September 2026 Academic Newsletter

Art Design students will be window painting in the cafeteria while also continuing to work on their individual art projects. Students will balance the collaborative window-painting activity with independent studio time to develop and complete their own creative work.

Visual Design students will explore a variety of art techniques, projects, and art history topics. They will learn stippling techniques, create a faux stained glass project, and practice colored pencil blending and shading through a realistic bubble project. Students will also study Prehistoric Art and Ancient Art, learning how early cultures used art to communicate ideas, beliefs, and everyday experiences.

Sculpture and Ceramics students will explore a variety of sculptural and clay-building techniques throughout the course. They will create a wearable sculpture, learn the different stages of clay, practice using the pottery wheel, and learn proper glazing techniques. Students will also complete soap carvings to develop their carving, planning, and three-dimensional design skills.

Welcome Back Panthers!

Mass Media: Mass Media students have been busy distributing prepaid 2025–2026 yearbooks, and extra copies are available for $50 each. They have also started an exciting new adventure—the Student-Led Photography Program—where yearbook students will work alongside Mrs. Hux to take student portraits, organization and class pictures, and sports photos. Students are also learning the yearbook program and beginning work on this year’s theme!

Coding: Coding students are learning about algorithms and discovering how computer code works. Throughout the course, students will complete several projects using programming languages such as HTML and Python.

Dual Credit Computers and Information Systems: Students are learning essential digital skills, including file management and how to recognize phishing attempts and online scams. They are also exploring how digital media influences individuals, communities, and society.

Personal Finance: Students are being introduced to personal finance while exploring the evolution of credit and consumerism in America. They are also learning how financial knowledge and responsible behavior work together to help them successfully manage their money.

FBLA: FBLA members kicked off the new school year at the Back-to-School BBQ alongside FFA and FCCLA members. It was a great evening of food, fun, and fellowship!

Integrated Science 9 (Physical Science) - Physical Science has two main components: Chemistry and Physics. Students will gain a clearer understanding of matter, energy, and the physical universe. Physical Science components covered in this course include matter and its interactions, motion and stability: forces and interactions, energy, waves and their applications in technologies for information transfer. In the coming weeks, we will delve into the chemistry component of the course by examining the properties and states of matter.

Chemistry - Chemistry is the study of matter and the changes it undergoes. Students will develop a foundation of chemistry concepts including matter and energy, atoms and elements, chemical reactions, and chemical bonding. Students will begin laying the foundation for the calculation requirements in the coming semester and investigating the properties and changes of matter.

Biology - Biology, or life science, will provide students with the knowledge of the nature of living things. Students will develop an understanding of the relationships between living organisms and their environments. Life Science components covered in this course include From Molecules to Organisms: Structure and Processes, Ecosystems: Interactions, Energy, and Dynamics, Heredity: Inheritance and Variations of Traits, and Biological Evolution: Unity and Diversity. Students are beginning to learn the patterns and chemistry of life, including the nature of matter, properties of water and chemical reactions and enzymes.

Anatomy - Human anatomy is the study of the body, its parts and their locations. We will not cover physiology in this course. This course will cover all major body systems, including integumentary, skeletal, muscular, nervous, cardiovascular, respiratory, digestive, urinary, and reproductive systems. Students will use inquiry-based activities and labs (dissections) to apply their knowledge. We will continue to lay the foundation of anatomical terms and begin to deep dive into our first major body system - the integumentary system.

Earth Science - Earth Science is the name for the group of sciences that deals with Earth and its neighbors in space. The goal is to provide students with the knowledge of Earth's structure, composition, processes, and evolution, as well as the life it supports. Students will develop an understanding of how humans and nature impact the planet, and the need to manage Earth’s resources carefully. Earth Science components covered in this course include geology, oceanography, astronomy, weather, and climate. We have begun exploring the components of Earth Science and mapping. Soon we will learn about Earth's materials and the sculpting of those materials.

Pre-Algebra - We start off the year by going over solving equations with one variable.

Algebra 1 - We start off the year by going over solving equations with one variable.

Algebra 1 (Soph) - We will start the year with exponential functions.

Algebra 2 - We will start by working with graphs and learning how to describe a graph with different qualities of the graph.

Life Skills - We will start off the year by going over some general car care items. This includes checking the oil level and other fluids along with checking tire pressure and filling up a tire with air. We will also be covering how to change a tire and jump start a car.

Pre-Calc/Trig - We are working on the number systems and classification of numbers and classifications of equations.

Psychology - Students begin the year by taking a personality assessment to get an idea of the types of issues that psychologists look at. We then take some time to analyze different types of psychologists, examining their philosophies and responsibilities and the setting where they might be found. Finally, students end the unit investigating research designs and variable type.

Geometry - Geometry students examine basic terms like point, segment, ray, line, and angles. They also learn how to properly read and write these representations. Students also learn other basic principles of geometry, including segment and angle addition, congruence, distance and midpoint formulas, and reasoning.

Statistics - We start the year by going over common graphs used in statistics. Students will then create these graphs based on varying data sets. The first unit also includes basic statistical terms and functions, e.g. stats, data set, population, sample, mean, median, mode, etc. This information provides the foundation for and is critical for the entire course.

Panther Band- We are jumping right into polishing new and old music for home football games this year. The Panther Band will play at its first home football game on September 18th! During the month of September, we will begin marching band practices to prepare for both Mound City and NWMSU homecoming parades.

Ag Science 1- Students have started shop safety and then will be in the shop completing the year making a woods project

Ag Science 2- Students are practicing welding and then will finish the year creating a project of their choosing after they complete welding tests.

Animal Science- We will finish the year talking about animal diets and digestion systems.

Greenhouse- Students are preparing for the greenhouse sale on May15 and 16 along with getting hands on experience in the greenhouse

Ag Business- Students are working on agricultural finances and the needs when running a business

Ag Construction- Seniors are finishing their projects prior to graduation

Apparel and Textiles:

These students have not ever had a sewing class prior to this. We will start with the basics of sewing and getting acquainted with the sewing machines.

8th Grade:

We are working on finding our place in the world by learning about personality traits we might find in friends or acquaintances. The students will learn how their heredity and environment have a big factor in their personality. We will play some fun team building activities outside as a whole class to help us better understand how to handle different personalities.

Child Development I:

We will be learning about children, responsibilities of parenting, and building strong families. The students will be able to identify 3 areas of childhood that researchers have studied, list the stages of development, why it’s important to as much information about becoming a parent, and they will be able to describe the different family structures.

Foods:

The students will choose what salsa recipe they’d like to make to then enter into the Holt County Autumn Festival contest. This is held by the South Holt FCCLA organization. I am hoping they are also able to enter bread of some kind. This month will be focusing on getting comfortable in the kitchens and keeping the spaces clean and organized with each lab.

Nutrition & Wellness:

I look forward to teaching these students about nutrition and how their diet and health are related. Hopefully they will be able to really think about the choices they make about the foods that they are eating and whether it is a healthy choice or not. This class is also going to enter cookies into the Holt County Fair this year too.

Health:

Half of the Sophomores are taking this class this semester and the other half will next semester. Same thing for the Freshmen class. Students will do a Monday mental health journal the first 15 min of the week each week. They are starting with learning just what the terms health and wellness mean along with the four main aspects of well-being. Students will be able to analyze how physical, emotional, intellectual, and social aspects of wellness are interrelated. They will be able to identify the difference between disease and disorder and what the four main causes of disease are and how they impact their wellness.

FCCLA:

We had our back to school BBQ that we shared with the FFA and FBLA chapters as well. The officers will meet next week during lunch to go over fundraisers for this year. They will also decide on a tshirt design for the chapter and discuss the meetings we will hold this year. I am looking forward to taking the whole chapter to the Regional Meeting in Maryville this October.

LA1: Introduction to literary analysis & characterization using short stories; then starting the novel The Hunger Games looking at Dystopia societies.

LA2: Review of literary analysis, plot, and point of view using short stories; then starting the novel, The Great Gatsby to answer the question, “Does the American Dream inspire or destroy?”

LA3: Introduction to world literature using short stories; then studying Hamlet to examine themes of tragedy and revenge.

LA4: Introduction to career readiness skills through professional communication, goal setting, workplace expectations, resume writing, interviewing, and preparing for future education and career opportunities.

1st Hour Strength & Conditioning - Weight room safety, proper technique review & lifting.

3rd Hour 9th Grade P.E. - Weights & Ultimate Frisbee

6th Hour Lifetime Sports - Ping Pong

7th Hour Athletic Conditioning - Agility & Stability Stations

MCHS Counselor's Corner

September is Suicide Prevention Month

Did You Know?

Suicide is one of the leading causes of death among children, teenagers, and young adults. For youth ages 10 and older, suicide ranks among the leading causes of death. Behind every statistic is a young person, a family, and a community affected forever. Recognizing warning signs and creating opportunities for support, connection, and belonging can make a meaningful difference.

Why Does Connection Matter at Home?

Parents and caregivers play a powerful role in helping young people feel connected, supported, and valued. Taking time to listen, ask questions, spend time together, and create an environment where children feel comfortable sharing their thoughts and feelings can make a lasting difference. Watch for changes in mood, behavior, friendships, or routines, and let your child know that they can come to you without fear of judgment. Even small moments of connection such as checking in after school, sharing a meal, or simply saying, “I’m here for you” can remind your child that they are loved, supported, and never alone.

Important September Dates from the MCHS Counselor's Corner

9/2 MWSU College Visit for Jrs. & Srs.

9/7 No School - Labor Day

9/21 No School - Teacher Inservice

9/30 Northstar Sexual Abuse Presentations for 6-12th

9/28-10/2 Homecoming Week - Info coming soon!

10/6 ASVAB Testing for Jrs. in afternoon

Greetings!

For those who are new to High School or Mound City R-2, I'm Jake Shipman. I'm the High School Principal and Athletic Director. This is my 7th year in the district and 15th year overall in education. I hope everyone had a great summer! My wife Morgan, school nurse at Carden Park Elementary, and my two sons Jack and Jett, made some great memories over our summer break. I'm very excited for this school year! I have a great feeling about our High School students and what they are capable of. Our students will do great things, due to both you as parents and our awesome Staff! We have one new teacher at the High School, Mrs. Rachel Plummer will be teaching HS English for us. We are very lucky to have her and I'm excited to see what she can do with our students! We just finished school pictures on August 28th. Retakes will be on September 17th. The link for pictures schedules is here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1dV-RalaSmcP2zOeDw8GqDXMRgVlYCLyrKgZmGtJLsCk/edit?tab=t.0. Our District focus for this year is to continue to update and improve our emergency procedures, our emergency preparedness committee has been working very hard to help keep our students and staff safe. Our HS building focus is that Academics matter. We will be trying some new things to bring more spotlight on what our students are doing inside the classroom. The first week has flown by. We have gotten all our students set with solid schedules and look forward to a great 1st semester. Your students safety and education is our top priority here! My office is always open and all are welcome to come up and visit. If you have any questions or concerns please do not hesitate to call or email. Thank you!

Go Panthers!

Email: jake.shipman@mndcty.org

Website: https://www.mndcty.k12.mo.us/