The Worth County School Board, at their regular meeting Wednesday, hired Madelyn Crawford as Junior High Social Studies Teacher for 2026-27. They extended Amber Hawk’s contract through the 2027-28 school year and named Amy Davidson as the Boys Golf Coach for the upcoming golf season.
Ms. Hawk updated the board on its behavior support system and recognized the school counselors, Amanda Pottorff and Anna Gladstone, for School Counseling Week.
The board approved a start day for the next school year for August 24th and the last day for May 20th.
The board conducted a special meeting on January 26th and went into a three-minute closed session to discuss personnel matters. No action was taken.
The District Governance Program was rated as “Above Average.” Strengths listed include implementing new and reviewing policies adopted in July 2024. Policies, the student/parent handbooks, and employee handbooks are now cross-referenced. A new board manual is now in effect. The end of the year fund balances decreased to 72%. This balance indicates the district’s ability to pay the bills prior to new tax revenue arriving. The school is implementing a new Comprehensive School Improvement Plan for 2022-27. Board of education members are participating in yearly training requirements. Concerns listed include the fact that some district committees don’t meet regularly.
The Professional Development Program was rated as “Above Average.” Strengths listed include the fact that the district uses grant money to help with professional development and creating systems of support for behavior and reading intervention. The school has data teams as part of professional development days. The school has a mentorship program for new teachers. The school is now training on trauma-informed care as well as socio-emotional learning and mental health.
Concerns listed include the fact that teachers miss time out of the classroom because of professional development scheduling. Additional legislative requirements could limit time for other professional development initiatives. Balancing the addition of new strategies and content with improving current practices is another challenge.
The board authorized the school to seek grants for instructional equipment for the Business and Ag departments from the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education. The school is seeking a digital camera ($1,400), five desktop computers at $2,000 each ($10,000), an outdoor video display ($85,000), five Chromebooks at $500 each ($2,500), a color printer ($1,000), a mechanics tool set ($3,000), a metal bender ($10,000), punches and dies ($7,000), animal systems packages that allow students to study the anatomy of animals ($13,500), an animal ag education kit ($5,000), a black and white printer ($700), and a shirt heat press ($3,000). If approved, the school would be reimbursed 50% from the state.
High School Principal Josh Smith reported on activities going on in classrooms. Government students interacted with members of the Missouri State Highway Patrol about their jobs, how the law is applied and enforced, and citizens' rights. Students asked questions to officers based on their studies of citizens' rights under the Constitution.
Eighth grade social studies students studied the relationships between the Native Americans and the colonists of the 13 colonies and created travel brochures encouraging Europeans to come to their state.
Art I students were creating a work of art or design without having a preconceived plan. They chose what they wanted to create with available materials and skills. One created a burger joint with an overhead apartment.
Junior high music students were studying the relationships between music and the other arts. They were creating their own soundtracks for a film scene with the help of an AI song creation platform named Suno.
The winners of the January attendance challenge were the 9th grade with a rate of 95.75%. The second-place finishers were the juniors and the third-place finishers were the seventh grade.
Elementary Principal Amber Hawk reported on the January attendance challenge. The winners were Ms. Steele’s third grade with an attendance rate of 96.66%.
Preschool is continuing to do “Hearts Across America,” and seeking letters from all 50 states. They have gotten letters from 25.
The Kindness Club went to the Sheriff’s Office, Mosaic, and the firehouse to deliver goodies to show appreciation for the county’s emergency personnel.
Mrs. Lischer’s first grade class and Mrs. Sherer’s third grade class were winners of Dr. Fallon Stiens’ Candy Buyback for Halloween. They each got a pizza party.
The preschool made a class quilt for the letter Q. They also made a sign of appreciation for Mrs. Pottorff, the School Counselor.
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