Education support personnel vital part of Ponca City Public School District

October 9-13 is designated as Oklahoma Support Personnel Week.  Several of Ponca City Public Schools’ support employees are pictured doing whatever it takes to help provide the very best learning environment for students!

“Whether it is delivering mail to the sites, serving food to students, assisting students in the classroom or working at the administrative offices, our support employees get involved at every level,” said Ponca City School Public Information Coordinator Mary Ladd. “They are an integral part of making our schools great places to learn for students and staff. We are extremely fortunate in Ponca city to have outstanding support staff all across the district.”

Superintendent Shelley Arrott said, “Our district has 393 support professionals serving as secretaries, clerks, teacher assistants, paraprofessionals, child nutrition staff, custodians, maintenance, transportation, crossing guards and more.  With an enrollment of almost 5,000 students, it takes many people serving in a lot of different capacities to make a district run smoothly.

“Many times, they are the very first impression of our district or community, so they help set the tone in many ways.  We appreciate the many things they do as they make a dynamic impact on student learning.  We are asking the entire community to join with us in extending a special ‘thank you’ to our support professionals who help make Ponca City a great place to learn.”

More than 25,000 support employees are working nation-wide as the helping hands in education.  The public schools in Oklahoma depend on these employees to make schools a better place for students to learn.  If students attend a clean, well-maintained school; get there safely in the school bus driven by an expert; eat a tasty, nourishing lunch; and get assistance from a secretary or assistant; it helps the learning process.