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Student Focused | Strongly Connected | Success  Driven
The Pride
May 16, 2014

Administration
Board of Education
The end of the year is always a frantic time for students, teachers and administrators.  Tonight I am proud to participate in graduation exercises celebrating 259 young men and women successfully gaining a Willard diploma.  After tonight life will begin new for each of these graduates.  
 
Last night I was proud to celebrate the retirement of two "GIANTS" in Willard Public Schools.  Mrs. Cindy Miles, kindergarten teacher at Central Elementary, and Mr. Chris Church, Director of Bands, were presented with the Willard Board of Excellence award.  These two individuals leave a legacy of enriching the lives of students, staff, and this superintendent.  I will miss Cindy and Chris, will miss them professionally and personally.  
 
At the same moment I challenge other leaders in Willard to step forward and fill the vacancy in leadership they leave behind.  I am confident that great people will step forward to not simply fill the shoes of departing friends but step out to model their personal leadership ability.  
 
I also would like to highlight a year end effort at the Middle School.  Students are participating in a project based learning exercise turning trash into treasures. A group of students are working on a silent and virtual auction called Bids for Kids!  These are items they have created during this learning project.  All funds raised will go to the Willard Children's Charitable Foundation (WCCF).  The auction will take place on the 23rd of May.  The virtual auction will take place during the day, and the silent auction will be that evening.  Tune in and find a treasure!!!  Below is the link to the page.
 
 
Have a great weekend!
 
Dr. Medlin
 

 

 

 

Utter the word change and immediately, it seems, we all go on high alert. Just the word itself can be scary and unnerving. According to one definition - Change is "the substitution of one thing for another". Whether it is in our personal lives, professional lives or just within our community, Change is always with us. You might think we would be comfortable with change, like an old friend. But, as we all know, that is not the case. Change is difficult to master and control, like we want to do with most things in our lives. But, frequently, after Change, things are different and sometimes as good if not better than before.

 

In the mid 80's, a young, strong willed and determined group of education leaders were brought to Willard, seemingly at the same time. Unknowingly, they formed a secret bond - prying each other's techniques and methods - all in search of building programs that would bring the school community pride and success. They challenged themselves and each other to reach new levels of accomplishments and push our kids to fulfill their talents and desires. It was a magical time to be a part of. Mark Lawley in Choir, George Wilson (not so young in age, but, young in mind) in Boys Basketball, Chris Church in Band, Rube Berry (brilliant mind that most didn't get to know) in Football, Kendra Chappell in Theater, and someone (can't remember that Guy's name) in Baseball.

 

Sometimes Change can be defined as Grief for many. My pastor, Hosea Bilyeu at Ridgrecrest, says "Grief must be embraced, for Growth to occur." Not bad, huh. We frequently say that strong leaders are very difficult to follow and sometimes that is true. But, to challenge that thought, I give you Jerry Scott, Lamont Frazier, Victoria Meraz, Brock Roweton and Scott McGee. New and different personalities, but, successful leaders as well.

 

Despite the Leaders names, what doesn't change? And this is what we must keep in sight. Willard students don't change. True, the names change, but, not the kids and their abilities. They still thirst for challenge and adventure. They still make us proud and raise the bar every year. This has easily been one of the most exciting and successful years in Willard High School history. Why? A great group of students and awesome leaders.

 

So, as change approaches us again and again, let us embrace change and watch growth occur. And always remember -

 

It's Good To Be A Tiger

 

John Hartley

Willard School Board Member 

 

  
Athletic & Activities
North

 

Well here we go!  It is district time for track, soccer, and baseball.....all starting tomorrow and our Tigers are ready to make some noise!
  
The baseball Tigers will be playing their district tournament in Webb City.  They will take on Neosho in the first round tomorrow at 2:00pm.  Semifinals are on Monday and the championship will be on Tuesday.  The Tigers have won 5 out of their last 6 and enter the tournament with a 19-10 record!
  
The soccer Lady Tigers will be hosting their district tournament starting tomorrow as well.  Hillcrest will take on West Plains tomorrow at 2:00pm.  The semifinals will be on Tuesday with the Lady Tigers taking on Mt. View/Liberty at 6:30pm.  The championship match will be on Thursday at 6:00pm.
  
Track will be in Jefferson City tomorrow for their district meet.  The top 4 in each event will advance to the Sectional meet in Eldon next Saturday.  COC Track & Field was this last Saturday in Branson.  Daniel Horne was Conference Champion in the High Jump and Brooklyn Bolin tied the school record of 9'6" in the Pole Vault! 

 

A special congratulations to Marshall Faulkner on not only making it through the district golf tournament, but then qualifying through Sectionals to advance to the state tournament next week in Cape Girardeau! 

  

It's Good To Be A Tiger!

 

Jeff Staley

Director of Activities

 

As our students move on to the Intermediate School, our goal is that they leave with a broader sense of the world around them.  And while not all students will have the chance to travel the world and experience other cultures up close, each year we try to do the next best thing, by bringing those cultures to them.  This year we've chosen to highlight the country of China.  Throughout the year, Mrs. Mann has dedicated lessons to helping students understand different aspects of the Chinese culture.  On Friday, May 16th, presenters from China will be center stage for an assembly to bring some of the culture from the other side of the world, right here to Willard North.

 

 

Angela Stevens

Principal 

 

  
 Central Elementary
Intermediate School
 
Willard Central Students enjoyed learning field trips again this week with our 4th grade students traveling to Jefferson City and our 2nd grade students visiting Fantastic Caverns.  Students enjoyed these first-hand learning experiences.  Thank you to the teachers and parents who helped support our students on their journeys.
  
This week we also had the chance to celebrate Mrs. Miles in her retirement.  Students, parents and fellow teachers assembled to recognize and honor Mrs. Miles for service to the students, families and teachers of the district over the past 24+ years.  Following the reception at Willard Central, Mrs. Miles was recognized by the Board of Education with the Excellence Award by Dr. Jarvis.  Mrs. Miles is a dedicated professional that has helped mold many lives and will be greatly missed. Thank you to everyone for helping bless Mrs. Miles as we celebrated her retirement.
  
As we look ahead to next week, we will enjoy our Field Day on Tuesday.  Coach Brown has been working diligently to set up a great day for our students.  Please contact the office if you would like to volunteer to help out with Field Day.
  
Congratulations to the Class of 2014 Graduates!
  
Shane Medlin
Principal
 

  

With the end of the 2013-2014 school year rapidly approaching I would like to take the opportunity to reflect on one of our larger initiatives this year, physical fitness Monday's.  We made the case at the start of the year that there was a connection between a students level of physical fitness and their success in school.  After making significant changes to our Monday schedule, purchasing needed equipment, and doing some building wide professional development, our students have spent the last 33 Monday's working to increase their individual fitness level.  So the question is, have we seen any positive results from all this student and teacher effort?  I am proud to report that all signs point to a resounding "yes"!
 
The most obvious and tangible positive outcome we have seen is significant gains in individual fitness scores.  Coach Highfill is currently finishing up his 4th quarter fitness assessments, but the data so far confirms that the vast majority of our students have shown improvement in their 5 fitness areas.  What is most encouraging about this data is that the individual gains our students have shown this year are far greater than we have seen in years past.  

On the academic side, our reading teachers have noticed a pattern of greater student growth on building level reading assessments immediately after students have participated in physical activity.  Our classroom teachers have also noted that their students are more engaged in class work and better able to focus on days where they have gotten their heart rate up.  At the building level, we have discovered that our physical activity initiative has significantly reduced the number of student discipline referrals this year.  Although this is not something we were anticipating, it is definitely a positive for the building!
 
We look forward to continuing or physical activity initiative next year, and hope to be able to continue the positive trends we have started this year!

Tom Davis
Principal

 

 
  
East
Middle School

The end of the school year is always an exciting time of year for our students. This week our 4th graders traveled to Jeff City for their annual field trip. The teachers work really hard to put together a fun learning experience for the kiddos and we have LOTS of parent who enjoy making the trip. Thanks to everyone for your hard work.

 

Kindergarten also traveled to the Zoo this week. It's always exciting for them to enjoy the zoo with their classmates that what makes it such a memorable experience.

 

We celebrated five staff members this week who are going to be starting a new phase of life. Librarian Miller and Mrs. Sleme will be retiring at the end of this year. One of our Kindergarten teachers Mrs. Ferguson is going to stay at home and enjoy raising her twin girls for the next few years. Mr. Rosebrough our Teaching Specialist will be one of the new Springfield teachers at the Discovery Center and our ESL teacher Lynne Sauer will be traveling to Africa for mission work.

 

Melinda Miller

Principal  

 

 

The 8th grade Science department is wrapping their year up with project based learning on recycling.  They have had several speakers talk to the students over the last few weeks and students are working on their presentations.  They would like to invite community members to view the students work during their Gallery Walk on Tuesday, May 27th.  Come check it out!
 
MARK. YOUR. CALENDARS! Friday, May 23rd from 5-7pm @ WMS.
BIDS FOR KIDS - Trash-To-Treasure Auction "Helping the children of Willard, with the Children of Willard!"
WMS students are working on re-purposing items to be auctioned off at our BIDS FOR KIDS event! Friday, May 23rd from 5-7pm you can bid on our Trash-to-Treasure items with proceeds going to the Willard Children's Charitable Foundation! Fabulous door prizes are available to win! Door prize tickets will be 1 for $5, 5 for $20, or the length of your child's arm for $50! You will be amazed at what items students got donated from our community! Children of all ages will enjoy a variety of activities while you shop and bid at our auction. Concessions will be available.  Student produced, and student ran, you DO NOT WANT TO MISS OUT ON THIS EVENT!!
 
Congratulations to our WMS Choir on their Gold Trophy rating at Friday's competition! Not only did they sing to the best of their ability but their behavior represented Willard very well. Way to go choir!!

The WMS Archery Team had a great time in Louisville last weekend at Nationals. They placed 109 out of 197 middle schools with lots of good individual scores. It was a good experience for the students and topped off a season of hard work on both individual and team levels.

Attention all current 7th graders. There will be an information meeting about the 2015 Washington DC Trip on Thursday, May 22 at 7 pm in the Training Room across from Mr. Bigger's room. If you are interested in going on the trip, make sure you attend. There are only 21 guaranteed spots left. If you cannot make it to the meeting, see Mr. Biggers for more information.
 
Thanks,
Amy Sims
Principal  
 
  
South Elementary
Curriculum, Instruction and Assessment

   

 

 

 

 

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