The History of Bridge Creek Schools...
Little more than two decades after the Land Run of 1889 opened the Indian Territory to settlement, Bridge Creek School was teaching the basic skills to the children of farmers and ranchers who settled in the area. The name Bridge Creek was established when early settlers built a bridge of freshly cut timbers to cross a creek – perhaps the Cimarron. The original school house can be found by following Sara Road south from Highway 37 to a jog in the road (about six miles south). It is believed that grades one through twelve were taught in the tiny building. Only a small amount of the history of Bridge Creek School has been preserved. For example, in a 1952 yearbook, the Bridge Creek mascot was an Indian. There are no records explaining when or why the mascot was changed to the bobcat.
In approximately 1929, four elementary schools came together to form the Bridge Creek School district. Snow Hill and Bridge Creek Elementary were two-room schools. Antioch and McIntosh Elementary were one-room schools. The new, larger facility was located on the south side of Sooner Road about one mile from the original schoolhouse. In 1936 the WPA built a gymnasium on the east side of the school. That gym remained in use until the year 2000 when it was demolished to make room for new elementary classrooms. ( Portions of the old WPA floor were preserved in homes in the area.) Horse stalls were situated east of the school building. Today, the elementary music room and district administrative offices are located in this area.
The school became the center of community activities. Ladies met at the school to hold quilting parties. During one such party in 1951, a tornado hit the school. No one was killed, but there were some injuries. The ceiling fell in on Mr. Russell, the superintendent, cutting and bruising him. Mrs. Bottoms, a teacher, had to be taken to Tuttle for stitches in her leg. The children got under their desks for protection. Portions of the ceiling and walls of the building collapsed, covering everyone with dust and building materials. (In 1968, tragedy struck again. In the early morning hours a fire occurred and destroyed a large amount of the school.)
With students from four local grammar schools entering the district, Bridge Creek grew to high school status, graduating the first class of seniors in 1957. This status was short-lived, however, and in 1959, the school population declined to the degree that secondary education students were sent to Blanchard, Newcastle, Tuttle and Amber. Bridge Creek did not graduate its next senior class until 1990.
In only four years, from 1977 to 1981, Bridge Creek School enrollment leaped from 212 to 491. Since that time there has been a generally steady growth in population. Classrooms have filled as quickly as they could be built. The middle school was built across the street from the elementary in 1978. The middle school gymnasium was added in 1980. A parking area was officially designated that same year.
A ‘new’ high school was established in 1985 just north side of the middle school. At the same time, a new 4-5 building was constructed adjacent to the middle school gym. An addition to the high school was occupied in 1989. The high school gymnasium was completed in 1994. School enrollment in 1994 had grown to 1006 students. The new gym was needed for graduation, assemblies, drama, meetings, physical education classes and other appropriate events-- athletic, academic, and social -- to which the building lends itself. Today the school population exceeds 1,300 students in grades Pre-kindergarten through 12th and there are three distinct schools. The schools continue to serve as the hub of the rural community.
Bridge Creek Schools are growing by leaps and bounds. The Tri-City area, which includes Blanchard, Bridge Creek, Newcastle, and Tuttle, is one of the fastest growing areas of the state. These growth rates for these small, rural communities range from 16% to 19%. New highway construction has caused a building boom, and numerous housing additions with provisions for hundreds of new homes are being developed in the area.
The student population at Bridge Creek has grown from a little over nine hundred in 2002 to more than twelve-hundred at the end of the 2006 school year. The elementary added eight new classrooms, two portables, and a computer lab in 2004. One small and two large portables were added in 2005, and three more portables wire installed before the 2006 - 2007 school year began. The district's newest renovations are the middle school expansion and the new indoor sports facility.
The Bridge Creek Elementary principal is Mrs. Kay Norman, and the library media specialist is Tammy Long. The elementary library is located at 2209 East Sooner Rd., Blanchard, Oklahoma. The library is open from 8:00 a.m. until 3:00 p.m. throughout the school year. This small rural facility houses more than 13,000 books and serves approximately 700 students.
The elementary library serves approximately 664 elementary and thirty-five middle school students. There are currently forty full time teachers and several full- and part-time aides and teachers employed at the elementary. In addition to five sections each of grades K - 5 and special services classes, there is Title I reading, Title I math, multiple gifted/talented classes , one full-time and one part-time speech therapist, one full-time librarian, a full-time computer lab tech, and multiple classes for music, art, and PE.
The middle school principal is David Morrow, and the MS student population is currently hovering around 350. There are fifteen full-time teachers, some of whom teach at both the MS and HS or elementary level. At this time, there is no library facility at the middle school. While a handful of MS teachers prefer that their students patronize the elementary library, the majority utilize the high school facility.
The high school principal is Bruce Wedel, and student population at the high school is also over 300. The library media specialist is Kayla Henagar. There are eighteen full-time teachers at the high school. The high school library serves most of the students in grades 6 - 12.
School/Library Secretaries:
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Amy Townsend-Elementary Office |
Shannon Lathrop - High School Office |
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Mary Naher - Middle School Office |
Stacy Powell - Elementary Office |
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Brandi Simpson-ElementaryLibrary |
Yvonne Handke - Elementary Library |
Bridge Creek Elementary has been using the Accelerated Reader (AR) Program for more than thirteen years. There are now over 118,000 AR tests available for students in grades 1-8. AR is accessible for students from approximately 150 computers in classrooms, in the library, and in the computer lab. Teachers and parents are now able to monitor students’ progress from any computer with Internet access. Parents may request access to their children's records by following the directions in the new student handbook.
How Accelerated Reader Works:
It's as Easy as 1-2-3-4!
1. Establish Reading Goals and Ranges. Teachers use several methods to establish each student’s reading goals and optimum reading range. These goals and ranges can be adjusted at any time to keep students reading ‘in the zone’ that is most beneficial to them.
2. Select a book. Students choose books within their reading range from more than 12,000 titles on the school’s Accelerated Reader book list. The titles vary in reading level from first grade through high school.
3. Read the book. Students read the chosen books. Teachers may elect to read books aloud to or with students, set aside time during scheduled class periods for independent reading, or assign reading at home. *(Reading at home 20 minutes before bedtime has MANY benefits!)
4. Take the test. Students take a computer managed test over the book they have finished. With the test completed, the computer instantly reveals how many questions the student answered correctly and awards points based on the book's length, reading level, and percentage of correct answers.
Students are rewarded for reaching individual and/or class reading goals. For example, every time a student reaches a pre-determined goal, that student is able to select a book character puppet or stuffed animal from the library to be their companion for a day. Class and grade level goals and incentives are established by the teachers in each grade level. With teacher approval, points may also be awarded to students for reading books that do not have AR quizzes available.