One aspect of life around Willard that becomes quickly apparent is the fact that our community supports children! Three years ago the Willard Children’s Charitable Foundation was started. Last Friday night, the WCCF Board of Trustees held a “Harvest Gathering” to say thank you to all those that have donated. Since the inception of the WCCF, donations totaling well over $60,000 dollars have been received. Several grants have been disbursed to children for several different needs including:

 Willard Fire Department
 Willard Intermediate Library
 2006 Two $1,000 College Scholarships
 2007 Three $1,000 College Scholarships
 Health / Dental Grants (individual)
 Skin Disorder
 Neurological
 Counseling
 Dental
 Vision
 Hearing

I am very proud to be an active donor to the WCCF. What is important is that I share that honor with over 200 other Willard Community Members. I believe that the WCCF has a vision for the future generations of Willard and is helping that vision come to life with every dollar donated to the cause. If you have questions or would like to become a partner in the WCCF, please contact Sherri Callahan at 742-2584.

Kent

Dr. Kent E. Medlin
Superintendent

I appreciate our members of the Willard Board of Education. These seven individuals volunteer hundreds of hours per year to help make Willard R-II a great place for learning. Like any other area in education, in order to be a quality board member you must be dedicated to continual professional development. This weekend Willard Board Members participated with board members from across the State at the annual Missouri School Boards’ Association meeting at Lake of the Ozarks. This workshop offers training on many levels of public education. Participants may choose from topics of School Finance, NCLB, Professional Learning Communities, Superintendent Evaluations, School Law, and many, many others. Many times ideas are generated though simple discussions with other board members from around the state. I am sure that they would have rather been at home watching football, or catching up on chores, but once again they took the time out of their schedule to help the district improve. I appreciate their time and efforts for our district.

Kent

Dr. Kent E. Medlin
Superintendent of Schools

My wife Angie and I had the pleasure of attending the Ozarko Showband Festival at Missouri State University.  It was amazing.  Willard came away champions once again.  The fact that we won the competition is not the most important part of the day.  We were able to see 240 students working together as a team!!!!  They looked like an army when they were walking toward the performance.  Mr. Church, Mrs. Meraz and Mr. Chapman, all pour their heart and soul into their kids.  In the end it does not matter that we are the largest, it matters that they perform and act as a team.  These kids are truly fun to be around.  The day was filled with fun, camaraderie, and pride.  They are committed to each other, to the band as a whole, and to their community.  It is a great feeling to be a part of something bigger than yourself.  I know that feeling everyday that I come to work.  Great job to the Cutting Edge!

Have a great weekend!

Kent

Dr. Kent E. Medlin

Superintendent of Schools

Currently there are 524 public school districts in the State of Missouri. Approximately 200 of these districts have an enrollment less than 200 students K-12. This year the Willard School District gained 195 students. This increase in enrollment represents more students than 1/3 of the school districts in the state. The State of Missouri requires an official accounting of students in September. September of 2006-2007 reported Willard with an enrollment of 3,852 students. One year later our current enrollment is 4,047 students. This is a 5% increase in enrollment. This rate of growth is considered high for a community. If you have an average classroom of 22-24 students this results in the need of 8-9 additional classrooms. Needless to say we are filling our new elementary school before it is even built. This month at the regular meeting of the Board of Education we have an agenda item to discuss long term planning. Clearly our continued growth will be a large part of that discussion.

Have a great weekend!
Kent

Dr. Kent E. Medlin
Superintendent of Schools

Parents and Community members often ask why schools schedule these professional “days off” during the school year.  I will guarantee our patrons that these are not days wasted.  Teachers began the morning with a presentation at 7:30 a.m.   Teaching is a profession that is much more difficult than it was years ago.  No child wants to sit in a classroom of a teacher that has not improved in their delivery during the past 20 years.  It is much more difficult to maintain the attention of students due to their constant exposure to entertainment.  In this day and age, teachers must be able to present interesting, relevant, engaging lessons in order to capture the attention of students for seven hours every day.  This means that we must continue to learn and improve the way we perform.  There is no other way to do this than to schedule time for teachers to learn new methods and techniques of instruction.  Today is a day that students get to play, but teachers are at school working hard learning!

Have a good weekend.

Kent

Dr. Kent E. Medlin

Superintendent of Schools

I looked on my dictionary website and found that the word “Home” has 31 definitions. Some people believe in the old saying that “Home is where you hang your hat.” I believe home can be much more then a hat rack!! Our school district has many families that have called Willard “home” for several generations. Three of our administrators are part of multi-generation Willard families. Amy Sims and Kara Crighton-Smith are sisters in a family that have six generations of history living in Willard. Jeff Staley has family including seven generations living in Willard. I think these three individuals may have a very special definition of home. Homecoming is a special time for our community. Tonight we will fill the football stadium with Willard fans. Many times we have alumni groups that meet for homecoming with classmates that no longer live in Willard. The atmosphere tonight will be exciting. Well over 350 kids will participate during the evening. Tonight many students will be making memories that they will tell future generations. Currently my family only has a history of two generations in Willard including my wife, Angie and our children Lacey (WHS Class of 2005), Jarred (WHS Class of 2005), and Allie (WHS Class of 2012). The most important thing is that even if you are a first generation Willard student, tonight can be a great evening! Here’s to “Home”!!

Have a great weekend!

Go Tigers!

Kent

Dr. Kent E. Medlin

Superintendent of Schools

I love the new Willard Choir T-Shirts. The new shirt shows a printed list of quotes that have been stated about the program. The top quote is from Barry Hinson, Coach of the Missouri State University Basketball Bears, it states: “I came looking to recruit a basketball player and I left wanting the choir!” We have an incredible choir, however I don’t write this simply to brag on them. It is tough to be a teenager. Most are trying very hard to find a special place where they can join together with a team of others and strive for success. I believe Willard does an exceptional job of creating many different opportunities for kids to be a part of something great. At Willard you are not only “cool” if you play sports. At Willard it is “cool” to be in the band, drama, speech and debate, FFA, FCCLA, FBLA, ROTC, etc… Academic programs are clearly the most important aspect of our job as a school. However, I believe if we focus 100% of our attention and energy on MAP, ACT, and NCLB, we may lose something along the way. One of the greatest points of learning with our extracurricular and co-curricular activities is to learn how to work as a team. Teammates have to ask themselves if they are willing to sacrifice personal success for the betterment of the team. This week a young man on our football team chose to help the team by playing offensive guard instead of running back. From personal experience, I know that guards never get the same level of recognition as running backs. However this week the team needed him to be a guard. I believe this young man understands what it takes to be a team member. I believe the better we understand this concept the greater the chance of success!

Kent  

Dr. Kent E. Medlin

Superintendent of Schools

The secret to succeeding as a school superintendent is to surround yourself with excellent leaders. I believe that Willard R-II is blessed to have some of the best administrators that can be found in Missouri. The Willard Administrative Team is comprised of smart, hard working, committed individuals that love kids and are dedicated to their success. These individuals are people of character and integrity. This summer, I challenged them to become even better as a team. District administrators are participating in a book study called the “The Five Dysfunctions of a Team”. This study has caused us to self examine and grapple with strategies to improve. I have seldom praised this leadership group in order to avoid appearing arrogant. I offer this example not only to praise our administrators, but to show that we must be willing to examine every aspect of our organization looking for ways to improve. If we are going to be a learning organization we must be willing to stretch and grow professionally. I believe that this group will continue to learn and implement new methods to help Willard children succeed.

This is going to be a great school year!!

Have a great weekend.

Kent

What is happening at the Football Field???

Tonight we are hosting our opening game vs. the Central Bulldogs.  Coach Wickwar has amassed the largest team in the last several years.  Ironman football played in the old days causing everyone to play both ways will not win big games in the COC.  The greater numbers clearly show that interest is growing in the program.  I wish the coaches and the players the best as they take the field tonight.  

Last year Willard was forced to play its home football games at MSU.  The decision was made to demolish the old stadium due to safety concerns and cost associated with fixing the old facility.  The board of education and administration made the decision that it was time to update the facility.  Little had been done to improve the facility other than a new track surface in decades.  During the past two years the complex has received the following upgrades:

• New lights
• New scoreboard (Thanks to Coke and the WHS booster club)
• New grass and irrigation system
• New flag pole (Thanks to Morelock Ross for the donation)
• New bleachers / press box  (Seating for 2,350 spectators)
• New sound system
• New Goal Posts (Thanks to Booster Club)
• New Restroom (unfinished)
• New Concession Stand (unfinished)
• New entry (unfinished)

The district is currently constructing an entrance that will include a large restroom and concession stand.  Our hope was to have these elements complete however we were forced to bid the project two times and appeal to Greene County.   Within a few months we hope to go out on bid for the last component which is a new athletic locker room.  Some patrons have asked if we were spending too much on football.  My response is that when it is time to do something …. lets do it right.  I believe this will be a facility that we can be proud of for many many years.  This complex will affect 80+ HS Football players, over 100+ Jr. High Football Players, 240 Band Members, 30+Cheerleaders, 15+Tigeretts, 100+ Track Athletes, etc…  The facility will also offer the option of an outdoor Graduation Ceremony.  This facility will be an integral part of the education of Willard children for many years to come.  If you ask me, it is money well spent!!!

Have a great weekend!

Kent

The first week of school we experienced a heat wave. The second week of school the flood waters rose. I guess that is just good old Missouri weather. Staff and students have done a good job getting through these first challenges. Lets all pray for good weather!!

We have had an excellent start. Teachers and children are getting back into the groove of learning. This year the district theme is:

Work Hard

Work Together

Do It With Class

There is no doubt that the efforts of a team will out produce the collective efforts of individuals. When people work together it provides energy for success. If teachers isolate themselves in their classrooms they will never learn what is possible when people team their efforts. If teachers, coaches, sponsors, administrators, support staff, board members, etc… are all working in concert then great music can be made. If they don’t work together then it is simply noise. I believe we have worked well as a team for many years. It is my goal this year to improve on our teamwork. If this improvement is realized it will be awesome for kids!!!

Kent

Dr. Kent E. Medlin

Superintendent of Schools

At 211 degrees a person simply has hot water.  When you add one more degree of energy the water transforms and an incredible amount of energy is released in the form of steam.  This steam can be used to make dinner, power a locomotive, or even generate electricity.  That one extra degree is the same amount of energy as the degree from 150 to 151 degrees, however the result is dramatically different.  We never know as educators when just one more attempt will help a student understand a concept or when one more word of encouragement will provide the motivation needed for success.  At Willard R-II, we continue to dig finding ways to change good practices into great practices.  There is no doubt that we have plenty of extra degrees of heat this week!!!  The custodians and maintenance have done a great job with our buildings over the summer.  Cooks and bus drivers had to put up with the heat yesterday to ensure that kids were served.  Secretaries had to make order out of chaos.   Para’s had to begin to establish those special relationships that help make kids successful.  Teachers got the opportunity to do what they love most.  The Administrators got a good night sleep because they were worn out from solving problems.  I was able to visit most buildings yesterday and witnessed calm, organized, clean buildings.  Most of all I observed students learning.  It is clear that many are providing that one extra degree of effort to make great things happen.  It is going to be a great school year!!

Have a great weekend! 

Kent