Jones Academy -

Students in grades 4 through 6 at Jones Academy recently participated in an exciting and educational experience as they learned about the democratic process and leadership. As part of their journey, they explored what it takes to run for an elected office, how to write and deliver an inspirational campaign speech, and gained hands-on experience with the voting process.
Through this experience, students discovered the responsibilities of serving as a student council representative and what it means to be a leader in their school community. Congratulations to all the candidates who participated—you demonstrated courage, commitment, and school spirit!

2025-2026 Jones Academy Elementary Student Council Representatives.
President: Kingston Billy
Vice-President: Drake Wickson
School Ambassador: Kayla Chee
Secretary: Amarae Stout
Newspaper Committee: Rose Hutchinson, Ryan Elam, Isabella McDonald

✨ Congratulations to Jones Academy freshman, Sinte-ska Roberts! On Friday, August 22nd, he won 1st place in Youth Diversified at the 20th Annual Choctaw Art Show! He handcrafted a deer rattler for traditional dance, which he proudly uses. 🎉👏

6th Grade - 1st Day of School

6th Grade - 1st Day of School

5th Grade - 1st Day of School

4th Grade - 1st Day of School

3rd Grade - 1st Day of School

2nd Grade - 1st Day of School

1st Grade - 1st Day of School

🎓🎉 Huge Congratulations to the Jones Academy Class of 2025! 🎉🎓 You've worked hard, pushed through challenges, and now your moment has arrived! Whether you're heading to college, the workforce, or blazing your own path, your future is bright and full of promise. 🌟 Your resilience, determination, and spirit have made your school, families, and community proud. Here's to bold dreams, new adventures, and everything that comes next. The world is ready for you — go make your mark! 💪✨ #JonesAcademy2025 #SeniorStrong #ClassOf2025 #FutureLeaders #GraduationDay #ProudMoment

We are incredibly grateful for our amazing Jones Academy teachers—their thoughtfulness and genuine care for each student mean the world to us. Wishing a very Happy Teacher Appreciation Week to the Hartshorne teachers as well. We appreciate each of you!

🐾📚 Our 1st and 2nd graders had a pawsome adventure today! They visited the Pittsburgh County Animal Shelter, where they read stories to the dogs and learned all about how to care for our furry friends. 🐶💛 The day ended with pizza at Pizza Hut and some fun in the sun at the park! 🍕☀️ What a memorable day of kindness, learning, and play! #FieldTripFun

Students Explore Career Pathways and Coding with Sphero BOLTs Fifth and sixth-grade students had an exciting and educational experience during a recent visit from Kiamichi Tech Career Specialist, Rachael Ranallo, who spoke with students about career planning and future academic opportunities. The discussion focused on how students can take advantage of CareerTech and college courses during high school, tailored to the careers they are interested in pursuing. Each student received a McAlester Campus Viewbook, which included: -- General information about the district -- Specific details about the McAlester campus Following the presentation, students participated in an engaging hands-on coding lesson using Sphero BOLT robots. They learned how to program the BOLTs to play a game of "Rock, Paper, Scissors" and then competed against one another. Students also created their own custom codes, demonstrating creativity, problem-solving, and teamwork.

📍 Campus Visit to East Central University! 🎓 On April 29th, Jones Academy students took a college road trip to Ada, OK to tour East Central University. From the moment we arrived, we were warmly welcomed by ECU staff and began an amazing day of exploration and learning. We toured several campus buildings, including a special stop at the Dr. Raniyah Ramadan Center for Undergraduate Research and Learning. Students got a real sense of the academic opportunities ECU has to offer! After a tasty lunch at the Taff Cafeteria, students had a blast relaxing and playing pool, ping pong, and basketball before heading to an afternoon session where we learned all about ECU’s scholarships, student organizations, events, and majors. One of the most valuable parts of the day was hearing from the ECU student panel—getting real advice and stories from current students about life as a Tiger. 🐯 Big thanks to East Central University for hosting us and giving our students a glimpse into their future possibilities! 🌟 #JonesAcademy #CollegeBound #EastCentralUniversity #CampusTour #ECUExperience

💸 Ready, set, budget! On April 24, the Student Success Center turned real-world money lessons into a full-on adventure at our Game of Life event! 🎲 Students were randomly assigned careers, incomes, and family situations, then raced through seven stations—like Property Management, Banking, and the Health Clinic—making big money moves and tough budgeting decisions. 🏡🚗🛒 Could they cover groceries, healthcare, housing and still save? Every choice made a difference! In the end, students stacked up their balances to see who crushed it as the ultimate money master. 🏆💰 This hands-on experience was more than just fun—it gave students real skills for managing income, planning for surprises, and building a smart financial future! 🙌 #FinancialLiteracy #StudentSuccess #BudgetBoss

🐣🌸 Egg Hunt Highlights! 🌸🐣 Our annual campus-wide Easter Egg Hunt was a blast this year! Over 1,000 eggs were hidden for our students to find, plus everyone got a sweet treat bag after the hunt. The best part? Our very own Drone Egg Drop! 🚁🥚 The excitement was real as students watched the drone soar overhead, waiting for the big drop—and then raced to scoop up the eggs. So many smiles, so much fun. Already counting down to next year!

Jones Academy Elementary students and staff enjoyed an artist spotlight on April 9 with Alabama pet portrait specialist Patti Nolan Smith of Alabama. Smith was traveling in the area to deliver a painting to our elementary counselor Payton Hokit and agreed to do a presentation about her passion, encouraging her audience to pursue theirs. The students marveled at her process, as shown in her visual demonstration, and asked thoughtful questions about the steps taken to arrive at a finished portrait that is masterfully done and amazingly realistic. Smith was thrilled with the warm JA welcome and courtesy, as well as the spontaneous applause she received upon unveiling the portrait. Her subject, a happy golden retriever Ryder, was in attendance with Hokit and wagged her tail in approval, looking at the painting as if in a mirror.

Our 8th grade students had a great time participating in High School 101 at Kiamichi Tech McAlester! They spent the evening learning about key topics to help them prepare for the next big step in their academic journey—high school! Students explored graduation checklists, testing requirements, concurrent enrollment, financial aid, scholarships, and many other valuable tools and resources. They also had the opportunity to explore the wide variety of programs offered at Kiamichi Tech, getting a firsthand look at the many educational paths available to them. To top it off, everyone enjoyed a delicious dinner with pizza and desserts—because learning is always better with good food! Big thanks to Kiamichi Tech McAlester for hosting such an informative (and tasty!) evening and for helping our students get a head start on planning for their future! 💡🎓

--February Students of the Month -- Kayla Chee is a 5th grade student in Mrs. Pollard's class. Kayla is a member of the Navajo Nation. Her favorite color is red and black. Kayla enjoys playing outside, coloring, basketball, and dodgeball. When Kayla grows up, she wants to be a teacher. -- Evan Prock is a 5th grade student in Mrs. Holeman's class. Evan is a member of the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma. His favorite color is red, and he enjoys playing outside, swimming, and playing basketball. When Evan grows up, he wants to be a police officer. -- Kaden Nickey is a proud member of the Choctaw Tribe. He enjoys drawing, listening to music, and spending time with friends. After graduating high school, he plans to attend an art college to further his passion for drawing. His ultimate goal is to become a renowned artist. -- Gabrielle Scott, a proud member of the Choctaw Nation, has a passion for creativity and connection. She enjoys spending time with friends, exploring YouTube content, immersing herself in video games, and lending a helping hand to others. With aspirations of excellence in fashion design, she plans to graduate high school and attend a prestigious fashion institute, where she will refine her sewing skills and work toward establishing herself as a renowned name in the industry.