July Bear of the Month - Scott Milette
It’s not an easy task to find anyone in this town more devoted to Noble Public Schools than our very own 1989 graduate, Mr. Scott Milette, which is why the NPS Foundation chose him to be our JULY BEAR OF THE MONTH!
A current member of the NPS Board of Education, Scott has devoted decades of volunteer time to the Noble community. He has tirelessly served Noble youth athletes and has selflessly impacted the lives of countless kids with his decades of volunteer coaching.
Scott moved to Noble when in the 7th grade. He played football and baseball and basketball until the 10th grade, then decided to concentrate on basketball. He graduated from Noble High School in 1989. Over the years, Scott has had the privilege to serve as a member of the Noble School Board TWICE in two different seats. He is currently serving in seat 1. Scott started working for the University of Oklahoma in 1995 and currently works for the University Printing Services as a Pressman and operates several different types of printing presses.
Scott married his high school sweetheart, Kandy (Fitzpatrick) Milette who is also a graduate of Noble High School and they have been married 28 years. They have 2 children, Mason and Madden, both 12 year graduates of Noble High School.
Scott has been involved in Noble Youth Sports since 1991, long before his own boys were born. When he and Kandy had their boys and they started playing sports, Scott helped coach them in little league basketball, football and baseball. After they moved into school sports, he continued to coach little league football. Last year, Scott moved from Noble Youth Sports to Noble High School, where he now serves as an assistant volunteer football coach for Freshmen, Junior Varsity, and Varsity.
We caught up with our July Bear of the Month to get some insight into his life as a Noble Bear and he had some GREAT things to share with us:
SHARE WITH US HOW YOUR YEARS SPENT IN NOBLE CONTRIBUTED TO SHAPING WHO YOU ARE TODAY:
Growing up in Noble was the greatest. Everyone knew everyone. If you were out and about someone always saw what you were doing. Does that mean I always did the right thing? No, and believe me I heard about what I did as soon as I walked in the door at home. I love that about Noble now, but not so much as a kid. I love that so many eyes are and were on my own boys. Growing up with a tight knit community helped me to never forget where I came from and to appreciate relationships and people. So many people from coaches, teachers, friends, friend’s parents/grandparents to community members invested in me. This is where Kandy and I decided to raise our family and do whatever we could to help do whatever was needed. We absolutely love this town. We love the people, the school, and the community.
WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE MEMORY OF GROWING UP IN NOBLE?
My favorite memory of growing up in Noble…I can’t pin point one memory because there are so many. Some of my favorites are waking up on school days and going to Doug’s (Taylor) house and eating Nanny’s and Granddad’s biscuits and gravy for breakfast with Dewayne (Vinson), Scotty (Harper), Danny (Dysinger) and Jeff (Robertson); hanging out with friends; pulling pranks; always being on the go; basketball practice; pickup basketball games in the driveway; wiffle ball; fishing and camping; just hanging out with friends and not really having a care in the world. Those people are lifelong friends. Times were so much simpler back then. It was normal to have trucks in the high school parking lot with hunting rifles in someone’s back window. We didn’t have social media or cell phones. We had land lines, gave girls handwritten notes and cruised the streets. We didn’t have to worry about what kids have to worry about or deal with today.i
WHO WERE YOUR MOST IMPACTFUL TEACHERS AND WHY?
So many teachers made an impact on me. Mrs. Gwen Ware taught English, but she also made me believe in myself and held me accountable for my actions. She is the best. Coach Bob Ware believed in me and held me accountable for my actions on the basketball court and in the classroom. He was always there if we needed him. Mr. Caddell and Mr. Peck taught me so much too. Some of our teachers not only taught Kandy and I but also our boys. It was so fun to share old stories with our boys and listen to theirs with some of the same teachers. That’s special. As a School Board Member, I continue to be positively impacted by so many employees of Noble Public Schools including Frank Solomon, Tony Smith and Dr. Myers.
WHAT ADVICE DO YOU HAVE FOR THE CURRENT STUDENTS OF NOBLE?
My advice to the current students is this…when you fail and fall, get up. It’s going to happen. You are going to fall. But you don’t have to stay there. Mistakes don’t define you. How you respond defines you. Surround yourself with good people and be a leader not a follower. Seek out someone wiser and get advice. Find a mentor. Be nice and be a better person than you were the day before. Your school years can be some of the best times of your life, but they can also be the hardest. Remember, these years are only a small part of your life. Enjoy the good and let go of the bad. You are more than you are or were in junior high and high school.
WHAT IS YOUR PERSONAL DEFINITION OF SUCCESS?
My personal definition of success is that I try to be a better person today than I was yesterday. Stay positive even when things aren’t positive. Make a difference somewhere and at the end of the day if you feel like you did your best, then that’s success.
