Bolivar HS Newsletter
August 2014
Welcome Back to School!
This newsletter includes information about new things happening for 14-15!
Student Handbook 14-15
Bolivar R-1 School Calendar 14-15
Registration Day August 7th
Registration Day will be Thursday, August 7th from 7:00AM-3:00PM come and go. No appointment is needed but please be aware we are normally busiest in the morning, and it may take a little longer if you arrive before 9AM.
Freshmen IGNITE Tuesday, August 12th 1:00-5:00PM
A Freshmen Parent Open House will be held the same day beginning at 5:00 p.m. come and go. Parents will pick up their student from Freshman Success Day and visit classrooms and meet with BHS teachers in an informal open house. Hot dogs, chips, and drinks will be provided. Important parent information will be shared in short meetings beginning at 5:00, 5:20, and 5:40 p.m. in the BHS commons.
Introducing teachers who are new to BHS
- Ashley DeVore will be teaching FCS (Family and Consumer Sciences) and is coming to us from Aurora where she taught in the middle school and high school. She lives in Walnut Grove and was Betty Glasgow's student teacher a couple of years ago.
- Morgan DeClue is a proud BHS alum and our new vocal music instructor. She has been teaching at Buffalo for the last couple of years.
- Tania Driskill will be teaching physical science this upcoming year. She joins us from Belton HS where she served for many years, teaching in the science department.
- Candace Landreth joins our BHS team as an English teacher. She recently finished her Master’s Degree in Literacy at Missouri State University. This past year she taught as an adjunct instructor at OTC.
- Geana Stokes will be a new face in the guidance center. She has been the counselor at Halfway for several years. She will be serving students in all grades last names ending A-L.
- Mindy Richmond will be teaching math part-time at BHS. She recently finished a Master’s Degree in Curriculum and Instruction and has taught previously at Morrisville and in Illinois.
- Ethan Samuel graduated in May from Pitt State University, Home of the Gorillas. He will be teaching speech and theater courses and assisting Clint Wooderson with the speech and drama programs.
- And finally, not new to Bolivar but new to BHS, Bobbie Wooderson joins us from the BPS library to the BHS library. Bobbie has been a strong teacher leader in our district for a number of years, both in her role as BPS library media specialist and also as president of our local MSTA/CTA.
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New office locations
What was formerly the attendance office, is now the Guidance Center. We have added a much needed guidance counseling position for this year. We are excited to introduce Geana Stokes as our new counselor. She will serve students grades 9-12 with last names beginning A-L. Jennifer Ferrell will serve students with last names M-Z. Michelle Darby will lead the counseling department as our College/Career Counselor. Kim Stanek is the high school registrar and also the person who will greet you in the guidance center.
What was previously the Guidance Center will now be the home of student activities. Athletic/Activity Director Todd Schrader and School Resource Officer Danny Morrison will have offices in this area.
When visiting the high school, you may notice Dr. Geurin at a mobile desk in the commons. After trying this out last spring, it will now be a regular thing. The reason for this unusual setup is to be more accessible to students and less hidden away in an office.
We hope these changes are helpful to you and your student!
School Wide Essential Questions
At the conclusion of the school year, we asked students to vote to select four questions they felt were the best ones to guide our learning this school year. Each question will provide a focus each quarter. The learning goals in each course won't change as a result of the questions, but classes will discuss how the goals for each class relate to the big idea questions that we are considering as a building. Here are the four questions that were selected:
- Which is worse, failing or never trying?
- Is freedom ever free?
- Is there a limit to tolerance?
- What is a hero?
Essential questions have the following characteristics:
· Essential questions are worthy of inquiry, calling for higher-order thinking – analysis, inference, evaluation, and prediction.
· They are thought-provoking and intellectually engaging, sparking discussion and debate, giving students the tools and a forum to wrestle with important ideas.
· They are open-ended – that is, there isn’t a single, final, correct answer.
· They require support and justification, not just the answer.
· They produce a humbling acceptance that some matters are never truly settled, but at the same time a desire to think about such questions.
· They point toward important, transferable ideas within and across disciplines.
· They raise additional questions, spark further inquiry, and need to be revisited over time.
First Day of School is Thursday, August 14th
Bolivar High School
Email: dgeurin@bolivarschools.org
Website: bhs.bolivarschools.org
Phone: (417)326-5228
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bolivarhighschool
Twitter: @LiberatorsNOW