Bright Local-4.5/5 Overall Rating-#1 IN REGION

Bright Local- 4/5 Star Achievement Rating

Bright Local-5/5 Star Gap Closing

Bright Local 5/5 Graduation Rate

Bright Local 3/5 Early Literacy (#1 in Region)

Whiteoak HS- 4 Year Graduation Rate-100% (#1 in Region)

Whiteoak HS-5 Year Graduation Rate 98.1% ( #1 in Region)

8th Grade Science 4th in Region-3rd in County

ELA II 1st in Region

HS 4 of 6 EOC Above State Average

3rd Grade ELA (#1 in Region)

3rd Grade Math ( #2 in Region)

4th Grade Math/ELA (#2 in Region)

5th Grade ELA (#2 in Region)

5th Grade Math (#1 in Region)

6th Grade ELA (#3 in Region)

ALL BRIGHT ELEMENTARY SCORES WERE AT LEAST 11 POINTS ABOVE STATE AVERAGE

The old school districts of Ebenezer, Shaufner, Union, Taylorsville, Olive (Greasy), Mowrystown, Bells Run and at one time Dixie, Comprised most of the territory now known as Whiteoak Rural School District which today is composed mainly of Whiteoak Township and portions of adjacent territory in adjoining townships, plus a small part of Eagle Township in Brown County; some of this territory having been added since the former districts were made into the present one.

Above is also taken from the 1939 Whiteoak Rural School Chene Blanc.

Our teachers have been busy getting students in routines and teaching them the Wildcat Way.

Congratulations to Ms. Faysier on being selected as our Hardworking Wildcat of the week. Ms. Farysier is a catalyst our of 3rd grade team.

Mr. Roush is our 7th/8th grade Science teacher. Mrs. Roush is a role model and excellent teacher. Mrs. Roush students have shown tremendous growth on state test scores over the past 2 years.

We are thrilled to kick off this academic year by celebrating the remarkable achievement of one of our Wildcats, senior Elijah Flader. Elijah recently achieved an impressive score of a 35 on the ACT, a significant milestone that demonstrated his dedication, perseverance, and academic excellence.

For those who might not be familiar, the ACT is a critical standardized test used by colleges and universities across the United States as a key factor in the admissions process.. It also plays a pivotal role in determining eligibility for various scholarship and financial assistance programs. A Score of 35 on the ACT is a truly outstanding accomplishment and reflects the caliber of students we have here at Whiteoak High SChool.

Elijah’s achievement is a testament not only to his hard work but also to the unwavering commitment of our exceptional teachers and staff. At Whiteoak, we are dedicated to providing our students with the best educational opportunities possible. We strive to foster an environment that encourages intellectual growth, critical thinking, and a love of learning. Elijah’s success serves a bright example of what can be achieved when students are supported by a strong and caring educational community.

As we embark on a new school year, let Elijah’s accomplishment inspire us all to reach our own goals, both academic and personal. Let it remind us that with dedication and determination, we can overcome any challenge that comes our way. Let it reinforce our commitment to excellence in education and our BRIGHT mission to help our students reach their career and college aspirations.

Breakfast at Bright Elementary/JH/HS

Free Breakfast for All Students

8:30 A.M. – 9:00 A.M.

Eating Breakfast is a Great Start to Your Day

We have a new interactive menu program which is located on our website on the top bar under Food Service. Menus are located there, and you may have the menus emailed to you. There you may hover over the menu items to see their nutritional facts. You will find the Free/Reduced Meal application on the Food Service link to apply on-line or you can print out a paper copy. If you complete an application on-line, please list students only one time, do not include students in family group. If you received a letter from Bright Local School in the mail saying you are approved for the Free/Reduced program, you do not need to complete an application. Please feel free to call Debbie Robertson at 937-927-7010 if you have any questions.

Please mark your calendar and come out to the Monster Mash at Bright Elementary. Please see the attached flyers for more details.

Current National Honor Members are selling Little Caesars. If you would like to purchase please see a current NHS Member.

*Bright Local Schools is currently accepting applications for substitute/full time bus drivers

lynn.decker@blsd.us

Please be sure to log onto Final Forms and complete the necessary signatures for the 2023-2024 school year. Access information is sent the the email you provided the district.

As our students prepare for field trips and others activities it is impetrative we complete all of our forms.

Any questions please contact:

Travis Bogart

travis.bogart@blsd.us

Cathy Forsythe

cathy.forsythe@blsd.us

President- Addison Roberts

Strengthening AG VP- Lydia Carr

Budling Communities VP- Elly McMullen

Growing Leaders VP-Sydney Shelton

Secretary-Kara Deatley

Treasure-Marly Gobin

Reporter-Adrionna Phillips

Sentinel-Tyler Wessner

Student Advisor- Eli Roberts

The National FFA Organization is an integral aspect of the Agriculture education experience. The FFA began in 1928 as a student led group, and throughout the years has underwent many changes, including the adoption of Congressional law 740 that makes FFA an intra-curricular organization. This makes our organization unique in the fact that it becomes part of our classroom, unlike sports and other student groups that are extracurricular, what we do in the classroom transfers to our organization. Our students are learning in the classroom, at home with their SAE projects and in community service projects and through competition. Mowrystown FFA members are expected to participate in a minimum of two activities per nine week grading period. This activity could be a meeting, CDE, Leadership activity or Community Service activity or any other FFA sponsored event. The activity must occur outside of scheduled school hours. During the 2022-2023 school year our organization averaged 12 opportunities per nine week period, so there are multiple chances to meet the requirement. While one activity is the minimum students are encouraged to participate in numerous activities, you will get as much out of the FFA as you put into it.

I hope that you and your child will find the Mowrystown Agriculture Education Program a unique educational experience, full of fun, excitement, and new opportunities. The mission of the Mowrystown FFA is to make a positive difference in the lives of students by developing their potential for premier leadership, personal growth, and career success through agricultural education. The FFA is a national organization and as with most student clubs there are dues tied along with membership. The FFA dues are $20.00 for the school year; this allows the students to participate in a wide range of activities throughout the year. Those dues are due by August 31, 2023.

Congratulations to our elected student council officers.

President --Tyler Wessner
V. Pres. Addison Roberts
Secretary-Sydney Shelton
Treasurer--Lydia Carr
Historian--Christopher Wessner

Mr. Lanham is the advisor for student council.

Come out and support our Wildcats at the Highland County Fair. We encourage students, parents, guardians to take pictures and share with us on our Bright Local social media. We want to highlight all of our Wildcat students hard work and dedication to their projects.

Director of Bands

Contact :

Mr. Alexander McKenna

Director of Bands Whiteoak High School

alex.mckenna@blsd.us

On Saturday, September 2nd the Whiteoak Marching Band will be traveling to Ohio University to perform with the Marching 110 alongside 19 other High School Bands. We will be performing the Star Spangled Banner during pregame and Flowers by Miley Cyrus during halftime. Ohio University athletics are selling discounted tickets for $5 to any parents, family or friends who would like to come and watch this event.

** UPDATE

Kick off time for the Ohio University football game has been pushed up to 12 PM. The game will also be televised on ESPN+.

Contact Athletic Director Mr. Miah Call

miah.call@blsd.us

Please mark your calendar and make it out to a game. Our teams are off to a great start and our fall athletes are working hard.

Whiteoak Cross Country has began the season by competing in two huge meets in Columbus. The high school kids all competed at the preseason state cross country meet and both the junior high and varsity competed at the Pickerington Invitational. These two meets have some of the best schools and runners from all over the state of Ohio. Each meet had an estimated crowd of 5,000 spectators throughout the day. Whiteoak kids represented very well. Landen Eyre finished 2nd at the preseason state meet out of 332 runners and then won the Pickerington Invitational out of 245 runners. For the season he is 573-1 against his competition. Weston Blair medaled at the preseason state meet and finished an impressive 7th place at Pickerington. Every other varsity runner for the boys and girls all improved their times from meet #1 to meet #2. The Wildcats will now have two home meets on 8/29 and 9/12.

Landen Eyre 1st Place

Westin Blair 7th Place

Pickerington North Invitational

Wildcat Soccer is BACK. The Wildcats are currently 3-0-1

As we prepare to update our school logo design we need your feedback. Please take the survey as we value the feedback from our community and all stakeholders.

Our Athletic Boosters at the JH & HS are in need of new members. Please consider joining and helping our athletic department run smoothly.

Contact Kim Carr for details kim.carr@blsd.us

We are grateful for our amazing JH/HS School counselor Ms. Bach. If you have any questions or concerns with your students schedule, graduation pathway, financial aide, scholarships, social/emotional needs ,mentoring, CCP courses, mental health services, etc

Contact Ms. Alison Bach alison.bach@blsd.us

ASVAB test date OCT 25th for juniors and interested seniors (old gym 7:30)

ASVAB interpretation date Nov 9th 7:30

The Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery (ASVAB) is a multiple-aptitude battery that measures developed abilities and helps predict future academic and occupational success in the military. It is administered annually to more than one million military applicants, high school, and post-secondary students. If your student is considering the military, please feel free to contact Ms. Bach for further information. alison.bach@blsd.us or 937-442-2241 ext. 11112

Links for information and practice tests

FAFSA NIGHT ( seniors and parents come out for some help with the FAFSA Nov 2nd 6 PM WHS library)

The Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) is a form available every year that determines your eligibility for college-related financial assistance. This can be overwhelming, so if you need support or have questions please contact Ms. Bach at alison.bach@blsd.us or 937-442-2241 ext. 11112

ACT (American College Test)

We believe in helping all students strive and thrive to meet their career readiness goals. Bright Local recognizes that each student is unique and will follow their own pathway for after graduation. Some students may consider serving in the military, some may consider entering the workforce, while others will pursue a college track.

The ACT is a test that all juniors are required to take at WHS. Those students planning on a college pathway should consider this test as a high priority. The higher the test score the more potential for scholarship dollars. We are preparing our students to do their best on this test. Students will be provided test prep, as well as individualized support when requested. Please find below information regarding test prep dates and test dates.

ACT prep for juniors/seniors

ACT dates for 23-24 ( students may qualify for a test waiver and can see Ms. Bach for details)

Click link

Mentoring

Whiteoak is proud to have a peer/adult mentoring program. If you have a student that would like to have a mentor or have questions about the program contact Ms. Bach for more information. We are also looking for community leaders willing to mentor students. IF you are interested in being a volunteer please reach out to Mrs. Bogart or Ms. Bach. Last year we served over 30 students in the mentoring program. Mentoring can help make a difference in a child’s life.

Each year students in grades 6-11th are provided with the opportunity to participate in the College Credit Plus opportunity. Parents and students are required to attend the information session that is provided each year. This information can be found on the school website. The information session for students wishing to participate in the 24-25 school year will be announced soon, please stay tuned.

Whiteoak collaborates with several area colleges to give students the opportunity to take college classes. Here are a few of the links to area colleges and additional information links.

Please contact Mrs. Gobin for questions or concerns

Student will begin enrolling in Atomic Credit Union the first day of school. If you are interested in working one of the positions please see your building principal.

JH/HS Applications for workers will be accepted until August 30th.

Whiteoak Athletic Boosters are calling all Volunteers. We need your help in filling roles within our Athletic Boosters.

For more details please contact

kim.carr@blsd.us

Parents and community members are invited to follow us on Facebook (Bright Local Schools) and Twitter (@BrightLocalSD) to receive updated information from the district.

If you have items you would like to be included/considered for the Bright Local Newsletter, please send to jason.iles@blsd.us