Mrs. Carrie Smith's freshman welcomed Mrs. A Smith's class back from break with a special 'Happy New Year' gift! Jake Lauck led the idea of gifting her students a sensory item that would be helpful when her students need a hands-on activity. After some research, they discovered that play doh serves many purposes for students in Mrs. A. Smith's class and would provide multiple uses, endless projects, and most important-FUN! Nick Mouton, Brady Kauffman, and Wyatt Longaberger helped to collect the play doh and encouraged classmates to donate! Thank you to everyone in Mrs. Carrie Smith's class (and Mrs. Smith) for your thoughtful donation!
This week's Educator of the Week is Mr. Dan Robb! Congratulations, Mr. Robb!
Hello Families,
We apologize for the inconvenience, but we are again experiencing a shortage of bus drivers this evening related to illness. Please see below the busses that will be impacted:
Bus 2 (not open enrollment students) will be riding Bus 3.
Open Enrollment students on Bus 2 using the stop in Urbana may be approximately 10 minutes late getting home this evening.
Bus 7 for students that live on Rt. 30 East and the East side of 68, will ride Bus 14.
Bus 7 for students that go to the Bellefontaine Open Enrollment Stop and live on the west side of 68, will ride Bus 10.
Even normal routes may be running off schedule slightly due to the adjustments.
Again, we apologize for the inconvenience. If you would rather pick your child up at the school at the end of the day (2:54 PM), you may do so. Please feel free to call the office 937-465-1060 or 937-465-0060 OR email the office at jnieman@wlstigers.org or k5@wlstigers.org to notify us that you will be picking up your child or for clarification on this afternoons drop-off schedule. Please notify the office prior to 2:30 so that all students can be informed of changes. Elementary students will need to be signed out by a parent at the main entrance. Visitor parking is available in front of the school and at the MS/HS drop off lane.
Thank you,
Kraig Hissong
Senior Christian Herron and 2020 Grad Denver Cushman participated in the Special Olympics basketball game against Champaign County First Responders on Saturday! The game was held at Urbana High School. They did a great job and were happy to be back together on the court! Way to go Christian and Denver!
Today, and every day, we appreciate our SRO Deputy Jarzab! Deputy J is committed to protecting and serving West Liberty-Salem, but he is committed to truly making a difference in the lives of our students even more. Whether Deputy J is coaching student athletes, competing in elementary field day races, or just checking in with students at lunchtime, he is making connections and forming relationships! So, on National Law Enforcement Appreciation Day, join us in saying THANK YOU for all that he does! Happy National Law Enforcement Appreciation Day!
We are currently seeking substitute bus drivers with the potential for permanent employment. We offer paid training and certification for interested candidates. Please reach out to Jake Vitt at JVitt@ wlstigers.org for more information!
Hello Families,
We apologize for the inconvenience, but due to a shortage of bus drivers this evening related to illness, several bus routes will be impacted in order to get all students home as soon as possible. The following busses will be impacted:
Bus 18 and Bus 12 will be placed on one bus and run a combined town route which may cause students to be 5 to 10 minutes late to their drop off.
Bus 2 resident students who live on US 68 South, Dugan Rd, and Jackson Hill Rd will be approximately 5 to 10 minutes late this evening and will be riding Bus 3.
Open Enrollment students on Bus 2 using the stop in Urbana may be approximately 45 minutes late getting home this evening and will be supervised at the school until Bus 21 returns after their regular route to take them to the open enrollment stop in Urbana.
Bus 7 students will be split on two different buses running roughly at the same time. They will be split between Bus 7 and Bus 14.
Even normal routes may be running off schedule slightly due to the adjustments.
Again, we apologize for the inconvenience. If you would rather pick your child up at the school at the end of the day (2:57 PM), you may do so. Please feel free to call the office 937-465-1060 or 937-465-0060 to notify us that you will be picking up your child or for clarification on this afternoons drop-off schedule. Elementary students will need to be signed out by a parent at the main entrance. Visitor parking is available in front of the school and at the MS/HS drop off lane.
Thank you,
Kraig Hissong
Spanish students are celebrating Día de Los Reyes (known elsewhere as Epiphany) today! The holiday is celebrated on January 6 to honor the Three Wise Men, and represents the day the Three Wise Men gave gifts to Jesus Christ. It also represents the end of the Christmas season.
During Día de Los Reyes, Mexicans serve Rosca de Reyes, or King’s Cake. The Rosca de Reyes has an oval shape to symbolize a crown and has a small doll inside, which represents baby Jesus. The doll figure symbolizes the hiding of the infant Jesus from King Herod’s troops. The person who gets the slice with the doll must host a party on Día de la Candelaria on February 2nd.
Students shared Bundt style cakes to represent the King’s Cake with a candle hidden inside to represent the doll. Traditionally, it isn’t ideal to find the doll because of all of the hard work involved with Dia de la Candelaria, so to offer the same experience, students who found the candle helped clean up after the celebration. Don’t worry, there were several helpers! We enjoyed practicing this holiday and learning more about how other cultures celebrate the holidays!
It’s Gold Card Friday! Check out this week’s videos and winners! Keep up the good work, Tigers!
Elementary/Middle School Video:
https://youtu.be/r0iXX5RkM8k
High School Gold Card Winners
12th Ava Buck given by Mrs. Havens
11th Maxwell McCombs given by Mrs. Seymour
10th Sophia Holland given by Mrs. Salley
9th Tori Douthwaite given by Mrs. Spencer
Cindy Oelker, owner of Liberty Gathering Place, and her son Shane Oelker, West Liberty Chief of Police, presented FFA member Christian Herron with the first Andy Detwiler Memorial official FFA jacket on Wednesday, January 4, 2023. Andy Detwiler lost his battle to cancer on September 21, 2022, but his legacy and influence on the agricultural community undoubtedly lives on. Andy was a lifelong farmer, creator of his YouTube channel Harmless Farmer, and motivational speaker sharing his message to “Never Give Up”. Andy was an active member of the Champaign County Fair Board, which spoke to his passion for youth in agriculture and inspired Cindy and Shane to continue his legacy with FFA. The Oelker’s were joined by Andy’s wife Corkey Detwiler and their daughter Kylie Detwiler. Andy, Corkey and Kylie were all four-year members of the West Liberty-Salem chapter of FFA. Shane and Cindy look forward to continuing to share Andy’s story and a jacket with our young ag students for many years to come.
Link crew is hosting study sessions and hot chocolate for freshmen in preparation for next week's exams! Link Crew, a national organization of upper classmen committed to helping freshmen adjust to high school, met with freshman over for the first time this summer. Since then, they have regular 'check-ups' to make sure younger students are feeling adjusted and comfortable. This month's check-up are study sessions that are going very well! Link Crew members, and leaders, are available to give study tips, help create study guides, one on one quizzing and more! There is one more opportunity to study with their Link Crew leaders during their homeroom tomorrow! Everyone is encouraged to attend.
There are a few important things happening next week for our high school students. Its exam week! Exams begin on January 10th and wrap up on the morning of January 12th. Following their last exam, high school students have the opportunity to participate in our second Community Service Day of the year. Sign-up sheets are located outside the Counseling Office, and transportation to any off-campus service location is provided by WL-S. This is a great way to get those feel-good endorphins going after what can be a stressful week.
Attached are some helpful reminders for good study habits. Encourage your students to eat a good breakfast, get plenty of rest, and begin studying early. And most importantly, remind them to relax!
The West Liberty-Salem Band is giving you a night off in the kitchen! Join them for their fundraiser by ordering in or taking out Chipotle on Monday, January 16th, from 4-8 PM. Check out the flyer for more information.
Attention Seniors!! The deadline to submit photos for the Senior Night video is quickly approaching. Please submit 7 photos to Mr. Yoder that represent you at various ages by 2/24/23. You should be forward facing in the photos. School pictures work best, but if you are directly facing the camera, we can make it work. You should have received a letter that outlines all details. If you have questions or need a copy of the letter, please see Mr. Yoder.
Welcome back, students and staff! We hope you took time to relax, recharge, and prepare to tackle the year ahead. Here are just a few reminders after the extended break.
Are you looking for our dining menu? You can see what we are serving for breakfast and/or lunch, by visiting the Dining tab on our website or App.
https://www.wlstigers.org/dining
Visit our Events section to see what is happening around campus!
https://www.wlstigers.org/events
Athletic events are shared weekly on Live Feed and Facebook. For a complete calendar of events, visit https://www.wlstigers.org/page/athletics.
See the attached photo for upcoming events. Happy New Year!
Please help us congratulate our Educator of the week, Mr. Chris Smucker!
West Liberty-Salem Middle School has awarded their December Students of the Month. Each student receives a SOM t-shirt from BOSS, gift cards to local businesses provided by Malia Hughes, Realtor, Fathom Realty, and Marie's Candies! Please help us congratulate the following students:
Left to Right:
8TH GRADE: Zoe Carter & Bryson Jones
7TH GRADE: Emma Schmelzer & Zeke Longshore
6TH GRADE: Cora Benavides & Eli Jones
We are seeking interested candidates to fill a part-time Food Service Department position for the remainder of the school year. The position is 3 hours a day, and hours are typically 10:30 AM-1:30 PM. E-mail Robin Kauffman, rokauffman@wlstigers.org, if interested.
Week at a glance! Go Tigers!
Updated: The Girls basketball game has moved to Jonathan Alder Middle School, just 1 mile south of the high school. See below for more game details.
Information for the girls JV/Varsity basketball game at Jonathan Alder, tonight, January 3, 2023. Please share!
Tickets are 100% digital, and no cash will be accepted at the gate. You may purchase ahead of time at the following link or at the gate with a Credit Card only. All tickets are $7. The Jonathan Alder Website to purchase tickets is: https://www.alder.k12.oh.us/HighSchoolTicketing.aspx
The game will also be Livestreamed on the JA YouTube Channel, JAHS Livestream.
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCD2Emsl87RwKq9epY18fMVg
