by Hannah Mooney, President of Student Council

Less than two weeks until “The Big Game,” otherwise known as Homecoming, and spirit days activities for the week of September 13-17, as well as game day, are planned as follows: 

Get Your Game Face On

Monday- Geek Day. Don’t forget your suspenders, glasses, and pocket protectors.
Tuesday-Pac Man Day. Wear a bright colored shirt or dress like a ghost.
Wednesday-Mario Day. Throw on your overalls and don’t forget your mustache.
Thursday- Call of Duty. Be prepared for the fight but don’t bring guns to school.
Friday- Madden. Get your game face on and come out and support your Bears.

On Friday, September 17,  at 2 p.m., the homecoming parade will begin at the Booster Field, go up Main Street, turn right on Ferguson Street toward the school and will end at Munford Gymnasium. That evening at about 6:30 p.m. the homecoming coronation will take place. The nominees for Homecoming Queen 2010 are seniors Megan Malko, Hannah Mooney and Allisha Shanks. The princesses for each grade are junior Bethany Carter, sophomore Emily Wehmer, and freshman Alexis Brooks.

Be sure to show your school spirit by dressing up for spirit days and cheering on your Willow Springs High School Bears Football team Friday night at 7 p.m. against the Salem Tigers.

The Willow Springs softball girls won 10 to 8 in their first conference game Friday at Mountain Grove. Coach Rodgers summarized, “Defensively we played much better, and offensively we put the ball in play better and good things happened for us.”

Emily Durnell pitched a complete game. Kendall Bunch was 4 for 4 at the plate with her third homerun of the year. She had an RBI and scored 2 runs. Kendra Alexander was 3 for 4 with a 3 run homerun and 4 RBI’s in the game, scoring 3 runs. Kyra Bunch had 2 hits and scored 2 runs. Katie Rhodes and Alexis Privette each had a base hit and an RBI. Durnell scored 2 runs. Shelby Bridwell scored one run and hit well but struggled to successfully avoid Grove’s defense.

The girls play at Liberty on Tuesday, September 7, at 4:30. Come out and support the new Bears softball team!

by Whitney Dampier

The Lady Bears Volleyball team traveled to Springfield Hillcrest Tuesday, ultimately winning against this team for the first time in history!

The match began with disappointment as the Bears lost to Hillcrest in the first set 10-25. Coach Yocom encouraged the girls. She told the Lady Bears that it was no one’s fault but to work together as a team. The Lady Bears came back to win the next two sets, 25-22 and 25-21.

Junior Faith Younger contributed 14 points to the Bears. Senior Lindsay Aldridge had 4 points and 4 kills, and senior Jessica Brooks had 5 kills. Lindsay Aldridge said, “The Hillcrest game was a new start for the team. They showed hard work and played more with their hearts.”

by Whitney Dampier

Friday night  the Willow Springs Bears pulled a win from Reeds Spring at home. In the first half, Clint Harper caught a 73 yard touchdown pass from Cole Johnson.  In spite of that early success, at half-time the Bears trailed Reeds Spring 6-12.

Coach Perkins  described what happened during halftime in the locker room to turn things around. He said that Coach “Mac” strongly encouraged players to follow through with the plays they were given. Coach Mumaw told the players the effort shown in the first half was not acceptable.  And Coach Perkins told the team,  “We will be kicking ourselves if we let this team win. This is one we need to get. They aren’t better than us!”

When asked  how he thought the game went after the locker room speech, Coach Perkins stated, “I was pleased with their effort and loved the communication! I was displeased with the penalties and turnovers. As far as highlights,  I believe Clint’s 73 yard touchdown and Brandon Pitts running the football were a plus!”  The final score of the game was 22-12, with  the Bears winning the first game of the season.

Coach cautioned that the Bears would need to change their intensity against Ava this Friday. Students and staff are encouraged to come out and support the team.

Willow Springs High School had a new look as students arrived for classes this fall.

Thanks to a generous grant from Waggoner’s True Value, the hallways, commons area and several classrooms received a fresh coat of paint.  The paint grant was sponsored by the True Value Corporation in cooperation with Waggoner’s True Value Home Center and provided 40 gallons of paint.

New plumbing is installed for chemistry tables.

The high school chemistry laboratory also received a much needed renovation courtesy of the Lowe’s Toolbox for Education Grant.  The three-month project involved removing existing lab tables, removing sections of the floor to allow for new wiring and plumbing, replacing the floor and tile and remodeling the old tabletops to be installed on new table frames. Due to the volunteer efforts of many, the project was completed in time for the beginning of school.  The new lab will provide a more safe and comfortable learning environment for WSHS students.

After plumbing, gas lines and electrical lines were installed. the concrete floor was replaced.

New paint was applied by Mrs. Kim Roberts.

New tile was installed and lab tables were remodeled and replaced.

The faculty and students at Willow Springs High School wish to thank Waggoner True Value Home Center and Lowe’s Toolbox for Education for enhancing the high school learning environment.

Teresa Waggoner presents Mrs. James, Mr. Dunlap, and Mrs. Roberts a symbolic can of paint.

We all see them walking through the hallways on their way to rescue a teacher needing someone from the Tech Department to fix her computer. This year the “Techies” will have something to brag about other than just being a computer hero for most of the Willow Springs staff.

The Tech Department is now offering international certifications through CompTIA for computer technology. These certifications are among the most prestigious certifications in the computer industry. They are nationally and internationally recognized. The three certifications that the Tech Department is offering at this time are A+, Network+ and Security+ Certifications.

“Willows Springs is extremely excited about offering this opportunity to its students because they will be one of only a handful of schools that offer this training within the state at a K-12 educational institution,” explained Byron Stuart, school technology director.

This is a tremendous opportunity for the members of the Willow Springs Tech Program.

Congratulations to Mrs. Beverly Pettit for being included in Who’s Who in Missouri Business Education. Only four teachers in the state received this honor.

In order to get nominated, teachers  must fill out an application that is based on leadership activities. After the teacher completes and submits it, a committee reviews and either accepts or declines the application. She received the award at the ACTE Conference this summer.

This is Mrs. Pettit’s 20th year of teaching. She is part of many committees such as the Attendance, Technical,  and Health and Nutrition Committees. She is treasurer for the Willow Springs Education Association. Mrs. Pettit also maintains the school store and is the FBLA sponsor.

Thanks to her dedication, commitment, and leadership, Mrs. Pettit is a valued teacher at Willow Springs High School. Congratulations, Mrs. Pettit!

Mrs. Pettit with her Who's Who of Missouri Business Education plaque.