WSR Community Schools Foundation

☀️ A few more weeks of summer! Soak it up!

The Waverly-Shell Rock Community Schools Foundation hopes students, teachers, and staff enjoy every moment of these final weeks of summer. Whether you’re making memories, relaxing, or preparing for the school year ahead, we hope you take time to enjoy this special season.

As we look forward to another great year, we’re proud to support the students and educators who make our schools so special. Throughout the year, the Foundation invests in educational opportunities through programs like Smart Money Teacher Grants, teacher appreciation efforts, and scholarships for graduating seniors.

We can’t wait to see all that this year has in store and look forward to continuing to support learning, growth, and success throughout the Waverly-Shell Rock community.

Enjoy the rest of your summer, and best wishes for a fantastic school year ahead!

Hey, Go-Hawks! Is your class celebrating a milestone reunion year?

If your graduating class is marking 20, 25, 30, 40, 50 years or beyond, consider creating a reunion giving goal through the Waverly-Shell Rock Community Schools Foundation and leave a lasting impact on current and future Go-Hawks!

Coming together for a class gift is a fun way to reconnect, rally your classmates around a common goal, and do something meaningful for the school that helped shape us. Whether your class is competitive, community-minded, or simply looking for a special way to celebrate your reunion, giving through the W-SR Community Schools Foundation can create a lasting impact while bringing classmates together.

The Foundation can help you:
• Select a purpose for your gift
• Establish a fundraising goal
• Create a custom online giving page
• Design graphics and promotional materials to engage classmates

Class gifts can support:
• The Go-Hawk Scholarship Fund
• Smart Money Teacher Grants
• General Foundation support
• Specific programs, projects, departments, teams, or initiatives that are meaningful to your class

Need some inspiration?

🖤 The Class of 1969 raised an incredible $69,000 for scholarships.
💛 The Class of 1995 raised more than $10,000 for scholarships.
🤍 The Classes of 1996 and 2006 are currently working toward a goal to celebrate 30 & 20 years.

Whether your class would like to raise $500 or $50,000, every gift helps strengthen educational opportunities for Waverly-Shell Rock students and staff while honoring the legacy of your graduating class.

If your class is interested in organizing a reunion giving effort, contact the Waverly-Shell Rock Community Schools Foundation by sending a message or emailing [email protected].

We'd love to help you create a giving opportunity that reflects your class's interests, celebrates your reunion, and supports the future of Waverly-Shell Rock.

https://www.wsr.k12.ia.us/page/about-uss
Waverly-Shell Rock Community School District See less

Happy Heritage Days , Waverly! We had a blast walking in the parade this morning and seeing so many familiar faces! Special thanks to Sally for providing the golf cart!

Smart Money Teacher Grant in Action!

Elementary counselors Tonya Poppe and Mary Foy received a Smart Money Teacher Grant this past spring to purchase three therapeutic sand tables—one for each elementary school: North Ridge, Prairie West, and Shell Rock.

The sand tables give students a safe, developmentally appropriate way to express emotions when they don't yet have the words to describe what they're are feeling. Counselors have found them especially helpful for students experiencing grief, trauma, anxiety, or foster care transitions. Students are often drawn to the sand tables as soon as they enter the counseling office, where the activity helps them feel calm, build trust with their counselor, and open the door to meaningful conversations.

Although the tables arrived later in the school year, they are already making a difference—and because they're a lasting resource, they will continue supporting WSR students for years to come.

Thank you to Tonya and Mary for bringing this idea forward, and thank you to our generous donors for making projects like this possible!

If you'd like to support the Smart Money Teacher Grant program, consider an online donation today! https://waverlyshellrockcommunityschoolfoundation-bloom.kindful.com/

We love hearing how Foundation-funded grants are making a difference in our schools!

Mrs. Kelly Goeke, Title I Reading Instructor at North Ridge Elementary, recently shared this update after receiving funding for non-digital reading games for her students:

"Today's students are already exposed to a great deal of technology, so I saw an opportunity to take things 'old school' with board and card games that make learning hands-on and engaging. Since receiving my purchase, my students have enjoyed earning Fun Friday game days, as well as incorporating the games into daily lessons or filling a few extra minutes at the end of their sessions. I purchased games that reinforce a wide range of literacy skills, including phonemic awareness, phonics, spelling, vocabulary, high-frequency words, and reading comprehension. It has truly been a joy watching them learn and grow through play."

Thank you, Mrs. Goeke, for sharing your impact report and for finding creative ways to engage students in literacy. We're proud to support innovative classroom ideas that help Waverly-Shell Rock students learn, grow, and thrive!

If you'd like to support the Smart Money Teacher Grant program, make an online donation today! https://waverlyshellrockcommunityschoolfoundation-bloom.kindful.com/

The Waverly-Shell Rock 50+ Class Reunion is planning a luncheon for Saturday, September 19. If you are celebrating 50 years or more, they'd love to see you there! Enjoy a great lunch by Hockey's Smokehouse and welcome the Class of 1976 to the 50+ club. Hear from Jennifer Jones, our executive director, who will share some fun information about WSR comparing past to present.

⚫️🟡We'll be gearing up to walk in the Waverly Heritage Days parade on Saturday, July 18. If you'd like to join us, please send a message or email [email protected] for details. We'd love to have you along! Teachers, scholarship recipients, WSR alumni, etc.

*Photo is of part of our group last year lined up and ready to pass out candy!🍭🍬🍫

The Class of 2026 is headed in so many exciting directions! Check out these fun stats about their plans after high school. Best wishes to each graduate as you begin your next adventure!

𝗗𝗶𝗱 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗸𝗻𝗼𝘄? Waverly-Shell Rock’s Class of 2026 is headed in many different directions after graduation, and we are proud of every path our graduates are choosing.

Some are continuing their education at four-year colleges, community colleges, or other postsecondary programs. Others are entering the workforce, beginning apprenticeships, or serving our country through the military. Some will stay close to home in Iowa, while others will take their next steps out of state.

No matter the path, each graduate represents a story of growth, effort, support, and possibility.

At Waverly-Shell Rock, our goal is to help students discover their strengths, pursue meaningful goals, and prepare for their future. The Class of 2026 is a wonderful example of what that can look like.

Congratulations to our graduates as they take their next steps!

𝑴𝒂𝒏𝒚 𝒑𝒂𝒕𝒉𝒔. 𝑩𝒓𝒊𝒈𝒉𝒕 𝒇𝒖𝒕𝒖𝒓𝒆𝒔.

𝗪𝗮𝘃𝗲𝗿𝗹𝘆-𝗦𝗵𝗲𝗹𝗹 𝗥𝗼𝗰𝗸 𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗺𝘂𝗻𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗦𝗰𝗵𝗼𝗼𝗹𝘀:
𝗪𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙮𝙤𝙣𝙚 𝗯𝗲𝗹𝗼𝗻𝗴𝘀, 𝗴𝗿𝗼𝘄𝘀, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘀𝘂𝗰𝗰𝗲𝗲𝗱𝘀.

A warm welcome to the board, Kevin! We are excited to fill our board membership with Kevin Miller.

"My name is Kevin Miller and along with my wife, Kim, we own Waverly Box and Pallet here in Waverly. I proudly attended Shell Rock Elementary and graduated from Waverly-Shell Rock High School in 1985. Over the years, we have been strong supporters of the Go-Hawks, both financially and with our time.

For the past 40 years, I have volunteered for Go-Hawk football, first in the film booth filming all the games before moving into the Press Box 30 years ago. I am a past president of the Go-Hawk Booster Club and have also served on the committee for the new baseball complex.

In 1994, I joined the Waverly Fire Department and have served as an officer for 29 of those 32 years.

Kim and I are the proud parents of two sons, Jordan (Jess) and Jentry (Sophia), and the grandparents to four future Go-Hawks, Walker (4), twins Layne and Luke (3), and Easton (2).

I have been fortunate to spend much of my life giving back to the W-SR community, and I am looking forward to continuing that service in a new capacity as a member of the W-SR Foundation Board."

Hey, Go-Hawks! Is your class celebrating a milestone reunion year?

If your graduating class is marking 20, 25, 30, 40, 50 years or beyond, consider creating a reunion giving goal through the Waverly-Shell Rock Community Schools Foundation and leave a lasting impact on current and future Go-Hawks!

Coming together for a class gift is a fun way to reconnect, rally your classmates around a common goal, and do something meaningful for the school that helped shape us. Whether your class is competitive, community-minded, or simply looking for a special way to celebrate your reunion, giving through the W-SR Community Schools Foundation can create a lasting impact while bringing classmates together.

The Foundation can help you:
• Select a purpose for your gift
• Establish a fundraising goal
• Create a custom online giving page
• Design graphics and promotional materials to engage classmates

Class gifts can support:
• The Go-Hawk Scholarship Fund
• Smart Money Teacher Grants
• General Foundation support
• Specific programs, projects, departments, teams, or initiatives that are meaningful to your class

Need some inspiration?

🖤 The Class of 1969 raised an incredible $69,000 for scholarships.
💛 The Class of 1995 raised more than $10,000 for scholarships.
🤍 The Class of 2006 is currently working toward a $5,000 goal benefiting scholarships and teacher grants.

Whether your class would like to raise $500 or $50,000, every gift helps strengthen educational opportunities for Waverly-Shell Rock students and staff while honoring the legacy of your graduating class.

If your class is interested in organizing a reunion giving effort, contact the Waverly-Shell Rock Community Schools Foundation by sending a message or emailing [email protected].

We'd love to help you create a giving opportunity that reflects your class's interests, celebrates your reunion, and supports the future of Waverly-Shell Rock.

https://www.wsr.k12.ia.us/page/about-uss
Waverly-Shell Rock Community School District