Honorable Mention - Elementary
Jenks Southeast Elementary, Jenks

Oklahoma is Shaping Up OK

Celebrating Oklahoma's centennial with a collage, what a fun way to connect children with pride in their homeland. Collage 2004 gave us a chance to show our Oklahoma pride in full color and with plenty of strong-smelling glue!

The two classes who participated showed enthusiasm from the project's introduction. After examining the collage that was entered in the Collage 2000 contest, the vote to "go for it" was unanimous. The students brainstormed throughout the project. How many pictures would it take? Where will we find them? How can we communicate the theme? Each student committed to collecting ten quality pictures reflecting Oklahoma while researching five of those pictures. We developed our risk-taking skills by phoning, e-mailing or writing letters to various agencies who might share pictures with us. Each fat manilla envelope, found in a child's mailbox, was celebrated by us all.

Volunteers were a welcomed part of the project. Key Club students from the high school, parents (including a grand mom), and other staff members joined in with some painting and layout work.

Our poetry committee worked individually, and in pairs to research Oklahoma places and events. Keeping the theme' s categories in mind, the children highlighted particular parts of the collage.

Applying those final coats of glue was a happy chore. The finished collage was displayed, briefly, at the entrance of the school. The fourth graders loved hearing comments about it as they clustered around the collage for a group photograph.

As you look at our collage, see if you can connect the symbols to the theme. Which shape did we add to the theme? The map reflects all of Oklahoma, from big ink blots of cities to the uninterrupted color of farmland and ranches. Oklahoma, "Land of a Thousand Rivers", is marked by the blue ribbon that weaves through the shapes. The children's faces are reminders of the bright future of our state.

Oklahoma is Shaping Up OK
Long ago, in World War II,
500,000 Oklahomans served for you.
Will Rogers was famous, twirling a rope,
He always brought people plenty of hope.
People lost their homes during the Dust Bowl days.
It left no food or plants for their cattle to graze.
The Red Carpet Country feeds the U.S. its wheat,
While Lake Country's activities can't be beat.
As we look back on the Trail of Tears,
We remember some of the Cherokee's fears.
Tornadoes in Oklahoma swept through many a town,
Knocking houses and buildings completely down.
There are many animals in the Tulsa Zoo,
Go by the penguin exhibit - it's new!
Maria Tallchief was the best ballerina she could be,
But at first it was hard for the people to see.
The praying hands are at ORU,
And anyone can gather there, including you!
When the Oklahoma capital first got its home,
It was missing an important part...the wonderful dome!
St. Francis and St. John's take care of the sick,
When you leave our hospitals, your illness is licked!
If you want to learn, the Omniplex is the key,
It's a great place to be!
Learn about our state's heritage at Woolaroc. It's great!
There is so much to do in Oklahoma, so don' t hesitate!