by Colleen Cook
You know that amazing feeling when a project you worked tirelessly on has come to an end? Yeah, that’s where I am today. After a hard day’s (and weeks’ leading up to it) work, it’s a rewarding feeling to know that the set goal was met — and exceeded.
That goal was to lead a group of Oklahomans to the state Capitol to talk to legislators about school choice. And did we ever! It was exhilarating to see over 2,000 parents, students, and teachers gathered as we kicked off our program on the South Plaza.
We heard from PSO President Beth Purcell, PSO Director Lauren Marshall, State Representative Jason Nelson, and former State Senator Jabar Shumate. We listened to OVCA 6th grader Ensley Kahoot sing the National Anthem, Deborah Brown Charter School read a poem, SEEWORTH Academy students rapped about school work, and KIPP-TULSA students performed a step routine. I couldn’t have been more proud of our parents, students, and lawmakers!
After the rally, we made our way into the Capitol for a delicious Chick-fil-A lunch, tours of the historic building, and meetings with legislators. It was great; we overheard a State Patrol officer say “I’ve been working here for 19 years and I’ve never seen a bigger, more enthusiastic group of people.”
If our elected officials didn’t know we were there, it wasn’t because we didn’t show up!
I am excited to be the new President of the Oklahoma chapter of PublicSchoolOptions.org and look forward to many more successful visits to the Capitol, wins for our students, thumbs up for our schools of choice, and legislators saying #ITrustParents.
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