WELLS PRESS

(Below) Wells Assistant Principal and Principal designee Rex Langley gives instructions to one of his student office aids. [photo by Harlee Fox]

by Harlee Fox and Kaylin Searcy

Catoosa Public Schools' Board of Education at its May 20 meeting approved Superintendent Robert Schornick's recommendation to promote Wells Assistant Principal Rex Langley to Wells Principal for the 2024-25 school year. Mr. Langley will succeed Bryce Hauenstein who was recruited into the civil construction engineering field.

Wells Press spoke with Mr. Langley about his leadership and plans for the coming school year.

Q: Why did you decide that you wanted to be Wells principal?

A: I decided to be a principal at Wells Middle School because I love Wells and I love all the staff and students. I want to continue to support all the staff and students in this building.

Q: What do you like most about working at this school?

A: I like that all the teams of teachers and staff feel like a family. Everybody helps everybody out, and they are all working for the same goal.

Q: What do you dislike most about working at this school?

A: I dislike having to have the same discipline conferences over and over and over.

Q: What do you plan to work on your first day?

A: On the first day of the new school year, I plan to help the new assistant principal get acclimated to the building, and to build on the team environment that we already have.

Q: What assistant principal duties will you continue to do as principal ?

A: As principal, I will continue to stand outside in the mornings to greet students. It is a great way to start the day.

Q: What assistant principal duties will you no longer do as principal?

A: As head principals, we all do a little bit of everything ... One thing I am looking forward to is not doing as many discipline conferences. I will not have a lot of time to do those, but I will have to meet with the serious ones.

Timeless music: Catoosa's high school and middle school choirs together on May 7 performed some of the same songs that Catoosa Choir Director Gregory Landburg learned as a vocal student at Catoosa in the 1970s.

[photo by Isabella Borum]

by Isabella Borum and Karley Reich

In a performance that showed several months of practice and preparation, Catoosa’s middle school and high school choirs combined for a concert May 7 in the middle school gym for an audience mostly of choir students’ family members.

The combined choir performed 10 songs that night in about two and a half hours. Of those songs, choir students and Choir Director Gregory Landburg said they liked performing the song “Joshua” the best.

Some students did have other preferences for their favorites. “My favorite song to perform was ‘Benedict’,” said sixth grader Emilee Ogle. Choir students also said they had fun running around before the show and setting up the stage.

“The performance went good because everyone could hit their notes perfectly, and nobody messed up their parts,” said seventh grader Brody Swayne.

A 1977 graduate of Catoosa High School, Mr. Landburg came back to Catoosa after 35 years of teaching at different schools to teach all these songs to his Catoosa students this year.

“It's been a real privilege to come back and to teach the same things I learned as a student here,” Mr. Landburg said, “and to come back and teach it to the students. I have loved coming back to this school.”

A great show: Catoosa theatre students presented the musical "The Greatest Showman" in two performances May 14 and 16 on the middle school's stage. [photo by Dakohtah Jordan]

Tune-up: Wells beginning band students produced one last public performance May 10 in the Twist Center before their state competition the following day in Oklahoma City.

[photo by Mckenzie Hargrove]

by Nevaeh Alexander and Mckenzie Hargrove

The Catoosa middle school beginning band went to Oklahoma City May 11 for a competition hosted at the Frontier City theme park. The band placed a spurrier rating. That's the highest that they can place.

Band members said they were nervous to see how they were placed. “I was a lot more nervous than usual, but it was a lot of fun.” said sixth grade percussionist Quincy Bell.

There were some of them who were convinced that they did good, but not everyone. “Not great, to be honest ... I kind of forgot some of it,” said sixth grade trumpet player Kaylen Callaway.

There were emotions everywhere waiting to hear how they did. “I knew what to do because we have been practicing for a long time.” said sixth grade trombone player Skylee Maymi.

by Anna Smith and Jaidyn Swarer

Next year will be the last school year that Catoosa eighth grade will be at the high school. By the fall of 2025, the new Cherokee Elementary will have 14 more classrooms than it has now, so fourth and fifth grades will be at Cherokee, and eighth grade will be back at the middle school.

Some kids would rather stay. “I would like to stay at the middle school because I think we need like one more year here before moving into the high school,” said seventh grader Cristian DeLeon.

Other kids welcome the change to the high school. “I would rather go to the high school," said seventh grader Marco Ambriz, "because they have better options over there. They have a bigger gym, and they have more activities to do.”

The Class of 2029 will be the last class to go to the high school as eighth graders. “I feel good; I feel special. I feel unique, and I feel great,” said seventh grader Ariana Mack.

The Wells Press / Wells yearbook staff: Twenty-two sixth and seventh graders gathered the news, wrote the monthly newsletter articles, shot the photos, and designed yearbook pages throughout this school year.

by Jailin Duran and Eva Ortiz-Becerra

The yearbook staff worked hard this year publishing stories monthly and producing the yearbook. A lot of the students actually enjoyed going around to interview teachers and students, take pictures, and transcribe interviews.

The editor Kirk McAnany checks the staff's work for errors, details, and gives tips for who to interview or how to write. He is also the one who edits the yearbook and puts the students pictures in. He has a big part in the yearbook design.

"We started work on the yearbook back in August," Mr. McAnany said, "and page design went on throughout the year -- all the way up to the Feb. 26 print deadline. Part of my job as editor was to use my design experience to enhance each page editor's designs, so I touch all 60 pages. That's probably 70-80 total hours of work."

“My favorite part is when you finish your page or story you feel happy,” said seventh grader Anna Smith.

“I do recommend it (working on the media staff) because you can hang out with your friends and go to see and talk to other people,” said seventh grader Bella Borum.

"Every yearbook presents its challenges," Mr. McAnany said, "but this was my fourth yearbook, so the challenges are a lot easier to overcome with that experience. And I think each book is better than the one from the year before, which makes this one the best."

Several copies of the 2024 yearbook still are available for sale at $35, payable by cash or check at the Wells main office.

Have you ever been on a fun summer vacation? Maybe you went to Europe or Florida with your friends … or went swimming with dolphins … or just stayed home and relaxed. Wells Press surveyed students by grade level about what they would want to do over the summer break.

Swim with sharks or dolphins or no wildlife?

4th grade: sharks 11% / dolphins 78% / no wildlife 11%

5th grade: sharks 35% / dolphins 58% / no wildlife 7%

6th grade: sharks 35% / dolphins 65% / no wildlife 0%

7th grade: sharks 26% / dolphins 58% / no wildlife 16%

Europe or Florida or stay home?

4th grade: Europe 28% / Florida 56% / stay home 17%

5th grade: Europe 12% / Florida 70% / stay home 18%

6th grade: Europe 59% / Florida 41% / stay home 0%

7th grade: Europe 85% / Florida 0% / stay home 15%

Travel by car or boat or plane?

4th grade: car 31% / boat 19% / plane 50%

5th grade: car 12% / boat 6% / plane 82%

6th grade: car 17% / boat 17% / plane 66%

7th grade: car 6% / boat 0% / plane 94%

Longer break in the summer or spring or winter?

4th grade: summer 82% / spring 4% / winter 14%

5th grade: summer 100% / spring 0% / winter 0%

6th grade: summer 81% / spring 6% / winter 13%

7th grade: summer 94% / spring 0% / winter 6%

Wells Press staff: Anlli Alcudia-Avalos, Nevaeh Alexander, Bella Borum, Kynadi Carl, Jailin Duran, Harlee Fox, McKenzie Hargrove, Izzy Holmes, Dakohtah Jordan, Brooklyn McAnally, Yanely Olvera-Stephenson, Eva Ortiz-Becerra, Karley Reich, Laveah Robertson, Connor Russell, Kamdyn Scott, Kaylin Searcy, Anna Smith, Hailey Spears, Jaidyn Swarer, Kamryn White ... Send inquiries to kmcanany@catoosa.k12.ok.us