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The Pride
April 25, 2014

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In This Issue
Willard Parks
Check the website for new fitness classes and times!
  

Summer Baseball Session 1 Registration April 7 - April 25     

  
District Office

I would like to share with our Elementary and Intermediate Students a hearty JOB WELL DONE!!!  

 

This week I received a visit from two representatives from the American Heart Association.  Students at North Elementary, South Elementary, and Intermediate, participated in a nationwide event to help kids in need.  This year students at these buildings raised $7,655.00 for this worthy effort.  
 
It was an extra special year for Willard because one of our own students has been featured to represent the organization. Quinton Bogner is a 6th grader at Willard Intermediate School. Quinton became ill while attending Orchard Hills Elementary and benefited from the efforts of the AHA.  Quinton is not only a great representative of Willard Schools he now represents the American Heart Association.  In the future he hopes to have a career in medicine and help others.  
 
Willard is one of the top three schools in Southwest Missouri who participate in the "Jump Rope for Life".  Over the years, Willard students have raised over $160,000.  Kids like Quinton, and all the others who participated, are helping to save the lives of others!!!
 
Great Job to all involved!
Have a great weekend!
 
Dr. Kent Medlin    
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Athletics & Activities
Conference....Districts....State....It doesn't matter what level our Tigers are competing at, we flat out succeed!

Congratulations to the Lady Tigers soccer team on their victories over Parkview, Carthage, and Greenwood this past week.  The girls are now 3-0 in the COC!  Next week they will travel to Republic on Tuesday and to Monett on Thursday.  Good luck ladies!

Our baseball team had an up and down week as they defeated Hillcrest and Monett but then lost to Neosho.  Their game vs. Republic last night was rained out but will be made up on May 8th at Willard.  The Tigers are currently 12-4 on the season and will look to improve on that as they host Rogersville and Kickapoo this Saturday with games starting at 11:00am. Next week, they will travel to Joplin on Monday, to Branson on Tuesday, and will host Ozark on Thursday.  

Below are the results from the Show Me Mo High School Championship held at Lake of the Ozarks April 17-19. The first day was a qualifying round and the final two rounds were the competitive rounds. The first competitive round was held at TanTarA on the Oaks course and the final round was played at Osage National Golf Club. I have included the scores from the competitive rounds:

Marshall Faulkner 80-75 (155) 3rd place overall
Robert Mitchals 92-78 (170)
Eric Rodocker 90-86 (176)
Ridgley Harless 91-96 (187)
Lance Parrish 97-91 (188)

We placed 3rd in the tournament as a team out of 10. Our final round score of 330 is our lowest of the season so far. Marshall Faulkner placed 3rd individually out of 50 competitors. His final round score of 75 is the lowest individual round by a Willard player in the past 5 years.

Good luck to the Reader's Theatre and One Act as they will be competing at State in Columbia this weekend!

It's Good To Be A Tiger!
Jeff Staley
 Director of Activities
High School

EOC's continue next week.  I was able to observe a group of students in the library on Thursday while they were assessing.  Students continue to put their best efforts into the assessments which is greatly appreciated by teachers and administration.

 

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.

 

On Tuesday, April 22, Mr. Church prepped his band students for a final spring concert.  I watched with special intent as a 32-year veteran band director conducted what has been the best sounds of high school bands I've heard.  When I was asked about the difficulty of replacing this position, I remarked that these were some really, really big shoes to fill.  The crowd and students within the entire gym gave a standing ovation and tears emerged from young and old alike.  It was an awesome moment of recognition and honor. Congratulations on a tremendous career, Mr. Church!  And, best wishes in your future endeavors!

 

It is GREAT to be a Tiger!

 

Curt Graves,

Principal  

Middle School

 

This week has been busy with our first round of MAP testing.  Students have been working hard on doing their best and showing what they know. I would like to thank all the teachers and students for their hard work throughout the year.

 

The band concert Tuesday night was a great showing!!  Every year the band continues to amaze!  We are sad to hear about Chris Church retiring but want to wish him well in his future endeavors.
  
Spring sports are rolling to a close in the next two weeks.  If you have not had a chance to get out and watch girls softball or our track athletes, there are only a few more games/meets!  Come out and support these great kids!
Thanks,
  
Amy Sims
Principal         
Intermediate School
  
North Elementary School

When Willard North 2nd grade teachers sat down to plan their science lesson, they were faced with a couple of options.  They could teach the Lifecycle of a Butterfly the same way it has been taught for several years, or they could have their students come together to write a song and create a music video about the topic!

 

This week, Placeworks, a project made possible by the Rural Schools 

Partnership and others, walked through their classroom doors to bring this lesson to life.  Facilitator, Mr. Phil, who is better known as the lead singer and guitarist for the band, Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin, aided North 2nd graders in the first steps of writing their song.  Over the next several weeks, Placeworks will assist in the writing of the song, provide a field trip to Nathanial Greene Park to visit the Butterfly Museum, film a music video with their song, and ultimately, take home a DVD copy of all their hard work.

 

Angela Stevens

Principal

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South Elementary School

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East Elementary School
  
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Central Elementary School

 

After years of dedicated service to the students, staff and community of Willard, Cindy Miles will be retiring at the end of this school year.  Our Willard Central Family and the Kindergarten Team would like to invite you to celebrate Cindy with a retirement reception at Willard Central on Thursday, May 15th.  

 

This come-and-go event will be between 4:00-5:30 in the WC Library. Please follow the link below to RSVP.  Also, please pass this invitation on to former colleagues, students and families who may wish to honor Cindy and her years of dedicated service to our students and community.

  

  
Respectfully,
  
Shane Medlin,
Principal

Orchard Hills Elementary School

 

 
Special Services

This week, we celebrated Administrative Professional's Day with our very own Melissa Baker.  Many of you may know her, some have talked with her on the phone, and if you haven't met her at this point, it is likely that you will before long.  Melissa is the first person you will see when you enter the Special Services office and the last person you will see before you leave.  She is an amazing assistant and advocate for parents, staff and students supporting them in a variety of ways.   I could probably write an essay on all of the specific things that she does to keep our offices running smoothly, the many ways she contributes to the details of each and every day, the way she efficiently organizes the ten million pieces of paper that come in and out of our office each day, but I don't have that type of space.  Instead, I will simply tell you that she is an integral part of our lives, our office and our district.  If you get a chance, let her know how much you appreciate her as well.  

 

Have a great weekend!

 

Caryn McDonnell

Director of Special Services

Curriculum, Instruction & Assessment
The world of education is a constantly growing and evolving environment in which great thinkers and innovators can thrive.  I am excited to share that this week, Carolyn Nixon, Willard Instructional Coach, had the opportunity to participate in the Education Innovation Summit in Scottsdale, Arizona.  
  
Carolyn was selected last year as a 2013 LearnZillion Dream Team Teacher, and recently was among 20 of the 200 Dream Team members to be selected to participate in the Summit.  The Summit was a collaborative venture between Arizona State University (ASU) and Global Silicon Valley (GSV), bringing together entrepreneurs, investors, philanthropists, politicians, educators and other advocates of education innovation.  
  
Carolyn was asked to share ideas about what teachers need and use, what ideas need development, a vision for teaching in the 21st Century, and what technology helps support the art and science of both teaching and learning.  Carolyn returned with many new ideas to share with district teachers.  I am pleased that Willard had such a great ambassador for this event!  
  
For more information on the Summit, visit the website at http://edinnovation.gsvadvisors.com/.
  
Have a great weekend,
  
Danielle Sellenriek,
Director of CIA



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