McDonald County R1 School District

📣 Happy #MotivationalMonday everyone! 🔥 Let's start the week with this inspiring reminder from William Butler Yeats: "Education is not the filling of a pail, but the lighting of a fire." 🔥 We hope this quote inspires you to approach your learning with a passion and curiosity that ignites a lifelong love for education. 💕📚 🤔 Remember, every day is an opportunity to learn and grow, so let's make the most of it! 🌟

✋ High 5 Friday at 5! 🙌 We thought it would be fun to wrap up the week by highlighting 5 great things our students have done over the past several days. This week, our high fives ✋ go out to: 1️⃣ Rhapsody N’ Rhythm, the McDonald County High School’s show choir program. They wrapped up a fantastic competition at the Webb City show choir showcase, taking home Best Ballad for Desperado, Best Male Vocalist (Jaxson Campbell), and won 4th in the overall competition! 🎵🎤🎼 2️⃣ Elly Wasson and her speech and debate coach Alexus Underwood. Elly qualified for state in the Lincoln Douglas debate competition as a Freshman! She also placed 5th in domestic extemporaneous speaking. (That’s a mouthful!) 🗣️ 🎤 3️⃣ The McDonald County Strength and Conditioning program had several weightlifters win state awards and set personal records, and Connor Yang set a new state record in the 119-pound weight category for deadlifting 425 pounds! (Can you say "Beast-mode!") 🏋️ 💪 4️⃣ It’s contest season for the McDonald County FFA and members have been busy traveling to different competitions and placing high in the ranks! From dairy cattle contests, creed speaking, ag sales, and much more, our kids are representing the county well! 🐄 🤠 5️⃣ MC Pom team member Kaylee Banta will continue her dancing career at Ottawa University in Ottawa, Ks. She was selected to be on the school’s dance team starting in the fall. Awesome! 🩰 🥰 So proud of all our students and their wonderful accomplishments! 👏 Just another way McDonald County Schools make a difference in every child, every day, whatever it takes! ❤️🖤 #High5at5 #FridayHigh5 #ShowChoir #Powerlifters #FFAContests #SpeechandDebate #DancingIntoTheFuture #McDonaldCountyR1 #WeAre1 #MCR1

👀 A sneak peek of a big production in a little theater. Elementary students from across McDonald County Schools got a first look at the new musical “Mary Poppins Jr.” 🎶 The play, put on by the McDonald County High School drama department, is a shorter version of the popular Disney musical “Mary Poppins”. ☂️🪁 🎙️ It’s the first big production for the department in the McDonald County High School Little Theater, which is on the McDonald County High School campus. 🏫 The sneak peek gives the elementary students a look at what the high school drama classes offer and gives the high school students a chance to run through the production in front of a live audience. 🎭 The play opens to the public Friday, March 10, at 7 pm, and Saturday, March 11 at 2 pm and 7 pm. Tickets are $10 and are available at the MCHS office or the theater door the night of the play. Just another way McDonald County Schools make a difference in every child, every day, whatever it takes! ❤️🖤 🎭🎶

📣 A big shout out to the awesome people on the McDonald County R1 School Board.🎉👏🏼📚🏫 It’s Missouri School Board Recognition Week, so we want to say thank our school board members for all they do to help our district strive for excellence. 👏👏👏 From setting policies to supporting our students and staff, our school board members are dedicated to creating a positive learning environment for all. 💪🏫 Thank you all for your hard work, commitment, and passion for education and for making a difference in every child, every day, whatever it takes! ❤️🖤 🍎📝🙌🏼

🐠🐟 One fish, two fish… As part of Read Across America Day/Dr. Seuss’s birthday, kindergarten students in Mrs. Couston’s class at White Rock Elementary put their counting skills to the test. 🔢 🧮 They had to guess how many goldfish crackers are stuffed inside a clear jar. We love the guesses and the faces even more! 🤔🐠 It’s more than just a fun activity. The students are learning skills like counting, visualizing and estimating the quantity and size of objects, and working with others. 🤝😊👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 All that from a jar of goldfish! 🐠🐟🫙 Just another way McDonald County Schools are making a difference in every child, every day, whatever it takes! ❤️🖤 🐠🐟📚🎉👨‍👩‍👧‍👦

🚀🌎🌔🌱👩‍🚀👨‍🚀👩‍🔬👨‍🔬 🤔 Ever wonder what life on Mars will look like in the future? 🚀🔮 🙋 Just ask the students in Mrs. Holz’s astronomy class at McDonald County High School. 👩‍🚀👨‍🚀 They created 3D models of Mars colonies that allow people to live on the red planet based on what they learned in class. And they absolutely nailed it! 👏 👩‍🔬👨‍🔬 Throughout this project, our students gained valuable skills in designing, modeling, and problem-solving. They learned about what's needed for life on Mars, including air, water, food, and shelter, and applied this to create their own unique models. 💪 🌟 We're blown away by the creativity and hard work put into these 3D models! Congratulations to Mrs. Holz's class on a job well done! 🎉 Just another way McDonald County Schools are making an out-of-this-world difference in every child, every day, whatever it takes! ❤️🖤 🚀🌎🌔🌱👩‍🚀👨‍🚀👩‍🔬👨‍🔬

👏 How about a big round of applause for our students and staff after a big weekend of accomplishments? 🎉 🪅 🤼 The McDonald County High School Wrestling team snagged two state championships with both Sam Murphy and Jayce Hitt grabbing the gold, Blaine Ortiz grappling for 3rd place, and Colter Vick on the medal stand at 6th place! Congratulations to all! 🏅🏆 💃🩰 The McDonald County High School Dance Team - MC Pom danced their way into history by competing at the state level for the first time ever! The group had great performances but wasn’t able to tip the judges’ scale this time. Still a great experience and we’re so proud of these students. 🥳 🎯 🏹 The McDonald County Mustang Archers hit the mark this weekend at the tournament in Lamar. The team qualified for state as did one individual archer, Tim Pagel! Plus a lot of other students had fantastic scores as well! Keep up the great work, archers! 👍 🤖 🚀 Super Science Saturday found little learners at Pineville Primary using their early engineering skills to make an object from multiple boxes that had at least one moving part! We saw robots, horses, magic castles, and more! So proud of these kids and what they’re learning and accomplishing! You’re all doing great! 🧬 🧑‍🔬 🏋️ McDonald County High School Strength and Conditioning coach Sean McCullough was awarded the NHSSCA Missouri Coach of the Year! Coach McCullough does a wonderful job with all our student-athletes. We appreciate all your hard work! 💪 😍 We are so proud of all our students and the awesome things they are accomplishing. 🙏 And we’re so thankful for the teachers and coaches helping McDonald County Schools make a difference in every child, every day, whatever it takes! ❤️ 🖤 #WrestlingGold #DancingIntoTheHistoryBooks #ArchersOnTarget #EarlyEngineeers #WhatAWeekend #McDonaldCountyHighSchoolWrestling #MCPom #MCMustangArchers #PinevillePrimary #McDonaldCountySchools #ProudOfOurStudents #OurStudentsRock #MCR1 #WeAre1 🎉🎯🤼💃🚀🎒🏫

👀 🔍 Seeking out the best! It’s what recruiters from McDonald County Schools are doing as current teachers are retiring and others are moving from the district. 🏫 The team recently gathered several top prospects from the Missouri Southern State University Education Career Fair. 🧑‍🏫👩‍🏫 It’s just part of a push by school leaders to attract educators who are passionate, dedicated, and motivated to make sure our students are provided with the highest quality education. 📚🏅 Here’s a look at a story by KODE/KSN TV highlighting McDonald County at the career fair: https://www.fourstateshomepage.com/mssu/learning-about-teaching-opportunities-at-the-education-career-fair/ Just another way McDonald County Schools make a difference in the lives of every child, every day, whatever it takes! ❤️🖤

📖 History in the making for McDonald County Schools! 👋 A big send-off today for McDonald County High School wrestlers headed to the Missouri state wrestling tournament in Columbia, MO. 🎉 8️⃣ Eight of our student-athletes on our boy's wrestling team qualified for state this year, the most the school has ever sent! 😲 💪 Good luck to the following wrestlers listed with their weight classes: 🤼 106 Eberson Perez 🤼 113 Robinson Yoshino 🤼 138 Blaine Ortiz 🤼 144 Levi Smith 🤼 175 Colter Vick 🤼 190 Malosi Sosef 🤼 215 Samuel Murphy 🤼 285 Jayce Hitt 🥹 We’re so proud of your hard work and accomplishments this year! Go MC! ❤️ 🖤

🌊 Diving deep into the study of sea creatures without leaving the dry ground. 🐠🐟🦞 🔬🦑🧑‍🔬 Dissection day in Mr. Putney's Zoology class at McDonald County High School found students taking advantage of the nice weather to go outside to examine squid! 😯 🔪 By dissecting a squid, our students are learning about its anatomy, including its organs, systems, and functions. They're also examining its unique adaptations, such as the beak, ink sac, and chromatophores. 🦐🧠 Not only are our students developing their dissection skills, but they're also building their scientific inquiry skills by formulating hypotheses, designing experiments, and drawing conclusions. 🤓 We're proud to offer our students these valuable learning experiences and can't wait to see the amazing things they'll accomplish! 🙌 Just another way McDonald County Schools - and its teachers - make a difference in every child, every day, whatever it takes! ❤️🖤 #McDonaldCountyHighSchool #ZoologyClass #SquidDissection #Anatomy #Adaptations #ScienceSkills #HandsOnLearning #Education #FutureScientists #MCR1 #WeAre1 📚🔍👨‍🔬👩‍🔬 🦑

📣 How about a big shout-out to some real heroes in McDonald County Schools? 🦸💪 Wednesday, February 22 is National School Bus Driver Appreciation Day! 🎉🚌👏 With more than 420 square miles in the school district, our bus drivers travel hundreds of thousands of miles each year to get our students safely transported to and from school. 🙌🏫 To all our dedicated bus drivers, we want to say a big THANK YOU for everything you do. Your commitment to ensuring the safety and well-being of our students is truly valued and appreciated. 🙏❤️ Let's give a round of applause to all the hardworking and caring school bus drivers out there who make a difference in every child, every day, whatever it takes!! 🎉👏🚌

🔦 Shining the light on learning. 📚 Students in Mrs. Martin’s 5th-grade class at Noel Elementary turned out the lights 💡 to learn a lesson about the sun and shadows. 🌚 🌅Using flashlights🔦, animal figurines🦓🐘, protractors📏, and paper📈, these young scientists👨‍🎓👩‍🎓 are exploring how the angle of the sun🌞 affects the length and position of shadows. 🤔What can they learn from this lesson? Well, by measuring and analyzing the shadows, they can gain a deeper understanding of the movement of the Earth, the rotation of the sun, and how they both contribute to the changing length and direction of shadows throughout the day. 🌎🕰️ Without a shadow of a doubt, these students are some of the brightest around! 😁 Just another way McDonald County Schools make a difference in every child, every day, whatever it takes! ❤️🖤

👀 Here’s a new way to look at measuring up! 📏 👩🏼‍🏫 🧑‍🎓👩🏻‍🎓 Students in Mrs. Ramsey’s second-grade class at Anderson Elementary made a 1,000-link chain that was longer than the entire class lying down! ⛓️ Not only was it a blast for the students, but it also helped them learn important math and number concepts. By measuring, counting, and manipulating the chain, the students practiced their understanding of length, distance, and numeracy. 🧮📏 We're proud of their hard work and can't wait to see what they'll achieve next! 👍👏 Just another way McDonald County Schools - and its teachers - make a difference in every child, every day, whatever it takes! ❤️🖤 🎓🏫👨‍🏫👩‍🏫👩‍🎓

It’s National School Resource Officer Appreciation Day! 🎉👮‍♀️👮‍♂️ 🗓️ Today, we celebrate and honor the incredible work of our SROs here in the McDonald County School District. From ensuring the safety and security of our students to serving as positive role models and building relationships within our community, our SROs go above and beyond in their line of duty. They work tirelessly to provide a safe and welcoming learning environment for our students and staff, and their dedication is truly appreciated.💪 So let's give a big shoutout and thank you to all of our amazing SROs for making a difference in every child, every day, whatever it takes! 🙌👏

💗 We’re ready! 💕 💘 Hearts cut and glued. 💘Cards made with help from high school friends. 💘 Balloons filled and delivered. All across the district, our students are “valentined” up! 🫶 We hope you are too! 💓 Happy Valentine’s Day from your friends at McDonald County Schools! #HappyValentinesDay #Balloonsfilled #CardsMade #Heartscutandglued #McDonaldCountySchools #MCR1 #WeAre1 #BeMine

👏👏🎊 How about a round of applause for our construction trades students at McDonald County High School? 👏👏 Several qualified for state competition at the recent Southwest District Skills USA conference in Monett. 💪 🏅 The winners and the skills they qualified for include:🏆 🚿 Plumbing 💧 Miguel Melendez - 1st place 💧 Jake Mackenzie - 2nd place 👷 Teamworks - 2nd place (group) 🔨 Dominic Blackwell 🪚 Landon Talley 🔧 Kaden Price 🗜️ Gabrial Alejandro ⚡ Electrical 🔌 Diego Valdez - 2nd place This is the first time since 2019 we’ll send a team to a state competition! 🥇 👏 Congratulations to these young men. Your hard work and dedication are paying off. ⚒️ Building students’ success for the future! Just another way McDonald County Schools make a difference in every child, every day, whatever it takes! ❤️🖤

❤️🖤 Happy National School Counseling Week! ❤️🖤 We want to give a big shoutout to the amazing counselors of the McDonald County School District! 🎉 Thank you for all you do to take care of our students! 💗 You truly make a difference in their lives by: 🤲 Providing emotional support 🤲 Helping students navigate through challenges 🤲 Encouraging academic success 🤲 Offering college and career guidance 🤲 Promoting mental health and well-being We appreciate all that you do and the positive impact you have on our students' futures! 🙌 Thank you for helping McDonald County Schools make a difference in every child, every day, whatever it takes! ❤️🖤 #NationalSchoolCounselingWeek #MCSCounselorsRock #StudentSuccess #McDonaldCountySchools #MCR1 #WeAre1 #SchoolCounselingMatters ❤️🤍💙

🎉🎉CELEBRATING 🎉🎉 four McDonald County student-athletes for signing their letters of intent to play for area colleges! Teammates, friends, and family members gathered in the McDonald County High School gym to congratulate the group as they made public their decisions on their future college careers. 🏈 Jack Parnell will be taking to the football field at Benedictine College in Atchinson, KS. 🤼‍♂️ Blaine Ortiz will be wrestling at Missouri Valley College in Marshall, MO. ⚾️ Cross Dowd will be playing baseball at Coffeyville Community College in Coffeyville, KS. ⚾️ Isaac Behm will also be attending Coffeyville Community College in Coffeyville, KS, to play baseball. 💪🏼We couldn't be more proud of these talented young men and can't wait to see what the future holds for them! 🔥 #McDonaldCountySports #CollegeBound #StudentAthletes #FutureStars #MCSCelebrates #AthleticSuccess #FutureCollegeAthletes #MCR1 #WeAre1 #BenedictineCollege #MissouriValley #CoffeyvilleCommunityCollege 💪🏽🎓🥇💥

🔴 🚨 Important announcement from the McDonald County School District: 🏮 ⚠️🌨️❄️ Many roads across the county are still slick and hazardous, so for the safety of students and staff all McDonald County Schools will be closed on Friday, February 3. 🚫 This is NOT an AMI day. No schoolwork is required today. ⛔📚 🫵 Stay safe and stay warm! 🔥❄️ #McDonaldCountySchools #WinterWeather #SchoolClosing #OnceAgain #NoSchoolwork #MCR1 #StaySafeStayWarm

➡️⛔️ Important announcement from the McDonald County School District: 🏮 💥 🌨️❄️ Many roads across the county are still slick and hazardous, so for the safety of students and staff all McDonald County Schools will be closed on Thursday, February 2. 🚫 📚 This will be AMI Day 5. 5️⃣🖐️ Students, please follow the AMI procedures given by your teachers. 🧑‍🏫 🫵 Stay safe and stay warm! 🔥❄️ #McDonaldCountySchools #WinterWeather #SchoolClosing #OnceAgain #AMIDay5 #MCR1 #StaySafeStayWarm