๐ It's a wrap! ๐
Today marks the last day of the year for our incredible teachers in McDonald County Schools. ๐๐ They came together for their annual end-of-year celebration, and what a celebration it was! ๐ฅณ
We took this moment to recognize the dedication and hard work of our amazing teachers and staff who have been with us for 5 to 30 years. ๐๐ผ They are the heart and soul of our district, shaping young minds and inspiring our students every day. Thank you for your unwavering commitment! ๐
This year, we bid farewell to two exceptional individuals who have made a tremendous impact on our district. ๐๐ผ Dr. Mark Stanton, our long-time Superintendent, and Assistant Superintendent Joy Hardridge are retiring. ๐ We had the opportunity to shake their hands, give hugs, and express our heartfelt appreciation for their many years of dedicated service. ๐ค
We also had the chance to recognize all our retiring teachers. We wish you the very best as you embark on this exciting new chapter of your life. Enjoy every moment and embrace the adventures that lie ahead! โจ
For our returning teachers, we hope you have an incredible summer filled with relaxation, rejuvenation, and plenty of memorable moments. You deserve every bit of it! โ๏ธ๐ด
And to everyone at McDonald County Schools, from our administrators to our support staff, we want to extend a massive THANK YOU for your unwavering dedication and commitment. ๐๐ฝ๐๐ฝ You are truly superheroes in the eyes of our students, and we appreciate you more than words can express.
Thank you for making a difference in every child, every day, whatever it takes!โค๏ธ๐ค๐
#LastDayOfSchool #EndOfYearCelebration #TeacherRecognition #RetirementFarewell #NewBeginnings #SummerVacation #ThankYouTeachers #McDonaldCountySchools #MCR1Proud #WeAre1
Happy National School Nurse Day to our amazing school nurses and nurse aides at McDonald County Schools! ๐ฉบ๐ฉโโ๏ธ๐จโโ๏ธ๐
From checking temperatures and handing out band-aids to administering medications and providing emotional support, you all play a vital role in ensuring our students can learn and grow in a safe and healthy environment. We appreciate you more than words can express! โค๏ธโค๏ธ ๐
So, let's give it up for our incredible school nurses and nurse aides today! ๐๐๐๐
Thank you so much for helping McDonald County Schools make a difference in every child, every day, whatever it takes! ๐๐ซ
๐ฉโ๐ซ๐ Letโs have a big round of applause for Bridget Epperson, the 2023 McDonald County Schools Teacher of the Year! ๐๐
Bridget's years of dedication to teaching Early Childhood Special Education students at Noel Primary School are truly inspiring. ๐๐
She is a role model for all educators, and we are proud to have her on our team. ๐๐
Epperson was selected from a group of amazing candidates from schools all across the district who were also recognized at tonightโs McDonald County Teacher of the Year Banquet.
๐
๐จโ๐ฉโ๐งโ๐ฆ
Congratulations, Bridget, and thank you for making a difference in every child, every day, whatever it takes. ๐๐๐
#TeacherOfTheYear #Education #NoelPrimarySchool #Inspiration #Dedication #Commitment #McDonaldCountySchools #ProudEducators #MCR1Proud #WeAre1 โค๏ธ๐ค
๐ข Talk about a sweep! ๐งน๐๐
๐ Congratulations to the talented students of McDonald County High School for their big wins at the 25th annual Southern Media Showcase at Missouri Southern State University
๐ฅ๐ท๐ฐ The showcase saw over 200 students from different schools competing in categories such as short films, comedies, news writing, social media, and photography.
๐ฅ๐ฅ๐ฅ In their first time competing, MCHS students won the entire Journalism Sweepstakes division and swept numerous awards categories! Hereโs a list of their impressive wins:
๐ธ Photo Story: 1st Place - Griffin Schutten, 2nd Place - Teea Corcoran, 3rd Place - Natalie Gillming
๐
Sports Feature Photography: 1st Place - Griffin Schutten, 2nd place - Griffin Schutten
๐ผ Advanced Portfolio: 1st Place - Griffin Schutten
๐ First Year Portfolio: 1st Place - Teea Corcoran
๐ค Portrait Photography: 2nd Place- Griffin Schutten, 3rd Place - Griffin Schutten
๐ Sports Action Photography: 2nd Place - Griffin Schutten
๐ Design Infographic: 1st Place - Madi Parker, 2nd Place - Abigail Pagel
๐ Instagram Royalty: 1st Place - Jacob Winkler, 3rd Place - Madi Parker & Emily McCool
๐ต TikTok Star: 1st Place - Analisa Ramirez, 2nd Place - Emma Huckabey
๐ก Design Logo: 3rd Place - Kynnan Hutchinson
๐ Letโs give a big round of applause to our talented students for their incredible achievements! ๐
Just another way McDonald County Schools are making a difference in every child, every day, whatever it takes! โค๏ธ๐ค
๐ Itโs time to celebrate our amazing Teachers of the Year at McDonald County Schools!
Over the next few days, weโll be highlighting our Teachers of the Year at each school in the district. ๐งโ๐ซ๐ง๐ปโ๐ซ
๐ A big congratulations to Theresa Walthal, Art teacher at McDonald County High School, for this well-deserved recognition! ๐
Thank you for your dedication to making a difference in every child, every day, whatever it takes! ๐
The overall district Teacher of the Year will be announced at a banquet on Thursday, April 20. ๐
Stay tuned for the big news! โด๏ธ
#TeachersOfTheYear #McDonaldCountyHighSchool #awesometeacher #McDonaldCountySchools #MCR1Proud #WeAre1 ๐๐จโ๐ซ๐ฉโ๐ซ
๐ Happy National Assistant Principals Week! ๐
Weโre highlighting some of the unsung heroes in McDonald County Schools! ๐คฉ
Assistant Principals play a crucial role in our schools, and weโre celebrating these incredible school leaders who work tirelessly to create a positive learning community and face the many unpredictable challenges that land on their desks. ๐
Letโs give all our McDonald County Schools assistant principals a hand and say thank you for making a positive impact on every child, every day, whatever it takes! ๐ โค๏ธ๐
๐ซ๐ฉโ๐ซ๐จโ๐ซ
๐ขItโs High Five Friday at Five!๐๐
At 5:00 pm ๐, weโre celebrating five 5๏ธโฃ fantastic accomplishments our amazing students have achieved this week at McDonald County Schools.
๐ Here are our High Fives for this week: โฌ๏ธ
๐A big high five to our McDonald County FFA students who qualified for state competition in nursery and landscaping ๐ท๐ธ๐ชด as well as forestry ๐ฒ๐ณ ! Good luck to them as they prepare for their next contest!๐จโ๐พ๐
๐ Congratulations and high fives to MCHS business students Cheyenne Craddock who received 3rd place๐ฅ in Marketing, Madi Parker who received 3rd place๐ฅ in Business Computer Applications, and Elly Wasson who received 2nd place ๐ฅin Impromptu Speaking at the Crowder College Business Competition! Way to go whiz biz kids! ๐ฉโ๐ผ๐๐ผ
๐Our building trades students in the Skills USA class are competing today in the Missouri State Skills USA Contest! Letโs give a high five to these MCHS students as they hammer ๐จ, saw ๐ช, wire ๐, and plumb ๐ฟ their way to success! ๐
๐ MCHS band students are tuning up for competitions as well. ๐ถ Today several of them are playing at the district instrumental solo and ensemble contest at Missouri Southern State University. ๐ท๐บ And the whole band heads to Joplin on Monday for the state contest! โHigh fives to them as they prepare! ๐ต๐ผ
๐ A big high five to the little learners at Pineville Primary for wearing wacky socks for a lesson on Down Syndrome! ๐งฆ๐งฆ Mr. Benish and his daughter Claire talked to classes about Down Syndrome and showed off their colorful socks! What a cool way to learn and share what you know with others! ๐๐
Keep up the fantastic work, McDonald County Schools!๐๐
๐ค Robots, ๐ข roller coasters, and ๐ป right clicks!
๐ Get ready to witness the ultimate showcase of STEM skills! McDonald County students from kindergarten to eighth grade brought their A-game at the annual STEMAPalooza contest held at McDonald County High School. ๐ฌ๐ฅ๏ธ๐งโ๐ฌ๐ข
๐๐ป The competition was fierce as grade levels battled it out to engineer cardboard roller coasters, program robots to move across the floor, and write actual computer code!
Through #STEMAPalooza, students learned the importance of teamwork, critical thinking, and problem-solving, gaining valuable experience applying their STEM knowledge and skills to real-world challenges. ๐
We are bursting with pride for our students and can't wait to see the incredible things they will achieve in the world of STEM! ๐ช๐ผ๐ฉโ๐ฌ๐จโ๐ป
Join us in celebrating our future innovators and the McDonald County Schools' commitment to #STEMeducation and #MakingADifference in every child, every day, whatever it takes! โค๏ธ๐ค
#STEMeducation #FutureInnovators #MakingADifference #McDonaldCountySchools #MCR1Proud #WeAre1 ๐๐ผ๐
๐ฆ๐๏ธ Shining the spotlight on some of our awesome teachers, programs, and supporters at McDonald County Schools. ๐
Letโs give a big round of applause for the more than 20 educators and supporters who were honored at the Celebration of Schools Awards Ceremony hosted by the Southwest Center for Educational Excellence last night! ๐
๐ Congratulations to our incredible honorees from McDonald County Schools including:
๐ซ Board Member Recognition - 10 years + service: Frank Woods
๐ซ District Outstanding Achievement Awards: Sean Mccullough, Brandon Joines, Josh Factor, Beau Bennett, Josh Tyler, Allen Callahan, Oscar Ortiz, Reed Davis, Daniel Sumler, and Christine Ellis
๐ซ Teacher of the Year Recipients: Theresa Walthall, Crystal Crust, Terri Casto, Karen Woods, Bridgett Epperson, Reneโ Jennings, Maggie Johnson, Alison Payette, and Morgan Williams.
๐ซ Friend of Education: Randy Smith
๐ซ Making Learning Come Alive, PreK-6th Grade: Art and Culture Night, Noel Elementary;
Art Trading Cards, White Rock Elementary
๐ซ Making Learning Come Alive, 7th - 12th Grade: Dabbs Greer Little Theater, McDonald County High School; To Kill A Mockingbird/Place-Based Learning, McDonald County High School
๐ซ Dr. Al Cade Educational Service Award: Joy Hardridge, Asst. Superintendent MCR1
We are thrilled to share that McDonald County Schools had the biggest showing of nominees of any school in the region! ๐คฉ
Thank you to these excellent educators and supporters for making a difference in the lives of every child, every day, whatever it takes! โค๏ธ๐ค
Good Evening Mustangs! I hope you had a relaxing and fun Spring Break! We are all looking forward to seeing you tomorrow! A couple of reminders we come back to school. First, dress code! Crop tops and pjs are not allowed and shorts need to be a reasonable length. We have had a great first 3 quarters of school and we want the last quarter to be even better, so discipline rules will be strictly enforced, We have a couple of fun reward days planned in the next few weeks like Earth Day and a Spring Carnival! So put in the work Mustangs; Come to school each day, and stay off the F list. If you need help with schoolwork tutoring is available Monday- Thursday! Just come see one of us in the office or in the Counseling Center and we will help you out! Enjoy the rest of the evening and we will see you tomorrow at MCHS!
๐๐๐ It's back to class for McDonald County Schools! ๐๐๐
We hope you've had a great Spring Break ๐ธ๐๐ and we can't wait to see all of our amazing students and staff back at school on Monday, March 27!
Let's make it a great week together! ๐ช๐๐
๐ฏ๐น๐๐ The McDonald County Mustang Archers have hit the mark at the state archery tournament this weekend!
Congratulations to the team on an amazing season! ๐
๐ A special shoutout to Tim Pagel for shooting two perfect 50 rounds, an incredible achievement! ๐ฅ๐
We also want to recognize and thank our amazing seniors, including 4 four-year commitments! ๐๐
We are incredibly proud of the growth and dedication we have seen from all our archers this season, and we can't wait to see what the future holds for this talented team! ๐
#McDonaldCountyHighSchool #MustangArchers #AimHighArchers #OnTarget #StateTournament #Perfect50 #Dedication #HardWorkPaysOff #Proud #Growth #Future #๐น๐๐๐ฅ๐๐๐๐#MCR1 #WeAre1
๐ฃ๐ธ๐๐ HAPPY SPRING BREAK! ๐๐๐ธ๐ฃ
Just a quick reminder that McDonald County Schools are out for Spring Break from March 20-24!
๐๐ผ๐ Take some time to relax, have fun, and recharge! ๐๐๏ธ๐ด
Weโll see you back in class on Monday, March 27! ๐๐จโ๐ซ๐ฉโ๐ซ ๐ธ๐๐
๐ฃ Happy #MotivationalMonday everyone!
๐ฅ 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." ๐ฅ
We hope this quote inspires you to approach your learning with a passion and curiosity that ignites a lifelong love for education. ๐๐
๐ค Remember, every day is an opportunity to learn and grow, so let's make the most of it! ๐
โ High 5 Friday at 5! ๐
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 โ go out to:
1๏ธโฃ Rhapsody Nโ Rhythm, the McDonald County High Schoolโs 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! ๐ต๐ค๐ผ
2๏ธโฃ 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. (Thatโs a mouthful!) ๐ฃ๏ธ ๐ค
3๏ธโฃ 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!") ๐๏ธ ๐ช
4๏ธโฃ Itโs 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! ๐ ๐ค
5๏ธโฃ MC Pom team member Kaylee Banta will continue her dancing career at Ottawa University in Ottawa, Ks. She was selected to be on the schoolโs dance team starting in the fall. Awesome! ๐ฉฐ
๐ฅฐ So proud of all our students and their wonderful accomplishments! ๐
Just another way McDonald County Schools make a difference in every child, every day, whatever it takes! โค๏ธ๐ค
#High5at5 #FridayHigh5 #ShowChoir #Powerlifters #FFAContests #SpeechandDebate #DancingIntoTheFuture #McDonaldCountyR1 #WeAre1 #MCR1
๐ 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 โMary Poppins Jr.โ ๐ถ
The play, put on by the McDonald County High School drama department, is a shorter version of the popular Disney musical โMary Poppinsโ. โ๏ธ๐ช
๐๏ธ Itโs the first big production for the department in the McDonald County High School Little Theater, which is on the McDonald County High School campus. ๐ซ
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. ๐ญ
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! โค๏ธ๐ค ๐ญ๐ถ
๐๐๐๐ฑ๐ฉโ๐๐จโ๐๐ฉโ๐ฌ๐จโ๐ฌ ๐ค Ever wonder what life on Mars will look like in the future? ๐๐ฎ ๐ Just ask the students in Mrs. Holzโs astronomy class at McDonald County High School. ๐ฉโ๐๐จโ๐ 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! ๐ ๐ฉโ๐ฌ๐จโ๐ฌ 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. ๐ช ๐ 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! ๐ Just another way McDonald County Schools are making an out-of-this-world difference in every child, every day, whatever it takes! โค๏ธ๐ค ๐๐๐๐ฑ๐ฉโ๐๐จโ๐๐ฉโ๐ฌ๐จโ๐ฌ
๐ ๐ Seeking out the best!
Itโs what recruiters from McDonald County Schools are doing as current teachers are retiring and others are moving from the district. ๐ซ
The team recently gathered several top prospects from the Missouri Southern State University Education Career Fair. ๐งโ๐ซ๐ฉโ๐ซ
Itโs 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. ๐๐
Hereโs 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! โค๏ธ๐ค
๐ History in the making for McDonald County Schools!
๐ A big send-off today for McDonald County High School wrestlers headed to the Missouri state wrestling tournament in Columbia, MO. ๐
8๏ธโฃ Eight of our student-athletes on our boy's wrestling team qualified for state this year, the most the school has ever sent! ๐ฒ
๐ช Good luck to the following wrestlers listed with their weight classes:
๐คผ 106 Eberson Perez
๐คผ 113 Robinson Yoshino
๐คผ 138 Blaine Ortiz
๐คผ 144 Levi Smith
๐คผ 175 Colter Vick
๐คผ 190 Malosi Sosef
๐คผ 215 Samuel Murphy
๐คผ 285 Jayce Hitt
๐ฅน Weโre so proud of your hard work and accomplishments this year!
Go MC! โค๏ธ ๐ค
๐ Diving deep into the study of sea creatures without leaving the dry ground. ๐ ๐๐ฆ
๐ฌ๐ฆ๐งโ๐ฌ 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! ๐ฏ
๐ช 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. ๐ฆ๐ง
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. ๐ค
We're proud to offer our students these valuable learning experiences and can't wait to see the amazing things they'll accomplish! ๐
Just another way McDonald County Schools - and its teachers - make a difference in every child, every day, whatever it takes! โค๏ธ๐ค
#McDonaldCountyHighSchool #ZoologyClass #SquidDissection #Anatomy #Adaptations #ScienceSkills #HandsOnLearning #Education #FutureScientists #MCR1 #WeAre1 ๐๐๐จโ๐ฌ๐ฉโ๐ฌ ๐ฆ