The Bird Call
News and Notes from Clever High School
It's a Learning Experience
Welcome to another edition of The Bird Call! I hope each of you reading this found time to reflect on the things you are most grateful for during the Thanksgiving holiday. With less than a month of school left until the semester ends, we are working hard to ensure every student has the opportunity to succeed.
Ted Lasso has quickly become one of my all-time favorite TV shows. I watched the 10-episode first season, shamefully, over one weekend. I enjoyed it so much that within a few days I insisted my wife give it a try and I re-watched season 1 with her. She loved it as well and we are anxiously awaiting season three's release.
For those unfamiliar with the show, a quick summary of the plot from Wikipedia describes the series as "following Ted Lasso, an American college football coach who is hired to coach an English soccer team in an attempt by its owner to spite her ex-husband. Lasso tries to win over the skeptical English market with his folksy, optimistic demeanor while dealing with his inexperience in the sport.".
*Full disclosure, due to inappropriate language, Ted Lasso is not suited for a younger audience and common sense media suggests viewers be at least 15 years old.*
One particular scene that I think we can all learn from revolves around a conversation Coach Lasso is having with one of his athletes, Sam Obisanya, after Sam made a mistake during practice. As practice continued, Sam was down on himself and it was causing him to play poorly. Coach Lasso called Sam over to the sideline and the following conversation played out:
Sam: "Coach, I'm sorry."
Coach Lasso: "You know what the happiest animal on Earth is? It's a goldfish. You know why?"
Sam: "No."
Coach Lasso: "Got a ten-second memory. Be a goldfish, Sam. Yeah?"
Sam: <Stares confused at Coach Lasso >
Coach Lasso: "Yeah, you got it. Go ahead."
What I love about this exchange is that Coach Lasso delivers the message that Sam needed at that moment. Sam was already being hard on himself and Coach Lasso piling on would not have been productive or helpful. Instead, Coach Lasso recognized the actual problem (hint: it was not the mistake Sam made in practice) and gave Sam permission to forgive himself.
I mess up all the time. As a parent, a husband, a principal, and in pretty much every other hat that I wear, I make mistakes. The truth is, we all do. The point of "be a goldfish" is not to forget about the mistakes that we make. If you read these newsletters regularly, you know my thoughts on the benefits of failing. The lesson to be learned is that dwelling on mistakes will likely lead to missed opportunities for growth. Our entire past - the successes, missteps, and everything in between - is needed to create our future. So, be a goldfish and don't be so hard on yourself.
Go Jays!
Joe Casey
High School Principal
Email: caseyj@cleverbluejays.org
Remind: Text "@clever9-12" to 81010
Twitter: @CleverPrincipal
Mark Your Calendars!
Hickman's Happenings
Character Education in the HS
Our character word of the month for December is Perseverance. A Clever Bluejay that perseveres works hard and refuses to give up. They take responsibility for their own academic progress and think positively and believe they can achieve anything they set their mind to. They also show initiative in finding solutions for academic and learning problems.
Friday Treat Day
Friday Treat Day has started! Students have been receiving a piece of candy on Fridays during P.R.I.D.E time if they do not have any tardies, cell phone violations, or other discipline referrals from the previous week. Ask your student about Friday Treat Day...hopefully, they have been receiving a treat. If not, they can improve the following week and be eligible for Friday Treat Day!
Tutoring/Tutoring Bus
We have several teachers that stay after school (3:30-4:30 pm) and come in early before school (7:00-7:30 am) for tutoring opportunities. If your student is needing extra help, contact his or her teachers to schedule a tutoring appointment. You can also contact the front office and we can help set up a tutoring schedule for your student.
On Wednesday afternoons, a bus is available to take students home after tutoring. The bus will pick up high school students around 4:40 pm and then pick up middle school students if necessary. If you are having trouble picking up your student from tutoring, please take advantage of this opportunity. If you’d like your student to ride the tutoring bus home, contact the front office (417-743-4830) by Wednesday at 1:00 pm.
A+ News:
Spring 2022 Tutoring: If you have signed up for A+ tutoring in the spring, I will start working on teacher placement after Thanksgiving break. If there is a particular grade level or teacher that you would like to work with, please let me know.
The next ACT date is Saturday, December 11th. The late registration deadline is November 19th. To sign up, go to www.act.org and follow the instructions. If you have not registered previously, you will need to complete a profile first. It is best to use an email address other than your school email address in order to receive important information and your admission ticket from ACT.
The FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) is available as of October 1st. The earlier the FAFSA is filed, the better!
Students and parents should first set up an FSA ID: https://fsaid.ed.gov
File the FAFSA online at www.fafsa.ed.gov. This is a free website - beware of other sites which may charge a fee!!
If you need help filling out the FAFSA, you can check out a “Journey to College: FAFSA Frenzy” event. Public FAFSA Frenzy events
Male students that have turned 18 must sign up for the Selective Service System. Please visit https://www.sss.gov/ to register.
Counselor's Corner
Clever Christmas Parade, December 11th - Clever High School will have Mr and Miss Merry Christmas candidates for each grade level.
All high school students will be participating in suicide awareness training. Please let the front office know if you would prefer your student not to participate in this training.
Seniors need to complete their Free Application for Financial Student Aid (FAFSA) Please see this link for help.
Also, there is a new scholarship for freshmen. It is called My Missouri Scholarship Promise Class of 2025. Please go to this link to learn more about it or as Mrs. Waisner.
ACT test dates
SAT test dates
Return to Learn Safety Plan
Office Barney's 4-1-1
Hello again from Officer Barney.
The D.E.A.’s (Drug Enforcement Administration) Public Safety Alert, “ONE PILL CAN KILL”.
Here’s the reason for the alert (https://www.dea.gov/onepill):
- Criminal drug networks are mass-producing fake pills and falsely marketing them as legitimate prescription pills to deceive the American public.
- Counterfeit pills are widely available, and DEA and its law enforcement partners are seizing deadly fake pills at record rates.
- Counterfeit pills are more lethal than ever before. The number of DEA-seized counterfeit pills with fentanyl has jumped nearly 430 percent since 2019. 9.6 million counterfeit pills have been seized as of September 2021.
- DEA lab testing reveals that 2 out of every 5 pills with fentanyl contain a potentially lethal dose.
- The only safe medications are ones prescribed by a trusted medical professional and dispensed by a licensed pharmacist.
So, what’s the big deal with fentanyl? Glad you asked, so let me break it down for you:
- Fentanyl is a synthetic opioid
- Fentanyl is 50 x’s more potent than heroin
- 2-milligram dosage of Fentanyl can be lethal
- Carfentanil is 100 x’s more potent than Fentanyl
- A “salt grain” dosage of Carfentanil is lethal
The CDC reports more than 93,00 people died of an overdose in the U.S. last year, the highest number ever recorded. Let me put it in perspective, it’s like the whole population of Clever being wiped out once a year for 32 years.
The problem starts when those who are taking prescribed meds abuse them. It progresses to buying meds off the street when no more prescriptions are given. This has opened the door for the illegal and deadly counterfeit pills. This should be a concern for every one of us, because many of us know a family member or a close friend who has died of an overdose.
Reality is the remedy:
Don’t take a dose of destruction
Don’t take a tablet of tragedy
Take a pill of purpose
Take a of capsule confidence
Take meditation as your medicine
Until next time…Be Smart, Be Safe
Officer Barney
Musical Rescheduled
Cold Weather Reminder
Tutoring Bus
Any student interested in utilizing the bus will need to let the front office know by the end of the day on the Tuesday of that week so that routes and drivers can be arranged.
Saturday School
Clubs and Activities
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. Hultz
Student Council - Mrs. Grant and Mrs. Waisner
Yearbook - Mr. Boyles
Speech and Debate - Mrs. Reynolds
Academic Team - Mr. Walker and Mr. McGarry
Theatre - Mrs. Scheibe
Math Club - Mr. McGarry
Alumni Spotlight
CHS Alumni, please consider submitting a form to be featured in an upcoming edition of The Bird Call!
Clever High School
Email: caseyj@cleverbluejays.org
Website: www.cleverbluejays.org
Location: 6800 W Veterans Blvd, Clever, MO, USA
Phone: (417) 743-4830
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Clever-High-School-107961380555502/
Twitter: @CleverJays