WillardPublicSchools
 
 
 
Student Focused | Strongly Connected | Success  Driven
The Pride
May 2, 2014

Administration
Board of Education
  

Willard Administrators work long hours and seldom actually find a good stopping point in their day.  They often have to leave work incomplete and return the next day to continue working on unfinished projects.  These committed educators often find it hard to say "no" when a child has a need.  

 

Dr. Rhonda Bishop is currently proving my point.  A student new to the Willard District is currently struggling with health issues.  The issues have resulted in the young student missing many days due to being ill or having to be at the hospital for treatment.  Students that are in this type of situation often receive additional tutoring called "home bound" to assist the student to stay current in class work.  Late in the year it is often difficult to find a "home bound" teacher to help with tutoring.  

 

When an appropriate tutor could not be found for the WOHE student Dr. Bishop agreed to personally tutor the student.  Each week Dr. Bishop personally takes time after school to step into the role of a personal teacher.  

 

The family sent me a note to let me know that they could not have asked for a better person / educator to work with their child.  That is what I call commitment!  I would like to take this opportunity to publicly thank Dr. Bishop for her efforts. She is making a difference in the life of a Willard child!

 

 Have a great weekend!

 

Dr. Kent Medlin

Superintendent

  

 

 
  

This next week is "Teacher Appreciation Week", but I would offer that every week, every day should be a day where students, parents, and the general public could and should appreciate the work of our teachers, administration and staff.  Now, more than ever, it seems that public education is under serious and perhaps unreasonable scrutiny.  

 

I am certain that there are places where schools are not serving their kids well, but NOT in Willard!  I have known for years that working in Willard Schools is a) not for the lazy or faint of heart and b) is a place where educators make a difference in the lives of kids.  

 

In a conversation with a staff member recently I was told "this is the hardest school I've ever worked in, but I can't imagine ever working anywhere else!".  Consider that in the day of the life of a teacher, they are expected to teach students rigorous academic and life skills, keep themselves abreast of the latest and best instructional practices and strategies, analyze data about their students and rethink how that child can best learn, communicate with parents, collaborate with colleagues, be a mentor/counselor to kids who need a smile and hug, worry about those kids who come to school distracted, angry, hungry - and in most cases, they are doing each of these things multiple times throughout the course of the day, every single day of school.  

 

To those who say teachers get "summers off", consider that many feel compelled to teach summer school, go back to school themselves, meet with colleagues over the summer in book studies or other continued learning opportunities, planning for their opening of the next school year and maybe, try to sneak in a family vacation along the way.  

 

Teaching is, in my opinion, a vocation - a calling, if you will.  A profession which requires someone of "strong suitability" that requires "great dedication".  We are blessed to have MANY who have heard that calling and chosen to be WILLARD TEACHERS!  On behalf of my fellow board members, THANK YOU FOR ALL YOU DO FOR OUR KIDS!!

 

Julie Germann

School Board President

 

  
Athletic & Activities
High School

 

  

Well this could get kinda lengthy.......Because our Tigers are JUST THAT GOOD!

 

Congrats to one act and readers for amazing state performances:

One act placed 4th in the final bracket and readers placed 3rd in the state!  BRAVO!

 

One Act: Icarus Cast: Samuel Edwards, Reagan Drake, Kimberly Jones, Colton Kastrup, Madison Powell, Irish Amundson, Isabella Ulesich, Savannah Irwin, Madison Davis, Ryan Largent, Jordan Turner, Dakota Hampton

Crew: Hyrum Adams, Casy Appl, Harlie Arnall, Jacob Burnett, Marisa Chatman, Suzann Cornelison, Reagan Drake, Sam Edwards, Jaiden Foster, Dakota Hampton, Gavin Holle, Colton Kastrup, Dalton Poindexter, Madison Powell, Austin Riggs, Will Sims, Jordan Turner, Isabella Ulesich, Stephen Wingfield.

 

Readers Theater: Hyrum Adams, Alyse Christsen, Marisa Chatman, Tierra Crews, Courtney Crouch, Lukas Dean, Johanna Ennis, Jordan Fancher, Chris Haviland, Brianna Howard, Baylie Jarvis, Amanda Maggard, Drew McDonnell, Jordyn Staley, Amanda Wilson, Katelynn Wilson

 

This last weekend Speech and Debate competed at State. Ryan Largent placed 8th in Humorous Interpretation and Katelynn Wilson placed 4th in Poetry!  Awesome Job!

 

Read more...

 

 

It's Good To Be A Tiger!

 

Jeff Staley

Director of Activities

 

 

Teacher Appreciation Week begins on Monday, May 5.  Teachers at the high school will be taking time to enjoy a sundae after students are released.  Other activities planned by SGA and FTA are scheduled throughout the week.  If others get the opportunity, please communicate appreciation for all the hard work our teachers do.  We truly have a tremendously talented group of educators at WHS!

 

We will be having another senior meeting on May 6.  Senior students' last regular day is May 9.  Senior finals are scheduled for May 12 and 13.  Graduation is quickly approaching, May 16.  We have a great group of seniors who have put their mark on WHS and are prepared to put their marks in society.  It is exciting to anticipate their future successes!

 

Congratulations to our State FFA winners: Kenzie Lambert and Carolyn Dawson in Floriculture; Mercer Martin in livestock and extemporaneous speaking; Tyler Kelly with treasurer's book; and, Jacob Collins with his beginning placement record book.  Additional congratulations to Hollie Cantrell, Ally Hultgren, Tyler Kelly, and Chenoa Schwenn for receiving the Gold Emblem Charm of the State FFA Degree.

 

Also congratulations to our Industrial Technology students' MOTEAM.  All 11 projects submitted earned a 1-rating!

 

And, congratulations to all of our actors and technicians for their performances at state in Columbia.  The one act group finished 4thin the final bracket and the readers placed 3rd in state!

 

It is GREAT to be a Tiger!

 

Curt Graves

Principal

 

  
 Central Elementary
Intermediate School
 
May is here and the busy buzz of students and staff is in the air!  On Wednesday, our Kindergarten students visited the Rutledge Wilson Farm Park for their science-focused field trip.  Thank you to the parents and teachers for helping to make this fun learning experience so memorable!  
 
Our 3rd and 4th grade students also completed MAP testing on Wednesday! We are proud of their hard work and giving their best effort to "show what they know" on the state assessment.  On Thursday, our PTO kicked off Teacher Appreciation activities with a fabulous Mexican meal.  It looks like our teachers will be spoiled all month long!  

 

On Friday, our 2nd grade students hosted their 4th annual hotdog restaurant.  Students served as hosts, cooks, waitstaff, busboys (and busgirls), cashiers, restaurant managers and various other roles for family and friends during lunch time.  Students and teachers have used the money raised from this multi-disciplinary economics unit in the past to purchase iPads, books and furniture for their classrooms.  

 

The 2nd grade team won a national award for this activity a couple of years ago and it seems the word has spread as a neighboring district (that shall not be named) visited to see the festivities and how this instructional unit might serve their students.  Congratulations to the entire 2nd grade for a job well done!

Looking ahead to next week, we have Kindergarten Screening for the 2014-2015 school year on Tuesday, May 6th.  Our 1st grade and 3rd grade students will be taking their science-focused field trips next Friday, May 9th.  It is a busy time of learning and excitement at WC!

 

Shane Medlin

Principal

 

 

Our students and teachers are stepping back and taking a deep breath today after completing our state MAP assessments this week.  It will be great to get back to our normal routines next week to kick off the month of May.  The pace of the school year always picks up during the closing month and WIS has several big events on the horizon.  

 

The spring Book Fair kicks off today and goes through next Friday.  Make sure to drop by the building next Tuesday to check out the annual WIS Academic, Arts, and Interest fair starting at 6 pm.   Each classroom will be showcasing some recent student projects along with examples of art work throughout the building.   That same evening, Black, Maroon, and Silver teams will be celebrating their graduation from the D.A.R.E. program in our main gym starting at 6:30.  

 

On Thursday, our 5th grade students will be traveling to Branson to see the Dixie Stampede show.  This is always an awesome experience and we greatly appreciate the support of our parents and extended families that helped to make this possible by supporting our fund raising efforts this year.

 

Don't forget that next week is Teacher Appreciation week.  Our building and PTO have several things planned to honor our special group of teachers but I know first hand how powerful a note of appreciation can be from a parent or student.  Take some time next week to let your teacher know how important they are in your child's life! 

 

Tom Davis

Principal
 

 
  
 Orchard Hills
Middle School

 

 

WOHE has been super busy!  This week we are putting the MAP to bed!  Our 3rd and 4th grade students have been awesome these past two weeks giving their best effort on everything!  WOHE students rock!

 

Last Saturday WOHE 3rd graders Cali, Maddie, Alex and Andrew represented WOHE at 1st Annual 3rd Grade Math Competition. These students worked very hard and were tested in five different areas ranging from 2nd-5th grade math standards. Each of our four students placed in the top three in several categories. Alex also won the most individual points for the students competing and WOHE had the highest building score!

 

These four who competed as well as all of our other 3rd graders have worked very hard this year with departmentalized math, focusing math instruction at their level. Our students have made incredible growth in math this year and the trophy is a nice representation for our group of hardworking 3rd graders!  Thank you Miss Schlager for taking the time to be their coach on Saturday!

 

This past Wednesday, WOHE held our annual Locks of Love assembly.  We were proud to have 16 lovely ladies cut their hair for wigs for children who have illnesses that cause them to lose their hair. Our guest speakers were Mackenzie Gammill, a Willard High School freshman who has cut her hair FIVE times for Locks of Love.  Each time has been at a Willard Celebration. Alyssa Inglett, Willard High School graduate and now a sophomore in college also spoke to the students about being a cancer survivor and being a recipient of a Locks of Love wig.  Thank you also goes out to our hairdressers Kelsie Harris and Regenna Riggs. 

 

Check out pictures of our Math stars and the Locks of Love participants on our Facebook Page!

 

Dr. Rhonda Bishop

Principal

 

  


The WMS Archery team will be traveling to Louisville, Kentucky next Thursday and Friday to participate in the NASP� Nationals. We are very proud of our archery team and how they have progressed in this program. We wish them success!

Our Choir travels to Silver Dollar City to participate in a Music Festival competition on May 9 which is always a fun event for the group. We wish them well. 
 
Try outs for middle school cheerleaders will begin with a mandatory parent meeting on May 6th, followed by tryouts to be held the week of May 12-15. Sign up sheets are in the Intermediate and middle school offices. 

As the school year winds down, the final big event for the Drama Club will be held in the form of the Encore Awards Banquet on Thursday, May 8. This is a fun event commemorating a job well done by this group of talented students and a time for them to show their appreciation and gratitude for the guidance of Ms. Amanda Graves. 
 
Our sports season ends with the final COC track meet to be held on Monday,   May 5 in Nixa. If you have the chance, please make the time to cheer on these fine athletes who have really worked hard this season. 
 
This past weekend the Art Show and LAD fair was held at the Willard High School.  The student work was AMAZING!!!  Thank you to Mrs. Maerke and Mrs. Treadway for the countless hours you have put in to help student create these awesome projects!
 
Amy Sims
Principal
 
 
 
  
South Elementary
Curriculum, Instruction and Assessment

 

Don't miss our FINE ARTS & MOVIE NIGHT Friday night, May 2. Click here for more details. 

 

 Fine Arts and Movie Night Flyer

 

Kara Crighton-Smith

Principal 

  

   

 

 

We have come to the end of our annual state-wide testing which takes place in Willard each spring.  I have had the opportunity to observe teachers and students working diligently to showcase achievement, and am always impressed with the focus and effort given to this event.  

 

This testing is the culmination of months of learning and growing in each grade level or course.  I'd like to thank the teachers, instructional coaches, counselors, special education staff, technology support staff, building administration - and most importantly, the students - for a job well done!

 

Have a wonderful weekend,

 

Danielle Sellenriek,

Director of Curriculum, Instruction and Assessment

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