OKC FRIDAY Vol. 57 No. 3 • One Section • 12 pages • May 26, 2023
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Private Reserve
INSIDE TODAY:
Mary Blankenship Pointer, right, presents Chickasaw Nation Governor Bill Anoatubby with an award in appreciation for his contributions to the Community Literary Centers, the beneficiary of Private Reserve. Page 2
A Salute to the Class of 2023, honoring the graduates of 10 Fridayland high schools.
www.okcfriday.com facebook.com/okcfriday OKC’s only locally-owned legal newspaper with all local news Service Academy appointees from Heritage Hall with legislators, from left: State Senator Warren Hamilton, West Point ’93 graduate; Davis Park ’23; EJ Beloncik ’23; Governor Kevin Stitt; Hunter Boyer ’23; Tyler Offel ’22; and Zac Krablin ’22.
HH graduates receive appointments to military academies Three seniors from Heritage Hall's class of 2023 and two members of the Class of 2022 have received appointments to the nation’s top military academies – the United States Military Academy at West Point, the United States Air Force Academy and the United States Naval Academy. The five students, Hunter Boyer ’23, EJ Beloncik ’23, Davis Park ’23, Zac Krablin ’22 and Tyler Offel ’22, were
recognized by Governor Kevin Stitt in a ceremony at the State Capitol, with representatives from the respective branches presenting formal appointments for the academies’ candidates. Acceptance to any of these highly-elite academies is atypical and represents the successful culmination of an extremely competitive selection process, which includes a congressional nomination, Heritage Hall Director of
College Counseling Dr. Vicki Schaeffer said. To be selected, students must have exceptional academic records and rank within the top tier of their class, demonstrate strong leadership and have impeccable character. “These appointments to U.S. service academies underscore the scholarship, integrity, and leadership that our students embody,” Schaeffer said.
Evan Hulse is off to national stage By Rose Lane Editor Heritage Hall’s Evan Hulse is headed to New York later this summer to represent Oklahoma in the National High School Musical Theatre Awards, also known as the Jimmy Awards. The rising high school senior was the winner of the Outstanding Performance by an Actor Award in the 2023 Kelli O’Hara Awards, presented by OKC Broadway A Nederlander Organization, Civic
Center Foundation and Lyric Theatre of Oklahoma. He was honored for his performance in the musical “Peter Pan.” The Kelli O'Hara Awards is an officiallyrecognized regional awards program of the Jimmy Awards. The show was first presented at the Civic Center Music Hall in 2019. The Jimmy Awards celebrates the brightest stars of high school musical theatre from around the United States. Regional winners
FRIDAY’s
Dog of the Week Hiro is a 1-and-a-half-year-old black and white mixed breed dog, and Scout is a 7-month -old Chocolate Lab. Scout is very playful, and loves to lay directly on top of his human Cassandra Roberts. Hiro is goofy, and does somersaults when he gets excited! These two are best friends. Email Dog, Cat, Pet and Baby of the Week nominations with complete descriptions to rose@okcfriday.com. Submissions are used in the order they are received.
are invited to New York for professional training and compete in a spectacular national awards program on a Broadway stage. “We are thrilled with the winners and look forward to seeing them shine in New York City! We know that Oklahoma produces some of the best talent in the industry,” said Elizabeth Gray, general manager of OKC Broadway. “We are honored to showcase that talent on a national stage again this year.”
Stringent admission requirements and low acceptance rates make the application process quite intensive for students who aspire to attend the academies, she said. “We’re very proud of these students’ accomplishments,” Schaeffer said. “For a school without any military affiliation to have five students accepted to the three best-known academies in the same year is as
impressive as it is rare.” Hunter Boyer ’23 was appointed to the United States Military Academy at West Point. Inspired to apply to West Point where his great uncle (and mentor) was a professor, Boyer plans to study life science, join the Lacrosse team, and ultimately, to attend medical school. “I look forward to the career opportunities and the See HH, Page 7
KNOW Women names Jones one of 100 Women to Know Oklahoma City Community College (OCCC) announced that President Dr. Mautra Staley Jones, has been named one of the 100 Women to Know in North America by KNOW Women. KNOW Women is a prestigious national organization celebrating exceptional female leaders and visionaries across various industries. This accolade recognizes Dr. Jones’ outstanding achievements in higher education, unwavering commitment to the community and transformative leadership at OCCC. MAUTRA STALEY JONES
See JONES, Page 7
Nichols Hills band ready to strike up! By Rose Lane Editor Director Mike Forcina is set to strike up the Nichols Hills Band for its first concert, beginning at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday, June 15, at Kite Park, located at 1500 Camden Way. The band was formed in 1982 and is made up of volunteer, experienced adult musicians from the Oklahoma City metro area and Norman, Forcina said. He is a former Oklahoma City middle school and high school band director. The Nichols Hills Band’s repertoire includes a variety of music from marches and Broadway show
tunes, to jazz and rock “and everything in between,” Forcina said. Additional performances of the Nichols Hills Band are set for July 4 during the The Ann Taylor Fourth of July Parade and Celebration which begins at 9 a.m. at Kite Park; and at 7:30 p.m., Thursday, July 20, also at Kite Park. Admission to all Nichols Hills Band concerts is free. “Come out and enjoy some nostalgic Americana,” Forcina said. “Bring a lawn chair or blanket and enjoy an evening of entertaining music.” For more information, call Forcina at (405) 306-8195.