Waynesville Middle School

Dunning to head Waynesville Middle School; Palmer to be WMS assistant principal Brent Dunning, the assistant principal of Waynesville Middle School, will become the head principal of Waynesville Middle School, effective July 1, 2025. He will fill the vacancy created by Brian Vernon who will become head principal of Waynesville High School. April Palmer, the interim principal at Fort Irwin Middle School in Fort Irwin, Calif., will become an assistant principal at WMS to fill the vacancy created by Dunning moving to head principal. “I am looking forward to continuing to develop positive and collaborative relationships that lead to increased student achievement,” Dunning said. “Middle school is such a critical time in a student’s life, and I’m committed to creating a safe, supportive and engaging environment where every student can thrive—both academically and personally.” Dunning has served as the assistant principal at WMS since 2024, and prior to that was an assistant principal at Parkview High School. He is a former special education teacher and coach. Dunning holds a bachelor’s in communications from Missouri State, a master’s in special education from Drury, a master’s in educational administration from Missouri State and is pursuing a doctorate degree from Liberty University. Prior to serving as the interim principal at Fort Irwin Middle School, Palmer served as a special education RSP teacher/admin designee. She also has served as a 6th-8th grade special education teacher and an elementary teacher. Palmer earned her bachelor’s degree in human development/English and a master’s in teaching curriculum at Azusa Pacific University and a master’s in educational leadership at Western Governors University. “I am passionate about fostering academic excellence, building strong relationships with students, staff, and families and driving continuous improvement within the school community,” Palmer said. “I am passionate about inspiring students and educators to reach their fullest potential while promoting a culture of respect, innovation and lifelong learning.”

🎶🎺 Middle School Band Shines in Strafford! 🎺🎶 On April 16th & 17th, our middle school band students traveled to Strafford, MO to perform their prepared pieces for a panel of judges—and they did an amazing job! Each group received top marks and helpful feedback from experienced professionals. We’re so proud of their hard work and dedication! Check out their incredible results: WMS Beginning Band: GOLD Tiger Pride Advanced Band: GOLD Tiger Winds and Percussion: GOLD Want to hear these awesome performances in person? Come to our Spring Band & Choir Concert on April 28th at the middle school! Choir starts at 6:00 PM Band takes the stage around 7:00 PM Come out and support these talented young musicians!

Here is the WMS Athletic schedule for the week. Go Tigers!!

There will be no school in the Waynesville R-VI School District on Friday, April 18, 2025. All offices will be closed on April 18 as well.

Waynesville R-VI will host a Kindergarten Kickoff at 5:30 p.m. on May 2, 2025, at the Parker Educational Center. This is for parents of students who will be going into kindergarten this fall. Future kindergartners are welcome to attend as well. Please see the flyer for more details. #wayschools

Gomez shares online dangers & tips for parents to help protect their children Officer David Gomez – a nationally renowned speaker – shared information about how easy it is for adult predators and/or people who want to cause harm to become “friends” with students on social media, citing incidents from his undercover experiences. He also spoke of the dangers of those “relationships” during his public presentation on April 14, 2025, at Waynesville High School. Gomez also shared startling details about the nicotine content and progression of the vape industry over the past decade. He shared that because of their candy-like flavorings, people are deceived about the harmful effects of vaping. “Even when students want to stop, they often need help because of the levels of nicotine they have been inhaling,” Gomez said. Also during his discussion about drugs, Gomez showed the slang words and emojis that drug dealers use to communicate both the kind and the quantity they have available frequently on social media. In addition to speaking with the public, Gomez spoke with middle and high school students earlier in the day about how to protect themselves online, the dangers of vaping and how to ask for help for themselves and for friends in need. Gomez promotes updates on new trends predators use on social media and drug trends on his own social media. His Facebook page is @deputygomez and both his Instagram and Youtube accounts are @officergomez. Videos of some of his previous presentations are available online. ______________________ What can parents do? During his presentation, Gomez recommended these best practices: 1) No wifi devices in bedrooms, including cell phones and Chromebooks. (He recommends buying your child a separate alarm clock.) 2) Cell phone checks (parents should check to see what’s on their child’s cell phone.) 3) No private messaging of random adults 4) Set a screen time and stick to it 5) Fewer than 200 friends on any given app

National Speaker David Gomez spoke with Waynesville Middle School students this morning about how to protect themselves online, the dangers of vaping and how to ask for help. He will be speaking to parents and the community at 6 p.m. tonight (April 14), about how to protect children from becoming victims online and provide info about the “normalization” of drug use on social media. This event is free and open to the public at Waynesville High School Auditorium. #wayschools

To show support for military children, please wear purple on April 15 for Purple Up Day.

Here is the WMS Athletic schedule for the week. Go Tigers!!

Monday night! 6 p.m. WHS Auditorium Officer David Gomez – a nationally renowned speaker – wants the community to know how to protect children from becoming victims online. Gomez will speak at 6 p.m. Monday, April 14, 2025, in the Waynesville High School Auditorium. This event is free of charge, open to the public

Waynesville Middle School students celebrated April being the Month of the Military Child on April 9, 2025, with custard sundaes, courtesy of the USO and Culvers. USO volunteers and staff helped serve the students. Each year the USO Missouri partners with Culver’s to give away custard sundaes to students and staff in Waynesville R-VI School schools in celebration of the Month of the Military Child. About 60 to 70 percent of all Waynesville R-VI students are military impacted. #wayschools

Thank you to all of our volunteers. Waynesville R-VI's volunteers were recognized for their dedication and support in every area from classroom assistance to extracurricular activities during the Annual Volunteer Banquet on April 8, 2025, at the Waynesville Career Center. Waynesville Mayor Sean Wilson served as the keynote speaker. Volunteers were recognized by their building leaders, along with the Partners in Education (military units who volunteer with our schools), WayConnect Mentors, Partners on Patrol, PTO volunteers, the Community Based Instruction classes, Snack in a Pack volunteers and donors, and other district volunteers. The President's Volunteer Service Awards were awarded for those with more than 100 volunteers, including AmeriCorps members. (AmeriCorps is the federal agency for national service and volunteerism.) The Partners in Education (PIE Partners) that were recognized, included the following: DENTAC & MEDDAC & GLWACH, WECC 31st Engineer Battalion, East Elementary 84th Chemical Battalion, Freedom Elementary 2-10 Infantry Battalion, Partridge Elementary 1-48th Infantry Battalion, Thayer Elementary 35th Engineer Battalion, Thayer Elementary Air Force 368th Training Squadron, Wood Elementary 795th Military Police Battalion, WSGC 701st Military Police Battalion, WMS, Parker Education Center US Navy Detachment; Alternative Education Program 787th Military Police Battalion, WHS / WCC Receiving special recognition were WayConnect Mentors, Snack In A Pack, Stephanie Peace’s Community Based Instruction (CBI) classes and Jade Jones and Jill Kelly. Superintendent Hilary Bales presented the President’s Volunteer Service Awards as follows: Bronze 100-249 Volunteer Hours Ingrid Sundquist (101+ Volunteer Hours) Kathy Mellecker (119+ Volunteer Hours) Donna Brashear (120+ Volunteer Hours) Memrie Schrump (221+ Volunteer Hours) Whitney Worley (125+ Volunteer Hours) Mary Hoare (129+ Volunteer Hours) Sheree DeWitt (148+ Volunteer Hours) Nina Bergmark (193+ Volunteer Hours) Silver 250-499 Volunteer Hours Pamela Tetreault (390+ Volunteer Hours) Angela Brown (250+ Volunteer Hours) Lastanton Neal (250+ Volunteer Hours) Gold 500 or More Volunteer Hours Jade Jones (2745+ Volunteer Hours) Jill Kelly (2126+ Volunteer Hours About the President’s Awards In 2003, the President’s Council on Service and Civic Participation founded the President’s Volunteer Service Award to recognize the important role of volunteers in America’s strength and national identity. This award honors individuals whose service positively impacts communities in every corner of the nation and inspires those around them to take action, too. The PVSA has continued under each administration, honoring the volunteers who are using their time and talents to solve some of the toughest challenges facing our nation. Led by AmeriCorps and managed in partnership with Points of Light, this program allows Certifying Organizations to recognize their most exceptional volunteers. The Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates the value of volunteer time to be $28.54 per hour, and through their service, Americans invest billions in their local communities – to say nothing of the immeasurable impact volunteers have on others and the character of their communities. Presidential recognition is a tremendous honor. Even though our volunteers do not seek recognition, their example can deliver a powerful message that encourages others to take action.

Sirens may be sounding in the morning as Special Olympians arrive at Tiger Stadium on the Waynesville High School campus on Friday, April 11, 2025.

Officer David Gomez – a nationally renowned speaker – wants the community to know how to protect children from becoming victims online. Gomez will speak at 6 p.m. Monday, April 14, 2025, in the Waynesville High School Auditorium. This event is free of charge, open to the public and is being sponsored by: · Pulaski County Opioid Committee · City of Waynesville · Four Rivers Community Health Center · Waynesville RV-I Foundation Gomez will share what he has learned as a law enforcement officer who has operated multiple undercover social media accounts to arrest predators and track down missing children. He will also speak about the dangers of social media, normalization of drugs in social media, and the influence of drugs and alcohol on the youth population. You can find Gomez educating others on YouTube, giving a Ted Talk, positively influencing youth in his hometown, and traveling the country helping youth (and parents) make better choices about digital devices and drugs and alcohol.

Here is the WMS Athletic Schedule for the week. Go Tigers!!

From our Athletics Office: Several athletic events/contests for Friday, April 4, and Saturday, April 5, are cancelled. This includes the following: - Lebanon Track & Field Cancelled 4/4 - Girls Soccer at Parkview SW Shootout Cancelled 4/4-4/5 - W.I.N. (6th-8th grade) Flag Football Cancelled 5/5 _____________________________________ Additionally, activity buses will not run tonight, 4/4. There will be no Middle School Practices, 4/4. _____________________________________ Only WHS baseball will practice at the high school until 4:45 p.m. 4/4

Chris Gamello visited Waynesville Middle School during Tiger Time to talk with students about having a career in public broadcasting on April 1, 2025. In addition to sharing his educational journey, Gamello encouraged students to work on their word pronunciation now since it can help them in a future career and in public speaking. This is what students said about his presentation: “His profession does interest me since he got to watch many different types of sports”.(Rayven) “He talked about why he does the things that he loves. It’s important to do what you like so you can enjoy life more. His career would interest me because I like to talk”. (Brianna S.). #wayschools

Officer David Gomez – a nationally renowned speaker – wants the community to know how to protect children from becoming victims online. Gomez will speak at 6 p.m. Monday, April 14, 2025, in the Waynesville High School Auditorium. This event is free of charge, open to the public and is being sponsored by: • Pulaski County Opioid Committee • City of Waynesville • Four Rivers Community Health Center • Waynesville R-VI Foundation Gomez will share what he has learned as a law enforcement officer who has operated multiple undercover social media accounts to arrest predators and track down missing children. He will also speak about the dangers of social media, normalization of drugs in social media, and the influence of drugs and alcohol on the youth population. You can find Gomez educating others on YouTube, giving a Ted Talk, positively influencing youth in his hometown, and traveling the country helping youth (and parents) make better choices about digital devices and drugs and alcohol.

Officer David Gomez – a nationally renowned speaker – wants the community to know how to protect children from becoming victims online. Gomez will speak at 6 p.m. Monday, April 14, 2025, in the Waynesville High School Auditorium. This event is free of charge, open to the public and is being sponsored by: • Pulaski County Opioid Committee • City of Waynesville • Four Rivers Community Health Center • Waynesville R-VI Foundation Gomez will share what he has learned as a law enforcement officer who has operated multiple undercover social media accounts to arrest predators and track down missing children. He will also speak about the dangers of social media, normalization of drugs in social media, and the influence of drugs and alcohol on the youth population. You can find Gomez educating others on YouTube, giving a Ted Talk, positively influencing youth in his hometown, and traveling the country helping youth (and parents) make better choices about digital devices and drugs and alcohol.

WMS Tiger Baseball falls to Lebanon 11-5 in the first game of the night. The B game is up next.