Alva Public Schools

✨ Alva Show Choir Contest Highlights What an incredible day at the Alva Show Choir Contest! Nine show choirs from across the region traveled to Alva High School for a full day of music, movement, and fun. A special treat came from Butler County Community College, whose show choir stopped by as part of their spring tour. While they didn’t compete, their nearly 40-member group performed twice throughout the day—delighting both contestants and the audience! Both Alva Middle School and Alva High School delivered outstanding performances, and we are so proud of their hard work. 🎉 Results: Most Entertaining: Enid HS – Rhythm in Blue Best Choreography: Alva HS – Gold Rush! Best Vocals: Edmond Heartland MS – Thunderstruck 🏆 Best in Class: 3A: Crossings Christian MS – Knightlights 5A: Guymon – Tiger Tonality 6A: Enid HS – Rhythm in Blue 🥇 Middle School Winner: Edmond Heartland MS – Thunderstruck 🥇 High School Winner: Alva High School – Gold Rush! 🏆 Overall Winner: Alva High School – Gold Rush! A huge thank you to our amazing admin team for making this event possible, and to the participating schools for joining us: Enid HS Edmond Heartland MS Edmond Central MS Sequoyah MS Crossings Christian MS Guymon HS Edmond Santa Fe HS Alva MS Alva HS 👏 Thank you all for an unforgettable day!

Attention AHS Senior Parents!!

The Alva FFA is hosting their Plant Sale! 🌿 Be sure to stop by and shop Wednesday through Friday, or schedule an appointment for Saturday. The Alva FFA sincerely thanks you for your continued support!

Alva Public Schools hires Ross Doane as next Boys Basketball Coach Coach Ross Doane is a proud graduate of Fairview High School. He received his Bachelor’s Degree from Northwestern Oklahoma State University in 1992, double majoring in Elementary Education and Health & Physical Education. Coach Doane then began his 33-year teaching and coaching career at Perkins-Tryon High School as a Physical Education teacher, Assistant Boys Basketball Coach, Head Softball Coach, and Head Golf Coach. With the opportunity to move closer to home, Coach Doane has gained invaluable experience at Okeene, Medford, and Fairview. He has spent the last four years back at Okeene, coaching basketball and teaching Health and Outdoor Education. “Ross Doane is an exceptional addition to our staff,” says Alva High School Principal Dr. Vicki Nighswonger. “His extensive knowledge and experience will undoubtedly enhance our programs and further solidify Alva Public Schools as A Symbol of Excellence!” Coach Doane has been a head basketball coach for 29 years. Throughout his career, he has accumulated 363 wins as a head coach, qualified for numerous regional and area tournaments, and qualified for the state tournament seven times. Coach Doane has been named the Enid News and Eagle Coach of the Year twice, the K-101 Coach of the Year twice, and the OSSAA Northwest Coach of the Year four times. In addition to basketball, Coach Doane has coached several additional sports including Golf, Softball, Cross-Country, Track, and Football. Alva Public Schools Athletic Director Dalton Beeler says “Coach Doane brings a lot of knowledge and experience with him. I’m excited to have him be a part of the Goldbug Athletic Department! His dedication to giving students the best chance at having success through discipline and hard work fits right in with what we believe and will further our athletic department in being A Symbol of Excellence!” Coach Doane has been married to his wife Lynn for 32 years after meeting her at the Northwestern Oklahoma State University Baptist Collegiate Ministry. They have two daughters, Kenzie Koehn, who was recently married and attends NWOSU; and Kelsie, who is also a student at NWOSU. “On behalf of the Alva School Board, we are proud to announce Ross Doane as our next Boys Basketball Coach. We have full confidence in his ability to lead our basketball players and coaches, and know that he will have an immediate impact on our students. We are thrilled to welcome the Doane’s to the Alva Community,” Alva School Board President Karen Koehn. “I am so thankful and excited for the opportunity to be part of the Goldbug family! I know the expectations are high and I don’t take that lightly. The Goldbug is A Symbol of Excellence! That will be my approach in the classroom and on the court. I can’t wait to get started!”, says Ross Doane, Alva Boys Basketball Coach.

Alva High School’s TSA competed at State in the following events: Architectural Design, Biotechnology, Career Prep, Children Stories, Extemporaneous Speech, Flight Endurance, Forensic Science, Music Production, Problem Solving, Promotional Design, and Website Design. With over 150 schools registered, they produced impressive results! 4th place in Forensics - Kayla Maier and Kynlee Murrow 5th place in Architecture - Kayla Maier, Ben Kriegh, Endy Barraza 5th place in Career Prep - Jozlin Campbell 6th place in Extemp - Merritt Mantz 6th place in Flight - Dayton Murry 8th place in Music Production - Nelson Zheng 8th place in Promotional Design - Jozlin Campbell 8th place in Website Design - Zoe Hall, Libby Keller, Merritt Mantz *Some not pictured because they went on to compete in Speech and Debate.

Mrs. Tyree’s Aeronautics class toured the Vance Air Force base to see the training process and career options. They were able to fly the simulators and experience some of the training. Several of the students also competed in OSU Aero Day followed by a tour of their program.

AHS Academic Awards

Congratulations to our Spell-A-Thon Raffle Winners! 🎉 Mrs. Tucker proudly presented bikes to Blakely Lauderdale (left) and Sawyer Hinde (right) as part of our Spell-A-Thon raffle. A special shoutout to Evie Hickey, who showed incredible kindness by giving up her prize bike—since she already had one—so another student could have the opportunity. In recognition of her generous spirit, Evie received a Walmart gift card. 👏 Way to go, Evie! That’s what living the BUGS Standard is all about!

Swayzie Ragan saved her GOTCHAS to earn a lunch with a Ladybug. She selected senior Ladybug Lyndee Fraire to join her for lunch.

Congratulations to our AHS Rotary Students of the Month! Kash Shipley – February Rotary Student of the Month Hunter Pfleider and Mackinze Mackey – March Rotary Students of the Month

Alva Middle School Band Earns Superior Ratings! We’re thrilled to share that the Alva Middle School Band received Superior Ratings at the Seiling Music Contest on April 5th! A special shoutout to our talented 8th grade percussion duet, Lyla Schmidt and Ember Andrews, who also earned a Superior Rating for their performance. It was a clean sweep—1’s across the board—and we couldn't be more excited or proud of our amazing students!

Mason Orcutt, now a senior at the Oklahoma School of Science and Math—and a proud former Alva Goldbug through his sophomore year—recently took the time to recognize Mr. Bradt for the meaningful impact he made on his academic journey. We love seeing our former students honoring the teachers who helped shape their success!

🎶 Alva Choir Shines at State! We’re incredibly proud of our Alva students for their outstanding performance at the State Choir Contest held at Stillwater High School on April 2nd. Their talent and musicianship truly stood out, earning straight 1’s (Superior Ratings) in both the performance and sight reading categories. On top of that, they were honored with the Outstanding Music Achievement Award! 🏆🎵 Thank you to everyone for your continued support of our amazing students and their hard work!

Washington has added something new to the playground! 🎉 Thanks to PE Teacher Mrs. Murrow, WECC was awarded the Healthy Schools Oklahoma Painted Playscapes Grant, providing stencils, paint, and supplies to enhance our outdoor play spaces. With exciting features like motor sensory paths, hopscotch, the alphabet, tic-tac-toe, and more, we’re creating a safe, active, and engaging environment for free play! 🌟 These additions help reduce boredom, prevent injuries, cut down on recess conflicts, and offer more academic learning opportunities outdoors. Special thanks to Mrs. Murrow, WECC teachers, WECC Custodians, and NWOSU Northwestern Scholar Ambassadors for all of their time and effort in making this project a reality! Let the fun and learning begin!

Congratulations! Four Longfellow students were selected for a special Ride-Along with the Alva Police Department based on the GOTCHAS they earned!

Washington is proud to announce our Top Gotcha Students for the month of March! Way to make outstanding choices!

On March 26th the AMS Gold Rush! Jr. and AHS Gold Rush! competed at Tri-State in Enid against nearly 25 show choir entries! We are so proud of each group. Their hard-work, dedication, and talent is inspiring!

Important Update!

Congratulations to Officer Cline, Ms. Hofen, Dr. Simon, Mrs. Sutter, and Mrs. Williams from Alva Public Schools on their well-deserved nominations for the Alva Chamber of Commerce Citizen’s Gala! Your dedication to our students and community does not go unnoticed, and this recognition is a testament to the positive impact you make every day. Thank you for your hard work, leadership, and commitment to making Alva Middle School and Alva High School better places.

AMS students have had the opportunity to qualify for the State Academic Tournament of Champions to be held on Friday, April 4, 2025 at Rose State College in Midwest City. Tested subjects include math, ELA, science, social studies, humanities/fine arts, and current events. Students tested at the Fairview Academic Meet in October where ten students placed in the top five and qualified to take eleven tests. Just before Spring Break, students were offered another chance to qualify by placing in the top ten during online tests in the same subjects. Many of the previous qualifiers were able to qualify in a second or third TOC subject along with several more reaching their qualification goals. Twenty-five students have been given the chance to take thirty-eight tests at the TOC competition. TOC qualifiers include: * denotes top 3 (medal recipient) 6th grade- Archer Tyree-math; Jack Selvey-ELA*; Hollis Talbert-Math* & ELA; Anna Kelly- ELA; Hank Hobbs- Social Studies; Jackson Wooton- Humanities, Current Events*, & Social Studies*. Other 6th graders testing were Emma Fick, Mila Franta, Zane Ream, Victoria Gilbert, and Barrett Coldwater. 7th grade-Blaze Biven-Math* & Science; Wesley Sagner-Math*; Vallen Burkhart-Math; Jaydia Green- Math; Julie ODell- Math; Evan Ward- Math*, ELA, & Current Events*; Lanna Fraire-ELA & Current Events*; Chloe Louthan- ELA*, Social Studies, & Humanities; Maci Lehr- ELA*, Social Studies & Current Events; Avaleigh Brinkley-ELA* & Current Events; Joplin Bradt-Humanities*. Also testing from seventh grade were: Rylen Headlee and Trenton Parker. 8th grade-Zach Nichols- Algebra I & Science*; Josie Melton-ELA & Social Studies: Harper Bays- ELA; Emma Eckhardt- Social Studies; Lyla Schmidt- Humanities; Harper Williams-Current Events; Madi Kern-Current Events; Cord Heaton- Current Events. Also testing for eighth grade- Baylee Nessarella, Falynn Thomas, Parker Grimsley, Neveah Steffen, John Thoma, Elim Meeker, and Miranda Kiesinger. We want to express how proud we are of each of these students and wish good luck to all the TOC qualifiers.