Bartlesville Education Promise

BARTLESVILLE, Okla. (Sept. 19, 2024)—Bartlesville Education Promise will receive additional support for its Leadership Academy program thanks to a $4,000 grant from the Arvest Foundation.

The Leadership Academy is a Saturday-based program taught by staff of the Bartlesville Public Schools Gifted and Talented Program for low-income 4^th and 5^th grade students. Each semester, approximately 70 students attend the Saturday classes, where they learn about leadership and participate in team projects. The goal is to help them become student leaders in middle school and beyond.

Arvest commercial banker Rachelle Wilson and community development representative Earl Sears presented the check to Bartlesville Education Promise chairman Martin Garber and vice chairman George Halkiades.

“Bartlesville Education Promise continues to support students throughout all grades to enhance their learning and, ultimately, to guide them to high school graduation,” said Wilson. “It is an honor to present this check on behalf of the Arvest Foundation.”

Bartlesville Education Promise works with local students and public schools to identify unmet needs and then develop appropriate programs with the goal of improving graduation rates and readiness for higher education, technical school or full-time employment.

“Arvest has been a wonderful partner in supporting Bartlesville Education Promise projects,” said Garber. “This grant will be utilized to help a large number of students to learn how to become leaders in our community.”

About the Arvest Foundation

The Arvest Foundation seeks to provide funding to grantees who are actively working to create positive change for others. Major areas of focus include: K-12 education, economic development, and enhancing the quality of life throughout the Arvest footprint. Learn more at arvest.com/foundation.

Please note: When referring to the Arvest Foundation, please use the full name.

Contact:
Stevie Williams
VP |Marketing Manager, Arvest Bank
(918) 337-3435
Swilliams7@arvest.com

At the 2024 Bruins of the Year ceremony on April 18, 2024, of the Bartlesville Public Schools the Bartlesville Education Association presented the Bartlesville Education Promise Board of Directors the “Friends of Education” Award.

In presenting the award, Co-Presidents Anna Thom and Heather Boyle mentioned the BEP and their donors were being recognized for the years of continued support to the teachers, students and the entire school system. Due to the support from BEP and their donors the graduation rate has been improved and test scores have been improved in all nine Bartlesville schools coming out of the Pandemic.

In accepting the award in behalf of the BEP Board of Directors, Martin Garber, BEP Chairman, along with Board members George Halkiades, Earl Sears, and Stephen Colaw, said the Board of Directors is honored to be recognized, however all of the hundreds of donors are the ones that recognize the importance of education and thanked the teachers for their dedication and difficult job the Pandemic presented upon the families and students. Over the last two years BEP donors provided the funds to employee between 130-140 teachers for after school tutoring and special classes for over 5,200 students. Everyone in the community should be proud of the accomplishments. Joining BEP board members were Chuck McCauley, BPS Superintendent and LaDonna Chancellor, Executive Director of Teaching and Learning of the BPS.

As always, we are grateful for your financial donations to Bartlesville Education Promise and for supporting our local public schools.

We are very excited about our latest program, which focuses on incoming 9th graders who are already at risk of failing their first high school classes. These kids will receive special remediation tutoring, take required high school classes taught by BPSD teachers, take computer gaming electives, and gain work experience. This full time alternative education program will be held at the new Youth Development Center of On the Rock, in the recently completely updated Creamery Building.

The students who are participating have been targeted for extra help because of their low 8th grade reading and/or math scores, which put them at high risk of dropping out of school. They will be closely monitored for progress, working with special mentors, teachers and counselors. The students will return to regular education at BHS when they are ready to succeed with their peers.

A Northeastern University study determined that, on average, a high school dropout will cost taxpayers in the neighborhood of $292,000 over the course of their lifetime. Similarly, the likelihood of incarceration is much higher for dropouts than for those who have graduated. BEP believes that investing in education and halting our dropout rate is the BEST time to make a positive difference in our community.

We are pleased to sponsor this potentially life-changing alternative education, in conjunction with Bartlwsville Public Schools and the Youth Development Center of On the Rock. We could not do this without your donations and good wishes. Thank you!

More information about Bartlesville Education Promise and how it helps support Bartlesville’s public school students is available at http://www.BartlesvilleEducationPromise.com.

Bartlesville Education Promise has announced that it has raised more than a million dollars, primarily from local donors, to help Bartlesville public school students become more successful.

Much of BEP’s financial support is directed toward improving reading skills in elementary schools and toward preparing middle and high school students for graduation and productive careers. Since its formation in 2015, the overarching mission of BEP has been to help improve the graduation rate among Bartlesville students through after-school tutoring and summer learning programs.

According to Martin Garber, BEP chairman and co-founder, BEP-supported programs benefitted more than 5,000 students during the last school year, while providing part-time employment to 117 teachers working after school hours and during the summer.

Although the Covid pandemic caused educational setbacks throughout the country among all students, recent test scores from all nine Bartlesville public schools have shown improvement, Garber said. “It’s obvious that a recovery is well underway, and that our schools are continuing make strides in helping students succeed,” said.

At a meeting earlier this week, the 13-member BEP board authorized the expenditure of $88,500 to support summer learning programs including transition camps for entering middle school and high school students next fall, STEAM Camp for 4^th and 5^th graders, STEAM Camp at Tri County Tech, PSAT preparation camp, summer elementary tutoring, and scholarships for art camp.

During the board meeting, BEP directors also honored Dianne Martinez, retiring executive director of special projects for the Bartlesville Public School District, who has been a long-serving liaison to the BEP organization.  After the meeting she praised BEP for providing the funding “to help our students get the support needed to graduate and be successful. BPSD is blessed to have this awesome community partner.”

BEP has raised funds primarily from hundreds of local citizens joining with corporations and foundations including the Schmoldt Foundation, the Parsons Foundation, the Lowe Foundation, the United Way Foundation as well as Phillips 66 and ConocoPhillips. As the organization has grown in success in recent years, it has also received grants from statewide nonprofits and foundations including the Cresap Foundation and Sparklight Foundation.

BEP has been recognized as Oklahoma’s Outstanding Local Education Foundation by the Oklahoma Foundation for Excellence and as the Category Winner for Education in 2021 by the Oklahoma Center for Non-Profits.

Garber noted that BEP has no paid staff, so its administrative costs are quite low compared to most nonprofits – amounting to about 7 percent of the total funds raised, which is less than half of the administrative costs for an average foundation.

More information about Bartlesville Education Promise and how it helps support Bartlesville’s public school students is available at www.Bartlesvilleeducationpromise.com.

BARTLESVILLE, Okla. (September 17, 2021) – Students at Jane Phillips Elementary will soon have new reading books as a result of a $5,000 donation from the Arvest Foundation to Bartlesville Education Promise.

Arvest mortgage lender Jill Carse presented the check to Bartlesville Education Promise chairman Martin Garber, vice chairman Vanessa Drummond and Jane Phillips Elementary principal Kevin Brown.

“It is our pleasure to present this check on behalf of the Arvest Foundation,” Carse said. “We support the mission of Bartlesville Education Promise to improve educational outcomes for students and are happy students at Jane Phillips will have new books for reading development.”

Bartlesville Education Promise works with local students and public schools to identify unmet needs and then develop appropriate programs with the goal of improving graduation rates and readiness for higher education, technical school or full-time employment.

The donation from the Arvest Foundation will be used to purchase books for students at Jane Phillips Elementary School to be used as learning tools and to enhance their reading skills.

“Bartlesville Education Promise is truly appreciative of the support from the Arvest Foundation,” said Garber. “Improved graduation rates of Bartlesville students is our highest priority and studies have shown that those students that have not learned to read by the third grade are four times more likely not to graduate from high school. The Arvest Foundation grant will allow us to provide books to all students at Jane Phillips Elementary School prior to Christmas and Spring Break so that students can read age-appropriate books at home during the breaks.  Once the student comes back to school after the breaks, teachers will be utilizing the books to stress reading and comprehension in the classroom.”

About the Arvest Foundation

The Arvest Foundation seeks to provide funding to grantees who are actively working to create positive change for others. Major areas of focus include: K-12 education, economic development, and enhancing the quality of life throughout the Arvest footprint.

Bartlesville Education Promise, recently honored as one of Oklahoma’s leading non-profit organizations aiding education, has invested more than three quarters of a million dollars over the last six years in helping local public school students become more successful.

Members of the BEP board were recognized Monday (May 17) at the meeting of the Bartlesville Board of Education.  The board expressed its appreciation for the citizen-led organization that has worked closely with the public school system in developing extensive after-school tutoring and summer enrichment programs.

Much of BEP’s financial support is directed toward improving reading skills in elementary schools and toward preparing middle and high school students for graduation and productive careers.  Although the COVID pandemic forced some efforts to be scaled back during the current school year, in the previous year, BEP programs benefitted approximately 3,100 students while providing part-time employment to about 140 teachers.

“Many of the BEP programs can help students make up for the lost ground that may have occurred in their education during the pandemic,” said Martin Garber, chairman of the BEP 12-member board. “For example, we’re supporting make-up classes at the high school, tutoring in preparation for PSAT testing, and after-school learning opportunities at both the Boys and Girls Club and Westside Community Center.”

With the school year wrapping up this week, BEP has been working with the Bartlesville School District to provide support of several summer programs. These include Transition Camps for 6th and 9th graders preparing for middle and high school, virtual tutoring for elementary students who are challenged to pass a state-mandated reading test, and a Leadership Camp for 3-5th graders taught by the district’s Gifted and Talented staff.

Funding for Bartlesville Education Promise since its founding in 2015 has come primarily from local citizens, corporations and foundations. Subsequently, it also has received grants from two statewide nonprofits that have honored BEP undertakings.

BEP was recognized as Oklahoma’s Outstanding Local Education Foundation by the Oklahoma Foundation for Excellence in 2017.  Just last month, BEP was honored by the Oklahoma Center for Non-Profits at its annual awards ceremony as the Category Winner for Education in 2021, which included at $7,500 grant.

“Since its inception, BEP has raised and provided more than $760,000 to help the students be more challenged and successful both in the classroom and during summer break,” Garber said. “Our donors have been gratified by the way the school district and teachers have embraced our goals.”

Garber noted that out of the total funds provided, about $460,000 has gone to in-school programs and $320,000 toward summer activities. He also noted that BEP has no paid staff, so its administrative costs are quite low compared to most nonprofits – amounting to about 7 percent of the total funds raised, which is less than half of the administrative costs for an average foundation.

---