The Hurricane InsEYEder will give you a look into the Hurricane. We hope you'll take a few minutes to catch up and stay connected.

You can catch up on news from our last regular meeting in the January 2025 Board Corner Report (doc). The full minutes from the meeting will be posted on the district website after the next regular meeting on February 24, 2025 at Holmes Elementary at 6:00 PM. Regular, special, and subcommittee meetings for 2025 will be posted on our website's Board Meetings page and announced in our website news feed (home page).

Mr. Dettwiller is a full-fledged Hurricane now! At the January meeting, the Board of Education approved the employment of Tim Dettwiller as Superintendent of Wilmington City Schools with a 2 year contract (Aug 1, 2025 through July 31, 2027)! Mr. Dettwiller has been serving as Interim Superintendent for the current school year.

"I am privileged and honored to be the Superintendent for Wilmington CIty Schools through the 2026-2027 school year. I look forward to facing the many challenges in education together with our community and school staff. I also look forward to sharing all the great accomplishments our students and staff will achieve as well as the fun times that lie ahead. Thank you to the Board of Education for the confidence in me to be your Superintendent moving forward! "It's a Great Day to be a Hurricane!" - Tim Dettwiller, Supt.

We're trying something new this year - approving school calendars for 2 years instead of 1! We hope this will help our WCS families make plans around the school year. The Board-approved calendars for both 2025-26 and 2026-27 are available at wilmingtoncityschools.com/calendars.

Here's what has been happening around the District in the last month!

Congratulations to our WMS December Students of the Month! These students work hard everyday to be responsible, respectful, and safe while maintaining high academic GPAs. Keep up the great work! Congratulations to Aiden Lupu, Phaelin Earich, Ryan Rudduck, Kylee Burley, Lila Wagenseller, Jensen Mueller, Lee Rethmel, Mia Groves, Joy Ledford, Brady Roe, Addi Deamer, Jaspar Jones, Katie Smith, and Nevaeh Groves!

The Middle School also released their 2nd Quarter Honor Roll. Be sure to check out the list in the Wilmington News Journal! Congratulations to this outstanding group of students!

We are #HurricaneProud of our students and staff recognized at the recent C4 awards, hosted by the Wilmington-Clinton County Chamber of Commerce and the Clinton County Convention and Visitors Bureau. The C4 award program recognizes Clinton County Community Champions each year. At the event on January 24th Troy Diels (AD - Education category), Marty Beaugard Sr (BOE member - Citizen category), and Elle Martin (WHS student - Youth category) were among the award winners recognized. Also nominated were WCS staff members Steve (WHS) and Tammy Reed, Elexis Wiederhold (Holmes Preschool), and Karen Heslop (WCS sub). We are so proud of all of them for the positive impact they are having in our schools and in our community.

Here is the Hurricane Forecast of upcoming events! Grab your calendars.

Check out our events for February 2025 (doc). Remember to always double-check the online calendars before heading out to an event in case there are changes to the schedule. Below are a few highlights.

• 2/11 Band Club Mtg (WHS, 7pm)
• 2/17 Presidents' Day (no school)
• 2/20 WMS/WHS Parent/Teacher Conferences
• 2/20 WHS Freshman Parent Night 6-7pm (Current 8th going into 9th 2025-26)
• 2/24 BOE Regular mtg (Holmes, 6pm)
• 2/28 WMS/WHS Early Release at 12:45pm (Denver/Holmes regular release time)

Check the Athletic Schedule website for our athletics contests.

February 3-7 is National School Counseling Week. At WCS, we employ 7 school counselors. While their roles vary from building to building, they all have one thing in common - they love helping our students thrive and grow!

Our School Counselors are:

• WHS: Mary Groves, Tammy Martin, and Tyler Williams
• WMS: Marshal Amon and Rachel Wilson
• Denver: Brook McCoy
• Holmes: Aimee Stemley

February 15th is School Resource Officer (SRO) Appreciation Day! At WCS, we appreciate our SRO, Officer Logan, every day. Throughout the District, Officer Logan Schroer develops positive connections with students, staff, and WCS families, provides an added layer of security in our schools, and helps to ensure a safe learning environment for our students. Officer Logan is a valuable resource for our schools, and we truly appreciate his positive impact on our school community.

Don't forget that WMS/WHS students will be released at 12:45 on February 28th. The early release will allow us to clear our buses and students from the WHS and WMS buildings and parking lots before District Wrestling Tournament participants and spectators begin arriving, ensuring the safety of our students. Denver and Holmes will release at their regular time on that day.

... Mary Poppins! Get your tickets now for the next outstanding WHS Theatre production. Get ready for high energy choreography and memorable songs like Step in Time, Jolly Holiday, and supercalifragilisticexpialidocious. We can't wait to see you at the show!

Performance details are:

• March 6, 7, and 8 at 7:00pm
• Sunday, March 9 at 2:00pm
• All seats are $12.00. Tickets can be reserved using the link below.
  

Track our progress and see what we've been up to at WCS in our Hurricane Tracking section.

February is Career and Technical Education Month® (CTE). We are proud to offer our students a variety of CTE courses at WCS.

• Agricultural Education and thriving FFA program
• Engineering (Project Lead the Way) - Available to students in 8th-12th grade through our partnership with Great Oaks
• Coming soon... Junior ROTC program!

Thank you to our CTE teachers for helping our students prepare for their next steps after graduation!

• Matt Younker, WHS VoAg Teacher and FFA leader
• Ronda Smucz, WHS Project Lead the Way teacher
• Chris Huelsman, WMS Project Lead the Way teacher

Stephanie Butler, our Career Development Coach, has hit the ground running! Whether a student plans to go to college, enter the military, attend a trade school, or jump straight into the workforce, they must develop the skills necessary for success.

Mrs. Butler has been working with our WHS Guidance Counselors, Principals, and District Administration to create a Future Ready program that incorporates 3 Es:

• Exposure: Students are exposed to a variety of career options
• Education: We educate students on the path and skills necessary for different careers
• Experience: We provide opportunities for students to experience working in various careers as a pathway to graduation.

By helping students identify their interests and strengths, Mrs. Butler can help them set goals and create a plan of action - no matter what path they choose. We're excited to provide this opportunity for our WHS students.

In our Family Corner we like to share a smorgasbord of resources for parents. (Links and content from external sources are not under the control of the District.)

February is Teen Dating Violence Awareness Month. Below you'll find a great resource and discussion starter for you and your teen from youth.gov.

February is Black History Month. It's a chance to highlight the accomplishments of African Americans and their impact on this country. National Geographic Kids has wonderful stories to share with your children that highlight famous African Americans.