Alva Public Schools

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 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!

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 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.

🎉 Regional Champions! A huge congratulations to the Alva High School Speech & Debate Team for taking home the Regional Championship! 🏆 Their hard work and dedication have paid off, and now 29 students will be competing in 39 events at State in just two weeks.

Eight middle and high schools from across the state are coming together to compete in an exciting show choir contest! 🎶 The community is invited to enjoy a full day of incredible performances—free of charge. Don’t miss the chance to support these talented students!

Exciting News! Mrs. Whipple and Mrs. Williams are thrilled to announce that 14 of our talented students have been selected for publication in this year’s Oklahoma Council of Teachers of English (OKCTE) Young Writers Anthology! With over 300 entries—an incredible achievement! The Oklahoma Council of Teachers of English (OKCTE) is a professional organization dedicated to supporting English and language arts educators across the state. Each year, they celebrate young writers and artists by publishing exceptional student work in their annual anthology. The students will be recognized at the OKCTE Spring 2025 Awards Ceremony on Saturday, April 5, at Oklahoma State University in Stillwater. As part of the celebration, published students will have the opportunity to share an excerpt from their work. Additional copies will be available from the University of Oklahoma Press after the celebration. Please join us in congratulating the following students: Short Story- Emma Eckhardt, Emma Keller, Josie Melton Personal Narrative- Harper Williams Art- Lyra Keigley Descriptive Paragraph- Joplin Bradt, Julie Odell, Aspen Stauffer, Emma Keller Poetry- Maci Lehr, Ariana Dominguez, Cord Heaton, Chloe Louthan, Madi Kern, Avaleigh Brinkley Congratulations on this well-deserved honor!

Mrs. Sutter and the Gold Rush! show choir would like to extend a tremendous thank you to our school administration and board members, sponsors, booster club, and all community members who helped send the HS show choir to Branson this year! These experiences for our students last a lifetime, and without community support, they wouldn’t be possible. The AHS Show Choir, Gold Rush! took a trip to Branson over spring break! The group performed before the 8:00 PM showing at Pepsi Legends Theater on Sunday March 16th. The group was able to see several shows throughout the trip including Legends, Presley’s Country Jubilee, The Haygoods Show, and Showboat Branson Belle! These shows offered amazing educational experiences and memories for the group. In addition, they also spent time learning about the fish hatchery at Shepherd of the Hills, and of course fun was had at Silver Dollar City.

🎶 Gold Rush! & Gold Rush! Jr. Shine at Edmond Santa Fe Show Choir Contest! 🎶 On Tuesday, March 11th, Gold Rush! and Gold Rush! Jr. took the stage at the Edmond Santa Fe Show Choir Contest, delivering outstanding performances and securing spots in the Top Ten! 🌟 Gold Rush! Jr. (AMS Show Choir) placed 7th in the Middle School division. 🌟 Gold Rush! (AHS Show Choir) placed 4th in the High School division. Congratulations to both groups on their hard work and amazing performances!

Attention Junior Girls! You're invited to an informational meeting where you'll receive important details, get your questions answered, and pick up a Miss Alva Information Packet to take home. Don't miss out on this opportunity!

📢 Save the Dates! 📢 Here are the 2025 Spring Testing Dates for each building! Mark your calendars! 📝

📌Pre-K Enrollment opening March 24th!