Parents – please remember that we do not have classes on Monday, January 20th. Our staff has a scheduled Professional Development Day in Marysville!

This semester we will be really pushing students to be on time for the start of school and specifically the start of each class period! In fact, we had a student assembly on our first Friday back to school about this. The bottom line is for our students to get an earlier start to school each day. Even five minutes will make a huge difference. Classes start at 8:05 am when we are in session or have a two hour delay due to weather. In that case, classes start at 10:05 am! The reason for this is simple! When as student arrives late to class they are missing out on valuable teaching time as a teacher starts their lesson for that period. Arriving late also creates a disruption in the classroom as the student is getting settled in, etc. Being late to class is addressed in our Student Handbook and I would be more than happy to discuss this with you in more detail should you have a concern! I would like to thank you for your assistance with this issue.

The TVL Basketball tournament is set to start this Saturday!! Our host this year is Frankfort so the games are nice and close. The boys will start bracket play at 11:30 am on Saturday when the square off against the Linn Bulldogs. The ladies will play right after the boys with their game against the Onaga Buffalos. No TVL passes are accepted at the tournament! Only those people listed on the pass gate are allowed in at no charge! Frankfort has posted their meal menu for the week on Facebook so check that out. Frankfort has also notified us that with the snow, parking will be at a premium so plan ahead. Parking will be difficult at times!! Go Mustangs!

In case you haven’t been to a game since Christmas break you may notice a huge change in our lighting. All of the gym lights got a huge upgrade and the facility is now very bright! Speaking of home games, the Mustangs picked up a couple of league victories this past Tuesday with wins over the Washington County Tigers. The junior high squads also played the Washington County Tigers on Monday night in an away game and came away with a clean sweep in all four games.

We need to say a big thank you to our maintenance crew who spent a lot of time in the colder temperatures removing snow and salting down our walking areas to get ready for the start of classes. The storm left a lot of snow and ice behind so the crew was very busy at all three schools! Thank you Ryan Bishop, Jamie LeSage, Amber Swearingen, Monica Sump, and Dave Sanner! The Central Office staff also pitched in! Thank you Dinah Umscheid and Jesse Medina! Great job!

Congratulations to Ms. Carrie Husband! Ms. Husband has been selected to serve on the KSU Ag. Ed. Advisory Committee! Job well done.

This month is Board of Education Appreciation month! We would like to commend the members of our current board and thank them for serving on our Board of Education. Your commitment to our youth is appreciated. Current BOE members include: Scott Toerber, Lisa Stryker, Jami Gillig, Dava Warders, Sharon Osborne, Luke Roepke, and our newest member Jeremy Bachura. Thank you for your service. Our BOE members are featured in this week’s Mustang Minute, so check that out!

Have a great week and Go Mustangs!

Mr. Savage

Valley Heights staff and students, along with our VH Community, would like to help Addie Voelker. Addie is a 2nd grader at Linn Lutheran School. She was recently diagnosed with Synovial Cell Sarcoma. Addie and her family will be needing to travel due to her illness and will be taking on additional medical expenses. We would like to help out her family with this journey. On January 28th, VH Boys and Girls basketball teams will be playing Linn. That evening VH will be doing a 50/50 raffle to help this family. Please come out and support both basketball teams and Addie and her family. If you would like to donate and will not be available that evening to attend, donations can be mailed or dropped off at the high school office. All proceeds will be donated to Addie to help ease the burden of this journey.

This is Ashton’s 3rd year in art. His favorite part about art is the creative process.

Here are some pictures of my forensics students competing in an escape room scavenger hunt around the school to review the topic of fingerprinting!

Juniors, Caden Weaver and Creighton Smith have been busy building a swing for the upcoming Prom! The theme is “Enchanted Twilight Forest.”

Join Us For Junior Day, Friday, February 14 at Barton Community College This year's Junior Day will feature: Info sessions with Admissions Campus tours Explore multiple majors Multiple scholarship drawings https://www.bartonccc.edu/juniorday

CHASING DREAMS. “True success is measured by how much you are able to positively impact others."-Morgan Wallen. This is Anne’s favorite quote because many times we get caught up in worldly ideas of success, but if you stay true to yourself and who God made you to be, then you get to really experience the biggest successes and rewards. Anne Christine Toerber was born on November 20, 2006 and is a senior at Valley Heights.

Anne grew up in Blue Rapids with her family of 11. She has six sisters; Emma, Catherine, Maggie, Eleanor, Olivia, and Maria. She also has two brothers; Luke and Jack. There is never a dull moment in the Toerber house. Family means a lot to Anne and she enjoys every moment spent with them.

Friday nights are a big deal at VHHS. On a Friday night you will find Anne at the square hopefully celebrating a Mustang win! She loves the fall weather and fun environment that Fridays bring. You will also find Anne visiting her three older sisters at Benedictine College. After high school, Anne plans to attend a four year university majoring in communications and journalism. She has a passion for the media field and would like to one day be a sports reporter and broadcaster. “I would love to work for ESPN and one day the NFL. I’m so excited to see where this passion takes me.”

From a young age Anne has always wanted to live in a city, particularly New York City. One of her core memories is when her family drove to New York City and spent an entire day sightseeing and walking around. This made Anne’s passion for one day living there even stronger. In 10 years Anne hopes to be married and starting a family with her reporting job in the city. She says that she will also be coming home to watch her younger siblings grow up the same way they have been watching her.

Anne’s family has had the greatest impact on her, but two people stand out. First, her mom, Sarah Toerber. “She can see the good in every single situation and she has the kindest heart. She makes every single person or day feel a little bit more special, and she is the wisest person I have ever talked to. She is my rock.” Second, her Aunt Marsha. “Just thinking about her puts a smile on my face, and that right there says a lot. Any room she walks into she has this hilarious, lively, and loving energy. You will never catch her taking life too seriously. Marsha just knows how to light up life and make it fun no matter the situation. She is one of my biggest influences.” Although these two people are very different, they are both the type of person Anne strives to be. “I am so lucky to have so many men and women in my family that display what I truly want to be!”

Sports have been a huge part of Anne’s life. She has made many memories with the experience of sports. Her favorite high school memory is at State Basketball her Junior year. She was roommates with her sister Maggie, her cousin Paige, and Tessa Miller. They got a noise complaint and had the time of their lives. “I do not think I have ever laughed or freaked out so much!!” Anne is so grateful that she has had the opportunity to be a part of these sports teams and make memories that will last a lifetime.

Anne is involved in many things. She has been involved in Journalism, Softball, and Vocal for one year; NHS, Forensics, Band, Mustang Mentor, Cheer, and Dance for two years; Track for three years, and All School Play, Stuco, Volleyball, Basketball, FCA, and KAY’s for four years. Anne is the StuCo president this year and it is one of her biggest accomplishments. “An accomplishment I am most proud of is stepping out of my comfort zone and leading pep rallies, school events, and becoming STUCO president. It comes with a lot of planning and responsibility, but that's the best part of it.” Anne is also involved in many non school related activities. Activities like interning for KNDY, doing hair and makeup for bridal parties and girls, working in the coffee shop and bakery at the Riverside Market and making media posts for them, creating hype videos and ads for events and businesses, and singing in the church choir.

Everyone who knows Anne knows that she lights up every room and knows how to make people laugh. She is the most kind and caring person. When Anne leaves Valley Heights she wants to be remembered as a kind and genuine person that everyone knew they could talk to. “I want to be there for anyone, no matter who they are. I want to impact people even if it is the little things.” Advice Anne would like to pass down to underclassmen is to be kind to everyone. When you are kind you see the good in every situation and you will start to enjoy life more than you ever imagined. Anne has impacted people, her community, and the school as a whole. Anyone that knows Anne, knows that she will always be there and give 100 percent no matter the situation.

Article by Paige Miller

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
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Twitter: @usd498