From the Ground Up
In March 2019, Oklahoma City Public Schools launched its pivotal Pathway to Greatness plan, a comprehensive strategy to bring greater equity across the district by stabilizing classroom size and providing improved resources in and out of the classroom.
Thanks to this measure, six elementary schools were converted to middle schools.
While the academic and financial benefits of the district’s realignment are undeniable, so, too, are the challenges of creating a school’s culture from the ground up.
Thankfully, OKCPS recognized Wheeler Middle School and its counterparts across the district would need more than a new curriculum. They would need a sense of camaraderie and school pride. They would need athletic programs.
And in order to foster new athletic programs, they would need new athletic fields and facilities.
With the help of community organizations like Fields & Futures, Wheeler Middle School’s first generation of students stepped onto campus with a sense of pride and purpose.
Today, they aren’t just new kids at a new school, they are the Tigers from Wheeler Middle School with access to a practice field, multipurpose court, walking track, and other amenities.
And, together, on the field, in the classroom, and in the community, they are constructing a culture that will live on through thousands of future Tigers.
On the many playing fields rehabilitated and maintained by Fields & Futures, young men and women are able to learn invaluable life lessons and receive the guidance, mentorship, and positive influences missing from their lives.
To learn more and find out how you can help, please visit FieldsandFutures.org or email info@fieldsandfutures.org.
