Stillwater Public Schools is proud to announce its District Teacher of the Year - Stillwater Junior
High School STEM and Computer Science Teacher Rebecca Palmatary.

A Marlow High School and Oklahoma State University graduate, she began her college studies
in Chemical Engineering, but changed her major following a pivotal internship during which she found her calling “not in manipulating substances in a lab” but in pursuing her “passion of helping others.”

Palmatary taught 1st grade in Liberal, Kansas before joining Stillwater Public Schools to continue her teaching career in 2006.
She’s experienced a wide range of educational roles and opportunities at SPS – a formative student teaching experience under the mentorship of the Mrs. Fox at Westwood, time teaching Pre-K, a
decade teaching fourth grade, and five years of Gifted Education, culminating in her current role of
teaching STEM and Computer Science at Stillwater Junior High where she has been since 2022.

Palmatary also impacts students outside of her classroom responsibilities. She teaches at Meridian
Technology Center during their Technovation Days and serves as both a Computer Science
instructor for first-generation college-bound high school students and a kids coding camp
instructor at OSU. She takes great pride in being one of the creators of the annual Indian
Education Summer STEM camp, which provides unique learning experiences for students. She has
also worked to offer extracurricular opportunities for students, including after school technology
classes, and coaching in various capacities. Currently, she serves as the coach for the Stillwater
Junior High Cheer Squad, and oversees five Junior High Robotics teams, and two High School
Robotics teams.

SPS announced the Teacher of the Year during a districtwide virtual ceremony honoring all school
site teachers and of the year on April 24. All Teachers of the year received prize packages provided
through the generosity of 43 local businesses. At the online ceremony, Superintendent Uwe
Gordon and a team of administrators arrived to deliver the news and prizes in person.

After accepting the additional prizes Gordon carried in, Palmatary was escorted outside where
she received a new Chevrolet Equinox, provided by the Wilson Auto Family. The auto seller is
covering the cost of the lease and insurance for two years for the Teacher of the Year.

The educator will go on to compete with teachers from across the state for the title of Oklahoma
Teacher of the Year.

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U.S. Rep. Stephanie Bice, an Oklahoma State University alumna, will be the speaker at her alma mater’s spring 2024 commencement May 11.  

A fourth-generation Oklahoman, Congresswoman Bice graduated from OSU with a Bachelor of Science in Marketing in 1995.  

“It is a privilege to have Rep. Bice speak at our spring commencement ceremonies,” OSU President Kayse Shrum said. “Bice has served the state of Okl?ahoma for a decade. She also comes from a family of proud Cowboys, and her OSU ties run deep.”  

Bice worked in the private sector for more than 20 years, focusing on sales, marketing and consulting services. She also started her own marketing firm and later led a boutique digital marketing agency as vice president of business development.

Bice began her public service career in 2014 when she was elected to the Oklahoma State Senate. During her tenure, she was the assistant majority floor leader and chair of the Senate Finance Committee. In 2020, she was elected to Congress to represent Oklahoma’s 5th Congressional District.

“I am honored to be the graduation commencement speaker for my alma mater, Oklahoma State University. This university has played a pivotal role in my life,” Bice said. “It’s where I met my husband, it’s the school my daughters chose, and it’s a place that holds countless memories. Having the opportunity to speak with graduating students before they venture out into the world is deeply moving, and I could not be more excited. I look forward to celebrating this achievement with them.”

The 148th undergraduate ceremonies for OSU-Stillwater will start at 9 a.m., May 11, with the Ferguson College of Agriculture and the College of Engineering, Architecture and Technology. At 12:30 p.m., the Spears School of Business will have its ceremony, followed by the College of Professional Studies and College of Education and Human Sciences at 3:30 p.m. The ceremonies will end with the College of Arts and Sciences at 6:30 p.m.

Graduates should arrive 30 minutes prior to the ceremony start time and enter through Boone Pickens Stadium’s Gate 1 South. Doors on the east side of Gallagher-Iba Arena will open for guests one hour prior to the ceremony start time.  

Ceremonies for the College of Veterinary Medicine and the Graduate College will be May 10 at 1 p.m. and 7 p.m., respectively.

The OSU Institute of Technology (OSUIT) held its commencement ceremony on April 19 on the campus in Okmulgee. OSU-Oklahoma City will host its ceremony at Jim Norick Arena on the state fairgrounds at 6 p.m. May 10.  

The OSU Center for Health Sciences will have its ceremonies at 5 p.m., May 16, at the Mabee Center on the campus of Oral Roberts University.

OSU-Tulsa will have its ceremony at 6:30 p.m., May 13, at the Union High School Multipurpose Activity Center in Tulsa.

All commencements will be livestreamed through Roku, Amazon Fire and Apple TV via the Inside OSU app, and at insideosu.com. OSUIT’s ceremony will be available on demand after the ceremony.

For more information about OSU’s graduation ceremonies, visit registrar.okstate.edu/commencement/.

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Stillwater Tax Apportionment Report, April 2024

The collection is based off of February transactions that were reported to the Oklahoma Tax Commission in March and apportioned to the City in April.

2% GENERAL SALES TAX COLLECTION: $1,645,845
    April 2023 GENERAL SALES TAX COLLECTION: $1,596,297
    INCREASE FROM PREVIOUS YEAR: $49,548 (3.10%)

1% TRANSPORTATION SALES TAX COLLECTION: $822,922
    April 2023 TRANSPORTATION SALES TAX COLLECTION: $798,148
    INCREASE FROM PREVIOUS YEAR: $24,774 (3.10%)

1% STILLWATER UTILITIES AUTHORITY (SUA) SALES TAX COLLECTION: $822,922
    April 2023 SUA SALES TAX COLLECTION: $798,148
    INCREASE FROM PREVIOUS YEAR: $24,774 (3.10%)

USE TAX COLLECTION: $411,575
    April 2023 USE TAX COLLECTION: $385,961
    INCREASE FROM PREVIOUS YEAR: $25,614 (6.64%)

VISITOR TAX COLLECTION: $92,801
    April 2023 VISITOR TAX COLLECTION: $95,680
    DECREASE FROM PREVIOUS YEAR: $2,879 (-3.01%)

Go to the City’s Financial Center for more information about the budget and taxes and monthly reports for sales, use and visitor tax: https://stillwaterok.gov/233/Financial-Center

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