Five Waynesville High School ensembles participated on March 3, 2026, at the Missouri State High School Activities Association (MSHSAA) Large Ensemble State Evaluation in Camdenton.
WHS’s five ensembles included Wind Ensemble, Symphonic Band, Concert Band, Saxophone Choir and Brass Choir.
“Each group represented the school with professionalism and dedication, earning tremendous remarks and positive feedback from the judges,” said Director of Bands Jared Sabatasso.
During the evaluation, each ensemble performed prepared selections for three judges before moving to a separate room for the sight-reading portion of the event. In sight-reading, students were given a brand-new piece of music to perform for a fourth judge, demonstrating their musicianship and preparation. All four judges’ scores were combined to determine an overall rating. The Wind Ensemble, Saxophone Choir, and Brass Choir each earned a Gold (Exemplary) rating, while the Symphonic Band and Concert Band received Silver (Outstanding) ratings.
“These achievements reflect the hard work, focus, and commitment of every student involved,” Sabatasso said.
The community will have the opportunity to hear these musicians in upcoming performances.
· The Wind Ensemble, Symphonic Band, and Concert Band will present their Spring Concert at 6 p.m. on March 30, 2026, in the WHS Auditorium.
· The Saxophone Choir and Brass Choir will perform at 6 p.m. on April 9 in the Waynesville Career Center lobby.
Both events are free and open to the public.
Waynesville JROTC take 1st place at Leavenworth Competition
The Waynesville JROTC Drill Team took 1st place Overall (Grand Champion) out of 27 teams on Feb. 27 and 28, 2026, at the Leavenworth Interservice Drill Competition.in Leavenworth, Kan.
These are the complete results:
- 1st Place Overall - Grand Champion
- 1st Place Overall - Unarmed Division
- 1st Place Overall - Armed Division
- 1st Place - Unarmed Color Guard
- 1st Place - Armed Exhibition
- 1st Place - Unarmed Exhibition
- 2nd Place - Armed Inspection
- 3rd Place - Unarmed Regulation
- 1st Place - Armed Exhibition Dual - Aiden Rivera/Aubrey Ellison
- 2nd Place - Unarmed Exhibition Dual - Addison Bowling/Teyla Byrom
- 1st Place - Individual Drill Down from about 500 Cadets - Serenity Maldonado
They will next compete on March 7, 2026, at Blue Springs South High School.
Links to two videos of our cadets competing:
1. Armed Exhibition Video
(https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=1715438929440932)
2. Unarmed Exhibition Video
(https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=26437817815885025)
The following students received an Exemplary rating on their solo and small ensemble:
· Ava Byers
· Cyrus Calhoun
· Isabel Diaz
· Eulalia MOynihan
· Claire Reed
· Lilyana Romero
· A'Nyyah Tollison
· Anastasia Blunt
· small SATB Quartet with Emma Bailly, Ava Byers, A'Nyyah Tollison and Cyrus Calhoun.
The following students received an Outstanding Rating on their solos:
· Cassie Hays and Sainisha Simram
Students and staff temporarily evacuated the building out of an abundance of caution. Students and staff will return to the building when fire officials give the all-clear.
All students and staff are safe.
Dr. Jamie Goforth, assistant superintendent of personnel services, presented Amber Stienbarger, executive director of CASA of South Central Missouri, with the Community Recognition Plaque for February 2026 on Feb. 27, 2026.
Court Appointed Special Advocates were chosen as the recipients of the community recognition plaque for their support of the Waynesville R-VI School District students. The announcement was made during the Waynesville R-VI Board of Education meeting.
Pictured are Dr. Jamie Goforth, assistant superintendent of personnel services, and Amber Stienbarger, executive director of CASA of South Central Missouri.
For a list of job openings in the Waynesville R-VI School District, please go to https://www.applitrack.com/waynesville/onlineapp/default.aspx?all=1 or you may call 573-842-2094 for more information.
Partridge Elementary has been certified as a Leader in Me Lighthouse School by Franklin Covey Education — a distinction that approximately 700 schools in the world have achieved.
“Leadership skills will be taken with students wherever they go in the world and that is what makes this such an impressive achievement for our students, families and staff,” said Principal Ruth Ann Justus.
Partridge Elementary will maintain its Lighthouse Certification for two years and will continue to foster its growth and proficiency in exemplifying a leadership culture and principles.
In addition, Freedom Elementary, Thayer Elementary, Wood Elementary, Waynesville Sixth Grade Center and Waynesville Middle School have also earned the Lighthouse certification prior to this school year.
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Leader in Me Program Background from FranklinCovey Education
Leader in Me is a research-backed framework, co-created with educators, aimed at fostering resilience and leadership in students while cultivating a culture of trust. It's crafted to enhance academic performance and empower students, educators and families with essential leadership and life skills necessary for success. Leader in Me brings together students, staff and families with a shared objective: equipping students with the essential skills for college, career and life readiness.
Lighthouse certified schools exemplify a robust leadership framework, demonstrating substantial, measurable outcomes aligned with their objectives through the integration of Leader in Me principles and practices. This certification signifies a school's commitment to excellence and its success in implementing transformational leadership strategies.
The individual's parents have been notified and will determine what, if any, further medical treatment is necessary.
The Waynesville Sixth Grade Center (WSGC) finished 1st in the State of Missouri in the 2026 READBowl competition hosted by the Share the Magic Foundation. In addition, eight WSGC homerooms placed in the Top 100 in the Middle School Division.
"This achievement reflects the dedication, enthusiasm and hard work of our students, as well as the unwavering support of our teachers and families," said WSGC Principal Kevin Schnicker.
According to the Share the Magic Foundation, more than 1,000,000 students worldwide participated in READBowl 2026.
“Our students competed in a very large field and represented WSGC exceptionally well,” said Library Media Specialist Angela Houf. “We are proud of the students’ effort and commitment throughout this competition.”
READBowl is a free global reading competition where PreK-12th grade aged teams around the world compete to read for the most minutes. The competition begins the week before the American College Football National Championship (2nd Monday in January) and culminates on Super Bowl Sunday.
The Missouri Sports Hall of Fame shared the following, “At 82 years young, Bill, affectionately known as "The Legend" around Lake of the Ozarks, has earned over 161 tournament wins, influenced countless anglers and even had a popular jig skirt color ("Davenport Special") named after him by Chompers Bait.”
Tickets to the March 12 Outdoor Sports Luncheon may be purchased at https://mosportshalloffame.com/events/.
Waynesville R-VI Athletics will offer Flag Football for 6th -8th grade students March 23 – May 9, 2026. The cost is $25 per student.
Practices will be held on Wednesdays and Thursdays from 3:45 to 5:15 p.m. at the grass practice soccer field. Games will be held on Saturdays (to be announced).
Transportation will be provided for students who stay after school for WIN. A shuttle will be provided to and from the practice field, which is located near East Elementary on Highway F.
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Register and pay
Please complete BOTH the registration and payment forms for your student to attend.
Registration Link: https://forms.gle/eAJM2c9TDJGXFwe99
Payment Link: https://www.msbtickets.com/Athletics/event/zkjdmeu4
This program is partially funded through AYPYN United States Army Child and Youth Services. Equipment is provided.
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More info
For more information, contact Kelly Walker at kwalker@waynesville.k12.mo.us or Carl Emperato at cemperato@gmail.com.
The Student Government Association (SGA) at Waynesville High School sponsored a blood drive with the Community Blood Center of the Ozarks (CBCO) on Wednesday, Feb. 18, 2026.
Members of SGA and Health Occupations of America (HOSA) volunteered the day of the blood drive to keep donors company, relieve anxiety and escort donors back to class.
SGA and CBCO set a goal of 50 units of blood to be donated during blood drive. Thanks to the students who donated that day, CBCO collected 52 units of blood, which will be used locally in the Ozarks.
Jared Sabatasso is pictured with Brett Reith, president of the Waynesville-St. Robert Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors.
Pictured are band instructors Andrew Tiefenbrunn, Jared Sabatasso, Brady Perkins and Chance Inman.
Members of the Waynesville High School Pep Band who performed at the banquet are pictured along with their band instructors.
Jared Sabatasso is pictured with Dr. Jamie Goforth, assistant superintendent of personnel services, and Courtney Long, executive director of secondary instruction.
THURSDAY!!
Waynesville R-VI will host a teacher recruitment event from 4:30 to 6 p.m. on Thursday, Feb. 26, 2026, at the Parker Educational Center. The event will begin with a welcome session, followed by screening interviews being held on site. At the end of the evening, a drawing will be held for an iPad.
For more information about openings in the district, please go to https://www.applitrack.com/waynesville/onlineapp/default.aspx?all=1 or call 573-842-2094.
Parker Educational Center is located at 909 U.S. Route 66 in Waynesville.
