Seeworth Academy

OKLAHOMA’S FIRST LADY VISITS JUSTICE ALMA WILSON SEEWORTH ACADEMY

Kim Henry Teaches Social Studies at Inner City Charter School

Oklahoma City – Kim Henry, First Lady of Oklahoma, taught social studies at Justice Alma Wilson Seeworth Academy on Wednesday, April 7. Her theme throughout the school day was “the power of one.” She taught many examples of individuals who changed the course of history. Henry also pointed to presidential elections throughout U.S. history, including 2000, where one vote or less per precinct made the difference in the outcome.

Relating the story of her husband’s upset victory in the 2002 gubernatorial election, she recalled that he was not given much chance of winning by political experts. In the primary and runoff, he faced a popular former television
broadcaster. Then, in the general election, the opponent was a member of Congress and a member of the National Football League Hall of Fame. Yet her husband, Brad Henry, won both of those hard-fought contests.

Henry told the students “what it taught me was that if you believe in yourself and you work hard, you can accomplish anything you want.” She spoke highly of Steve Largent, the man her husband defeated in that general election.

The classroom time was a kind of homecoming for Henry, who was a social studies teacher before her husband won the governor’s race in 2002, including several years at Shawnee High School.

Mrs. Henry taught six hours in the high school social studies classroom, and had lunch in the school cafeteria. Besides allotting time for informal conversations with students, she visited with the high school staff and board of directors. She also discussed with organizers the 2005 Unity Fest, a student-led multi-cultural festival conceived at Seeworth.

Janet Grigg, director of Seeworth Academy, praised Henry as “a very gracious lady. From the dialogue with the students and their reaction to her, it is crystal clear that she has her priorities in order – her family and her husband come first. Her commitment to serve the state of Oklahoma was manifested throughout her day on our campus.”

Patrick B. McGuigan, coordinator of the First Lady’s visit, is Seeworth’s curriculum resource director and supervises social studies teaching. He described Mrs. Henry as “a teacher’s teacher. Her ability to explain complex issues in layman’s English is remarkable. Her intuitive approach to education and ability to link together disparate themes was really impressive. She is a good teacher and a good person. Her presence on campus was a blessing to the students and to the staff.”

Justice Alma Wilson Seeworth Academy is a public charter school located southeast of the state Capitol and north of the OU Health Sciences Center in the Medical Arts Neighborhood. The academy operates three sites – serving grades 3-8 at the middle school (approximately 150 students), grades 9-12 (300 students) at the high school and providing counseling services at a Total Life Center.  The academy serves many students who have overcome huge obstacles to continue their education. The student body is 85 percent African-American.

The school is named in honor of the late Alma Wilson, the first woman state supreme court justice in Oklahoma history. Wilson was an advocate of education for impoverished and/or adjudicated inner city youth who are often underserved in the educational system. She founded the school that now bears her name in 1998.