Next, we would like to introduce our new Social Studies teacher at Mid-Prairie High School, Grant Hoffman. Grant attended Buena Vista University for both his undergraduate and graduate degrees. He grew up in central Iowa and has lived in Northwest Iowa for the last 7 years, where he was teaching middle school and high school classes. He and his family have recently moved to the Mount Pleasant area. He has a passion for history and social studies, which he tries to bring to the classroom every day. Outside of school, Grant loves sports, especially football, and you can find him out on the golf course on most nice-weather days. His wife is also a teacher, and they have a 3-year-old son and a 5-month-old daughter. #mphawks

Now Hiring! Mid-Prairie is looking for a crossing guard in Wellman. A crossing guard is needed Monday-Friday from 7:30 am to 8 am and 3:15 pm to 3:45 pm. The hourly wage would be $15.38, with a minimum pay of 2 hours per day. Please call Robin Foster at 646-2984 for more information and to apply. #mphawks

We would like to introduce our new English 10 and Composition teacher joining Mid-Prairie High School, Brody Channell. Brody earned his BA in English Education with a minor in American Government/Political Science Education from Brigham Young University. He’s originally from Idaho and loves being outdoors. Brody has a goofy dog named Pepper who likes to jump at cars and bark at everything! He loves literature in all its forms: books, music, film, etc. He’s currently building a collection of his favorite vinyl albums, and with each one likes to look up information about the band, the album, and any other context that helps to learn more about it. #mphawks

JOIN US for Mid-Prairie's Homecoming parade!! We are excited to continue this tradition for our students, and we hope our community will join in on the celebration! The parade will be Wednesday, September 11th, beginning at approximately 5:45 pm. It will start at the end of Main Street in Wellman, traveling north to the YMCA. Everyone is invited to join us at the high school after the parade to watch high school students participate in kickball and powderpuff, fall activity announcements, food from the boosters and the coronation of the Homecoming Queen and King. See you there! #mphawks

Staff and students at MPHS discussed emergency protocols, what to do in the event of various emergencies, and the lockdown process. We will continue to do all we can to make MP as safe as possible for all students and staff. Reach out to MPHS Principal Chuck Banks, cbanks@mphawks.org, with any questions. #mphawks https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ae-Fzlm_iRo

Next, we would like to introduce our new 5th-grade teacher at Mid-Prairie Middle School, Cassie Wolinsky. Cassie earned her Paraeducator Certification from Grantwood AEA, Liberal Arts Degree from Kirkwood Community College, and Bachelor of Sciences degree in Elementary Education with a Reading endorsement from the University of Dubuque. She is the mother of three children, who either have attended Mid-Prairie or currently attend. Cassie enjoys tending to her potted flowers, cooking up new recipes, trying new foods, camping, and golfing with her friends and family. #mphawks

We would like to introduce our new District ELL Teacher, Joyce Blitsch. She will serve students in all buildings across the district. Joyce earned her BA in Communication from Arizona State University, her MA in Speech Communication from UNI, her BA in TESOL (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages) from UNI, and her MAE in Professional Development for Teachers from UNI. She enjoys lots of artistic endeavors, such as painting ceramics and canvas, sewing, quilting, knitting, crocheting, cross-stitching, and playing guitar. She loves to read books and fanfiction and enjoys doing genealogy research. Joyce also spends as much time as she can with her husband, two adult daughters, and sister. #mphawks

Reminder of Ticket Pricing this year at Mid-Prairie: All tickets will be bought online, NO CASH ACCEPTED AT THE GATE General Admission to High School Events (including students) - $7, General Admission to Middle School Events - $5, Middle School Events for Middle School Students - Free Senior Admission to any Event (62 + years old) - Free (all seniors whether you live in district or not) *** Volleyball admission will be $7 per person for the whole night (MS & HS Event) ***We will have a card reader at the gate for credit cards but it is much easier if you buy a ticket ahead of time. If you don’t want to mess with buying single event tickets and if you plan on going to at least two seasons of events, the best value is a season pass: Student Passes - $60 Adult Passes - $120 Family Passes (immediate family only) - $300. For the Family Pass, please put the number of people in your immediate family (parents & children- total limit is 6) in the box provided. We still honor any lifetime passes(Black Card) You can buy all tickets and passes here: https://www.gobound.com/ia/schools/midprairie/tickets Home High School Football this Fall: Sept 6 - Var 7:00 Sept 9 - JV 6:00 Sept 13 (Homecoming) - JV 5:00, Var 7:30 Sept 27 - JV 5:00, Var 7:30 Oct 11 - JV 5:00, Var 7:30 Home Middle School Football this Fall: Sept 24 - 7th 4:00, 8th 5:30 Oct 8 - 7th 4:00, 8th 5:30 Oct 10 - 7th 4:00, 8th 5:30 Home Volleyball this Fall: Sept 5 - MS 4:00, JV 9/10 5:45, Varsity 7:15 Sept 19 - MS 4:00, JV 9/10 5:45, Varsity 7:15 Oct 3 - MS 4:00, JV 9/10 5:45, Varsity 7:15 #mphawks

A huge thank you to the Kalona Fire Department for cleaning East's new parking lot. It will look amazing for the first day of school. Another example of our amazing community!

Next, we would like to introduce our new 3rd-grade teacher at MP-West Elementary, Josie Bontrager. Josie graduated from the University of Northern Iowa with a major in Elementary Education and a minor as an Instructional Strategist I. She enjoys being outside, working out, spending time with family, and going to sporting events (Go Hawks). She is most excited about creating relationships with students, parents, and staff, and implementing a safe environment in her classroom. #mphawks

We would like to introduce our new special education teacher joining Mid-Prairie Middle School and MP West Elementary, Rebecca Ryder. Rebecca graduated from Iowa State University with her Bachelor of Arts degree in Elementary Education and endorsements in Reading and Special Education. She grew up in Webster City, Iowa, and has been married to her husband, Dylan, for two years now. They have two dogs, Ramsy and Ruger, and enjoy traveling/camping at national parks and going on hikes. #mphawks

As we begin the 2024-25 school year, we would like to introduce some new staff members joining Mid-Prairie! Watch for these introduction posts as we get started on a great year. Our first introduction is Mid-Prairie High School's new special education teacher, Ryan Cortum. Ryan previously graduated from Mid-Prairie in 2016 and earned his BA in Elementary Education with a Strategist I endorsement from the University of Iowa in 2021. He previously taught 5th grade at Highland CSD, and he enjoys coaching football and basketball in his free time. #mphawks

MP staff members started the year off with some teamwork in the Mid-Prairie Olympic Games. Everyone had a great time trying their skills in paper airplane building, code-breaking, pool noodle jousting, minefield navigating, rubber band flinging, and marshmallow catching. Congrats to the gold, silver, and bronze medal winning teams! #mphawks

Congratulations to our Mid-Prairie staff who were recognized for their years of service today! Thank you for your dedication to MP! #mphawks 35 Years - Kathy Miller 25 Years - Jill Hartsock, Robin Kent, Kim McAtee, Marnett Meier, Elsa Schmidt 20 Years - Karmen Cady & Coralie Miller 15 Years - Jane Blieu, Paula Buckwalter, Melissa Gerot, Taylor Weber 10 Years - Karen Fair, Jeff Swartzentruber, Pat Winborn 5 Years - Rob Benge, Kayti Chalupa, Evelyn Hershberger, Amy Mercer, Miranda Miller, Hannah Mougin, Katy Ruth, Kyla Schneider, Lori Slaughter, Jana Stout, Kelly Tyler

Come check out MP Football's open practice on August 16th! Gatorade/sports drink donations are welcomed. #mphawks

Are you looking for a flexible option that can match your student's needs and help them reach success? Check out all that Mid-Prairie's Virtual Academy has to offer. Flexible schedules. Fully accredited Iowa-certified teachers. Diverse opportunities. Your student can find success in a program that's built to meet their needs. Mid-Prairie Virtual Academy is still accepting applications for the 2024-2025 school year. Don't miss your opportunity! #mphawks https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vhG1lT4x7nI

The MP Volleyball Webstore is open! The store closes on August 14th, and items will be back by September 3rd. #mphawks https://stores.teamelitesports.com/mid_prairie_volleyball/shop/home

We have some exciting changes happening in the parking lots of MP-East and MP-West! Check out the parking flow maps to be ready for our first day of school on August 23rd. It will be here before we know it! #mphawks

Several Mid-Prairie High School Band students played in the Washington Municipal Band this summer and made a big contribution to the high quality of the band's performances. We are proud of your performances! The final concert of the summer was on Thursday, August 1st. #mphawks

*DATE CORRECTION* Dear Families of Incoming 9th grade students: Welcome to MPHS! We are happy you are here! High school is an exciting step in a student’s educational career, and we are committed to helping all students and families have a positive and exciting experience. We are honored to have the opportunity to work together and help our students prepare for their future. To assist students and families for the upcoming school year, we wanted to share some important information. On Tuesday, August 20 from 6:00 - 7:30 pm we will be having our family orientation evening for incoming 9th grade MPHS students. Students and families will begin in the cafeteria at the high school. Please enter the building through doors W3 or S2. Students will then go with their Seminar Advisor to their classrooms. Students will receive their schedules and have an opportunity to have questions answered. Family members will remain in the cafeteria and receive additional information about MPHS and have questions answered. Parents will also be visiting with the Seminar Advisors to learn more. Students will then rejoin their families and be given time to tour the building, find their classrooms, and meet their teachers. To help us prepare, please make sure your student is registered through the district’s eRegistration. If you have questions or are unable to get your student registered, please contact Karmen Cady kcady@mphawks.org. We hope that our family orientation will help answer questions and ease any anxiousness that comes with new beginnings. Please let us know if you have any questions or concerns. Go Hawks! Sincerely, Chuck Banks and MPHS Staff 319-646-6091