WillardPublicSchools
 Student Focused | Strongly Connected | Success Driven
The Pride
April 18, 2014

Join Our Mailing List
In This Issue
Quick News
_______________________
 
Willard Named Best
Community for Music

For the 6th time Willard has been recognized by the NAMM Foundation as being among the best Communities for Music Education (BCME) in the United States.  Read more


____________________

Superintendent Honored by Peers

Superintendent Dr. Kent Medlin was among seven Missouri superintendents nominated this year for the prestigious Robert L. Pearce Award which is presented annually by the Missouri Association of School Administrators (MASA).
Willard Parks
Check the website for new fitness classes and times!

The Great Easter Egg Hunt: April 12: 8:00am - 11:00am @ THE REC

 

Summer Baseball Session 1 Registration April 7 - April 25     

  
District Office

 

Last night Debra Wekesa, Willard High School Junior, shared the poem below that she had written with the Board of Education.  I don't share it because I agree with everything it says or because it represents the specific values of everyone in the Willard community.  I share it because I am proud that this young lady has passion about her beliefs.  It is so important for kids to have passion.  I don't care if the passion is for basketball, band, speech, Ag, music, or even ping pong.  Find something passionate to believe in!  I went to visit Debra this morning and asked her if her poem was a dream or a possible reality.  She shared that she didn't know if it could ever be a reality.  I shared with her that she had to believe it was possible if it has any chance of becoming a reality.  Debra is a young lady who will make a difference in her life.  When I speak to some adults who are worried about this generation they need to talk to Debra and they will find comfort that there are leaders emerging that will make a difference in the future.
Enjoy the poem!
  
Have a great weekend!
  
Kent

 

I wish I lived in a world...

               Where I'm not considered more threatening than another,

               And not more likely to be arrested for a crime.

               While at the same time, live in a world

               Where my skin gives me better "advantages".

               Advantages that benefit the benefactor more.

              

               Where I'm not just another statistic to be crossed off a list.

               Where I'm not just a number.

               A quota that colleges or businesses aim to hit,

     To please themselves and the masses.

               Resulting in a cycle of brainwashing from parent to child

     To increase a feeling or worth.

               Belonging. Entitlement. All misguided feelings.

 

I wish the world we lived in would be equal for all, not for some.

Nor be "equal", while still being unequal.

 

     Where I don't feel equivalent from activities that seem so trivial.

               Where I don't feel the need to be lighter skinned,

in order to be like everything that I see.

              

               Where we don't have a light dominated media.

     That becomes surprised to see people of different races do the same.

 

      Where sexual orientation just happens with no ill harm to anyone!

      Where people feel safe to leave their homes and face the outside.

 

               Where women are paid the same as men for the same job.

     Where the price gap is more than seventy-seven cents to one dollar.

     Where a CEO of a large company isn't paid $50,000 less than her male counterpart.

 

               Where maternity leave is given to men as well.

     In order for fathers to gain a strong bond with their children they help create.

     Where fathers don't have little say in the well-being of their children.

 

I wish we lived in a world

Where "we're judged by the content of our character, not by the color of our skin"

Sexual orientation or gender.

I hope it comes true in my generation,

Though with what I've seen

I doubt it ever will

              

 

Like us on Facebook    Follow us on Twitter     willardschools.net

Athletics & Activities
By now, everyone is very aware of how proud I am to be a Tiger and how proud I am of our student/athletes.  Nobody....and I mean NOBODY....has better student/athletes than Willard!  Usually at this time I will point to some athletic achievement (which I will get to later) to prove my point.  However, today I would like to use Partners in Strength.  This event is one of the best nights of the year.  Coach Gold, and his many helpers, do an incredible job of celebrating everyone's strengths instead of their weaknesses.  Watching our kids interact puts a smile on your face that lasts a very long time!  Great job Tigers!!!!

The soccer Lady Tigers are off to a 2-0 start in the COC after defeating Branson and Webb City!  The girls lost a heartbreaker to state ranked Catholic, 1-2, but I couldn't be more proud of their effort and teamwork.  The girls will play in the very tough Kickapoo Invitational this weekend before hosting Carthage on Tuesday and Greenwood on Thursday of next week.

The baseball Tigers are 10-3 after defeating Webb City on Tuesday but falling to Nixa on Thursday.  They will get a chance to comeback from that defeat as they travel to Hillcrest on Saturday to take on Hillcrest and Monett.  Games start at 11:00.  Next week, they will host Neosho on Tuesday and Republic on Thursday.  By the way, the Tigers are now ranked #9 in the state in Class 5!!!!!

Track and Field traveled to West Plains where they had a night of Personal Records.  The Lady Tigers big pointer for the night was freshman Brooklyn Bolin who scored first in the pole vault securing a third place win for the girls out of a field of 14 teams.  The Willard men secured a second place team finish with several highlights for the night. Tristen Jackson won the pole vault and Austin McKan won the Discus.  Scoring two first place finishes for the night was Z Barr, who won the 200 and the 100 with a personal best time of 10.75.

FBLA members competed at our State Leadership Conference for the last 3 days.  We had a great time, and qualified 5 students to compete this summer at our National Leadership Conference in Nashville, TN.

The following students placed in their events:

Dusty Bacon & Robert Mitchals - 1st Place, Emerging Business Issues - National Qualifier
Daniel Kis - 1st Place, Help Desk - National Qualifier
Mercer Martin - 2nd Place, Impromptu Speaking - National Qualifier
Timothy Olson - 3rd Place, Client Service - National Qualifier
Emily Raney - 4th Place, Public Speaking 2
Dusty Bacon & Emily Raney - 6th Place, Digital Design & Promotion
Josh Miles - 6th Place, Business Math
Spencer Reese & Evan Schwartz - 6th Place, Mobile Application Development

I am very pleased to share that the Willard HS Chamber Choir brought home 1st Place in the Large High School Division this weekend at the Worlds of Fun Choir Festival!  There were 18 different  choirs in this division from powerhouse choral programs like Ozark, Central, Francis Howell, Omaha NE, Rolla, and Eureka and our Chamber Choir stood above them all.  It was awesome to see our kids excitement as they received this award on stage at the Awards Ceremony.

In addition to the Chamber Choir the Freshmen Choir, Concert Choir, and Women's Choir all received straight  "1" ratings from all the judges.  This a tremendous accomplishment and speaks to the depth of talent we have in all grade levels and choirs. 

We are ever so proud of our band students. The past two days we have been hosting the MSHSAA State Band Festival at Willard High School.  All three high school bands earned State Level Honor I Ratings. Yeah Band!  Side Note: the Wind Symphony (1st hour) has earned an Honor I Rating for the past 32 consecutive years

It's Good To Be A Tiger!

Jeff Staley
Director of Activities
High School

EOC's are coming April 21 - May 2.  Students and staff continue preparations for another successful year of assessments.  I believe we are ready to showcase the exemplary skills and abilities of our students. 

 

Congratulations to Danielle Sanger and McKayleigh Andrus!  They received "honorable mention" for the 2014 Missouri Scholars Top 100.  This is a statewide program that honors the top students of Missouri based on GPA, ACT score, and citizenship.

 

Congratulations to Speech and Debate National Qualifiers: Mercer Martin, Conor Wadle, Ryan Largent, and Emily Raney!  These students will be competing in Kansas City this summer against students from all across the United States. 

 

FBLA also has national qualifiers.  Congratulations to Dusty Bacon, Robert Mitchals, Daniel Kis, Mercer Martin, and Timothy Olson.  These students will be competing in Nashville this summer.

 

Please remember due to the winter weather, school is in session on April 21.  The COC Art Show and the WHS Big Show will be April 25-26.  Patrons are invited to view art work from all across the COC as well as several WHS senior projects in the auxiliary gym.

 

It is GREAT to be a Tiger!

 

Curt Graves

Principal
Middle School
We would like to thank the parents for their understanding during our work on the sink hole in the front parking lot.   It was great to hear that the workers were able to fill the hole so quickly and narrow the barrier to allow for normal drop off and pick up starting the afternoon of Thursday, April 17.   
 
Congratulations to BOTH the Seventh and Eighth Grade Bands for Outstanding Performances last Saturday at the Nevada Middle School Band Festival.  Both groups earned Honor I Ratings for their performances. WAY TO GO!!


Coach Roweton announced Summer Football Camp Dates:
July 7th-10th --   5th thru 8th grade camp at stadium -- 10 am to 12 pm
July 14th-25th -- High School camp at stadium -- 7 am to 11 am.

8th grade parents only:  don't forget to turn in 8th grade baby pictures for the end of school video. They should be turned into Mrs. Swadley no later than April 25th.  She will scan the picture and return it to the student. You can also email them in Jpegformat to her at amandaswadley@willardschools.net

Thanks, 
Amy Sims
Willard Middle School Principal 
Intermediate School
Bring on the sunshine!  It is amazing how attitudes and energy levels are improved with a little warm weather and sunshine.  Our students (and teachers) are thankful to be able to get outside for recess, physical fitness, running club, and various class activities. 

Teachers are making their final push to ensure students are ready for their state MAP assessments.  Testing at WIS will be Tuesday April 29th-Thursday May 1st.  5th and 6th graders will both take assessments in communication arts and math with only 5th grade taking the science assessment.  Please encourage your student to be physically prepared and try their best on the MAP assessment.  This is a great opportunity for them to not only demonstrate their knowledge, but to also validate the time and energy they have put into 6 or 7 years of school.  I am confident our students will represent WIS and Willard Schools to the best of their abilities!

Tom Davis
 Principal 
North Elementary School

 

 

Like us on Facebook      WillardNorth  

South Elementary School

Like us on Facebook     WillardSouth 

East Elementary School
Tuesday night we hosted our school wide Spring Concert at Willard High School and it was AMAZING! Our hats are off to our music teachers Mrs. Reed, Mrs. Chatman, Mrs. Christiansen, and Mrs. Kuchta. They put together a fun evening of songs from all the decades. The YMCA grand finale blew the roof off! 
 
You can find links to all performance on our school Facebook page. The links will also be available on our school website soon.

Click here to watch the GRAND FINALE!!!
Melinda Miller
Principal 
Like us on Facebook      WillardEast  

Central Elementary School
Congratulations to Mrs. Chatman and the Kindergarten students for a great music program last week!  They did a wonderful job on their "Barnyard Moosical".  It was a great evening and a fun way to wrap up the grade level concert season!
 
As we look ahead to next week, our 3rd and 4th grade students are getting "MAP Happy, Happy, Happy" thanks to our Duck Dynasty inspired "bearded friends" and the musical stylings of Pharrell Williams.  Our students have been working hard since Kindergarten and we know they are going to do a great job showing what they know!
 
Have a blessed Easter weekend!
 
Shane Medlin, Principal 

Orchard Hills Elementary School
Willard Orchard Hills is gearing up for the MAP test!  3rd and 4th grade students have been working hard to get "prepped" for the state assessments. We will test on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday the week of April 21st and Tuesday and Thursday the week of April 29th. BIG THANKS goes to all the teachers and staff that have helped with Camp MAP.  We are blessed that almost 70% of our staff helped with sessions before and after school to make sure the students had opportunities to practice and get ready!  
Our kindergarten program last week was fabulous!  The students performed to a full house of family and friends!  Thank you Mrs. Kuchta and Mrs. Palmer for all your hard work.

Have a wonderful Easter weekend!

Dr. Rhonda Bishop

Principal 

 
Special Services

On Monday, over 150 students from across the district participated in the Annual Partner's In Strength Rally at the high school.  Students with and without disabilities highlighted their ABILITIES by playing beach basketball, lifting weights, competing in relay races and showing off some pretty sweet dance moves! It was a huge success and it was so exciting to see everyone pull together to support Willard students.  A huge THANK YOU to Jon Gold, Mitzi Albert, Summer Kern and Jessica Gomes for taking leading roles and making this one of the best yet!  If you wish to purchase pictures, please go to our webpage.

 
Also, don't forget that it is still April and that means that it is Autism Awareness Month.  Keep wearing those shirts on Mondays and participating in a variety of district wide activities to promote awareness of Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD).  Check out the Special Service webpage for more information.  Go to the district webpage, click on Services, then Special Services or go to this web address: http://willardspecialservices.weebly.com/

 

Have a great weekend!

 

Caryn McDonnell

Director of Special Services 

Curriculum, Instruction & Assessment
Next week, students across the district in grades three through high school will begin showcasing their academic talents on the Missouri Assessment Program Grade Level and End-of-Course Assessments. This annual event is one culminating piece of a school year filled with lessons, projects, activities, labs, and numerous other learning opportunities. Teachers and students alike have prepared for a successful outcome - we are all ready to show what Willard can do!  

We encourage all students to get good rest, eat a healthy breakfast, and be prepared each day to use their brain power.  Testing will continue through May 2nd, and so will the learning up until the end of the school year.  We've gotten "ready", we're "set", and now it's time to "GO" Tigers!

Have a great weekend,

Danielle Sellenriek
Director of Curriculum, Instruction & Assessment  



Willard Public Schools | 417-742-2584
500 E Kime
Willard, MO 65781

 The Pride is a publication of Willard R2 School District.


Copyright © 20XX. All Rights Reserved.