The Mustang Messenger

Wow! The 2026 Prom was certainly one for the books! The junior class, sponsors Mrs. Sammie Parker and Mrs. Liz Miller and the parents of our juniors did an outstanding job of decorating the gym into a page right out of “Arabian Nights”! The students and their dates looked amazing, in their tuxedos and dresses, as they walked down the Red Carpet. A big thank you to the Junior High Student Council for their help in serving the meal. All of you did a great job! After the meal the students got to dance the rest of the night away before heading to the After-Prom event! We would like to thank everyone who helped with or donated to this event! It was fantastic evening to celebrate our year here at Valley Heights!

Congratulations are in order for two of our alumni and one of our students who were recognized at the recent Northeast District FFA Banquet! Sophomore Klara McIntyre was elected to serve as the Northeast District Sentinel for the 2026-2027 school year! Class of 2025 members Dustin Denton and Hudson Nemechek earned their American FFA Degrees during the evening! Great job everyone!

Our National Honor Society held their annual banquet this past Wednesday for our members and their parents. The senior members all had the opportunity to tell the audience their future plans and what their service project was during the school year. The newest members were then inducted into NHS during the culminating event of the event. These students were Teagan Spoonts, Abigail Thorn, Juliet Busey, Julia Heinen, Leah Steinfort, and Klara McIntyre. Congratulations to all of you!

Next week is Teacher Appreciation Week and we have a great staff out here that we want to recognize and celebrate. They do an excellent job each and every day. Our classrooms are active and learning is evident. Whether it is lecture, group discussion, or classroom activities our students get the very best education possible from some of the best educators in the area! We want to thank them for their energy and their efforts in making Valley Heights a great place to be!

It is hard to believe but we are officially in the month of May and the countdown to summer break has begun. We still have some activities to attend to but the Class of 2026 can clearly see the end of the rainbow! These students have 6.5 days left in their school year! Some important dates coming up for not only our seniors but some of our other students include Spring Fling on May 6th. The seniors will have their portfolios on display and will be available to visit with you about their post-secondary plans. Our art students will have their artwork on display during the evening and our instrumental and vocal group will cap off the evening with their spring performance. Baccalaureate for the Class of 2026 will be on Sunday, May 10th, starting at 7:00 pm. Awards night for the Class of 2026 is scheduled for May 12th and this event will start at 7:00 pm as well. The big finale will be Commencement which is scheduled for Saturday, May 16th, starting at 2:00 pm. Make plans now to join us and celebrate a job well done by this group of students!

Let’s go Mustangs!!

Mr. Savage

Please note that the Spring Fling is at the high school. The art and Seniors will have displays up at 6 pm, and the music will start at 7 pm. Seniors will be on display in the halls and commons. Art and music will be in the gym. We hope to see you there!

Friday was Principal Appreciation Day. Students wrote encouraging notes for Mr. Savage on sticky notes that were taped to his door and office to surprise him in the morning. Staff pitched in to get some treats for Mr. Savage and even made some fun signs to go with it. Thank you Mr. Savage for all you do for us every day to keep the school running smoothly! We appreciate you!

New National Honor Society members were inducted on Wednesday, April 29th during the annual banquet. Congratulations to Juliet Busey, Leah Steinfort, Abigail Thorn, Julia Heinen, Klara McIntyre and Teagan Spoonts!

Art Club recently voted on new leadership for the coming school year. Chad Bargdill, Art Club President hands over the reigns to our newly elected president Tylehn Martin!!

Zach Martin and Dehlyn Martin just finished a tribute piece in honor of our former student, Heather Browning. Heather’s life was cut too short and she is dearly missed.

Prom 2026 was a success! Everyone looked great and had a wonderful time. The theme was Arabian Nights. Thank you to Mrs. Miller and Mrs. Parker and the junior class for all their hard work planning and decorating.

The golf team has had a busy week last week. First on Monday they started out with a Varsity tournament at Belleville. Liam Reed participated in his first Varsity Tournament this day. On Tuesday the Varsity team traveled to Seneca to compete in Nemaha Central's tournament. Brady DeWalt was a single shot off of medaling amongst a difficult field. Last Friday they had a rescheduled JV Tournament at Onaga. Eli Bargdill tied for first and after a scorecard tiebreaker, earned a second place medal. Lydia Wessel participated in her first tournament of her golf career. Coach Ehrlich is proud of the performance his golfers have put on all week!

You can find scores from these tournaments here: https://ks.prep.golf/schools/298

Mrs. Gallimore stopped by the school for a quick visit on Wednesday afternoon with her twin girls, Gracie (pictured) and Georgia (not pictured). Mr. Savage even got to hold Gracie for awhile!

Yearbooks are on sale for $50!

Talk to Miss Jones (ajones@valleyheights.org) or a member

of the Journalism staff to purchase yours today.

Friday, August 21, 2026 5pm- 7pm will be the Annual Mustang Spirit Night at VHS. An indoor/outdoor event for the whole family! The Pep rally will begin at 7pm in the gym and it will be a great time to present the new Gymnasium Updates to our VH family and the Community!

Check out Ms. Jayne's latest newsletter at https://app.smore.com/n/nxuj6

Ms. Jayne's schedule each day will begin at the VH Jr/Sr High to meet student needs there before the bell rings. The rest of the week will primarily be:

• Monday at Blue Rapids
• Tuesday at Waterville (third Tuesday is Harvesters)
• Wednesday at VH and out and about in our community
• Thursday AM in Waterville/PM in Blue Rapids
• Friday at VH

Meet the Family Advocate, Jayne Whitson by appointment. She is available to help students and families succeed with resources, referrals and donated items to help during a family trauma, crisis or setback.

The best way to reach the family advocate is via cell, 612-202-7366.

Blue Rapids, KS 66411

785-363-2508

Principal-Mike Savage

Athletic Director-Jordan Broxterman

1. Come to the HS office between 8am and 4pm

2. E-mail Mr. Savage msavage@valleyheights.org

3. Call the office (785)363-2508

Email: vhhs@valleyheights.org
Website: valleyheights.org
Phone: (785)363-2508
Facebook: facebook.com/vhusd498
Twitter: @usd498