This page contains a Flash digital edition of a book.
Youth Conference Continued from Page 20


together from different schools to allow them to see that even though they normally compete in sports and activities, for this day, they are to develop new friendships.” Howard recommends the workshop Reality Maze where students have to wear special goggles while navigating a maze. They soon discover how difficult it is to get around while being “intoxicated.”


Eyestone, because of his interest in the Army, chooses We Salute the Army National Guard for his first workshop. Not only does Eyestone get to talk per- sonally with National Guard Sargent Joshua Wooten, but he also leaves with a goody bag filled with a collectible coin, a lanyard, National Guard pencils, and other army-related keepsakes. Then, off he goes to his next workshop, Survivor! After lunch, all the students attend a presentation by keynote speakers. Alton Carter, in his eighth year as keynote speaker for Wise Guys, talks about his life of abuse and how he was bounced through endless foster homes, yet he still managed to earn a college degree.


The keynote speaker for Girl Power is always the current Miss Oklahoma. “When Miss Oklahoma arrives,” Kimble says, “the fifth-grade girls are so ex- cited that they get to touch Miss Oklahoma. It’s like they’ve seen the President of the United States!”


“I remember Miss Oklahoma,” Howard says, recalling her first time as a fifth grader. “I thought it was so cool that Miss Oklahoma was here talking to me!” Alicia Clifton, Miss Oklahoma 2012, is this year’s Girl Power keynote speaker. Clifton encourages the girls to make good choices and avoid bad ones. “You can do anything you want,” Clifton says, “as long as you work hard for it and make the right choices in order to achieve those goals.” Volunteers from the community not only donate time and money to the conference, but also provide facilities. Pastor Keith Henley hosts the Girl Power event at Chandler Southern Baptist Church, and Kirk Holloway, minister of music and education, hosts the Wise Guys event at First Baptist Church. “We make our facilities available to them, do all the arrangement for their needs of classrooms, tables, chairs, run the sound, run the PowerPoint, and just make sure that they have an adequate place to hold the event,” says Holloway, who’s been involved since the program began.


Holloway’s daughter, Leah, attended Girl Power in the past as a homeschooler. It encouraged her to develop skills in construction, Holloway says. After gradu- ation, she attended Gordon Cooper Technology Center where she studied car- pentry and masonry. Last year, she was awarded the Outstanding Carpentry Student of both student and adult classes. Now, she is going to Oklahoma Baptist University for a degree in pre-counseling.


“If she can’t fix your mind, she can fix your house,” Holloway says. “The workshops help kids learn that there are things out there other than what is typical for girls or boys,” Holloway says. “It casts a vision for a better com- munity and comes back around. Several of the boys who came to the workshops as fifth graders are now volunteering at this event.”


“After the day is over, the kids compare workshops, even bragging on who had the best ones,” says Cindy Howard, a fifth-grade teacher from Chandler. “They are really psyched about what they got to do.”


Eyestone is certainly no exception. His eyes widen as he brags about about his favorite workshop: We Salute the Army National Guard. “I learned that Sargent Wooten loves to serve his country,” Eyestone says. “And I want to serve. I think it would be good to help this country.” For more information or to learn how to get involved with the Wise Guys!


Girl Power! Conferene, contact the Lincoln County Health Department at 405- 258-2640.


28 WWW.OK-LIVING.COOP


A group of girls chose to attend a “Reality Maze,” which simulated the negative effects of alchohol and drug abuse.


This fifth grader was excited to learn duck calling first hand in the “Calling All Ducks!” course at the Wise Guys! conference.


Nathan Eyestone was inspired by Sgt. Joshua Wooten’s service to his country.


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48  |  Page 49  |  Page 50  |  Page 51  |  Page 52  |  Page 53  |  Page 54  |  Page 55  |  Page 56  |  Page 57  |  Page 58  |  Page 59  |  Page 60  |  Page 61  |  Page 62  |  Page 63  |  Page 64  |  Page 65  |  Page 66  |  Page 67  |  Page 68  |  Page 69  |  Page 70  |  Page 71  |  Page 72  |  Page 73  |  Page 74  |  Page 75  |  Page 76  |  Page 77  |  Page 78  |  Page 79  |  Page 80  |  Page 81  |  Page 82  |  Page 83  |  Page 84  |  Page 85  |  Page 86  |  Page 87  |  Page 88  |  Page 89  |  Page 90  |  Page 91  |  Page 92  |  Page 93  |  Page 94  |  Page 95  |  Page 96  |  Page 97  |  Page 98  |  Page 99  |  Page 100  |  Page 101  |  Page 102  |  Page 103  |  Page 104  |  Page 105  |  Page 106  |  Page 107  |  Page 108  |  Page 109  |  Page 110  |  Page 111  |  Page 112  |  Page 113  |  Page 114  |  Page 115  |  Page 116  |  Page 117  |  Page 118  |  Page 119  |  Page 120  |  Page 121  |  Page 122  |  Page 123  |  Page 124  |  Page 125  |  Page 126  |  Page 127  |  Page 128  |  Page 129  |  Page 130  |  Page 131  |  Page 132  |  Page 133  |  Page 134  |  Page 135  |  Page 136  |  Page 137  |  Page 138  |  Page 139  |  Page 140  |  Page 141  |  Page 142  |  Page 143  |  Page 144  |  Page 145  |  Page 146  |  Page 147  |  Page 148  |  Page 149  |  Page 150  |  Page 151  |  Page 152  |  Page 153  |  Page 154  |  Page 155  |  Page 156  |  Page 157  |  Page 158  |  Page 159  |  Page 160  |  Page 161  |  Page 162  |  Page 163  |  Page 164  |  Page 165  |  Page 166