Superintendent's Message
Superintendent's Message
Dear Members of the Mississinawa Valley Schools Community,
I would like to extend my appreciation to everyone in our school and community for making the 2022-2023 school year a successful one. Though not perfect it was our first truly normal one from beginning to end since the 2018-2019 school year. As successful as the last school year was I am even more optimistic about the possibilities that lie ahead for our school. We have some great new staff members joining us and we are continuing to upgrade our facilities. As always we appreciate your support. Thank you!
The purpose of this report is to present you, the community we serve with an annual review of your school district. This report contains information about student accomplishments, building and district goals, school programs, district finances, student enrollment, and school improvements.
The opportunity that I have had to serve this community as principal of your JH/HS for 13 out of the last 15 years has truly been amazing. Thank you! I am excited to welcome to The Valley Mr. Bryan C. Wagoner as our new JH/HS Principal. I look forward to working with him and I am confident that he will lead the JH/HS to bigger and better things.
In addition to Mr. Wagoner we are welcoming seven new staff members for the coming school year. As always I take pride in the fact that four of our new staff members are graduates of Mississinawa Valley High School.
We continue to maintain and when appropriate upgrade our facilities. The community is blessed with a K-12 Building that still looks like new and is still often times referred to as the “new building” or “new school”. That building will begin its 22nd school year on Wednesday, August 30th. This summer the central portion of the K-12 Building was repainted and new carpet installed. This follows similar projects completed in the summer of 2018 for the Elementary Wing and in the summer of 2019 for the JH/HS Wing.
Though not as visible as new paint or new carpet the HVAC (Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning) controls in both the K-12 Building and The Nest are in the process of being replaced as the old controls were becoming obsolete.
A change you won’t see, but will feel this winter is in The Nest. For many years many of you, particularly those seated in the top rows of the bleachers have sweated through basketball games and unfortunately on occasion the gymnasium floor has sweated as well. No more. Upgrades to the HVAC system in The Nest will allow us to dehumidify without raising the temperature. This will provide our spectators with a more comfortable experience and our athletes with a safer experience.
I truly believe that every day is a great day to be a Mississinawa Valley Blackhawk. To me the best day each year is always the Friday of Memorial Day weekend, when we gather as a school and community to celebrate the achievement of another class concluding their journey through The Valley. On Friday, May 26th we celebrated the Mississinawa Valley High School Class of 2023, the 64th Class to graduate from Mississinawa Valley. We wish them well and continued success.
As always, our Athletic, Band, FFA, and Taiko programs are a point of pride for the district and our community. The successes these programs enjoy would not be possible without the continuing support of our community.
We are justifiably proud of our teams and programs. The accomplishments that our teams and programs enjoy would not be possible without the great things that take place each and every day in the classrooms of our district. Those everyday things truly build the foundation for the current and future success of our students and graduates.
As the 2022-2023 school year ended it marked the end of an era at Mississinawa Valley Schools. Since January 2, 1966 Mississinawa Valley High School has had one, and only one Secretary, Mrs. Betty Teegarden. To put her 57 ½ year tenure into perspective she worked for the district for nearly 90 percent of its existence and in that time 3,352 students were graduated from Mississinawa Valley High School. She worked for 18 High School Principals and 14 Superintendents.
I consider it a privilege to have worked with Mrs. Teegarden over the last 15 years. I want to thank her for her years of service to the students, parents, staff, and community of Mississinawa Valley Schools. Thank you Mrs. Teegarden!
We at Mississinawa Valley Schools are here to serve you. As I frequently say, Mississinawa Valley Schools is in the business of educating the children of our community. If at any time you feel the educational needs of your child or children are not being met please email me at jeff_winchester@mississinawa.org or call me at 937-968-4464 extension 2451.
Proud to be a Mississinawa Valley Blackhawk! A small school with BIG dreams.
Respectfully,
Jeffrey A. Winchester
Mississinawa Valley Schools
Superintendent