Wabaunsee High School's Student Newspaper
After being absent for a few years, USD 329 is bringing back the Accelerated Reader program for grades K-5. This program is good both for the reading incentive for younger grades and for the STAR exams that evaluate the students’ reading and math levels. Although the program’s return won’t affect high school students, even the best readers greeted the news with a sort of PTSD.
The Charger asked the first and second grade classes from Alma and Maple Hill Elementary Schools to send us their letters to Santa Claus. We were able to look through them before passing them on to Santa, who had his elves write responses to each student.
Wabaunsee voters will have an opportunity to weigh in on the future of the district next month as USD 329 seeks to pass a $17.95 million bond. If passed, the bond will provide necessary changes and repairs to keep the district running smoothly, while moving all students to a K-12 campus in Alma.
Elementary principal Robert Schawo comes to USD 329 with promises of continuing the momentum the district already has. Schawo has become the new Elementary school principal replacing Galen Craghead and Kari Kephart. Schawo, who has a degree in public administration and a degree in elementary education, will lead the Maple Hill and Alma elementary schools.
The Alma Elementary School Parent Teacher Organization hosted a "Donkeyball" competition Saturday night. Four teams competed, and the Maple Hill Powerhouse came away victorious.
The Charger asked the first and second grade classes from Alma Elementary School and Maple Hill Elementary School to send us their letters to Santa Claus. We were able to look through them before passing them on to Santa, who had his elves write responses to each student.
Slide Show | Alma Elementary students put their engineering skills to the test with an egg drop September 3.
The Charger asked the first and second grade classes from Alma Elementary School and Maple Hill Elementary School to send us their letters to Santa Claus. We were able to look through them before passing them on to Santa. We also passed along responses from Santa's Elves, who checked every student's status on the naughty and nice lists.
After many board meetings discussing the facilities and bond options, the board was able to pass a motion for an election to occur on May 12 at 6 polling places in the district for the potential 25 year bond, on Option 16.
The regular board meeting started with continued discussion to answer a few leftover questions over the facilities. Once the board had most of their questions answered, a motion was made for Option 10 to be the option moving forward. The potential K-12, Option 10, was seconded, but failed with a vote of 2-5. Seconds later, another motion was made, but for Option 16. The motion was seconded, and passed 4-3. Now it is up to the community to vote either for or against the K-6 in Paxico and 7-12 in Alma.
The residents of Alma have a new place to find books.
AES third grade teacher Emily Hess and the Alma Elementary Book Club decided to build a Little Library. It is located on Ohio St. between the parking lot and the high school.
“We live in an area where books are hard to access without transportation,” Hess said. It offers a few more choices than what there is at the public library. Hess hopes the Little Library will help build community and show that we place value on literacy.
The Charger 