Chargers return to state final
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The Heritage Hall volleyball team, led by senior Daphne Matthews, left, lost a tough 5-set match to Community Christian in the Class 3A state championship. Sports, Page 5
Our Nov. 6 edition will Honor All Who Served in commemoration of Veterans Day. Send photos, with names and branch of service of your favorite veteran to rose@okcfriday.com.
OKC FRIDAY Vol. 54 No. 23 • One Section • 12 pages October 16, 2020
www.okcfriday.com facebook.com/okcfriday OKC’s only locally-owned legal newspaper with all local news Serving Oklahoma City, Nichols Hills, The Village, Quail Creek, The Greens and Gaillardia for 46 years
Taipei, OKC mark 40th year as ‘Sister Cities’
Nichols Hills launches new mobile app By Rose Lane Editor
By Vicki C. Gourley Publisher A friendship between Taipei, Taiwan, and Oklahoma City resulting in trade and cultural exchanges was signed through Sister Cities International by OKC Mayor Patience Latting 40 years ago. Last week, SCI OKC board members traveled to Houston, Texas, to celebrate with the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office (TECO). Representing SCI OKC was President Mary Blankenship Pointer, who is also on the international SCI board; Chris Morriss, Chief Protocol Officer of Oklahoma; Aldwyn Sappleton, Deputy Director of Research and Economic Analysis, Oklahoma
where. She even drove the van. The Okies were so charmed by her beauty and efficiency; we were having a ball even before arriving at the TECO for a formal luncheon and gift exchange.
The all-new City of Nichols Hills Shop Together mobile app is an easy and convenient way for residents to connect with local merchants and the city itself. Mayor Sody Clements said the platform of her term is economic development. She said the city has been talking about developing an app for some time. “COVID really spurred us on,” Clements said. The app was a “good chance to involve the merchants,” she said. Local businesses can post sales and announce promotions. “For instance, if you are looking for a men’s clothing store, it’s right there,” Clements said. There is a place on the app for merchants to list their businesses, subject to approval. The app also includes a map of Nichols Hills and shows users where map and health care services are located. Residents can contact City Hall with questions and even pay their utility bills. The app is free and available by searching City of Nichols Hills in the app store. “It is very easy to use and convenient,” Clements said. “We all have our phones.” The official kick-off of the app is set for Saturday during the Nichols Hills Community Day, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., on the north side of Nichols Hills Plaza. Those who
See TAIPEI, Page 2
See APP, Page 3
Sister Cities International OKC board members dressed in traditional Chinese attire for a photo at the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office (TECO) in Houston. Oklahoma City and Taipei are celebrating 40 years of cultural and economic trade, from left, SCI OKC board member Dr. Ron Sutor, SCI OKC President Mary Blankenship Pointer, Chris Morriss, Chief Protocol Officer of Oklahoma, Aldwyn Sappleton, Deputy Director of Research and Economic Analysis, Oklahoma Department of Commerce and president elect of SCI OKC, and Vicki Clark Gourley, Past president and board member of SCI OKC.
Department of Commerce and president-elect of SCI OKC; Vicki Clark Gourley, Past president and board member of SCI OKC; and SCI OKC board member Dr. Ron Sutor. Director General Robert Lo packed in
two full days of lunches, dinners, cultural exchanges, and entertainment before putting the Oklahomans back on the plane for home on Saturday. Consular Officer Wei-ling Chen met us at the airport and escorted us every-
He aced it! Crossings junior gets perfect ACT score By Rose Lane Editor Only a junior, Crossings Christian School’s Garrett Baumert can cross the ACT off his list of things to do. There is no sense of taking it again. One can’t do better than a perfect 36. With that, he said he felt “relief.” Fewer than half of 1 percent of students who take
the ACT earn the top score of 36. Even fewer accomplish this as a junior. This was Garret’s second time to sit for the ACT. His first attempt was five years ago when he scored a 27 as a 12-year-old, which is a full seven points more than the national average. Garrett spends his free time competing on the CCS Debate and Academic Team — and evidently studying for
the ACT. To prepare for exam, he said he took a week-long class with Sherry Howell at Education Motivation in Moore. “I also did practice tests in the evening after the review class,” he said. Practice does make perfect. “The best advice I can give is to practice,” Garrett said. “It doesn’t matter how many tips and tricks you learn,
FRIDAY’s
Baby of the Week Naomi Lilliana Smelser was born June 16, 2017 to Levi and Brittany Smelser. She’s the sweetest little granddaughter to Cici and Jerry Rhodes. Email Dog, Cat and Baby of the Week photos with complete descriptions to rose@okcfriday.com Submissions used in the order they are received.
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nothing will help you like repetition.” His parents, Carter and Cara Baumert, of Edmond, said he works hard at all of his academics. “His persistence in preparing was amazing and it obviously paid off,” they said. While Garrett is unsure where he will attend college, CCS college counselor Keri See ACT, Page 3
GARRETT BAUMERT
Goebel is Girl Scouts honoree Girl Scouts Western Oklahoma are set to honor Kay Goebel during the 17th Annual Juliette Low Leadership Society Luncheon on Thursday, Feb. 18, 2021 at the Oklahoma City Golf and Country Club. The 2021 luncheon is chaired by Patty Brumbaugh and Kim Mosburg. A community leader and philanthropist, Goebel has received numerous awards and honors for her work in Oklahoma City, including the Volunteer
Fundraiser of the Year by the Association of Professional Fundraisers and the Governor’s Arts Award. She was named one of the 20 most influential women in Oklahoma by Oklahoma Family Magazine and was inducted into the Oklahoma Women’s Hall of Fame. Irene and Margo Gianos, founders and Co-CEOs of Honestly Margo, a bath and beauty brand that is “inspired by See JLLS, Page 3