The Mustang Messenger

Congratulations are in order for our Homecoming 2026 candidates. Three young ladies and three young men are chosen from the Senior class by a vote of the 9-12 student body! Our queen candidates are Lindsay Gray, Paige Miller and Avery Stevenson. Our king candidates are Everson Parker, Aiden Unruh and Charlie Warders. Crowning ceremonies will take place at halftime of the football game on September 11th. Our opponent that night will be the Bennington Bulldogs! Game time should be 7:00 pm and the current weather forecasts are calling for some cooler temperatures by then. The homecoming dance will follow the game with general dance rules in place.

Our theme this year is a great one! “Land of the Free and Home of the Mustangs”! The annual homecoming parade will be hosted in Waterville this year and will start at 2:30 pm. Our 7-12 students will be dismissed from classes at 1:15 pm to get their floats finalized and in line. We do have a pep assembly here at the high school starting at 12:40 pm and everyone is most certainly welcome! We will also host a community-wide tailgate on Friday and this will start at 5:30 pm. The plan is to have a DJ! Please feel free to bring your own food, drink, games and activities. Parking will be in the parking lot west of the concession stand.

Dress up days are: Monday (Labor Day) – Make yourself at home! Wear your PJ’s. Tuesday – Hit a Homerun by wearing your favorite jersey. Wednesday – Rollin with my Homies by dressing up to match a group of friends. Thursday – Homeroom Throwback Day where you can dress up as your younger self or decade. (I’m going to have to find some hair, bell-bottom jeans and a Led Zeppelin t-shirt!) Friday – Support your home team by wearing your Mustang gear!!

The annual Spikefest and Powderpuff game will be hosted on Wednesday night, September 9th. Our FCA chapter will host a meeting and meal at 6:30 pm. Spikefest will start at 7:15 pm and the Powderpuff game at 8:15 pm. The bonfire activities will start at 9:00 pm! Come on out and support our Mustangs!!

Our Lady Mustangs started off the season with an early tournament at Marysville this past Saturday and then league action on Tuesday night. At Marysville, the squad lost their first two matches to Riley County and Holton. They settled in and won their final two matches of the day by taking down Concordia and Sabetha! On Tuesday night the girls lost a very close three set match to Hanover and then turned around and won a three-set match against Blue Valley! Based on the level of competition on Tuesday night the TVL looks to be very competitive this season!

Don’t forget that our cross-country runners will be in action this Saturday in Marysville. That meet starts at 9:00 am!

Remember – no school on Monday due to the Labor Day holiday but we do hope to see you at many of the Homecoming activities next week!

Let’s go Mustangs!!

Mr. Savage

We are excited to welcome Kelly Wilkens to our teaching staff this year! She is teaching 7th & 8th Grade English.

She previously taught at Valley Heights for 4 1/2 years from 2010-2014, but had to resign due to illness. She is excited to be back!

Kelly is married to Chris, who is a self-employed contractor. They have four children: Wyatt 14, Collin 13, Eve 12, and June 10. They also have a dog named Wiggles, and chickens.

Kelly has also taught Kindergarten in New York for 8 years and coached 7th grade girls’ basketball. When she moved to Kansas in 2010, she was the Special Education teacher for Waterville and Blue Rapids for one year before switching to 5th grade in 2011.

Kelly is originally from West Islip, New York, but lives in Marysville now.

Kelly attended Nassau Community College, New York and earned an Associates Degree in Liberal Arts with a Minor in Psychology. She also attended St. Joseph’s College in Patchogue, New York and earned a Bachelors Degree in Child Study and Human Relations. Lastly, she attended Dowling College in Oakdale, New York and earned a Master of Science Degree in Literacy (Birth- Grade 6).

Kelly's favorite thing about working at Valley Heights Junior High & High School are the students and staff and the friendly, welcoming environment - not just for her, but for all of her children. Kelly states, "I love that 3 out of 4 of my own kiddos are in the building with me, as well. God is working in this building and in this district and it is evident!"

Kelly's hobbies are singing, dancing, reading, hiking, and trying to play guitar and piano (not enough time!).

One interesting fact about Kelly is that she got to tour the original Yankee Stadium before they switched to the new one. She even got to sit in the dugout!

Join us in giving a warm welcome to Kelly as part of our Valley Heights family!

The Journalism team is starting the year off strong! This Tuesday they attended a Jostens Workshop in Topeka where they learned tips and tricks, got inspiration for the year, and the seniors designed the 26-27 yearbook cover.

The seniors worked hard painting their parking spots this summer. Here are a few of them - more to come next week!

Spirit Night Was a success! There was a great turnout from staff, students, families and community members to celebrate the start of the 2026-27 school year. Go Mustangs!

Kansas Free Apply Days October 5-9. This is a great chance to apply for several schools without the application fee.

Come cheer on the Mustang football team this Friday in Hiawatha!

Mustang Volleyball starts its season this Saturday in Marysville!

Go Lady Mustangs!

Valley Heights Homecoming is right around the corner on Friday, September 11th! The theme this year is 'Land of the Free, Home of the Mustangs." If you are interested in being a part of the parade sign up using this link or QR code attached! https://forms.gle/VazCnPtwb7JDiKCG9

Booster Club will be serving a meal prior to the Mustangs Homecoming Football game taking on D-West on Friday, September 11th. Below is the link for donations for the meal, they greatly appreciate your willingness to give and make this a successful night for our community.

https://bit.ly/4gnBBC5

Rooms, our new district communication tool, is live! Parents/Guardians should have received a text or email from Apptegy.. Download the VHUSD 498 App and click on Rooms at the bottom of the app. Sign in using your phone number. Students need to sign in using their school email address.

Check out Ms. Jayne's latest newsletter at https://app.smore.com/n/7pwgf1

The best way to reach the Family Advocate is via cell, 612-202-7366, as she travels between all school buildings at USD 498. To begin the school year, she plans to follow the same schedule as previous years beginning each day at the jr./sr high to meet students' need before classes start. After 9 am, you can generally contact her or schedule meetings with her at these schools.

Monday: Blue Rapids Elementary

Tuesday: Waterville Elementary (except on Harvester's Tuesday-the third Tuesday of each month)

Wednesday: Valley Heights Jr/Sr High

Thursday: AM-Waterville Elementary, PM-Blue Rapids Elementary

Friday: Valley Heights Jr/Sr High

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