2017 2018 Activity Brochure CHEERLEADING Cheerleading Tryouts are during the spring semester of your 8 th grade year prior to the up-coming 9 th grade fall/winter seasons. A mandatory tryout meeting is usually held the week before spring break and tryouts are usually the week following spring break. There are 10 teams you can try out for: o JV or Varsity Football o JV or Varsity Basketball o JV or Varsity Wrestling o Competition Squad (must be on Varsity Football squad) o JV Football Practice Squad, JV Basketball Practice Squad, JV Wrestling Practice squads (the practice squads do not cheer at games) Practices are held after school at Shepherd of the Valley Lutheran Church or at Valley High School Season length depends on the squad There are practice and camp requirements in the summer preceding your 9 th grade year. Game schedules vary with sport and squad; calendars are made available to cheerleaders months in advance. Attendance is mandatory for practices and games. There are out of pocket costs. There is mandatory fundraising since cheerleading is not funded by the district September Spring Beth Ferguson Head Cheerleading Coach, Math Teacher @ VHS Phone # 633-4103 fergusonb@wdmcs.org CHORUS The co-curricular ensembles offered by Vocal Music include Syncopation the all 9 th grade jazz choir, and Ignition Show Choir (directed and run through Valley High School). Auditions for Ignition Show Choir will be held in April or May of the previous year. Auditions for jazz will be in early September or October. Eligibility for any co-curricular ensemble requires enrollment in curricular choirs (Treble or Bass Clef). Heather Nail Director of Vocal Music nailh@wdmsc.org YEARBOOK The Yearbook Staff is responsible for all aspects of putting the yearbook together and will consist of the following positions: taking pictures and using your own creativity to make individual pages for the yearbook. Students interested should attend the informational meeting at the beginning of the school year. Listen for the announcement about this meeting when the school year has begun. September - May Karen vanoostenrijk Phone# 633-4513 vanoostenrijkk@wdmcs.org The staff will be expected to commit to 20-30 hours through the school year. This will include study halls and after school. No experience necessary-informal training will be provided as a group by Herff-Jones.
2017 2018 Activity Brochure COMMUNITY SERVICE LEARNING THE VSW SILVER CORD AWARD PROGRAM What is the Silver Cord Award? The Silver Cord Program began at Valley High School in the fall of 2001 as a graduation incentive program to promote a lifetime of community service. è The award is a graduation award available to WDMCS District seniors who volunteer a minimum of 50 hours for a minimum of three different non-profit organizations during every year of high school. Today, WDMCS Community Education coordinates the program district wide and over 700 students from Valley,, and Walnut Creek Campus are volunteering to earn this award. All West Des Moines Community Schools (WDMCS) high school students are encouraged to participate regardless of their GPA, rigor of course study, artistic, or athletic ability. The purpose of the Silver Cord program is to encourage volunteerism and allow students to experience the joy of giving back to the community. Volunteering can provide a constructive use of time, foster the exploration of career interests, support youth seeking employment and college admission, and gives new graduates the confidence to serve in leadership roles after high school. Who is Eligible to Participate? All WDMCS freshman are eligible to participate in the Silver Cord Program beginning the summer following 8 th grade. To earn the Silver Cord Award, high school students must volunteer a minimum of 50 hours for a minimum of three different non-profit organizations each school year. How Does a Student Sign Up? This can be found the on the WDMCS Community Education website at www.wdmcs.org/commed and is located under Silver Cord. June 1 May 31 Cyndi Bonus Silver Cord Coordinator /VHS Phone# 633-4365 bonusc@wdmcs.org Part-time during school Limited summer hours DANCE TEAM Tryouts for the Valley High School Dance Team are held at the end of the school year. Incoming Freshman have the opportunity to audition for the dance team. Dancers will attend a dance camp in Ames in July, preform routines at football games, basketball games and assemblies. The team will also participate in the 4th of July parade and homecoming parade. Practices are several times a week starting this summer and continue through the school year. Team socials are generally scheduled once a month June February Allie Holton Phone# 319-427-3510 holtona@uni.edu Caitlin Hendricks Phone# 832-671-7572 coachcaitlinvdt@gmail.com Tryouts are at the end of the school year.
2017 2018 Activity Brochure DEBATE The VSW Forensics Class and Team includes many activities such as policy, Lincoln Douglas, Legislative and Public Forum Debate. It also includes speech activities like Original Oratory, Prose/Poetry, and Acting. This is a perfect opportunity for someone who would like to develop their critical thinking, research, writing and speaking skills. Forensics (debate) is co-curricular. You must be enrolled in the class to be on the team. The team participates in local tournaments with some travel opportunities out of the state for Freshmen who excel and qualify in their area of competition. Students will have travel expenses for out of town and out of state tournaments, but fees are subsidized by the school. The Freshman will work closely with the varsity team members at Valley. It is an excellent way to develop skills for upper level high school classes and good preparation for college and standardized testing. Performances are throughout the year and students may select from among a list of competition opportunities to fit your schedule. Dave MeGinnis Valley HS/Southwoods Phone# 633-4000 mcginnisd@wdmcs.org Leah Shapiro Valley HS/Southwoods Phone# 612-805-8051 Leahshapiro5@gmail.com Listen to announcements for initial meeting times and for practice times. Regular meetings and practices are coordinated with the VHS Forensics Teams. FELLOWSHIP OF CHRISTIAN ATHLETES (FCA) Students have an opportunity to talk about their faith and how it applies to their everyday life and activities. Guest speakers, retreats and huddle groups highlight the schedule during the year. Meetings and events usually occur every other Monday night throughout the school year. For updates, follow us on twitter @Valley_FCA. Kevin Kellner 327 S. 61 st Street WDM, IA 50266 Phone# 515-577-7735 kevinkellner@q.com Students can join at any time during the year. IHSSA/DRAMA Drama Department works with the Valley High School Drama Department to offer a variety of opportunities for freshman to be involved in Drama. Those opportunities include, but are not limited to: Drama Camp, The Thespian Festival, VSW Fall Production, I.H.S.S.A. (Iowa High School Speech Association) Large Group Festival, Valley s Spring Production, Improv. Night and Southwoods spring mime show. August May Katie Dorrell (Mimes) dorrellk@wdmcs.org INTRAMURALS VSW Intramurals - Intramurals are divided up into Fall and Spring Leagues during the school year. There are a variety of sports to choose from throughout the year such as Flag Football, Tennis, Basketball, Sand Volleyball, Bowling, Golf and many others. All activities encourage men, woman, and coed teams to sign up and participate in an activity that you enjoy. You do not have to be a skilled athlete to participate in Intramurals, only a desire to have fun, stay active, and compete with your fellow students. Information and sign-up sheets can always be found in the main office at VSW. Fall Season : September - January Spring Season : March May Mark Verbrugge Valley High School Phone# 371-0757(c) verbruggem@wdmcs.org
2017 2018 Activity Brochure MEDIA CENTER HELPER Helpers assist with the day-to-day operation of the Media Center, such as checking out books to students, re-shelving materials, helping select new books, etc. 1 st Semester 2 nd Semester Craig Bittick bittickc@wdmcs.org Students work during his/her study hall time. We select four students for 1 st semester and a different group of four students for 2 nd semester. MOCK TRIAL Mock Trial introduces students to the legal system by providing a challenging, academic competition. The students play the roles of attorneys, plaintiffs, and defendants. Local attorneys serve as their coaches. Lawyer roles require critical thinking skills and witness roles require some ability to act. December March Shannan Belden Stilwell Phone# 633-6083 beldens@wdmcs.org Teams of 8-10 usually meet two nights a week for 2 hours each night for about 11 weeks. Extra practices are encouraged and may be arranged by students or lawyer coaches. Competition is in March in Des Moines. ORCHESTRA In addition to the regular daily orchestra class students may participate in Mariachi Tigres de Valle and smaller chamber ensembles such as string quartets that perform in various settings. Michele Senger sengerm@wdmcs.org POWDER PUFF Yearly football game at Valley Stadium for girls interested in participating in the Homecoming week activities. September Rhys Pate pater@wdmcs.org Required forms to be turned in before participation are permission form, health & injury form heads up concussion form. STUDENT LEADERSHIP Student Leadership is in charge of various drives, helps to encourage school spirit and plans activities that they would like to see implemented during or after the school day, such as starting clubs, community service projects and fund-raisers. Rhys Pate pater@wdmcs.org
2017 2018 Activity Brochure S.W.A.G. S outh W oods A mbassador G roup S outh W oods A mbassador G roup All 9 th grade students are welcome to join! SWAG promotes a positive school climate. We organize fun and informative events and activities for the school. We need creative and positive leaders to help us spread kindness and respect! Listen for announcements or come talk to the teachers listed as contacts. Emily Johnson Andrew Mitchell Sara Taylor Matt Vaske johnsone@wdmcs.org mitchella@wdmcs.org taylors@wdmcs.org vaskem@wdmcs.org This activity requires about 15 minutes/week and a few activities outside school hours. SYNCHRONIZED SWIMMING The Tigerlillies are recognized as a club sport. Our main focus is the annual Water Show in the spring. The Tigerlillies season is typically a two month season with a few clinic opportunities prior to the start of the season. This activity requires about seven hours/wk. January April Susan Vandeventer Phone# 223-6210 (h) Phone# 783-4084 (c) mrs.van63@yahoo.com