Honorable Mention - Elementary
Ada City Schools ILO Classes, Ada

Come Walk in Our Shoes...And Give Ada a Hand

Ada is amazing! Our hometown may be small, but we really stand tall! We are known as a community where people smile and wave and make you feel welcome, a safe place where we offer encouragement to each other and help to anyone in need.

Ada is a great place to be a kid. (As a matter of fact, Ada is named after a child... the daughter of the founder of our town!) We have wonderful schools and there are lots of things to do in our spare time. Youth organizations such as Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, Campfire Boys and Girls and the Ada Boys and Girls Club welcome members and provide all sorts of fun activities. We have a bicycle trail that winds through the town for about 6 miles and are hoping to get a skate park one of these days. Sports for kids is very popular here: we have soccer, swimming, baseball, softball and football teams. Kids can take tennis and goIf lessons and enroll in Tae Kwan Do classes. Music, dance, art, and drama Iessons are available for those of us who are more interested in fine arts.

Wintersmith Park is probably our best tourist attraction because it offers such a wide variety of activities in a rather small area. The park is named for Mrs. Frances Wintersmith, one of our early-day leaders. A spectacular lake is surrounded with playgrounds, picnic tables, and a walking trail. One corner of the park is adorned with a lovely arboretum. There is a small zoo, an area with children's rides, a miniature golf course and horseshoe pits. The lake itself is a favorite "fishing hole" for kids and grownups alike. A lodge is available for family get-togethers and meetings. Several historical features are scattered throughout the area: a log cabin and country schoolhouse, a petrified tree, and an amphitheatre are all within easy walking distance of each other. Community-wide celebrations are held at Wintersmith on the Fourth of July and Christmas, but every day of the year you wilI find people walking, playing, or sitting on one of the benches to rest and reflect.

Ada has lots of interesting places to work. The smokestack of the cement plant is visible for miles as you approach Ada from the west or south, Pre-Paid Legal Services and the Chickasaw Indian Nation both are headquartered in Ada. Valley View Hospital is a regional medical center and Carl Albert Indian Health Service provides health care for our Native Americans. Scientists at the Robert S. Kerr Environmental Research Laboratory are known all over the world for their work on water quality. We also have several small factories, and a number of horse and cattle ranches contribute to our economy.

Education is one of the keys to making our town so fantastic. East Central University was founded the same year Oklahoma became a state and boasts such famous alumnae as former governor George Nigh. The Pontotoc Technology Center and the university both offer classes to train people for careers as well as "public service" cIasses to people of all ages who just want to learn about a new hobby or a skill then need at work. Year after year, our pubIic schools produce winners in academics, athletics, and fine arts.

The people of Ada look for ways to help each other in times of need. Our churches offer spiritual growth and guidance as well as outreach projects such as food pantries, clothes closets, and medical clinics. You will hear prayers being offered up in our hospitals, restaurants, parks, and homes by individuals, families, and groups of friends gathered together.

The pictures on the doors of our collage represent the "bricks and mortar", or the buildings and landmarks in our home town. When you open the doors, the hands and shoes represent the various families who live, learn, work, play, and pray in Ada. Our citizens have come here from all over the world with many different interests and abilities, yet we all have a sense of togetherness. You are invited to "Come Walk in Our Shoes...and Give Ada a Hand." Each student designed a hand or foot to express differences among our people; then we all worked together to construct the collage on the doors that represents our community spirit.

Ada isn't just a town...it's home. Ada is made up of great people, great places, and great things in general. Living in Ada makes us feel very special.

Teacher's Note: This essay is also a coIlage...a collage of the reflections of all the students about their perception of life in Ada. The artwork is the culmination of the work of nearly 1OO students; each student contributed ideas, then we found ways to blend the individual pieces into a composition which truly reflects the spirit that defines our community.