Ozark Tiger E-News
Ozark Names Thurman Director of Interventions
The Ozark Board of Education, at its Feb. 23 meeting, voted to hire Dr. Anna Thurman as director of interventions for the 2023-24 school year. Thurman, who is currently the principal at East Elementary, has more than 20 years of experience in education. She joined Ozark School District in 2007 teaching fourth grade before moving to elementary science in 2010. She began her administration career as an assistant principal before becoming the principal of East in 2019.
“I am excited to continue my work at Ozark Schools as the director of interventions, and I look forward to working collaboratively with teachers and staff to create meaningful supports for our students,” Thurman said. “By focusing on individualized strategies for success, I am confident we can make a positive impact on the lives of our students.”
Ward Named West Assistant Principal for 2023-24 School Year
The Ozark Board of Education, at its Feb. 23 meeting, voted to hire Natalie Ward as the West Elementary assistant principal for the 2023-24 school year. Ward, who is currently a third grade teacher at West, has 10 years of experience in education. She started her teaching career at Cassville School District as a first grade teacher, coming to Ozark in 2018.
“I am excited for the opportunity to serve alongside students, families, staff and the community in this role helping students connect, learn and grow,” Ward said. “We are going to continue to strive for excellence that provides a high quality education for each student's future readiness.”
KARE Grams for Care to Learn
North Elementary CUB hosted a KARE Gram for Valentine's Day. Students could pay 25 cents to send a note of kindness to someone, raising $945 in quarters for Care to Learn. And, thanks to a generous donor, Care to Learn - Ozark will get to double that to feed more than four students the entire school year! Thank you North Elementary for your kind words and giving spirit!
Check out the flier to see how you can help Care to Learn - Ozark.
OJH Student Wins Music Award
OJH student Abby Harmon recently won second place in the Middle School Popular Genres Acoustic Recording category of the Creating Original Music Project at the University of Missouri! In recognition of her accomplishment, Abby will be awarded a cash prize along with her school and has been invited to attend the Creating Original Music Project Festival in April. Way to go, Abby!
OHS Science Olympiad Students Qualify for State Tournament
On Feb. 18, two Ozark Science Olympiad teams spent the day at Missouri State University and competed in 23 events against 16 local schools in the Springfield area. They placed in the top four of all schools in attendance, qualifying for the state competition, and medaling in 11 of the 16 events.
“Students go way beyond their normal science courses to study for this competition and build contraptions to test against other schools,” OHS Science Olympiad Sponsor Rebekah Jenkins said. “They love science and the challenges inherent in these events. It is awesome to facilitate learning in this nontraditional capacity.”
OHS Strengths Coach Named NHSCA Regional Coach of the Year
The National High School Strength Coaches Association has named one of Ozark High School’s very own as a Regional Coach of the Year, Corey Roy.
"It's very humbling for sure," Roy said. "I was very excited to see it when it came out. It's a great recognition of your hard work and time and the commitment that you put in. However, if it weren't for our students and coaches buying into it there's nothing I can do, it's all them that have put the work in."
JV Scholar Bowl Snags 1st
The Ozark JV Scholar Bowl team competed in the Ozark Valentine's Tournament against eight local teams, winning first place
OHS DECA Qualifies 27 for State
Ozark High School had 105 students compete at the DECA District 11 Leadership Conference in Springfield Feb. 8, bringing home 39 medals or plaques. Ozark competed against 480 students from 13 surrounding schools. Six OHS students were named district champions while 27 students qualified for State competition, which is March 12-14 in Kansas City.
Jazz Bands Bring Home Hardware from Jazz Festival
Congratulations to the OHS Jazz Bands for an amazing showing last weekend, competing in the Parkview Jazz Festival as well as participating in District Jazz Bands. Eighteen students performed with the District Jazz Bands while the band brought home multiple awards from the Jazz Festival.
Yearbook Order Deadlines Coming Soon
Have you ordered your 2022-2023 yearbook? Deadlines to order are this spring ... which is around the corner! Costs vary depending on the school building. To order, visit ybpay.lifetouch.com and then search for your child's school.
Ozark School District
Mission: To provide high-quality education for each student’s future-readiness
Vision: An innovative school district preparing students to use their talents for success
Email: ozarkcommunications@ozarktigers.org
Website: www.ozarktigers.org
Phone: (417) 582-5900
Facebook: facebook.com/OzarkSchoolDistrict
Twitter: @OzarkTigers