The Bird Call
News and Notes from Clever High School
Icebreaker time!
Bubbles!
Why learn history?
It's a Learning Experience
Welcome! Not only to the first edition of our monthly newsletter but also to the start of what will be a great year here at Clever High School. I hope everyone enjoyed their summer and took time to relax and recharge as much as possible. It is a privilege to serve as the Principal here at CHS alongside the talented and dedicated staff working with our students daily. My hope is that every student feels safe and welcome as they enter the school and leave excited to come back tomorrow. I also believe that this journey is one that you must be a part of. You are essential in the development of our students. Simply put, without your support and partnership, we will fall short of helping every student reach their potential.
The beauty of a new school year is that it is a chance to reset, celebrate our successes, and grow from our missteps. While true for staff members, this opportunity is especially important for our students. Now is the time to form the habits that will lead to success. Now is the time to change the behaviors that have caused stress in the past. Now is the time to make positive choices and surround yourself with positive influences. I regularly tell students that focusing on the things you can’t control is a fool’s errand. My approach: I only have so much energy to give in a day. Spending any of it on negative influences that I cannot change is robbing myself of that energy. Instead, I should be investing my energy on the things I love – my family and my friends, for example. This is easier said than done! But, it is a worthwhile effort.
The image included below is one many of you have undoubtedly seen before now. It is a great reminder of what it takes to be successful. As the students like to say, “the struggle is real” and I will add that the path to success is full of obstacles. Here at CHS, we say that we don’t teach standards, we teach students. Soft skills such as perseverance, flexibility, the ability to communicate and work with others, creative thinking, and resourcefulness are every bit as – if not more - important to employers as GPA, class rank, diplomas, and standardized test scores. Our task as educators is to find the balance. There exists a sweet spot between hard and soft skills that, if attended to correctly, will develop well-rounded young adults who can be contributing citizens in the 21st century. That is our hope for every student walking these halls.
Lastly, I want to thank you for taking the time to read this newsletter and I hope you enjoy the information that has been shared. I invite you to reach out with any feedback, questions, or concerns that you have.
Go Jays!
Joe Casey
High School Principal
Twitter: @CleverPrincipal
Instagram: clever_principal
New Faces and New Places
Mrs. Anne Hickman
Mr. Quinn McGarry
Mrs. Carol Lumpkin
Mrs. Shannon Kleier
Mrs. Nikki Tune
Mrs. Linda Priester
Hickman's Happenings
Attendance: Be in School...Be on Time!!
Counselor's Corner
Check out these great opportunities for our students! If you are interested, email Mrs. Waisner and set up an appointment for more information.
One small step for man...
Fun facts about the Apollo 11 mission:
1. The 50th anniversary was July 20, 2019.
2. The Apollo program required the work of nearly 400,000 engineers, technicians, & scientists.
3. The three astronauts traveled roughly 240,000 miles in 76 hours (3,157 miles per hour!).
4. Over 100 items were left on the moon.
5. Your toaster is more technologically advanced than Apollo 11's command module.
High School Parent 101 - Tips and Tricks
Clubs and Organizations
Future Teachers of America - Mrs. Neely
Fellowship of Christian Athletes - Coach Jones
Science History Club - Mr. Burry
Clever Student Alliance - Mrs. Money
Art Club - Mr. Schmidt
Future Business Leaders of America - Mrs. Lumpkin
National Honor Society - Ms. Lathem
Future Farmers of America - Ms. Miller
Student Council - Mrs. Grant and Mrs. Waisner
Yearbook - Mr. Boyles
Speech and Debate - Mrs. Scheibe and Mrs. Money
Academic Team - Mr. Walker and Mr. McGarry
Spirit Squad - Mrs. Neely
Theatre - Mrs. Scheibe
Math Club - Ms. Strickland
Upcoming Events
2nd - Labor Day: No School
11th - Fall Parent-Teacher Conferences (3:40 pm - 7:40 pm)
13th - Professional Development Day (No School for Students)
Alumni Spotlight
Name: Mikki (King) Teague
Class of: 1995
Hobbies and interests: I love spending time at the lake with my family, and going on fun excursions with my friends.
Family: Husband - Brian Teague, Children - Carly DeBriyn (Senior), Evan Teague (Senior), Kale (3rd grade), Ellie (Kindergarten)
Current Job: Clever Pre K - 2nd grade Principal
College or Career Training after CHS: Southwest Missouri State University (undergrad), Lindenwood University (Master's), Arkansas State University (Specialist, in progress)
Degree/Certificate Earned: B.S. Child and Family Development, M.S. Elementary Education, M.S. Educational Leadership
Extracurricular activities you participated in at CHS: Volleyball, basketball, softball, cheerleading, FFA, STUCO
Favorite class at CHS: Home Economics
Advice to current CHS students: Be kind. Show grace. Be yourself. Take risks. Set goals. Dream Big. Eliminate "I can't" from your vocabulary. Don't be so hard on yourself. One way or another, YOU MAKE A DIFFERENCE!
Clever High School
Email: caseyj@cleverbluejays.org
Website: www.cleverbluejays.org
Location: 6800 W. Veterans Blvd., Clever, MO 65631
Phone: 4177434830
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Clever-High-School-107961380555502/
Twitter: @CleverJays