Tessa Miller is the first girl on the VH track team to punch her ticket to the State Track Meet! Tessa finished 3rd in the javelin with a throw on 114'7"!

Congratulations to Jayden DeWalt for a tied-4th place finish in the Regional Golf Tournament. He has also qualified for state at Dodge City this upcoming Monday.

Graduation Saturday is here! The Class of 2024 had their last day of classes on May 9th and rehearsed for the ceremony during the afternoon! The class did a great job with the many activities we had scheduled for them on their last day and are certainly ready to put this last beg event behind them! Later that night, Mrs. Manley hosted Senior Award Night and we were able to present over $57,000 dollars in scholarships to these deserving students. This group has done a fantastic job the past four years and we will miss their leadership, work ethic and their many contributions to Valley Heights. We wish them the best of luck in their future endeavors. Join us at 2:00 pm to give them a well-deserved sendoff.

Our forensics team competed in the 2A State Tournament this past weekend and came away with a 4th place finish! Seniors Audra Steinfort and Liam Shill earned the gold medal for their performance in the IDA category! We would like to congratulate all of our competitors and their sponsor, Mrs. Lynette Steele-Coon. Thanks also to Mrs. Kim Oatney and Mrs. Shannon Conti for assisting with the group while they were at the competition!

Congratulations to senior Carson Spoonts who signed a letter of intent to play football for Dodge City Community College! Carson becomes the fourth member of the Class of 2024 to take their athletic talents to the next level! Carson joins Maggie Toerber who will play basketball at Benedictine, Tyrel Wagner who will play football at Bethel and Kaison Bigham who is headed to Tabor for football. Great job Mustangs!!

Valley Heights hosted the TVL Track meet this year and we had a great day for the competition. Some long standing TVL records were broken and the weather was exceptional! A word of thanks goes out to our many volunteers and those who helped with the meet. Meet organizers were Jordan Broxterman and Alex Nolte! Up in the press box handling the camera and results input were Emily Gunn, Susan Winters and Drew Obermeyer. Medals were the responsibility of Lily Busey. Because of the efforts of all these people the meet ran smoothly!

The school year is quickly coming to an end with the last day of classes slated for May 16th with a 12:30 dismissal. We will be hosting a Junior High Awards program at 11:00 pm on that day and everyone is certainly welcome to attend that event!

However, this will not be the last newsletter of the 2023-2024! We still have Regional Track & Field and Softball to report on as well as state action so be looking for that!

Have a great week!

Mr. Savage

Dear Community Members,

As your new Superintendent, I am pleased to share a review of our year, highlighting our progress and achievements. This year, I established three primary areas of focus: Passion, Purpose, and Connections.

In our efforts to strengthen community and business connections, we have:
- Conducted in-service visits to local businesses as a gesture of appreciation.
- Toured Titan Manufacturing and the Weaver Hotel, and plan to tour GP and the Blue Rapids Museum in the fall.

To enhance our connections further, we:
- Engaged with the Rotary Club monthly, rotating between our buildings.
- Increased communication through district and building-level newsletters.

Our district's activities have seen significant success:
- Sports teams and forensics had excellent seasons, with the addition of baseball and softball.
- The community will have access to the weight room again this summer.

In our schools, driven by purpose and passion, we achieved:
- Receiving the National Blue Ribbon Award and ESEA Distinguished Award for the second time, with the support of Rotary for the Waterville sign.
- Applied for Kansas Star Recognition in Social Emotional, Civic Engagement, and Kindergarten Readiness areas.

Our state assessment results were outstanding across all categories, reflecting the hard work of our staff, parents, and students. Great job to everyone involved!

Next year, our district will focus more deeply on data and instructional strategies as part of our KESA (Kansas Education Systems Accreditation) efforts.

Regarding facilities, we are working on long-term planning and capital improvements, addressing critical areas like roofs, track, HVAC, and lighting.

We have applied for the SVPP Grant for school safety, which, if awarded, will provide $500k in funding, matched by $125k from the district. This will enhance our security systems, including cameras, intercoms, signage, outdoor security, the E3 app, and key fobs for all entrances and teacher doors.

Lastly, our strategic planning process, led by KASB, will involve four meetings with the community, school, and board. We will focus on key areas such as student development, educational programs, physical infrastructure, personnel, and culture/communication. These meetings will address future changes, strengths, and challenges.

Thank you for your continued support and dedication to our district's success.

Sincerely,

Sean Spoonts
Superintendent

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. Email 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