Lasallian Founder's Alumni Award: Dedication to Quality Education, David Ruskoski

November 9, 2023

 From the Bishop Kelley Class of 1981.

Our next recipient is receiving an award for Dedication to Education which is one of the five tenets of the Lasallian Charism.  And if you ask 1981 graduate, David Ruskoski, how he developed high academic standards, he will tell you he did that here at Bishop Kelley.  A 1981 BK grad, David reminded us that when he was a student here, the grading scale was 93% for an A, 85% for a B, 77% for a C, and 70% for a D.  He said that made college courses feel a bit easier since the normal grading standard, the one we use today, is not as high. 


When David graduated from Bishop Kelley, he first earned Associate’s degrees from Tulsa Community College in History and German.  He then attended the University of Oklahoma where he earned his Bachelor’s degree in Communication and Criminal Justice. Eventually, he moved to Atlanta where he studied at Georgia State University, earning a Master’s in History and completing his coursework toward a Ph.D., also in History.


In 2000, David moved back to Tulsa from Atlanta and became an Adjunct Professor at TCC while writing his dissertation on a World War I topic.  During this same time frame, David was a high school teacher, with most of his teaching done at a Title I high school in the Tulsa Public School system.  While teaching high school, David also coached boys basketball and girls soccer.  He graduated from Georgia State University with a Ph.D. in History in 2006 and was initially an Assistant Professor of History at Tulsa Community College where he is now an Associate Professor of History.


Dr. Ruskoski has led several “study abroad” trips to Europe, given lectures about American History at TCC’s Sister College, Jilin (Gee-Lin) Normal University in Siping (Si-ping), China, and has given several presentations about his research into the first World War at TCC, the University of Tulsa and many other places including Chaumont (Show-Mont), France.


David serves on the Tulsa Council for Holocaust Education and he has given several presentations at the Tulsa City/County Library. A year ago, he organized and hosted an event called “Tulsan’s Remember the Holocaust” that featured Holocaust Survivors who live in Tulsa. 


David continues to serve on the Tulsa Holocaust Education Committee.  He serves on the Advisory Board of the YMCA.  He’s also served multiple years on the United Way “Day of Caring” volunteer committee. David is a single parent to his three grown children, Heather, Laurel and Paul.  Paul is a 2022 BK graduate and he currently attends Lewis University in Romeoville, Illinois which is also a LaSallian institution. 


David has twice received TCC’s Faculty Award for Teaching Excellence and he also received the Outstanding Alumni award from Tulsa Community College.  David credits two Bishop Kelley faculty members for being exceptional educators.  Donna Yadon, according to David, brought an amazingly positive attitude to her classes.  David says, as an educator, Brother Michael Witt was as brilliant as any that he encountered in his college career.


Please join us in congratulating this year’s recipient of the award for Dedication to Education, Dr. David Ruskoski.


Lasallian Founder’s Alumni Award

Recognizing the accomplishments of Outstanding Bishop Kelley Alumni who exemplify the five core principles of the Lasallian Mission; Faith in the Presence of God, Quality Education, Concern for the Poor & Social Justice, Respect for All Persons & Inclusive Community.


If you know a deserving BK Alumni, please nominate them here:

https://www.bishopkelley.org/alumni#LasallianFoundersAlumniAwardsNominationForm

July 30, 2026
One hundred and forty-five Bishop Kelley students were recently named AP Scholars through their demonstrated excellence in the Advanced Placement (AP) program. Fifty-five of these students were named as AP Scholars with Distinction. The accolade is granted to students who receive an average score of at least 3.5 on all AP Exams taken, and scores of 3 or higher on five or more of the exams. This is the highest recognition the College Board offers through the AP program. In addition, thirty-eight Bishop Kelley students were named AP Scholars with Honors. These awards are granted to students who receive an average score of at least 3.25 on all AP Exams taken, and scores of 3 or higher on four or more of these exams. Another fifty-three students have been designated AP Scholars, granted to students who receive an average score of at least 3.5 on all AP Exams taken, and scores of 3 or higher on five or more of these exams. Two hundred and seventy-seven Bishop Kelley students took a record six hundred and thirty-seven Advanced Placement (AP) tests in May, 2026 with an extraordinary 89% scoring “3” or higher. Fifteen percent of Bishop Kelley test takers scored the highest possible “5” on their exams, the equivalent of “Extremely Well Qualified” according to the College Board which administers the international testing. A “5” equates to an A+ or A in college level classes. Internationally, only 9% of all tests earn a “5” score. Another forty-two percent of Bishop Kelley students scored at the second highest tier, a “4,” equal to ”Very well Qualified,” a level only achieved by twenty percent of all testers. The record number of exams for Bishop Kelley students include twenty-three different subjects, covering a wide range of disciplines including science, math, English, social studies, fine arts, world languages and business. The largest number of tests for Bishop Kelley students included one hundred and thirty-eight AP English Language and Composition students, followed by ninety-eight students who took the AP United States Government test, and seventy-two who took the AP Pre-calculus exam. Bishop Kelley students scored the highest average on the AP Physics I exam with a school mean score of 4.47, followed by AP English Literature with a mean score of 4.13. Fifty-nine percent of Bishop Kelley alumni in the Class of 2026 graduated with a “3” or higher on at least one AP exam in their high school tenure. AP exams are scored on a scale of 1-5 with a “passing” score considered to be a “3” or higher. Bishop Kelley offers students AP exams in nineteen different subject areas. AP tests, developed by college and university professors, are considered among the most rigorous college-preparatory exams for high school students today. Bishop Kelley AP Scholars with Distinction Claire Anderson Jacob Arp Lola Bain Rylan Bauer Clara Berg Quinn Brasseux Dean Brown Rebecca Carlile Alexander Clark Landon Danz Mary Alice Doyle Lauren Embry Cole Finn Gianna Frey John Galbraith Macy Gerkin Madeline Gerkin Isabella Gilbert Evan Green Addison Greer Owen Hair Charles Hill Benjamin Hoel Madison Holleman Simone Hounshell Hayden Hutto William Johnson Robert Karlovich Asher Keltner Reese Launchbaugh Ella Lundt Jacqueline Manning Stacey Maupin Isabella McClure Joseph McKean Sophia McKnight Madeline Mellen Claire Nelson Danny Nguyen Eva Nguyen Hannah Nguyen Abigail Orr Lillian Orr Cade Parks Anna Pereira Laurel Pohlenz Ashley Richer Joseph Schurman Kate Strandmark William Tanner Hope Thompson Jonathan Tran Colette VanTrease Dat Vu Jackson Wrobleski Bishop Kelley AP Scholars with Honors Alex Aldrette Liam Allen Noah Baum Audrey Brewer Caroline Cohlmia Margaret Doyle Cadence Fielstra Bella Fusco Victoria Gogol Claire Goodman Kaylee Grisaffe Bode Harris Martin Hernandez Benjamin Hixon George Johnston Kinsley Knapp Riley Knox Hudson Kruggel Mark Kuehler Jordan Morales Dexton Nance Katelyn Rains Olivia Rambo Matthew Ranallo William Ritzhaupt Brooke Rossow Kira Smith Catherine Sousa Harper Spanier Madalene Stoulil Isabel Swiney Elizabeth Tran Laila Uhren Thanh Vu Dane Weldon Aidan Wilson Ella Wrobleski Bishop Kelley AP Scholars Margaret Abraham Violet Abraham Daniel Allred Madelyn Anderson Alexander Barry Noah Bietto James Blankenship Virginia-Grey Buck Ian Burris Maurizio Carbonell Lucy Cermak Emily Cook Kennedy Cooper Jonathan Corfidi Jackson Cortright Caroline Dowdell Jason Dowdell Madeline Dunham Trevor Gable Liam Hall Madeline Heatherman Thompson Herndon Jacob Hoang Eli Horeled Ashley Huynh Clay Jordan Maggie Leach Sarah Leake Blair Leonard Sean Maloney Nicole McKean Grant Morrison Ava Myers Delilah Nguyen Monserrat Novelo-Roig Isabella Paschal Julian Penny Josh Phillips Dutch Prather Sebastian Quiroz Ryland Ramos Eliza Riffe William Sandusky Avery Sparks Elise Sullivan Henry Talley Hayden Throop Aaron Valadkhani Marcus Warden Ildri Weber Colton Williams Laila Wong Landon Woolley 
June 29, 2026
Behind the Magic of Arendelle: Inside the creativity, dedication, and support that brought Bishop Kelley’s production of Frozen: The Broadway Musical to life. by Perla Saldivar '26