Enid, Tahlequah To Get Branches For Science, Math

Enid and Tahlequah are the newest sites where students can benefit from the expertise of the Oklahoma School of Science and Mathematics, based in Oklahoma City.

The regional centers will begin offering physics and calculus classes in the fall of 2000, legislators announced Tuesday.

The centers are the fifth and sixth established by the science-math school to provide higher level mathematics and science classes for students in rural areas, the lawmakers said.

Other centers are in Drumright, Lawton, Okmulgee and Shawnee, said Sen. Herb Rozell, D-Tahlequah, a former school teacher and administrator.

The Tahlequah center will be at the Indian Capital Technology Center. The Enid center will be in the Autry Technology Center, said Rep. John Sellers, D-Enid.

The sites were selected by a committee represented by the school, the state Department of Education, and the state Department of Vocational-Technical Education. All six sites are at vo-tech centers. Top high school juniors and seniors will be bused to the centers for half-day instruction.

Two teachers will be hired for each regional center. The Oklahoma City-based school also provides supplies and textbooks and establishes the curriculum.

The science-math school was created in 1990 after seven years of legislative discussion. An outreach role always was envisioned for the school, which brings students to its main campus south of the state Capitol on Lincoln Blvd.

The Tahlequah center will serve students from the Porter, Okay, Coweta, Wagoner, Midway, Checotah, Vian, Sallisaw, Roland, Muldrow, Gore, Gans, Westville, Watts, Stilwell, Cave Springs, Sequoyah, Tahlequah, Hulbert, Webbers Falls, Warner, Porum, Oktaha, Muskogee, Hilldale, Haskell, Fort Gibson, Braggs and Boynton school districts.

The Enid center will serve students from the Chisholm, Cimarron, Covington-Douglas, Drummond, Enid, Garber, Kremlin-Hillsdale, Pioneer-Pleasant Vale, Pond Creek-Hunter and Waukomis school districts, plus Oklahoma Bible Academy at Meno.

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