the hornet connection valley center-park city-kechi...
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The Hornet Connection Valley Center-Park City-Kechi-Wichita www.usd262.net
Inside This Issue: May 2015 ● Volume 3, Number 4
Valley Center USD 262
USD 262 District Office 143 S. Meridian Avenue
Valley Center, KS 67147
316.755.7000
316.755.7001 (fax)
www.usd262.net
“From the Desk of Mike Bonner”
“Transportation News”
“Technology News”
“News from the Valley Center Nurses”
“News from the West Side”
“Shining Stars in Our District”
“College & Career Readiness”
“Checking In at Abilene”
“Transportation News”
“VCIS News”
“VCMS Buzz”
“Educational Happenings at Wheatland”
“Athletics”
“New Curriculum”
“Student Internship Program ”
“News from VCHS”
“USD 262 Wellness Program”
Page 2
Page 3
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Page 4
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Page 5
Page 6 & 7
Page 7
Page 7
Page 8
Page 8
Page 9
Page 9 & 12
Page 10
Page 10
Page 11
Page 12
Mission Statement The Staff and Students
Will Develop the Knowledge, Skills, and Character Necessary For Current and Future Success.
Vision Statement To Be a Premier School District
Known for Excellence in Education, Innovative Instruction,
Outstanding Programs, and Dedication to Students.
From the Desk of the Superintendent... USD 262 Superintendent
The 2014-2015 school year is quickly coming to an end. For many kids,
including my own children, this brings about feelings of excitement and great
anticipation (of course about a week after school is out, my kids express how
bored they are). Likewise, as superintendent, there is some sense of excitement
when wrapping up another successful school year, however, about a week in, I
miss our students and staff being in our buildings.
We’ve had another great year in Valley Center Schools, and continue to make
remarkable progress towards meeting our vision: To Be a Premier School District
Known for Excellence in Education, Innovative Instruction, Outstanding
Programs, and Dedication to Students. We continue to be recognized as one of
the best districts in the state, and will work hard this summer to keep that momen-
tum going. If you thought this year was great…just wait!
Here are a few things we’d like to make you aware of in preparing for next
school year.
LIMTED OUT-OF-DISTRICT REQUESTS: Renewal and first-time appli-
cations for limited out-of-district enrollment will be available on our website
the first week of July.
WEBSITE: Our website address, www.usd262.net will remain the same, but
our website will have a brand new look (including a mobile version) over the
next few months.
SUMMER MAILING: Due to financial reasons, families will not receive the
annual summer packet in the mail. This year, families will receive an
electronic version through Infinite Campus, e-mail, social media sites, etc.
This electronic newsletter will include the application for free/reduced meals,
important calendar dates, and a note from your child’s principal. Families of
currently enrolled students will receive this electronic newsletter around
mid-July. Hard copies will be made available in the District Office.
ACADEMIC AND ATHLETIC CALENDAR: Typically in August, patrons
are able to pick up an academic and athletic flip calendar. These calendars
will be available in August, for a very small fee (to cover costs). Additional
details will be released by early August.
ONE-STOP ENROLLMENT: Students that did not enroll this spring, will
need to attend One-Stop Enrollment at Valley Center High School on August
5, 2015, from 9:00 a.m.—7:00 p.m.
Once again, thank you for your help in making this another great school year.
Cory L. Gibson
Graphic courtesy—holidayflags.com
May 2015 The Hornet Connection · 2
From the Desk of Mike Bonner… USD 262 Assistant Superintendent
USD 262 Staff District Office
Cory Gibson Superintendent
Mike Bonner Assistant Superintendent [email protected]
Dan Gentry Director of Maintenance & Grounds
Susan Harris Director of Finance
Josh Huffman Director of Technology
Becky Khosravipour Director of Student Learning
Molly Rainey Director of Food Service [email protected]
PJ Reilly Director of CCR/The Learning Center
Gary Kerr Director of Transportation
District Schools
Ron Barry Assistant Principal/AD-VC High School
Pete Bastian Principal-West Elementary [email protected]
Andy Gottlob Interim Principal-Wheatland Elementary
Kent Hipp Principal-VC Middle School
Mark Hoy Principal-Abilene Elementary
Greg Lehr Principal-VC Intermediate School
Jamie Lewis Principal-VC High School [email protected]
Greg Mittman Assistant Principal-VC High School
Sally Nold Assistant Principal-VC High School
Jamie Wetig Assistant Principal/AD-VC Middle School
So many transitions take place during the summer months. From school
days to summer vacation days; from school work to summer jobs; from one
grade level to the next; from one building to a new one; and from high
school to beyond are just a few that come to mind.
For some, transitions are difficult and a little scary. For others, each new
transition brings excitement and anticipation. No matter which side of the
fence you are on, I encourage you to look at transitions as positive opportu-
nities.
If you are getting ready to head to your summer job, you have an oppor-
tunity to learn new skills, meet new people, and make money that you
weren’t able to a few weeks ago. If you are choosing to take summer clas-
ses, you have the opportunity to make up credit, get ahead on earning high
school or college credit, and learning new information and skills that will
help you in the future.
The one transition to focus on for many, is the change from one grade
level to the next, or from one building to a new one. Each year, every
student gets an opportunity for a brand new beginning. Whether the past
school year was great or not-so-great, every single student has the chance to
make positive changes for the upcoming school year. Whether the change
be to study more, become involved in more activities, complete homework
on time, volunteer in the community, or attack that subject that is difficult
for them, each student can choose to make positive changes.
So before you completely close the door on the 2014-2015 school year, I
encourage students and parents to sit down together and visit about the posi-
tives and challenges the past year brought. Jot them down, along with things
that can be done to keep the positives rolling into next year, and what things
might assist in reducing the challenges so they won’t be as large an issue.
Note specific actions to take to make things better. Instead of saying, “I’m
not going to turn in late work,” a better plan would be, “each day at the end
of every class period, I will write down the work that needs completed and
right after supper, I will complete it.” Now you have a concrete plan that is
much better and easier to follow.
I sincerely hope everyone has a
terrific summer and hope that you
take a little time to prepare for the
numerous opportunities that are in
front of you.
Mike Bonner
Graphic courtesy—school.discoveryeducation.com
Graphic courtesy—durham.ogs.on.ca
3 · The Hornet Connection Volume 3, Number 4
Technology News Josh Huffman—Director of Technology
As everyone is getting ready to wrap up
the end of a great school
year, the technology depart-
ment is gearing up for our
summer projects.
We are planning to replace some teacher
and student desktops at VCIS. We will be
servicing all computers in the district to
clean and prep them for next school year.
We are also planning to deploy Chrome-
books to all Kindergarten classrooms and
280 Chromebooks at VCIS. The iPads at
the VCHS/VCMS and will be collected,
cleaned and updated. To keep up with the
technology needs in the world, we are im-
proving our datacenter to help with band-
width and wireless needs in the district.
There are many other projects going on
but these are the main ones.
We are in the process of implementing
a new website that should go live July 1,
2015. The design we selected was the top
choice from the survey recently sent out. If
you have any ideas or suggestions for the
website, please send them to:
Technology Tip: It is important to
keep your computers/devices up-to-date
with the latest updates. Also make sure
you backup your data as even technology
can fail. Remember to check out
www.commonsensemedia.org for good
information about technology use and
staying safe on the internet.
Josh Huffman
Baby News! Congratulations to Stephanie & Jake
Unruh on the birth of their daughter,
Josephine June Unruh, born on March
10, 2015. Josephine weighed 7lbs. 6oz.
Stephanie is a COOP teacher at Valley
Center Intermediate School.
Baby News! Congratulations to Emily & John
Simon on the birth of their son, Lucas
Alexander Simon, born on April 19,
2015. Noah weighed 7lbs. 7oz. Emily is
a Spanish teacher at Valley Center High
School.
Baby News! Congratulations to Nicole & Vince
Zander on the birth of their son, Noah
Thomas Zander, born on March 22,
2015. Noah weighed 7lbs. and was 19
inches long. Nicole is a Kindergarten
teacher at Wheatland Elementary.
Graphic courtesy-blogando-me1blogs.sapo.pt Graphic courtesy-mycutegraphics.com Graphic courtesy-mycutegraphics.com
Graphic courtesy-clipartlord.com
May 2015 The Hornet Connection · 4
News from the Valley Center Nurses... (Graphic courtesy-unital.k12.wy.us)
After 23 years of dedicated service to
Valley Center Schools,
Melanie Ensey R.N.,
(Abilene Elementary)
is retiring. Her calm
and loving demeanor
will be missed by the staff and students of
the district.
Also retiring is Joyce Banning, Nurse
Aide at Wheatland
Elementary. Joyce
began her career
assisting Valley Cen-
ter students in 1987.
She has been a huge asset to our district
demonstrating her love and compassion to
staff and students for the past 28 years.
We appreciate the dedication of these
ladies to our great district.
Melanie Ensey
Joyce Banning
Graphic courtesy-www.piecesoffreight.com
Summer is a great time to make appointments for the eye doctor, dentist and
sports physicals. Those students with chronic health conditions will need up-
dated health plans yearly.
Here are some helpful links for paperwork you may need when your students
return to school in August:
Medication Authorization Form
Health Assessment Form
Sports Physical Form
Immunizations:
Immunizations for public school attendance is required by Kansas state law.
The link below is a “cheat sheet” to help you double check to make sure your stu-
dent has all necessary immunizations to attend school. If unsure or have questions,
don’t hesitate to call your school nurse. Students entering into 7th grade will need at
Tdap (Tetanus and Pertussis) booster. Students entering into 12th grade must have
documentation of receiving a second dose of the varicella (chickenpox) immuniza-
tion.
Immunization Requirements for the 2015-2016 School Year
Immunization Requirements for the 2015-2016 School Year (Spanish)
End of School Year Housekeeping:
Medications brought in for your student need to be picked up by May 20th. If
they are not picked up by the last day of school, they will be disposed of.
We would like to thank each and every one of you for allowing us to care for
your children during the school year.
Andrea Boone, R.N.—VCHS Melanie Ensey, R.N—Abilene
Leslie Bolte, R.N.—VCMS Joyce Banning, Nurse Aide—Wheatland
Jennifer Shockley, R.N.—VCIS Jami Dessenberger, R.N.—West
News from the “West” Side... Pete Bastian—Principal, West Elementary
We have had such a successful year! I first want to thank
our parents for providing support when the
school has asked for it. It is because of
you that our year has been so successful!
Next, I would like to thank our PTO. This
organization went through some big
changes this year. We no longer are a
PTA and are now a PTO thanks to the
officers putting in long hours and filling out paperwork to
make this happen.
I want to send out a special thank you to our teachers.
Being a teacher is never easy—they work tirelessly trying to
create engaging lessons for students, grading papers and mak-
ing sure that everything is ready when their students walk
through the door. Last, and certainly not least, I want to thank
our students. Every day they walk through our doors ready to
work! They skip down the halls putting their best foot for-
ward and trying their hardest. WAY TO GO!
A few quick updates:
Our first ever West Purple Pride Walk-A-Thon was a
great success! We raised over $5,000 which will be used
to purchase iPads.
Do you have a kindergarten student for the 2015-2016
school year? Kindergarten enrollment has passed so
please mark your calendar to attend One-Stop Enroll-
ment at VCHS on August 5, 2015, from 9:00 a.m.-7:00
p.m.
Our school office is open each day from 8:00 a.m.-4:00
p.m. (until May 29, 2015).
Field Day—May 15, 2015.
Thank you again and if you have any questions or
concerns, please contact me at [email protected] or
316.755.7030. Have a great summer!
Pete Bastian
Graphic courtesy-clipartbest.com
Graphic courtesy-alvinisd.net
Graphic courtesy-shutterstock.com
5 · The Hornet Connection Volume 3, Number 4
Shining Stars in Our District
Executive Assistant Award Debbie Edwards, Administrative
Assistant at VCMS was
recently named the recip-
ient of the KAMSA
(Kansas Association of
Middle School Adminis-
trators) Executive Assis-
tant award. She received a certificate
and $100. Congratulations Debbie!!!
District Superstars USD 262 is excited to announce
the recipients of the licensed and
classified staff Valley Center Superstar
awards. Staff members were nominat-
ed by peers, and the licensed winner
was selected by the District Leadership
Team while the classified winner was
chosen by the Classified Committee.
Carlos Marquez—VCMS Teacher
Described as an enthusiastic teacher
who truly cares about his students,
consistently tries new activities, and
incorporated engaging technology into
his lessons, Carlos is truly and
outstanding educator. He challenges
his students to be prepared, responsi-
ble, and respectful individuals. He
truly lives our mission of “dedication
to students.” Carlos has been teaching
at VCMS for the past seven years.
Brentt Busch—VCMS Custodian
“I absolutely love having Mr.
Busch as a part of our team at Valley
Center Middle School,” was the open-
ing sentence for Brentt’s nomination,
and reflects the staff’s feelings for him.
They describe him as always being
friendly, taking pride in his work, and
anytime something needs to be done in
the building, being right on top of it.
They believe Brentt’s work to make
sure the building runs smoothly con-
tributes to the success of the students.
Brentt has been with the district for the
past two years.
Brentt Busch and Carlos Marquez—recipients of the 2014-2015 Valley Center Superstar awards.
TLC Graduation Valley Center’s Adult/Virtual Learn-
ing Center had a suc-
cessful year with over
100 students participat-
ing in course work that
leads to a high school credits and a fu-
ture diploma. This is proof by the record
number of graduates who will attend the
commencement ceremony on Wednes-
day, May 13, 2015. The 21 students,
who have met the Kansas state require-
ments for graduation, will celebrate
with family and friends while receiving
their high school diploma from Valley
Center High School.
The graduates ages span from 18 to
60 years. This event is “long in the
making” for many of these graduates
who have waited years to accomplish
their goal of graduating from high
school. The doors to Valley Center
High School’s Auditorium will open at
6:15 p.m. and the ceremony will begin
at 7:00 p.m. Joining the celebration and
issuing the diplomas to the graduates
will be District Office administration,
Board of Education members, TLC
Director, PJ Reilly, VCHS counselor,
Joan Krack, and John Spear the stu-
dents’ teacher, mentor, and coordina-
tor. A reception will follow in the high
school commons with punch, cake and
cookies being served.
Bus Rodeo Congratulations to bus driver Merrie
Martin for placing fourth
in the North Central/South
Central District annual
bus driving competition,
commonly know as a bus
rodeo. Merrie competed
in parallel parking, curb line, student
load, offset alley, backup alley, right
turn, diminishing clearance, straight
line, railroad and stop line. Mary is
now qualified for the state competition
for the second year in a row. Although
feeling under the weather during the
competition, she vows to, “beat them
all” at the state competition. Great job
representing Valley Center Schools!
Merrie Martin
Eighth Grade Recognition Promotion from middle school
represents a small step in the academic
experience of our students. It is a time
for both students and their parents to
celebrate having reached the threshold
of high school. The faculty and staff at
VCMS are extremely proud of this
accomplishment. Our appreciation for a
job well done will culminate during the
Eighth Grade Recognition Ceremony
scheduled for Monday, May 19, 2015,
at 7:00 p.m. in the VCMS gymnasium.
The length of the ceremony will be
approximately an hour. During this
time, we will recognize the eighth grade
student body in good academic/
behavior standing. We will also recog-
nize students who have achieved the
honor of making the Academic Hall of
Fame and two students, one male and
one female, will be honored with the
Kansas High School Activities Associa-
tion Citizenship Award. The communi-
ty as well as all district staff are invited
to attend.
Debbie Edwards
Graphic courtesy—dreamstime.com
Graphic courtesy—pixshark.com
May 2015 The Hornet Connection · 6
College/Career Readiness, Career & Technical Education P.J. Reilly—Director
New Opportunities in Learning As the end of the 2014-2015 school year approaches, Val-
ley Center Schools continues its mission, “To Be a Premier
School District Known for Excellence in Education, Innova-
tive Instruction, Outstanding Programs, and Dedication to
Students” through its College and Career Ready programs.
Students at VCHS enrolled in the following core/general edu-
cation dual-credit college courses: College Credit Speech,
Algebra, Pre-Calculus, Spanish I, American Government,
Chemistry I, Physics I, Calculus I, Psychology, Sociology,
Statistics, College Credit English and Human Anatomy
through our partnership with WATC. These dual credit clas-
ses earned students between three and five credit hours per
course that is transferable to any Kansas Board of Regents
post-secondary school in Kansas. Plans to continue the ex-
pansion of CORE college credit opportunities are on the
“drawing board” for the 2015-2016 school year.
Project Lead the Way The Career and Technical Education (CTE) programs at
Valley Center Schools in 2014-2015 expanded to K-12 stu-
dents through Project Lead the Way engineering based cur-
riculum program titled, PLTW Launch. The past two years,
growth in CTE was focused at the high/middle school levels.
This year, the district elementary and intermediate schools
piloted PLTW Launch for students in grades K-6. The suc-
cess of the program and the introduction of STEM education
at these primary and intermediates levels, have lead the dis-
trict to explore and seek BOE approval for expansion of
PLTW Launch in all classroom grades K-4 for the 2015-
2016 school year. Finally, PLTW staff and students from
West Elementary, VCMS, and VCHS attended the Wichita
State University’s PLTW Showcase on Monday, April 27,
2015. Wichita State’s PLTW Administrator has this to say
about Valley Center Programs, “Your PLTW staff and stu-
dents once again demonstrated exemplary implementation of
PLTW learning concepts. We are so pleased that Valley Cen-
ter has such high standards for it PLTW programs grades K-
12.” Thanks to VC/PLTW instructors Lorie Schaller (West
Elementary), Kristen Shelton (VCMS) and Dustin Little
(VCHS) for doing a fantastic job with all their PLTW stu-
dents!
New Pathways With the addition of two new pathways, Business Entre-
preneurship and Emergency & Fire Science services, stu-
dent’s enrollment showed steady growth. Business Manage-
ment and Economics provide new courses in this business
pathway in which students can enroll. Also, Fire Science
classes became a big choice for twelve senior students who
enrolled in the dual-college credit courses offered at VCHS
second semester. In conjunction with Hutchinson Communi-
ty College and Wichita Fire Department, eleven VCHS and
one Garden Plain high school student (Renwick USD) en-
rolled in the 7.5 hours of college credit from HCC. This pro-
gram, designed for high school students, focuses on Fire Sci-
ence curriculum known at Fire Fighting I. Students met for
three hours a day, three days a week to acquire the
knowledge and skills required to take the University of Kan-
sas’ “Fire Fighting I” industry credential. Ten of the twelve
students have indicated an interest in taking the state Fire
Fighting I certificate/credential this summer. On May 6,
2015, the VCHS Fire Fighting students participated in a live
burn training exercise including a smoked filled house, and
search/rescue activities. All twelve students completed the
training successfully.
Career and Technical Student Organizations Strong CTE programs translate to active CTSOs (Career
and Technical Student Organization). These CTSOs meet
afterschool to engage students in career ready practices that
target specific career skills and prepare them for the real-
working career environments beyond high school. Students
also prepare and compete against other students in state, re-
gional and national contests. Approximately 200 Valley Cen-
ter students in grades 7-12 grade participated in CTSO activi-
ties this school year. Students in DECA, FBLA, TSA,
FCCLA, HOSA and SkillsUSA competed at the state con-
tests and/or national events. Congratulations to these students
who competed and gave it their best in Valley Center’s
CTSO’s this year.
Back Row (left-right): Jace Boone, Chris Bluml, Jason Barbour, Blake Crager, Adam Laurinec, Alex Wetig, and Austin Zoglman (GPHS). Front Row (left-right): Dylan Scheer, Shyra Wolff, Broc Adams , Levi Maxson, and Jed Elliott.
Graphic courtesy—ctsos.org
College/Career Readiness, Career & Technical Education Continued on page 7
7 · The Hornet Connection Volume 3, Number 4
Checking In at Abilene Mark Hoy—Principal, Abilene Elementary
The end of the school year is rapidly approaching and it is going to be very
bittersweet. Abilene is graduating an awesome group of fourth graders up to Valley
Center Intermediate School! We are also losing some very special staff members
due to retirements: Mrs. Judy Kennedy, our reading interventionist, Mrs. Melanie
Ensey, our school nurse, and Mrs. Linda Hohler, former 2nd grade teacher and now
our school math interventionist and at-risk aide. Together these ladies have a com-
bined total of 72 years of loving service to the Valley Center school district. All of
these students and staff members are going to be greatly missed!
As we begin to prepare for the next school year, there could be several exciting
changes. First, our district has been researching and piloting different math curricu-
lum and it looks like there is a proposal going before the Board of Education to
adopt a new math curriculum in May. If this happens, all teachers will receive
extensive training on the new program at the beginning of the school year.
We are also looking at expanding our Project Lead The Way (PLTW) “Launch”
STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering & Mathematics)
modules to all elementary grades in our district. In doing
so, it will make our district one of very few districts in the
state that will have STEM modules all the way from Kin-
dergarten through twelfth grade.
Our 6th annual Hornet Hustle (Abilene’s 5K, 2-mile, 1-mile Fun Run/Walk) is
well into the planning stages. We have set this year’s Hor-
net Hustle date for Saturday, August 29, 2015. Students
and parents will be receiving information before leaving
for the summer and also at the beginning of the school
year. This is our one fund raiser where all proceeds go back into our school. We
hope you will plan to come run with us!
So, before you break out those swimsuits and sunscreen, please take time to re-
flect on accomplishments throughout the school year and begin making new goals
for the school year to come. Most importantly, plan to spend wonderful quality
time with those you love this summer! And just think…only 85 days from the last
day of school until the first class bell of the new school year will ring!
Mark Hoy
Graphic courtesy-pltw.org
Transportation News Gary Kerr—Director of Transportation
The word “Bus” is derived from the word “Omnibus,” a
Latin word meaning “for all.”
The first school bus, introduced
in 1827, was a horse
drawn carriage designed
to carry 25 children to the
Newington Academy in Eng-
land. Today’s buses are diesel driven, high power, and very
safe vehicles with capacity up to 90 passengers. This year
USD 262 transported 610 tier-one riders (high school and
middle school students), and 741 tier-two riders (elementary
and intermediate students), to and from school every day—
1351 riders, two rides per day, 170 school days, which is
229,670 rides. In addition we sent 499 busloads, 18,300 pas-
senger, of students from all grade levels to hundreds of activi-
ties all over the state.
More important than the volume of work is being safe.
This year, we transported everyone to their destinations safe-
ly, without a single bus related injury. The drivers, mechan-
ics, dispatchers and aides have done a great job and this has
been a very successful year for us. Our success is also due to
the cooperation and support we receive from parents/
guardians, school staff and the administration it would not be
possible for us to do our job. Thank you for entrusting us
with your students.
Graphic courtesy-snmpzye155.blogcu.com
Gary Kerr
CCR & CTE (cont.) PJ Reilly—Director
Free College Tuition Senate Bill 155, the state’s free tui-
tion program, is completing its 3rd year
providing career training and dual/
college credit through hundreds of
courses in the state’s 37 Career Path-
ways. At VCHS, hundreds of students
have taken advantage of this free tui-
tion program to earn college credit
while learning the skills of a specific
CTE discipline. Students took courses
at VCHS, as well as at three different
post-secondary locations at Wichita
Area Technical College. In addition,
Hutchinson Community College taught
Fire Sciences courses in the classrooms
of VCHS.
All these CTE/SB 155 courses
helped Valley Center CTE students
earn over a 1400 hours of college credit
during the 2014-2015 school year. In
addition, approximately 50 students
will have the opportunity to earn an
industry recognized credential prepar-
ing them for the next level of post-
secondary training or workforce readi-
ness. These 1000 plus CTE students
(many students taking more than one
CTE class) are gaining valuable skills
from CTE staff instruction.
PJ Reilly
May 2015 The Hornet Connection · 8
VCIS News Greg Lehr—Principal
Wow!! It is hard to believe that we've reached the end of
the 2015-2016 school year! As I reflect on the year that was, I
think of how much the students of VCIS have grown up right
in front of our eyes. While we have experienced great aca-
demic successes this year, students have also grown in ways
that cannot always be measured on a test. From learning to
work together and respect each other’s ideas, to thinking of
others and practicing empathy, to always doing the right thing;
our students are thriving. As we begin to look forward to next
year, VCIS has developed new core values that will be a part
of the Intermediate School from this point forward. These core
values represent the high expectations we have for everyone at
VCIS with regard to our thoughts, words, and actions. We
want to make sure that our students are equipped with not only
the academic skills, but also the character necessary for life-
long success. Our new core values are:
These core values will drive our behavior plan, our school
rules, and every other decision that we make at VCIS. While
these core values are new to many of you, they have been a
part of VCIS all year long. In fact, our program recently won a
Kansas Promising Practices in Character Education award
from the state of Kansas. This award recognizes schools that
create a caring school community while also implementing a
meaningful and challenging academic curriculum that respects
all learners, develops character, and helps students suc-
ceed. We understand that students are about more than just
tests and want to make sure they leave our building ready for
Valley Center Middle School and beyond. Have a great sum-
mer and we will see you in August!!
Be the Change...
Care for others—Compassion
Help others—Teamwork
Always do what is right—Integrity
Never give up—Perseverance
Get it done—Responsibility
Everyone has value—Respect
Making a Difference Beyond You!!!
Greg Lehr Graphic courtesy—samanthahahn.com
VCMS Buzz Kent Hipp—Principal; Jamie Wetig—Asst. Principal/AD
Pioneer League Music Our choirs recently competed in the Pioneer League
Vocal Music competition at El Dorado. It was amazing to
listen to all of the vocal talent. The choir received a 2 rating
from the three judges—outstanding performance! Congratu-
lations to the choir students and Mr. Tschetter. Likewise, the
seventh and eighth grade bands competed in Valley Center
on April 22, 2015. Again, the talent was outstanding. The
seventh grade band received a 1 rating (superior). The eighth
grade band received a 1 rating as well. Congratulations to
both bands and Mr. Verboom and Mrs. Jolly.
Wax Museum The eighth graders have been working on their Wax Mu-
seum projects. The project requires the students to conduct
research on their character in order create a trifold, a speech,
a technology piece, and find props and costumes that aide in
their presentations. The students performed on May 8, 2015,
for the whole community.
Eighth Grade Band
Seventh Grade Band
Brynn Swank—Queen Elizabeth II
Jessica Kirkpatrick—Betsy Ross
Sophia Peterson—Helen Keller
9 · The Hornet Connection Volume 3, Number 4
Educational Happenings at Wheatland Andy Gottlob—Interim Principal, Wheatland Elementary
Library News We’ve had an awesome year in the library—956 books have been added to our
collection during this school year. I could not process
or catalog these new books by myself, so a big thanks
goes to the staff and volunteers who pitched-in to help
with this monumental task! I would also like to thank
the following for the allocating us the funds to pur-
chase all this new reading material: Valley Center
Educational grant, donations, Kansas Reading Circle, Wheatland Book Fair and
the USD 262 budget.
Here are some additional library statistics:
Our circulation numbers (check-outs) are currently up from last year—22,028
(2013-2014) to 26,020 (2014-2015). We have also given out 250 first time Accel-
erated Reader charms as compared to 180 last school year. I hope you all have a
great summer and remember to...KEEP READING!!!
2015 Field Day On Friday, May 8, 2015, Wheatland Elementary combined their Field Day &
Sting Stride! The Sting Stride is a fundraiser for PTO where students walk/run for
a 30 minute time period after collecting pledges from friends and family. The Sting
Stride brought in over $3,000 this year! Sting Stride was held at the VCIS track.
When students weren’t walking/running, they were active in various stations: foot-
ball toss, three-legged race, class race and tug of war! Students participated in field
day in the afternoon and families were invited. Special guests, including Spinner
from the Wichita Wingnuts baseball team and our own Valley Center Hornet, put
smiles on students’ faces! The winning fourth grade Tug-of-War team from the
morning competed against the staff to end the field day events for students and
staff! It was a great day full of fun activities!
David Stockton—Librarian/Media Specialist
Graphic courtesy—northarlington.org
Megan Stockton—Physical Education Teacher
Wheatland staff and students participate in the 2015 Tug-of-War. Everyone had a great time!
Athletic News Ron Barry—Athletic Director
The spring athletic season is com-
ing to a close and summer camps and
workouts will be here before you
know it. Speaking of summer, make
sure that you check the Athletic
webpage for all of our sports’ summer
camps. Camps are available for all
ages and a variety of sports. The most
important event that you can attend is
our Hornet Pride summer weights pro-
gram.
The Hornet baseball team started
the season hot with a 4-2 record in-
cluding a sweep of Hutchinson and a
split with Andover Central. Coach
Barnes and the Hornets are looking to
finish strong with five games remain-
ing before they begin regional play.
The Hornet softball team has been
playing extremely well this season.
They are led by senior, Hanna Head-
ley, and a team of young, talented
ladies. Coach Jones and his players
have finished the season in 2nd place in
the AVCTL league standings. They
have five games remaining and are
now playing for the opportunity to
host a regional.
Our Hornet golf program, led by
coach Mike McCormick, has been
competing well throughout the year.
Senior Logan Burks has led the Hor-
nets much of the year. With the
AVCTL and regional tournaments
remaining, the golf team will be look-
ing to fine tune their games to make
another run at a state tournament trip.
The Hornet track team has contin-
ued to improve throughout the season.
The team seems to be very balanced
with talented runners, throwers and
jumpers this season. League track will
be at Andover District Stadium and
regionals will be in Emporia.
Graphic courtesy—Springville.org
Athletic News Continued on page 12
May 2015 The Hornet Connection · 10
Student Interns... Cody Lee—Business Teacher/VCHS
New Curriculum for 2015-2015 Rebecca Khosravipour—Director of Student Learning
Valley Center students will benefit from new curriculum resources next year in
math, English, language arts, and science! At the May 11, 2015, BOE meeting, the
board unanimously approved the adoption of four new curriculum resources to sup-
port student learning and teacher instruction.
K-8 Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Go Math
3-5 Cengage National Geographic REACH for Reading
6-8 Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Collections
K-4 Project Lead the Way STEM Science
These resources will help provide a constant, cohesive foundation for learning
for our students in grades K-8. All four programs have a combination of both print
and digital materials and will support students both at school and at home!
During the piloting of each of these programs, our students often shared with
their teachers and parents how much they enjoy each of them! This is great news,
as we want our students to be highly engaged in what they are reading and doing.
We are excited to share these resources with you and your students next fall!
Graphic courtesy—hmhco.com
Graphic courtesy—kno.com Graphic courtesy—ngl.cengage.com
Graphic courtesy—PLTW.org
Not all high school students can indicate exactly what they want to do for their
post-secondary education, but the Valley Center Internship Program has provided
that opportunity for the majority of the 2014-2015 interns. This year, 21 students
represented Valley Center while interning in areas of medicine, veterinary science,
zoo science, pharmacy, computer technology, business marketing, finance, commu-
nications, environmental science, cosmetology, and fashion marketing.
“There were only three students at the end of the year who were undecided on
their major. One of those students interned in both areas she is still considering.
She loved them both so much, she can’t decide which area best fits her,” Internship
Coordinator, Cody Lee said. “The other two students (who are undecided) simply
determined the areas they interned in are not a fit for them, but they will explore
other areas over the summer.”
The Valley Center High School interns provided a different approach of their
experiences at their Internship Showcases on May 6th and 11th by presenting to par-
ents, board members, administrators, supervisors, friends, and future interns their
Electronic Career Portfolios that they designed. The Electronic Career Portfolios
are a tool students can now take with them after high school. Their portfolios in-
clude an in depth look into their internship experiences, resume, career research,
letters of recommendation, community service experience, experience in extracur-
ricular activities, and basic contact information. Their portfolios include pictures of
their internship that clearly exhibit the experiences they gained, equipment they
used, projects they completed, etc.
Thank you to the many staff members who have assisted the program
throughout the year. Also, a great
thank you to the businesses who
partner with the Valley Center High
School Internship Program. The ex-
periences the interns gain in this
program cannot be gained inside a
classroom.
Left-right: Wesley Crow, Kayla Barton, Nicole Supernaw, Kristen Hankins, Audrey Ricks, Alessandra Garvey, Chance Sowers, Jared Chandler, and Brayden Schaffer.
Left-right: Mason Orr, Myles Carter, Drew Anderson, Amanda Smith, Laura Wiebe, Lexi Davis, Laramie Unruh, Aricilia Conrady, Makayla Davis, and Carryn Richter.
Student Internship Program... Cody Lee—Business Teacher & Internship Coordinator/VCHS
Summer School It’s never too late to begin thinking
about summer school!
Valley Center Schools
will once again be offer-
ing a wide variety of
enrichment classes for
grade Kindergarten—8th grade from
June 29—July 23, 2015 (no classes
will be held on Fridays).
Remedial classes in math, reading
and Kindergarten Carousel (teacher
recommended ONLY) are also being
offered. All classes will be held at
Valley Center Middle School.
All registration and fees are due to
the district by Monday, June 15, 2015.
Questions? Please contact Brianna
Reyes at [email protected].
Graphic courtesy—sjusd.org
11 · The Hornet Connection Volume 3, Number 4
News from Valley Center High School Jamie Lewis—Principal; Ron Barry—Asst. Principal/AD; Greg Mittman—Asst. Principal; Sally Nold—Asst. Principal
2015 Valedictorians & Salutatorians Congratulations to our 2015 VCHS Valedictorians and
Salutatorians! Good luck in your future endeavors!
Back row (left to right): Alessandra Garvey, Cheyanne McHenry, Kayla Barton, Saman-tha Orr, Audrey Ricks, and Maija Gierhart. Front row (left to right): Trevor Schul, Cole Klinkhammer, Wesley Crow, and Myles Carter.
VCHS Students to Visit Peru On June 1, 2015, twenty VCHS
students will be headed to Peru for 11
days. They will be touring Machu
Picchu, the ancient Incan capital of
Cuzco, volunteering in an orphanage,
and heading into the Amazon Rain-
forest to spend a day at a monkey
reserve. Students were required to
complete two years of Spanish in
order to attend, although many have
actually completed three years.
Students will be using their language skills to navigate
each city and to make new Peruvian friends. VCHS Spanish
department would like to thank everyone who financially
supported these students over the last 18 months of fundrais-
ing. All of our pictures will be posted on Facebook at VCHS
Peru Trip 2015. Keep an eye out for our next trip’s fundrais-
ers, which will be starting this fall! We are heading to Europe
with over 40 students in 2017.
Dancing with the Staff Who says you need to be on TV to have fun or be a star?
The VCHS staff (and friends) recently participated in our
version of “Dancing with the Stars,” appropriately renamed
“Dancing with the Staff.” This event raised nearly $1000 for
four different CTSO’s (Career and Technical Student Organ-
izations). The funds were split between: HS FBLA, HS DE-
CA, HS Skills USA and MS TSA (Technology Student As-
sociation). Our esteemed (and completely professional) judg-
es were Miss McCormack, Mrs. Leighton and Mr. Artaz.
And the winners were (drumroll please)...Mr. Vogel and
Laura Wiebe!!! The participants were awesome and every-
one had a great time. Thanks to everyone who participated,
and...don’t put your dancing shoes away just yet, it’s been
rumored that Season 2 will be coming during the 2015-2016
school year. Are you ready to Rumba???
Laura Wiebe and Mr. Vogal—our DWTS Champions!!!
Outstanding Senior Chase Brillhart, a senior CTE student, participated in the
Aviation Maintenance Technology/SB 155 pro-
gram for the past two years at WATC. He attend-
ed 360 plus days of classes, over 1200 hours of
instruction and earned 58 college/transcript hours
in the Career Readiness program. When he grad-
uated on May 10, 2015, he gave his Mom the
greatest Mother’s Day gift of all: a high school diploma and
an Associates of Arts/Science (AAS) post-secondary degree
(after completing 6 additional core-college hours this sum-
mer). Congratulations Chase!
Student Internship Projects Here’s the project list from the VCHS Internship Program
(related article is on page 10).
Drew Anderson ........ Virginia L Boyd Accounting/Newton Medical Center Kayla Barton .................. Wesley Medical Center/Newton Medical Center Myles Carter ................................... Valley Drug, Newton Medical Center Pinnacle Rehabilitation Jared Chandler ......................................... NetApp/B2H Marketing Group USD262 Technology Department Arcilia Conrady ................................................ Ark Valley Animal Hospital Wesley Medical Center, Newton Medical Center Wesley Crow ............................USD 262 Instrumental Music Department Brittany Davis .................................................................. 1-800-JUNKPRO Lexi Davis ................................................................ Sedgwick County Zoo Makayla Davis ..................................................... JAVA Salon/SABO Salon Alessandra Garvey ..... Wichita Metro Chamber of Commerce/KAKE News Kristen Hankins ....................................................... Sedgwick County Zoo Mason Orr ..................... Wesley Medical Center/Newton Medical Center Carryn Richter ............... Wesley Medical Center/Newton Medical Center Audrey Ricks ................................................ Via Christie Research Center Brayden Schaffer .......................................................................... NetApp Chance Sowers .......................... USD 262 Physical Education Department Nicole Supernaw ........... Wesley Medical Center/Newton Medical Center Amanda Smith ......... Dr. Tom Troilo, DDS, Children’s Dental Professionals Laramie Unruh ..................USD 262 Music Education, The WATER Center Laura Wiebe ............................................................................. I Do Bridal Mikaila Woods .............. Wesley Medical Center/Newton Medical Center
Chase Brillhart
12 · The Hornet Connection Volume 3, Number 4
The Hornet Connection is published quarterly (school year)
by USD 262 Valley Center Schools
143 S. Meridian Avenue
Valley Center, KS 67147
The editor reserves the right to edit submitted information for content and
space availability. Questions? Contact Janet Staab at 316.755.7000
USD 262 School Board
Brad Barbour Board President
Bart Balthazor Board Member
Richard Harris Board Member
Roger Joyal Board Member
Colin McKenney Board Vice-President
Rhonda Price Board Member
Dave Spears Board President
School Board Meeting Dates
11/10/2014 12/08/2014 01/12/2015
02/09/2015 03/09/2015 04/13/2015
05/11/2015 06/08/2015 06/29/2015
Effective September 30, 2013
all school board agendas
and minutes will be found at:
https://www.boarddocs.com/ks/usd262/
Board.nsf/Public
(Graphic courtesy—maconcountyschools.com)
Emergency Closings and School Delays
During emergencies, it may be necessary to alter the school day with a delay, cancellation or early dismissal. In such cases, the local television stations, KNSW (Channel 3), KAKE (Channel 10), and KWCH (Channel 12), along with local radio stations, and www.kansas.com will be notified by school district officials. You may also check our website, www.usd262.net, Facebook page, Twitter, or the SchoolWay app (Apple/Android devices) for closing or delay information. For the safety of our children, parents are strongly encouraged to have a plan in place in the event of an early dismissal, delay or cancellation. Residents are requested NOT to call any of the television/radio stations or the transportation facility for information. Stations have indicated school closing information will be repeated often.
Notice of Non-Discrimination Valley Center USD 262 does not discriminate on the basis of race, color,
national origin, sex, religion, handicap/disability, or age. Persons having inquiries
may contact the district’s ADA and Section 504 Coordinator,
143 S. Meridian Ave., Valley Center, KS 67147. Telephone: 316.755.7000.
Athletic News (cont.) Ron Barry—Athletic Director
Soccer will have ended the season competing well in league play. Valley Center
will be once again hosting a regional game and are positioning ourselves to have one
of the top seeds in our regional bracket. Coach Danielsen continued the Hornet soc-
cer tradition with another exceptional season!
The Valley Center tennis program has been playing well recently. They were
tournament champions in Topeka and they also took 2nd at the AVCTL League
Tournament. The Hornets have a lot of senior leadership heading into the regional
tournament and Ray Strunk is looking to return to the state tournament for the sec-
ond straight year.
I am pleased to announce that VCHS has been invited to host the 5A Girls State
Tennis tournament on October 16-17, 2015. We are excited for this opportunity and
hope to see our Hornet team competing well that weekend.
Thank you for your continued support of Hornet Athletics! We look forward to
seeing you at post-season play this spring and again in the fall.
Ron Berry
USD 262 Health & Wellness Over 90 USD 262 staff member recently participated in the 2015 Bio-
metric Screening and over 60 staff members attended the cooking and shop-
ping demonstrations.