COMMUNITY ACHIEVE RS
Eagle Scouts
Jacob Love, Samuel Shadid, Hank Garrett and Daniel Yeaman, of Troop 4, were presented their Eagle Scout badges during a 2020 ceremony. Eagle Scout is the highest rank within the Boy Scouts of America program.
Yeaman, 15, a sophomore at Heritage Hall, has been a Scout for five years. Yeaman demonstrated leadership to others in a service project benefiting Willow Springs Boys Ranch, where he repaired and repaved the outdoor meeting area and fire-pit.
Garrett, 17, a junior at Bishop McGuinness Catholic High School, has been a Scout for nine years. He demonstrated leadership to others in a service project benefiting Willow Springs Boys Ranch, where he designed and constructed trash can corrals.
Love, 16, a sophomore at Bishop McGuinness, demonstrated leadership to others in a service project benefiting Willow Springs Boys Ranch, where he designed and constructed a cabinet to hold fishing equipment and tackle.
Shadid, 17, a junior at Bishop McGuinness, demonstrated leadership to others in a service project benefiting Saint Elijah Orthodox Christian Church, where he installed aluminum bleachers and wooden benches for the baseball and soccer fields.
Dr. Michael Kirk is the Scoutmaster for Troop 4, chartered to Westminster Presbyterian Church in Oklahoma City, and Don Evans is committee chair. Judge Stephen Friot, Dr. George Selb and Rob Abernathy serve as longtime advisers. Jeff Love is the immediate past Scoutmaster.
Agency awards
The Oklahoma Department of Rehabilitation Services recently announced the recipients of the 2020 Executive Director's Award.
Those honored included Lyuda Polyun, policy development and program standard's administrator, and Stephanie Roe, DRS project coordinator.
Executive Director Melinda Fruendt, of the Oklahoma Department of Rehabilitation Services, recognized Polyun, of Oklahoma City, for “her exceptionally high degree of courage in her leadership abilities. She is a trusted leader who earns the respect and loyalty of subordinates. She excels in conveying her knowledge to others. Overall, Lyuda is a visionary thinker and planner. She promotes a strong vision of DRS' future.”
Fruendt honored
Stephanie Roe, of Edmond, “for the high priority to partners and stakeholders with whom she works side by side. She delivers consistently high performance on a multitude of projects. She views problems as opportunities. She is a strong supporter of and works incredibly hard to represent all DRS programs and services. She is a true ambassador for DRS. Stephanie excels in intercommunications and interactions, as well as in facilitating group discussions and meetings. Overall, Stephanie is able to turn visions into reality to inspire future success.”
The awards were presented at a recent meeting of the Commission for Rehabilitation Services.
The Commission is the governing board for the Oklahoma Department of Rehabilitation Services (DRS), which serves more than 88,000 Oklahomans
with disabilities each year through vocational rehabilitation, employment, independent living, educational programs and the determination of medical eligibility for disability benefits.
Chamber honors
The South Oklahoma City Chamber of Commerce has announced members of TEAM South Class XIII.
Members of this year's class include: Marna Asbury, True Sky Credit Union; Jennifer Atchley, Village on the Park; Megan Belford, Norman Regional Health System; Jeanette Capshaw, Moore Norman Technology Center; Joe Ely, Moore Norman Technology Center; Kris Fuller, Self Legal Group; Keith Hall, Arcpoint Labs of Oklahoma;
Fernando Hernandez, OKC Police Department; Jessica Hurtado, First United Bank & Trust; Emmy Karns, South Oklahoma City Chamber of Commerce; Josh Marler, Advantage Funeral and Cremation; Tracey Morales, Oklahoma City Community College; Daisy Munoz, student at the University of Oklahoma; Connie Root, Walker Companies;
Amy Stowe, GEICO OKC South; Warren Stowe, GEICO OKC South; Karissa Suchy, Valliance Bank;
Zach Swift, Oklahoma House of Representatives;
Yanet Trejo, Oklahoma
City-County Health Department; Briza Valle, Farmers Insurance/ Jonathan Quinonez; Melissa Vara, Oklahoma City Thunder; and Gareth Williams, Armstrong Bank.
For more information or questions about TEAM South, call 405-634-1436.
Club officers
The Indian Women's Pocahontas Club recently announced its 2021 officers.
Those selected include President Jennifer Brunn; Vice-President Celeste Tillery; Secretary Jennifer Weber; and Treasurer Alice Meledeo. Club members are continuing to plan and prepare for the upcoming year and expressed gratitude toward Cherokee Nation businesses, the Oklahoma Arts Council and many individuals who support, encourage and help them achieve their scholarship goals and bring cultural awareness to their community.
For more information, contact Jennifer Brunn at jennypenny1977@gmail.com or Indian Women's Pocahontas Club, P.O. Box 3252, Claremore, OK 74018 or go to www.indianwpc. org.
Scholarship recipient
Reece Graham, of Oklahoma City, has been awarded an academic scholarship to CulverStockton College in Canton, Missouri, and will join the incoming class for the fall 2021 semester.
Graham, a senior at Crooked Oak High School, also was awarded the Hilltop Scholarship, a $10,500 per year scholarship for four years. The scholarship is awarded based upon academic credentials and is renewable, provided the student remains in good academic standing.
Culver-Stockton College is a four-year residential institution in affiliation with the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ).
App development honors
Moore Norman Technology Center's Programming & Software Development program has been selected as one of 10 teams from across the United States to attend the Culminating Event Experience of the NASA App Development Challenge (ADC).
Moore Norman Technology Center team members include the following seniors: Katrina Ashpaugh, of Norman High School; Travis Bode, Julian Lautzenheiser and Christian Zacher, all of Norman North High School; and Dylan Decoster and Lauren Smith, both of Moore High School
Teams will present their apps to NASA leadership during the virtual, two-day event in February and will have the chance to meet with industry leaders. The NASA review team said Moore Norman Technology Center's app has a unique approach to the wayfinding visualization and in the illumination feature.
They also appreciated the extra effort for accessibility for those with color blindness when using color data sets within the app. Additionally, NASA's review team said Moore Norman's work with online coding communities for beta testing and community outreach for app improvements was to be applauded.
To be considered for this column, please email achievement announcements and photos to LLynn@Oklahoman.com.