Waynesville R-VI School District

This summer six Waynesville High School juniors have earned all-expenses-paid trips through essay competitions sponsored by the Laclede Electric Cooperative, showcasing their talent and leadership among Missouri’s youth. Carson Sutphin will represent Waynesville High School on the Missouri Youth Tour to Washington, D.C., in June 2025, while Ellyia Bagby, Abbegale Brownfield, Alexis Good and Eve and Ivy Smith will attend the Cooperative Youth Conference and Leadership Experience (CYCLE) in Jefferson City in July 2025. The Missouri Youth Tour, organized by the Association of Missouri Electric Cooperatives, brings more than 100 Missouri high school juniors to Washington for a week of leadership development and civic engagement. Sutphin’s winning essay, addressing what makes a great leader, earned him a spot among nearly 2,000 students nationwide. They will visit the U.S. Capitol, Smithsonian Museums and historic monuments while learning about electric cooperatives’ community impact. The CYCLE program, a four-day conference in Jefferson City, immerses high school juniors in Missouri’s state government and cooperative model. The five essays of Bagby, Brownfield, Good and both Smiths, highlighting their various takes and experiences with leadership, secured their place among Missouri’s brightest young leaders. They will engage with nationally known speakers, tour the State Capitol, and participate in a mock legislative session. “All six of these students exemplify the dedication and leadership of our students,” said Laura Steinbrink, their AP Language and Composition teacher at Waynesville High School. “Their essays reflect a deep understanding of community and leadership, and we’re thrilled they’ll represent Waynesville and Pulaski County in these prestigious programs.” #wayschools

Lauryn Lercher and Grey Landreth, students from Waynesville High School, had their speeches read on the Floor of the U.S. House of Representatives after being named two of the six finalists in the 2025 MO-04 Congressional Speech Competition, hosted by Congressman Mark Alford. Their one-minute speeches addressed the prompt, “What does it mean to stand for freedom? America’s role in promoting freedom both at home and abroad.” On June 3, 2025, Alford’s office shared the links (below) to the speeches being read aloud of all six top finalists from the 4th District. Landreth’s speech begins at approximately 1:10 and Lercher’s speech begins at approximately 2:15 in the videos at these links: YouTube: https://youtu.be/znAww7UsAZE?si=MlKJibyyAZgQaTNz Downloadable link: https://veed.io/view/8080cae5-a2c7-4a0b-979d-2aea296b4cff The competition, open to high school students across Missouri’s 4th Congressional District, invited submissions of 110-word speeches to promote patriotism and civic engagement. Spanning 24 counties and approximately 85–120 high schools, the district encompasses diverse communities from Columbia to Kansas City’s suburbs. Alford, in announcing the 2025 competition, emphasized its role in “rebuilding and reinstituting patriotism in our great nation.” He and his staff reviewed submissions to select the top speeches, with Lercher and Landreth earning recognition for their compelling perspectives. “We are incredibly proud of Lauryn and Grey for representing our school and Pulaski County on a national stage,” said Laura Steinbrink, their AP Language and Composition teacher. “Their achievement reflects the talent and dedication of our students in studying rhetoric this year.” #wayschools

Waynesville R-VI librarians are bringing the Tiger Book Express to Waynesville and St. Robert parks this summer for children in PreK to 6th grades to check out a book, beginning June 9. “This is an opportunity to put books in the hands of our community during the summer while we are not in school,” said Cassie Wilson, library media specialist at East Elementary. The Tiger Book Express will offer the opportunity: · Check out a book for free from the Waynesville R-VI School District o (Show up, sign in, choose a book, check it out) · Listen to a guest reader (when available) · Visit with one of your favorite Waynesville R-VI librarians When you’re finished reading the book, you may return the book to the book mobile at a later date. There are also return bins located outside the main entrances of East Elementary and Freedom Elementary. While the Tiger Book Express is being brought to the community by Waynesville R-VI librarians, it is open to the public. At the Waynesville City Park, the book express will be located next to a pavilion near the playground. At the St. Robert City Park, the book express will be next to the playground and pavilion just off of Historic Route 66. The dates and times (weather permitting) for the Tiger Book Express are as follows: · June 9 Waynesville Park: 4 to 6 p.m. · June 12 Waynesville Park: 4 to 6 p.m. · June 16 Waynesville Park: 4 to 6 p.m. · June 19 St. Robert Park: 4 to 6 p.m. · June 23 Waynesville Park: 4 to 6 p.m. · June 26 St. Robert Park: 4 to 6 p.m. · June 30 Waynesville Park: 9 a.m. to noon · July 7 Waynesville Park: 9 a.m. to noon · July 10 St. Robert Park: 9 a.m. to noon · July 14 Waynesville Park: 9 a.m. to noon · July 17 St. Robert Park: 9 a.m. to noon · July 21 Waynesville Park: 9 a.m. to noon · July 24 St. Robert Park: 9 a.m. to noon · July 28 Waynesville Park: 9 a.m. to noon · July 31 St. Robert Park: 9 a.m. to noon · Aug. 4 Waynesville Park: 9 a.m. to noon · Aug. 7 St. Robert Park: 9 a.m. to noon All dates are weather permitting. Please check the district’s Facebook page for cancellations. #wayschools

Sixth grade summer school students tried out the marshmallow problem-solving building challenge in their STEM class. The students have to build the tallest free-standing structure from some spaghetti sticks, tape and string and place one whole marshmallow on the top. #wayschools

ATTN: Returning Students Yearly registration for returning students will open on Wednesday, June 4, 2025. Primary parents/guardians will be receiving an EMAILcontaining a SNAPCODE link for each student already enrolled in the Waynesville R-VI School District, including students who started in June 2024 for summer school. Once you receive the email (check your inbox and/or your spam folder on Wednesday), click the SNAPCODE link to access the yearly registration forms. You will receive a separate email for each of your students. Click on https://core-docs.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/documents/asset/uploaded_file/4597/WRV/3945776/Returning_Student_Parent_Registration.pdf for step by step instructions on how to complete registration for returning students. #WaySchools

Save the date(s) Sept. 5: Military Appreciation Night & Senior Night for Cheer Sept. 19: Tiger Festival of Nations, Future Cheer and Youth Football Night Oct. 3: Homecoming Oct 24: Senior Night for Band and Football

Last chance to sign up for free meals for kids on June 13 and June 20 If you haven't already done so, you may still REGISTER to pick up FREE MEALS for children ages birth to 18 on June 13 and June 20 at https://forms.gle/V4jtfwCx1CHEvDoKA. **** If you have already registered your students for these meals and/or on June 6, please disregard this message. **** ______________________________________ NOTES: Registration closes at 8 a.m. Monday, June 9, to sign up for the meals on June 13 and 20. There are no income guidelines for these meals for children ages birth to 18. ____________________ DETAILS: OPAA! and Waynesville R-VI Schools are partnering to provide free meals through a drive-through service at Freedom Elementary. All children in the community ages birth to 18 are eligible to receive the meals at Freedom; however, they must register in advance at https://forms.gle/V4jtfwCx1CHEvDoKA. The meals will be available through a drive-through service at Freedom between 12 and 1 p.m. on June 6 (Registration has closed for this date.) June 13 (Registration will close at 8 a.m. on June 9.) June 20 (Registration will close at 8 a.m. on June 9.) · Each bag will contain two breakfasts and two lunches for each child who has registered through the brief Google form at link above. ____________________________ Frequently asked questions 1. Are there income guidelines for this program? a. No. All children ages birth to 18 are eligible. 2. Does my child have to be enrolled in summer school to be eligible for this program? a. No. This program is open to the community. 3. Do I have to fill out the form each week? a. No. Please indicate on the form which Fridays you will be picking up the meals. 4. How is this program being funded and why is it being offered? a. The Federal Government is funding this program and OPAA! volunteered to participate so that families in our community could receive the meals. Children are most hungry during the summer months when regular school is not in session and OPAA! is partnering with Waynesville R-VI schools to help ensure that children have food on the weekends during summer school. ____________________________________________ If the link above does not work, please copy and paste the following into your browser: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSd1JNhYxU4yq7a3otBubOx1XHqDJtf6xc94e--XrISUVOcjLw/viewform?fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTAAYnJpZBExbzZhdTU3OUdhUHB4d3U1OAEeJ_aYeri_FcXy1NxEm92ZirtDreJaqKYJYd1EBQS2Rsq1Su_bU6lP59ix-Bc_aem_9GyAdqLD2mcPx2gw9r7wFw #WaySchools #OPAA!

The Waynesville R-VI School District will offer a week-long STEMKAMP on Aug. 4-8, 2025, for students who will be entering grades 6-8 for the 2025-26 school year. A grant from the Department of Defense STEM (Science Technology Engineering Math) is providing funds for the STEMKAMP. To register for the camp, please go to https://stemkamp.net/camps and look for the Waynesville R-VI tiger logo. What is STEMKAMP? STEMKAMP is a 5-day summer STEM camp for 6th-8th graders. STEMKAMP provides three days of hands-on, minds-engaged, low-tech STEM activities, one day of a field experience and a final Family Day where parents and community partners come together to provide a climactic ending to the STEMKAMP week. To register or learn more please visit: https://stemkamp.net/camps FAQ's Will lunch be provided? Students must bring their lunch, but snacks will be provided. Will transportation be provided? Transportation will not be provided. What is the general schedule for camp? Drop off is 8:45 - 9:00 a.m. Camp runs 9:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m. Pick up is at 3:00 p.m. What should my child wear to camp each day? Campers should wear comfortable clothing which will allow them to participate in a wide variety of activities. Campers will be participating in hands-on experiments that may include items such as: food coloring, markers, chalk, oil, etc. Please make sure that what your child wears is okay to get dirty, or even stained. May cell phones be used at camp? Cell phones are not to be used during camp except in an emergency to speak with parents/guardians. While we prefer campers not to bring any electronic devices to camp, we understand the security a cell phone may provide; however, phones should not be out during camp hours. Please make sure your child is familiar with our cell phone policy prior to attending camp. May parents/guardians observe their child during the camp sessions? To keep disruptions to a minimum, we ask that parents and guardians not come into the camp during camp hours from 9am - 3pm. Family Day, on the last day of camp, is the perfect time for parents and guardians to visit camp, observe and participate with their child(ren) during the day’s programming. Parents, guardians, and community supporters are invited to attend Family Day. HISTORY: STEMKAMP came about when Goshen Consulting received a $2.8 million grant from the U.S. Department of Defense STEM National Defense Education Program (DOD NDEP) to begin STEMKAMP as a multi-state rollout of a successful STEM camp framework to 10 military-connected school districts in 2020. DoDSTEM funded the program with the intent of reaching up to 3,750 students in order to give these students a better understanding of current STEM careers, help them develop basic engineering skills, give them practice with higher-order thinking skills, and help them gain the self-confidence and motivation to continue on paths toward STEM careers.

Waynesville High School students are competing at the State Track Meet today (May 30, 2025) and tomorrow (May 31) in Jefferson City. The following are competing today in these events: Brandon Jackson High Jump Daniel Hightower Henton 400 and 4x400 Leland Wright Pole Vault Destany Oster Pole Vault A'Nyyah Tollison Long Jump Caleb Hansen 4x400 Rashaud Joshway 4x400 Evertt Rinck 4x400 Photos by Connie Feighery, journalism/sports information teacher at WHS.

New student enrollment is open! https://www.waynesville.k12.mo.us/o/wrv/page/enrollment-registration

Save the date! Students in grades 4, 5 and 6 may try out for the Waynesville R-VI VOICES Honor Choir at Freedom Elementary during one of either of these days: · 4 to 6 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 27 · 4 to 6 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 3 Please ask your building music teacher for details. #wayschools

Please be patient as there will be increased traffic in the area around Waynesville Middle School during summer school, beginning Thursday, May 29, 2025. Both WMS and Waynesville High School students will attend summer school at WMS, while major HVAC renovations are being made at the high school. Summer School will be May 29-June 26. There will be no summer school on June 19 in celebration of Juneteenth. Summer School hours are 7:25 a.m. to 1:55 p.m. Students may be dropped off beginning at 7:05 a.m. #wayschools

Summer school begins on Thursday!

All schools and offices are closed on Monday, May 25, 2025, in observance of Memorial Day. #WaySchools

Waynesville High School will host the track and field Sectionals tomorrow (Saturday, May 24, 2025) at Tiger Stadium with winners advancing to State. Gates for the Class 4 and 5 Section 3 MSHSAA Track and Field Championship will open at 8:30 a.m. Admission is $10 per person. Passes may not be used for this Sectional event. Districts were held last week at Parkview High School and these WHS students qualified to compete at Sectionals, based on these results: · Lenayah Thomas 1st Place 4 x 100 relay, 2nd Place 4 x 200 relay · A'Nyyah Tollison 1st Place 4 x 100 relay, 2nd Place 4 x 200 relay, 3rd Place Long Jump, 3rd Place 100 meter dash · Madison Roberts 1st Place 4 x 100 relay, 2nd Place 4 x 200 relay, 1st Place 100 meter dash · Lexi Bigelow 1st Place 4 x 100 relay, 2nd Place 4 x 200 relay · Daniel Hightower-Henton 1st Place 400 meter dash, 1st Place 4 x 400 relay · Anthony Jones 2nd Place 4 x 200 relay · Steven Garland 2nd Place 4 x 200 relay, 3rd Place 4 x 100 relay · Everett Rinck 1st Place 4 x 400 relay, 2nd Place 4 x 200 relay · Caleb Hansen 1st Place 4 x 400 relay, 2nd Place 4 x 200 relay · Rashad Joshway 1st Place 4 x 400 relay, 3rd Place 4 x 100 relay · MJ Greene 3rd Place 4 x 100 relay · Michael Kelsey 3rd Place 4 x 100 relay · Brandon Jackson 1st Place High Jump · Leland Wright 1st Place Pole Vault · Aden Maust 4th Place Pole Vault · Destiny Oster 4th Place Pole Vault Please see the attached schedule for Sectional event times. Waynesville High School is located at 200 G.W. Lane Street in Waynesville, Mo. #wayschools

Last day of school is today The last day of school for the 2024-25 school year for students in grades K-11 is today, Friday, May 23, 2025. Students will dismiss early on May 23 as follows: - Noon Grades 6-12 dismiss - 12:45 p.m. Parker dismisses - 1 p.m. Grades K-5 dismiss There are no afternoon sessions at Williams ______________________ All schools and buildings will be closed on Monday, May 26, 2025, in observance of Memorial Day. ______________________ Summer School is May 29 - June 26. There will be no school on June 19 in observance of Juneteenth. ______________________ The first day of school for the 2025-26 school year is Aug. 18. The 2025-26 school year calendar is at https://core-docs.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/documents/asset/uploaded_file/4597/WRV/5126636/25-26_School_Year_Calendar.pdf #WaySchools

REGISTER to pick up FREE MEALS for children ages birth to 18 Registration will close at 2:30 p.m. today to register for meals for pick up on May 30. OPAA! and Waynesville R-VI Schools are partnering to provide free meals through a drive-through service on four Fridays (May 30, June 6, June 13, and June 20) at Freedom Elementary. All children in the community ages birth to 18 are eligible to receive the meals at Freedom; however, they must register in advance at https://forms.gle/V4jtfwCx1CHEvDoKA. The meals will be available through a drive-through service at Freedom between 12 and 1 p.m. on May 30 June 6 June 13 June 20 ____________________________________________ Details · The meals will be available on the following Fridays: May 30, June 6, June 13, and June 20. Please indicate on the form which Fridays you will be available to pick up the meals. · All families will pick up their meals at Freedom Elementary between noon and 1 p.m. · Each bag will contain two breakfasts and two lunches for each child who has registered through the brief Google form at link above. ____________________________________________ Frequently asked questions 1. Are there income guidelines for this program? a. No. All children ages birth to 18 are eligible. 2. Does my child have to be enrolled in summer school to be eligible for this program? a. No. This program is open to the community. 3. Do I have to fill out the form each week? a. No. Please indicate on the form which Fridays you will be picking up the meals. 4. How is this program being funded and why is it being offered? a. The Federal Government is funding this program and OPAA! volunteered to participate so that families in our community could receive the meals. Children are most hungry during the summer months when regular school is not in session and OPAA! is partnering with Waynesville R-VI schools to help ensure that children have food on the weekends during summer school. #WaySchools #OPAA

Parker Preschool held its graduation ceremony on May 20, 2025, at the Parker Educational Center. #wayschools

The Red Cross partnered with the Waynesville R-VI School District to provide emergency preparedness in a fun and educational way to 1st graders in May 2025. Each 1st grader received a “Prepare with Pedro” story book, which has a safety checklist that families can use to learn and repeat safety preparedness actions together. #wayschools

Waynesville R-VI Superintendent Hilary Bales presented Bridget Plummer with the school district’s coin during the Board of Education meeting on May 19, 2025, making Plummer just the 32nd person to ever receive the coin in the district’s history. “She makes everything she touches better – in both big and small ways,” Bales said. “We have been blessed to have her as a partner of our school district for the past couple of years.” Plummer, who serves as School Liaison Officer and Command Representative to the Waynesville R-VI Board of Education, also was recognized with a Missouri House of Representatives Resolution by State Rep. Bill Hardwick. Plummer and her family will be moving soon to their next duty station in Hawaii. “My only hope is that you will continue to do this good work somewhere in the nation because it is needed,” Bales said. “You have made such a difference in our families’ lives, our kids’ lives and our administrators’ lives in our school district.” Plummer received a standing ovation for her outstanding service to military families. #wayschools