Turner High School Newsletter

Thank you for your patience as we adjusted traffic patterns in the mornings at THS. Overall, I believe the new traffic flow worked well. It is our hope to make sure we are getting students into school before the 7:20 AM bell.

This is a tremendously busy week at Turner High School and provides many opportunities to come and support our school community:

Monday: THS Choirs have their concert in the auditorium at 7 PM and Freshmen/C Football have their final home game of the year at 4:30 PM.

Tuesday: Boys Soccer has its final home game of the regular season. JV starts at 4:30 and V follows at 6. The team is still fighting for the top seed in the East 5A regional and needs your support.

Wednesday: This is super busy day at THS. The marching band will be traveling to Andover for their next competition. We will be hosting College Fair in the main gym in the AM for our students and for neighboring districts. In the evening, our homecoming Bonfire and Powderpuff Game will be at Swartz Field from 5:30-7:30 PM. There will be food trucks and lots of festivities.

Thursday: Freshmen will be taking the pre-ACT in the main gym during two sessions (AM and PM).

Friday: We have our homecoming game versus Topeka West and homecoming king and queen will be announced at halftime following performances by our marching band and dance team.

Saturday: Cross Country and Volleyball compete in regional competition. Our homecoming dance will be held in the main gym from 8-11 PM.

On Thursday of this week, I will be traveling to Tonganoxie to present to the principals and athletic directors of the Frontier League. It is our hope to receive an invite to join the Frontier League following this meeting. More information about this possible league change can be found in the following article shared below.

THS Homecoming is scheduled for this week. There will be many festivities during that week. Some of them are the following:

• Homecoming Bonfire and Powederpuff Football Game will be on Wednesday, October 21st at 5:30 PM at Swartz Field.
• Our Homecoming Football Game will be on Friday, October 23rd at 7 PM versus Topeka West at the district activity center. At the game, we will be recognizing homecoming royalty, recognizing past graduating classes, and enjoying our marching band's halftime performance.
• Our Homecoming Dance is scheduled for Saturday, October 24th from 8 to 11 PM in the THS Gym. The theme for this year is a "Haunted Homecoming". The flyer for the dance is shared below. Students who would like to bring an outside guest must pick up a permission form from the front office. Tickets must be purchased by Wednesday, October 21st.

Picture retakes for the yearbook are scheduled for Thursday, October 29th.

Bell schedules for the next two weeks are the following:

Monday, October 19th:Gold Day (2, Skills, Seminar, 4, 6)

Tuesday, October 20th: Black Day (1, 3, 5, 7)

Wednesday, October 21st: Gold Day

Thursday, October 22nd: Black Day

Friday, October 23rd: T Day with Assembly for Homecoming

Monday, October 26th: T Day

Tuesday, October 27th: Black Day

Wednesday, October 28th: Gold Day

Thursday, October 29th: Black Day

Friday, October 30th: Gold Day

This newsletter will be updated twice a month with the necessary information needed. Below you will find upcoming dates and important links. As always, if there is ever a time we can be of help to you and your student, please contact us. Love you Bears!

Dr. Bill Weber

Principal

Student-athletes are helping lead the conversation.

Turner High School student-athletes are helping lead a conversation about the future of Turner Athletics and whether a different athletic conference could provide better competition and the ability to continue building its programs.

Turner High School currently competes in the United Kansas Conference (UKC), but last spring, the Turner Board of Education approved a request from the athletic department to apply for membership in the Frontier League.

The decision to explore a change came after months of conversations and research involving student-athletes, coaches, athletic department staff and district leadership. The process began with coaches and student-athletes sharing their experiences with Superintendent Dr. Jason Dandoy.

The students then took that presentation to the Board of Education, where they shared why they believe competing against schools with similar levels of athletic participation and program development could help strengthen Turner Athletics.

For the students involved, an important distinction was that the conversation isn't simply about wins and losses. Instead, they focused on what can happen when students regularly have opportunities to participate in competitive games and contests.

Student-athlete Mia Toraya told the Board of Education, “Overall, moving to the Frontier League would create better competition, increase school spirit, and help athletes grow.”

The Golden Bears have competed in several conferences throughout its history, including the Eastern Kansas League, Huron League and Kaw Valley League before joining the UKC. As the athletic department researched its options, the Frontier League emerged as a conference that could offer several benefits for Turner.

Student-athletes told district leaders that they believe more consistently competitive contests could encourage additional students to participate, help current athletes build confidence, give programs a stronger foundation for growth, and raise school spirit - something that has already improved in recent years.

Turner offers high-quality athletic facilities and programs the district believes would make an attractive addition to another conference.

The next step will take place October 22nd, when Turner representatives present to the Frontier League. League members will then vote on whether to accept Turner High School for membership.

If approved, competition in the Frontier League will begin in August of 2028.

Whatever the outcome of that vote, the process has given Turner student-athletes a significant voice in shaping the future of their programs and allowed the district to thoughtfully consider what competitive environment will best support the continued growth of Turner Athletics.

The Frontier League consists of high schools in Bonner Springs, Baldwin, Eudora, Louisburg, Ottawa, Paola, and Tonganoxie.

“A league move isn’t about running away from a challenge – it's about choosing the right challenge so that students can actually experience the rewards of hard work.” - Mia Toraya

“The point of sports is competition, not wins and losses. Competitive games make athletes stronger and feel good about themselves, even if they lose.” - Mikayla Boyce

“If we become competitive, which I believe can happen in the Frontier League, we could compete to win and even start having more athletes get to the college level.” - Christian Rodriguez

All Freshmen will take the opportunity to take the Pre-ACT 8/9 on October 22nd. Student with the last names A-K will take the test in the morning, and L-Z will take the test in the afternoon. It is important that students are in attendance and on time. If a student with last names A-K arrives to school late, they will not be admitted to the testing room and will have to take the test in the afternoon session.

The Pre-ACT 8/9 provides students with valuable practice for future college and career readiness assessments while giving them insight into their academic strengths and areas for growth. Students who have IXL can prepare for the assessment by working on the Pre-ACT skills plan.

Students will receive feedback on their performance and can use the results to help set academic goals and prepare for future coursework. We encourage students to do their best, get a good night’s rest, and arrive on testing day ready to show what they know! If you have any questions about the assessment or the day of testing, please reach out to Dr. Kasey Sanders@ sandersk@turnerusd202.org

• Next home Soccer Game versus Shawnee Heights, Tuesday October 20, 2026
• Next Home Football Game versus Topeka West: Friday, October 23, 2026
• Homecoming Week: October 19-24th
• Homecoming Dance: Saturday, October 24th, 8-11 PM in THS Gym

Starting with the 2026-2027 school year, Turner High School Athletics will be using BOUND for our athletic schedules and electronic ticketing to games. No cash sales will occur. The link for Turner High School BOUND can be accessed by clicking the link under "Important Links"