District Newsletter

District Office It is my pleasure to participate in confirming the Class of 2009 at tonight's Graduation Exercises. Two hundred and sixty eight seniors are in their final practice as I am writing this Pride article. The excitement is evident. Several cars are marked with shoe polish saying "Class of '09" or "Senior '09". My favorite is a pickup truck with the word "FINALLY" written in the back window. I am not sure if the truck belongs to a student or a parent. Either way, it is a good day. My message to the seniors is a quote from David Henry Thoreau, "Go confidently in the direction of your dreams. Live the Life you have imagined".

Dr. Janell Royal Assistant Superintendent of Schools

Director of Activities Spring sports are starting to wind down and the tigers are ready to finish strong!

The baseball tigers ended their regular season with a victory over Bolivar on Monday which gave them an 18-6 record! This also earned them a #1 seed in the district tournament which will be held at Greenwade Field here in Willard. The tigers will open district play against Hillcrest at noon on Saturday. Semifinals will start at 4:00 on Monday and the championship will be held on Tuesday starting at 6:00. A very special "thank you" to everyone involved in helping make the baseball field ready for the district tournament after it suffered significant damage from last Friday's storm.

The soccer tigers will start their district tournament as the #5 seed at Joplin on Monday. They will play the #4 seeded Hillcrest on Monday at 3:30. Semifinals are on Tuesday starting at 5:30 and the championship is on Thursday at 6:00. Good luck ladies!

The track teams will head down to Branson on Saturday for their district meet. Events will start at 11:00 with the top 4 in each event moving on to the Sectional meet at Ozark next Saturday.

Congratulations to Mark Lawley and the choir department on an outstanding performance at World's of Fun last Saturday. Below is Mark's summary of the event: We won 3 - THREE - 1 - 2 - 3 TROPHIES at the Festival of Choirs at Worlds of Fun! There were 68 choirs in the competition!!!!! Class 5 (Large Choir) 1st place: WILLARD HIGH SCHOOL Concert Choir 2nd place: WILLARD HIGH SCHOOL FESTIVAL WOMEN'S CHOIR Open Class (More than 1 choir entered) 1st place: WILLARD HS CHAMBER CHOIR!!! Thanks Parents for a fabulous year!!!!! All 5 Choirs earned a I: which will add 5 plaques to our wall of plaques!!! Concert Chamber Men's Women's 9th Grade!

It's Good To Be A Tiger! Jeff Staley - Director of Operations

Open this link to view District activities.

<http://plus.calendars.net/willard_activity/d05/04/2009?disp lay=W&style=B&positioning=A>http://plus.calendars.net/willar d_activity/d05/04/2009?display=W&style=B&positioning=A

Special Services

2nd Annual Partners in Strength Rally - Monday, May 18th

The Rally was postponed last Saturday due to power outages from Friday's storms. We have rescheduled this event for Monday, May 18th. WHS weight lifting students will partner up with students with disabilities to compete in this "Strong Man" type rally. Last year we had 60+ athletes competing together. It's an incredible event to witness and participate in. Come out and support our student athletes. The event is being held at Willard High School. Burgers/hot dogs are being served from 5:30-6:30 for all who want to participate. The rally begins promptly at 6:30pm. We will have dessert and wrap up the evening at approx. 8:30pm.

If are involved in helping with the event, please report to the high school commons by 4:45. We will go over the schedule and determine your assignment. Amy Stroder, Asst. Director of Special Services

Willard High School Congratulations to the Class of 2009! WHS

Willard Middle School Greeting from the Middle School. We just completed our next to last week, and the clock is ticking on the 08-09 school year. The kids are getting excited about coming to the end, and going on summer vacation, and there are probably a few teachers, and maybe even some administrators that feel the same. The year has gone by so quickly, and though we are excited about summer being here, it is also a time to reflect on the fact that another chapter is coming to a close, and that many of these kids will be moving on in life, and we will not be seeing them on a regular basis, if at all again. It has been an enjoyable year, and we wish the 8th graders the best as they begin high school, and look forward as always to the incoming 7th graders making their way to the Middle School.

This weeks activities included the Art Portfolio Night, where some amazing artwork was displayed, and the Drama Club Encore ceremony, which is always a treat. Ms. Graves does a fantastic job with this group, and this event is designed to give the students a taste of an "Oscar Award" type presentation, including some delicious deserts and all the trimmings. We also hosted an end of the year "Roundup" with academic teams from other area schools joining the WMS team, enjoying an old fashion cookout, and a night of friendly competition and fellowship. Don't forget that next week will be the time to show off that talent that you have been hiding, as the 8th grade talent show will take center stage, with a possibility of a few of your favorite teacher acts also getting involved. It has been a great year, and we thank all of those who helped to make it that way. This is a great place to work, and even better place to learn. Thanks for checking with us, and have a great week. Tom Merriott WMS Asst. Principal

Willard Intermediate School We all know how busy the end of year can be but I think this week would win the prize for "how many things can you cram into 5 days"! On Monday our 6th grade White team traveled to the Bois D'arc conservation area to complete a water ecosystems unit they have been working on in conjunction with the Missouri Department of Conservation. They were glad to have great weather and I know that lots of fish were caught. On Tuesday evening we celebrated the 5th grade Red and Black teams DARE graduation. Wednesday was the district transition day. All 4th grade students got the opportunity to tour our building in preparation for the transition to our building. WIS looks forward to having them next year. Our 6th grade student also toured the Middle School and they are ready to make the move! Thursday we had our final iChoose assembly of the year. 10 student were the lucky winners of our $50 cash prizes. Thursday evening saw the majority of our 6th graders back at school for their end-of-the-year party. Thanks to our student council and teacher/parent volunteers that made this event a success. Friday the weather cooperated and we were able to have our 5th grade field day. The students had a great time and we appreciate all the parent help that made it possible. Tom Davis, Principal

Willard East Elementary Thank you Coach Wise for another wonderful Field Day!!! Tuesday we held our annual Field Day at the HS track. The rain and storms held off just long enough for all grade levels to get in all their activities. We would like to give a special "shout-out" to the special class teachers and parents who volunteered to run events ALL DAY! These volunteers were real troopers for a very windy day.

Kindergarten Screening - Willard East successfully screened 48 new students for next year's Kindergarten class! We are very excited about our new little guys and girls and enjoyed getting to know our new parents. We look forward to welcoming these students to Willard East next year.

Summer Office Hours - Ms. Betty and Nikki will be in the office answering phones until Wednesday June 3rd. The office will re-open for business July 21st.

2009-2010 Calendar - We only have 5 more days of school yet we are already planning for next year's calendar. No rest for the weary!!! * New Student Enrollment = July 29th - 30th * Meet the Teacher Night = Thursday August13th * 1st Day of School = August 18th 2009-2010 Theme - Together East Achieves More (Sports theme)

Melinda Miller, Principal

Willard North Elementary Willard North had a great week!!! Students were able to participate in Field Day on Wednesday. Even though it was a windy day, we were able to be outdoors and enjoy the sun! Students participated in several different events from the shoe toss to relay races and a tire roll. Thank you to Coach Bills and all teachers and staff who help put on the event!

We had a groovy time at the 70's themed talent show on Thursday night. We had over 20 participants for the talent show. Winners were:

1st place - Finn Wartick on the drums

2nd place - Jordan Staley - The Climb

3rd place - Christian Smart - Live this Life

Students performed to a packed house. It was a hard decision for our judges because all the students did a fabulous job! We enjoyed the show and look forward to it next year.

Remember the last week of school is next week. We will be dismissing at 12:30 and Super Tiger will start at 9:00.

Principals Rhonda Bishop and Angela Stevens

Upcoming Events to Look Forward:

4/19 Library Program Assembly 4/22 Super Tiger 9:00

Willard South Elementary It is hard to believe the end of the year is only a few days away. This week our fourth grade students visited Willard Intermediate. Student were very eager to see their new building especially the lockers! They also celebrated when they return to Willard South with a pizza party compliments of our wonderful PTO. On Tuesday, our entire building will be enjoying the warm weather outside with FIELD DAY! We have lots of fun activities planned for everyone. Our final Tiger Pride Assembly will take place on Thursday, May 21st at 2:00. I hope you are able to attend! Kara Crighton-Smith , Principal

For information on the Willard Children's Charitable Foundation, please contact Judy Craig at 742-2506 or Dr. Kent Medlin at 742-2584.

Willard Parks and Recreation (417)742-2262 <http://www.cityofwillard.org>www.cityofwillard.org

Kevin McDonald: Director Courtney Wendel: Sports Coordinator Brandon Eckhardt: Recreation Specialist Tina Christiansen: Front Desk Programmer

New Staff, New Ideas, a New Era in the Willard Parks Department

Visit us on the web at <http://www.willardparks.com>www.willardparks.com.

Movie in the Park: Willard Parks and Recreation will be hosting Movie in the Park on May 22nd at 9:00pm at Jackson St. Park. Playing will be the movie Kung Fu Panda. The event is free to attend and hamburgers, hotdogs and other concession items will be available for purchase. Bring your lawn chairs, blankets and family members for a fun night!

Out of School Bash: Willard Parks and Recreation will be hosting its first Out of School Bash on Friday May 22nd 7:00pm - 8:45pm at the Willard Community Building. Kids can enjoy free pizza, great music to Dance to and fun games. Admission is a canned food item to benefit the Willard Food Pantry.

Willard to Host Springfield Cardinals: Come and meet a Springfield Cardinal on Tuesday June 2nd from 6:30pm - 7:30pm at the Willard Recreation Center. This event is free to attend and open to the public.

City of Willard/Chamber of Commerce Outing to the Springfield Cardinals Game: Thursday June 4th 7:10pm

New Aquatic Center Set to Open! The Willard Parks Department has scheduled the opening of the new city pool, the Willard Aquatic Center (WAC), for May 23, 2009. The City of Willard began construction of the new pool last fall after an evaluation of the old pool built in 1993 showed it would take approximately $200,000 in repairs and renovations to bring it up to standards including the new federal standards set by the Virginia Graeme Baker Act. The new pool will feature zero depth entry, toddler slides, spray features, two slides, a one meter diving board and a three meter diving board. The Parks Department plans to offer more programs at the new pool including swimming lessons, water aerobics, Jr. Lifeguard instruction and family swim every Monday, Wednesday and Friday evenings. Special events like Dive in Movies and Mid-Night Swim are some of the special events also scheduled. The daily admission rates are as follows: Children 3-12: $3, Adults 13&Older:$4, Seniors 55+: $3.Season passes are now available for purchase at the Willard Recreation Center, 133 N State Highway Z, or by calling (417)742-2262.The cost for the new Willard Aquatic Center is $2.6 million. The City of Willard is using revenues from an existing Willard capital improvements sales tax and the Greene County Park Tax approved by the voters in 2006 to help pay for the cost of the new pool.

Swimming Lessons: Swimming lesson registration is underway. For more information including course descriptions, schedules, and fees, go to willardparks.com. Search under the Aquatics tab.

Pool Rentals: The Aquatic Center is now available for booking private rentals. The rates are as follows:

Under 75 people: $100/hour 75-150 people: $125/hour 151+ people: $150/hour

Rental times can be set at any time the facility is not already booked. Recreation Center front desk staff, as a general rule of thumb, will not be responsible for booking these rentals. This is to avoid any double-bookings. Any inquiries should be directed to me. If I am not available, encourage them to leave a message on my voicemail. I always call people back as soon as possible when a message is left. After May 22, all rentals will be made at the Willard Aquatic Center through the front desk staff.

Freedom Fest 2009: Saturday July 4th, 2009 Car Show: 11am 3pm Celebration Carnival: 1pm - 5pm & 7pm 10pm Parade: 6pm Location: Willard Intermediate School

The City of Willard Parks and Recreation Department presents Freedom Fest 2009. The theme this year is Back to our Roots. Freedom Fest will take place on Saturday July 4th 2009 at Willard Intermediate School. Festivities include good music, great food, fun games and the biggest Fireworks Show ever in Willard's History. If you are interested in participating in the Parade or would like to rent a food booth please call (417)742-2262. Spots are limited so reserve today! The deadline to register is June 15th.

New Contract with Coke: The City of Willard Parks and Recreation Department is entering into a new contract with Ozarks Coke Cola. The contract includes Ozarks Coke Cola purchasing and installing 6 new scoreboards for Willards new Highline Soccer Park. The contract is worth over $27,000 to the Willard Parks Department. The new scoreboards will be installed in the coming weeks and will be used for the Willard Spring Soccer Season. Ozarks Coke Cola will also be donating drink coolers for the new Highline Soccer Park as well as the new Willard Aquatic Center set to open May 23rd. The contract was voted on and approved by the Willard Board of Mayor and Alderman on the recommendation of the Willard Park Board. For more information on this new contract call (417)742-2262.

Summer Camp Registration: 2009 Summer Camp Theme: Around the World in 80 Days!

Willard Parks and Recreation will be providing summer camp for children who have completed Kindergarten thru completion of 5th grade. Session 1 camp will run May 26th June 26th. Camp hours will be 7:00am 6:00pm Monday through Friday. Campers will need a lunch brought to camp each day. 2 daily snacks will be provided. Daily activities, camp shirts and field trips are included in the tuition fee. Tuition fees are $95 per week (prepay weekly- no prorated weeks are available). First week of camp is $76 due to Monday May 25th being a holiday. If entire session 1 tuition fees are paid in full, there is a $5 discount per week. Registration forms are available at the Willard Recreation Center.

Willards First Music in the Park: Willard Parks and Recreation will be hosting its first Music in the Park event on Saturday May 30th at 6:00pm at Jackson St. Park. Performing will be Willard resident Brock Wade. Brock is a young up and coming musician. Dont miss this event.

Willard Play Group: COME OUT & PLAY with Willard's Playgroup! Come play every Wednesday from 9am - 11am at the Willard Recreation Center. This is a new opportunity for parents and kids to play, socialize and just have fun. Moms and Dads are invited to bring their infant through Pre-K aged children for FREE PLAY , STRUCTURED ACTIVITIES & MONTHLY WORKSHOPS. This playgroup is free and open to the community. For more information please call (417)742-2262.

Recycling: Willard Parks and Recreation has begun a new recycling program. A recycling tub collecting bottles is available at the Recreation Center and will be available at all spring sports locations.

Willards First Triathlon: Willard Parks and Recreation in conjunction with Ridge Runner Sports and CoxHealth will be hosting our first Triathlon on Saturday June 20th beginning at the Community Building. The Triathlon entitled the Frisco Runaway Triathlon is $40 to participate. The race includes running, swimming and biking through and around Willard. Registration forms are available at the Recreation Center.

Triathlon Distances: Swimming: 300 Yards Biking: 12 Miles Running: 5K

KenKarJu-Ruy 2009: Register now for KenKarJu-Ryu martial arts. This family oriented art focuses on courtesy, respect, self-discipline, self-defense, self-improvement, physical fitness and FUN! Classes are offered on Mondays and Thursdays from 6:30pm 7:30pm at the Willard Community Building for anyone ages 7 and up. The fee is $50 for the entire eight week session. Registration forms are available at the Recreation Center.

Session 1: 1/5 - 2/26 Session 2: 3/2 - 4/30 Session 3: 6/1 - 7/23 Session 4: 8/3 - 9/28 Session 5: 10/5 - 11/23

Children's Dance Classes:

Register now for Children's Dance. Hurry, spots are limited.

Creative Dance: Ages 3-5: Classes on Tuesday Afternoons Ballet and Tap: Ages 5 & up: Classes on Tuesdays & Thursdays Jazz: Ages 9 & up: Classes on Tuesdays

Classes are 8 weeks. The fee is $50 - $65. Registration forms are availability at the Recreation Center. For more information please call Ms. Patrice at 818-3659 or 833-8631

Beginner Belly Dancing: Willard Parks and Recreation will be offering Belly Dancing Classes. All adults are eligible to attend. The cost is $40 per participant. This program is a 5 week session and will be held on Wednesdays from 7:00pm 8:00pm. Spots are limited. Registration forms are available at the Recreation Center.

Session 1: 1/14 - 2/11 Session 2: 2/18 - 3/18 Session 3: 4/1 - 4/29 Session 4: 5/6 - 6/3

Spring Sports Update: This season over 800 people are participating in the Willard Spring Sports Seasons which include youth & adult volleyball, youth soccer, youth flag football and competitive youth baseball.

Current Registrations: Recreation Baseball / Softball: May 1st - 31st Adult Softball: May 1st - 31st

Please call us if you have any questions.

Kevin McDonald Parks and Recreation Director City of Willard (417)742-2262