SCHOOL NEWS
New Nocona band director excited to join a full creative team
By BARBARA GREEN
editor@bowienewsonline.com
Lori Jech (pronounced like Yech) is looking forward to working with a creative team in the Nocona High School Band program as she picks up the director’ baton for the “Pride of the Tribe.”
Jech joins Randy Brooks, who served as a director last year moving up from the middle school band program. The pair are not strangers as they both attended Southwestern Oklahoma State University and they discovered a photo from a teenage band camp that both attended.
The 60-year-old director comes to Nocona after a two-year run at Windthorst High School. She grew up in Kingfisher, OK the oldest of five siblings. In turn she grew up to have six of her own children, four boys and two girls ranging from 21-year-old twins to her oldest at 39.
She earned her bachelor of music education from the University of Oklahoma and began her career as a teacher in the Duncan schools. Why music education? Jech laughs she was something of a klux and her mom wanted to put her in dance, but no studio in Kingfisher, so baton twirling was the next best thing.
“I have been marching since I was four, exclaims Jech. “I fell in love with John Phillip Sousa marches and the like. That was all it took. In the back of my mind I wanted to pursue music, but my parents wanted a doctor or lawyer. I played basketball and softball and it was fun, but my saxophone was it.”
Read the full story on the new band director at Nocona High in the Thursday Bowie News.
Abigail Hill, Nocona High School valedictorian, is the 2026 UIL feature writing state champion. Nocona faculty have been looking through school records and UIL records to see when Nocona last had someone won state. UIL record archives only date back to 1983 and they didn’t see anyone listed as winning a gold medal in Academic UIL. According to Nocona records, she is the first UIL Academic Champion since 1973. (Courtesy photo)
Bowie Elementary kindergarten students entertained the huge audience that attended the graduation ceremonies at the high school gym on May 21. Each kindergarten class performed a song for the guests. They also were invited to dress as their future career choice such as a doctor or a police officer.
Each class entertained with a song.
By Andy Newberry, MSU Texas
Midwestern State University junior Rykir Evans is not only building his skills during a NASA internship—he’s creating memories that will last a lifetime.
Evans has been a remote student at MSU Texas this semester while completing the internship. During that time, he had the opportunity to meet American naval aviator and NASA astronaut Reid Wiseman, as well as NASA Chief Flight Director Gene Kranz.
“It definitely has been an amazing experience thus far, and meeting all of the super inspirational figures in flesh and blood was definitely surreal,” Evans said.
Read the full story in Thursday’s Bowie News.
(Top photo) Rykir Evans had a chance meeting with Reid Wiseman NASA astronaut and commander of the Artemis II lunar fly-by mission. He also met famed NASA chief flight director Gene Kranz, who directed the first lunar landing mission, Apollo 11.
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