A team of seven middle school students are competing in the Verizon Innovative App Challenge and have won Best in State with their app, Iowa Trash Companion. They are now working towards their goal of becoming the App Fan Favorite- which is awarded to the team who compiles the most votes.

The voting period for the Fan Favorite award began January 16 and ends February 14.

Winning the Best in State award means that the team’s app concept was the best among all middle school or high school entries in the state.

The Iowa Trash Companion app has a main goal of helping to keep the community involved in keeping it clean, and disposing of their trash correctly. The app consists of four main features.

1. Search Bar- Users can look up different types of recycling centers.
2. Calendar- Informs users of trash related events going on in the community.
3.  Special Request Form – Gives users the ability to have trash picked up that was missed.
4. Notifications – Notifies users of their trash pickup day.

The team included seventh grade Waukee Middle School students Allison Caraway, Griffin Brock, Katie Morrison, Owen Scott, Sabarish Mogallapalli, Sean Eastman; and eighth-grade Prairieview student Shriya Magatapalli.

“I really like the team, it’s fun to hang out and work with them. I like the innovation part of creating the app and coming up with new ideas to make it better,” said Allison Caraway.

The winners of the Fan Favorite award will be presented a $15,000 prize for their STEM program, and the chance to work with engineers from Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) to develop the apps and share them on the open marketplace.

The competition first launched in 2012, and so far it has captivated over 24,000 boys and girls from across the country.

According to the Verizon App Challenge website, the competition allows students to develop concepts, learn teamwork, creative problem solve and gain entrepreneurship skills.

To vote for the Iowa Trash Companion App text ITC to 22333 by Feb.14.

Varsity math counts team who placed 4th on February 14 out of 32 teams at the chapter competition!  ith this placement, they will be representing SMS at the state math counts competition at the end of March at Drake!

Congratulations to Sai Raysam for his individual placement which will send him to state in the individual competition.

Summer break will start earlier than expected for students this year. The Waukee Community School District (WCSD) Board of Education agreed to a minor change in the 2016-17 school calendar on April 10. The last day of school for students is now May 26 instead of May 30.

The 2016-17 calendar is based on 1080 hours of instruction time, instead of 180 days, which allows the district some flexibility in determining the last day of school.  

The last day for teaching staff will not change. May 30 and 31 will be professional development and work days.

The last day for Waukee High School seniors is  May 19.

Isaiah Dale, 7th-grader at South Middle School

Isaiah Dale, 7th-grader at South Middle School, was named an Ambassador of the Muscular Dystrophy Association (MDA) for his contributions towards the MDA and courageous attitude.

Isaiah was diagnosed with Charcot Marie Tooth Disease (CMT) July of 2015 at the University of Iowa Children’s Hospital. CMT causes muscle weakness and atrophy in the feet, lower legs, hands and forearms. He underwent genetic testing to narrow down what specific type of CMT he has. There are over 70 different types of the disease, all affecting the body in different ways.

“There is no cure for CMT, but we are hopeful that someday there will be,” said Isaiah’s Mother, September Dale. “Both Isaiah and the MDA play a big role in that.”

Last year Isaiah attended Camp Courageous, a summer camp sponsored by the MDA, where he was nominated by the camp directors to be a local Ambassador for the Muscular Dystrophy Association. He was officially named an Ambassador in February when a family friend and MDA representative surprised him with the award during his school lunch.

“The best part about being an Ambassador is being able to go to events and talk to people about my story and tell them what CMT is,” said Isaiah. “I think raising awareness is important because no one really knows what CMT is. Sometimes people ask me why I wear leg braces and I say ‘I have CMT’ but people don’t know what that is.  Another thing that I like about being an Ambassador is that I can raise money at all the events we do and all that money goes towards finding a cure, and that is really important to me.”

In addition to becoming an Ambassador, Isaiah is also the captain of team #IsaiahStrong which took part in the 2017 Des Moines Muscle Walk at Principal Park April 29. He also inspired his mother to run the Chicago Half Marathon this May. So far the team has raised over $2,500 for these events combined.

“Fundraising and creating awareness is important because finding a cure takes money. Isaiah also goes around to local businesses who participate in the MDA Shamrock events and thanks them, takes pictures and hands out his flyers to be displayed at their stores,” said September. “He also volunteers at other MDA events in the area.  His main goal is to share his story, create awareness, and most importantly- find a cure. To say that I am proud of Isaiah is an understatement. He is my hero. I believe wholeheartedly that Isaiah will change the world, and I am so glad that I get to be right next to him while he does.”

As a community service project, three Waukee students found a way to extend a helping hand that has reached the lives of many children in a local hospital. Waukee South Middle School (SMS) 7th graders, Jordan Gabriel, Lindsay Newman and Jonathan Nevenhoven, started a nonprofit organization called Helping Hands which gives gifts to patients at Blank Children’s Hospital.

The three worked together during the 2016-17 school year to collect donations from people around the community to create packages that included items such as fleece blankets, homemade pillowcases, smile cards, coloring books, coloring utensils and small toys. The organization hopes to expand to more hospitals in the future.

“When the students first came to me I was a little leery because it seemed like such a huge project, but with determination they’ve created this amazing organization and have even included many other students in the process,” said SMS principal Doug Barry. “Their work is helping so many kids and I am very proud of everything they have accomplished.”

Helping Hands has more than 100 student volunteers in 6th and 7th grade. The workload is divided among five volunteer groups who assist in the care package creation process. The volunteer categories include card, blanket, pillowcase and poster making and a sorting squad. The organization has over 100 student volunteers.

The three student founders have worked for months on forming Helping Hands to become the best it can be. Lindsay is mainly in charge of contacting the hospital and keeping good communication, Jordan is involved with organizing volunteers and Jonathan is in charge of all technology aspects of the organization like the Helping Hands website.

“We believe the children in hospitals need these care packages because sometimes they can feel left out and sad. We create the packages to make them feel better and to put a smile on their face,” said Newman.

SMS students continue to challenge themselves to go to greater lengths each year through their varying interests and unique ideas. The group looks forward to expanding the organization to reach more hospitals while continuing their work through the summer and into the 2017-18 school year.

South Middle School (SMS) student Cameron Boyle felt his heart drop to the pit of his stomach as he watched 130 mph wind tear the city of Houston apart piece by piece. Only a few days after Hurricane Harvey hit Texas, Boyle approached his principal Doug Barry to discuss raising money to donate to the families affected by the hurricanes.

South Middle School 7th grader Cameron Boyle.

Inspired by J.J. Watt’s Hurricane Relief Fund, Boyle’s idea to help those in need started as a friendly competition between West Des Moines and Waukee Community School District.

“My dad is a principal at West Des Moines Community School District, so he contacted the Valley High School principal and got them involved. From there it just got bigger and bigger,” Boyle said. “It was important for me to help someone who lost their home, clothes and needed food and money.”

Johnston Community School District, Urbandale Community School District and Dowling Catholic High School joined in the fundraising efforts soon after.

Boyle was responsible for identifying the Red Cross as the recipient of the funds raised and collecting and verifying donations from SMS students and staff.  

“We don’t have totals yet, but it is looking like nearly $3,000 will be raised for this cause,” Barry said. “I’m amazed by how much an idea from a single South Middle School student was able to grow and help others in need.”

This is not Boyle’s first time leading the way to improvement. As a 7th grade ambassador, he spends his mornings with his advisory planning assemblies and activities to improve the South Middle School.

Through this experience, Boyle learned that anyone can stand up and fix a problem. He encourages other to find a way to make a difference.

Four Prairieview and 10 Waukee Middle School students were selected for Honor Band. Seventh graders were selected through nomination, while eighth graders were selected through audition. The students performed in the South Central District Iowa Honor Band on Nov. 7 at Ankeny Centennial High School.

Congratulations to the 14 students who participated:

Prairieview Students (Grade 7)

• Carson Parker
• Thomas Yang
• James Campbell
• Zoey Lohse

Waukee Middle School Students (Grade 8)

• Olivia Carpenter
• Laura Parkins
• Ainsley Menning
• Sara Sample
• Emily Klaiber
• Hailey McFadden
• Jennifer Robinson
• Colson Thayer
• Spencer Reich
• Ben Avilez

On November 18, the South Middle School(SMS) robotic teams, the Survival Bots and the Artificial Intelligence Engineers, achieved honors at the FIRST LEGO League Regional Qualifier competition. Artificial Intelligence Engineers qualified for the State Tournament which will be held at Iowa State University on January 13, 2018.

“Going to state to me feels like an accomplishment for our whole entire school.  It’s a personal accomplishment for me because last year we were really close to getting to state but we had some struggles and missed out,” said team member Adrian Valluppara.

Team Artificial Intelligence Engineers’ robot which received the highest score of the whole competition.

During the FIRST LEGO Regional Qualifier competition, 16 participating teams from grades four through eight were required to design and program an original robot. The robots are to complete a maximum of 20 tasks on a four-foot by eight-foot field during a two and a half minute time period.

The Artificial Intelligence Engineers’ robot completed six of these missions and received 140 points, the most points received during the competition, which earned them the Robot Performance Award.

“It means a lot because we have really worked hard the past two years without a lot of success.  Our experience this year has really helped us to grow as teammates,” said club member Dheeraj Tunuguntla.

SMS teacher Jennifer Ghelf and volunteer parent Karen Hatch coach the teams with assistance from the club’s mentors Tadd Hatch, Tony Valluppara, Cole Kleinwolterink and Andrea Patterson.

“Many of these students were on teams in elementary school that had never gotten past the regional qualifier.  While they are very proud of receiving the invitation to State they are working extremely hard to improve and be ready to compete at the next level,” said Ghelf.

The Survival Bots received a Team Spirit award for their positive attitude and sportsmanship throughout the competition. The team took on the challenge wholeheartedly and cheered for the other teams the entire day.

The competition was not all just about creating a robot. The robot needed to reflect a world problem, so the teams had to create a robot that revolved around the impact humans have on the water cycle. Throughout the day, teams were approached by judges who asked them questions about the design aspect of their product. To emphasize the values of teamwork and collaboration, the competition also include a teamwork challenge.

“Now we know that our team has a lot of potential and that we can do anything we set our minds to,” said SMS student and FIRST LEGO League member Tasha Bhatia. 

FIRST LEGO League is a national competition that encourages students of all backgrounds to join. Their main focus is providing students with a positive, educational experience where they can practice creative and logical thinking. Worldwide, there are more than 255,000 participants and 88 countries that take part in the competition.

The Robotic Hockey

6th Grade – Mickey Hatch, Khoushik Lukka, Hayden Prine, Suraya Rajan, Oliver Young

7th Grade – Brody Hinspeter, Anish Manda, & Luke Orton

Survival Bots

6th Grade – Harika Kanaparti, Dawson Peterson,

7th Grade – Aneesh Ajit, Peyton Christman, Saanvi Lukka, Hayden Patterson, Prabhas Sankara, Anwitha Vempati 

Artificial Intelligence Engineers

6th Grade – Tasha Batia, Sai Sashank Durba, Gavin Lange, Sriyank Nallure, Saina Narsian, Dheeraj Tunguntula, Adrian Valluppara

7th Grade – Greeshma Joseph, Niki Udipi, Atharva Upadhye

The After-Prom Committee will hold a Daddy Daughter Dance to help raise funds to support the 2018 party.  Dads or Dad-like friends are invited to bring their favorite Valentine (ages 2-22) on February 17.

The dance is being held at Prairieview School which is located at 655 SE University, Waukee, IA. The event, which will start at 6:00 p.m. and end at 7:30 p.m., will feature a DJ, glow necklaces, a craft, punch, a sweet treat, wrist corsages and dancing. There will also be popcorn, water, soda and professional photos available for purchase at the event. Doors will open at 5:30 p.m.

The cost to attend the dance is $30 per couple with an additional $10 fee for each additional daughter.

Admission tickets will not be mailed. Dads and daughters will check-in at the registration table as they arrive. Please register by February 9.

To register, click here.

For questions or more information about the dance or to request a paper form contact waukee.2018DDD@gmail.com

Waukee Middle School Seventh Grade Ambassadors

When Waukee Middle School librarian Kelly Reynolds and her seventh-grade ambassador students created #GiveLove stickers to spread love around the world while students and staff traveled for spring break, they never thought they would get a response from Andy Grammer.

After the district kicked off the year with the #GiveLove theme, which included a video featuring Andy Grammer’s hit song, Give Love, students and staff at Waukee Middle School were instructed to include the stickers in their social media posts while they were on vacation. With help from technology coach Stacy Hansen and Reynolds, students were able to set up a Google Map to display all of the #GiveLove sticker posts.

“Students were excited to reach a global audience. They really wanted to spread love in a time when the world needs it the most,” said Reynolds.

Their excitement reached a new high when Grammer posted a video praising Waukee Middle School for their kindness on his Instagram story.

Eight South Middle School (SMS) students presented their ideas for city and agricultural improvements to Waukee city employees on April 9.

Students starting working in groups of two in February to create the four projects that were presented. The projects focused on the benefits vertical farms and greenhouses provide for the community. Vertical farms are structures with vertically slanted surfaces or stacked layers used to grow and produce food. This method saves space and allows farming to occur in a suburban or city setting.

Pictured in back: Miles Sierra, Danae Edwards – Recreation Supervisor, Summer Evans- Marketing & Communications Director, Brad Deets- Development Services Director, Andy Kass, and Melissa DeBoer
Front row: Sarang Kothari, Anden Barriage, Jackson Minton, Lilly Froehlich, Anwitha Vempati, and Adam Koch

“I learned a lot about the future of agriculture and cities with this project. It was fun to present to Waukee officials, who gave us real insight on the future and capabilities of Waukee,” said SMS seventh grade student Adam Koch.

In preparation for their presentations, the students learned about business concepts and professional behaviors with assistance from SMS Extended Learning Program teacher Karlee McKibban.

“I believe this project allowed students to use concepts from their science curriculum to develop a creative project that had a real-world purpose,” McKibban said.

Anden Barriage and Jackson Minton’s “Growall” presentations was a favorite among the city employees. The goal of their project was to create a community that embraces vertical gardens, and to construct a greener, cleaner, pesticide-free world.

Barriage and Minton spent two weeks piecing together the website for the presentation and a month and a half developing and finalizing their ideas for the City of Waukee meeting. The website addressed their specific idea and the cost impact these projects could have on the city.

“Working on this project helped me learn a lot about the environment, and I enjoyed making the website for presenting,” said SMS seventh grade student Jackson Minton.

Students also analyzed how these types of economical improvements could positively affect Waukee over the next 20 years.

Two Waukee South Middle School (SMS) students created an invention that earned first prize at the Southeast Polk Tech Exposition. With supervision from SMS engineering teacher Cole Kleinwolterink, Gavin Lange and Adrian Valluppara invented a robotic device called Forward Detecting System (FDS).

The boys created FDS to give visually impaired people the ability to easily navigate through the challenges of their everyday lives. The device is worn by the user and lets them know when there is an obstruction up to one foot in front of them.

“When I noticed the expo was open for grades six through 12, I thought I would challenge students in my robotics Interest Group to create a project to submit,” said Kleinwolterink.

In preparation for the exposition, the students met with Kleinwolterink every Thursday morning during Interest Group time starting in February. Interest Group is an initiative SMS started during the 2016-17 school year. This time allows students to connect with other students and teachers who share similar interests in topics ranging from robotics to yoga to fishing. Because Lange and Valluppara were passionate about their project, they made time outside of Interest Groups to work on it before school, during study hall and at home.

“Our teacher, Mr. Kleinwolterink created a safe, innovative and engaging space for students to explore coding as part of our buildings Interest Group initiative. He took time outside of his school day to allow students to explore and connected them to this contest. He has been such an amazing addition to SMS and Waukee through his work with Lego League, the engineering program, coaching and connecting with students on a daily basis,” said SMS principal, Doug Barry.

At the expo, FDS was judged by three criteria: Proper Planning, Complexity of Project, and Quality of Workmanship. Lange and Valluppara received the highest rating of ‘Superior’ for each category, which earned them a blue ribbon and a gold medal for Superior Workmanship.

“Watching students problem solve and find their own unique solutions as they passionately work on a project is amazing and frankly, it is the reason I love teaching Engineering,” said Kleinwolterink. “I may have inspired Adrian and Gavin to participate in the expo, but seeing what amazing things they are able to create is inspiring to me as their teacher.”

Come join your teachers at five sites across Waukee and West Des Moines for fun, games, and lunch! Activities and lunch will be available every Monday through Friday (excluding July 4). The fun will start June 4 and go until August 10.

All activities and meals are free to children 18 years old and younger who visit a site. Children will not be identified and do not need to sign-in to participate in activities or receive a lunch.

Locations & Times:

Windfield West Apartments
75 SE Windfield Pkwy, Waukee, at the basketball court
11:00 AM – 12:00 PM

Midwest Country Estates
16850 Hickman Rd, Waukee, at the basketball court at the south end of the main loop
11:30 AM – 12:30 PM

Jonas Circle
1300 SE Jacob Dr, Waukee, in the clubhouse/main office
12:00 PM – 1:00 PM

Maple Grove Villas
8602 Westown Pkwy, West Des Moines, IA, in the Community Room/Main Office
11:00 AM – 12:00 PM

Sun Prairie Apartments
6137 Vista Drive, West Des Moines, at the playground closest to the corner of Vista Dr and 60th St
11:30 AM – 12:30 PM

SAVE THE DATE: Family Resource Fair

Waukee Community School District will host a Back-to-School Family Resource Fair at Timberline School, 2605 LA Grant Pkwy, Waukee, IA on July 31 from 4-7 p.m.

Volunteers and staff will be available to help families complete registration for the 2018-19 school year as well as connect families with resources available in Dallas County.

This event is open to all Waukee Community School District Families.

Event Features:
• Free Dinner
• Free Event Child Care
• Free Physicals
• Free Haircuts
• Vision Checks
• Dental Checks
• Immunization Assistance
• School Registration Assistance
• Mental Health Screenings
• Area Resources

Welcome back! Open house has been scheduled for all schools as follows:

• Open House for Grades PK-5
  • Time: 4:00-6:00 pm
  • Location: Elementary Buildings

• Open House for Grades 6-7
  • Time: 5:00-7:00 pm
  • Location: Waukee Middle School & South Middle School

• Open House for Grades 8-9
  • Time: 6:00-8:00 pm
  • Location: Prairieview School and Timberline School

• Open House for Grades 10-12
  • Time: 6:00-8:00 pm
  • Location: Waukee High School

The first day of school is August 23.

Durham School Services is the district’s transportation provider. Every bus features two digital video cameras to monitor student behavior and the latest in GPS technology to provide real-time data from the road and help manage fuel consumption.

Bus route information will be emailed to families and available in PowerSchool by August 20. This information will include a bus number, bus stop location and pick-up/drop-off time.

On August 20 and 22, Durham School Services is planning to run a mock school day, without students, so their bus drivers can practice routes before the first day of school. You will see buses in your neighborhood on these days, but there is nothing families need to do.

The 2018-19 school year and bus transportation services will begin on August 23.

How to Register for Bus Services:

Each year families are required to register their student bus rider(s). Bus registration is completed through the online registration process. If your transportation needs have changed since completing the 2018-19 registration process, please complete the online transportation form. Requests for district provided special needs transportation must be made by district personnel. If you have questions about special needs transportation, please contact your building principal. Please contact Durham School Services office at 515-987-2788 with questions about routes, distances or other busing needs.

Bus Transportation Fees:

To receive free bus transportation service from home to the school building, the primary home address must be located outside a one-mile boundary for elementary students or a two-mile boundary for secondary students. Distance to and from school is determined by Durham School Services’ GPS routing system and can be viewed in PowerSchool. Students who qualify for the free or reduced lunch program may be eligible for free or reduced transportation pricing.

Busing and applicable fees are determined by your primary home address:

• Elementary: more than 1 mile from the school = free
• Secondary: more than 2 miles from the school = free

Fees (students located inside one-mile or two-mile boundaries):

• $280 per year, round trip, per child
• $140 per year, one-way, per child

Bus transportation fees can be paid online through RevTrak.

If you have questions about bus transportation fees please contact Jocelyn Schlieman at 515-987-5161 x4500 or jschlieman@waukeeschools.org.
We look forward to providing transportation services for your student(s) this year.

Counselors were surprised with a $6,500 grant from Drew’s Crew for the Kids. Each of the district’s 13 schools received $500 to support students in their buildings.

“There are a lot of special events and activities that occur during the school day for which kids may need to bring or buy something in order to participate. While many of these things may seem minor, for many students, not being able to participate is another reminder of being different,” said Lara Plaisances, president of Drew’s Crew. “We chose to present his grant to the district to ensure that all students are able to participate in these types of activities.”

This grant is another example of why Drew’s Crew for the Kids continues to be a valued partner for the district. This summer Drew’s Crew partnered with the district to provide board games and outdoor activities for all five of the district’s Picnic and Play locations.

Research has shown that participation in enrichment activities leads to better grades, better self-esteem, less criminal activity, better job opportunities and more economic success as an adult. The group of kids Drew’s Crew serves is a group that many Waukee residents do not even know exists.

At the November 12 Board of Education meeting Andy Pals, calendar committee chair, presented the 2019-20 Waukee Education Association (WEA) school calendar recommendations. Pals walked board members through the proposal and answered questions.

The calendar proposed the following key dates:

• The first day of school, Friday, August 23, 2019. This is the earliest start date allowed by state law.
• Winter break would be from December 21, 2019 through January 5, 2020. Classes would resume on January 6 , 2020. (a full two-week break)
• Spring break would be from March 16-20, 2020. Classes would resume on March 23, 2020.
• The last day of school would be June 3, 2020.

The calendar recommendation was a discussion item, no action was taken at the meeting. The 2019-20 school year calendar, along with the appropriate public hearings, will be approval items on the December 10, 2018, Board of Education agenda.

2019-20 WEA Calendar Recommendation