Every Friday the players go to the locker room, get padded up, and get out on the turf. But for Jalyn Stanford ,12, more goes onto the field than just him. He brings everything with him, a legacy.

Kevin Hurst’s eyes filled with joy as he told me his new business name, Dirty Pups And Paws. Hurst is the head of the highly-recognized Jenks High School Drama Department, but what some might not know is his love for dogs, especially his own poodles; they´re truly his pride and joy.

For the last two years, Jenks Public Schools has provided free lunch for all of its students. However, this year is different. Since the pandemic is in decline, the USDA has also made a change: they are no longer funding schools to provide universally free lunches.

September 29th, 2022. It is a normal day for some citizens in Oklahoma. But for most people, the #1 attraction in Oklahoma is open. Expo Square is located in Tulsa, Oklahoma which hosts the 11th largest fair in North America. Records are broken every year at the fair but this doesn’t happen easily. Many things happen behind the scenes to make it a success. The fair brings us good times so let's take a look at the side not always shown. The secret behind Expo Square's growth was the Chief Operating Officer (COO), Mark Andrus.

While pageants might seem like glitz and glamor, the reality is that an immense amount of hard work goes behind winning a title. Preparing for each competition can be a lengthy process but getting to experience all the opportunities that wearing the crown brings can make it all worthwhile.

After a year of holding the title, there comes a time when a new winner is announced. Passing down the crown has been a tradition in pageants for many years but having to give it up can be a bittersweet moment. A student at Jenks is familiar with this process and had to give up her title earlier this month at the “Miss Tulsa Teen Pageant.”

Imagine sitting at a desk, papers and books filling every possible space. The teacher at the front of the class speaks with a fast, steady speed; you wish she would go slow, or stop talking altogether. Your eyes are heavy, and your brain is full. I can’t do this much longer, you think, how much more can I take? The pencil in your hand is beginning to feel like lead-- hard to drag across any page. The memory of shiny plaques and printed names displayed across the school hallways comes across your brain, you used to want that so bad, now you feel like you can’t do anything at all. Sitting at a desk numbly listening to the teacher, pencil in hand, ready to write an essay that you know, will never be written.

When you drive by this small white house in the heart of downtown Jenks, you may assume it’s just an ordinary place. However, when you step inside, you truly see, “stuff dreams are made of.” The owner of Stuff Dreams Are Made Of, Linda Reynolds, describes her store as an open art studio, as well as a vintage, retro, and whimsy shop–all within walking distance of Jenks High School.

Football at Jenks is everything.

When Jenks students go to football games, what do we see? We see a bunch of sweaty, muscular boys tackle each other and try to get a win. We see boys with their jerseys tucked up, black paint all over their faces; we try to get them to glance at us from the sidelines. But we don’t see the hardships a high school football player goes through to win the games. We don’t see the physical toll the game takes on their bodies. When a high school football player is injured, it can be scary. How do Injured players feel when their future is left on the field?

When you take a look at the Oklahoma Aquarium, you never typically think about what goes on behind the scenes. It’s a place you grew up going to on field trips and as a cold shelter on hot, summer days. For two employees, Hallie Moss and Andrea Gann, their whole world revolves behind the scenes of the well-known attraction.

As a growing generation that’s engaged in our various communities, something students may not know is that anyone has the right to speak at school board meetings. School board meetings are open to the public. Although it may not be widely advertised, if you check out the Jenks Public School Board of Education page, you’ll find information on your personal school board member, upcoming meeting dates/times, how to make a public comment or hearing of the public, and meeting minutes from the past year.

For those looking for a guide to speaking at a Jenks Public School Board meeting, this is just the article for you. I have divided this article into sections: School Board 101, Making a Public Comment vs a Public Hearing, Common Misunderstandings, How Student Voices Make an Impact, Tips for Speaking, Post Speaking, Building Relationships, and Advocacy, and “What’s Next.”

After writing an extensive article about speaking at Jenks Public School Board meetings, here is a list of 10 things to know before speaking at a Jenks Public School Board Meeting.