Once a Lion, Always a Lion | Grad makes a case for supporting the Luther School Bond

Megan Garrett is a proud Luther Lions graduate. A student-athlete, photographer, and excellent student, she and her classmates were seniors when the pandemic ramped up, causing upheaval, uncertainty and a lot of pivoting for their May 2020 graduation. Resilient and armed with more than a dozen academic awards and college scholarships, she headed to Stillwater, where she pursued a geology degree with a minor in geophysics at Oklahoma State University. She graduated summa cum laude in the spring of 2023.

Megan will graduate from an accelerated master’s program in geology this spring. Even with her busy schedule, she quickly agreed to share her thoughts about the upcoming bond election on April 2 in her hometown. An internship at Devon Energy this summer will no doubt launch Megan into a successful career in the energy industry. Thanks, Megan! We are proud of you. 

The $28.6 million bond election for renovations at Luther’s elementary and middle schools is Tuesday, April 2.

By Megan Garrett

As an alum of Luther Public Schools, I spent time in each of the buildings that house (or used to house) the elementary, middle, and high schools. Even when I was attending school, there were many things out of date and areas of overcrowding. Now, they are even more so. I remember having to practice tornado drills during middle school once we had been relocated to the old high school and what is now the current middle school. We would have to descend into the dark, musty, often flooded, tight space in the basement. The smell would be quite awful, making you want to cover your nose to avoid inhaling the stench of moldy, stagnant air. Students, teachers, and staff piled into the tiny basement, packing in as tightly as we could to make room for everyone. (Heaven forbid there was an actual tornado because this process took forever.) As we squeezed in tighter, everyone tried their best to avoid the puddles in various spots around the basement floor. This is definitely not an environment for anyone with claustrophobia and you better be alright with getting up close and personal with your fellow classmates. The space was very tight. 

This basement lies below what is used as the cafeteria. This “cafeteria” lacks a properly equipped kitchen and consists of a few folding tables and chairs. I remember many lunches spent outside sitting on the parking lot’s pavement because there was no room inside the cafeteria. There were many times it was cold, windy, and rainy, and you couldn’t wait for the bell to ring so that you could go back inside to get out of the weather. Other times, when I was able to sit in the cafeteria, we would be rushed by the teachers to hurry and eat and move on out to the parking lot so that they could make room for the other students who needed to get lunch. Lunch is one of the most important things to have during the day as a student. Without it, it is hard to focus on the teachers’ lessons and work that needs to be done. A proper cafeteria with adequate time and space to eat out of the elements is absolutely necessary. The fact that nothing about this situation has changed in the past 10 years or so is detestable. Students deserve better. 

Upgrades to the cafeteria and middle school safe room are just a couple of the much-needed changes that will be made by the passage of the school bond. Other important updates include a new safe room for the elementary, which includes a media room, a new safe room and renovations for the PreK building, new restrooms for the middle school, and renovations for the elementary. These other updates are just as important and necessary. A media room is a highly beneficial addition. Today, we use so much technology in nearly every aspect of our lives and it is a huge part of education. Learning how to use these tools properly is extremely important for research and communication. Simply being technology literate is essential for work, higher education, and life in general. I firmly believe the Luther Public Schools April 2024 bond issue is absolutely necessary. If we expect children and students to thrive and be future leaders, we must provide them with the best education, facilities, and resources.

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