McDonald County R1 School District

🎉 It’s time to celebrate our amazing Teachers of the Year at McDonald County Schools! Over the next few days, we’ll be highlighting our Teachers of the Year at each school in the district. 🧑‍🏫🧑🏻‍🏫 👏 A big congratulations to Alisen Payette, 5th Grade teacher at White Rock Elementary, for this well-deserved recognition! 🎓 Thank you for your dedication to making a difference in every child, every day, whatever it takes! 🙌 The overall district Teacher of the Year will be announced at a banquet on Thursday, April 20. 🏆 Stay tuned for the big news! ✴️ 🍎👨‍🏫👩‍🏫

🎉 It’s time to celebrate our amazing Teachers of the Year at McDonald County Schools! Over the next few days, we’ll be highlighting our Teachers of the Year at each school in the district. 🧑‍🏫🧑🏻‍🏫 👏 A big congratulations to Rene’ Jennings, 5th Grade teacher at Noel Elementary, for this well-deserved recognition! 🎓 Thank you for your dedication to making a difference in every child, every day, whatever it takes! 🙌 The overall district Teacher of the Year will be announced at a banquet on Thursday, April 20. 🏆 Stay tuned for the big news! ✴️🍎👨‍🏫👩‍🏫

🎉 It’s time to celebrate our amazing Teachers of the Year at McDonald County Schools! Over the next few days, we’ll be highlighting our Teachers of the Year at each school in the district. 🧑‍🏫🧑🏻‍🏫 👏 A big congratulations to Crystal Crust, a Title 1 teacher at Anderson Elementary, for this well-deserved recognition! 🎓 Thank you for your dedication to making a difference in every child, every day, whatever it takes! 🙌 The overall district Teacher of the Year will be announced at a banquet on Thursday, April 20. 🏆 Stay tuned for the big news! ✴️🍎👨‍🏫👩‍🏫

🎉 It’s time to celebrate our amazing Teachers of the Year at McDonald County Schools! Over the next few days, we’ll be highlighting our Teachers of the Year at each school in the district. 🧑‍🏫🧑🏻‍🏫 👏 A big congratulations to Theresa Walthal, Art teacher at McDonald County High School, for this well-deserved recognition! 🎓 Thank you for your dedication to making a difference in every child, every day, whatever it takes! 🙌 The overall district Teacher of the Year will be announced at a banquet on Thursday, April 20. 🏆 Stay tuned for the big news! ✴️ #TeachersOfTheYear #McDonaldCountyHighSchool #awesometeacher #McDonaldCountySchools #MCR1Proud #WeAre1 🍎👨‍🏫👩‍🏫

🎉 Happy National Assistant Principals Week! 🎉 We’re highlighting some of the unsung heroes in McDonald County Schools! 🤩 Assistant Principals play a crucial role in our schools, and we’re 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. 👏 Let’s 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! 🙌 ❤️🍎 🏫👩‍🏫👨‍🏫

📢It’s High Five Friday at Five!🙌🎉 At 5:00 pm 🕔, we’re celebrating five 5️⃣ fantastic accomplishments our amazing students have achieved this week at McDonald County Schools. 👉 Here are our High Fives for this week: ⬇️ 👏A big high five to our McDonald County FFA students who qualified for state competition in nursery and landscaping 🌷🌸🪴 as well as forestry 🌲🌳 ! Good luck to them as they prepare for their next contest!👨‍🌾🏆 👏 Congratulations and high fives to MCHS business students Cheyenne Craddock who received 3rd place🥉 in Marketing, Madi Parker who received 3rd place🥉 in Business Computer Applications, and Elly Wasson who received 2nd place 🥈in Impromptu Speaking at the Crowder College Business Competition! Way to go whiz biz kids! 👩‍💼📈💼 👏Our building trades students in the Skills USA class are competing today in the Missouri State Skills USA Contest! Let’s give a high five to these MCHS students as they hammer 🔨, saw 🪚, wire 🔌, and plumb 🚿 their way to success! 🏆 👏 MCHS band students are tuning up for competitions as well. 🎶 Today several of them are playing at the district instrumental solo and ensemble contest at Missouri Southern State University. 🎷🎺 And the whole band heads to Joplin on Monday for the state contest! ✋High fives to them as they prepare! 🎵🎼 👏 A big high five to the little learners at Pineville Primary for wearing wacky socks for a lesson on Down Syndrome! 🧦🧦 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! 💙💛 Keep up the fantastic work, McDonald County Schools!👍👏

🤖 Robots, 🎢 roller coasters, and 💻 right clicks! 👀 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. 🔬🖥️🧑‍🔬🔢 🌟💻 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. 🌎 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! 💪🏼👩‍🔬👨‍💻 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! ❤️🖤 #STEMeducation #FutureInnovators #MakingADifference #McDonaldCountySchools #MCR1Proud #WeAre1 🙌🏼🌟

🔦🎖️ Shining the spotlight on some of our awesome teachers, programs, and supporters at McDonald County Schools. 🎊 Let’s 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! 🎉 👏 Congratulations to our incredible honorees from McDonald County Schools including: 💫 Board Member Recognition - 10 years + service: Frank Woods 💫 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 💫 Teacher of the Year Recipients: Theresa Walthall, Crystal Crust, Terri Casto, Karen Woods, Bridgett Epperson, Rene’ Jennings, Maggie Johnson, Alison Payette, and Morgan Williams. 💫 Friend of Education: Randy Smith 💫 Making Learning Come Alive, PreK-6th Grade: Art and Culture Night, Noel Elementary; Art Trading Cards, White Rock Elementary 💫 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 💫 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! 🤩 Thank you to these excellent educators and supporters for making a difference in the lives of every child, every day, whatever it takes! ❤️🖤

🎉🎓🚌 It's back to class for McDonald County Schools! 🚌🎓🎉 We hope you've had a great Spring Break 🌸🌞🌊 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! 💪📚🙌

🎯🏹👏🎉 The McDonald County Mustang Archers have hit the mark at the state archery tournament this weekend! Congratulations to the team on an amazing season! 👏 🎉 A special shoutout to Tim Pagel for shooting two perfect 50 rounds, an incredible achievement! 🥇🏆 We also want to recognize and thank our amazing seniors, including 4 four-year commitments! 👋🎓 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! 🌟 #McDonaldCountyHighSchool #MustangArchers #AimHighArchers #OnTarget #StateTournament #Perfect50 #Dedication #HardWorkPaysOff #Proud #Growth #Future #🏹👏🎉🥇🏆👋🎓🌟#MCR1 #WeAre1

📣🌸🌞🎉 HAPPY SPRING BREAK! 🎉🌞🌸📣 Just a quick reminder that McDonald County Schools are out for Spring Break from March 20-24! 🙌🏼🎉 Take some time to relax, have fun, and recharge! 🎉🏖️🌴 We’ll see you back in class on Monday, March 27! 📚👨‍🏫👩‍🏫 🌸🌞🎉

🥧 Happy Pi Day and Einstein's Birthday! 🎉 💫 Did you know that Mrs. Scates' Jr. High Math class at Pineville Elementary celebrated this special day with moon pies 🌙, oatmeal cream pies 🍪, Pi-rate hats and eye patches ☠️, and even created amazing cityscapes using the first 25 digits of pi! 🏙️🤓 🏴‍☠️🧢🌃🏙️ 🧐 But what is Pi and why do we celebrate it? Pi is the mathematical constant representing the ratio of a circle's circumference to its diameter, which is approximately 3.14159. Pi Day is celebrated on March 14th (3/14) every year because the first three digits of pi are 3.14 and to honor this mathematical concept and the achievements of Albert Einstein, who was born on the same day. 🎂🎁🎈 Pi Day is a fun way to celebrate the beauty of math and science and to recognize the important role they play in our lives. 🧮 🔢 📚 We are thrilled to see our students engaging in fun and creative activities while also learning about important mathematical concepts. Keep up the great work, Mrs. Scates' class! 👍 🥳🥧🌌📐 🍪🍰📚🎓

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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