Beginning and Advanced art students got to take a field trip to Lake Idlewild just outside of Waterville. Mrs. Ann Walter gave us a tour and the history of the lake. She also shared exciting plans for upcoming work to be done on the historic lake. Art students were able to set up an outdoor studio and learn how to paint directly from nature!

Pictured left to right: Maddy Hanke, Nora Parker, Tessa Bigham, Lilly Busey, Ann Walter, Celina Weyer, Shaylee Ekstrum, and Dehlyn Martin

It's that time of year again! Join us for the annual Fall Festival hosted by KAYs partnered with BRCAT. Please note the time change from the school calendar, this event has been moved to 4pm! Cannot wait to see all the fun costumes in the costume contest!

Growing up, Grace Holle attended Good Shepherd Lutheran School, and went to high school at Marysville. Graduating as one of three valedictorians, she wanted to inspire others to learn.

Ms. Holle is currently completing a Secondary Education degree in Social Studies from Kansas State University. She is simultaneously student teaching while teaching Kansas history, American history, and World history to 7-10th grade students. “I’ve jumped in the deep end, and I’m going to swim.”

“I think it is important that we not only explain to students WHAT they are learning, but also WHY they are learning it. I try to always relate things back to events that have happened in the recent past or today. It is important to approach issues of today with knowledge of how we handled them in the past.”

The Valley Heights staff and student body were deeply saddened when we learned of the passing of Emma Brungardt this past Saturday morning. Emma was a member of the Class of 2023 here at Valley Heights and was continuing her studies at Colby Community College, where she was a member of the rodeo team. Emma was a terrific young lady, an excellent student, goal oriented and she was willing to put in the effort to chase her dreams! My favorite memory of Emma is when she would ride her horse onto the field, prior to the start of home football games, with the Valley Heights flag soaring behind her! Emma was also very enthusiastic about her involvement with the Mustang Recovery Program and was always willing to share with me her experiences with her beloved horses. Our thoughts and prayers are with her parents, Mike and Holly Brungardt, and their entire family during this time.

Parents – A reminder that the first nine weeks will be completed on October 18th! It is hard to believe that we have already completed the first quarter and will now focus in the 2nd nine weeks and the completion of first semester. Please visit with your child about making sure to stay focused and get all assignments turned in for credit so they end the grading period in a strong fashion. Report cards will be mailed out as soon as we have them finalized!

We wrapped up our fall Student Success Meetings this week! These nights give you, the parents, an opportunity to visit with staff about your child’s progress. During the session the students shared their current grades and Fastbridge scores with their parents and then the parents had the opportunity to visit with all of their child’s teachers if they so wished.

Our fall sports programs are all having very successful seasons! The football team is 4-1 and will host Herington this Friday night. This is also Parent Appreciation Night for football, dance, cheer and cross country! The volleyball team is ranked #5 in Class 2A with a record of 22-6! Our cross-country runners continue to better their personal times and medal at every meet! Our junior high teams are coming off impressive wins over Washington County and hope to continue their recent success this Thursday at Frankfort! The fall season is winding down quickly so make plans to visit us for one of our last few home games.

The Marshall County Health Department will be offering an opportunity for staff and students to get the flu shot or other vaccines on VHHS on October 17th from 7:30 am to 9:00 am. If you are interested in this service for your child they must bring a copy of your insurance card and a properly signed vaccine consent form which can be picked up in our front office!

Our first district Site Council meeting will be held on October 22nd at 6:00 pm in the Waterville Grade School! I have sent letters to those people who have expressed an interest in serving as representatives for the 7-12 building but we are still looking for members. If you are interested please reach out to me at msavage@valleyheights.org. Membership numbers are limited but we would appreciate the opportunity to visit with about serving. We meet quarterly and the meetings we will try to limit the time to one hour!

One last note! Congratulations to senior, Kloee Martin for being selected to perform in the Honors Performance Series as a vocalist. Kloee will now perform at Carnegie Hall in New York City in February. Kloee was nominated for this honor by our music instructor, Ms. Brooklyn Coleman. Great job, Kloee!

Have a great week!

Mr. Savage

The Senior English class with Jenny Yungeberg, is portraying the founders of our constitution for the purpose of learning how our original government was established.

Valley Heights Journalism

October 10, 2024

DIGGING DEEP. The Lady Mustangs are off to a great start to their tournaments this season. They compete at three tournaments during their volleyball season. Starting at the Marysville tournament, then the Riley County tournament, and finally ending with the Axtell tournament. The past few years the Mustangs have had a lot of success at the Axtell tournament. Last year the volleyball girls went 6-0 winning the gold! This season the Mustangs went 4-1 falling just one set short to Hanover. This was a good day for the volleyball team, and there was a lot to learn from their wins and loses.

Article by Ava Smith

Valley Heights High School had a full schedule last week with Homecoming. The student body was busy voting for king and queen candidates, dressing up for spirit week, and decorating their floats. On top of that, the Mustang Magic Drill Team was preparing their dance for halftime of the Friday night football game. The girls danced to the song “Crazy Train” for their performance. Senior Haily Stoudt, is a captain of the drill team. When asking Haily how much they prepare for a dance she said, “We have practice every Monday and Thursday morning and when we are ready, we run our dance through on the football field.”

Senior Tessa Miller, who is also a captain, said that her favorite part about being on the team is showing talent, expression, and her love for dance.

Article by Maddy Hanke

Valley Heights FFA is excited to kick off its annual Seitz meat, fruit, cookie, gifts, and more fundraiser! This fundraiser offers a wide variety of products, from delicious meats and fresh fruits to tasty cookies and unique gift items, making it the perfect opportunity for everyone to support the chapter. Proceeds from the fundraiser help fund FFA activities, competitions, leadership development, and community service projects. By participating, you're not only getting great products but also supporting the growth and success of Valley Heights FFA members. Thank you for your continued support! Please find your nearest FFA Member to place your order!!

There is whole new system this year to make it easy to see prints and packages and order online! Be sure and subscribe here to be informed when your pics are ready to purchase!

Blue Rapids, KS 66411

785-363-2508

Principal-Mike Savage

Athletic Director-Jordan Broxterman

1. Come to the HS office between 8am and 4pm

2. Email msavage@valleyheights.org

3. Call the office (785)363-2508

Email: vhhs@valleyheights.org
Website: valleyheights.org
Phone: (785)363-2508
Facebook: facebook.com/vhusd498
Twitter: @usd498