WillardPublicSchools
 Student Focused | Strongly Connected | Success Driven
The Pride
December 04, 2015
In This Issue
Willard Parks
  
        
District Office
Are we building again?  That is a question that will be answered at the December Business Meeting of the Board of Education.  Willard continues to be a district that attracts individuals relocating to the Springfield area.  Others already residing in the Springfield area choose to relocate within Willard boundaries.  
 
Willard Orchard Hills Elementary was the last school to be built in our district.  The building opened in 2009 with 268 students and the district enrollment was 4103 students.  Orchard Hills now has 404 students and the district enrollment is 4541.  Orchard Hills has grown by almost 51% since opening and the district has grown by 11% overall.  Willard has grown an average of 105 student a year for the last three years.  
 
District leadership has studied historical trend data as well as live birth data which predicts future enrollment.  The results indicate the same message.  Willard will continue to grow!  I joined Willard in 2003 and opened the High School in 2006.  We were forced to immediately look toward building Orchard Hills because of continued growth and opened that building three years later in 2009.   
 
The recession hit the same year Orchard Hills opened the doors and the district limited any plans for new construction for several years.  Now, six years later we have experienced enrollment growth of 438 students and are faced with the same challenge of adding classroom space for students.  Once again we must be bold in our approach and determine a strategy which is best for children.  That decision will involve bricks, mortar, hammers, nails, etc.......

See you at the Four State Tournament!
 
Dr. Medlin
Superintendent
Athletics & Activities
The 28th Annual CoxHealth Willard 4-State basketball tournament started last night and as is the case every year, the community and school district of Willard has risen to the occasion and is putting on a first-class event.  A special THANK YOU to:

Julie Hartley, Terri Hession, Jolene Welsh, Kelly Staley, Meghan Staley, Renee Dodge, Melissa Giboney, Kip Baker, Devon Jarvis, Ron and Mary Crighton, Mariena's Salon, Dimensions Salon, Willard Parks and Rec, Freedom Bank, Commerce Bank, Mid-Missouri Bank, Chet Cornelison, Willard Athletic Booster Club, Pam Hudson and the cheerleaders, all three Jazz bands (you guys are amazing!), Mel Hicks and the Tigerettes, Willard NJROTC, Jerry Scott and his choirs (wow!), the football staff, track staff, softball staff, the high school administration team...Folks, these are just the volunteers!
  
Another special THANK YOU to the workers, officials, and the visiting teams.  All amazing people.

Well both of our teams lost their first round games to Broken Arrow last night but played with a lot of effort and heart.  I was proud of both squads!  They will resume action tonight as they play Ft. Scott.  Tournament starts at 4:00 with our Tigers starting at 7:00 Saturday's action will begin with the girls side at 1:00pm and the boys will begin around 4:45pm as we take on Harrison, Ark.

Next week, the Lady Tigers will have a break as the Tigers travel to Parkview on Tuesday.  Oh...I almost forgot....Congratulations to the Willard JV girls squad on winning the championship of the Willard JV Tournament on Wednesday defeating Ozark in the semifinals and Republic in the championship game.  I'm not 100% certain but I believe this is the first time that our JV Lady Tigers have won our own tournament!

The wrestling Tigers begin their season with a roar as they will travel to the prestigious Neosho Tournament this Saturday.  Next week will be busy as they will HOST Kickapoo and Rolla on Wednesday and will host Marshfield and Camdenton on Thursday.  Good luck Tigers!

Last weekend the speech and debate team competed at the Lebanon tournament with 15 other schools. 

Breaking to semi-finals on the novice side of the tournament: Denzel Ransom in International Extemp. , Jett Bumgarner in United State Extemp. and Original Oratory, Brodee Turnbaugh, Ethen Palumbo, Avery Lingenfelser, and Caty Stevens in Humorous Interp..  Making it to finals: Bryant Belcher 5th In International Extemp., and Caty Stevens and Lucas Slaughter 5th in Duo interp.! In debate Ethen Palumbo and Xaviera Conley placed 4th in Novice Public Forum. 

In Varsity the following students made it to semi-finals: Matthew Crosby and Courtenay Turner in International Extemp., Tory Butler in United State Extemp., Evan Kirksey in Dramatic Interp., Alyssa Baade Humorous Interp., and Courtenay Turner in Informative Speaking. Making it to finals: Hayden Windmiller placed 6th in Original Oratory, Jonah Perry 1st in Humorous Interp., in Informative Speaking Nate Swadley 4th, Tory Butler 3rd, and Kate Vincent 1st.  In Program of Oral Interp. Kaitlyn Textor 6th, in Duo Ashlyn Wadle/Jonah Perry 6th, Matthew Crosby/Zach Kauffman 5th , Evan Kirksey/Katelyn Graham 3rd, and Kaitlyn Textor/Amanda Mudd 2nd.  In Congress Julian Erickson made it to Super Session, James Ritzendollar 3rd and Emily Raney 1st.  In debate Courtenay Turner placed 4th in Lincoln- Douglas, Matthew Crosby/Zach Kauffman 3rd and Bryant Belcher/Jessi Schoolcraft 2nd in Policy, and Emily Raney 1st Champ Lincoln-Douglas Debate!
In Sweepstakes Novice won 5th, Varsity 3rd and over all the team won 3rd place! 

It's Good To Be A Tiger!

Jeff Staley
Director of Activities/Athletics
High School

Middle School
We have kicked off our winter sports season and it is going to be a busy one!  In Basketball news, our Girls A Team won all their games this week against Bolivar, Webb City and Carl Junction!  The Girls B Team suffered a loss by just one point against Webb City and won their game against Carl Junction!  Way to go, ladies!  
 
Congratulations to the 8th Grade Boys Basketball A Team who started their season with Conference wins over Nixa and Bolivar making them the Branson Tournament Champions!  The 8th grade B Team and both 7th Grade teams fought hard but suffered losses to Nixa and Bolivar.
 
In our 8th grade social studies classes this week, students debated as Loyalist or Patriots to defend their position about going to war.  Students used their public speaking skills and knowledge of historical facts leading up to the Revolutionary War to form arguments to support their opinion.  Each side researched, prepared speeches, asked clarifying questions, and provided evidence to answer questions from the opposing side.  Students were passionate about their opinion and felt very strongly about their cause.  It was evident that student not only learned the social studies content, but were also learning life skills about supporting their opinion and listening to the opinions of others.  
 
Tickets are on sale now for the WMS production of The Hobbit on December 10, 11 and 12 at 7 pm. All tickets are $5 and can be purchased from Ms. Graves at the middle school.
 
The WMS Student Council will be hosting a Grandparents' Breakfast on December 18 from 8-9 am.  Any WMS student is welcome to invite grandparents to join us for breakfast and to celebrate the holiday season. The Book Fair will be open during this time and Grandparents will get discounts on their purchases!  Invitations can be picked up in the office or from Mrs. Coffer or Mr. Post. 
 
Our All School Talent Show is scheduled for December 18th. Students are encouraged to attend tryouts on Wednesday, December 9th in the Choir room. All talents are encouraged, it could be instrumental, vocal, comedy, poetry, magic, etc. Students need to sign up for an audition time on Mrs. Loveland's door and pick up a permission slip. 

Thanks for checking in on us! 

Amelia Yates
Assistant Principal
Intermediate

Orchard Hills
Last Tuesday was a fantastic day at Orchard Hills. Many of our classes took time to reflect on the many reasons we have to be thankful. A few of the classes even had a Thanksgiving feast (see pictures) and celebrated by enjoying lunch together in their classroom. One 4th grade class chose to eat lunch with their kindergarten reading buddies which all greatly enjoyed.

Next Thursday (12/10) our 4th grade students will be performing their musical at 2:30 p.m. for our school community and again at 7:00 for parents and visitors. We would welcome any visitor wanting to join us.

Christmas break will be here in no time. We are looking forward to a busy, and fun next couple of weeks.

Wishing you a blessed weekend,


Dr. Prevo

Principal

Central Elementary School
The holiday season is here!  To kick off Thanksgiving, our top sellers for the PTO fundraiser enjoyed some turkey and mashed potatoes.  It was a tasty way to celebrate our students' hard work!  

As our school pursues The Leader in Me, Willard Central is excited to offer a parent book study on The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Teens.  This study will be facilitated by teachers and PTO parents on the 4th Saturdays of the month starting in January.  If you are interested in participating in this study, please contact the school office at 831-4440 for more information.  The more the merrier!

December is upon us and our students are working to finish the 2nd quarter strong!  As we look ahead to the rest of the month, mark your calendars for the following events:
14th - PTO Meeting 6:00
17th - PTO Christmas Parties 2:45
18th - End of Quarter - 12:30 Dismissal
21st - January 1st - Christmas Break

 

Shane Medlin 

Principal  

East
Today we celebrate our November Tiger Assembly! As you are reading this we will probably be recognizing our terrific tigers for the month.
 
This year we will be helping 12 families with Christmas for their families. If you would like to help donate or buy for a certain family please call our office and we will put you in contact with our counselor, Mrs. Woodall. Another way to help our students  families is to donate to our Tree of H. U.G.S. We will be collecting hats, underwear, gloves, and socks throughout December. Some will be given with Christmas baskets for families and others will be stored here at school as needs for our students come up. Feel free to drop off your donations at our office.
 
Melinda Miller
Principal
North
South
We celebrated our Make-It Take-It Night on Tuesday evening.  We filled the gym and cafeteria with family members.  They enjoyed decorating sugar cookies, making ornaments and listening to a bell performance by WS students.  Students also enjoyed a special picture with Santa himself! We hope you enjoyed this special evening as much as we did.  It is a great way to kick-off the holiday season.
  
Upcoming Events:
Thursday, December 10th--4th Grade Music Program 2:45 and 6:30
Tuesday, December 17th--Tiger Pride Assembly at 2:45
Friday, December 18th--Students dismissed at 12:30

Kara Crighton-Smith
Principal
Special Education
 EARLY CHILDHOOD SPECIAL EDUCATION
 
This week I had the opportunity to visit our Early Childhood classrooms at Willard North. I observed a student with language needs using an iPad to communicate, groups learning gross motor skills and the difference between walking, tip-toeing, galloping and hopping during a warm up activity. I also observed a small group of students practicing sharing and turn taking all with lots of smiles, laughter and care.
 
These early experiences in a child's education are critical for establishing routines, procedures and most of all a love of learning which we know impact success in grades K-12. I am so thankful for all of our teachers who serve over 50+ of our youngest students ages 3-5. A great big thank you goes out to our Early Childhood Special Education Team which includes: Mindy Huslig-Process Coordinator, Stacey Wade-WN Teacher, Jessica Gomes-WN Teacher, Cindy Kisling-WS Teacher and paras including Connie Bohr, Kari Sealine, Trish Haviland-Thompson, Bethany Collins, Sarah Pringle and Melissa Freeze.
  
Have a great weekend!
 
Caryn McDonnell
Director of Special Services
Curriculum, Instruction and Assessment




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