Staff Photo
By Karen West

A Stigler fifth-grader shows his school spirit while participating in the exercise event at the First Baptist Church of Stigler on Oct. 7.

Staff Photo
By Wendy Smith

A rider and his horse travel near an old bank at the corner of Main Street and Broadway, a modern reminder of Haskell County's historic past.

Your thoughts wanted

By Doug Russell
News Editor

Have thoughts about public education? If so, the Oklahoma Teacher and Leader Effectiveness Training Commission would like to hear from you.
The Oklahoma State Department of Education is tasked with finding a new evaluation system for teachers and school leaders by Dec. 15, and it will be using recommendations from the TLE Commission to do so.
At present, the Commission has made some preliminary recommendations, but it's asking for public comment before it goes any further. One of those recommendations is to have a new framework for evaluating teachers and other school leaders, and to have special training — paid by the state — so people can learn to use that framework. The other recommendation is that, once the new evaluation framework is in place, it can only be modified by approval of the state Department of Education.
So just what do they mean by "framework?"
"That will be the guide for a new teacher evaluation system," said Tricia Pemberton, of the state Department of Education. (more on this story in this week's Stigler News Sentinel)

Submitted photo
The Connors State College Academic Team. Team members include Jessica Monks and Patricia Gillilland, Whitefield; Stephanie Anderson and Kayley Lewis, Muskogee; and Gyllna Drew, Sallisaw.

Blasting the competition
Local students earn scholarships on TV show

By Doug Russell
News Editor

From staff and submitted reports
The Connors State College Academic team, which includes two women from Whitefield, recently defeated the Northern Oklahoma College red team at the KSBI Mind Games tournament held at the KSBI studio in Yukon.
Mind Games, An Oklahoma Academic Challenge, is a new prime time Oklahoma television program that pits teams of students from Oklahoma colleges and universities against each other in a weekly "battle of the brains."
Connors State College President Dr. Timothy Faltyn said, "The Mind Games is an excellent opportunity for Connors students to not only earn scholarships, but also to showcase our academic talent." (more on this story in this week's Stigler News Sentinel)