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Campus Honor Society Earns '5-star' Status
(Press Release 03-20-06)
Hank Mooney, Office of Public Information

Eastern Oklahoma State College Theta Pi chapter of Phi Theta Kappa returned from PTK Spring Oklahoma/Arkansas Regional Conference in Tulsa recently with several honors including the highest “5-Star Chapter Award” that any local honor society chapter can achieve.

“A huge amount of effort was involved by all the PTK students to earn the chapter award,” Chapter Advisor Brenda Kennedy said.

“At the beginning of the spring 2005 semester the chapter set goals to obtain throughout the coming year. The chapter set high standards and we were able to achieve them.

“The chapter implemented service projects that involved not only the campus but the local community and beyond.”

Kennedy received one of three “Horizon Awards” for outstanding chapter advisors in the 41 chapter two-state region in recognition for her efforts to maintain high local chapter accomplishments.

Eastern Chapter President Johni Beth Gibbs from Sheridan, AR, received first place for Outstanding Chapter President in the OK/AR Region. Chapter secretary Charlie Bethell, Wister, received fifth in the district Outstanding Chapter Officer category. Gibbs and Phylicia Karch from Canadian were also named to the All USA Academic Team recently at the Oklahoma Association of Community Colleges (OACC) in Oklahoma City.

“In addition to these outstanding students, several others contributed a lot of their time and effort on chapter projects to help the chapter earn the “5-Star status,” Kennedy said.

Kennedy said the chapter project leaders included officers Stefanie Sanders from Marlow; Layne Smith, Dover, AR; Heather Hamman, Clayton; Linzi Marshall, Okmulgee; Amber Skinner, Marlow; and Matt Wallis, Tuskahoma, along with the total PTK membership.

Chapter projects throughout the year included cancer fundraiser Relay for Life; fundraisers for ill Eastern faculty, students and staff; Vote Smart program to encourage voter registration and breast cancer awareness.

In December the chapter participated in Toys for Tots program. Toys were distributed to Eastern student families in need, the McAlester Youth Shelter, Wilburton community Angel Tree and to the Pushmatah County Jail Ministry system.

Kennedy said the Christmas season need was great, but, with the collection of more than 700 toys and gifts, the children were able to receive five or six presents each.

Phi Theta Kappa is a national scholastic honor society with local chapters at colleges and universities across the United States. The Eastern chapter generally has near 100 students qualified for membership each year.

Caption info:
Phylicia Karch from Canadian; Johni Beth Gibbs from Sheridan, AR and Charlie Bethell, Wister display some of the many awards they won recently as members of the Eastern Oklahoma State College Phi Theta Kappa honor society.