Governor recognizes scholars
Arlene Blanchard beamed with pride Wednesday afternoon as she rattled off her son’s accomplishments, which included a near-perfect score on his ACT test.
Before she could finish, the Army veteran and Oklahoma City bombing survivor was overcome with emotion.
“To see my son accomplish his goals ... this means a lot to us,” she said. “It was a hard choice for him to leave Yukon. He was part of the band program and he had to give up band.”
Lawton Blanchard, 17, a senior at Oklahoma School of Science and Mathematics, stood next to his mother wearing a suit and tie and a medallion that Gov. Mary Fallin put around his neck.
“It feels pretty great. It feels good to be recognized for all your hard work, especially coming from the governor,” he said. “It’s like pretty much the highest honor you can get outside the president.”
Fallin recognized 70 seniors for their hard work and dedication during an hourlong ceremony at the school, just down the street from the Capitol.
She told recipients they have received a “remarkable and unique opportunity” to attend OSSM, a state-funded school created by the Legislature that offers Oklahoma high school students a rigorous curriculum centered on science, engineering and mathematics.
“You wouldn’t be here unless you earned it. Unless you worked hard to study, to put in the time and the effort to be able to go to this school and be selected for it,” Fallin said. “Not everybody can go to this school. So it’s a big deal for you, and I hope it’s an opportunity that all of you will take full advantage of.”
Beginning with the Class of 2018, each OSSM senior will be designated as a Governor’s Scholar.
“The basic idea was to find some way of recognizing that the young people who attend this school come from a statewide selection process — they’re the best and the brightest of the state,” OSSM President Frank Wang said.
Recipient Shania Do, 17, of Moore, said the program will give OSSM students some welldeserved recognition.
“This school is very prestigious, but the thing is it’s not as wide-known as it should be,” she said. “And so I think it’s amazing that we are finally getting recognized for the work and the dedication that we do put in.”
Shania attended Moore High School for two years before enrolling at OSSM. Like Blanchard, she said she wasn’t challenged academically at her previous school and applied to OSSM.
“OSSM has definitely challenged me in ways that I would have never thought possible,” she said. “It’s provided me opportunities to take courses that I would have never had the opportunity to take.”