Intricate Inventions Teach Science   Kenneth Cooper Middle School students designed and built convoluted contraptions as part of the second annual Invention Convention. The Old Collage Try Students from Ralph Downs Elementary School won first place in the elementary school category of the Oklahoma Centennial Collage Competition. Features Bragging on Putnam City   The next time you want to tell someone just how good the district is, here is some information you can share. Effective Libraries Essential to Effective Learning   Studies show that students in schools with good school libraries and qualified library media specialists learn more, get better grades and score higher on standardized tests. Oklahoma Academic Scholars   75 district students are honored by the State Department of Education. Putnam City North Orchestra Wins Big D   The Putnam City North High School Philharmonic Orchestra won Best in Class and Best in Festival awards in early April at the "Big D Classic" in Dallas. Student Achievements   Students take home honors in band, journalism, Latin and more. Name a Star   The Putnam City Public Schools Foundation announces a new way to honor star employees and volunteers. As Good as Gold   Golden Apples were awarded in May to six people who are making a difference in education of district students. Eight Centuries of Experience   30 district employees with a total of 840 years of experience in education are retiring this year. Help Us Improve Putnam City Now   As a reader of Putnam City Now, you’re in a position to help us make it better. Please take a short reader survey. We’ll use the results to make Putnam City Now more informative and enjoyable. Especially for Parents Do Your Children Think Before They Post?   Parents and students need to be aware of the potential dangers students face when blogging or networking online. Generation Rx   A national study confirms abuse of prescription and over-the-counter drugs by U.S. teens. Customer Service Survey   It's important that parents find schools to be welcoming, helpful places. To help us understand how to serve you better, we've created an online survey. Your answers will help shape a customer service program that will begin in the district next year. Teacher of the Year   Putnam City North High School history teacher and boys' soccer coach Tom Pecore has been named Teacher of the Year by the Wal-mart store on N.W. Expressway and Council. Pecore received a teacher of the year shirt and a $100 gift card to buy classroom supplies. A check for $1,000 was given to the school. Advisor of the Year   Putnam City West High School Tech Ed teacher Artie Lowery (left) has been named winner of the Oklahoma Technology Student Association Advisor of the Year. Lowery received the award during the annual Oklahoma TSA conference in early April. Send Us Your News   When you have news to share in Putnam City Now, please send information to slindley@putnamcityschools.org

Special Send-off   The bus carrying Coronado Heights Elementary School Special Olympics participants takes a spin through the school parking lot so students and teachers can wave goodbye and wish them luck. Grape News   Students at district elementary schools in April and May tried Fizzy Fruit™, a product that is carbonated to create a zingy, bubbly taste sensation. Food Services Director Jennifer Strong of Sodexho says a patented process adds carbonation to the water that is naturally contained in fruit. The vitamin and fiber content of the fruit doesn’t change, Strong says, and no preservatives, sugars or artificial sweeteners are added. The only difference is the bubbly sensation, which gives students a new reason to choose a healthy food to eat. Central Cleanup   More than 60 volunteers met at Central Intermediate School on a Saturday in early April to improve the school grounds. Staff, parents and college students built a vegetable and flower garden for use by students, and cleaned, mulched, planted and painted elsewhere around the school. All in a Saturday's Work   Parents, teachers and members of the Council Road Baptist Church gathered at Overholser Elementary School in late April to spruce up playground equipment, soccer goals and jungle gyms. Volunteers also planted flowers, stained benches and hung new basketball nets. Locks of Love   More than 20 Putnam City High School students and staff members donated hair to Locks of Love, an organization that provides hairpieces to children suffering from any type of medical hair loss. The donations were collected during the school's Cancer Carnival. Students Make Their Own Museum   As part of their month-long study of the Civil War, Mayfield Middle School students created their own Civil War history museum. Above, a student explains about food that soldiers ate during the war.