Students in Broken Arrow returned to classrooms on Wednesday, kicking off the new school year across the district. Superintendent Chuck Perry said the first day went smoothly for the district’s more than 20,000 students.

Positive Start for Students and Staff

Perry praised the staff for creating a welcoming environment for students. He said the district’s teachers, support staff, custodians and IT team all contributed to a seamless start.

“Our teachers were so positive yesterday and smiling, welcoming our students back,” he said.

New Facilities and Classrooms

The district completed several construction projects over the summer, including the opening of the Sequoia 8th Grade Academy, designed to prepare students for high school and provide early career pathway exposure.

Perry said the academy will help alleviate class sizes as the district continues to grow. Thirteen additional classrooms were added at elementary sites, including Rosewood and Highland Park.

RELATED STORY: Broken Arrow schools add classrooms, safety upgrades for new year

Assessments and Accountability

The district will continue to evaluate student success through multiple measures rather than relying solely on standardized tests.

Perry said, “I think [standardized testing] can be a sliver of [measuring success], and we’re still waiting to see all the details come out of how we’re going to do that in the future.”

RELATED STORY: Oklahoma to allow schools to opt out of government-mandated end-of-year state testing

Student Nutrition and Support

Broken Arrow continues to ensure students have access to meals, including breakfast and lunch. The district maintains a “love account” funded by donations to ensure no student goes hungry.

Perry emphasized the connection between nutrition and academic success, saying, “No child will go hungry in Broken Arrow public schools.”

RELATED STORY: OSDE to require free school lunches without new funding

Bible in the Classroom

The district provides access to the Bible on student Chromebooks, and Bibles are available in media centers. Perry said they are included as historical texts in the curriculum and noted that teachers will continue to meet state education standards.

Perry expressed enthusiasm for the year ahead, highlighting the district’s growth and commitment to supporting both students and staff.

RELATED STORY: Are Bibles really required in Oklahoma public schools?

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See Also:

🔗 Union superintendent outlines plans for new school year

🔗 Owasso superintendent says schools are ready for first day of classes

🔗 TPS superintendent ready to welcome back more than 34,000 students

Back-to-School Stories:

🔗 Broken Arrow schools launch real-time bus tracking app for parents

🔗 How Broken Arrow Schools are helping students face back-to-school anxiety

🔗 Broken Arrow Public Schools adds propane-powered buses with air conditioning to fleet

🔗 Broken Arrow Schools’ new bell schedule for upcoming school year

🔗 School start dates across Tulsa County and surrounding areas

🔗 Q&A: New eighth-grade academy opens at Sequoyah Middle School in Broken Arrow

🔗 Oklahoma State Department of Health shares back-to-school wellness checklist

Longtime Massapequa High School wrestling coach and gym teacher Al Bevilacqua’s big personality left an indelible mark on the thousands of students he coached and taught.

Including Jerry Seinfeld, a 1972 graduate of the school.

Bevilacqua was immortalized in an episode of the iconic comedy series “Seinfeld.” In the episode, called “The Race,” Seinfeld references his high school gym teacher, “Mr. Bevilacqua,” as he was known to all his students.

Seinfeld “was one of Dad’s students, and [Dad] had a lot of visibility and personality,” said Bevilacqua’s son Christopher Bevilacqua, of Larchmont. “He’s one of those guys who’s very extroverted and has a lot of energy. He was an easy guy to talk to.”

Albert Bevilacqua Jr., died at VNS Hospice House in Northport on Aug. 10, his family said. He was 85.

Bevilacqua also coached Ron Kovic, on whom the movie “Born on the Fourth of July” was based. The film was based on Kovic’s autobiography, in which Kovic wrote about Bevilacqua’s effect on him both before and after he was paralyzed from the chest down after being wounded in the Vietnam War.

Tom Cruise played Kovic, and Chris Bevilacqua said Cruise and director Oliver Stone came to visit Bevilacqua at home before filming.

On the wrestling mat, Bevilacqua focused on more than just the results of a match.

“He always used to say that 28-foot circle is all you need to succeed in life,” Chris Bevilacqua said. “If you can do the things that a wrestler does inside of that 28-foot circle, you learn how to compete, you learn how to organize, you learn how to prepare, you learn how to set goals, you learn how to never give up, you learn how to perform when exhausted. All the things that transcend the sport of wrestling and can be transferred to life’s success — that’s really what was his driver.”

Bevilacqua, a 1957 graduate of Massapequa High School, returned to his alma mater as the Massapequa varsity wrestling head coach for 15 years from 1962-77. He was a health and physical education teacher in the Massapequa School District for 37 years. He was also an assistant Massapequa football coach for about seven years, his son said, and served two years as Hofstra’s head wrestling coach.

Chris, who wrestled at Penn State, never wrestled for his father but attended many of his father’s camps and trainings and was in awe of how he both coached and interacted with the kids. In the days following his father’s death, Chris has been inundated with stories about his father.

“It’s amazing, and it’s very gratifying to know he had such a profound impact on people 50, 60 years later,” Chris said. “They went off and became successful in whatever they’re doing and raised their own children and own families and passed on the benefits of all their teachings to their kids. It’s truly the gift that keeps on giving, and I know myself and my family and my siblings are incredibly proud of that.”

That time with other kids often came at the expense of his own children. But the Bevilacqua children said they’ve grown to appreciate that over the years.

“There was some lack in where he wasn’t around because he was always doing wrestling and basically taking care of a lot of other kids, so it was challenging,” said his son Kevin Bevilacqua, of Florida. “But in the full spectrum of his life, you could see the beauty in it. And as we’ve matured and understood what was going on, we were all-in on it. Whatever we lacked, it was gained with other young men, and the reverberations of all that effort will live on.”

“We grew to appreciate why he was doing it,” said his daughter Nora Wheeler, of Pennsylvania. “It wasn’t because he didn’t want to be around us. It was because of his bigger purpose.”

Bevilacqua co-founded Beat The Streets Wrestling, a nonprofit organization that worked with urban youth to promote wrestling with the goals of creating a lifelong positive impact through lessons from wrestling.

“He was passionate about wrestling, and he lived it,” Chris said. “But he really used wrestling as kind of his platform and his canvas, if you will, to inspire and educate young kids and our youth to do the things necessary to be successful in life.”

Born Nov. 11, 1939, in Brooklyn, Bevilacqua and his family moved to Massapequa when he was 12 years old.

Bevilacqua graduated from NYU in 1961, and he met his wife, Catherine, there. The two were married for 61 years before Catherine died in 2023.

Bevilacqua was inducted into the National Wrestling Hall of Fame Long Island Chapter and was named USA Wrestling Man of the Year in 2005. He was inducted into the National Wrestling Hall of Fame and Museum in 2012. He also served as a coach and was on the board of directors for USA Wrestling.

In addition to his sons and daughter, Bevilacqua is also survived by children Barbara Sessa, of Slate Hill; Mike Bevilacqua, of Florida; and Erin Gonzales, of Amityville, along with 18 grandchildren and two great-grandchildren. A funeral service was held on Thursday. There will also be a celebration of life with USA Wrestling in the fall.

• Archbishop Chapelle Chipmunks are the only Chipmunks mascot in the entire United States
• St. Joseph’s Academy Redstickers have a unique five-mascot system with rotating class animals
• Loyola Flyers feature the iconic Snoopy Flying Ace logo with official permission from Charles Schulz
• Union Parish Farmers represent one of the most authentically Louisiana agricultural mascots
• Kenner Discovery Swamp Owls showcase Louisiana’s wetland ecosystem with a 15-foot sculpture

Louisiana’s most unique high school mascots include the only Chipmunks in America, Snoopy Flying Aces, and mythical Roneagles. Here are the schools that made our list.

LAFAYETTE, La. (103.3 The GOAT) — With the new school year and, more importantly, high school football starting soon, we’re looking forward to watching our student athletes take the field on Friday nights.

We have a lot of great high school teams across the state, and there are several with mascots as unique as our culture. We did the research and found some of the most unique ones in the Pelican State.

Louisiana’s Most Unique High School Mascots

1. Archbishop Chapelle Chipmunks (Metairie)

Claim to Fame: The only high school in America with Chipmunks as their mascot

According to Sports Illustrated High School, Archbishop Chapelle in Metairie stands alone in the nation as the only high school using Chipmunks as its mascot. In a 1964 contest, mascot suggestions included Raiderettes, Fleur de lis, Shamrocks and Chapelle’s Belles, but Chipmunks was the easy winner thanks to their “alert, inquisitive, sociable and communicative” nature.

Why It’s Special: This mascot represents the school’s values while being completely unique nationwide.

2. St. Joseph’s Academy Redstickers (Baton Rouge)

Claim to Fame: Louisiana’s most creative mascot system with five rotating animals

According to St. Joseph’s Academy, St. Joseph’s Academy has a unique mascot system where every student is a Redsticker, named in honor of Baton Rouge (which translates to “red stick” from French explorers who found a red cypress tree marking Native American hunting grounds), but students also belong to one of four class mascots – Flamingo, Bee, Turtle, or Dolphin – depending on their graduation year.

Why It’s Special: The Redstickers name connects directly to Baton Rouge’s French colonial history, while the rotating class system builds unique community identity within each grade.

3. Loyola Flyers (Shreveport)

Claim to Fame: Features Snoopy as the Flying Ace with official permission from creator Charles Schulz

According to ESPN Southwest Louisiana, Shreveport’s Loyola Flyers boast Snoopy flying his famed doghouse – the Sopwith Camel – as the Flying Ace in pursuit of the Red Baron. A former French teacher at the school wrote Charles Schulz in 1966 asking for permission. Schulz not only said yes but provided a print of Snoopy in pursuit of the Red Baron!

Why It’s Special: This is arguably the most recognizable high school logo in the nation, featuring an internationally beloved cartoon character with official licensing.

4. Kenner Discovery Health Sciences Academy Swamp Owls (Kenner)

Claim to Fame: The only Swamp Owls in high school sports with a massive campus sculpture

According to Sports Illustrated High School, visitors to Kenner Discovery Health Sciences Academy are greeted by a 15-foot sculpture of a Swamp Owl, also known as a Barred Owl. There are no Barred Owls in high school sports, and Kenner Discovery has the only Swamp Owls.

Why It’s Special: The mascot celebrates Louisiana’s unique wetland ecosystem while being completely original in high school athletics.

5. Crowley High School Ladies and Gents (Crowley)

Claim to Fame: Perfect gender-neutral mascot system

According to Sports Illustrated High School, ladies and gentlemen, let us introduce you to Crowley High School, home of the Ladies and Gents. It’s pretty simple: The boys sports teams are called the Gents and the girls teams are called the Ladies.

Why It’s Special: This elegant solution honors both male and female athletes with sophisticated, respectful terminology that’s uniquely Louisiana in its charm.

6. Union Parish Farmers (Farmerville)

Claim to Fame: Authentic agricultural representation of Louisiana’s farming heritage

According to MaxPreps, Union Parish High School in Farmerville are known as the Farmers, with multiple state championships in 2001 and 2013, representing Louisiana’s deep agricultural roots.

Why It’s Special: This mascot perfectly represents Louisiana’s farming community, with one local noting “can anything ever top the Farmerville Farmers?”

7. Ascension Episcopal Blue Gators (Lafayette/Youngsville)

Claim to Fame: The only Blue Gators among 100+ Gator schools nationwide

According to Sports Illustrated High School, more than 100 high schools in the U.S. go by the Gators, but there’s only one Blue Gators, and they’re in Lafayette, Louisiana, at Ascension Episcopal.

Why It’s Special: While Gators are common, the “Blue” designation makes this completely unique nationally.

8. Metairie Park Country Day Cajuns (Metairie)

Claim to Fame: The only high school Cajuns in America

According to Sports Illustrated High School, the University of Louisiana at Lafayette has the Ragin’ Cajuns, and Metairie Park Country Day — located between the Mississippi River and Lake Pontchartrain — has the less angry Cajuns. It seems like more than one Louisiana high school would be called the Cajuns, but nope, this school has the nickname all to itself in all of U.S. preps.

Why It’s Special: Represents authentic Louisiana Acadian heritage while being the sole high school to claim this iconic cultural identity.

9. Leesville Wampus Cats (Leesville)

Claim to Fame: Mythical Louisiana folklore creature

According to DeRidder Real Estate, the mascot for Leesville High School is the wampus cat. They are known as the Leesville Wampus Cats! The Wampus Cat is a legendary creature from Appalachian and Southern folklore, making this a unique choice rooted in regional mythology.

Why It’s Special: Fans recognize this as one of Louisiana’s most distinctive mascots, earning “honorable mention” for creativity.

10. Sulphur Golden Tors (Sulphur)

Claim to Fame: Creative abbreviation that became iconic

According to Sports Illustrated High School, sure, Tors is just short for Tornadoes, but you’ve got to love the creativity (and brevity). There are several Golden Tornadoes in the high school ranks across the U.S., plus a few singular Golden Tornado, but there’s only one Golden Tors.

Why It’s Special: What started as a space-saving abbreviation became a beloved unique identity.

Additional Notable Mentions

McDonogh Roneagles (New Orleans)

According to Sports Illustrated High School, a Roneagle is a mythical bird fashioned after the American bald eagle. But McDonogh’s Roneagle has a solid iron constitution, making it stronger, swifter, larger and more resourceful than all other real-life birds.

New Orleans Charter Science and Mathematics High School Nautilus (New Orleans)

According to Sports Illustrated High School, from the school’s website: “The Chambered Nautilus is an ocean-dwelling mollusk. As a nautilus age, it creates new chambers for its shell, which it then grows into. The nautilus moves through the water with jet propulsion, using the chambers it grew out of to regulate its buoyancy. The shell’s spiral is an approximation of the Golden Ratio, a mathematical relationship found throughout nature, art, and architecture.”

Isidore Newman Greenie Gators (New Orleans)

According to Sports Illustrated High School, a greenie, according to Merriam-Webster, is a supporter of environmentalism, but Isidore Newman’s mascot is Greenie Gator. If the school ever considered a mascot change, the Mannings might be an option — Isidore Newman is the alma mater of Peyton, Cooper, Eli and most recently Arch.

What Makes Louisiana Mascots Special

According to K945.com, Louisiana schools feature unique mascots that are exclusive to the state, including Chipmunks, Fire Birds, and RedStickers, with some being completely unique in the nation. While many Louisiana schools default to common mascots like Tigers (30+ schools), Panthers, or Bulldogs (20+ schools each), the state’s most memorable mascots reflect its unique culture, geography, and history.

The best Louisiana high school mascots successfully blend local culture, geographic features, historical significance, and creative storytelling to create identities that are both meaningful to their communities and distinctive on a national level.

Ready for football season? Here’s everything you’ll need to get a proper tailgate going on Friday night!