Materials

First, I would like to say “Thank You” to the donors and LPSF! My class recently received our outdoor items. I teach pre-K and they were so excited that they didn’t even play with anything else today except these items! That’s big!!! They were so involved and although some of the equipment is a little challenging, they kept on trying. I purchased items that will help with their gross motor skills and eye-hand coordination. I have a group of kids that love to play basketball, and they were over the moon to get actual basketballs! The coordination involved to bounce, throw and dribble a ball is key for development at this age. We also received many other bouncing balls of various sizes that will improve coordination skills as well. The catching cones are very challenging, but great to work on eye-hand coordination. It is a plastic cone with an attached ball, and the goal is to toss up the ball and catch it in the cone. The comet balls were also popular. A soft ball with a comet tail, but great for working on throwing a ball. The comet effect of how it glides and lands is an extra to make them want to throw it over and over, while improving the throw and catch skill. The scooter boards were busy all recess with kids working those legs muscles around the sidewalk walkway of our playground. They also had a lot of fun trying to hook the rings on the ring toss toy, another great eye-hand coordination activity. I purchased the cones thinking we could use those to section off areas, but they had more fun making a pyramid and learning about balance. These items will be used daily and will help improve gross motor needs of my students, as well as those we share recess with.
Thanks again for making this possible!

Through the LPS Foundation the MacArthur High School Academic Team was able to purchase a new buzzer system to replace nonworking systems. This buzzer system is used for team practice to prepare for tournaments and also enables us to host OSSAA district seeding and Area tournaments. Thank you to the LPS Foundation for considering and funding our grant request!

Thanks to the generosity of the LPS Foundation and its donors, our marching band was able to purchase a brand-new Sousaphone. This vital instrument serves as the backbone of our band’s sound, providing the deep, rich tones that bring our performances to life.

Prior to this grant, our students were using an aging instrument that was difficult to play and maintain. With this new Sousaphone, our students now have access to a high-quality instrument that allows them to perform at their best, both in rehearsals and on the field. Adding new instruments to our band gives students even more pride in their performance, knowing they have the tools to sound their best. Additionally, learning to care for and maintain these instruments teaches responsibility and instills a sense of ownership—helping students take pride not just in their music, but in all they do.

Beyond the music, this grant has a lasting educational impact. It enables students to take pride in their performances, fosters teamwork, and builds confidence. Many of our band members go on to pursue music in college or as a lifelong passion, and having quality instruments at this stage helps set them up for success.

We are incredibly grateful for this support. Because of your generosity, our students can continue to create memorable performances, represent our school with pride, and experience the joy of making music together. Thank you for investing in their education and in the future of music at our school!

The resources purchased with this grant include a variety of math games and resources, which directly enhance the learning experience for my students. These materials provide hands-on learning opportunities, foster creativity, and support differentiated instruction to meet diverse learning needs.This grant has had a significant positive impact on my classroom by increasing student engagement, improving access to quality resources, and helping to create a more interactive and inclusive learning environment.I am incredibly grateful for the support of the foundation, as it allows me to continue enriching my curriculum and providing meaningful educational experiences that will benefit our students view math now and in the future.

The 2024-2025 Lawton High School yearbook staff and I would like to thank the Lawton Public Schools foundation for their support and generosity. We appreciate the $3,000.00 grant tremendously. I am writing this as the Yearbook Adviser, my name is Kelley Hahesy-Bass. I must emphasize and express that your assistance is truly valuable in so many ways.

With the grant funding we were able to purchase two Canon R50 Cameras that came with batteries, SD cards, and bags, one Canon F5 70-200 lens for sports photography, two battery chargers for cameras, a power strip and an extension cord.

When I began as the adviser we had a staff of eight, and we have grown to fourteen. I worked diligently to grow our staff and our growth is wonderful, until we do not have enough equipment to accommodate everything we would like to accomplish. For example, there have been times when we have had an assembly at school during the day, and then a football game at night. If different students are assigned to different assignments there always needs to be an equipment change, and then we have to hope that there are enough batteries available and charged, and that schedules coincide!

In addition, I must admit we have been limited with our ability to take focused and sharp photographs at sporting events. The funding you gifted us with allowed us to purchase two cameras and one lens that have the ability to help conquer these tasks. It is frustrating for the students to work so hard and long only to have the result be blurry photographs, because their equipment is not correct for what they are trying to accomplish. Frustration can grow at times.

The new equipment will also allow the students to learn about a wider range of possibilities available to them. We are all very excited to use the new cameras and lens. I do not want to leave out the battery chargers. There never seems to be enough of them charged and ready to use. The extension cord and power strip are for our photography studio that we created in our room. The cord and strip will allow us more freedom in moving the lights.

We look forward to continuing to document the history of Lawton High School through the written word and photography, and will always be thankful for your help and support.

Musical rights are easily the most expensive budget item for a musical performance. Theatre performances are lucky to break even and even luckier to make profit, so the LPSF grant is crucial for schools to continue live performances by making them less financially restrictive. LPSF approved the purchase of rights/royalties along with scripts and music for a showing of “Big Fish: The Musical.” The show is about tall tales and larger-than-life characters, so having a sponsor cover the rights will allow the MHS technical theatre department to truly bring the magic to life. Auditions are happening Sept. 9-11, and the show will be Dec. 6-8. You can ensure an envelope filled with tickets will arrive at your office soon!

Live theatre has been shown in research and practice to provide students with the same benefits as team sports. When a large-scale production is carried out, students from all areas of the school — choir, band, drama, speech, wood shop, technical theatre, activities office/leadership, broadcasting, etc. etc. — make it happen by collaborating. Meanwhile, they are learning in the most engaging way possible: through hands-on, creative and real-world tasks. We are so thankful that LPSF supports projects like this, and we can’t wait to produce “Big Fish” this winter!