Belle Isle High School

[Pete]

A new OKCPS high school is planned for the 58 acres directly east of The Half.

It's part of the recent bond issue that was passed by voters.

Will be called Belle Isle Enterprise High School.

[Bill Robertson]

Any idea why the name is Belle Isle when it's quite a bit NE of where Belle Isle lake/park/power plant were?

[Pete]

Any idea why the name is Belle Isle when it's quite a bit NE of where Belle Isle lake/park/power plant were?

I believe it's because there is already a Belle Isle Middle School which will be the feeder into this high school.

[Bill Robertson]

I believe it's because there is already a Belle Isle Middle School which will be the feeder into this high school.

Makes perfect sense then.

[DoctorTaco]

As an active-transit guy, I hate to see new schools built out in the boonies like this. 100% of students will have no choice but to drive or be driven to this location, which is bad for traffic, safety, environment, children's independence, community, etc. etc. etc.

I know the land is way cheaper out here but still.

[Laramie]

Glad to see OCPS plans on this project. Sat on a committee with Odessa Wycoff, OCPS Business Coordinator prior to the formation of V-22.
We visited Skyline High School in Dallas to get some ideas, it incorporated a vocational business center with regular H.S. concept. Our plans
were put on 'hold' when V-22 took over Spring Lake Metro Tech project.

The former Belle Isle School of Business was on the site of Belle Isle Elementary before they moved the Carver Center school to this site.
There were plans for a Belle Isle Business Enterprize school as far back as the late 70s; it didn't include any kind of sports activities.

Glad to see a full high school planned for this site.

[chssooner]

As an active-transit guy, I hate to see new schools built out in the boonies like this. 100% of students will have no choice but to drive or be driven to this location, which is bad for traffic, safety, environment, children's independence, community, etc. etc. etc.

I know the land is way cheaper out here but still.

Apparently you know something we don't, like OKC swimming in money for schools. I get your point. But this high school is for growth that way, and projected growth that way. I love that they are being proactive?

Not meaning to bash, at all. Just that in some things, you have to work with what's given.

[dheinz44]

I didn't know until recently that the middle school took over the old West Nichols Hills school and put their fifth and sixth grade there. They have so much room at the original location I wonder if they will expand there anytime soon? I'm still salty about them locking all their gates and cutting off the access to the neighborhood.

[Pete]

I didn't know until recently that the middle school took over the old West Nichols Hills school and put their fifth and sixth grade there. They have so much room at the original location I wonder if they will expand there anytime soon? I'm still salty about them locking all their gates and cutting off the access to the neighborhood.

^

Locking up what effectively is a big park is a travesty.

99.9% of the people paying property taxes for that facility don't have kids going to school there or ever have. So, we are all paying for that property but not allowed to access it. Why on earth not? There is no other park in the immediate area.

My neighborhood has Monroe Elementary in the middle and is never locked up; it's not even possible given the current configuration. And on any given day you see tons of kids using the playground equipment, people using the track and any number of teams using the soccer and baseball fields.

[OkieBerto]

As an active-transit guy, I hate to see new schools built out in the boonies like this. 100% of students will have no choice but to drive or be driven to this location, which is bad for traffic, safety, environment, children's independence, community, etc. etc. etc.

I know the land is way cheaper out here but still.

I am confused by this statement. I also wish we had a far better transit system that gave more access to this massive city, but we would need to pay far more taxes for something like that. The Boomer's Parents moved everyone out of the city to the Burbs and caused the problem you speak of, but doesn't the school district provide buses for those who live far away? My high school was built in the 70's I believe and at that time was technically in the Boonies. I took the school buses if my parents weren't able to take me. I didn't mind it at all. Now it is to small to fit all the kids that go to it. This is a pro active move that needed to happen.

[Pete]

The reason for this new high school is that in areas very close to NW Classen, kids are now being bussed all the way to John Marshall. My house is maybe a 1.5 miles away from Northwest, yet I am in the JM district. I see the kids in my neighborhood standing at a bus stop very early and being dropped off quite late. Think about how far JM is from OAK.

The issue is the rapid rise of mainly Latinx families in the core, areas where many people have left to live in Deer Creek or Edmond. This is happening throughout the OKCPS: NW, Capitol Hill, US Grant and Southeast have all seen big enrollment spikes.

So Belle Isle will alleviate some of the overcrowding of schools in these areas. I know it's badly needed; they reopened Southeast after being closed for quite a while and Grant, NW and Capitol Hill are now 6A schools.

[barrettd]

^

Locking up what effectively is a big park is a travesty.

99.9% of the people paying property taxes for that facility don't have kids going to school there or ever have. So, we are all paying for that property but not allowed to access it. Why on earth not? There is no other park in the immediate area.

My neighborhood has Monroe Elementary in the middle and is never locked up; it's not even possible given the current configuration. And on any given day you see tons of kids using the playground equipment, people using the track and any number of teams using the soccer and baseball fields.

Growing up in the neighborhood, Monroe was basically the local park on the weekends (we were much closer to school than Smitty's). We'd take the dogs up to run around, play soccer, baseball, climb on the equipment, etc. because it was all wide open. I didn't realize Belle Isle shut off their playground. That sucks.

[Pete]

^

It completely sucks. No way to access the park-like area at any time any day. It's ridiculous.

[dheinz44]

I can understand during school hours for safety, but evenings/weekends/summers it should be open. The neighborhood tried to meet with the principal to discuss it but they refused to.

[Pete]

I can understand during school hours for safety, but evenings/weekends/summers it should be open. The neighborhood tried to meet with the principal to discuss it but they refused to.

But even Monroe ES with kids no older than 5th grade doesn't limit access at any time.

There is a fence all around but there are various ways in and out that are not even set up for gates.

I sometimes walk my dog right through that property when the kids are at recess and of course they have a ton of staff out there keeping an eye out.


Maybe at a middle school there are more worries about kids bolting but they can also just walk out of the school between classes. There doesn't seem to be any logic to any of this, which is no doubt why the principal doesn't want to meet with anyone; just wants it locked down and that's the end of it.

I completely understand wanting to control access to the school itself, but even in that regard school staff are often completely illogical. When I was doing my HS class reunion a few years back, I thought it would be fun to go take photos of the feeder schools (both elementaries and middle schools). When I went to a school and told them I wanted to take some photos and exactly why, you would have thought I had walked in with a machine gun. This was during the summer with no kids around whatsoever. I finally talked to one principal and asked him what his concerns were. He stammered around for a long time and of course couldn't come up with any. Ultimately, I went through this process 5-6 times and after quite an effort was allowed to take photos at all the schools, simply because they couldn't give any reasonable explanation as to why I shouldn't.

[G.Walker]

this area is booming, glad to see this type of development

[Teo9969]

I believe this will be an application school, just like Classes SAS, so this is going to draw people from all over the metro. To that end, its location is not as important because it will mostly be a commuter school anyway.

[Pete]

I believe this will be an application school, just like Classes SAS, so this is going to draw people from all over the metro. To that end, its location is not as important because it will mostly be a commuter school anyway.

I'm not sure about it being application-oriented.

John Marshall is also an 'enterprise' school, whatever that is.

[Teo9969]

I'm not sure about it being application-oriented.

John Marshall is also an 'enterprise' school, whatever that is.

It's not necessarily the Enterprise moniker that defines the type of school. Application schools do not have boundary lines within the district. Nobody's address guarantees their entrance into the school.

[Snowman]

I'm not sure about it being application-oriented.

John Marshall is also an 'enterprise' school, whatever that is.

It looks like 'enterprise' status gives them a fair amount of independence from the OKC system, once approved by the OKC school board. They have their own school boards. As well as more latitude on staffing, spending, etc.

[Pete]

This is the current district for John Marshall. Not only is it massive, but it goes down to less than a mile from Northwest Classen because that school is so over-crowded.

[jdross1982]

NW Classen needs a complete overhaul too.

[Bill Robertson]

NW Classen needs a complete overhaul too.

Yes. I got to go through NWC a couple of years ago. 2019 if I remember right. I was very unhappy with the condition they've let my old school fall into.

[Pete]

As part of the new bond issue, they are planning to add 'flexible space' to the front of NW Classen:

[TheTravellers]

As part of the new bond issue, they are planning to add 'flexible space' to the front of NW Classen:

Ugh. Covering up all that expanse of great blond(e?) brick would be a travesty.