Enid students and their parents are invited to learn more about attending the famous Oklahoma School of Science and Mathematics later this month over a cup of coffee with school officials .
Enid’s Parent Coffee Briefing with OSSM Trustees will be held at 2 p.m. on Wednesday, November 20 at the Five80 Coffeehouse, 122 E. Randolph.
OSSM holds six sessions statewide during Thanksgiving week for families to learn about the Public Residential High School, where juniors and seniors from all 77 counties in Oklahoma can live and attend free of charge with tuition, room and board.
To register for the event, visit the school’s website at www.ossm.edu or email Bill.Kuehl@ossm.edu.
Depending on the school, students receive an advanced college-level science and math program in more than 65 courses. OSSM has a student-to-faculty ratio of 4 to 1, according to its website, and lab sizes are limited to 16 students. Students also participate in independent research in areas of interest.
Students live in a dorm at the school in Oklahoma City and receive three meals a day, including weekends. The school also offers extended weekends which normally follow school holidays, OSSM spokeswoman Linda Waters said.
This year, 116 students are attending OSSM. The school also has five regional sites, including Enid, Okmulgee, Poteau, Stilwell and Tahlequah, as well as a virtual program.
Two Enid students are currently attending, both having previously attended Enid High School, Waters said.
Waters said the application process is similar to that of private schools and colleges. Interested students apply, submit ACT test results, recommendations, and writing samples, and then go through a two-round interview process.
More than 1,900 students have graduated from the school since it opened in 1990, having been established by legislative action in 1983.
