Congratulations to Carlin Smith, fourth grade teacher at Pauline South Intermediate School, on being selected as a Corps member of the Midwest STEM Alliance!

Mrs. Smith is one of just 18 elementary science teachers across Iowa, Kansas, and Minnesota recruited for this multi-state initiative. Backed by a $5 million grant from the National Science Foundation, the Midwest STEM Alliance is focused on celebrating, resourcing, and strengthening the work of rural elementary science educators who are making a lasting impact on their students and communities.

“I believe there are so many opportunities to bring in scientists and researchers to our classrooms, or take the students to the real world whether that be through field trips or virtual learning experiences. In doing this, students get their hands on science and
actually experience what a textbook is talking about,” said Smith.

We’re excited to see Carlin represent our school community while helping advance STEM education across the Midwest!

🌱 What does it take to keep an ecosystem healthy?

Our fifth graders are discovering the answer firsthand during their trip to the ESTEEM Lab! Students are exploring how energy flows through an ecosystem, investigating the important roles of plants, animals, and decomposers, and putting their math skills to work by calculating just how much soil it takes to fill a raised garden bed.

It’s hands-on learning at its best—bringing environmental science, technology, engineering, expression, and math together in the great outdoors. 🌎🌿

Come support your Jr. Blues and all the students participating at tonight's Varsity Football game vs. Emporia! Game starts at 7:00 PM in the WRHS Bowen-Glaze Stadium and will be live streamed at http://wrhs.net/live.

The Homecoming Ceremony will take place during halftime.

It's Homecoming Week, and Washburn Rural High School invites the entire WRHS community to join us in celebrating!

This year’s theme, "A Hollywood Homecoming," culminates in a full slate of festivities on Friday, October 2:

Homecoming Parade | 2:15 PM
The Homecoming Parade will begin at the west end of the access road, travel around the middle school, and return west along the access road in front of the high school. See map in comments.

Tailgate Party | 4:30-7:00 PM
Join us on the access road between the tennis courts and stadium for a community tailgate before kickoff. Meals are $5 and include a burger, chips, drink, and treat.

WRHS vs. Emporia Varsity Football | 7:00 PM
Come cheer on the Jr. Blues as they take on Emporia! Pre-game activities begin at 6:30 PM, with the Homecoming crowning ceremony taking place at halftime.

Additional details can be viewed here: https://usd437.net/assets/fliers/homecoming-1.

Come support your Lady Blues and all the students participating at tonight's Volleyball Dual vs. De Soto! JV match starts at 5:00 PM with Varsity to follow around 6:30 PM in the WRHS Activity Center. Varsity coverage will be live streamed at http://wrhs.net/live.

Come support your Lady Blues and all the students participating at tonight's Volleyball Dual vs. Mill Valley! Match starts at 5:00 PM in the WRHS Activity Center, and varsity coverage will be live streamed at http://wrhs.net/live.

Come support your Lady Blues and all the students participating at the round-robin Volleyball Tournament on Saturday, September 26! Games start at 9:00 AM in both the WRHS Activity Center and Gym A. Washburn Rural is hosting Blue Valley High School, Clay Center Community High School, Great Bend High School, Shawnee Mission Northwest High School, and St. James Academy.

Games will take place on both courts in the Activity Center and in Gym A. Gym A games will NOT be live streamed. Only Activity Center games will be live streamed at http://wrhs.net/live.

Our fourth graders took learning beyond the classroom and into the great outdoors last week!

During their field trip to our ESTEEM lab, students became scientists, explorers, and environmental stewards. They investigated pollination, learned about monarch migration and tagging, observed animal patterns, and explored the difference between renewable and nonrenewable energy.

It was a day filled with curiosity, discovery, and hands-on learning! Go Fourth, Engineers!

When students share what they’ve learned, everyone levels up! 🎮⬆️

Washburn Rural High School senior and former Game Design student Brian Rodecap recently returned to Haley Schmitz's classroom to give students a live demonstration of his game, The Last Signal. Rodecap shared, “The Last Signal started as an idea for a class project and ended up becoming something I was genuinely proud of. It was really cool seeing an idea I came up with turn into a game people could actually play.”

Rodecap showed students the ins and outs of his game, including assets, tilemaps, and scripts. Students also had the opportunity to playtest the game and ask Rodecap questions about his experience and advice for the year ahead.

Of the experience, Schmitz shared, "Brian was a dedicated student who took advantage of every opportunity to develop his game. It was exciting for current students to see what is possible when they set their minds to a project!"

Want to see what our Game Design students have created? Check out the 2025-26 student game portfolios here: https://sites.google.com/usd437.net/gd-portfolios

Come support your Jr. Blues and all the students participating at tonight's Varsity Football game vs. Bishop Carroll! Game starts at 7:00 PM in the WRHS Bowen-Glaze Stadium and will be live streamed at http://wrhs.net/live.