SHS Weekly Update

Smithfield High School special needs student Julius Joa will showcase (& sell) his artwork at this weekend's Smithfield Arts Festival in downtown Smithfield, VA. Come and support him - admire his amazing talent and/or buy a "Julius original" work of art! His booth will be located in front of the Tourism Bureau at 319 Main Street. He will be there during festival hours, 9am - 4pm.

Main Street will be one way during the festival. Please enter from the 300 block via Route 10 or Underwood Lane (off of Cedar St, which runs parallel to Main St.).

• Shuttle bus with free rides available for guests parking at festival lots at 518 Main Street (empty lot across from Main Street Baptist) and the Commuter Lot at 600 W Main Street (next to Powerhouse Equipment) will run from 9 to 4 and drop and pick up guests at the intersection of Main and Underwood Lane I the 300 block.

Smithfield, VA: Smithfield HS JROTC and the Red Cross wrapped up their 4th drive of the school year on April 24th. The drive was a huge success; surpassing the Red Cross goal once again! With cadets running the flow of the drive by working stations and donor flow they assisted the Red Cross and donors creating a smooth drive. Collecting 68 pints of blood this drive and a total of 231 pints for the school year, resulting in almost 700 lives being potentially saved. With these donations, Smithfield High School maintains the top donating school in the state status, and, in addition, the Red Cross selected the Smithfield HS April drive as the blood drive of the week. This was the 2nd time this year SHS drives were selected! We appreciate everyone who donated and hope to continue filling the time spots! The next scheduled drive is October 15th, 2024, so save the date and come support us in retaining the #1 spot in VA. We thank the SHS students, faculty and community members who donated, and encourage all who can to come out again, roll up a sleeve, and save three lives again in October!

Written by Cadet CPT Kadence Distefano

Photo #1: LTC Pete Badoian donates a power red

Photo #2: Cadet Olivia Kramer donates to save lives

Last week, Mrs. Gwaltney's students donated art supplies to the new preschool program at CAES. They loved giving and helping others, and the little kids had a blast!

WILLIAMSBURG, VA- Four JROTC cadets from Smithfield High School attended the American Independence Youth Leadership Conference at the Williamsburg 4-H camp 24-28 April. Smithfield Cadets Charlise Albers, Leila Cameron, Ryan McEathron, and Andrew Ruppert participated in the event alongside forty-five other students from Virginia, Washington, DC, and Maryland. At the conference, the cadets spent 13 hours in the classroom learning Practical skills, effective communication, government, and free enterprise. Outside of the classroom setting the cadets conducted team building, compatibility, scientific, and mathematical exercises. The forty-five cadets also participated in a tour of the colonial triangle of Williamsburg, Yorktown, and Jamestown.

Cadet Charlie Albers was selected by instructors for The Superior Leadership Award, given to the conference's best leader. and by her peers for the conference's “Best Citizen Award”. Cadet Ryan McEathron was named the conference's “Most Outstanding Leader” and also received the Thomas Jefferson Award for the Conference Best Five-Man Team. Ryan stated, "Learning to lead effectively and standing out in a positive light are the best ways to get noticed. We learned important lessons in the classroom throughout the conference, and one of those lessons was active listening. I discovered how crucial it is to step back and allow others to have the same opportunities to learn. We learned a great deal from this experience.”

The event, sponsored by The Military Order of World Wars (MOWW), attempts to assist in shaping students into leaders by emphasizing the value of respectful behavior, collaboration, and effective communication. The MOWW provided four $700 full scholarships for the four Smithfield cadets to attend the conference. “What an awesome gift to these cadets to allow them to attend the conference free!, said LTC Pete Badoian, “ Based on the cadets feedback the experience was huge value added to their development.”

Written by Packer Battalion Public Affairs Officer, S5, C/CPT Kadence DiStefano

Pictured below:

The National Honor Society scholarship fund in memory of SHS student Hannah Goetz is open for donations. The scholarship will recognize a Smithfield High School senior who has overcome adversity in pursuit of excellence. Hannah heroically battled cystic fibrosis throughout much of her 21 years of her life. Hannah epitomized grace and dignity and fought every day to live life to the fullest. She inspired friends, family, classmates, teachers, and the community with her warrior spirit, her vivacious personality, and devotion to her faith. We would like to honor her battle and inspire others to persevere despite the odds and obstacles. Click here to make a donation to the fund: NHS Hannah Goetz Scholarship Fund

Parents and Students, as you know we have four weeks left in the 2023-2024 school year. Please be mindful of your child’s grades and attendance. Students cannot have more than 5 unexcused absences in a class. If a student has more than 5 unexcused absences in a class, they may not receive credit and will have to do an Attendance Appeal.

May 20 - Senior Awards Night Ceremony (6 - 8:30 p.m.)

May 24 - No school ("Snow Day in May")

May 27 - All schools/offices closed (Memorial Day)

May 29-31, June 4 - SOL testing (See below for more details)

June 12-13 - Three-hour early dismissal

June 13 - Last day of school

June 14 - Graduation at Liberty Live

The School Board is a seeking a current sophomore at Smithfield High School to serve as a liaison. This is a two-year commitment. Application (available below) and resume are due by 4:30 p.m. May 20.

Only 6 copies left of the SHS yearbook! Order online at jostensyearbooks.com.

See the calendar below for laptop collection dates.

Please note: Beginning next school year, students with repair fees or missing equipment will no longer be able to check out a loaner laptop for the school day without a payment plan in place.

Download the application below or visit the Chamber website.

Click the Senior Activities Newsletter link below for important information regarding graduation and other upcoming senior events.

It's the final countdown to graduation! For seniors, all laptops, library books and textbooks are due back to the library on Friday, May 31.

Seniors must clear their library accounts and pay senior dues to receive graduation tickets. Clearing a library account requires all laptop repair and/or replacement charges be paid and all items issued to be returned in good condition. If a laptop is turned in damaged, a deposit of $250 is required. Only genuine Apple chargers with no damage/tape can be accepted at collection. The replacement cost for an Apple charger is $71.10.

The SHS Counseling Office has compiled important scholarship information for students. Please visit the website below to view:

https://sites.google.com/iwcs.k12.va.us/shscounselingoffice/college-career-planning/scholarships?authuser=0

Mrs. Craig's Packer Block will be collecting gently used Prom dresses and mens suits in room 47 through the last week of May.

Thursday, June 13th is the last day of the 2023-2024 school year for medications to be picked up form the SHS Clinic. Click the links below for more end-of-year information from the clinic, as well as some summer tips and resources from the Western Tidewater Health District.

Website: https://shs.iwcs.k12.va.us/
Location: 14171 Turner Drive, Smithfield, VA, USA
Phone: 757-357-3108
Twitter: @OfficialSHSPack