I just looked at the geotechnical report for Nichols Hills Elementary and it shows the Gym to be on the west side. The geotechnical investigation and report are completed prior to the structural plans. The geotechnical investigation was authorized on 3/14/2008! The report was issued on 5/27/2008. If you follow this link: http://www.okc.gov/agendapub/agdocs.aspx?doctype=agenda&itemid=63818, you can look at some of the plans and the geotechnical report (especially the “Plan of Borings” page) in Addendum 1. I don’t know what the people on Glenwood were told, but as far as the architect and the City is concerned (Building Permit was issued on 11/28/2011), that Gym was always going to be on the west side, right up against their backyard fence.

 The Foundation for Oklahoma City Public Schools created this video for their annual campaign. They go to many schools and interview all kinds of people – students, volunteers, teachers, administrators. I saw several faces I recognized from spending a week at John Marshall High School. One of those was Ashley Bahtahou. (You can see her at about 1:35 into the video.) I didn’t interview her, but I saw her so many times throughout the week. She’s one of those students who is involved in everything, and you can tell that she’s respected and admired by other students. She was phenomenal during track practice. She was fast, sure, but she was so encouraging of her other teammates. She’s a neat kid.

What she said in the video was so striking to me because it’s the same thing I’ve heard over and over from students and teachers throughout the district: our reputation doesn’t reflect reality. Set aside the reputation and whether you think it’s deserved. To me, the saddest thing is that those kids all know what the city thinks of them. They know what the community says about Oklahoma City Public Schools. Children shouldn’t feel like the world around them expects them to fail. They should feel like everyone expects them to succeed.

Students milled around the breakfast tables, eating particularly slowly. One boy claimed he was eating breakfast late because he slept in.

“Do I need to call your mom?” Carlson asked him. He smiled when he knew he was caught. “What’s your number?” Carlson said. “I’ll call and wake you up.”

And one more …

Carlson came out of her office to find a boy slouching in a chair next to the copier.

“OK, I just heard the bell ring,” she said. “Where are you supposed to be?”

“I’m getting my transcript so I can go to college,” he said with a grin.

Carlson laughs. “OK,” she admits, “that’s allowed.”

Northeast Academy High School for Health Sciences and Engineering will host a MAPS for Kids meeting at 6 p.m. Tuesday in the school’s cafeteria, 3100 N Kelley Ave. The school will receive a $4.8 million renovation.

The final MAPS for Kids meeting at Cesar Chavez Elementary School will be at 6 p.m. April 9 in the school’s auditorium, 2717 S Robinson. The school is set to receive $10 million in renovations.

- Staff Writer Dawn Marks

The meeting will start at 6 p.m. Jan. 29 at the school, 8400 N Robinson. Organizers will discuss the final designs planned for the school and hear ideas from the audience. The school, established in 1963, will receive more than $4.3 million in improvements and will convert into a school for prekindergarten through sixth-grade students.

For more information about MAPS for Kids, go to www.okc.gov.

- Staff Writer Dawn Marks