The Purple Pages
October 15th, 2025

Q1 2026-2027
A Message from Superintendent Dr. Thompson
Dear Laker Family,
We have had an incredible start to the school year, filled with energy and enthusiasm across the entire Camdenton R-III School District. As we reflect on these first few months, we are deeply grateful to our students, families, and dedicated faculty and staff who make our district such a wonderful place to learn and grow. This year, we welcomed 44 new faculty members to the Laker family, and we are excited about the positive impact they are already making, and will continue to make, in the lives of our students.
Along with our new faculty and staff, this fall brought a transition of grade levels across our campuses. Our district currently serves students through the following structure:
Dogwood Elementary: PreK–1st Grade
Hurricane Deck Elementary: PreK–5th Grade
Osage Beach Elementary: PreK–5th Grade
Hawthorn Elementary: Grades 2–3
Oak Ridge Intermediate: Grades 4–5
Camdenton Middle School: Grades 6–8
Camdenton High School / Lake Career & Technical Center / Horizons: Grades 9–12
This strategic grade reconfiguration allows us to optimize class sizes, align resources, and make the most effective use of our district facilities. We are deeply grateful to our students, families, and staff for their flexibility, adaptability, and patience throughout this transition.
Our Board of Education and district leadership have also been working to establish and revise our long-range goals. This is highlighted by the official approval of our revised Continuous School Improvement Plan (CSIP). Serving as our roadmap for continuous growth, the CSIP centers around six essential goal areas:
Goal Area I: Climate and Safety
Goal Area II: Student Success
Goal Area III: Communication and Collaboration
Goal Area IV: Financial Stewardship
Goal Area V: Qualified Personnel
Goal Area VI: Effective Leadership
In addition to our CSIP, the Board of Education officially approved our Facilities Master Plan to ensure our buildings remain safe and fully equipped to serve students for years to come. A major highlight of this plan is the construction of a new Early Childhood Center at Dogwood Elementary, which includes a FEMA safe room for students and staff. We look forward to beginning this project soon, and we recently celebrated with a groundbreaking ceremony on October 27.
Finally, we are thrilled to see our school spirit continuing in full force with Purple Pride Fridays across all campuses and our entire school community. Thank you to those participating and showing support for our students and our district. We encourage every student, staff member, parent, and community partner to show off their Laker Pride each Friday to demonstrate the collective support for our students and our schools.
Thank you for your ongoing partnership and for the trust you place in us every day. It is a privilege to serve as your superintendent.
Sincerely,
Brett Thompson
Superintendent
#LakersLeaveALegacy
Homecoming 2026
Maddie Hollingsworth and Jack Johno were crowned homecoming royalty at the homecoming football game against Capital City High School.
2026-2027 Board of Education
Pictured from left to right: Eric Walters, Jacob Neusche - Treasurer, Callie Henze - Vice President, Shelley Creed - Secretary, Debbie Wright, Brian Butts, Troy Risner - President
Enrollment By Building
Dogwood Elementary - 410
Hawthorn Elementary - 346
Oak Ridge Intermediate - 362
Hurricane Deck Elementary - 169
Osage Beach Elementary - 296
Camdenton Middle School - 830
Camdenton High School - 1203
Total - 3621
*Building grade levels were restructured for the 2026-2027 school year
Tax Rates By District
Morgan R-2 $2.75
Waynesville R-VI $2.9021
Richland R-IV $3.018
Camdenton R-III $3.06*
Laclede County C-5 $3.2082
School of the Osage $3.449
Stoutland R-II $3.53
Eldon R-I $3.5714
Macks Creek R-V $3.8129
Lebanon R-III $4.3523
*Maximum Levy Authorized for Operations $2.75 + $.31 Tax Required for Debt Retirement
*State average tax rate for Missouri public schools for the 2026 tax year is $4.1006 per $100 assessed valuation (of those reporting to DESE as of 10/14/26).
District Financial Data
2026-2027 Budget as originally adopted:
$70,107,606
2026 Assessed Valuation: $1,450,115,518
2026-2027 Adjusted Tax Rate:
Incidental $1.28
Teachers $1.25
Debt Service: $.31
Capital Projects: $.22
Total: $3.06
2026-2027 Revenue Sources
Local: 74.6205%
County: 1.7767%
State: 11.7611%
Federal: 11.5449%
Other: 0.2968%
2026-2027 Welcome New Teachers!
This year, the Camdenton R-III School District welcomed 43 new teachers!
Amber Myers
Kindergarten
Dogwood Elementary
Kristen Bryant
Special Education
Dogwood Elementary
Karen France
Kindergarten
Dogwood Elementary
Erica Wersching
Art
Dogwood Elementary
Khalid Sheriff
Early Childhood Special Education
Dogwood Elementary
Hannah Shelton
Special Education
Dogwood Elementary
Amelia Modlin
1st Grade
Dogwood Elementary
Chelsey Paitz
3rd Grade
Hurricane Deck Elementary
Jennifer Beal
3rd Grade
Hawthorn Elementary
Jessica DeVaul
2nd Grade
Hawthorn Elementary
Sydney Kays
2nd Grade
Hawthorn Elementary
Emily Myler
Music
Hawthorn Elementary
Grace Unger
3rd Grade
Hawthorn Elementary
Jaelyn Harrison
2nd Grade
Hawthorn Elementary
Amanda Denny
Special Education
Hawthorn Elementary
Zachary Rawlings
P.E.
Hawthorn Elementary
Clarissa Ungashick
2nd Grade
Hawthorn Elementary
Matt Holt
P.E./Virtual/Study Hall
Camdenton High School
Katherine Woodruff
Family and Consumer Sciences
Camdenton High School
Mallie Vazquez
English
Camdenton High School
Nina Smith
English
Camdenton High School
Tessa Weber
Math
Camdenton High School
Blake Roettgen
Social Studies
Camdenton High School
Cody Bull
P.E.
Camdenton High School
Michael Gulledge
Culinary Arts
Lake Career & Technical Center
Alina Weitkamp
English
Camdenton Middle School
Kimberly Prenzlow
Reading Specialist
Camdenton Middle School
Wiley Powers
English
Camdenton Middle School
Felicia West
English
Camdenton Middle School
Kelby Virtue
Science
Camdenton Middle School
Monica Ross Dauderman
Art
Camdenton Middle School
Addison Calderon
Music
Osage Beach Elementary
Tawni Konwinski
1st Grade
Osage Beach Elementary
Lillian Woolfolk
2nd Grade
Osage Beach Elementary
Candice Powell
Music
Oak Ridge Intermediate
Kelsey Mauss
Counselor
Oak Ridge Intermediate
Angela White
4th Grade
Oak Ridge Intermediate
Hayley Purington
Life Skills
Oak Ridge Intermediate
Not Pictured:
Juli-Ann Allen - HDE
Sara Bull - CHS
Hailee Hargus - CHS
Jaben Shockley - CMS
Jerri Groves - CMS
Early Childhood FEMA Project Groundbreaking
The Camdenton R-III School District celebrated the groundbreaking of a new tornado safe room at Dogwood Elementary, marking an important step in the district’s continued commitment to student and staff safety.
The project is supported by funding from the Federal Emergency Management Agency
(FEMA), administered through the Missouri State Emergency Management Agency
(SEMA), along with local district funding.
Designed and constructed in accordance with applicable FEMA safe room criteria, the
new facility will provide a designated space for students and staff to seek protection
during tornadoes and extreme wind events. The safe room will accommodate
approximately 1,609 occupants.
“Providing a safe learning environment for our students and staff is one of our greatest responsibilities,” said Dr. Brett Thompson, superintendent of the Camdenton R-III School District. “This project represents an important investment in the safety of our school community, and we are grateful for the funding and partnerships that have made it possible.”
When not being used for emergency shelter for students and staff during tornado warnings, the 13,838 square-foot facility will serve as part of the Early Childhood Center, providing additional space to support the district’s educational programs and activities.
The project is being completed in partnership with SAPP Design Architects and
DeWitt & Associates, Inc.
Safe Room Access: The facility’s emergency use and access procedures will follow the
district’s approved safe room operations plan. Additional information regarding access,
activation procedures, and designated occupants will be provided by the district before
the facility opens.
Laker Booster Cards Update
We want to send a huge thank you to everyone in our Laker family and community who supported our annual Card Fundraiser! Your participation, whether through purchasing a card or encouraging our students, makes a real difference in the lives of our students.
The distribution of the net profit is guided by a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Laker Athletic Booster Club. This partnership ensures a broader impact on our programs:
40% of the net proceeds will go to the Laker Athletic Booster Club to support our athletic programs district-wide.
60% of the net proceeds will remain with the individual school buildings, proportional to the sales generated by that building.
Listed below are the amounts that each building received:
- OBE: $12,373.81
- Hurricane Deck: $3,924.15
- Dogwood: $11,384.46
- Hawthorn: $10,808.03
- ORI: $9,754.94
- CMS: $10,946.59
Each student who sold 20 cards or more were entered into a drawing to win their choice of a tablet or a TV. Congratulations to Joshua A., who chose a tablet!
Loving Our Lakers
At Camdenton, we know that a legacy is built through everyday actions: kindness, dedication, and going the extra mile. Loving Our Lakers is a new way to recognize Camdenton R-III employees who are making a difference in the lives of others and truly leaving a legacy.
Each month, selected recipients were honored for the positive impact they’re making in our schools. Administrators and board members all said that Loving Our Lakers is the "best day of the month."
Can you think of a deserving Laker employee? Nominate them here!
IDEA Public Notice
All responsible public agencies are required to locate, evaluate, and identify children with disabilities who are under the jurisdiction of the agency, regardless of the severity of the disability, including children attending private schools, children who live outside the district but are attending a private school within the district, highly mobile children, such as migrant and homeless children, children who are wards of the state, and children who are suspected of having a disability and in need of special education even though they are advancing from grade to grade. The Camdenton R-III School District assures that it will provide a free, appropriate public education (FAPE) to all eligible children with disabilities between the ages of 3 and 21 under its jurisdiction. Disabilities include autism, deaf/blindness, emotional disorders, hearing impairment and deafness, intellectual disability, multiple disabilities, orthopedic impairment, other health impairments, specific learning disabilities, speech or language impairment, traumatic brain injury, visual impairment/blindness and young child with a developmental delay.
The Camdenton R-III School District assures that it will provide information and referral services necessary to assist the State in the implementation of early intervention services for infants and toddlers eligible for the Missouri First Steps program.
The Camdenton R-III assures that personally identifiable information collected, used, or maintained by the agency for the purposes of identification, evaluation, placement or provision of FAPE of children with disabilities may be inspected and/or reviewed by their parents/guardians. Parents/guardians may request amendment to the educational record if the parent/guardian believes the record is inaccurate, misleading, or violates the privacy or other rights of their child. Parents have the right to file complaints with the U.S. Department of Education or the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education concerning alleged failures by the district to meet the requirements of the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA).
The Camdenton R-III School District has adopted a Local Compliance Plan from the state for the implementation of State Regulations for the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). This plan contains the agency’s policies and procedures regarding storage, disclosure to third parties, retention and destruction of personally identifiable information and the agency’s assurances that services are provided in compliance with the General Education Provision Act (GEPA). This plan may be reviewed in the Special Service Department located in the Camdenton R-III Administration Building, Monday – Friday between the hours of 8:00 am – 3:30 pm.
The District website allows for translation as needed.
Important Dates To Remember
November 23-27 - Thanksgiving Break
December 18 - Early Release, Winter Break Begins
December 21-January 1 - Winter Break
January 4 - PLC Day, No Students
January 5 - School Resumes
Are You Following Us?
Make sure you follow us on social media!
Facebook: Camdenton R-III School District