Oklahoma
Sherman ISD changes course after stripping transgender student of role in ‘Oklahoma!’
After initially removing a transgender boy and several other students from their roles in a high school production of Oklahoma!, the Sherman school district is changing course.
In a Friday afternoon statement, district officials said they will be utilizing a new version of the Rodgers & Hammerstein classic – with a script tailored to young audiences.
“By utilizing a new version that’s age appropriate, sex will not be considered when casting the new production,” the statement reads. “Students will be able to play any part, regardless of whether the sex of the character aligns with the sex of the student assigned at birth.”
Last week, 17-year-old Max Hightower found out he was losing a major role in the musical at the school. Max is transgender and the character he was cast to play – Ali Hakim – is a man. Girls in Max’s theater program also were told they would no longer play the male roles that they’d been assigned.
Phillip Hightower, Max’s father, said he got a call from Sherman High principal Scott Johnston, in which the principal said that the school enacted a new policy that “only male actors can play male roles, and only female actors can play female roles.”
The district responded to the outrage among Sherman High families with a Nov. 6 statement saying there is no policy on how students are assigned roles, but for that particular production, “the sex of the role as identified in the script will be used when casting.” They added the initial production of Oklahoma! contained “mature adult themes, profane language, and sexual content.”
The Dallas Morning News reviewed the script originally licensed to Sherman High for its production of Oklahoma! It included some innuendo and a few scenes in which characters kiss.
The “youth edition” of Oklahoma! is a one-hour adaptation of the musical, according to Concord Theatricals’ website.
“In this adaptation for pre-high school students, the content has been edited to better suit younger attention spans,” the company’s website reads. According to an online catalog of characters in the youth edition, there is no named role for Ali Hakim (a role called The Peddler is listed).
“Our goal is to have a musical that showcases each student’s talents while also being age appropriate, with no concerns over content, stage production/props, and casting,” the district’s Friday statement announcing the change in production read.
The district also said it will have a “tighter review and approval process” for theater productions moving forward. The school’s performance will be scheduled for after Jan. 15.
Amy Hightower, Max’s mom, said she is left with many questions. She and other theater parents plan to attend a Monday school board meeting.
“We’re pretty insulted with their response,” she said. “I’m going to be open-minded and go to the board meeting and ask questions for clarity.”
Students said the administration’s earlier decisions regarding casting threatened the inclusive space they’ve found within the theater community.
The decision impacting Sherman High School theater students comes amid a nationwide backlash against LGBTQ rights. Texas lawmakers in recent legislative sessions have debated policies that target transgender students, from which bathrooms they can use to which sports teams they can play on. The state recently banned gender-affirming care, including medication and surgery, for minors.
The DMN Education Lab deepens the coverage and conversation about urgent education issues critical to the future of North Texas.
The DMN Education Lab is a community-funded journalism initiative, with support from Bobby and Lottye Lyle, Communities Foundation of Texas, The Dallas Foundation, Dallas Regional Chamber, Deedie Rose, Garrett and Cecilia Boone, The Meadows Foundation, The Murrell Foundation, Solutions Journalism Network, Southern Methodist University, Sydney Smith Hicks and the University of Texas at Dallas. The Dallas Morning News retains full editorial control of the Education Lab’s journalism.
Oklahoma
Staff predictions: Our picks for No. 7 Alabama at Oklahoma
After falling twice away from home already this season, No. 7 Alabama will look to avoid a potential trap game in its final road trip of the regular season. The Crimson Tide (8-2, 5-2 in the SEC) will visit Oklahoma (5-5, 1-5) for a 6:30 p.m. CT kickoff Saturday inside Gaylord Family Oklahoma Memorial Stadium.
This will be the seventh matchup between Alabama and Oklahoma. The Sooners hold a 3-2-1 advantage in the series, but the Tide won the most recent meeting, recording a 45-34 victory in the 2018 Orange Bowl. Alabama is currently a 14-point favorite for Saturday’s game, according to the Caesars Sportsbook.
Here’s how Tide Illustrated’s staff thinks the game will play out.
Oklahoma
Oklahoma State Offers 2026 Bixby DB Braeden Presley
The stark reality of the Cowboys future on the gridiron is up in the air. Can Oklahoma State bounce back in 2025 following one of the worst football seasons in years? Will the Pokes return next season and play with a chip on their shoulder? Only time will tell and the best way to improve the football team is for the coaching staff to hit the recruiting trail hard.
Oklahoma State will say goodbye to one of the greatest statistical wide receivers to ever wear the Cowboy orange. Senior Brennan Presley has been the cornerstone of the receiving core for the past four seasons. He is the all-time receptions leader in Oklahoma State history and has caught more than two passes in nearly every game since his sophomore season.
The offense won’t be the same in 2025 with Presley snagging catches across the middle, but the fans of Cowboy football won’t have to wait long as a familiar name will be entering the mix straight out of the class of 2026.
On Thursday, Oklahoma State looked to make it the Presley trifecta when they offered the youngest of the bunch, 2026 Bixby star Braeden Presley. Older brothers Brennan and Braylin both committed to Oklahoma State out of high school. Brennan hung around to become the all-time receptions leader in school history while Braylin transferred to Tulsa.
Braeden is the biggest brother of the bunch and measures in at 6-foot-2 and 180 pounds, according to 247Sports. He is unranked at the moment but still has a full season of football yet to play. The interest continues to grow for Braeden who has drawn offers from Tulsa, Boston College and Kansas.
Oklahoma State joined the mix on Thursday and is hoping to use its family ties to lock up their third straight Presley. Little is known about Presley on the field, and he has proven this season that he is a jack of all trades. He has logged a rushing touchdown, receiving touchdown and passing touchdown this season for the Spartans of Bixby.
A majority of his highlights have come on the defensive side of the football. He has 27 tackles, three interceptions and a forced fumble in 2024 for a Bixby team who is searching for yet another Class 5A State Championship.
The fans of Oklahoma State football may not have to wait very long to have a Presley once again under the lights of Boone Pickens Stadium.
Want to join the discussion? Like Oklahoma State Cowboys on SI on Facebook and follow us on Twitter to stay up to date on all the latest Cowboys news. You can also meet the team behind the coverage.
Oklahoma
Miami Basketball: Canes drop second straight game to Oklahoma State 80-74
CHARLESTON, S.C. – The University of Miami men’s basketball team fell to the Oklahoma State Cowboys (4-1), 80-74, Friday afternoon at TD Arena in the Hurricanes’ (3-2) second game of the 2024 Shriners Children’s Charleston Classic.
Down 17 with five minutes to play in the game, the Hurricanes connected on seven of their final ten shots to pull to within six of the Cowboys, but time ultimately ran out on Miami’s comeback.
Guard Nijel Pack recorded his second 20-point game of the season, totaling 20 points to lead the Hurricanes in scoring.
Forward Brandon Johnson tallied his first double-double of the season with 12 points and ten rebounds, pacing the Hurricanes’ on the glass.
Oklahoma State took control early, opening the game on a 9-0 run. Miami cut the lead to three thanks to a pair of 3-pointers from Blackmon and Pack, but the Cowboys responded with a 7-0 run to extend their lead to double-digits, 20-10, with 10 minutes to play in the first half.
The Cowboys shot 53.3 percent from 3-point range in the first half, increasing their lead to 16, 43-37, at the halftime break.
Oklahoma State took its largest lead of the game, 51-31, at the 14:35 mark in the second half, but Miami responded with an 11-4 run to cut the deficit to 13 at the midway point of the frame.
The Hurricanes shot 58.1 percent from the field in the second half, and four Miami players scored eight-plus points in the final 20 minutes of play, but they could not complete the comeback.
On Sunday, Miami will play VCU or Nevada at 12:30 p.m. ET at TD Arena in Charleston, S.C.
Courtesy of Miami Athletics
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