above all else is a form of communication that will connect us all. It will become the backbone of our communication to ensure all residents are informed, engaged, and in tune with everything Jenks.

Having spoken with Kyle Salomon and

members of his team, I am encouraged by the overwhelmingly positive attitude toward the community, and their high energy level. I am pleased to extend a warm welcome and wish them success for many years to come both personally and professionally. They are actively engaged with city personnel, the Jenks Chamber of Commerce, the schools, and the Oklahoma Aquarium. Let’s work together to welcome the Jenks Tribune not only

as a new member of the community but a cornerstone that will build the Jenks brand.

Jenks Tribune representatives have been present at many events in the city including booster club meetings, city council meetings, and involved with the Horizon Jenks initiative to establish a forward looking comprehensive plan for the city.

For business owners in the community, advertising in the paper is an opportunity

to reach every mailbox in the city limits of Jenks as well as providing visibility at https:// www.jenkstribune.com.

Feed the local economy by supporting our new digital and printed publication enhancing their ability to serve the community as well as expanding your products and service availability.

Our community is very diverse, made up of young families in starter homes to retirees hanging out in the community room in the

city building. This periodical will keep us all informed of upcoming events in the city as well as a synopsis of events that we were unable to attend. I encourage you to look at the paper when it arrives in your mailbox and keep in tune with everything Jenks.

“He was one,” Box said. “And one was enough. I wasn’t waiting for 10, I wasn’t looking for a magic number.

One was enough. I found one guy and that was all we needed to do.”

The process was simple and took little time, one of the main reasons Box was adamant about it.

“The way I look at it is, there are a lot of things we do as a city that costs a lot of money and this is one thing we could do that costs very little money,” Box said. “It’s nothing more than saying, as a city these things are important to us and

these people are important to us and we want to go ahead and publicly honor them the best we can.”

Once Jenks was approved, the city planned to host a ceremony recognizing Purple Heart recipients. However, the departure of the one recipient Box knew of left no one to recognize.

Though he searched for more, none were to be found.

Box decided not to hold the ceremony, but he says he would if more recipients were to come forward.

“I’m just one person.

If I had to guess, there probably are some in this town and around here. Me posting on Facebook and asking

the question when I only have a couple hundred people who follow that page, when I get no response, that doesn’t provide evidence that those people aren’t out there,” Box said.

As to why no one has come forward, Box says he has an idea.

“One thing I’ve learned from talking to a lot of these local leaders involved in purple heart chapters is that a lot of these men and women don’t want to be identified,” he said.

“Maybe some of them aren’t well, maybe they’re completely disabled and they don’t want to be seen.”

For Box, a military veteran who served for 25 years, the passion for making this gesture

runs a little deeper.

“Some might argue it’s survivor’s guilt,” Box said. “There are a lot of people I know that have been very close to combat or in it or next to it and have seen people they know either die on the battlefield or die as a result or become mentally unstable later in life, whether it’s through mental or physical trauma. This is nothing more than a simple thing we can do to show some kind of visible recognition of those folks that might live among us that received the award.”

Though Box was

unable to honor Purple Heart recipients with a ceremony, he believes making Jenks a Purple Heart city is still important. Moving forward he hopes he can help shine a light on some of the community’s brightest.

“When they see those signs they have to assume the city cares about them in some respect and when they do they can reach out to the city, even after I’m long gone, even if I don’t win another election I’ll still be happy to be there and be an MC of any ceremony no matter when or where it is if these people want to come forward,” he said.

From page 1A

ing through Perry when a Purple Heart sign caught his interest. Two day’s later, driving through Broken Arrow, he saw it again.

A call to a friend who serves on the Broken Arrow city council put him in touch with Mitch Reed, the leader of the local Purple Heart community, who further explained the process.

At the time of attempting to make Jenks a Purple Heart city, Box knew of just one resident who was a recipient. The resident has since moved to Sapulpa but that doesn’t change the way Box thinks about the gesture.

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• FRIDAY, AUGUST 16, 2019 • JENKSTRIBUNE.COM •

QUARTER CENTURY OF SUCCESS River City Trading Post thriving after 25 years

By KYLE SALOMON

ksalomon@jenkstribune.com

If you have driven into downtown Jenks coming from the Arkansas River bridge in the past 25 years, you have become familiar with one of the staples in the Jenks area, River City Trading Post.

The River City Trading Post celebrated its 25th birthday on April 4 of this year, but the building on third and Main Street hasn’t always been the trading post.

In 1961, the old Jenks High School was demolished to make room for Parkers Grocery Store.

Dewey and Marguerite Parker moved their grocery business from first and Main Street to the new building location in 1963.

Parkers Grocery occupied the west half of the building and Wackers occupied the east half. Wackers was a TG&Y Dime store.

The newly located grocery store doubled in

Steve and Linda Eaton opened the River City Trading Post April 4, 1994 in Jenks and have watched it grow into a well-oiled machine over the past 25 years. Photo/Kyle Salomon size several years later when Parkers Grocery

took over the east half of the building as well.

In 1974, the Parkers retired and sold their

business to Wells Food Store. Wells Food Store

eventually sold out to Super H Foods and in 1993, after Super H closed, Parker, who still owned the building, was deciding whether to put a vintage/ antique type mall or retail fire damaged, overstocked type of business in the location.

Steve and Linda Eaton entered into discussions with Parker and decided that an antique/vintage mall would work in Jenks.

Contractors were then hired to get the booths built for the new store.

On April 4, 1994, seven years after Steve and Linda Eaton were married, they opened River City Trading Post. Multiple vendors contacted the Eatons wanting to reserve a booth spot.

“I thought the best fit for the store was in Jenks,” Steve Eaton said. “Learning the business was a nightmare because everyContinued to POST, Page 11A

A FIT WAY OF LIFE Clint, Kara Howard set standard with Tulsa Fitness Systems

By KYLE SALOMON

ksalomon@jenkstribune.com

If you walk into the lobby of Tulsa Fitness Systems, you will see in big letters on the wall, “Fit is not a destination, it is a way of life.”.

That is the life that Clint and Kara Howard have lived since they met at the University of Oklahoma in the early 2000’s.

Clint and Kara opened Tulsa Fitness Systems in January of 2011 with the hope of attracting a client base that desired to improve their fitness and health through physical training.

“Our goal is to train with a purpose,” Clint said. “We train in a system style, which is why we chose to have Tulsa Fitness Systems in our name. We don’t just show up and do hard workouts. Everything we do has a purpose.

We set goals and we work to achieve them through our training sessions.”

Tulsa Fitness

Systems is located at 8624 S. Peoria Avenue in Tulsa. They have the capability of doing inside and outside workouts, but that wasn’t always the case for the Howards.

Clint and Kara graduated from OU, opened their first business in Norman and got married all in 2004 and after a year of running a successful personal training business, the couple decided to move to south Tulsa.

Kara was born and raised in south Tulsa and attended Jenks Public Schools, where she graduated high school. Her family was here, and she and Clint decided this is where they wanted their home to be.

Once they moved back, Kara began working as a pharmacist, while Clint opened a personal training studio in Bixby and still managed his studio in Norman. Clint would drive to Norman once a week and make sure his business was running the way he wanted

Clint and Kara Howard have turned Tulsa Fitness Systems into one of the premier training facilities in the state. Photo/Courtesy it.

After his Bixby location was doing well, he

decided to open another studio in south Tulsa.

Several clients he had

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in his Norman location approached him about buying him out, so he could focus on his Tulsa-area locations.

Clint took the opportunity and sold his Norman studio.

In January of 2009, Clint saw an opportunity to take advantage of the new “group training” dynamic that was sweeping across the nation. He started a women-only outdoor boot camp that met at 97th and Riverside.

The boot camp started with 10 women in January and grew to 160 women by May of 2009. Clint ran the boot camp for two years and then decided it was time to look for a facility, as the weather elements were starting to take their toll on the group.

“There was only so much you could do outside,” Clint said. “We were always fighting the weather conditions.

At that time, I was starting to train some high school athletic teams in the area and I was ready to sell the

(personal training) studio and focus on the boot camp and find us a facility we could use and call our own.”

That is when Clint found the facility they are in today with Tulsa Fitness Systems. He said they did not have much equipment, but they were able to get some equipment to start out and kept adding more as they grew.

Tulsa Fitness Systems started with just women training, but several of the clients asked Clint if their husbands could come. Clint decided he would open several of his sessions up to men and make them co-ed.

He said his fear was he didn’t know how the women who trained with him would react to having men in the room with them.

After several years, Clint realized the men and women got along well and decided to make all of his sessions at Tulsa Fitness Systems co-ed.

“We just wanted to Continued to FIT, Page 11A

10A JenksTribune.com

Friday, August 16, 2019

PINK LILY

Worth a trip around the corner

By KYLE SALOMON

ksalomon@jenkstribune.com

Despite working for three decades in the accounting industry, Sherry Bonner decided slightly more than 10 years ago to make a professional change.

Bonner was close with her aunt, who she spent time with decorating and shopping. It was those memories and experiences that developed a passion inside Bonner that drove her to want to open her own business.

With Jenks being one of Bonner’s favorite spots to come shop, she was driving around the downtown Jenks area one day 10 years ago and saw a for rent sign on First Street just off Main Street.

Bonner decided to take the plunge and leave her job and open the first side of Pink Lily in August of 2010.

“I left a really good job at Fine Airport Parking as an accountant,” Bonner said. “It wasn’t a good time to open a business because the economy was not in great shape, but I went ahead with it. I felt like it was meant to be, everything just fell into place. I prayed a lot about it, and we were able to expand and open the other side of the store a year later. I am very blessed with my family’s and friends’ support.”

Bonner added that

Sherry Bonner, owner of Pink Lily in Jenks, celebrates 10 years of business in Jenks this month. Bonner has seen the Pink Lily grow into one of the more prominent retail stores in the Tulsa area. Photo/Kyle Salomon she is a big people person, loves to talk to people and get to know people and she didn’t want to sit behind a desk for the rest of her life. She said she truly believed opening the Pink Lily was what she was supposed to do.

“I have seen and met a lot of people,” Bonner

said. “People say this is their happy place, that they are very comfortable here and that we have a comfortable atmosphere. Customer service is my top priority with my store. The customer always comes first. I truly believe the success we have had is due to customer ser-

vice. I have become good friends with a lot of my customers over the past 10 years.”

Bonner said she loves Jenks. She currently lives in Jenks, but she grew up in Tulsa. She said the experience has been a lot of fun, but retail can be difficult to predict. She added that

she wants to see every business in Jenks make it and it makes her sad when some of them don’t survive.

“All the stores on Main Street here are very different,” Bonner said. “I had shopped here for about 30 years before opening the Pink Lily. I really like the

small town feel you get here. Jenks is where I wanted to be, the people are awesome. The city and the chamber have been very helpful.

I am very excited about the growth of Jenks.”

Bonner said over the past decade she has learned numerous things about herself and the business world.

“I have learned that you can’t please everyone,” Bonner said. “I have become a stronger person and a more patient person. I have a lot of friends that come to me and say they want to start a small business and I just tell them that they must be willing to give it 300 percent to make it work. I have been very fortunate to have great people working for me.

Customer service is most important to me.

You never know what kind of day someone is having, so if I can make one person happy during the day, it makes my day.”

Bonner said she did not envision the store becoming what it is today, and she gives all the credit to God. “The Lord has taken care of me,” Bonner said. “I always tell people, ‘We are not really on Main Street, but it’s worth a trip around the corner.’”

The Pink Lily is located at 112 S. First Street in Jenks.

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11A

From page 9A

thing was new for us.”

Today, the River City Trading Post is home to 300 plus independent vendors with an eclectic mixture of antiques, uniques and collectibles. The vendors are the movers and shakers, who take great pride in stocking their booths with interesting, desirable and affordable merchandise.

“We have really developed into a welloiled machine over the last couple of years,” Linda Eaton said. “It took a lot of trial and error to get there, but its been really smooth lately. We have even had some celebrities come and visit the store and sometimes we didn’t even know it. Kid Rock came in, Miranda Lambert came in, Alice Cooper came in and HGTV even came in and shot some footage here in our store.”

The River City Trading Post was voted

the No. 1 antique store by the citizens of Tulsa in the Tulsa People magazine and Urban Tulsa magazine. The store has also won awards with the Tulsa World and Greater Tulsa Reporter Newspapers.

“We have learned to evolve with what works,” Steve said.

“Our vendors evolve as well.

Despite online shopping become increasingly popular, the Eatons say it hasn’t affected their sales much at all.

“I was a little nervous about Pinterest when that become popular,” Linda said. “And actually, Pinterest has helped us because people will get the vision from Pinterest and then come here and look for the materials to create it. We are also very fortunate to have the people working for us that do. We don’t have a big

Steve and Linda Eaton stand in front of their store they have owned and operated for 25 years. Hundreds of vendors have had booths in River City Trading Post and several celebrities have shopped in the store. Photo/Kyle Salomon employee turnover here. They all just love coming to work and it

isn’t just a job for them.

Most of our employees actually have booths as

well. We do not have a booth because we don’t want to take anything

away from our vendors and our vendors really appreciate that.”

Group training is popular at Tulsa Fitness Systems. TFS offers both group and private training sessions. Photo/Courtesy

Fit

around each other and working hard to achieve their personal goals.”

Another difference Tulsa Fitness Systems provides from other fitness facilities is the style in which they train.

“We don’t want our

clients to deal with an injury,” Clint said.

“That is not what we are about. We want people to feel better about themselves when they train here, not feel worse because they are injured. Our workouts are designed for the total body and the different plains of movement.”

Clint said he spent a

lot of time in college because he loved to learn, but he is always educating himself on the new and upcoming things in fitness.

“I study more now than I did in college,” Clint said. “I try to stay on top of everything because you never settle, you can always do better.”

On top of training

his clients at Tulsa Fitness Systems, Clint also trains the boys and girls golf teams at Jenks High School, as well as the Jenks High School wrestling team.

“Our goal is to get the people who train with us to look better, feel better and move better,” Clint said.

Kara is also a big

part of Tulsa Fitness Systems. She will train sometimes, but she handles the business side of the operation and the marketing for the business.

Clint said the goal is to keep growing.

“We want to keep growing and improving. I love to train and I love to help people.”

insurance game for seven years, I knew better. But I took the job any way. They all welcomed me with open arms and I instantly knew these were my people. It has been the biggest blessing to not only my career, but more importantly, to my family.”

Joey echoed Daugherty’s comments.

“It really is pretty cool working with family,” Joey said. “The way we can communicate sets us apart. At the end of the day, we all know where our hearts are and that’s to give the people that we serve in this community the best possible service and coverage they need from us. It definitely makes communicating a lot easier and makes working together a lot easier.”

Rylander said their

family is unique, which has allowed for the success.

“Our family works well together,” Rylander said. “We have always lived in the same town and have always come together when there is an issue.

That dynamic has definitely helped us in starting this business.

It has been a fun process and it is going really well.”

The insurance industry wasn’t always what Tiffany wanted to do.

While in nursing school and working at Ron’s Hamburgers & Chili in Jenks, she received an offer to go to Scottsdale, Arizona for a medical sales internship in the summer of 2013, so she packed up herself and her son and headed west to the desert.

Following the summer internship, she was offered a full-time position with the company she had just

interned with and she accepted.

Tiffany’s mother, Ann Neely and her cousin Josh loaded up a car and took Tiffany the rest of her stuff to help her get settled into her new home.

Tiffany worked in Scottsdale for a year and after her son became homesick for Oklahoma, she asked her bosses if she could work from home back in Tulsa. She said she was surprised when they agreed, and she headed back to her hometown.

Tiffany worked for the same company for four more years before deciding it was time to pursue another career, so she put her resume on Indeed.com and was noticed by Steve DeSpain, who is a Farmers Insurance Agent in the Tulsa area.

DeSpain told Tiffany she needed to become

an insurance agent.

“I said no way because I didn’t know anything about insurance,” Tiffany said.

“Steve just said you need to learn from my boss.”

DeSpain’s boss is Farmers Insurance Tulsa District Manager Kirk Fryer, and Tiffany immediately went to work for Fryer, where she learned the insurance game.

Once Tiffany decided it was time to start her own agency, she sold insurance out of Fryer’s office and out of her home office, which was about 100 square feet, sometimes 16 hours a day building what is now one of the most powerful insurance agencies in the Tulsa area.

Getting the opportunity to do what she loves and to help people in her hometown and have an office in the town and near the high

school where she graduated makes it even more special, she said.

“At the end of the day, it’s because I’ve been in a lot of emergency situations in my life because of the abusive relationship I was in, I know how my clients feel when they call me, and they are having an emergency. I want to be there for them. It is a personal touch for me. My purpose in life is helping people heal from broken hearts and I feel like I can do that through this. Nobody has to be a victim of their circumstance. We are all repsonsible for our own actions. Being in Jenks is so special.

My son goes to Jenks schools. Every day, your whole life, you’re doing things for your future that you don’t even realize are significant.

This is my purpose.”

From page 9A

create a family-friendly environment,” Clint said. “We have a specific type of client we want training with us.

We want to work hard and train hard, but don’t want to create a competition against one another. We want people to enjoy being

Family

From page 5A

walked into the finished office,” Tiffany said. “I still can’t believe it. It was a humbling experience. It reminds me every day that God reigns in His glory. It is all about family here. I did not envision the success we have had to start out, I definitely see it becoming generational in our family.”

When the doors opened April 1, they added another member to their crew, Brooke Daugherty, who all three say has become a family member herself.

“When Tiffany first called me to talk about a job, I told her how crazy it would be to change jobs in the third trimester of my pregnancy,” Daugherty said.

“In addition, I would be the only outsider that isn’t related at a new agency. Being in the

12A JenksTribune.com

Friday, August 16, 2019

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1B

Sports

H

• FRIDAY, AUGUST 16, 2019 • JENKSTRIBUNE.COM • Farm, Statecountry Farm, Bloomington, Bloomington, ILILeyes confidence in upcoming season Girls crossState

1801073 1801073

state, just four points away from placing on the podium. And with several pieces back from last year, they believe they can make a run at the title.

“I know we are capable of a podium finish, that’s our goal,” coach Rachel Graddy said. “Our big goal is to win a state championship, that’s what we’re looking at for the end of the season.

We’re going to take it one step at a time.”

By HAYDEN TUCKER

htucker@jenkstribune.com

ate Farm, Bloomington, IL This season

Jenks girls cross country won’t look experienced, but they believe they won’t need it.

Without a senior on the varsity roster, the Lady Trojans will rely on underclassmen to return as a top-five team in the state.

Last season Jenks finished fourth place at

Success in silence

1801073 State Farm, Blo And it might take several steps to get there.

The lack of experience the young team possesses got in the way last season. With more races under their belts, Graddy hopes her team can turn their problems around.

“We were very young last year, and I think we lacked a little bit of confidence so I’m hoping that we gained that in the off season,” she Continued to CONFIDENCE, Page 2B

Owning the opener Hayden Tucker htucker@jenkstribune.com

A Jenks softball player throws to tag someone out during a summer game.

Photo / Chuck Reherman

By HAYDEN TUCKER

htucker@jenkstribune.com

When taking in a softball game many come to expect loud chants and cheers coming from the dugout.

Sometimes it may seem the players are louder than the fans, albeit outnumbered in the stadium. But this year, spectators of the Jenks softball team may hear something a little different.

Chants and cheers will still be present but not as loud. The Lady Trojans are different than most in that they aren’t especially vocal on the field.

“What I’m looking for is a lot of energy out of them,” coach Todd Williams said. “Right now, our better players are not our more vocal players. You need your players being more vocal.”

Looking at the roster top to bottom you’ll see nearly everyone has a shy personality.

“We talk to them all the time and they’re a fun bunch to watch but I’ve never had a group where your really good players are so quiet. It’s kind of an anomaly,

Jenks volleyball wanted to start the season off strong and they did so with a straight-set sweep of Bartlesville.

The Lady Trojans took three sets 25-10, 25-16 and 25-10 and began the season on a high note.

Jenks seemingly had everything go right for them in the match.

The Lady Trojans jumped out to a quick 12-2 lead over the Lady Bruins and it seemed as though they had set the tone. A quick three-point swing saw the momentum shift from one side of the court to the other.

It looked as though Bartlesville was settling into a groove.

Mikiah Perdue rises over two defenders Monday in Jenks’ straight-set sweep of Bartlesville.

Perdue recorded four kills and two blocks in the match. Photo / Hayden Tucker

Though Jenks allowed their opponent to answer back, coach Tanna Smith was seen giving words of encouragement to her

Back at it

Continued to SILENCE, Page 2B

team. Smith shouted, “keep it up, you’re doing great,” to the six on the floor.

“Yeah, they got a cou-

ple of points, but the girls did a great job maintaining loose shoulders and just working better at Continued to OPENER, Page 2B

Jenks football held its first practice of the 2019 season Monday. The Trojans practiced from 6 to 8 a.m. Fans can get a glimpse of the team Aug. 23 at the Trojan Preview, which features several area teams. Jenks plays its first game week zero on the road in Texas against Mansfield-Legacy Aug. 29. See more football practice photos on Page 8B. Photo / Hayden Tucker

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2B

JenksTribune.com

Opener

Confidence

From page 1B

focusing,” Smith said. “It just goes to show that the girls have been grinding in practice.”

The Lady Trojans quickly wiped away any momentum Bartlesville may have been building with two powerful digs, forcing a timeout.

Trouble arose again in the second set where the Lady Bruins came out with more confidence.

Jenks struggled to battle back through the first half of the set, catching up and letting the lead slip away.

Smith’s words of encouragement returned and so did the Lady Trojan lead. Jenks trailed 15-13 at one point but won

Silence

Friday, August 16, 2019

25-16.

Bartlesville rolled out a new lineup in the second which threw Jenks off its game.

“They changed their lineup a little bit and went with some different setters,” Smith said. “They changed stuff up and that’s just something we need to take note on, when a team changes something, again, not letting that rattle our cage.”

Jenks’ resilience showed up on the stat sheet.

Mikiah Perdue stood out for the Lady Trojans, collecting four digs on six attempts. Perdue was a force on defense with two

blocks.

Sydney Williams had five kills on nine attempts, Adison Morgan had eight kills on 13 attempts.

The stats showed how practice was paying off for Jenks.

“It just goes to show the drills we’ve been doing are helping,” Smith said. “Even the serve stats look really great. I didn’t expect that and it’s excellent to see their passing rating be that number. I was totally excited to see our out of system improvement in a match.”

Jenks will hold its home opener Aug. 20 against Owasso.

ment in an unlikely way.

Jordan Pipkin moved to Jenks over the summer from Wisconsin and so far, she’s impressing. At a preseason tournament, Pipkin registered pitches at 65 miles per hour.

The addition of Pipkin was a game-changer for the Lady Trojans.

“Now that Jordan is here, we’re pretty excited about what could happen this year,” Williams said.

“Our schedule is really tough but other than that, if we go to play, we’ll have a chance.”

What makes Pipkin’s arrival exciting is the cast that was already in place before. With a solid mix of seniors and juniors, Jenks won’t lack experience this season.

Junior Jessica Watson seems

set to impress again at short stop.

The reigning district defensive player of the year will be looked upon to anchor the defense.

“She’s probably the best glove of any girl I’ve coached,” Williams said. “She’s pretty phenomenal.”

Looking ahead, the Lady Trojans believe they stack up with the best talent in the state.

With deep playoff run aspirations, Jenks knows the road to success won’t be an easy one to travel.

“I think our expectation is to get to the state tournament,” Williams said. “Our district is really tough. Owasso won our district last year and they are really good again. Sand Springs, they’re always really good. It’s not just going to be a give me.”

From page 1B

really.”

And where many coaches would primarily focus on fixing the problem, Williams sees the value in silence.

“They don’t ever get too high and they don’t ever get too low,” he said. “In this game if you’re on a roller coaster of emotions, it’s not going to serve you very well.

It’s a game of failure and how you handle that failure determines what kind of team you’re going to have. We talk about the mental side all the time and that you need to have a short memory.”

Jenks is coming off a 25-11 season where it graduated five seniors. Two of which were pitchers playing important roles.

After graduation, Williams was left to wonder who would fill the void of the pitching duo.

He quickly found his replace-

From page 1B

that we’re capable of being up there.”

A group of sophomores that imporessed last year will need to pave the way for confidence.

Avery Mazzei stood out last year, earning all-state honors and taking second in the mile race at the state competition. Avery’s twin sister, Deborah, took first place in the mile race and she will be featured on the team. Tarryn Lowry, another sophomore, placed in the mile race as well.

The Lady Trojans don’t lack the capability to be great. They proved to be ahead of the pack against the seniors last season.

“The young girls have a fire some of the older girls didn’t quite have,” Graddy said. “They’re just talented. It’s exciting for us as coaches to have such a young group.”

Jenks will get its first look at the offseason progression Aug. 24 at Deer Creek.

The Lady Antlers are the reigning state champions from last season.

Getting to race among the state’s best will be a good measuring stick for the season.

“I think the best thing we can do there is, let’s see how close we can get to them or try to compete and see what happens. Leave it all out on the course.”

However, much like Jenks, Deer Creek didn’t have much roster turnover.

“I think it’ll be good to see how they are this year,” Graddy said. “They did not have a senior on their varsity team last year so they’re young. They are definitely the team to watch. It’ll be a good comparison to see how we are stacked up with them in the offseason.”

Jenks will travel to Deer Creek in Edmond Aug. 24 and race at 8:30 a.m.

Friday, August 16, 2019

Volleyball senior quesionnaire Volleyball season opened Monday and the lady Trojan team is looking to be one of the best in the state. Led by four seniors, Jenks will have the right tools heading into the season to get back in title contention.

Sydney Williams, Mia Burge, Kylie Rathbun and Emma Rhodes are anticipating a stellar year.

At media day last month, the four filled out a questionnaire created by the Jenks Tribune. Get to know this season’s senior leadership.

Sydney Williams Years in Jenks: Lifer Position: OH/Middle Favorite Song: Anything and Everything Favorite TV Show: Psych Pizza or Tacos: Pizza Favorite Volleyball Memory: The Houston Trip What you’re looking forward to this season: Working hard to win state and also having fun times with our littles and families.

What you’ll miss about Jenks volleyball: The atmosphere and the family, all the fun times and team bonding activities.

Mia Burge Years in Jenks: Lifer Favorite Song: Anything country Favorite Movie: Grease Pizza or Tacos: Pizza Favorite Volleyball Memory: Helping with younger players and coaching an 11’s team qualifying for nationals.

What you’re looking forward to this season: Being a role model for kids to look up to.

What you’ll miss about Jenks volleyball: The amazing family you get from being apart of this program.

Kylie Rathbun Years in Jenks: 12 Position: DS/Libero Favorite Song: Halo by Beyonce Favorite Movie: Shark Boy and Lava Girl Pizza or Tacos: Pizza Favorite Volleyball Memory: Jenks lock ins with nerf fights and football throwing contests.

What you’re looking forward to this season: Being with all of these amazing players and having fun 24/7.

What you’ll miss about Jenks volleyball: Definitely the people. They are the light and soul of this program.

Emma Rhodes Years in Jenks: Lifer Position: Setter Favorite Song: God’s Country by Blake Shelton Favorite TV Show: The Office Pizza or Tacos: Tacos Favorite Volleyball Memory: The lock in and when coach Shan killed a bird in the Frank.

What you’re looking forward to this season: All the home games and the lock in. WINNING STATE. What you’ll miss about Jenks volleyball: All my friends and the coaches.

JenksTribune.com

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Wrestling golf tournament to be held next month Support Jenks wrestling by participating in its golf tournament fundraiser.

The golf tournament will be held Sept. 1 at South Lakes Golf Course, hosted by the wrestling booster club.

The shotgun start will be at 8 a.m.

Teams can be made in groups of four at $100 per player. The fee includes lunch. Contests will be had for closest to the pin and longest drive.

Hole sponsorship will be available for $100. The booster club is offering other sponsorship levels at $250,

Who: Jenks Wrestling Booster Club What: Golf Tournament Where: South Lakes Golf Course When: Sept. 1 at 8 a.m.

Why: To support Jenks wrestlers $300 and $500.

For more information contact Jeremy Hall at (918) 830-9360 or email jenkswrestling@yahoo.com.

Entries can be mailed to Jenks Booster Club P.O. Box 1148 Jenks, Oklahoma

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Friday, August 16, 2019

Classifieds Help Wanted, Home for Sale/Rent, Misc. for Sale, Garage Sale, Auctions, Misc. Services, Public Notices and Much More!

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Jenks football booster club golf tournament 2019

The Jenks football booster club held its annual golf tournament fundraiser last Friday. Photos / Hayden Tucker

Jenks players flock to the beaches over the summer

By HAYDEN TUCKER

htucker@jenkstribune.com

A few Jenks volleyball players decided to crank their training up a notch this summer.

Seniors Kylie Rathbun and Mia Burge took to the sand over the break for their second consecutive summer playing beach volleyball.

The sport mimics indoor volleyball with a few twists. Teams are set up in groups of two instead of six and though the court is smaller to accommodate the lack of players, that doesn’t make things any easier.

“It’s harder to move in the sand,” Rathbun said. “A lot of girls will work out in the sand and play in the sand to improve their vertical, improve their speed and improve their volleyball IQ.” Though the game is tough on the body, the voice gets the most exercise. With more ground to cover, each player must stay focused and stay vocal with their partners.

“You have to trust your partner a lot more because it’s just you two and then you have to communicate a lot more with the sand being deeper. You need to have that trust,” Burge said.

Rathbun and Burge believe they have that trust.

Friends since the third grade,

the two say they move through the game with relative ease given the familiarity with one another. Their third-place finish at the national competition in Manhattan, California was a testament to that.

Rathbun and Burge have caught on quickly, this being just their second summer to compete.

However, it’s not always smooth sailing.

Any problem that may arise is quickly wiped away with strong communication skills.

“We’re typically on the same page but anytime one of us is off the other is like ‘hey, come on, let’s go,’ and we pick up the slack,” Burge said.

Players are typically allowed to choose their partners and Rathbun said hers was a no-brainer.

“I’ve known her before volleyball so it’s a pretty easy choice,” she said. “A lot of people just get thrown in together and have to figure it out.”

Those left to “figure it out” included Megan Salyer.

The incoming sophomore was entering her second summer of beach volleyball with her partner, Adison Morgan by her side.

But when Morgan got injured, it forced Salyer to look at other options.

She called on a friend and for-

mer club teammate from Bishop Kelly to fill the void. At first, adjusting to a new teammate didn’t go well.

“I’m used to communicating with (Morgan), so it was a challenge, so we didn’t do that well,” Salyer said.

The communication disparity cost them in the long run.

Their run in the playoffs didn’t find them going very far. Salyer walked away from California with a first-round loss.

Salyer said she didn’t take the loss to heart.

“It was so much fun. I just went for the experience, really,” she said.

And with the regular season quickly approaching, the players that participated in beach volleyball expect their hard work in the sand to translate to the hardwood.

While many volleyball players train in different ways, beach volleyball gives an extra step.

“There are a lot of good vertical programs out there that can give you the same edge,” Rathbun said. “I think (beach volleyball) gives you that same IQ up another level because you have to think about your shots and look for the holes.”

Jenks volleyball opens its season Aug. 13 at Bartlesville.

Barrett helps those in need

By HAYDEN TUCKER

htucker@jenkstribune.com

For many students, summer break is a time to relax and engage in summertime activities, yet Sunni Barrett has made sure her time off was put to good use.

For the past two summers, the incoming sophomore volleyball player has gone on mission trips to Mexico City. Barrett, along with other members at Carbondale Assembly of God, make the trek to the country that borders south of the U.S. to hold vacation bible school camps for chilSunni Barrett dren.

In the two summers she has made the trip, Barrett has come back full of humility.

“We take everything for granted here,” Barrett said. “All the kids from Mexico City don’t have as much as we do.”

Barrett played an integral role in the VBS program. Her compassion provided a much-needed commodity to children in poverty.

“I just hung out with the kids, just loved on them. They need it,” Barrett said.

The time she spent getting to know children in Mexico City has helped her in many areas of life, she says, including on the volleyball court. “(It has helped me) by working together and talking, building relationships and stuff like that,” she said. “Building close relationships with friends.”

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Friday, August 16, 2019

Volleyball photos continued

Jenks opened the season with a win on the road over Bartlesville. The Lady Trojans took a straight-set sweep winning 25-10, 25-16 and 25-10. Photos / Hayden Tucker

Trojans hit the field for first practice of 2019

Jenks officially opened the season with a 6 a.m. practice Monday morning. Photos / Hayden Tucker

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• FRIDAY, AUGUST 16, 2019 • JENKSTRIBUNE.COM •

Jenks grad Cody Davis brings Broadway experience back home Kyle Salomon ksalomon@jenkstribune.com Cody Davis came to the realization in his early years at Jenks High School that he wanted to pursue a career in musical theatre.

Since he came to that decision, Davis has taken a unique path that has led him across the country and to the center of the musical theatre world, New York City.

Davis is spending his summer in his hometown of Tulsa performing the role of “Bert” in “Mary Poppins” put on by Craft Productions.

The 2007 Jenks High School graduate described the role as “the narrator” of the show.

Davis shines in the part and has also excelled in his role as “the narrator” in his own life to see his dreams come true.

The Jenks High School vocal music department is one of the top music programs in the state. During his time at Jenks, Davis starred in “Grease” as a freshman, “Seussical the Musical” as a sophomore, “The Boyfriend” as a junior and “Oklahoma” as a senior.

“I loved how the vocal music program was its own department, but almost everyone that was in the program could be involved in other things,” Davis said. “I felt like that allowed everyone to have the full high school Continued to DAVIS, Page 10B

Jenks Tribune and Trojan Torch announce partnership

By HAYDEN TUCKER

htucker@jenkstribune.com

Cody Davis performs his role in “Mary Poppins” last month at Tulsa Community College. Photo/Courtesy

Students involved in Jenks High School’s Trojan Torch student newspaper will get the opportunity to work along side the Jenks Tribune staff this year.

The Jenks Tribune and the Trojan Torch are partnering up in hopes of giving student reporters the chance to explore journalism on a larger scale.

“We’re very excited about this,” Jenks Tribune owner Kyle Salomon said. “When we were coming up with our plans for the paper, this was one of the first things that came to mind. We want to help create the next wave of journalists.”

With the partnership, students will have the opportunity to cover school and community events and write stories for the Tribune.

“This allows the students a chance to have their byline in a legitimate newspaper and hopefully that will help in their future,” Salomon said.

Continued to PARTNERSHIP, Page 11B

Sharklahoma success

By HAYDEN TUCKER

htucker@jenkstribune.com

Sharklahoma’s first year accomplished what its creators wanted it to, and more is to come.

July marked the first ever Sharklahoma, a month-long celebration of the world’s largest bull shark exhibit at the Oklahoma Aquarium that also tied in com-

munity events. Each week, citizens and tourists alike could partake in events such as shark feeding, marine biologist for a day or a shark-themed movie question and answer night.

The Jenks Chamber of Commerce teamed up with the aquarium to create Sharklahoma. Both sides Continued to SHARKLAHOMA, Page 10B

Dietzel named finalist for teacher of the year SUBMITTED

In a formal announcement on Tuesday, the Oklahoma State Department of Education named Kirbey Dietzel, fifth grade teacher at Jenks East Intermediate, as one of 12 finalists for the State

Teacher of the Year Award.

Dietzel is entering her seventh year as a mathematics and science teacher at Jenks Public Schools.

“I am incredibly honored to be a finalist for State Teacher of the Year,” Dietzel remarked. “It is humbling to be mentioned with such an outstanding group of

educators from around our state and to have the opportunity to represent this profession. I love helping students reach their goals, and I am so grateful to my colleagues at Jenks Public Schools for their help and encouragement in making me the teacher I

am today.”

Dietzel, a native of Shawnee and a graduate of the University of Oklahoma, was named the 2019 District Teacher of the Year for Jenks Public Schools. She was selected as finalist for the State Teacher of the Year Award after

submitting an application packet to a panel of educators, members of the business community, legislators, and non-profit partners.

The Oklahoma Teacher of the Year will be revealed on September 17 in a ceremony at State Fair Park in Continued to DIETZEL, Page 11B

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Friday, August 16, 2019

Jenks Martial Arts Academy come away successful from Grand Nationals Twenty-one JMAA students competed at the 2019 UTA Grand Nationals Taekwon-Do tournament in Shreveport, Louisiana. JMAA returned with 17 gold medals, 13 silver medals and six bronze medals. The 2020 UTA Grand Nationals will be held in Tulsa. Photo/Courtesy

Sharklahoma wanted to draw more tourism to Jenks and community involvement by way of combining the aquarium and community events.

Given the unique name, uniqueness of sharks in Oklahoma and charm of Jenks, Sharklahoma was a hit.

“We had people sending us pictures from their vacations wearing their Sharklahoma shirts, that was a lot of fun,” Jenks Chamber of Commerce president Josh Driskell said.

Sharklahoma kicked off during Jenks’ July 4 celebrations and continued in the following

Davis

weeks with events fun for all ages.

The aquarium hosted seven shark feeds, children had the opportunity to be a marine biologist for the day, and there were two movie nights at the aquarium showing Sharknado and Jaws.

While its purpose may be thought of just as way to attract tourism, Sharklahoma officials wanted to educate participants as well.

Children weren’t the only ones whose knowledge of sharks grew.

Following the screening of Sharknado and Jaws, a question and answer panel was

opened to the audience where marine biologists and the filmmakers explained inaccuracies of the films.

“It’s not just kids, the ones who are fun to watch are the adults, the ones who grew up in the Jaws generation,” Driskell said.

“They saw Jaws as a child or teenager. It was fun hearing them talk, we overheard them when Money!!

Was talking about sharks and somebody was saying ‘I don’t really know about that.’ But the more he listened to it the more you see education opens your eyes to new things.”

And on the tourism aspect of

Sharklahoma, its mission was accomplished.

Many media outlets in Oklahoma covering the event were accompanied by neighboring states, driving more to Jenks.

“That’s always exciting,” Driskell said.

“Any time we get the chance to tell, not just the aquarium story but the Jenks story to people not from here, it’s a success for us.”

And though Sharklahoma performed above standards in its first year, chamber of commerce and aquarium officials want to improve some aspects for 2020.

While Driskell liked the response from participants, he says

he wants to see more buzz around the event next year.

“One of the things we’ll be looking at is more awareness, especially with our local merchants because this event was our first year and first year events are always ‘OK, what in the world is going to work this time?’” he said. “We’ll be looking for ways to further tie in with the business owners in Jenks and the Tulsa community and get the word out there.”

Moving forward, Driskell says the entire model of Sharklahoma will be updated and carefully thought out.

“As we started out with this, we wanted this to be a communi-

ty celebration, not just something at the aquarium,” he said. “I think we made some good strides there.

Hopefully in the next year we can grow the footprint of it. Make sure we’re looking at quality and not just quantity.

“We can have 20,000 events in a month but they’re probably not going to be very good.

We want to make sure we’re doing quality things that tie in, not just the importance of tourism but conservation and talking about the Oklahoma Aquarium, not just to our residents but to those who may live in the surrounding states as well.”

what he saw out of Davis. After Davis auditioned, Bryan brought him to Wichita the summer after his junior year and gave the high school teenager his first professional job in the industry.

“It was a big stepping-stone for me,” Davis said. “It was my first professional experience and it was great. Senior year, I mainly auditioned for different schools, but decided on Michigan University. It was always my top choice.

It has one of the best musical theatre departments in the country. They only take 10 boys and 10 girls in every class, so I was fortunate to get into that program.”

Davis added the full college experience was important to him when he was deciding where to attend school.

“It had a family atmosphere to it, but it was a big school, which is what I

wanted coming from Jenks,” he said. “I wanted to be able to go to football games and have and enjoy a campus life.”

Davis came back to Wichita every summer in his college years and continued to work on his craft, as he prepared for his next big jump.

He graduated from Michigan University in 2011 with a bachelor’s degree in musical theatre. Davis hired an agent in May of 2011 and spent one more summer working at Musical Theatre Wichita before making the move to New York City in August, where started the “grind” of auditioning.

“It was tough starting out,” Davis said. “Going through the grind is fun, but stressful. You are going to auditions every day of the week, taking numerous classes trying to improve and learn.

They don’t know you yet and that takes a lot of time. One thing I learned right off the bat is that everyone’s path is different. I had to accept the fact that

my path was my own.

It’s not like working in a corporation and working your way up.

You would get a job and then once the job is over, you are back to square one and being unemployed.”

Davis’ first break came in 2012 when he was cast in “Dames At Sea” in Annapolis, Maryland throughout the summer months.

He then got on with the “White Christmas” national tour in 2013 and was able to perform in Tulsa and Oklahoma City along the way.

In 2014, he auditioned for “Oklahoma” and got the part and then was also cast in “Fiddler On the Roof ”. Both those shows were done in Pennsylvania.

While performing in “Fiddler On the Roof ”, Davis received the call he had been waiting for since he dreamt of a career in musical theatre.

He was on his way to Broadway to join the cast of “Cinderella”.

“It was a dream come true,” Davis said.

“I debuted on July 22, 2014 and my whole family was there and

like 30 of my friends came. It was pretty special.”

“Cinderella” was open on Broadway for eight months from July 2014 to January 2015.

“It was an amazing experience, but a stressful one,” Davis said. “We were constantly at rehearsal or at a show. We would start rehearsals around 11 in the morning and then go until the show was over at 11 that night Tuesday through Sunday.”

Following his stint on Broadway, Davis was cast in “Lady Be Good” in New York City before joining the national tour of “Cinderella”, where he was able to perform in Tulsa and Oklahoma City again in front of family and friends.

Davis performed in 300 shows on the 13-month tour.

The Tulsa native said being able to perform in Mary Poppins this summer was fun and wants to see musical theatre in Tulsa grow.

“The cast was made up of all Tulsa-area people, which is really cool,” Davis said.

When asked what advice he would give a young person coming into the early years of high school or even at the middle school level that has interest in musical theatre, Davis said “I would tell them to learn as much as you can about the industry, learn as many shows as you can, do as many things as possible, not just musical theatre.

Become as worldly as you can and experience as many things as you can.

Figure out what you do well and work hard at it. Be confident of who you are, if you want it, you’ll find a way to make it work.”

Davis said Jenks High School helped prepare him for the next steps in life.

“Jenks gave me a really good balance,” he said. “Mr. (Larry) Downey and Mrs. (Julie) Hester treated us like professionals in vocal music. They had high expectations for us and held us to a high standard. Jenks is truly an incredible community to grow up in and I wouldn’t trade it for anything.”

From page 9B

From page 9B

experience and not just focus on musical theatre all the time.”

Following his freshman year in high school, Davis attended a musical theatre camp in Florida put on by Ann Reinking, where he said he got his first taste of what his future was going to be in the industry.

“I was around other people that were really good,” Davis said. “I realized then that I needed to take this seriously. I learned how to take the next steps to pursuing a career in musical theatre.”

Davis attended the camp the summer after his sophomore year as well. He then auditioned and was cast in the production of “Beauty and the Beast” put on by Theatre Arts in Tulsa.

That is where Davis met Wayne Bryan, who would help take Davis’ career to the next level.

Bryan ran the Musical Theatre Wichita and liked

Friday, August 16, 2019

JenksTribune.com

11B

Obituaries Dr. D. Ray Booker Dr. D. Ray Booker passed peacefully from this life on Monday, August 5, 2019, due to complications from a stroke and a long battle with Parkinson’s at the age of 84 years. Born November 26, 1934 in Willow, Oklahoma, Ray was the oldest of five children born to Geneva and Ray Booker.

Ray was an accomplished pilot, engineer, meteorologist and entrepreneur and he excelled in almost every venture he encountered. After graduating from Antlers High School, he earned a mechanical engineering degree at Oklahoma A&M College (Oklahoma State University) where he was active in the Air Force ROTC and the Baptist Student Union.

After graduating college, Ray was an engineer at Chance Vought Aircraft in Grand Prairie, Texas before becoming a second lieu-

tenant with the Air Force. He was sent to Pennsylvania State University for training, where he received a Master’s Degree and PhD, both in meteorology. During his time at Penn State, Booker was a television meteorologist and developed and taught the first course in television weather forecasting. He wrote a severe storm paper based on his master’s thesis, which was selected as the most significant scientific contribution at the American

Meteorological Society Severe Storms Conference held in Norman, Oklahoma.

After completing his PhD at Penn State University, he returned to Oklahoma to launch his first business, Weather Science, Inc. and later joined KWTV in Oklahoma City as one of the first professional meteorologists on television. Other businesses he formed included Aeromet, Inc. (formerly L-3 Aeromet), Aviation Technologies, Inc., and Metrodata Systems, Inc. Booker was an active supporter of the Oklahoma State University Foundation, serving as its Chairman of the Board of Directors. Ray’s generosity was beyond his alma mater and he was dedicated to making the Tulsa community a better place. He was an active board member and officer of the Tulsa Air and Space Museum, the

Tulsa Ballet and the Tulsa Signature Symphony. He also greatly enjoyed his membership at Southern Hills Country Club.

In 1995, Ray was awarded the OSU CEAT Melvin R. Lohmann Medal, presented annually to an individual for outstanding engineering achievement. He was named Distinguished Alumnus from Pennsylvania State University in 2000. In 2001, he received Oklahoma State University’s Distinguished Alumni.

In 2012, Ray was inducted into the Oklahoma State University Hall of Fame, the highest honor bestowed upon alumni. Ray and his wife Linda endowed two scholarship funds and a professorship at OSU. He was a life member of the OSU Alumni Association.

Booker Hall was named in his honor in 2005.

Ray was a voracious

reader and a true intellectual. He lived a life full of adventure and enjoyed travel, music, theater, ballet and college sports. He was as loyal and true of an OSU Cowboy fan that you could ever hope to find. He loved being with his family and friends who brought him such joy throughout his life. His presence, kindness, and generosity for others will be deeply missed by all those who had the good fortune to know him. Above all, he was a family man.

Ray is survived by his wife Linda Booker of Jenks, OK; one brother, Les Booker and wife Beth of Oklahoma City OK; two sisters, Kaye Leach and husband Eddie of North Richland Hills, TX and Janice Booker of Oklahoma City, OK; three children, Karen Chism and husband Cliff of Haskell, OK, Garry Booker and wife Lisa of Tulsa, OK, and

Renee Rhodes and husband Andy of Stillwater, Ok; two step-children, Michelle Woford and husband Kirk of Oklahoma City, OK, and Craig Parrish and wife Amy of Oklahoma City, OK; twelve grandchildren, Christopher Cline, Bradley Cline, William Booker, Alexander Booker, Elyssa Claxton, Brandon Rhodes, Rachael Rhodes, Madelyn Rhodes, Emily Ellis, Kate Ellis, Jack Ellis and Lucy Parrish.

He is preceded in death by his parents, his wife Earlene Hobbs Booker; sister, Susan Booker, son Larry Booker and granddaughter Sabra Cline.

Ray’s funeral service was held at the Tulsa Air and Space Museum on August 9, 2019 and entrusted to the care of Hargrove-Marker Funeral & Cremation Service, Jenks, Oklahoma.

George Franklin Agee George Franklin Agee, age 89, passed from this life on July 31, 2019 in Sapulpa, OK. George was born on May 3, 1930 in Wewoka, Oklahoma to Benjamin Clarence and Elsie Elizabeth (Lowery) Agee. George graduated from Henryetta High School in 1948 and married his classmate and love of his life Berna Dean (Brookey) Agee

Dietzel

July 14, 1950. George was drafted into the military on February 13, 1952 where he served for two years and was honorably discharged on February 13, 1954. George attended Okmulgee Tech where he received his certificate in 1956. He worked at various oil companies as a draftsman, construction and equipment

From page 9B

Oklahoma City.

“We are so proud of Kirbey and all she has done for her students and for our District,” said Dr. Stacey Butterfield, Superintendent of Jenks Public Schools.

“She is a tremendous representative for public education and for our entire community.

It is a joy to witness her passion for learning and her dedication to her students. We are thankful to have Kirbey at JPS, and she

Partnership Students will also have access to workshops hosted by Tribune employees where they’ll learn newspaper layout, writing styles, photography and more. Job shadowing opportunities will be presented throughout the school year as well.

Also, with this part-

is very deserving of this honor.”

Beyond guiding her students through equations and experiments, Dietzel enjoys helping fifth graders navigate their stage of life and setting them up for future success.

“They are trying to be loved and accepted by their teacher, but also trying to figure out who they are as people,” Dietzel stated.

“Part of what I love about teaching is help-

representative.

George is preceded in death by his parents, and his loving wife of 67 years, Berna Dean Agee, brother s Bill Agee, Harvey and Tilford England, and Sister Cleo Hasell.

George is survived by 2 sons; George Michael and wife Jeanette Agee of Cleveland, OK, Mark Edward Agee of Mannford, OK, 3 grand-

children; Benjamin Agee of Tulsa, OK, Joel Agee of Japan, Scott and wife Sarah Agee of Tulsa, OK. 2 Great grandchildren; Clive Agee and Lorna Agee, 1 brother; Phil Hutchinson and wife Diana of Henryetta, OK, 1 sister; Dixie and husband John Hutchinson of Overland Park, KS, as well as many relatives

and friends that will miss him dearly.

Funeral service previously held on Tuesday, August 6, 2019 at Beaver Street Baptist Church in Jenks with interment held at Rest Haven Cemetery in Sperry, OK. Services were entrusted to the care of HargroveMarker Funeral & Cremation Service, Jenks, Oklahoma.

ing students get to know themselves and pointing them in the right direction.”

The selection of Dietzel marks the sixth consecutive year an educator from Jenks Public Schools has been named a finalist for the state award. Romney Nesbitt (2015), Jenniffer Callaway (2016), Brittany Hix (2017), Shala Marshall (2018), and Amy Greenhaw (2019) were all nominees for the highest teaching honor in the state.

Tribune hopes to expand what it can nership, the physical offer to journalism edition of the Trojan students by way of Torch will be returnscholarships and ing. internships.

Once a month the “I believe this will Trojan Torch will be be great for both parintegrated as part of ties involved,” the Jenks Tribune.

Salomon said. “We The student-created want to show the next paper will take over generation that jourthe back half of the B nalism is still important in communities section of the paper.

Moving forward the like Jenks.”

From page 9B

Church Directory Beaver Street Baptist Church 102 W Beaver Street Service times: 9:30am Sunday 10:45am Sunday 6pm Sunday Dove Ministry 2833 W Main Street Service times: 10:30am Sunday 6pm Sunday First Baptist Church 11701 S. Elm Street Service times: 8:30am Sunday 9:45am Sunday 11am Sunday First Christian Church 308 E. Main Street Service times: 9:45am Sunday 10:45am Sunday First United Methodist Church 415 E. Main Street Service times: 8:45am Sunday 10am Sunday 11:15am Sunday

Jenks Bethel Baptist Church 11808 S. Elm Street Service times: 11am Sunday Jenks Church 1015 W. Main Street Service times: 9am Sunday 10am Sunday Kirk Crossing 11420 S. James Avenue Service times: 9am Sunday 10:30am Sunday Life Church Jenks 890 W. 81st Street Service times: 4pm Saturday 5:30pm Saturday 8:30am Sunday 10am Sunday 11:30am Sunday 1pm Sunday 4pm Sunday 5:30pm Sunday 7pm Monday Newspring Family Church 2907 W. 108th Place South Service times: 9:30am Sunday 10:30am Sunday

River Oaks Christian Church 300 N. Elm Street Service times: 9:30am Sunday 10:30am Sunday 6:30pm Sunday Sanctuary 1015 W. Main Street Service times: 10:30am Sunday St. James Presbyterian Church 11970 S. Elm Street Service times: 10:30am Sunday 11:30am Sunday The Church at Jenks 2101 W. 118th Street 9am Sunday 11am Sunday The Connecting Co. 1737 W. 81st Street Service times: 10am Sunday

To submit an obituary to the Jenks Tribune, contact Kyle Salomon at 528-7272 or ksalomon@jenkstribune.com

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Friday, August 16, 2019

Jenks High School graduate Mariah Scott stands with Jenks Chamber of Commerce president Josh Driskell (left) and City of Jenks Mayor Robert Lee after winning the Jenks Flag Competition July 4 at the Jenks Freedom Fest. Photo/Kyle Salomon

Jenks native Mariah Scott wins flag competition

By KYLE SALOMON

ksalomon@jenkstribune.com

Jenks’ newest symbol has a native touch to it.

Several months ago, the City of Jenks and the Jenks Chamber of Commerce partnered to find a new flag to represent the Jenks community with a competition.

The competition

came to an end Thursday morning at the July 4 Freedom Fest with the announcement of the winner, Mariah Scott. Scott not only graduated from Jenks High School in 2015, but she attended Jenks Public Schools throughout her entire life.

Scott then attended Oral Roberts University in Tulsa and graduated

in December of 2018 before going to work for The Galley in Bixby as a graphic designer.

Scott said she was notified about the competition but did not want to allow herself to get too excited about it before she found out the results.

“I searched Jenks, Oklahoma on Google Maps to help give me

some ideas,” Scott said.

“Main Street in Jenks and the Arkansas River are two things that Jenks is known for and two things people take pride in here. I wanted to create a flag that when people look at it, they see our town.”

Scott accomplished that goal by incorporating the town’s history and tradition.

The city’s levy system that is designed to keep major flooding from happening and the school system are two of the items Scott wanted to depict in design. There are also five stars on the flag representing Jenks being founded in 1905 and the word Jenks having five letters in it.

“It was such an

honor when I found out I had won,” Scott said.

“I knew there were a lot of really good flag designs in the competition. When I found out, I just screamed. I was so excited. This is a place I love so much.”

The Jenks City Council will vote to adopt the new flag at the City Council meeting.

Congratulations to the Jenks Tribune on your inaugural edition. Welcome to Jenks!

Andrea Salomon Sales Executive Coldwell Banker Select

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