LAWTON – The days when Lawton Public Schools’ female student athletes had to dress for games in their cars are over, said LPS Superintendent Kevin Hime.
“It’s a wonder Title IX didn’t own Lawton Public Schools,” he said, referring to the 1972 law that bans sex-based discrimination in educational programs or activities that receive federal funding. “We now have built six locker rooms at all three sites that are predominantly supposed to be for our girl athletes.”
Hime spoke about the new locker rooms and other LPS-related topics during the Lawton Fort Sill Chamber of Commerce’s State of Education lunch, which took place Aug. 5 at the Hilton Garden Inn. The event, which also featured Cameron University’s new president, Dr. Shane Hunt, provided an update on new developments at LPS and Cameron.
LPS officials recently opened new multipurpose buildings at Lawton High School, Eisenhower High and MacArthur High, officials said in a July 15 news release. Each building houses six locker rooms, a training room, an office, public restrooms and a concessions area.
The buildings will primarily accommodate female athletes, since some of those sports did not have dedicated locker rooms until now.
The buildings are part of LPS’ plan to upgrade sports facilities across the district, according to the news release. The district has already redone playing fields at the secondary schools, which included installing bleacher and press boxes for the three high schools’ football fields, and will install bleachers for visitors this fall.
Starting this fall, football players will be able to play without having to travel to another site, Hime said during the State of Education lunch.
“This year, Lawton High, Eisenhower High School and MacArthur High School will all play in varsity football games on their campus,” he said, drawing applause from the audience. “I am told this has never happened in the history of Lawton, so we’re really excited about that fact.” Life Ready Center New athletic facilities weren’t the only topic on Hime’s mind. He also talked about the Life Ready Center, an extension of the three high schools that offers concurrent courses, AP classes and introductory and advanced elective classes for LPS’ high school students.
The Life Ready Center has teamed up with Cameron University and Great Plains Technology Center to provide programs, classes and other resources for students across the district, according to the district’s website.
Four high school students who attended the Life Ready Center each graduated with an associate degree from Cameron, Hime said. He added that he had talked to those four students during an LPS podcast.
“I asked them, ‘How much did it cost you to get an associate degree?’” Hime said. “Every one of them said, ‘Zero. Not a penny.’” He said the district paid for the students’ books and fees, which were negotiated with Cameron officials. Dr. Shane Hunt The audience also heard from Shane Hunt, who became Cameron University’s new leader in early July.
Hunt made two commitments to the audience: Cameron’s faculty and staff will give students the tools they need for success, and the university will provide the kind of well-trained, experienced professionals that Lawton businesses need to flourish.
“If Cameron is the very best that we can be, then guess what happens?” he said. “The workforce in Lawton-Fort Sill and southwest Oklahoma is transformed, and every one of us in the room and our families have way brighter futures than we could have imagined.”