Congratulations to our Auburn-Washburn students selected to perform at the Kansas Music Educators Association In-Service Workshop in Wichita! These talented musicians earned All-State honors through a competitive audition process. The All-State Elementary Choir performs tonight at Century II Convention Center. The other All-State ensembles perform on Saturday.

We’re also proud to celebrate Washburn Rural High School’s This Generation and the WRHS Jazz Band for being selected to perform. This is an incredible honor earned through a competitive audition process!👏

Kindergarten Roundup is almost here! Families of incoming kindergarten students are invited to join us on Friday, April 10. Details and registration info below.

It’s been a banner year for state championships at Washburn Rural High School, and the banners just keep on coming! Congratulations to Daniel Allen, who captured the Class 6A state title in the 100-yard butterfly as well as a bronze medal in the 100-yard backstroke!

The Jr. Blues also had podium finishes in the following events:
🏅4th Place – 200-yard medley relay (Andres Morao-Jaspe, Castle Wallace, Daniel Allen, Thomas Appuhn)
🏅4th Place – 200-yard individual medley (Thomas Appuhn)
🏅4th Place – 100-yard backstroke (Thomas Appuhn)

Congratulations to these standout athletes!

Washburn Rural High School's KAY Club invites you to participate in their Soles4Souls event on Friday, February 27, at the WRHS vs. Manhattan basketball games. Bring a gently worn pair of shoes of any type and size and receive a voucher for 🍿FREE POPCORN🍿at the concession stand that evening. All shoes collected will be donated to Soles4Souls and distributed to those in need.

Come support your Jr. Blues and all the students participating at tonight's basketball games vs. Topeka High! Varsity Girls start at approximately 6:00 PM and Varsity Boys afterward around 7:30 PM in the WRHS Activity Center and will be live streamed at http://wrhs.net/live.

Pep band seniors will be recognized between games.

Reminder: Wednesday, February 25, 2026, is an early release day. All schools will dismiss 90 minutes early.

We continue to make steady progress in the search for our next Superintendent of Schools. The application phase drew strong interest from qualified candidates both within Kansas and beyond. Last week, the Board reviewed the slate of candidates and selected six individuals to advance to first-round interviews.

Finalists will be announced in early March. Staff, students, and members of the community will have an opportunity to meet those finalists on March 11, 2026. Additional details regarding the schedule and format for that day will be shared soon.

More about the search process and timeline is available at http://www.usd437.net/superintendentsearch.

Two teams from Pauline South Intermediate School competed in the Regional KidWind Competition yesterday in Overland Park, designing and testing wind turbines, presenting to judges, tackling an "instant challenge," and completing a knowledge test. The results are in, and we're proud to celebrate these amazing students:

🏆Team Kings of the Wind (Zeke, Marek, Justus, and Jayden) placed second overall, securing a spot at the state competition in Salina this April. The team also received the Most Improved Bejouled Award and the Most Improved Peak Percentage Award.

🏆Team KidWind 'Til the End (Scarlett, Baylyn, Chloe, Payal) placed third overall and is the only team in any age division to earn a perfect 100% on the Knowledge Quiz.

The teams were advised by fourth-grade teacher Carlin Smith, who shared, "It has been the most challenging and rewarding project I’ve ever done with students. We have all learned so much. The growth I have seen in the students’ confidence has been incredible."

Materials for the competition were funded by the Auburn-Washburn Public Schools Foundation through its classroom grant awards program.

WRHS Bank, Common Grounds Coffee Shop, and The Shack, the school-based enterprises (SBEs) at Washburn Rural High School, have earned Gold Certification and will be recognized at DECA’s International Career Development Conference in April in Atlanta, Georgia.

An SBE is an entrepreneurial operation in a school setting that provides goods and services to meet the needs of the market. SBEs are managed and operated by students as hands-on learning laboratories that integrate National Curriculum Standards in marketing, finance, hospitality, and management. DECA advisors have utilized this effective educational tool for over four decades to provide their students with realistic and practical learning experiences that reinforce classroom instruction, enhance 21st Century skill development, and prepare students for college and careers.

The Washburn Rural DECA members who contributed to the certification were Nicholas He, Kaci Hodgson, Keegan Knudtson, Kate Muir, and Kailyn Petersen, with guidance from their DECA chapter advisor, Brian McFall. The SBEs at WRHS have operated for over 15 years, an accomplishment that reflects sustained excellence and commitment.

“DECA’s School-based Enterprise Certification Program is a rigorous process designed to help DECA members demonstrate their classroom learning in a practical, learning laboratory, and then translate that into meaningful outcomes,” said Christopher Young, Chief Program Officer at DECA Inc. “These DECA members are practicing important workplace readiness skills while preparing for college and careers.”

DECA’s SBE Certification Program recognizes outstanding achievement while motivating SBEs to pursue continuous excellence and growth. Enterprises may receive certification at three levels: bronze, silver, or gold. To apply, SBEs must submit comprehensive documentation demonstrating how they meet established marketing and retail standards. Documentation is reviewed by a certification committee, which determines the level of recognition awarded. DECA’s SBE program is sponsored by Otis Spunkmeyer Inc.

Come support your Jr. Blues and all the students participating at tonight's basketball games vs. Emporia! Varsity Girls start at approximately 6:00 PM and Varsity Boys afterward around 7:30 PM in the WRHS Activity Center and will be live streamed at http://wrhs.net/live.