March 29, 2019 Issue, Page 4 of 14

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MUELLERNATOR: FINAL REPORT SENT FROM THE ESTABLISHMENT To ERASE TRUMP Serving Western Oklahoma Since 1901 a5) A short spring break week, and movie night in Tulsa Child Advocacy CEO Joe Arts enhance learning Dorman size of ECHS in enrollment, We're used to seeing stories new home. and the other a little smaller about communities spending ‘And the new stadiums Last week was Spring —and neither had a band hall lots of money on athletic fa- this size. cilities, and where I hail from are not just about football. Break for many Oklahomans, My glimpse inside the —North Texas ~you can find They house other sports including our elected officials. school’s band hall occurred many examples of school dis- and, yes, are a venue for the while I was at the school for a tricts building new stadiums Asa result, the Legislature story on retiring band direc- to upgrade their portfolio. band and dance teams. You enjoyed an abbreviated tor Randy Brooks. McKinney just opened a could picture parents driving schedule, although they did ‘The size ofthe band hall brand-new stadium, while their kids past the sparkling intrigued me, as did the Allen has had its stadium begin consideration of bills Dorman impressive number of awards for a few years now. These stadiums and asking children that advanced in opposite the band has captured over stadiums rival those of some about wanting to play ball chambers. This means that all the surviving House Bills will the decades. colleges. ormarch in the band on that By Don Munsch But what also stands out is Don’t get me wrong: I like now be heard in the Senate, and Senate Bills in the House what the facility, inside a fine sports and generally support field one day. Editor arts wing at the school, re- uses of public money for new While Elk City High School over the next five weeks. veals: a community that cares stadiums, but I also think The Oklahoma Institute for Child Advocacy (OICA) is You walk into the room and about fine arts educati money can be spent on other might not get anew stadium tracking all the ideas pertaining to children and families. are thunderstruck. Extracurricular activities activities, such as facilities anytime soon, it can showcase Orat least I was. exist to enhance students’ for music and theater. the Kelli O’Hara Center of Of the original 2,800 bills filed and able to be considered in “Now this is a band hall,” I education, as well as teach But the stadiums are the February, less than 1,000 now remain for consideration. thought, as I glanced around them about life. straw that stir the drink. Performing Arts as the venue Of those which made it to the full body for a vote, about the Elk City High School band When students have an at- School districts’ shiny new that offers a place for young hall on Tuesday. tractive, state of the art place stadiums can be the draw people to shine. 70 were voted down. Most of the bills that failed to advance Icovered a couple high for practices and performane- that motivates some - maybe were, however, held in committee (rather than voted down), schools at my last newspaper es, it can only bolster that many - families to consider It’s areal asset for this which means they can be considered next year. One piece of stop one school about the educational experience. those communities as their community. legislation that was held over before floor consideration was a school suspension bill that OICA supports by Rep. Jadine Nollan. We are thankful for her work on this issue and look forward to further discussion this summer about the most appropriate and constructive ways to discipline students and protect teachers. Suddenly gone We are thankful for other ideas which did receive a hear- ing and pass, including Senate Bill 893 by Sen. Paul Scott. Glynda Lomax This legislation reinstates the tax credit extended to foster “Adversity is like a strong parents in Oklahoma. The credit was eliminated a few years wind. It tears away from us ago during the budget struggles, so we are very apprecia- all but the things that cannot to live a peaceful life in the change, all the masks come tive that lawmakers recognize the need for this assistance to be torn, so that we see our- quiet serenity of the country, off, all the “little things” selves as we really are.” close to nature. that once seemed to matter foster parents. ~ Arthur Golden, Memoirs Acarpenter by trade, years so much are cast aside, and OICA has also been busy outside of the Capitol as we pre- of a Geisha later he would go to get a par- the difficult task of rebuild- pare for our movie night in Tulsa! On Thursday, March 28, ticular tool only to remember ing or recovering becomes In the early hours of a ithad burned up in the fire. your sole focus. All that is left we have partnered with the Tulsa World and Tulsa Lawyers January morning in Texas Still, he said the most pre- is the truth of who you are, for Children to show “Resilience” to an audience for free, years ago, aman was jolted cious thing he lost that night your strength or weakness, awake to a nightmare; his were not so much his pos- optimism or bitterness, faith courtesy of the Potts Family Foundation. Information for friend was rushing down the sessions, but all his years of or fear and who you will allow this event is on oica.org and we still have spots available up stairs of the two story home mementos and irreplaceable yourself to become as a result to the afternoon ofthe showing. The documentary will be he lived in yelling “The house souvenirs “the little things of what has happened to you. tools, but nothing else except ison fire!” you pick up along the way of Will you be hopeful another the fortitude that makes him followed by a panel discussion regarding Adverse Child- He leapt from his bed, life,” as he calls them, and his day or will you let life make the courageous man he is. In hood Experiences (ACEs) with Rep. Carol Bush, Dr. Deb grabbing things off walls, family photographs. you bitter and angry? Will you fifteen minutes, his entire life throwing items from the door- Sometimes life rolls along be courageous and struggle to changed, he lost his home and Shropshire with the Department of Human Services, Dr. way to the bed of his truck smoothly and everything goes rebuild what was lost or will according to plan. One morn- he was faced with starting Tessa Chesher from Oklahoma State University, Timothy outside, dragging furniture you surrender to tragedy’s over. Michaels-Johnson of Tulsa Lawyers for Children, Dr. Jen- into the yard, trying to save ing you wake up thinking it pain? Only you can answer When asked how he what he could. The fire de- will be just another ordinary that question and all of us, at nifer Hays-Grudo from the Center for Integrative Research partment had been called, but day, and tragedy strikes. one time or another, must an- handled such a devastating on Childhood Adversity, and myself. The panel will be mod- by the time they reached the Sometimes you lose a loved swer the questions adversity tragedy on that cold January country home fifteen minutes one, get a terminal diagnosis, asks of us. night, he answered, “You just erated by First Lady of Oklahoma, Sarah Stitt. We are very later, what had once been a you or a loved one is involved We can listen to the voice of start building again. You go thankful for each of these esteemed Oklahomans for helping charming old farm house had in atraffic accident - and the fear telling us all the reasons get some clothes and get a with this evening of advocacy! been transformed into a pile staggering winds of adversity we cannot possibly survive or place to stay and start over.” of ash. To add to his misery, suddenly begin to blow out of succeed, or the voice of faith “You just start over.” We are also in the process of working with partners to while the fire department was nowhere at an almost unbear- telling us nothing is impos- ‘That fire may have de- show the movie around the state in key areas, so if you are spraying the propane tank to able gale. sible, or the voice of failure stroyed his possessions, his interested, please monitor our website and social media for prevent a possible explosion, When adversity strikes saying “It’sno use.” Or we photographs and even his the furniture caught fire and from out of the blue, when can listen to the voice of hope mementos of childhood, but future viewings. ACEs are a key area of concern for Okla- was also destroyed. loss tears from you what whispering “Get back up and it couldn’t burn up his hope, homa and awareness can help our state turn around many of ‘The man loved living in that is most precious, when the try one more time.” his strength, his character, or century old farmhouse out in unexpected slips into our The man lost most every- the critical areas where we fall short. the country because he could lives in the darkness of night thing of value he owned in his courage to live to see one Finally, please also mark the date for our upcoming Child see the sun rise and set with a and turns what we treasure the house that night, he was more sunrise. Advocacy Day at the State Capitol on May 8! We hope you clear view. He loved sunrises to ashes, that is when we dis- renting and had no insurance - the dawn of anew day, and cover who we truly are. to cover his loss. He had his “If you're going through can join us as we visit with lawmakers about policies which he often photographed them. In the fight to survive vehicle left, a few pictures hell, keep going.” ~ Winston will improve the lives of children in Oklahoma! It had always been his dream against such strong winds of from the walls and a few Churchill