Can you believe that another year is coming to a close?  We are in the fourth quarter of the school year and High School graduation is less than two months away.  This will be our last newsletter of this school year.

The end of the school year is always a great time to reflect on our successes and recognize those employees that make Hay Springs Public Schools an outstanding school district.

TEACHERS: There is only one group to thank for the high quality education provided to the students of Hay Springs Public Schools – Teachers.  This dedicated group of educators teaches our students everyday, stays after school to assist students, and volunteer to serve on committees and sponsor activities.  They work long hours and weekends checking papers and planning the next day’s activity.  Please take the time to thank one of our professional staff members.

SUPPORT STAFF: We couldn’t function day to day without our support staff.  Paraprofessionals, secretaries, and technology coordinator.  They keep us organized, work with our students, and take care of all of our many needs.  They often work behind the scene to complete their jobs with little fanfare.  We appreciate what they do for us.

FOOD SERVICE: Often food service is judged by the number of complaints we receive. We receive no complaints, only praise! We serve an excellent homemade meal, students can get seconds, and no one leaves the lunchroom hungry.  We welcome parents and the community to come eat lunch with us.  Donna and Susan do a great job.

MAINTENANCE/CUSTODIAL: Our maintenance and custodial employees put in long hours cleaning our buildings, cleaning up after activities, keeping our grounds and football field looking good and addressing continued maintenance and repairs.  They are here from early morning to late evenings and often on the weekends.  Thanks for all you do.

TRANSPORTATION: Driving to school activities is part of life in the Panhandle.  No matter what athletic, academic, or fine art activity we attend we have to drive a long distance.  That’s life in rural Nebraska.  We appreciate our route and activity drivers for getting our children to and from activities safely.

EXTRACURRICULAR PROGRAMS: Coaches, class sponsors, play directors, music directors, ticket takers, clock keepers, concession stand workers, and the list goes on and on.  Most people don’t understand that when you have an extracurricular activity it’s more than just turning on the lights.  Without these individuals to assist with extracurricular activities we would have few student activities.  Thanks to all of you for volunteering.

SUBSTITUTES TEACHERS AND SUPPORT STAFF: People become ill, need to be gone for personal reasons, and are absent for student activities.  When employees are gone we hire a substitute.  No other school employee gets called at 6:00 am to report to work at 8:00 am.  We appreciate their willingness to answer our early morning phone calls and sound reasonably awake and cheery.

SCHOOL BOARD:  The School Board is ultimately responsible for the overall functioning of the school district.  This School Board is exceptional.  They have aggressively focused on quality learning, improved test scores, financial stability, improved facilities and develop school district policies that reflect the community’s beliefs and values.  They volunteer their time, listen to parents and community patrons, and attend many school events.  Thank a School Board Member when you see them.

We appreciate every employee and volunteer.  Our success academically, our excellent fine arts programs and the quality of our athletic programs are the result of our excellent employees.  Please take the time to thank one of our outstanding employees when you see them.