Whitewood Elementary

Whitewood Elementary held its annual Easter egg hunt on April 2nd, bringing lots of excitement and smiles to our students. We would like to extend a special thank you to everyone who generously donated prizes. A big shoutout also goes to Mrs. Van Zee and her class at Sturgis Brown High School for their help in stuffing 2,000 eggs with treats for our students. Your support helped make this event a wonderful success!

Congratulations to our April Wrangler's of the Month:

K: Finn

1st: Ella

2nd: Emrik

3rd: Grayson

4th: Wesley

5th: Eunice

Way to go Wranglers!

We are so proud to share that our very own Tillie has been named the winner of a statewide billboard contest hosted by SD DOT and RCS Construction! The theme, “Construction Zone Safety Awareness,” inspired so many creative designs, and Tillie’s artwork stood out among 4th graders across South Dakota.

As the winner, she earned a pizza party for the class, and her design will be featured on a billboard between Whitewood and Spearfish at mile marker 22 in the coming weeks. She also received a personal replica of her billboard—what an incredible accomplishment!

Congratulations, Tillie! We are so proud of you and the creativity this class continues to show! Be sure to check out Tillie’s amazing artwork!

The 4th grade class recently competed in a poetry contest hosted by the Sturgis VFW Auxiliary, centered around the theme "America 250".

We are excited to share that Carter earned 1st place and Hannah earned 2nd place at the local level! Parker was the winner of the special needs division and has also been selected to advance to the state level with his poem. Way to go!

A special thank you to Carol Edwards of the Sturgis VFW Auxiliary for her support in organizing and promoting this poetry contest. We appreciate her dedication to providing meaningful opportunities for our students to showcase their talents!

Kindergarten through 5th grade students enjoyed a fun-filled May Day outing to the community center, where they watched a play directed by Mrs. Hill. After the show, they headed to the city park to play, relax, and soak up the sunshine! A special thank you to the PTO for sponsoring the bus ride to and from Sturgis—we appreciate your support in making this trip possible!

Mrs. Hill will have one last performance of the play at the Sturgis Community Center at 7:00PM Friday, May 1st!! You won't want to miss it!

As we begin planning for the upcoming school year, this is a friendly reminder for families with students entering Kindergarten and 6th grade to review your child’s immunization records.

State school immunization requirements must be up to date before students begin the school year. If your child will be entering Kindergarten or 6th grade next fall, please schedule any needed vaccinations with your healthcare provider or local clinic.

Teacher Appreciation Week is next week (May 4-8) ! Let’s show our amazing teachers just how much they mean to us by sharing our support and gratitude. 💙

A special thank you to our PTO for going above and beyond—providing meals, fun games, prizes, and recess duty coverage (YAY!) to celebrate our incredible team of educators!

If you have a young learner ready for preschool, check out our program! We offer a caring environment where children learn, grow, and build friendships while preparing for kindergarten. We would love to welcome your family!

The 4th grade class has been busy learning about the steps of the scientific method this week! Students practiced making hypotheses and testing their predictions through some hands-on (and very fun) experiments.

One challenge asked: How many textbooks can you stack on an egg before it cracks? Many students predicted it would break quickly—but were surprised when eggs held strong under 4–5 textbooks!

Another experiment explored: How many drops of water can fit on a penny before it overflows? Thanks to careful observation and steady hands, some students reached an impressive 70+ drops before the water spilled over!

Mrs. Bulat’s class took a walk around Whitewood to spread some kindness by delivering baked goods to local businesses. What a wonderful way to connect and give back!

Thank you to Jim and Linda Hoxie, along with Sheila Powell and Amber Ness, for taking the time to visit Mrs. Meredith's 3rd grade class. They provided meaningful insight into what it is like to be vision impaired, helping students build understanding and empathy. One of the highlights of their visit was giving students the opportunity to practice walking through the halls using a cane, offering a hands-on experience. We are grateful for their willingness to educate and inspire our students!

Mrs. Zacher's 4th graders made a splash by earning an H2O Bar for scoring 100% on 100 iReady lessons! Students enjoyed flavored water drinks topped with fun candy garnishes—what a sweet way to recognize their hard work!

Students spent time outdoors on Earth Day, enjoying the fresh air while participating in a trash walk. They worked together to collect garbage and help keep our Earth clean.

Mrs. Lisko’s class has been patiently waiting three weeks for their chicks to hatch—and they have finally arrived! What a fun and exciting experience it has been. Along the way, students learned all about how chicks grow inside the egg, candling to observe development, and discovered the hatching process. The highlight? They even got to watch a chick hatch right before their eyes!

Other classrooms have also had the opportunity to visit the chicks—and even take part in naming the baby birds!

Ms. Zacher's bright kids are GLOWING UP to 5th grade! 🌟💚

This month, we are excited to highlight Miss Marissa Boyd! This is Miss Marissa’s first year serving as a super paraprofessional at Whitewood Elementary. Prior to joining our team, she worked as a paraprofessional in Belle Fourche for three years. Miss Marissa has lived in Sturgis most of her life, with the exception of three years spent in Washington State. While she misses Washington, she loves being back home close to her family—especially her nieces and nephews. Miss Marissa has a passion for working with children that began at just 13 years old through babysitting and nannying. That passion truly shines in her work every day at Whitewood Elementary. When she’s not at school, she enjoys spending time with her orange cat, Brick. To get to know Miss Marissa a little better, we asked her a few questions:

Favorite Food? Sushi! Or any kind of pasta!

What is your favorite thing about your job? Laughing and joking with the kids and other teachers and staff! I love making different connections with each student and my coworkers 💗

What fills your free time? Things you enjoy doing? I love to read, I usually carry my kindle everywhere I go. I also love film photography, traveling, and spending time with my nieces and nephews.

If you could go anywhere in the world, where would you go? Either Ireland or a tropical beach (I love the ocean!)

What would be your super power? I would want the ability to fly so I could go anywhere in the world.

The 1940s brought World War II and significant changes to the Whitewood school system. The last high school class graduated from Whitewood in 1944, after which the school continued operating as a Kindergarten through 8th grade school.

In 1961, Whitewood voted to join the Meade School District 46-1 as part of a reorganization effort. This consolidation brought together Whitewood, Sturgis, and surrounding rural schools. When the reorganization took effect in 1964, Whitewood School transitioned to serving students in Kindergarten through 6th grade.

"Education is not preparation for life; education is life itself." — John Dewey

Student Council recently held a popcorn and water sale—with a fun twist! Three lucky bags included a golden ticket, each redeemable for a drink of choice from Crooked Horn Coffee.

Congratulations to Weston, Wyatt, and Grayson K. for finding the winning tickets!

Student Council will be hosting a bake sale before the Talent Show at Wrangler Day on Monday, May 18—be sure to stop by and grab a tasty treat before the show begins!

The next PTO meeting will be May 4 at 3:10 in the staff lounge. We hope to see you there!!! If your child is a student at Whitewood Elementary they will have free access to the after school program during the meeting.

Shelly Mikkelson, Principal

Email: lexi.ridley@k12.sd.us

Website: https://www.meade.k12.sd.us/whitewood-elementary/
Location: 603 Garfield Street, Whitewood, SD, USA
Phone: 605-269-2264