Worth County Showing Progress in Academic Scores

Superintendent Chris Healy reported at the Worth County School Board meeting Wednesday that the district showed strong progress in its Comprehensive School Improvement Plan. There was a 13% increase in student performance on critical thinking questions and a 44% increase in students reading at or above grade level on end-of-year assessments. On State Assessment scores, Worth County students scored above the state average in 16 out of 18 subject areas. Overall, average scores increased by 3% compared to 2025.

The Federal Programs evaluation was rated as Excellent. Strengths listed include 1.43 FTE Reading teachers and 1 FTE Math teacher. The District provides Title I services school-wide, meaning all students are eligible to receive additional support in the areas of Communication Arts and Math. There is support to create Reading Success Plans, and there were successful Title I Fall and Spring events. Concerns listed include the fact that all funds are spent on personnel, meaning programs that were funded in the past must come from local funds. Title I, II, and IV allocations come out to $100,083. The school spends $128,120 on Title programs.

The Parents as Teachers program was rated as Above Average. Strengths listed include the fact that the Parent Educator is trained and is building relationships with families. Group connections are highly attended. Concerns listed include the fact that visits decreased by 58% in 2026-226. Other issues include contacting and communication with eligible families, an increased number of students screened, and high-needs families reluctant to meet.

The Special Education Program was rated as Excellent. There are three Special Education teachers. Students are in the process of preparing for life after school. On Wednesday, a group of Special Ed students along with their teachers took a tour of the Hy-Vee store. Teachers and paraprofessionals participated in autism training. ACES provides therapists as needed. Special Ed teachers work with teachers to address the needs of Special Ed students in the regular classroom.

Concerns listed include the fact that several high needs students require extra resources. Other concerns include handling of various behaviors, autism, and Down’s Syndrome. There is no gifted program. There are a large number of students at the same time in the elementary.

The board accepted two grants. The first is a Scrap Tire grant to resurface the Pre-K and Kindergarten playgrounds. The second is a $9,600 donation from A Few Good Men and the Worth County Education Foundation to support a new Life Skills Classroom.

Elementary Principal Amber Hawk reported that Mr. Smith is starting the Worth County Youth Singers. This will replace the CoderZ Club.

Grandparents Day was held on September 11^th. There were 470 grandparents at the school. The biggest class for students and grandparents was the first grade with 114.

Ms. Hawk explained the Friday Friends program at the school. Families who qualify for free or reduced lunches or are facing unforeseen circumstances are eligible for the program. Participation is optional. Each Friday, students receive a sack of food in their backpacks for the weekend. There is no cost to families. Funds are raised through donations from churches, individuals, and grants. This is a program of the school and Mission Possible.

The Sixth Grade DARE program has started; it is being led by Deputy Sheriff Jason Cain.

Middle School & High School Principal Carl Parman reported on events coming up. September 25^th will be the Homecoming game with Albany with the Y2K theme. Worth County won back-to-back state titles in 2000 and 2001.

A Professional Development day was held Monday. Teachers are focusing on growth plans, including practices to improve critical thinking and preparing students for real-world problems.

Counselor Anna Gladstone has met with every class in Middle School and High School and went through a suicide prevention presentation for Suicide Awareness Month. Ms. Gladstone will take sophomore students to a docudrama in Pickering; this is a simulated crash and response to help teach the dangers of distracted driving as well as driving under the influence.

  

Three New Teachers Start at Worth County Elementary

 Worth County Elementary Principal Amber Hawk reported to the school board at their regular meeting Wednesday on three new teachers in the school building this year. Trisha Ross, who taught at Worth County in elementary for many years, is teaching again, this time as the second grade teacher. Marissa Blankenship will teach fourth grade, and Aubrey Huntsman will be a paraprofessional. 

The first day of school was on Monday. Students were working on routines and behavior expectations. A bubble gum day will be Friday.

The custodial crew got done with the elementary building early and new bulletin boards have been installed in the hallways. A new wall was added in the activity center to make a dedicated space for the Special Education department. Previously, Special Education students were in a tiny room. New shelves for the Tiger Paw store were installed in the ISS room.

There are nine new students in the Elementary this year. Pre-K is 15, Kindergarten is 21, 1st Grade is 28, 2nd Grade is 27, 3rd Grade is 24, 4th Grade is 29, 5th Grade is 19, and 6th Grade is 22. There is a total of 185 students, including the Pre-K.

Carl Parman gave his first report as the new Worth County Principal. There are 128 students in Middle School and High School. This includes 21 seventh graders, 21 eighth graders, 26 freshmen, 19 sophomores, 17 juniors, and 24 seniors. Total enrollment for the whole school is 313 students.

New teachers attended a New Teacher Orientation on Monday, August 17th. All faculty and staff have been participating in district professional development.

Ten senior girls have been painting parking spots in the parking lot. 

The annual tax rate hearing was held. The board left the rates unchanged. The tax rate is $3.52 per $100 of assessed valuation, and the debt service levy is 25 cents per $100 of assessed valuation.

The board set the substitute rates for the school year. Substitute teachers will get $105 per day or $15 per hour. A sub certificate is required. Substitute bus drivers will get $70 per day or $23.34 per hour. A bus license is required. Substitute custodians and secretaries will get $15 per hour. Substitute private-duty nurses (LPN or RN) will get $35 per hour.

The board set the bus driver activity pay. The rate will be $15 per hour, with a maximum of $120 per day. Regular route drivers must deduct one hour of the activity trip pay when the activity route occurs prior to the end of the regular bus route. Once a driver logs more than 40 hours in one week, they will be paid overtime with the prior approval of the superintendent. 

The board approved the substitute teacher list for August 2026. They are Karen Andrews, Kayla Allee, Meggan Brown, Rachel Brown, Colleen Combs, Jonell Cook, Barb Dannar, Josephine Deen, Brianna Dillavou, Kera Galanakis, Mollie Hardy, Amy Jackson, Judith Matteson, Paige McPike, Ashley Moser, Selina O’Connor, Linda Phipps, Brooklyn Richardson, Debbie Sherer, Harlee Stull, Becky Thompson, and Abby Troutwine. Elaina Welch will be a substitute private-duty nurse. Mark Fletcher will be a substitute custodian.

Worth County to Get New Digital Scoreboard for Gym

The Worth County School will be getting a new gym scoreboard and a video display. 75% of the project cost will be funded by grant money. They project will allow Digital Media students to do live production, video, and graphics.

The board approved participation in the Teacher Salary Baseline Grant. The District will receive $115,000 to help pay the $40,000 minimum teacher salary and the $47,000 minimum for teachers with a master’s degree and 10 years experience.

The board approved roof maintenance and repair bids from CCR Roofing, asphalt maintenance from Approved Paving, and concrete work from Ideal Concrete Construction.

Construction is in progress on a new storage shed south of the gym. The old one was over 50 years old.

The district had 93.4% of students attend 90% or more in 2025-26.

The board offered Aubrey Huntsman a paraprofessional position for the 2026-27 school year.

The next regular meeting date will be August 19th at 6:00 pm. This will also include the tax rate hearing.

 

Worth County Hires Trisha Ross as Teacher, Angie Lamb as Bus Driver

The Worth County School Board, at their regular board meeting, hired Trisha Ross as an additional second grade teacher and Angie Lamb as a route bus driver for the upcoming school year.

The next meeting date will be June 17th at 7:30 am.

The board approved a contract with ACES for the upcoming school year.

The board approved participation in the Federal Meal Program and set prices for the upcoming school year. For breakfast, elementary is $2.10. High school is $2.30. Adult is $2.60. Reduced price meals are 30 cents.

For lunch, prices will be $2.95 for elementary, $3.25 for high school, $4 for adults, and 40 cents for reduced price.

The state evaluated the school based on the Comprehensive School Improvement Plan that the school is required to do every few years. The school got all 42 points out of 42 points possible from the state.

High School Principal Josh Smith reported that credit recovery for seventh through twelfth grades will run through June 1st.

For the final month of the class attendance challenge, the winners were the seventh grade with a score of 96.55%. The runner-up was the juniors and third place went to the eighth grade. Students volunteered at the Mobile Food Pantry on May 4th, The Junior High and High School Spring Concert was May 6th. Athletic Awards night and Senior Awards night was May 7th. Worth County hosted a district track meet on May 10th. Academic awards were recognized on May 15th.

Elementary Principal Amber Hawk reported on end of year activities for her building. Elementary students who made the honor roll for any one quarter got to attend a skating party. A career day and third graders got to rotate through different stations and learn about different professions.

The elementary students got to go on field trips. Pre-K and K went to St. Joseph to Inspire U. First through third graders went to Remington Nature Canter and Bodie Ice Rink. Fourth through sixth graders went to the Belt Entertainment in St. Joseph.

A MAP testing was held for third through sixth graders with a kickoff party held April 22nd and testing taking place from April 23rd through May 6th. A MAP incentive party was held May 11th. All students who showed great effort during MAP testing got to play outside games and have slushies.

Local law enforcement had a pizza party with the top five fundraisers for the Heart Hero challenge. All students who raised $25 or more got to attend a skating party with local law enforcement April 27th. Fifth graders got to attend a Fishing Day at the Seat Farm east of Denver. An elementary spring concert was held on May 6th.

Four new records from the Elementary Track Meet were announced. First grader Savanna Hill broke the 100 record with a time of 17.76 and the Long Jump record with a jump of 8’1”. Addison Cass broke the fifth grade record in the 800 with a time of 3:14.12. It was discovered that Kinley Fletchall broke the sixth grade record for the 800 last year with a time of 3:07.15.

Students got to move up to the next grade and learn expectations for the next year.

A Teacher Appreciation Week was held and teachers were treated to a food truck one day.  The Missouri State Highway Patrol recently conducted an inspection of Worth County’s school buses. All buses passed inspection.

The board approved participation in the Missouri Career Advising Initiative and appointed Cree Beverlin as the rootEd advisor. The board approved a proposal by the seniors to paint individual parking spots. The board approved participation in Make48, a grant-funded STEM innovation program for high school students.

The board voted to continue sixth grade eligibility for junior high softball, basketball, and track.

 

 

Worth County Hires New Bus Driver, Reorganizes Board

The Worth County School Board reorganized following the April election. Adam Downing, Jared Harding, and Michael Mullock were sworn in after they had run unopposed. The board named Tish Warner as President, Brad Maudlin as Vice-President, Amanda Gilland as Treasurer, and Christy Scadden as Secretary.

The board also hired Amber Monticue as a new bus driver. The district still has an opening for a route bus driver and a custodian.

The third grade teachers shared about the progress their students were making throughout the year.

Elementary Principal Amber Hawk reported that all parent/teacher conferences had at least an 89% participation rate by parents.

Third and Fourth graders went to the Northwest Missouri State University Recycling Center. Pre-K and K will be going to Inspire U May 5th. First through third grades will be going to the Remington Nature Center and Bode Arena on May 13th. Fourth through sixth graders will go to Belt Entertainment in St. Joseph. Fifth graders will go to the annual Fishing Clinic on May 4th at the Seat Farm. Students who get sent to the office after April 27th will not be allowed to go on the class field trip.

An elementary career day will be held at the school on April 21st.

A MAP kickoff party will be held Wednesday, April 22nd. Testing for elementary students will  be April 23rd.

The Worth County Elementary Spring Concert will be May 6th at 6:00 pm in the High School Gym. Elementary Track Day will be Friday, May 8th starting at 8:30 am. Pre-K Graduation will be held on May 14th at 6:00 pm in the Multipurpose room. An awards day will be held in the High School Gym May 14th starting at 8:30 am.

High School Principal Josh Smith reported on some of the things students have been learning. Geometry students have been making constructions using geometric figures. 8th grade math students have been working with two dimensional figures. Ag Science I students have been identifying hand tools and learning their proper function and safe use.

The sophomores won the March Attendance Challenge with an attendance rate of 95.93%. They were followed by the juniors and then the freshmen.

The school is seeking to build a storage building on the south end of the high school gym during the summer. The school is also seeking to do concrete work.

For summer school, the school will offer credit recovery for students from grades 7-12. The board hired Merry Spiers and Kelley Ross and will pay them a stipend of $2,025 each.

 

 

 

Allendale Levy Renewal on Ballot

The ballots in the last issue omitted the Allendale levy renewal. It is a 20-cent levy renewal for the city. This is not a new tax increase, but a renewal of an existing levy.

The election will be on April 7th. Polls will open at 6 am and close at 7 pm.

The Worth County School Board will not have an election this year. There were three positions open this year and only three candidates filed. Michael Mullock, Adam Downing, and Jared Harding will be sworn in at the April Worth County School Board meeting.

 

 

School Hires Madelyn Crawford, Extends Amber Hawk’s Contract, Names Amy Davidson as Golf Coach

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.

 

  

Worth County Extends Chris Healy’s Contract, Accepts Megan Humphrey’s Resignation

The Worth County School Board, at its regular meeting Wednesday, extended the contract of Superintendent Chris Healy through the 2027-28 school year. The board accepted the resignation of Title I Math Teacher Megan Humphrey effective at the end of the school year.

The next meeting will be February 18th at 6 pm.

The school is proposing a start date of August 24th for the 2026-27 school year. The school is seeking a waiver from the state which would allow it to start earlier. The school says it will better balance the length of the first and second semesters.

Mrs. Amanda Pottorff and Mrs. Allie Rush presented the Kindness Club, which has 30 students from grades 3-5. The club will distribute homemade cards to health and safety workers.

The school rated its technology program as “Excellent.” The school continues to maintain its technology hardware by purchasing and replacing Chromebooks each year and by rotating the old hardware from vocational grants into the elementary. All district computers now have 16 GB of RAM. The school purchased a new 3D printer with a vocational grant. There are now security cameras on the electric buses. A new entryway at the front has improved access. Multi-factor authentication has been implemented for key users. The school has updated its cyber response plan. There is now a new HUDL camera for the gym and football field. Professional development this month focused on technology training. The school continues to be 1:1 device to student for grades 3-12 and students can take Chromebooks home. The business department provides coding courses for students. The fire alarm systems have been upgraded.

The Extracurricular programs were rated “Excellent” by the school. 95% of junior high and high school students are involved in extracurricular activities. Many teams and organizations have achieved high levels of success in the past year. A new batting cage was installed at the softball field. All coaches are trained in CPR, AED, First Aid, and concussion management. The school plans to install new backboards in the gym.

The school purchased uniforms in 2024 for high school track and softball, 2023 for high school football, 2022 for high school basketball and junior high track, and in 2021 for junior high football, softball, and basketball. They last got choir uniforms in 2015 and band uniforms in 1995.

Concerns listed include leveling the outfield on the softball diamond, continuing irrigation and upkeep on the practice field, and coordinating practice times and meetings due to the fact that the school only has one gym and many students participate in multiple activities.

Elementary Principal Amber Hawk reported on the attendance winners. The winners for December were Mrs. Schlapia’s kindergarteners. Every class had at least a 94.24% attendance rate. The elementary has collected 78.6 pounds of pop tabs with the sixth graders leading with 17.4 pounds.

High School Principal Josh Smith reported on the things students were learning in school. English II students are reading Shakespeare’s “The Tragedy of Julius Caesar,” with attention given to the interpretation of the play. Seventh Grand English students are studying Dickens’ “A Christmas Carol.” Intro to Computer Programming students are learning how to work with Express Code. They will later transition into Python programming later in the course. The winner of the attendance challenge was the seventh grade with an attendance rate of 97.66%. They were followed by the juniors and the eighth grade.

Activities Director Cree Beverlin reported that Worth County will host the GRC Band on February 7th.

 

 

Sam Bomar Named Science Teacher for Spring 2026 Semester

The Worth County School Board, at their regular meeting Wednesday, named Sam Bomar the new high school science teacher for the spring 2026 semester.

The Transportation Program was rated as “Excellent.” Strengths listed include the Driver’s Training Program. All drivers have the School Bus endorsement and went through eight hours of training in Maryville. All five electric buses are still operational, and the school has saved $20,000 in fuel and electricity costs in the last year. All buses have passed inspection. The bus supervisor has completed extensive training and research to maintain the entire fleet.

Concerns listed including the fact that the electric bus company doesn’t exist anymore, meaning that finding service and parts will be a challenge. The school vehicles, especially the gray car, are aging. There is a continual need for more drivers.

Recommendations include continuing to update school vehicles when financially feasible. The district should continue to train and research on electric buses, accept applications year-round, and look for opportunities to build a maintenance facility and wash bay to maintain buses.

Elementary Principal Amber Hawk reported that the school has a Christmas tree outside the office and that all elementary staff have decorated their doors or entryway with a Christmas book theme.

The winner of the Elementary Attendance Challenge was Ms. Steele’s third graders with an attendance rate of 97.98%. The competition was extremely close, with all grades having an attendance rate of at least 96.10%.

A jungle night was held at the school on December 10th sponsored by the Worth County PTO and PAT. Families went to different classrooms and participated in different activities.

The reading incentive garage sale was held for PK through third grades, and they were all able to go through the sale a second time and pick out an extra gift for themselves or someone else.

The Elementary Christmas Concert was held in the High School Gym.

The Kindness Club sold tattoos for teachers, and they wore up to 70 tattoos on Thursday. Members also made cards and sent messages to kids and people who were nominated by the school and the community. There were 27 nominations.

A Christmas lunch was held. Teacher games were held on Tuesday, and an all-staff Christmas party was held Friday. Classes will resume Tuesday, January 6th.

High School Principal Josh Smith reported on different activities by classes. Algebra I students designed a water park with a scaled map using linear equations. 8th Grade Math students are graphing representations of proportional relationships between data points. Advanced Animal Science students are studying heredity in animals.

The attendance challenge winners for November were the seventh grade, with a rate of 92.29%. The runner-up was the sophomores with a rate of 95.49%. The third place finisher was the juniors with a rate of 95.39%.

Junior high students delivered Christmas ornaments and treats to the Worth County Care & Rehab Center and Orilla’s Way. The Christmas Concert was December 11th.

Athletic Director Cree Beverlin reported that Worth County will be hosting the Boys District Basketball tournament this year.

The board awarded the bid for mowing of non-athletic areas of the school to Kinsella Lawn Care.

The board appointed Chris Healy and Josh Smith as the school safety coordinators.