If you are a student in third through 12th grade, your teachers have likely been working hard to help you prepare for upcoming state assessments. Learning to navigate a “big test” is part of the journey through school and can ultimately help prepare you for future “big tests” in your professional career.

I shared some tips for test day with your parents earlier this month, and I want to share some with you, too!

• Get enough sleep before the test. Your brain works better when it's well-rested.
• Stay confident and believe in yourself and your teacher. You've totally got this!
• Don't skip breakfast. Fill up on brain fuel with a good meal. You even could click here to see what your school will serve for breakfast that morning!

Now, here's why these tests matter: They are an opportunity to show what you've learned and how ready you are for what comes next. They help your teachers, principals — and me — know what we need to keep working on to best prepare you for future opportunities. And, they are the common measure of district academic preparation, used to generate a Kansas Report Card. This report card is published and shared with anyone who wants to know what Maize kids can do. So, we want to show how awesome our teachers and students truly are!

Go, Eagles, Mavericks, Chameleons, Pride, Wolves, Mustangs, and Panthers! You got this!

Dr. Greer

Find out about upcoming camps, clinics, and opportunities on the district's Online Bulletin Board! You can find flyers and additional information about these opportunities:

• Maize Early Childhood Center Big Truck Night
• City of Maize 2024 Maize Bike Rodeo

Maize USD 266 will be publishing a special edition e-newsletter this spring highlighting summer camp opportunities for students. Stay tuned, and watch for that to land in your email inbox! In the meantime, please visit Maize USD 266's digital Online Bulletin Board to find out about camps, clinics, community resources, events, and more!

Summer positions on the grounds, custodial, and paint crews are now open, and interested candidates are invited to apply. Summer crew members must be at least 16 years old. Click here to apply.

Congratulations to Business Professionals of America (BPA) individual and team state champions! The career and technical student organization helps to develop students' passion by providing opportunities for leadership development, learning, and service.

The students were honored by Maize Board of Education Vice President John Harrison and his fellow school board members during the March meeting.

• Maize High School senior Carter Smith: State champion in Fundamental Desktop Publishing and state champion in Advanced Desktop Publishing
• Maize High School junior Ainsley Cramer: State champion in Health Admin Procedures and top 10 in Medical Terminology open
• Maize South High School juniors Connor Anderson, Connor McClusky, and Dane Dehnke: State champion Economic Research Team
• Maize South High School junior Cannon Reed was elected as the Kansas Vice President of BPA.
• Maize South High School junior Braelyn Delzer was elected as the Kansas State Historian for BPA.
• Braelyn and Maize South High School sophomore Hayden Frasco were named BPA Merit Scholars, an honor shared with only seven out of nearly 550 students!

Congratulations to Maize South High School senior Meya Howell, who made school history recently when she won the state wrestling championship. She is the first female to ever qualify, medal, and win the state championship in Maverick school history. Congratulations to her on this record-setting accomplishment! Click the link below to read a recent Wichita Eagle article about how she and other Wichita-area state winners are paving the way in high school girls wrestling.

Congratulations to Maize High School senior Ayden Flores who won the state championship in boys wrestling! He had a fantastic season, finishing 47-0 in his matches and is a back-to-back state champion.

They are pictured below with Maize Board of Education Vice President John Harrison. School board members recognized the state champion wrestlers during the March school board meeting.

Congratulations to Maize High School senior Faith Swart, recipient of a Wichita State University Barton School of Business scholarship for $50,000! WSU representatives surprised her at school this week and celebrated the amazing accomplishment. Faith's experience at Maize High includes being National Honor Society president and Student Ambassador's president. She has interned at Textron in interior design, learning how to make airplanes functional and beautiful. As a Shocker, she plans to study marketing.

During the February Maize Board of Education meeting, President Kerry Fellows and her fellow board members celebrated the Maize South High School boy's soccer team, which won back-to-back state championships. The team was presented a banner for their state championship.

Thanks to a $51,426.50 grant from the Kansas Department of Agriculture, our new Cultivate Maize program showcases the production and harvest of produce from 35 hydroponic gardens in schools across our district. Then students enjoy the fruits — and vegetables — of their labor.

Altogether, the gardens total an impressive 1,400-square-foot farm growing produce for our students to eat during school meals!

The Cultivate Maize project has gardens at the Maize Early Childhood Center, Maize Career Academy, and all elementary, intermediate, middle, and high schools in the district. Students are tasked with planting, maintaining, and harvesting the seedlings. Thank you, students, for your help with this exciting project!

Thank you to all of the students who applied for Maize Education Foundation’s 2024 scholarships and Student Enrichment Grants. We have an incredible pool of applications, and the committee is hard at work reviewing each and every one. Please stay tuned, as recipients will be announced in May. Good luck with the final term of the 2023-24 school year!

Maize Career Academy Carpentry 1 students were hard at work creating this beautiful playhouse, which was part of the Birds and Bulls Gala silent auction to benefit the Maize Education Foundation. The finer details, such as color, trim, and decor, are all customizable, so the owner can dream up the best playhouse they can think of. The Maize Education Foundation supports Maize USD 266 students, teachers, and schools with scholarships, grants, and opportunities for success. The inaugural Birds and Bulls Gala raised more than $30,000. Thanks to the students who helped with this and in other ways, including created floral centerpieces!

Did you know that students are a HUGE help to keeping schools safe? Help us keep you safe by providing anonymous tips. If you see something, please say something!

There are three ways to submit an anonymous tip:

1. Click here to be taken directly to a secure tip reporting website.
2. On your smartphone, download the free P3 Tips app from the App Store or Google Play. Then, follow the onscreen prompts to submit your tip.
3. Call 316-267-2111.

Stay on top of the great things happening at Maize USD 266 on our official social media accounts:

• Maize USD 266 on Facebook
• Maize USD 266 on Twitter