Gene Roddenberry’s last frontier
Pithy commentary is difficult to avoid when it comes to Star Trek stars wanting to make space their final resting place. It is, after all, the final frontier. And while they’re not quite going where no man has gone before, they are planning to stay there. Part of Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry’s remains was launched into space in 1997. His wife, Majel, died last year. Her remains and the rest of her husband’s will be sent into space in 2012, via a rocket-launched spacecraft, according to a message from the couple’s son left on the Web site of Celestis Memorial Spaceflights. The company said the mission fulfills Majel Roddenberry’s wish for the couple’s own “personal star trek … deep into the final frontier.” We wonder if the price list that ranges from about $700 to more than $37,000 includes a frequent flyer discount.
Gene Roddenberry’s last frontier
Pithy commentary is difficult to avoid when it comes to Star Trek stars wanting to make space their final resting place. It is, after all, the final frontier. And while they’re not quite going where no man has gone before, they are planning to stay there. Part of Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry’s remains was launched into space in 1997. His wife, Majel, died last year. Her remains and the rest of her husband’s will be sent into space in 2012, via a rocket-launched spacecraft, according to a message from the couple’s son left on the Web site of Celestis Memorial Spaceflights. The company said the mission fulfills Majel Roddenberry’s wish for the couple’s own “personal star trek … deep into the final frontier.” We wonder if the price list that ranges from about $700 to more than $37,000 includes a frequent flyer discount.
Generous students
Teenagers aren’t all bad. We know this, of course. But it doesn’t hurt to be reminded. Students in the DECA club at Edmond North High School raised $2,400 for the Coffee Creek Riding Club. The club has provided free therapeutic riding to children and adults with varied disabilities for nearly three decades. Most of the club’s students range from toddlers to pre-teens. It’s a worthy program and the Edmond North students deserve applause for making sure it lives on. Job well done.
Child safety seat laws
AAA Oklahoma’s Chuck Mai wrote this week that it’s been 31 years since Tennessee passed the nation’s first child safety seat law. For parents of young children, it’s hard to imagine not stressing out over which car seat to buy, whether a child needs a rear- or front-facing seat and when they can graduate to the much cheaper and much easier to lug around booster seats. Mai thinks Oklahoma’s law regarding child safety seats is due updating. Current law allows children ages 6 and older to be seated in booster seats or a seat belt. That means many parents let their 6- and 7-year-olds use regular seat belts before they’re big enough, he said. The safer route, he said, would be to require booster seats for children up to 80 pounds. That would be a huge change for Oklahomans, and one not all parents will be happy about. But Mai’s concerns are worth listening to.
New leader for Oral Roberts University
He’s no televangelist. But the man officials want to take over at Oral Roberts University is no stranger to turning around a struggling Christian university. Mark Rutland is president of Southeastern University, a Florida private school with roots to the Pentecostal church. Officials there called Rutland a “catalyst” for growth, pointing to substantial enrollment growth and infrastructure improvements. Rutland is set to visit the Tulsa private school at month’s end as trustees consider whether to hire him as the school’s next president. Rutland has said he wants to move ORU forward. If he becomes president, we wish him luck. Overcoming the recent scandal and financial difficulties in financially troubling times will be a huge challenge.
Free lunch
It’s no secret that when many kids go home for the holiday break, they may not get another nutritious meal until school reopens. Officials with one
Ohio school district were so worried that the economy would force even more students to go hungry over the holidays that they opted to reopen some school cafeterias for several days. “The economy is so tight, and the food stamp dollar doesn’t go as far as it used to,” a school official told the Cincinnati Enquirer. “This is America; we’ve got to take care of each other. Food for children should not be an issue.” Indeed.
Fattest city in America
In Huntington, W. Va., the residents don’t talk much about living in the fattest city in America. Most of them probably don’t even realize it, according to health officials. Most people, says the city’s overweight mayor, are much more worried about the economy. Businesses and even hospitals fought smoking bans.
We can’t help but see the parallels. Whether it’s looking at obesity, diabetes or heart disease, Oklahoma’s among the nation’s unhealthiest states. There are myriad efforts to improve Oklahoma’s health statistics and the general health of Oklahomans. From smoking restrictions to school-based nutrition education to Oklahoma City Mayor Mick Cornett’s citywide diet challenge, ideas abound for making us a healthier city and state. But an obstacle both here and in West Virginia is one of culture that takes time – and a lot of it – to change.
Southern food’s always been on the fatty side, with fried chicken and chicken fried steak longtime staples. Fast food is also a mainstay with so many families struggling to pay the bills. By comparison, fresh fruits and vegetables are expensive.
Health officials here and in West Virginia aren’t giving up on the idea of improving health statistics. But it won’t happen quickly.
Mid-Del school dilemma
To close or not to close. That’s the question in eastern Oklahoma County, where school officials in the Midwest City-Del City district are considering whether to some schools to save money, address safety concerns and enrollment declines. A task force of community members and school district staff offered up eight scenarios for the school board to consider. They range from doing nothing to closing two elementary schools and a middle school. At a town hall meeting last week, no speakers supported closing schools. Imagine that. School board members have many interests to consider in deciding if and how to act. Oklahoma City’s decision to close some schools as part of MAPS for Kids wasn’t exactly popular. But what’s popular and what’s right isn’t always the same thing.
Read the proposed scenarios here.
Broken Arrow superintendent battle
Drama class
Presidential politics may take the national stage, but school districts certainly have their fair share of drama.
Those living in Oklahoma City, Tulsa and many parts in between are well aware of the superintendent sagas that have played out in those cities during the past year. No doubt parents in a Tulsa suburb are embarrassed and angry that there’s a showdown between the school board and superintendent in their hometown.
The stage is Broken Arrow, where a divided school board suspended the superintendent and forbid him from stepping onto school grounds without approval. The Tulsa World reported that when Jim Sisney, the suspended schools chief, tried to retrieve his belongings from the administration building, police were called. He wasn’t arrested and police said he’s not a criminal suspect.
The request for police assistance wasn’t the first legal skirmish involving Sisney. In September, he filed a defamation lawsuit against five people, including three school board members. He’s also suing an attorney who has done legal work for the district.
The shame is that school leadership dramas detract and distract from the important work happening in schools. That’s not good for the kids who need adults to rise above the theater of chaos.
Paying for student performance
Take it to the bank
Thousands of Washington D.C. middle school students are getting a chance to take their good grades and behavior to the bank. On-time attendance, good grades and not disrupting class can net students up to $100 weekly – with a maximum of $1,500 per student for the school year. The Washington Post reported that the Harvard economist who created the Capital Gains program isn’t necessarily expecting to close the achievement gap nor is he sure it will prove effective. Still, teachers report the program jointly funded by the school district and a grant has students paying more attention to their behavior and attendance. Doesn’t seem like that long ago that a parent paying a child for good grades was controversial. Some students may soon figure out that a double dip isn’t just about ice cream.
