Clay Vinyard began his career in education in 2003 as a high school science teacher for Oklahoma City Public Schools.  He also served as a middle school science teacher for Moore Public Schools from 2009-2011. Mr. Vinyard then served as an OKCPS assistant principal before joining the district’s Human Capital Department to assist with the recruitment of secondary-level educators.

In 2013, Vinyard took the helm of U.S. Grant High School in Oklahoma City and collaborated with teacher leaders and students to make substantial increases in academic achievement and improvements in the culture of the school. During his tenure, U.S. Grant was named a model Professional Learning Community (PLC) School for its commitment to collaboration, best practices, student achievement and professional development. Mr. Vinyard also implemented “Link Crew,” a student mentoring program designed to help 9^th graders transition to high school and increase graduation rate.  It has since been adopted by other OKC metro schools. In 2016, Vinyard served as principal of Putnam City High School, as well as a mentor for other principals across the state through the Oklahoma Principals Leadership Academy at the University of Central Oklahoma. Mr. Vinyard joined TPS in 2017, briefly leading TLA prior to moving to Edison Prep.

Vinyard earned his undergraduate degree from the University of Central Oklahoma and his graduate degree from Southern Nazarene University. His expertise has been utilized on many topics including utilization of technology, research based instruction, use of data and assessment to improve instruction, and graduation-rate improvement.

Vinyard is a member of the Muscogee (Creek) Nation.  He is married to Sarah Vinyard, and has 3 wonderful daughters, Baylea, Taya, and Isabella.  Vinyard spends free time watching his daughters play sports and watching live comedy, OKC thunder, OSU football, and OSU basketball.

Clay Vinyard
Principal 
vinyama@tulsaschools.org

Elizabeth Wattoff received her B.S. in special education from Oral Roberts University and her M.Ed. in education administration from Oklahoma State University. She joined Tulsa Public Schools in 2003. She taught special education for four years before teaching math after receiving her subject area certification in 2007. She was the chair of the junior high math department for seven years and was a 7th grade team leader for two years. She worked as the administrative intern for the 2016 summer school session at Booker T. Washington where she discovered her love for supporting classroom teachers at the administrative level. She has served as an assistant principal at Webster Middle and High School and Owen Elementary before joining the Edison team.

Elizabeth Wattoff
MS Assistant Principal
WattoEl@tulsaschools.org

I have been serving as an Assistant Principal at Edison Preparatory High School for 15 years. I truly believe the backbone of our school resides with the community, parents, and teachers. I love what I do and believe we are the best!

I grew up in Paradise, California. After graduating high school, I attended Rogers State University earning an associate's degree in animal science. I transferred to the University of Tulsa where I earned my bachelor's degree in biology with a dual minor in education and psychology. I obtained my master's degree in educational administration at Northeastern State University.

I taught AP environmental science, biology, physical science, as well as coordinated science. I coached basketball and volleyball. I then went on to become the Dean of Students and then transferred to Edison as an assistant principal.

My current role at Edison Preparatory High School is supervising teachers, athletics, special services, and ELL.

Christine Conley
HS Assistant Principal
conlech2@tulsaschools.org

I am very excited to be part of team at Edison Preparatory School, and to be joining Tulsa Public Schools. Previously I have taught High School Biology I and II and coached High School Varsity Soccer at Elgin High School. Prior to teaching at Elgin, I served a 1-year term as a graduate fellow with the National Science Foundation’s GK-12 program. I graduated from Cameron University in 2009 with a B.S. in Molecular Biology. I then pursued a graduate degree from Boise State University in the field of Molecular Systematics. Prior to completing that degree, I discovered my passion for teaching and pursued teaching as a career.

After several years in the classroom, I began to pursue leadership opportunities and I graduated from Cameron University (again) in 2019, this time with a M.S. in Educational Leadership.

Amidst all of this, I have been blessed to have an amazing wife that supports my pursuits and has also given life and love to 3 children. Our children are 11, 9, and 6 and attend Tulsa Public Schools. They love reading and sports and are enjoying exploring Tulsa and all that the city has to offer.

Keith Carter
MS Assistant Principal
carteke@tulsaschools.org

My passion for providing students with comprehensive and robust educational experience to be college and career ready stems from university experience. I had the pleasure of working for the University of Tulsa for many years serving as both the Director of Sports Medicine Curriculum and Assistant Professor. Additionally, I served as a higher education representative for newly hired teachers in Northeast Oklahoma and student teacher supervisor for The University of Tulsa. In my capacity I witnessed far too many college freshman entering the university lacking both experience in rigorous coursework and non cognitive skills to manage the demands of college curriculum and expectation. Sadly students that enter college are required to take remedial coursework. Remedial coursework costs money and is not counted towards a student's degree plan. The best advice that I can provide to students is do high school coursework while you are in high school.

Students at Edison are provided opportunities that meet their not only interest areas but their academic strengths. Between the home and school together we provide a positive and supportive extension of one another with a common goal of college and career readiness. Edison Preparatory School is an Advanced Placement Diploma High School and offers a wide variety of AP courses including AP Seminar and AP Research. Beginning with the 2017-2018 school year, the WE program will be a component of the AP Human Geography and AP Studio Art Program. The WE program in collaboration with College Board provides students with a service element that promotes global and community awareness.

On a personal note, I have two children; my son, Blake is a graduate student at The University of Southern California earning a Masters degree in Biomedical Engineering. My daughter, Blair is a junior at The University of Kansas working on requirements for the Physician Assistance Program and completing a degree in Behavioral Sciences and Psychology. My children left me with their two dogs; Auby and Mickey. Auby is a Giant Schnauzer and Mickey a Scottish Terrier. These two are quite the handful and continue to get into mischief which keeps me busy. My husband, Kirk, is an educator and is the voice at ONEOK Field. If you attend any Tulsa Drillers or Tulsa Roughneck games then you are sure to have heard him.

I am a proud graduate of The University of Tulsa where I earned a Bachelor of Science degree. My graduate degree is from The University of West Virginia where I was staff athletic trainer for the Mountaineers.

Rachel Stacey-McAnany
HS Assistant Principal
mcanara@tulsaschools.org

Edison's legacy of determination, intelligence, and ingenuity are consistent with our community values. Thomas Edison Preparatory School's name reflects the mission of Tulsa Public Schools: "To inspire and prepare every student to love learning, achieve ambitious goals and make positive contributions to our world." The name also sends a message to its constituents to follow the path established by its namesake. 

RELEVANT HISTORICAL CONTEXT 

The school was named in 1954 to honor Thomas Edison because of his significant and major contributions to America, to communicate to students the value of optimism, exploration of new ideas, and perseverance. The school name was modified to include the word "Preparatory" to emphasize academic rigor, preparing students for college and career readiness between 1995-2000 under the leadership of Dr. John Thompson, Superintendent of Schools, and Dr. La Verne Ford Wimberly, Assistant Superintendent for Curriculum and Instruction. 

Edison has the unique distinction of offering the AP Capstone diploma.

BIOGRAPHY

Thomas Alva Edison (1847-1931) was born on February 11, 1847, in Milan, Ohio, and grew up in Port Huron, Michigan. He died in October 18, 1931. Edison only attended school for a few months and was instead taught by his mother. Much of his education came from reading R.G. Parker's School of Natural Philosophy and The Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art. Edison was an inventor and a businessman who has been described as America's greatest inventor. He exerted a tremendous influence on modern life. 

KEY CONTRIBUTIONS

Edison developed many devices that greatly life around the world, including the phonograph and the motion picture camera. As a prolific inventor, he held 1,093 U.S. patents in his name, as well as many patents in the United Kingdom, France, and Germany. His greatest achievement was providing light and power to the masses. Several place and institutions have been named after Edison, most notably the town of Edison New Jersey. 

Edison serves students from its residential attendance area as well as accepting transfer students who meet the stringent academic criteria to be part of the magnet program.  

The strength of Edison’s academics lies in our staff. Edison High School continues to lead the district in developing new course offerings, which are based on the needs and educational desires of our student body. We strive to provide the most appropriate and challenging education for our students, including more than 40 Pre-AP and AP courses, a Pre-Engineering Program in conjunction with Tulsa Tech, seven world languages including American Sign Language, and a nationally recognized Student Leadership program at the high school.  

Since 2005, Edison has been listed in Newsweek Magazine’s top 500 high schools in the country, based on the number of AP exams given annually. Edison High School uniquely provides its students and community with a small school feel while offering all the academics and opportunities of a large school. In an atmosphere geared toward excellence and student achievement, both in and out of the classroom, students leave Edison prepared for whatever post-secondary avenue they choose to pursue.