FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Location: Street School, 1135 S. Yale Avenue, Tulsa, OK 74112
TULSA, Okla. – Street School celebrated Thanksgiving early by providing a complimentary thanksgiving meal on Tuesday, November 20 to 423 guests. Students, families, alumni, donors and members of the community who support Street School were in attendance.
Servers and volunteers included Oklahoma State Superintendent Joy Hofmeister, the Chief Operating Officer of Tulsa Public Schools Jorge Robles; Tulsa County Commissioners Karen Keith and Ron Peters; the Chief of the Muscgoee (Creek) Nation, James Floyd plus many other elected officials and business leaders.
“This is the 37th year Street School has provided a free Thanksgiving meal,” said Dr. Lori McGinnis-Madland, Street School’s President and Chief Executive Officer. “It’s a great time to celebrate all we have to be thankful for. I’m especially excited that the new students at Street School 2.0 get to experience this event for the first time.”
At the beginning of the 2018-19 school year, Street School replicated its program and opened Street School 2.0. It is the first time in Street School’s forty-five year history that the school has been able to serve more students.
The event is funded one-hundred percent by donations. RiverSpirit Casino and Resort, Oklahoma Joe’s Bar-B-Cue, and many individuals make the event possible.
“We are proud to support this event and acknowledge the great work Street School does,” said Pat Crofts, CEO of Tulsa’s RiverSpirit Casino and Resort. “The impact this program makes on the lives of these kids is life-changing.”
A brief program, presented by McGinnis-Madland, acknowledged all volunteers including the Street School Board of Directors. A surprise acknowledgement took Dr. Chet Thomas, owner of City Vet by surprise.
Street School offers an internship course to students who are ready to enter the world of work. Students taking the class intern at area businesses and other organizations across Tulsa for five weeks. Instead of reporting to school each day, they report to their internship.
“One of our internship locations is City Vet located on Peoria in the heart of the Brookside area,” said McGinnis-Madland. “City Vet has served as an internship location for twelve years and Dr. Thomas has served as a mentor to more than 70 students. He is truly a difference maker.”
Thomas was presented with a plaque for his years of service.
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Volunteers included:
Joy Hofmeister – Superintendent, Oklahoma State Department of Education
Jorge Robles – Chief Operating Officer, Tulsa Public Schools
Rachel Holt – Chief Executive Officer, Oklahoma Office of Juvenile Affairs
Nate Morgans – Assistant Fire Chief, Tulsa Fire Department
Vic Regalado – Sheriff, Tulsa County Sheriff’s Office
James Floyd – Principal Chief, Muscogee Creek Nation
Pat Crofts – Chief Executive Officer, RiverSpirit Casino and Resort
Alison Anthony – CEO, Tulsa Area United Way
Steve Kunzweiler, Tulsa District Attorney
Ron Peters, Tulsa County Commissioner
Karen Keith, Tulsa County Commissioner
Senator Gary Stanislawski, District 35
Senator Dave Rader, District 39
Senator J.J. Dossett, District 34
About Street School
Street School is an alternative high school with a therapeutic counseling program. The school’s mission is to create a supportive community for students in grades 9 through 12 who have chosen to work toward high school graduation in a non-traditional setting. Street School is a dropout prevention, intervention and recovery program accredited by Tulsa Public Schools and recognized nationally as a leader in dropout prevention. Students choose to attend Street School because they are committed to graduating from high school, to learning and practicing life skills, to resolving substance abuse problems, to dealing with behavioral issues and to filling the void of support traditionally provided by family.
Street School has been in Tulsa since 1973. The program designed the model for alternative education in Oklahoma. 16 of 17 mandated criteria for in Oklahoma statues are in place because of Street School. These mandates have been adopted by the National Education Association.
