Vote YES for AmPo Kids

The last few days, I've been working on something really, really awesome.

Showing my Panther Pride.

You heard that right.

This former Lady Tiger is supporting the Panthers, and with good reason. Not only are my brothers now Panthers, but I have grown to love the Amber Pocasset community(ies?), and they have a big need. They need the 2012 bond issue to be passed, and I've been working on getting people to Vote YES for AmPo Kids!

The elementary school is growing! Wahoo! Growth is always a good thing, right? Not exactly. When you're running out of room in an already small school, you have no place to put students. This is a problem. Kids can't exactly study outside...I mean it was always fun to do on special days, but we live in Oklahoma, where the wind comes sweeping down the plains and takes away the paper with it. We're talking little kids, those who are just starting their learning careers. As in pre-k. So you see why new (more) classrooms are needed? Cool. Moving on.

With all this elementary school growth also comes more students to feed. Remember how I said it is a small school? Well, they happen to have a cafeteria to match. They need more space to fill up tummies of hungry students! We can't have kids eating lunch at 10am or 2pm, right? Right! So more space is needed so more kiddies can be eating lunch at once.

And like all schools in this area, we have another focus - athletics. The AmPo Panthers and Lady Panthers are kicking tail this year! It's exciting to support them. But there's a problem. Their gym was built in 1955. That is 34 years before I was born. People, this is before my parents were born! It is not very handicap accessible, which stinks for those who need accessible facilities to support our Panthers. But there is an academic need for the new gym as well. Currently, only one group can practice in the gym at a time. By having two gyms (Yes, the current one will stay!), more students can practice at the same time and more teachers will be available at times more conveniently fitting into more students' schedules, meaning students can more easily fit required classes plus electives and extracurricular activities into their schedules. Keep in mind, at small schools, people do multiple things! We don't have "just" teachers and coaches, we have superheros! We also have students who are involved in many things - FCCLA, FFA and athletics, plus they're classroom smarties!

There are so many benefits of these three things that I can't even cover them all here. They're all just swarming in my head. I have been working on their website and Facebook, and doing my best to get the 2012 bond issue passed. I've learned, while doing all this, that most people won't see a giant jump in taxes (which is what bond issues are funded by, FYI). Almost 80% of people will pay less than $10 more per month to fund new classrooms, a new cafeteria and new gym. Think about it, these towns are small...so not a giant chunk of people will be majorly affected. $10 per month, people. That's not a whole lot, and that will GIVE a WHOLE lot to a school who is desperately in need.

So maybe you don't live in the AmPo area, and you don't really care because it doesn't really affect you. Will you at least pledge to pray for the AmPo community? That hearts will be turned to see the need. That a community will come together to make a difference in the lives of future Panthers and Lady Panthers. Even if you live outside our area, check out our website and like our Facebook page. SHARE it with someone who you think would care. Has a bond issue been passed in your area, and you've seen a difference made? SHARE it with me. Get behind the 2012 bond issue. Add a button to your site.

UP with PANTHER PRIDE, stand UP with PANTHER PRIDE!
-Shae

[caption id="attachment_565" align="aligncenter" width="400" caption="Vote YES for AmPo Kids"][/caption]