Harrisburg R-VIII School District

TEACHER FEATURE TUESDAY: Today’s featured teacher is Mr. Kevin Pekkarinen. Mr. Pekkarinen teaches 7th & 8th grade science. This is his 10th year in education and 1st year as a Harrisburg Bulldog. Mr. Pekarrinen earned his undergraduate degree from the University of Missouri and, while there, played Rugby for the Tigers from 2010-2014. His wife, Rebecca, is also a Harrisburg Bulldog. She teaches 2nd grade at Harrisburg Elementary. Principal Jeff Wardrip shared that “Mr. Pekkarinen has been an excellent addition to our middle school staff. He goes the extra mile to set students up for success. We are fortunate to have him on our team. Thank you, Mr. P, for all you do for our students, staff, and community.” #BulldawgPride

Harrisburg Fundraiser! Valentine's Day Gift! This journal makes a great Valentine’s gift for your ladies young and old, and was created by local entrepreneur Amber Till 💜 Proceeds going towards sending students to American Legion State 🐾 Can text Amber to place order or order directly from Amazon link (please let us know if you order from Amazon). https://www.amazon.com/Ultimate-ART-Journal-gratitude-inspirational/dp/B0C9SHFRV2/ref=sr_1_1?crid=2B6EN9OD3810K&keywords=ULTIMATE%20ART%20JOURNAL&qid=1706195192&s=books&sprefix=ultimate%20art%20journa%2Cstripbooks%2C211&sr=1-1&fbclid=IwAR35BSQ7yhNCYqJaTgTdPJC33rF9J8fJ-bjohZJ7zl4f1GpBPmfdVQ7-ZuI

TEACHER FEATURE TUESDAY: Today’s featured teacher is Mrs. Aly Hemme. Mrs. Hemme teaches Personal Finance, Computer Science, Intro to Business, Accounting, and Business law courses at Harrisburg High. She also teaches the Yearbook course and oversees the publication and distribution of the annual Yearbook for Harrisburg R-VIII. This is Mrs. Hemme’s 5th year in education and her 3rd year as a Harrisburg Bulldog. In addition to a full teaching schedule, Mrs. Hemme also sponsors the Future Business Leaders of American Organization for our school and is excited to return with her students to the State FBLA Leadership Conference in April. Thank you, Mrs. Hemme, for being such a positive influence in the lives of your students and fellow staff members every single day. #BulldawgPride

TEACHER FEATURE TUESDAY: “Far and away the best prize that life offers is the chance to work hard at work worth doing.” —Theodore Roosevelt Today’s featured teacher, Mrs. Cathy Wilcox, has certainly dedicated her professional life to working hard at work worth doing. Mrs. Wilcox has been an educator for more than 36 years and has spent 34 of those years at Harrisburg both as an elementary classroom teacher and, upon returning to Harrisburg Elementary after retirement a couple of years ago, as a classroom paraprofessional and keyboarding instructor. Anyone who knows Cathy has, no doubt, been the recipient of her genuine attention and kindness. She gives generously of her time and talents - often being the first to volunteer for a task or to offer to help with an event. Throughout her career at Harrisburg she has served on numerous committees and continues to organize and facilitate the annual Spelling Bee for elementary and middle school students. In addition, Cathy has dedicated hours of her time to assist with Harrisburg athletic events. Athletic Directors Chris Ackman and Ryan Richardson had this to say about Cathy’s service to their programs: “Cathy works numerous events for the athletic department from taking gate for our football games, to running the clock for our basketball games and running the scoreboards for softball & baseball. She earned the Missouri Interscholastic Athletic Administrators Association Distinguished Service Award in May of 2022. Her time and dedication to our student-athletes is a constant every year.” A sincere thank you to Mrs. Cathy Wilcox for your life-long commitment and dedication to the students, staff, and patrons of the Harrisburg R-VIII School District. #BulldawgPride

TEACHER FEATURE TUESDAY: This week’s featured teacher is Ms. Addilyn Hays. Ms. Hays has been teaching for three years and is in her second year at Harrisburg as a Middle School Learning Specialist. As a learning specialist, Ms. Hays works closely with students and teachers to determine individual goals both inside and outside of the classroom and to ensure students have access to the resources needed for success as they work to achieve those goals. In addition to the important work that she does with students and staff, Ms. Hays also serves as an assistant MS softball coach and has organized and led trauma-informed book studies for district staff members in 2023-24.

TEACHER FEATURE TUESDAY: This week’s featured teacher is Mr. Zech Bowman. Mr. (Coach) Bowman has been a teacher for 13 years and has spent the last 8 of those years at Harrisburg High School. In his Algebra 1, Algebra 2, and Concepts of Math courses, Mr. Bowman integrates math concepts that are often difficult to understand into approachable and relatable situations that allow his students to practice and to use a hands-on approach to understanding. In addition to a full teaching schedule, Mr. Bowman also coaches high school football and high school track, co-sponsors high school FCA, and serves on the district Academic Advisory Cabinet committee. Thank you Mr. Bowman for the many ways that you support and lead our students at Harrisburg High School. #BulldawgPride

TEACHER FEATURE TUESDAY: This week’s featured teacher is Ms. Gracie Williams. Ms. Williams is almost halfway through her third year of teaching fifth grade at Harrisburg Elementary. Partner teacher, Sarah Earlywine, has this to say about her fellow 5th grade teacher: “Ms. Williams engages students and gives the class a variety of ways to respond in the classroom. Her instruction allows students to carry over learned content related vocabulary into group discussions and partner discussions. Ms. Williams motivates her students by having the class work together and set goals they want to achieve.” Ms. Williams is also involved with several activities and committees in our district. She is the middle school Scholar Bowl coach and serves on the district Dignity & Equity in Education and Carnival committees. Thank you Ms. Williams for all that you do for your students and school. #BulldawgPride

TEACHER FEATURE TUESDAY: This week’s featured teacher is Mrs. Stephanie Harrison. Mrs. Harrison has been an educator at Harrisburg for the past three years. You need only to attend our annual MUSART Festival to witness the remarkable ways that Mrs. Harrison is able to encourage her art students to take risks, imagine, and create. It is astounding what our youngest students are capable of when exposed to the new ideas, techniques, and growth mindset opportunities that she provides in her elementary and sixth grade art classes. In her eighth grade STEAM class, students are challenged to use the five steps of the design thinking process (Empathize, Define, Ideate, Prototype, Test) using a variety of materials and constraints to improve their critical thinking, problem solving, communication, and collaboration skills. Thank you, Mrs. Harrison, for sharing your passion for the arts and sciences with your students everyday. #BulldawgPride

TEACHER FEATURE TUESDAY: This week’s featured teacher is Mrs. Juli Hackethal. Mrs. Hackethal has been an educator for 13 years and has spent the last 4 of those years in Harrisburg teaching high school Biology, Physical Science, Chemistry, and Forensics. Mrs. Hackethal is a master teacher. She nurtures student curiosity in the subject of science with numerous opportunities for hands-on experiences, encourages students to think scientifically, and collaborates with other teachers to integrate science with other subjects. When she is not in her classroom, you’re still likely to find her on campus. Mrs. Hackethal is involved with a number of school sponsored activities. She serves on the high school Student Success Team, coaches middle school softball, sponsors high school FCA, and supervises our youth basketball program. Thank you, Mrs. H, for all that you do for our students and school. #BulldawgPride

We had an amazing afternoon at the 6th Annual Turkey Trot. Every single student did an fantastic job running a 1K at the track and then enjoyed a trip to the concession stand where Walnut & Twine was on site with their delicious muffins and hot cocoa to warm up the athletes. Congratulations to the top finishers in each age division. K/1st Grades: Jax Pollard (1st), Finley Asher (2nd), Sullivan Campbell (3rd) 2nd Grade: Noah Hardin (1st), Jett Nichols (2nd), Weston Heinlein (3rd) 3rd Grade: James Harrison (1st), Philip Smith (2nd), Cason Nicols (3rd) 4th/5th Grades: Jase Price (1st), Emma Atkins (2nd), Carl Mueller (3rd) Middle School: Jackie Stidham (1st), Austin Ryden (2nd), Declan Timbrook (3rd) Middle School students were treated to a special head-to-head competition at the end of their race. Good job, Mr. Carey, you were so close! #BulldawgPride #TurkeyTrot2023

TEACHER FEATURE TUESDAY: This week’s featured teacher is Mrs. Carmen Combs. Mrs. Combs is our District Special Services Coordinator. She has been teaching for 27 years with 25 of those years at Harrisburg. As Special Services Coordinator, Mrs. Combs is an integral part of our instructional leadership team and collaborates daily with staff members and teachers across the district to ensure all students receive the services and resources needed to achieve their individual goals. Mrs. Combs serves on a number of building level and district committees that directly support and advocate for her students and staff members. These committees include Academic Advisory Committee, Professional Learning Committee, Student Support Team, Instructional Support Team, CTA Salary Committee, Career Ladder Committee, CSIP Committee, and Dignity & Equity in Education Committee.

TEACHER FEATURE TUESDAY: This week’s featured teacher is Mrs. Nicole Fritts. Mrs. Fritts has been teaching for 28 years and has spent 24 of those years at Harrisburg. Although she spends the majority of her day in the classroom teaching middle school computer science, applications, and coding, Mrs. Fritts also supports our district technology needs. In the past 24 years, schools have experienced a massive change in the types of technology that teachers and students use each day and in the infrastructure needed to support that technology. Mrs. Fritts has been an integral part of that change in our district. She has written grants, attended conferences to stay up-to-date on the latest technology, and has been a wealth of knowledge for both teachers and students. She is always willing to share her knowledge and talents with others. One of the talents she shares freely with the district is photography. If you attend almost any Harrisburg event, you will see Mrs. Fritts taking photos to share. She has captured decades of memories for our school district. In addition to all of this, Mrs. Fritts serves on our district CTA Salary Committee, Technology Committee, Career Ladder Committee, and as co-secretary of our Parents as Teachers Organization. Thank you, Mrs. Fritts, for all that you do for Harrisburg Schools. #BulldawgPride

Our Veterans Day Honor Wall was started 20 years ago to recognize the service of the Veterans of our community. We invite guests to add a brick to the wall in honor of their Veteran/s. #veteransday #BulldawgPride

Happy National Parents As Teachers Day! Today we celebrate our district PAT Coordinators, Dana Byrd and Lydia Miller, and the families that they partner with to support the educational goals of our youngest Bulldogs. The PAT program is available to all families expecting a child or those parenting children that have not yet entered kindergarten who live in the Harrisburg R-VIII School District. To quote Principal Gabe Burris, “Lydia and Dana provide families with many different types of resources for children birth to school age. They are specially trained in child development and can provide one-on-one family visits. They go above and beyond to plan, and recruit, families throughout the district to their group events. These events have helped many families in the district make connections and lasting relationships. Lydia and Dana make sure each one of their families has the resources they need by providing books, screenings, and toys to name a few.” Follow the Harrisburg PAT Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/harrisburgPAT for more information about this wonderful program. #BulldawgPride

TEACHER FEATURE TUESDAY: This week’s featured teacher is Dr. John Golzy. Dr. Golzy teaches high school calculus, college algebra, trigonometry, and statistics. This is his second year at Harrisburg and his twenty-fifth year in education. Students say Dr. Golzy’s classes are challenging and intense, but agree that his humor and teaching style make the difficult math courses much more enjoyable. One student described arriving to class one day to find tissues on all the tables because, as Dr. Golzy told them with a smirk, “today will be crying day” because of the difficult concept they were about to tackle. Other days, he tells them to “add a smiley face” when they breeze through an easier lesson. Some favorite daily Golzy-isms are “don’t write this down” and “uh-oh, I made a mistake”. Humor, real-world application of the math concepts he is teaching, and an open-door policy for questions and extra tutoring are trademarks of Dr. Golzy’s teaching style. We are thrilled that our students have access to high quality in-person instruction in his college level courses at Harrisburg. #BulldawgPride

Dear Parents, When attending a Harrisburg basketball game in either gym, children must remain in the gym while the game is being played. The back hallways and the HS commons are not to be used as a spot to play or hangout during the game. Thank you for your cooperation in making our home events a better environment for all patrons and staff. The athletic department appreciates your support.

“To learn to read is to light a fire; every syllable that is spelled out is a spark.” ― Victor Hugo TEACHER FEATURE TUESDAY: This week’s featured teacher is Mrs. Meghan Sublett. 2023-24 marks Mrs. Sublett’s 20th year in education with all 20 of those years spent at Harrisburg Elementary School. As the Title 1 Reading Specialist, Mrs. Sublett administers assessments for student selection and uses the assessment data to plan instruction in reading. The foundational skills necessary for being a fluent reader are vital to student success and Mrs. Sublett is a master at finding the perfect strategy for each student. Even more amazing is her ability to make that work engaging and fun. To see evidence of this work, you need only to attend one of the Title 1 Literacy Night events or to ask one of her students about their most recent book group session. In addition, Mrs. Sublett stays very busy outside of her classroom as the high school cheer coach and serves on a number of district committees including the Elementary Student Success Team, PBIS Team, Professional Learning Community Leadership Team, Academic Advisory Cabinet, and as a Teachers Leading Teachers Model Classroom Teacher. Thank you, Mrs. Sublett, for all that you do for our students, staff, and district each day! #BulldawgPride

TEACHER FEATURE TUESDAY: “Music is what feelings sound like out loud.” - Georgia Cates This week’s featured teacher is Mrs. Haydan Fearn. Mrs. Fearn has been helping Harrisburg students learn to express themselves through music for the past ten years. You need only to attend the annual Veteran’s Program, Christmas Program, or MUSART concerts to see the way Mrs. Fearn cultivates a love of vocal music in even the youngest students. It is truly magical to watch her direct her young choir of students. Mrs. Fearn also introduces her elementary students to their first concert instrument. The recorder. This introduction leads many of our students to join fifth grade band where Mrs. Fearn along with her husband Mr. Fearn will introduce our students to the world of concert and marching band. This past Saturday, under the direction of Mr. & Mrs. Fearn, our Harrisburg Marching Band added a 2nd place State trophy to their many accomplishments. Thank you, Mrs. Fearn, for instilling the love of music in our youngest Bulldogs everyday. The impact you and the Harrisburg music program have on this school and community is immeasurable. #BulldawgPride

TEACHER FEATURE TUESDAY: Today's featured teacher is Mrs. Christy Segress. The 2023-24 school year marks the 31st year that Mrs. Segress has been an educator and her 3rd year as a Harrisburg Bulldog. As a 9-12 grade learning specialist, Mrs. Segress provides specialized educational support to individuals or groups of high school students. She spends much of her day in our high school classrooms team teaching with content teachers and providing differentiated instruction and support to students. Mrs. Segress is especially skilled at meeting students where they are in a learning process and helping them to personalize an approach to their own learning. Our teachers and students are fortunate to have access to her knowledge and skill everyday. Thank you, Mrs. Segress! #BulldawgPride

2023-24 CALENDAR UPDATE: The Board of Education, at their regular October meeting, decided to use four built-in inclement weather makeup days for the first week of school missed due to construction. The district has one remaining inclement weather day built into the calendar. Any day missed for any reason must be rescheduled as state law requires. A district must attend a minimum of 1044 hours. If we miss more than one school day, the following dates will be utilized. In calendar order and use: January 22, February 26, March 11, April 15, April 22, and April 29, with additional days to be added at the end of the calendar.