It’s been more than a week since Pryor Public Schools staff gathered in the AVRA Performing Arts Center for the annual Back-to-School District Kick-Off, but the enthusiasm and team spirit fostered that day are, if anything, even stronger now.
District staff streamed into the AVRA cheered on by student leaders from Pryor Cheer, Pom, Band, and Choir, creating an energetic welcome and setting a clear purpose for the morning: helping every Tiger be the best they can be.
Superintendent Dr. Lisa Muller welcomed staff to a new school year filled with new possibilities, new opportunities, and new challenges, encouraging employees to approach the year with a shared commitment to students and to one another.
Assistant Superintendent Dr. Tiffany Ballard then stepped to the microphone to introduce a very important member of the Pryor team—2026 Support Staff Person of the Year Sheri Madole.
Ballard praised Madole’s commitment to Roosevelt Elementary and the students and staff she serves.
“When someone has a question, Sheri always knows the answer,” Ballard said, adding that the genuine love Madole shows students “doesn’t seek the spotlight.”
Relationships at the Heart of the Work
2026 Pryor Public Schools Teacher of the Year Tami Rowland also offered words of encouragement, reflecting on the role relationship-building has played in her own success in the classroom.
Rowland was introduced by 2025 District Teacher of the Year Aimee Weston, who highlighted the experience Rowland brings to education.
“[Rowland] brings science expertise, classroom dedication, and community leadership to the stage,” Weston said. “She earned her degree in biology from Southern Nazarene University before spending 12 years conducting high-impact medical research before pursuing a career in education.”
Community businesses also demonstrated their support for Pryor educators by donating items to recognize and celebrate the District Teacher of the Year.
Pryor Board of Education President Fred Sordahl joined the celebration, welcoming employees back for another year, expressing appreciation for the work they do, and recognizing the dedication Pryor staff demonstrate each day.
Building Teams That Can Meet the Challenge
The morning then turned to keynote speaker retired U.S. Army Colonel J. Craig Flowers, who delivered a thought-provoking and motivational message centered on the meaning of leadership.
Drawing from his military experience, Flowers connected habits he witnessed among elite U.S. military forces with habits that can also help educators build successful classrooms and teams.
Flowers also drew from his recently written book, The Colonel and the Cowboy, as he posed a fundamental question to the staff: What is leadership?
His answer was clear: “Leadership is authentic, relentless, and selfless service to a cause.”
For Pryor staff, Flowers connected that definition directly to the work happening every day across the District. Their cause, he said, is to guide students toward reaching their personal best. In that sense, leadership is not limited to a title or position, but is demonstrated through service, consistency, high expectations, and a commitment to helping others grow.
That message carried naturally into Flowers’ emphasis on relationships. He reminded teachers that strong connections with students create the foundation that makes future learning—and future challenges—possible. His practical, common-sense approach centered on knowing the person in front of you while continuing to hold high expectations for what that person can accomplish.
Flowers also challenged staff to be mindful of the attitudes they allow to influence their teams. Elite forces, he noted, do not have time to devote their energy to drama; their focus must remain on building and strengthening the team. He suggested that a successful organization can sustain only a small percentage of members who remain focused on drama before it begins affecting the work of the larger group.
The message reinforced a theme heard throughout the morning: relationships matter, expectations matter, leadership matters, and the strength of the team matters.
More than a week later, those ideas have moved beyond the AVRA and into Pryor classrooms, hallways, cafeterias, offices, and buses as the 2026–2027 school year gets underway.
The annual District Kick-Off may have marked the beginning of another school year for staff, but its purpose continues to take shape each day as Pryor employees work together to support students, strengthen relationships, meet new challenges, and help every Tiger reach their personal best.