Interest strong in classes

Students at Pawhuska High School have shown strong initial interest in college classes being offered at the school free-of-charge through an arrangement with TEL Library.

The classes, for which students will receive both high school and college credit, are scheduled to begin in January.

In comments last week to the Pawhuska Board of Education, and during the district’s football honors banquet, Superintendent David Cash said 32 high school students had enrolled in the classes. PHS has a student population of slightly more than 180.

“We’ll have freshmen taking concurrent classes,” Cash said, adding he anticipates the number of participating students will increase. The superintendent said some students are taking as many as four or five of the concurrent enrollment courses, while others are taking perhaps two courses.

Cash emphasized “the power of expectations” as a key element in promoting academic achievement. He also complimented school district staff members for being willing to embrace changes that are intended to improve student performance.

During the football banquet, held the night of Dec. 12 at the Ag Building at the Osage County Fairgrounds, first-year head coach Matt Hennesy drove home the message that academic achievement is going to be expected.

“There is no excuse for bad grades in high school,” Hennesy said. After calling the names of players on the 2018 football team who made either the first team or the second team of the school district’s All Academic Team, Hennesy noted that everyone made it. They all had grade averages of 3.0 or better, and the team grade average was 3.58, he said.

Cash said the message he preaches — a message he conveys to his own children — is that “you can outwork anybody.”