October 6, 2021 Issue, Page 8 of 26

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PG8 Hometown Heroes | October 2021 wasn’t the most traditional student. After Biblically taught. For example, we can use problem that says something like, ‘Jacob is all, she had been out of high school for our spelling words to give an extra Biblical driving 45 miles to his church while Joseph nearly 20 years and had three children of lesson with spelling. A lot of it is very subtle. is driving 67 to his church.’ In the her own. For example, in math, I may present a word See Dungan page 9. But, the call to education was strong. Dungan and her family were living in Sayre, making the then Sayre Junior Col- lege the natural decision for her basics. All those steps lead to her eventual lengthy ca- reer in Hammon. “Before I retired from teaching the first time, I don’t think I anticipated how much I was going to miss it and the kids. When I saw that ad for the Christian school in Elk City, I couldn’t stop thinking about it,” she said. On the first day of school, Dungan said she was sent an even further sign that she was in the right place. “If you remember back to that time, we were ina historic five-year drought. People were having to sell off their cattle. Person- ally, I had lost all my fruit trees. It was a heartbreaking time for western Oklahoma. This drought took several years to restore Bonnie Dungan the water table. Anyway, that morning, as John Thomas was opening us with a Continued from page 7. prayer, it started raining. It was like the heavens opened. John made the statement them, and it was a fit,” Dungan recount- that we would have opened it earlier if we ed. had known it would rain. To me, it was The Western Oklahoma Christian School symbolic of what we were doing,” Dungan We at Comforting Hands Hospice want to say “THANK YOU” in Elk City opened in 2011. As they pre- reflected. pare to celebrate their first successful de- The Western Oklahoma Christian School cade, Mrs. Dungan is among the numerous in Elk City teaches Pre-K through sixth key ingredients to its success. grade. Junior high and high school are After all, as the secretary pointed out, available through Corn Bible Academy if to all educators and support staff in western Mrs. Dungan is their longest-serving edu- cator. parents decide to keep their children in that Oklahoma! You have shown us perseverance, particular private Christian school system. “She has been here since we opened the Dungan currently teaches fifth-grade hard work, and creativity throughout the doors,” the secretary explained. Dungan’s journey to the WOCS in Elk spelling and fifth and sixth-grade Bible studies, math and science. She also serves years and you continue to encourage us to City has been eventful, to say the least. as the fifth-grade homeroom teacher. do our best and think outside the box. As a child, her family moved around fre- “This is totally different from any school quently, that I have ever been in, and I mean that “Twas born in New York. We lived there, ina good way,” Dungan gushed. “It is like New Jersey, California and Ohio before we turning the clock back fifty years. But, omforting came here. We had been in Ohio the lon- again, | mean that in a good way. I loved gest. I had graduated high school there in all my fellow teachers from my public 1969. My family was ready to move again, school days. I want to say that first because and then we had friends who had moved I made great friends who were great part- ands Hospice. to Oklahoma. So dad moved us around a ners in education. But, there is something lot. We were actually on our way to move special that happens amongst the educators to Lake Mead and stopped to see those at this Christian school because we have friends in Oklahoma. They liked it a lot devotionals together every day. Our work 580-225-1738 and talked us into giving it a chance,” Dun- together is based in prayer first. Doing that gan laughed. before we ever start on actual school func- In 1987, her beloved husband supported tions helps us work more as a team. Then her desire to go to college. At the time, she everything we teach — every subject — is