Eagle Connect: MHS March News
April 2024
A Message from Principal Dr. Chris Botts
The Botts Office
March 2024
Dear Maize High School Community,
As we eagerly anticipate the arrival of spring break, we also welcome the promise of warmer weather and the opportunities it brings for renewed energy and focus. With the end of the school year in sight, embrace the season ahead and make the most of the weeks to come! Here are a few notes and reminders:
Term 3 will finish on Thursday, March 7th with spring break running from Friday, March 8 through Sunday March 17th. I hope everyone has a great break!
Prom is coming up for juniors, seniors, and their guests. Again this year, Prom will take place at the Cotillion, from 8-11pm.
After Prom needs your help! Each year, parents organize and plan After Prom for our students in an effort to provide them a safe alternative after prom. We need lots of parents to help make this event possible. If you are interested in helping on the planning committee (it doesn’t matter what grade your student is in), please contact our After Prom chairperson, Brian Youngers, at maizeafterprom@gmail.com
Congratulations to our swimmers and coaches who finished in 8th place at state this weekend.
100 Yard Freestyle: Zachary Rife (3rd)
200 Freestyle Relay: Kooper Johnson, Aidan Turner, Kellen Doty, Zachary Rife (6th)
100 Yard Breaststroke: Kooper Johnson (6th)
400 Yard Freestyle Relay: Kooper Johnson, Owen Johnson, Kellen Doty, Zachary Rife (5th)
200 Yard Freestyle: Zachary Rife (3rd)
200 Yard IM: Kooper Johnson (3rd)
Zachary Rife and Kooper Johnson were named 1st team All-State.
Congratulations to our wrestlers and coaches who qualified for state. They will compete this coming weekend at Harman Arena: DeMoss, Tran, Tucker Verbeck, Rosas, Gomez, Braden Salisbury, Joyce, Ford, Flores, Wunsch, Villanueva. At the 6A state meet, the following students placed:
132 - Vincent Rosas - 2nd
138 - Daniel Gomez - 3rd
150 - Braden Salsbury - 5th
165 - Everett Joyce - 2nd
175 - Jayden Ford - 3rd
190 - Ayden Flores - 1st (Back 2 Back State Champion & 6A Wrestler of the Year)
215 - Ronan Wunsch - 3rd
Congratulations to the boy’s bowling team on their 2nd place finish in the league. The teams had a great season! Congratulations to freshman Elias Grajeda-Sisson on qualifying for the state meet.
Congratulations to our Business Professionals of American students and teachers at state! We had a successful showing with 6 of the 10 students who competed qualifying for Nationals. Students must place in the top 3 in a judged event, top 5 in an objective test event, or top 10 in an open objective test event to qualify. To put that into context, there are an average of 30 students in judged and objective test events and at least 150 who take the open tests. These students qualified for Nationals:
Carter Smith - State Champion Fundamental Desktop Publishing and State Champion Advanced Desktop Publishing
Ainsley Cramer - State Champion Health Admin Procedures and top 10 Medical Terminology open
Spencer Jones - 3rd Device Configuration, 4th Computer Security and top 10 Info Technology open
Charles Sharp - 5th Personal Finance and top 10 Management & Marketing open
Devon Short - top 10 Parliamentary Procedure open
Sophia Gardner - top 10 Parliamentary Procedure open
Congratulations to Ms. Barbara and the theater students for their outstanding of performance of “Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief.”
Students of the Month
Chloe Linville
Avery Elliott
Malia Taylor
Lily Cook
Jordyn Bird
Dashall Meyer
Parker Bender
Atticus Marcenaro
Quincy Burrow
Finn Arbogast-Megerdichian
Elizabeth DeWitt
Adley Pierce
Abi Cavazos
Caydence Tajchman
Devin Short
Bryson Hayes
Kynadee Sullivan
Our Mock Trial team competed well today. We finished 5th overall, and 4th in points. We were the highest finishing 1st year team in the Regional Competition. Very proud and appreciative of all the hard work of our students and attorney coaches, Andrew Chase and Roger Falk!
Devin Short - Attorney
Isabella Browne - Attorney
Jordan Margrave - Attorney
Abigail Linton - Attorney
Lans Klein - Witness
Marley Vest - Witness
Adrian Sanders - Witness
Wyatt Case - Witness
Isaac Benjamin - Witness
Joaquin Foster - Witness
Peyton LaPoint - Witness
Stay Connected
Visit our school website at www.usd266.com/mhs.
Connect with Dr. Botts at cbotts@usd266.com or 316-722-0441.
Maize High School is located at 11600 W. 45th St. North in Maize.
Counselor's Corner
Greetings from the Counseling Department at Maize High School
Betsy Manning Director of School Counseling 350-2120 bmanning@usd266.com
Students whose last names begin with A through Ca
Katie Shephard School Counselor 350-2118 kshephard@usd266.com
Students whose last names begin with Ce through H
Megan Bleier School Counselor 350-2119 mbleier@usd266.com
Students whose last names begin with I through P
Anne Debes School Counselor 350-2114 adebes@usd266.com
Students whose last names begin with Q through Z
Diane Close College & Career Advocate 350-2281 dclose@usd266.com
Kami Smith Counseling Secretary 350-2122 krsmith@usd266.com
Greetings from the Maize High School Counseling Department!
Thank you to staff, students, and parents for collaborating on 24-25 enrollment decisions through Xello’s Course Planner. Now that the enrollment submission window has closed, students will not be able to make adjustments to their Course Planner for the 2024 - 2025 school year. They are still able to make adjustments to future years’ plans. Counselors and administrators will work together to create a master schedule based on student requests. Schedules will be completed in May, balanced over the summer, and visible in Skyward in early August.
Important Dates
March 6th & 7th - Cap & Gown delivery in Commons 10:30-1:30
March 7th - End of Term 3
March 8th - 15th - Spring Break
March 18th - Term 4 Begins
April 12th - FINAL day to turn in pictures for the Senior Slideshow
May 14th - Last day of classes for seniors
May 15th - Senior parade, breakfast, graduation practice
May 15th - MHS Graduation @ Hartman Arena, 6:30 PM
May 21st - Last day of school
Senior Slideshow Pictures
Senior parents/guardians are invited to submit pictures of Class of 2024 seniors for the senior slideshow that is shown before the commencement ceremony and during the senior breakfast in May. For each senior, one baby/toddler picture and one current picture may be emailed to mhsseniorpics@usd266.com. JPEG format is preferred. Please submit photos by April 12th.
Saturday ACT Test Date
Friday, March 8th is the last day to sign up for the Saturday, April 13th ACT test. Students can take the ACT up to 12 times, but most don’t need that many practice tests. More than 50% of students who take the test more than once will increase their scores, however, so at least one full test in addition to the one provided by Maize High is recommended.
To sign up for a Saturday ACT test date, students and parents need to create an account at my.act.org. The ACT is offered on Saturdays in June, July, September, October, December, February, and April. Juniors do not need to register online for the test dates provided at Maize High. Test locations typically include Maize High School during the months school is in session. To use Maize High as a test center, use the test center code: 213970. To make sure Maize High gets a copy of your test scores to include on your transcript, use the high school code: 171-885. If paying for your student to take the ACT presents a financial hardship for your family, or if you qualify for free or reduced lunches, please contact your student’s counselor for information about fee waivers for the ACT.
Current MHS juniors took the official ACT test Tuesday, February 27 during the school day. Juniors who logged in to myact.org and completed the non-test information as directed will be able to log in to see scores within a month of testing.
General ACT Test Information
ACT scores are important for all college applications after high school! Students can show proficiency when applying to community colleges and avoid taking a placement test. Some colleges also give students credit for introductory math and English classes if they score well. ACT scores and GPA are often used to award scholarships, which are a great way to congratulate students for doing well academically.
Students can take the test at any point in high school. To determine the best time for your student to take the ACT, consider these things:
Pick a time of year when your student doesn’t have activities on Saturdays (especially sports)
Choose a test date after your student has completed Algebra II (or is taking any higher-level math).
Complete Chemistry I before taking the test to improve Science Section scores.
By October of their senior year, students should have submitted at least one ACT score to the college(s) where they plan to apply for admission. When they take the junior year test provided by Maize High, they will have the opportunity to send the score to at least 4 colleges. Most colleges will allow students to submit a higher score to improve their eligibility for scholarships even after their application is accepted. Check with specific colleges to find out what options and deadlines apply.
ACT Workshop
Power Prep ACT Workshops take place at MHS throughout the year. Each workshop includes two evening sessions covering practical and relevant information on how to increase your ACT score. The cost of each workshop is $80. For more information regarding fall workshop dates and registration, please go to http://actprep.info/maize .
AP Test Information
Thursday, March 7th by 3:00 PM is the last day to cancel an AP exam and receive a full refund. Please contact Mrs. Betsy Manning, bmanning@usd266.com, if you have questions about AP exams.
AP Testing Dates at Maize High School in the MHS Lecture Hall
AP Government: Monday, May 6th @ 8 AM
AP Chemistry: Monday, May 6th @ 12 noon
AP Statistics: Tuesday, May 7 @ 12 noon
AP Literature: Wednesday, May 8 @ 8 AM
AP US History: Friday, May 10 @ 8 AM
AP Calculus A/B: Monday, May 13th @ 8 AM
AP Biology: Thursday, May 16th @ 12 noon,
AP Physics 1: Friday, May 17 @ 8 AM
AP Physics 2: Friday, May 17 @ 12 noon
Summer Driver Education
Maize USD 266 will once again offer summer driver education. Any student who turns 14 on or before Monday, May 27, 2024 and has or will graduate 8th grade by June 1 will be eligible to enroll in summer driver education.
Students will have 31 days (April 10 through May 10) to complete the coursework online through Google Classroom. Students failing to complete the online portion by May 10 will be dropped from the class and forfeit the $200 enrollment fee. Students will also complete four one-hour driving sessions starting no earlier than May 27.
Summer driver education enrollment will be offered on a first come, first served basis with enrollment limited to the first 150 students to register. Enrollment registration will open at 8 a.m. on Monday, April 1, 2024 and will close on Monday, April 8, 2024 or when enrollment capacity has been reached. Please enroll early, as the class will fill up fast. To register, go to https://forms.gle/FS5EVD4uKPzR3ZhH9. The form will not be accessible until 8 a.m. April 1.
The first 150 students to register will receive a Google invite to attend the mandatory enrollment meeting at 6 p.m. Wednesday, April 10, 2024 in the Maize South High School auditorium. The cost of summer driver education is $200, with payment due in full on the date of the meeting. Students who qualify for free or reduced lunches may apply for waived fees during the enrollment process.
Students and parents with questions are encouraged to contact Curtis Klein at 316-462-8510 or by email at cklein@usd266.com.
NCAA Eligibility for Student Athletes
Many student athletes wish to compete at the highest levels in college sports; however, NCAA Division I and Division II sports have high standards of academic achievement that require special attention to class selection and GPA throughout a student’s high school career. Please click on these NCAA Division I and Division II Fact Sheets for a quick overview of current standards, and contact your school counselor early on with questions regarding potential eligibility.
College and Career
From Diane Close - College & Career Advocate
College & Career Center Updates
Mark your calendars!
March Events:
Spring Break is a great time to discuss students' post-secondary plans and even tour college campuses.
19th Registration opens for grades 10-12 planning to attend the PSU college visit
26th Registration opens for grades 10-12 planning to attend the FHSU college visit
April Events:
2nd College visit to Pittsburg State University
4th GPACAC Signature College Fair for grades 10-11 from 9-11a in the
MCA Hub. This fair will host universities from out of state. Watch your email for additional information.
5th Career Fair, held in the MCA Hub — this fair is for seniors planning to enter the
workforce after graduation. Watch your email for additional information
11th College Tour - Fort Hays State University
17th College Tour - Junior Days, Butler Community College
May Events:
8th Senior celebration - During FLEX in the commons area
Scholarships - It is never too early for students to begin building their resume looking for scholarships. Scholarship information is available on the Counselor Corner webpage.
Volunteering - Spring Break and Summer are opportune times for students to give back to their community and possibly gain some professional experience. Volunteering can make a difference as well as build personal growth and self-esteem.
2024-2025 Fusion Newsmagazine
Fusion by OneMaize Media Recruiting for 2024-2025 School Year
Fusion Newsmagazine is seeking writers, reporters, photographers, designers and illustrators for next school year. Enrollment begins soon and journalism courses teach skills that are useful in a variety of careers. If you would like more information please contact Jodee Johnson in the Maize Career Academy.
2023-2024 Yearbook
Buy a yearbook
Time is running out to buy a yearbook, so make sure to purchase one now. The cost is $50. You can purchase the yearbook by clicking on this link.
Recognize your senior
Celebrate your student's final year in high school with a senior recognition ad. You can purchase eighth-page, quarter-page, half-page and full-page ads by going to the Jostens website.
Nurses Corner
Health Matters by Dana Desjardins, MHS RN
Amongst the general signs and symptoms of the cold and flu virus we are also seeing the following: Strep Throat, Corona Virus, Influenza and Bronchitis. Please help keep our students and staff members healthy:
- Never send a student to school with a 100 or greater temperature.
- Take your child to the doctor, especially if not better on or after the 3rd day of being ill or if symtoms are worse and not better with over-the-counter medication.
- Students may return to school if they have been fever free without taking fever reducing medications for 24 hours.
- If you are unsure, always call the school nurse before sending an ill student to school at (316) 350-2123 or (316) 350-2137.
Over the Counter Medications NEWS Policy 2023-23 School Year - No more carrying over the counter medications at the high schools in Maize. All medication must be brought to the school nurses office. The parent may log in to their Skyward Account, go to Online Forms then clock on Over the Counter Medication Consent Forms. Click on what over the counter medications you would like the school nurse to give. If you would like your student to take something other than what the school nurse has for over the counter medications, sign and return the medication form along with the medication to the school nurse. The link is below.
Prescription Medications - Will your child be taking prescription meds at school? You will need to print the medication form, have the prescribing doctor fill it out and return it to the MHS nuse with the prescription medications. Parents or an adult must bring the prescription medications to school in their prescribed bottle. The link for the form is below.
Inhalers, EpiPens, Diabetic Medications and Seizure Medications - All need a signed medication form. Parents can print the medication form and have their doctor send the health plan to the school nurse. Again, the link for the form is below.
Immunizations OVERDUE! Please send any immunization your child gets to the school nurse as soon as they get them. We will make sure we add your child's immunization to your child's school health record.
Zero Reasons Why
You are no doubt a parent or caregiver who deeply cares about the wellbeing of a teenager. As an adult who cares, there are many ways you can help improve the mental health of the teens in your life.
Zero Reasons Why is a teen lead organization seeking to break the stigma of mental health. The teens involved in the campaign believe one of the biggest barriers to their mental health is when parents or caregivers don’t recognize mental health as a real or valid health concern. Having an honest, empathetic conversation about mental health with their parents can be challenging, let alone accessing additional support like therapy when needed. For information on the Zero Reasons Why campaign and for support in having conversations related to mental health with your teen please visit #zeroreasonswhy.org
Do you know the mental health supports available at Maize High School? Did you know there is a mental health intervention team member in each school grades 5-12? For more information on the MHIT program please email your behavioral health liaison Ashleigh Hughbanks at ahughbanks@usd266.com
Important Student Resources
#youmattertome
Did you know that if you text 741741 when you are feeling depressed or suicidal, a crisis worker will text you back immediately and continue to text with you? Many people don’t like talking on the phone and would be more comfortable texting. It's a FREE service to ANYONE - teens, adults, etc. - who lives in the U.S. It's run by The Crisis Text Line.
You. Matter. #youmattertome
Upcoming Eagle Events
Important Dates
March 6th & 7th - Cap & Gown delivery in Commons 10:30-1:30
March 7th - End of Term 3
March 8th - 15th - Spring Break
March 18th - Term 4 Begins
April 12th - FINAL day to turn in pictures for the Senior Slideshow
May 14th - Last day of classes for seniors
May 15th - Senior parade, breakfast, graduation practice
May 15th - MHS Graduation @ Hartman Arena, 6:30 PM
May 21st - Last day of school
After Prom Information
Prom and After Prom are quickly approaching and we will need parent volunteers and prize donations to make the event a success for our students. After Prom will take place on April 13th from 11:00PM to 2:00AM.
Sign up here to help at the event:
After Prom Volunteers--04/13/24
Sign up here to donate prizes:
You can also donate cash to be used for food and prizes via Venmo directly to Maize After Prom (@maizeafterprom).
If you have any questions please email us at maizeafterprom@gmail.com
Students In The News
MHS National Honor Society - Update
NHS has volunteered for 606 hours this school year in a variety of opportunities including the Dillons Operation Holiday, packing supplies for students and teachers, and helping at Family Nights at elementary schools.
National Honor Society students helped at parent teacher conferences last week by greeting parents at the door and helping them locate teachers. Also, new this year was a location called the Kid Zone for younger siblings to color, play with PlayDoh, and have a snack while parents met with teachers.
OneMaize Media Team
Maize High students competed along with Maize South students as the OneMaize Media team in the Kansas Scholastic Press Association Regional contest against seven other 6A high schools from across the state. These 32 individuals/groups will now compete for the state championship in April.
Please see image for competition results.
Students in Action
Orchestra
Orchestra News
STATE PIANO
Jaeson Chan recently earned a "I" rating at State Piano Festival. Not only is he an accomplished pianist, but he is also a fantastic cellist in our orchestra and he is only a freshman! He is one to watch.
ALL-STATE ORCHESTRA
Jack Bowen, Lyla Lansdown, Shannon Sebastian and Johanna Speer advanced from the South Central District Honor Orchestra to the All- State Orchestras. While most Maize High students were enjoying their 4 day weekend due to conferences, these students devotedly rehearsed 12 hours a day and performed at Century II, Saturday the 24th.
A fun fact is that the Maize High Orchestra had the highest number of students performing at All-State Orchestras when compared to any of the surrounding suburban districts. A warm thank you to these students for representing Maize High excellently. They sounded amazing!
Wichita Youth Symphony
The following Maize High students participated in the Wichita Youth symphony program. A huge congratulations to Jordan Vogt, Jaeson Chan, Johanna Speer, Niki Penefiel ,Mack Carlo, and Lyla Lansdown.
Additionally in March
March 26th -Orchestra Invitational at WSU -Maize High Orchestra performance and clinic
March 28th- MHS String recitals 6 pm and 7:30 pm , in the MHS Auditorium- featuring soloists and small ensembles who will compete at Regional Solo & Small Ensemble Festival.
Business Professionals of America
The Maize High Business Professionals of America club competed at the State Competition February 15-16. Two students were State Champions and four others also qualified for Nationals.
- Carter Smith - State Champion Fundamental Desktop Publishing and State Champion Advanced Desktop Publishing
- Ainsley Cramer - State Champion Health Admin Procedures and top 10 Medical Terminology open
- Spencer Jones - 3rd Device Configuration, 4th Computer Security and top 10 Info Technology open
- Charles Sharp - 5th Personal Finance and top 10 Management & Marketing open
- Devon Short - top 10 Parliamentary Procedure open
- Sophia Gardner - top 10 Parliamentary Procedure open
Eagle Updates
Spirit Central
Check out the Spirit Central website for all your Maize Eagle spirit gear! You can purchase online and then choose to pick-up at the school or have the merchandise shipped to you! All proceeds support the Maize High Business Professionals of America club.
Morning Bus Traffic Reminder
Please be mindful and YIELD the right of way to the buses when they arrive in the morning. Please DO NOT try to dart in between the buses. Allowing the buses to pull into the parking lot and proceed to the south entry doors is priority. Thank you - Crossing Guard Staff