Kathryn York for Water Valley School Board 4

So proud of these scholars and artists!

This weekend, Water Valley High School band members Logan Joyner, Anika Olson, Blair Johnson, and Dorian Pomerlee were selected to participate in the Mid-South Honor Band on the Ole Miss Campus. They were able to play with musicians from across the state and performed a fantastic concert on Saturday.

Schools are closed again today, January 12th, for the scheduled power outage.

FYI y’all.

From our Water Valley School District:

In the best interest of our students, faculty and staff, the Water Valley School District will extend Christmas break through Friday, January 7, 2022. All schools and offices will return on Monday, January 10, 2022. An updated district calendar will be posted to the district website after the next board meeting.

Mask will be required for the first week on school buses and in school buildings. The mask requirement will be evaluated at the end of the first week.

First day of training down and there’s a LOT to learn. Like....a whole whole lot.

Driving down to Jackson late tonight for New School Board Member training tomorrow.

Feel proud to connect with other folks across our state who are looking to serve their communities and build a strong future alongside student-leaders like this one!

We did it, y’all!

Thank you - to Joe York and our children; to my wonderful friends and family (especially my mom and dad!); and to everyone who leant time, energy and resources to create a shared and exciting vision for our Water Valley schools.

I am inspired by our community’s dedication to the children who are our future here. I am grateful for your support. I am humbled to serve alongside so many others to continue our growth.

And, I am excited to get to work. For our families. For our future. For Water Valley.

Today’s the day!! I’d be honored to have your vote for Water Valley School Board.

And no matter what your choice, I hope you will VOTE.

Happy Halloween!! It’s just this kind of instruction that makes WVSD a great place to be. Thank you to all the educators who find creative ways to get students interested and keep them interested in a variety of subjects!

The Parents Campaign did a cool series this Fall called REAL TALK. There were panels of legislators talking about issues in education that impact kids across the state. I found this one with Ed Committee Chairs Rep Richard Bennett and Sen Dennis DeBar particularly interesting. They shared priorities and opinions about a variety of topics including teacher pay and year-round school. Here’s the link to the recording - would love to know what y’all think!

https://bit.ly/36ysr1R

Hey hey! Our campaign got endorsed by the New Politics team - a group that believes in integrity, honor, and service through political action. Joe York and I are humbled and grateful.

Now more than ever, I am convinced of the power of creativity. Robin D Kelley, in “Freedom Dreams” says: “Without new visions we don’t know what to build, only what to knock down.”

As a former music teacher, this resonates so deeply. It was transcendent to see kids excel creating art, doing music together.

I’m proud of Davidson Elementary’s choice to include an art class this year. And of our growing band program at the high school - and all the other ways arts are included here in Water Valley schools. And, I hope to see arts education continue to be prioritized in the future.

Here’s a good read on why creativity is so important for our families, for our future, and for Water Valley.

https://www.the74million.org/article/riley-creativity-is-not-a-soft-skill-it-is-a-must-have-mindset-for-the-21st-century-how-teachers-can-nurture-it-in-their-students/

TLDR (too long, didn’t read): Creativity is important. Let’s keep building it in our WVSD!

Sweet FaceBook Memories 💕💕

This is Emma dressed up for career day - she wants to be a filmmaker, like her dad.

I’m running for school board because I believe we have the momentum to ensure that going to school in Water Valley means every single kid gets the choice to be whatever they want when they grow up.

Check out our ad in the North Mississippi Herald 🌟🌟🌟

Proud to have a hometown paper that is such an active part of our community. Grab yourself a copy of the Herald today!

Fun fact about me: I co-lead the Youth Program at my church for three summers during college. Those summers were where I realized my passion for working with kids and ensuring we were building a world that I’d be proud to pass on to them.

As a mother and trained educator, that idea holds true for me even today: It’s on all of us to work together to leave this world a little better than we found it for each and every child.

I woke up this morning thinking about and giving thanks for our nation’s essential workers since we celebrate the American worker on Labor Day.

I am so grateful, especially, for educators (and their families) who every day are giving their all to keep our kids safe, teach them everything necessary for class, and care about their students outside of school, too.

Joe and I were both raised by educators. Our respect for teachers and administrators runs deep.

Here’s a picture of me and my dad James, one of world’s the greatest music educators. About twenty years after this photo I would teach my first music class in Marks, MS.

I learned so much from my dad about teaching music because as any teacher or administrator knows: education is a family business.

Thank you to all the teachers out there. Enjoy this long and well deserved weekend. Happy Labor Day!