School museum proposed to preserve local history

The Henryetta Board of Education met for their regular meeting on Monday, tackling a number of items, including hearing a proposal for a local museum and renaming their high school golf facility after a local legend.

The museum proposal came from Marcus Whitworth, Sr., who addressed the board regarding the establishment of a space dedicated to Kent Lackey’s collection of historic pieces. He said that there is a building in a gravel lot near the high school that is being used for storage that can be used for the museum.

“I’m here on behalf of the rich heritage and history of being a Knight and being a Hen in Henryetta,” Whitworth said. “And what we have is the potential of a tremendous display of decades of history.”

Whitworth said that Lackey has worked for years to archive Henryetta history, which he shares with his students and other community members. He asked for assistance with the building’s electric upgrades and stated the need for climate control to preserve the artifacts.

Later, talks shifted to naming the golf facility on the Henryetta Public School campus. Members of the naming committee proposed “Dutch VanDenBorn Golf Training Facility” as the name for the facility and presented it to the board for their consideration.

A representative for the committee explained that they wanted to honor VanDenBorn for his decades of dedication to the community - particularly Henryetta athletics.

VanDenBorn was on the coaching staff in 1980 when Henryetta native and NFL Hall of Famer Troy Aikman was just a quarterback for the then-Henryetta Hens. VenDenBorn was even invited to join Aikman at the HOF ceremony in Canton, Ohio in 2006.

Board member Pam Bealko said that she had reservations about naming buildings after people and said that in the past, these decisions have been costly for the district. A plaque was suggested as an alternative but the board ultimately decided to approve the naming of the facility.

Later in the meeting, VanDenBorn walked in and, upon finding out the building was to be named after him, expressed his thanks to the board and community.

Also approved at the meeting were the minutes from the January 5, 2024, special meeting and the January 8, 2024, regular meeting, as well as the financial reports for the 2023-2024 academic year. They also approved fundraisers for the 2023-2024 academic year. Athletic programs were a focal point, with the board approving a $10,000.00 budget transfer to support winter sports, including allocations for high school girls and boys basketball teams and the wrestling program.

Next, the board voted on a few important contract renewals for the upcoming academic years. These included contracts with OKTLE, SEES and McRel, along with agreements concerning child nutrition programs. All were approved.

The board also approved an agreement with American Document Shredding for the destruction of confidential records and a 20242025 agreement with Ruth Kelly Studio.

They also decided to employ Stephen L. Smith Corp. as financial consultants for the fiscal year 2023-2024. Superintendent Dwayne Noble encouraged the board to remain with them considering the upcoming bond. The board subsequently approved a resolution that set the date for the sale of a $1,075,000 bond. That meeting is set for March 5 at noon.

Following the acceptance of retirement letters from Lacresa Stout and Lori Mulliniks, the board went into an executive session to discuss rehires, including a new maintenance director for the next academic year, and the evaluation of Superintendent Noble.

After returning from the executive session the board approved the following rehire list:

• Roger Williams, Elementary Principal

• Kathy Bailey, Dean of Students

• Jayme Matlock, Middle School Principal

• John Johnson, Dean of Students

• Rick Enis, Federal Programs

• Tammy Fairres, Business Manager/Asst. Treasurer

• Kelly Furer, Federal Programs

• Cynthia Layman, Activity Fund Clerk

• Bertha McGowin, Asst. Payroll Clerk

• Tammy Smith, Encumbrance Clerk

• Sallee Hedrick, Child Nutrition Director

• Johnny Fairres, Part-Time • Joey Cantrell, Part-Time Kenny Paxton was also hired as the maintenance director for the upcoming school year.

Reports were then heard from various departments, including the H.E.A., H.E.S.A., site principals, Maintenance Director and the Superintendent. Superintendent Noble announced that the school received a grant to supply six portable metal detectors to the district.

Under new business, the board approved the deposit of insurance loss recoveries totaling $1,221,183.72 into the supplemental account.

Following a few additional comments from the board, the meeting was adjourned.