Estep Center 

Please join us for the Annual Marvin Stokes Endowed Lecture on Monday, November 10 at 6:30 in the Estep Center.  In addition to honoring the State Teacher of the Year, Jason Proctor, we will be honoring the area teachers of the year.  Following are the list of area District Teachers of the Year:

Andrea Appleman       Ada Junior High

LeaAnn Wyrick          Atoka High School

Melissa Coates            Homer elementary School

Christian Johnson        Calvin High School

Peggy Clements          Coalgate Elementary School

Marsha Reeves            Latta Elementary

Patricea Askin             Pleasant Grove School  Shawnee, OK

Vallery Feltman          Prague High School

Melisa Rice                 Shawnee High School

Lucy Knight                Springer High School

Kent Lee                     Vanoss High School

Following is the news release on the State Teacher of the Year:

Jason Scott Proctor, 35, a Tahlequah high school math teacher, has been named the 2015 Oklahoma Teacher of the Year. State Superintendent of Public Instruction Janet Barresi made the announcement today during a ceremony at the Oklahoma State Fair.

”Congratulations to Mr. Proctor. I can tell he knows how to truly connect with his students. I know he will provide keen insights with his fellow Oklahoma educators over the next year,” Superintendent Barresi said.

“Mr. Proctor was chosen from a group of 12 inspiring, talented and motivated teachers from every corner of our state. Choosing a single person for this title is something I could never do, but I’m thankful to the judges who did. All of our finalists are the best of the best, and I look forward to seeing their great successes.”

Proctor teaches Geometry, Algebra II, Pre-Calculus and Advanced Placement Calculus at Tahlequah High School in Tahlequah Public Schools. He also coaches track at the school.

He is a National Board Certified Teacher, holding his current position for eight years and teaching for a total of 12 years. He attended Ferris State University in Michigan for his bachelor’s degree in Chemistry Education. He also earned a master’s degree in “Art of Teaching” from Marygrove College, also in Michigan.

In a portfolio he submitted to be considered for the state title, Proctor wrote about the importance of building honest relationships with students.

“Years ago I learned that the results I witnessed from students directly correlated to the relationships I built with those students,” he said. “Developing a foundation of trust and genuine concern has been my goal with any and all students who are open.”

Proctor is Oklahoma’s 60th Teacher of the Year and the first from Tahlequah. He will represent Oklahoma in the National Teacher of the Year competition next spring.

Raymond J. Estep Multimedia Center in the Bill S. Cole University Center

On Monday, Nov. 3 from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., filmmaker Peter Kinoy will lead a master class and make an audio-visual presentation about the stages of storytelling and editing for documentary film. The master class explores the relationship between editing and storytelling. Those who attend will learn about the ethical choices involved in editing a film about social justice. The presentation will also highlight the increasingly important role of media in our understanding of human rights, social justice and how social change comes about. The class will take place in the Raymond J. Estep Multimedia Center in the Bill S. Cole University Center.

UC Estep Center

University Center ESTEP AUDITORIUM

Lobby of Chickasaw Business and Conference Center

Wightman Takes the Reins at Mercy Hospital Ada

ADA, Okla. (Oct. 30, 2014) – On Monday, Nov. 3, Lori Wightman will step into her new role as president of Mercy Hospital Ada and will be the first female president in the hospital’s history. The registered nurse, certified health care executive, Rotarian, avid dog lover and wife is anxious to get to work.

After being in Ada for only one week, Wightman and her husband, Darren, feel right at home in Ada.

“From the grocery store bagger to the contractors working on our home to the people we have passed on the street, not a single person has missed the chance to welcome us to town,” said Wightman. “We really appreciate the warm welcome.”

Wightman joins Mercy after recently serving as president of Unity Hospital, a 275-bed facility in Fridley, Minnesota. It’s one of several hospitals and clinics in the upper Midwest that make up Allina Health, for which Wightman served as senior vice president from 2011 to 2013. Prior to that, Wightman served as president at New Ulm Medical Center in New Ulm, Minnesota, for more than eight years.

With a full schedule orienting her into Mercy and the community of Ada over the next few weeks, Wightman is more than ready to get to work. She plans to spend her first couple of months developing relationships with co-workers and learning their strengths.

“I really need to get to know who I’m working with,” said Wightman. “Understanding co-workers’ strengths will help me support their work so we can retain the immense talent we have at Mercy Hospital Ada.”

When looking at the future, Wightman sees great opportunities for health care in Ada.

“When the community comes to Mercy Hospital Ada, I want them to know they are receiving the safest, most reliable care possible,” said Wightman. “We need to continually provide this high level of care so the community knows they can always count on us. This will take work, but we have the right co-workers and talent to make it happen.”

Wightman looks forward to strengthening Mercy’s relationships with local health care and community organizations.

“We have long been awaiting Lori’s arrival and we are thrilled that she is here,” said Di Smalley, president of Mercy Oklahoma Communities and interim president of Mercy Hospital Ada. “With more than 20 years of hospital leadership in clinical and operational roles, she is a perfect fit for Mercy Hospital Ada and will help us expand our footprint in southern Oklahoma.”

The community is invited to a welcome reception for Lori Wightman and husband, Darren, hosted by East Central University’s (ECU) President John Hargrave on Monday, Dec. 1, from 5 to 7 p.m. in the lobby of ECU’s Chickasaw Business and Conference Center at 830 East Main in Ada.

Mercy is the fifth largest Catholic health care system in the U.S. and serves millions annually. Mercy includes 34 acute care hospitals, four heart hospitals, two children’s hospitals, three rehab hospitals and one orthopedic hospital, nearly 700 clinic and outpatient facilities, 40,000 co-workers and more than 2,000 Mercy Clinic physicians in Arkansas, Kansas, Missouri and Oklahoma. Mercy also has outreach ministries in Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas.