Millwood Public Schools (Oklahoma)
Encyclopedia
Millwood Public Schools is a PK-12 district with an enrollment of approximately 1032 students in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
. The district covers an area of 10.5 mi2, with its boundaries between Lincoln Boulevard and Sunnylane/Coltrane Rroads on the west and east, and between NE 48th and NE 86th on the south and north. The student body is primarily made up of African-American students (98%). Two schools, an arts academy, a ninth grade academy, a pre-school program and two community learning centers are maintained within the district.
The ad-valorem tax base
is primarily residential property and the land surrounding Remington Park
, which contains such non-taxable properties as the National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum, the Oklahoma City Zoo, the Omniplex Science Museum
, the National Softball Hall of Fame
, the Oklahoma State Firefighter Museum
, and the land on which Remington Park is built.
In 1918, the school board traded the original site for another 2.5 acres (10,117.2 m²) tract (which is located near the present spot of the Millwood Middle School Building) and a new three-room, two-story rock building was built. In 1935, with WPA
labor, a large two-story rock building was built, complete with a principal's office, classrooms, cafeteria, and auditorium. Kindergarten was started in 1949 on a tuition basis, and in 1951, kindergarten was included in the regular school program. In 1960, a new building, which included 11 classrooms, library, new offices, kitchen, lounge, and cafeteria, was added at a cost of $275,000. Six new 72-passenger buses were purchased in 1963, along with a plan to expand the existing facilities and to add a ninth grade. The curriculum required additional facilities, including a home economics room, drafting and manual arts room, and two classrooms.
During the spring of 1971, a special election was held for the purpose of establishing an independent school district with the addition of a new high school for grades 10-12. The high school was accredited the year of operation and held its first graduation in 1972 with 16 students.
We should mention the fire which led to the decision to tear down the auditorium and several classrooms that had smoke damage. Fire was started by a cigarette in the class room on the southwest side of the building. Students missed only one day of instruction as classes were held in the cafeteria and elsewhere.
The Millwood Elementary School Arts Academy (MESAA) opened for the 2003-2004 school year. Parents and staff participated in the development of this academy, designed to offer an intense, integrated arts curriculum with opportunities in the areas of drama, vocal/instrumental music, visual arts and dance. Admission to MESAA is through an application process.
In the school year of 2006-2007, the arts academy reformed the middle school cheerleading squad.
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
Oklahoma City is the capital and the largest city in the state of Oklahoma. The county seat of Oklahoma County, the city ranks 31st among United States cities in population. The city's population, from the 2010 census, was 579,999, with a metro-area population of 1,252,987 . In 2010, the Oklahoma...
. The district covers an area of 10.5 mi2, with its boundaries between Lincoln Boulevard and Sunnylane/Coltrane Rroads on the west and east, and between NE 48th and NE 86th on the south and north. The student body is primarily made up of African-American students (98%). Two schools, an arts academy, a ninth grade academy, a pre-school program and two community learning centers are maintained within the district.
The ad-valorem tax base
Property tax
A property tax is an ad valorem levy on the value of property that the owner is required to pay. The tax is levied by the governing authority of the jurisdiction in which the property is located; it may be paid to a national government, a federated state or a municipality...
is primarily residential property and the land surrounding Remington Park
Remington Park
Remington Park is a horse racing track and casino located in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. Built in 1988, it was the first world-class pari-mutuel track in Oklahoma. Remington Park was built by the late Edward J. DeBartolo Sr., the shopping mall developer who also owned Thistledown in Cleveland, Ohio...
, which contains such non-taxable properties as the National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum, the Oklahoma City Zoo, the Omniplex Science Museum
Omniplex Science Museum
The Science Museum Oklahoma is a science museum in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. The museum is home to the Kirkpatrick Planetarium and a dome theater, as well as a number of specialized galleries.-History:...
, the National Softball Hall of Fame
National Softball Hall of Fame
National Softball Hall of Fame and Museum is a softball museum located in Oklahoma City's Adventure District. It includes the "Don E. Porter" Hall of Fame Stadium, home to the World Cup of Softball and the annual Women's College World Series...
, the Oklahoma State Firefighter Museum
Oklahoma State Firefighter Museum
The Oklahoma State Firefighters Museum is a museum owned and administered by the Oklahoma State Firefighters Association . The museum is financed by the dues collected from more than 8,000 firefighters, and is located at 2716 N.E. 50th Street in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. Groundbreaking for the...
, and the land on which Remington Park is built.
History
A map discovered in 1987, dated June 8, 1900, is marked "Territory of Oklahoma, Oklahoma County, District 37," and is drawn with the current Millwood district boundaries. The land was purchased by a firm from South Carolina, which planned to build a cotton mill on the site along with homes and a school for mill workers, but the entire project was later dropped. The only work completed 160 acre (0.6474976 km²) plotted for a housing project and the one-room school house historically known as Deep Fork School.In 1918, the school board traded the original site for another 2.5 acres (10,117.2 m²) tract (which is located near the present spot of the Millwood Middle School Building) and a new three-room, two-story rock building was built. In 1935, with WPA
Works Progress Administration
The Works Progress Administration was the largest and most ambitious New Deal agency, employing millions of unskilled workers to carry out public works projects, including the construction of public buildings and roads, and operated large arts, drama, media, and literacy projects...
labor, a large two-story rock building was built, complete with a principal's office, classrooms, cafeteria, and auditorium. Kindergarten was started in 1949 on a tuition basis, and in 1951, kindergarten was included in the regular school program. In 1960, a new building, which included 11 classrooms, library, new offices, kitchen, lounge, and cafeteria, was added at a cost of $275,000. Six new 72-passenger buses were purchased in 1963, along with a plan to expand the existing facilities and to add a ninth grade. The curriculum required additional facilities, including a home economics room, drafting and manual arts room, and two classrooms.
During the spring of 1971, a special election was held for the purpose of establishing an independent school district with the addition of a new high school for grades 10-12. The high school was accredited the year of operation and held its first graduation in 1972 with 16 students.
We should mention the fire which led to the decision to tear down the auditorium and several classrooms that had smoke damage. Fire was started by a cigarette in the class room on the southwest side of the building. Students missed only one day of instruction as classes were held in the cafeteria and elsewhere.
Recent developments
A preschool program was added in 1980, and computer education programs were added in 1982. A pre-kindergarten program was added to the primary school in 1995. In 1996, the fifth grade was moved from the middle school to the primary school, which was then changed to an elementary school with grades pre-kindergarten through five. The sixth grade was moved from the middle school in the fall of 2002.The Millwood Elementary School Arts Academy (MESAA) opened for the 2003-2004 school year. Parents and staff participated in the development of this academy, designed to offer an intense, integrated arts curriculum with opportunities in the areas of drama, vocal/instrumental music, visual arts and dance. Admission to MESAA is through an application process.
In the school year of 2006-2007, the arts academy reformed the middle school cheerleading squad.
Noted alumni
- Joe CarterJoe CarterJoseph Christopher Carter is a former right fielder in Major League Baseball who played from to . Carter is most famous for hitting a walk-off home run to win the 1993 World Series for the Toronto Blue Jays....
– professional major league baseballMajor League BaseballMajor League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
player for the Toronto Blue JaysToronto Blue JaysThe Toronto Blue Jays are a professional baseball team located in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The Blue Jays are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball 's American League .... - Susie BerningSusie BerningSusie Maxwell Berning is an American professional golfer.She was born Susie Maxwell in Pasadena, California. She was the first woman to receive a golf scholarship from Oklahoma City University, where she competed on the men's team and she was a member of the Alpha Phi sorority.She was 1964 Rookie...
– professional golfGolfGolf is a precision club and ball sport, in which competing players use many types of clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a golf course using the fewest number of strokes....
er - Ellis Edwards – former Oklahoma State Treasurer
- Anthony Williams- Recording Artist