The Mustang Messenger
October 19th to October 23rd Week 10
⌛ A Minute with Mr. Savage ⌛
Mustang Update
We have a very important celebration coming up on our calendar! This is the annual Veteran’s Day program sponsored by our KAYS group! We would like to invite all of our military veterans and their guests to join us for this event! The date for the program is Friday, November 6th and we will start at 7:30 am for coffee and pastries followed by the ceremony at 8:30 am! If you are a veteran and would like to join us for this celebration please call the office so we can add your name to the list! The public is also invited to this event!
Our fall sports are starting to wrap up for the 2026-2027 season! Junior high cross country, volleyball and football have all ended and now the students are focusing in on the basketball season. But first, a little rest between seasons! The high school volleyball team finished up their season by placing 3rd at the Mission Valley Regional. The ladies showed improvement with each passing week and we want to congratulate them on a winning season! The high school cross country team wrapped up the regular season at the TVL meet. Our Lady Mustangs claimed 2nd place in the TVL! The girls were led by Emma Warders (2nd), Lindsay Gray (4th), Riley Skalla (13th) and Klara McIntyre (18th)! On the boy’s side Langston Gray placed 3rd, Tyler Holmes was 9th and Henry Bachura was 23rd. Runners who finish in the top ten at the TVL Meet earn TVL All-League honors! Congratulations! The team will now compete at Substate this Saturday at the Belleville Country Club! We want to wish them the best of luck! Our football team has one more regular season game when they travel to West Franklin County. We are pretty sure we will host a first-round playoff game so stay tuned for a date, time and opponent!
Fall Fest is this Sunday in Blue Rapids at the square! This event is sponsored by KAYS and BRCAT. There will be a variety of activities going on for all ages. This year they have added two new features – a live band and a haunted house! The haunted house will start at 6:45 pm and you must purchase a ticket at the square and be in 5th grade or older. Other events will be a trunk-or-treat, hayrack rides, games, photo booths and food and drink. The event starts at 4:00 pm!
Student Council and their sponsor, Mrs. Sammie Parker, organized our annual fall Community Service Day this past Wednesday! Our 7-12 students and staff did a variety of things that benefited our schools and our communities. Some students visited our elementary schools to eat with and interact with our younger students. Some students stayed at the high school to help make popcorn balls for Fall Fest, deep clean areas in the school and worked outside on the landscaping. Other students helped clean up the park areas in the cities of Waterville and Blue Rapids. This has become an annual event on our calendar and the students enjoy some time outside of the classroom and our towns benefit from their efforts!
A crew is here and they have started phase two of the gym project! The old backboards and framework are coming down and new ones will be taking their place. Once this work is completed our gym will have a whole different look! Stay tuned for further developments with this project.
Let’s go Mustangs!!
Mr. Savage
LET'S GO MUSTANGS!
Upcoming Week At A Glance
Monday, October 26th
-No scheduled activities
Tuesday, October 27th
-Seminar - Art
-KACRAO College Fair @ Valley Heights, 9-10 a.m.
Wednesday, October 28th
-Red Cross speaking to High Schoolers during lunch
-HS Bandtober Marching Festival @ Chapman HS, 8 a.m.- 3 p.m.
Thursday, October 29th
-No scheduled activities
Friday, October 30th
-HS FB Bracket Play TBA
Saturday, October 31st
-Food Pantry at Blue Rapids United Methodist Church, 9 a.m.
-High School Cross Country - State Meet @ Wamego
Sunday, November 1st
-Fall Fest at Blue Rapids Square sponsored by KAYS & BRCAT, 4 p.m. (see below flyer for more information)
Sunday, October 25th
-Fall Fest on the Square, starting at 4 p.m. (see below flyer for more details)
High School Football vs. Pomona Tonight!
This Friday, the high school football team travels to Pomona for their last regular season game against West Franklin High School
Please come out to support them as they work to finish 6-2 before next week's home playoff game!
If you cannot make the trip, the video production team will be livestreaming the game as well
LETS GO MUSTANGS!
Cross Country Substate this Saturday
This Saturday, the cross country team will be competing in the 2A Sub State in Belleville!
The top 3 teams and top 15 individuals in each race will qualify for state next Saturday in Wamego.
The Girls will be running in the Girls race A at 11:00 am
The Boys will be running in the Boys race B at 11:30 am
Push hard! Run your race, and Stampede to State!
Spaghetti Dinner on October 24th & Fall Fest on October 25th
BRCAT is hosting a Spaghetti Dinner on Saturday, October 24th, at the BR Community Center from 5:00 pm to 7:00 pm. In conjunction with the VHHS Kays Club, they are also hosting the Community Fall Fest on Sunday, October 25th, starting at 4:00 pm on the Square. A weekend full of fun! Come out and enjoy!
Veteran's Day Breakfast
All Veterans and those currently serving are welcome to attend!
JH Girls Basketball Schedule For Next Week
November Flower Orders
Get your November flower orders in!
Day of Service
The junior high and high school students took time to give back to their community by participating in a Day of Service on Wednesday, October 21st in the afternoon. Students helped out at the Blue Rapids Grade School, Waterville Grade, Junior High & High School, Opera House, City of Waterville and City of Blue Rapids doing various service projects and spending time with the grade school students.
Waterville Grade School
City of Waterville
Opera House
Blue Rapids Grade School
City of Blue Rapids
Helping Ms. Jayne with Schools That Care
Junior High Band & Choir Concert
If you missed the junior high band and choir concert on Thursday, you can watch it here.
Cheerleaders Helping with Harvesters
On Tuesday the cheerleaders helped distribute food at the Harvesters Community Food Network.
Bittersweet Ending
Parents Night was hosted for our volleyball seniors on October 13th and on October 16th before the football game against Onaga. This is split into two nights to recognize the athletes that have put countless hours into the VHHS programs. This is the final time the seniors play a home game in front of the community that has watched them play over and over again, and seen them improve throughout the years.
The seniors for the 2026-2027 Volleyball team are Paige Miller, Avery Stevenson, Kinze Wessel, Nora Parker, and Tessa Bigham; Football team Aiden Unruh, Everson Parker, Rilo Shill, Charlie Warders, Hayden Pierson, Michael Lowrey, and Dino Conti; Cheer Avery Stevenson, Shaylee Ekstrum, Jaqueline Sandoval and Paige Miller; Cross Country; Lindsay Gray.
These seniors have put a lot of hours and effort into their programs to not only better themselves but also leave a good legacy for the upcoming classes. We thank the seniors for their leadership over the years and their parents for raising them to be such hardworking and resilient individuals. Come celebrate the hard work of these young individuals!
Article by Jaqueline Sandoval
District Update
Please take a moment to read our latest district update, which outlines the Board-approved direction for facilities planning and the next steps for Valley Heights. We will continue to share information with our families and communities as the planning process moves forward.
🎓🎓🎓SENIOR CORNER🎓🎓🎓
Senior of the Week - Tessa Bigham
Staying Close To What Matters
“Stay close to anything that makes you glad you are alive.” This quote from Hafez is Tessa’s favorite quote because “You should surround yourself with people who make you feel loved.” Tessa Shea Bigham was born on March 26, 2009 to Darin and Kristen Bigham, and brother Kaison Bigham.
Bigham’s family has been the biggest influence on her life because, “They are always supporting me as much as possible and all their advice has made me the person I am today.” Tessa’s favorite high school memory is from her junior year at State Volleyball in the hotel room with Paige, Avery, and Bella. “We watched the boys play football on the T.V. and prank called lots of people, but had to be quiet because our room was right by Coach Steinfort’s.” An accomplishment that Tessa is most proud of is that she has completed 2 years of Spanish through the Greenbush program at VHHS.
Tessa has been in the All School Play, KAYS, Basketball, Softball, and Volleyball 4 years; FACS 3 years; StuCo and Track 1 year.
Dinah Umscheid, Tessa’s senior mentor, said “One word that describes Tessa is zesty. She is just lively, spirited, energetic, and fun to be around.” After high school Bigham plans to attend a 4 year college and get her bachelors degree in Kinesiology with an emphasis in exercise and rehabilitation science. Tessa will be remembered as a very friendly and funny person, with a contagious smile.
Article by Emma Warders
Keeping Up With The Mustangs
Looking Ahead
🍑🌳 Ms. Medina's Menus for 🍓🍌
October
Breakfast - October
Lunch - October
News from Ms. Jayne with Schools That Care
Jayne Whitson, Family Advocate
Serving Valley Heights Students & Families
Mobile Family Resource Center aka-"care bus"
Check out Ms. Jayne's latest newsletter athttps://app.smore.com/n/bz8v1
Family Advocate Schedule
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
Thanks for taking the time to read our newsletter.
The Home of the MUSTANGS
If you need anything from us, please reach out!
Blue Rapids, KS 66411
785-363-2508
Principal - Mike Savage (msavage@valleyheights.org)
Athletic Director - Tommy Tryon (ttryon@valleyheights.org)
To reach the office or Mr. Savage:
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
Website: valleyheights.org
Phone: (785)363-2508
Facebook: facebook.com/vhusd498
Twitter: @usd498