Good News Bulletin

For the sixth year in a row, Elizabeth Middle School students participated in a roller coaster gallery walk on Wednesday, March 15. Eighth grade students have been working on a physics project which had them learn the principles of motion for "roller coasters" using foam tubing, ball bearings and their imaginations.

After learning the concepts and brainstorming their roller coasters in Laura James' and Lindsey Cutter's science classes, they built functioning designs and shared them with the school. During the gallery walk, students got the chance to try out the coasters and review their functionalities.

They also brought them back out to display for Parent-Teacher Conferences.

The Hunter's Legacy charity basketball tournament and St. Baldrick's Brave-the-Shave event on Feb 24 raised more than $4,400 (with some donations still coming in) to help families with children battling cancer. The money from this year's fundraisers will be donated evenly between Ava Reese's and Mike Ramsay's families, both of which are waging their own wars against cancer.

Hunter's Legacy is a community basketball tournament played every year in honor of Hunter Neelley, a beloved Elizabeth student who succumbed to cancer in 2014. His father, Scott, pictured third below, plays in the tournament every year, and his mother, Robin, is a teacher at EMS. Each year's tournament is coordinated by the EHS chapter of FCCLA, for which Family and Consumer Sciences Teacher Melanie Darter serves as adviser. The event offers not only the opportunity to raise funds for other families facing what the Neelleys faced, but also the chance for the entire community to commemorate Hunter, who continued to share gratitude for the good things in his life throughout his cancer battle.

The Brave-the-Shave event also benefits childhood cancer research through the St. Baldrick's Foundation. It is coordinated locally by Dani Varela, EHS attendance clerk. This year, eight volunteers raised funds -- and awareness -- by having their heads shaved (last three photos in group below).

Photos by communications intern Jacob Freer

The EHS Student Council hosted a Mother-Son Game Night on March 11 at the EHS gym. Moms and their boys played board games, soccer, and other group games including Sharks and Minnows, and a rock-paper-scissors race. The evening was created as a complement to the Father-Daughter Dance from a few weeks ago. "We wanted to say thank you to everyone who came and we hope they all had a good time," said Calla Crookshanks, a StuCo member who also provided these photos. "We’re looking forward to hosting another event like this next year."

On Monday, March 13, about 70 members of the EMS and EHS band and orchestra programs visited Singing Hills Elementary to drum up interest in band and orchestra as the fifth graders were starting to think about middle school classes.

After their performance, the musicians chatted with fifth graders about why they joined. The Singing Hills students were excited to learn more about band and orchestra, and several said they cannot wait to start middle school next year.

Thanks to Jessica Schmidt for the photos and information.

The EHS Culinary II and Culinary III classes provided dinner for faculty on Parent-Teacher Conference night on March 15. Earlier in the week, the Culinary II class prepared bread bowls and six different stew and chili options. Culinary Teacher Alana Wolner said Principal Bret McClendon identified the white chicken chili as his favorite.

The Culinary III class created a spread of dessert treats with something for everyone, regardless of what their sweet-tooth preferences may be.

Students also got practice professionally serving up their masterpieces for staff members who stopped by to grab a bite after school and before conferences began. Pictured is Wyatt Gates dishing up some of the chili.

National Bus Driver Appreciation Day is, oddly, this Saturday, March 18, and because of spring break starting before that, Elizabeth School District celebrated its bus drivers on Wednesday, March 15.

ESD's drivers and all those who support them in the Transportation Department continually provide high-quality, dependable service -- something that has been exceptionally challenging over the last couple of years as COVID and the tight job market have made it even harder to find enough drivers to run the district's routes.

Every school district is filled with unsung heroes, but this district's bus drivers and transportation professionals are exceptionally heroic. ESD's Transportation Department is a resilient and resourceful group, finding ways to maximize staff availability while minimizing the impact on students and their parents. The photo above is not the full team, as several were already running routes during the Bus Driver Appreciation Day lunch on Wednesday. Whether they could be present or not, all of the district's drivers and transportation staff are deeply appreciated.

Safety and Security Director Mike Newton was the keynote speaker for the SLED (state-and-local government and education) vertical breakout session at Convergint Technologies' annual global conference, 2023 Convergint Unite. Newton spoke about building partnerships, collaborating with end users, and navigating the interactions between the various public-service entities.

March – National Women's History Month

March 16 – Board of Education special meeting, 5:30 p.m.

March 16-24 – NO SCHOOL: Spring Break

March 18 – National Bus Driver Appreciation Day

March 28 – Board of Education working session, 6 p.m.

April – National Poetry Month

April 1 – Elizabeth Education Foundation STARS banquet, 7 p.m.

April 3 – Kindergarten parent preparation, 8:30 a.m., Running Creek Elementary

April 3-7 – National Assistant Principal Appreciation Week

April 5 – Paraprofessional Appreciation Day

EMS sports calendar

EHS sports calendar

Elizabeth High School’s After Prom Committee needs help from the community. For years, the After Prom party has taken place at Boondocks in Parker, where students can safely extend the fun and memories of prom night by driving go-karts, bowling, playing arcade games and laser tag, and more.

This year, however, Boondocks raised its prices significantly beyond what the After Prom Committee had budgeted and raised funds for. To help with that, EHS is asking community members to donate to their GoFundMe page.

The goal for this fundraiser is $4,000 and includes not only the Boondocks fee but also funds for door prizes that are given out to students every hour via a ticket drawing to keep the night lively.

The After Prom Party at Boondocks is April 14, so there is just over a month before these funds will be used to make a fun, safe night to remember.