We are so happy to host Hyo Jea “Rose” Chun from South Korea joining our 2nd grade class for six weeks.
Thank you to Mrs. Flanders and the 2nd grade families for welcoming Rose in her cultural exchange experience!
She is pictured here with senior International student, Romi Kim, also from South Korea!
When most people hear the word “Greenwood,” they think of athletics, education, and excellent facilities. However, when the families of Greenwood hear the word “Greenwood,” they think of the face in the office who knows almost everything: Michael Jarvis. Mr. Jarvis is the administrative assistant who brings constant laughs to students and is always willing to lend a helping hand in almost anything. Outside of school, Mr. Jarvis enjoys spending time with friends, trying new restaurants, exploring places in the Ozarks, and reading. He is also a cat-lover with a brown, black, and white cat named Bella. In addition to being nicknamed the “King of Greenwood,” he is also a Greenwood alum (2011). He went to Pershing before coming to Greenwood in sixth grade. Following his high school graduation, he attended Missouri State University earning a Bachelor’s Degree in Special Education and a Master’s in Educational Administration. After teaching one year at Saint Agnes, Mr. Jarvis returned to his beloved Greenwood. At the beginning of the new year, he was asked what he is most excited about in 2023, responding that he “is excited about new opportunities in his job and adventures with his friends, and cannot wait to see where this year’s graduating class decides to spread their Blue Jay wings and fly!”
Many of the same teachers Mr. Jarvis had as a student still teach at Greenwood today. Two of his favorites are Mr. Black and Mr. Bond. He enjoyed Mr. Black because of how caring he was and how much he helped him understand and love mathematics. Mr. Bond helped Mr. Jarvis develop writing skills which allowed him to become a better writer and survive college. When asked whether or not the exhibition helped prepare him for college, Mr. Jarvis said it “110%” did. He was able to go into college knowing how to format a paper, conduct research, organize his thoughts, and write a “college-level research paper.” His exhibition was about surgeries and treatments for a specific eye condition that he was born with. He was born legally blind, and his exhibition led him to a surgery which significantly improved his eyesight. When asked if he had any advice for the Class of 2023 as they enter their Senior Exhibition semester, Jarvis said “to not be afraid to reach out to other teachers and the committee members for help because that is what they are there for.” Overall, Michael Jarvis is not only a great person to have at Greenwood, but he loves working at Greenwood, and he feels that he was so lucky to end up working at his high school. His Greenwood education was so special because of his dedicated teachers, and he is humbled and pleased to be part of influencing “future Blue Jay generations.”
From a young age, Ms. Kathryn Gibson, one of Greenwood’s English and Journalism teachers, “learned to value words and the power they have.” The Springfield Catholic graduate received her bachelor’s and first master’s degree from the University of Missouri in Columbia; later receiving her second master’s degree from the University of New Hampshire. Ms. Gibson recalls that she “always loved to read and be able to escape into new worlds and new ideas,” which fueled her desire to become an English teacher and share with others the love that she has. Ms. Gibson has taught at several schools across the United States but her first teaching position was in Couch, Missouri. When reflecting on her time in Couch, Ms. Gibson shared that she had “students who lived down dirt roads in homes with plastic sheeting for windows and dirt floors.” She also recalled being, “invited to a ‘snake church’ where they used copperhead snakes and rattlesnakes during their religious services.” Ms. Gibson says that she has not had any Greenwood students in similar situations, for which she is grateful for.
On her days off, Ms. Gibson can be found watching movies, reading a good book, or playing with her dog and cats. She also plays the guitar and double bass and is learning how to play the handpan. Although she loves what she does, she thinks that her 10 year old self would be “shocked because I wanted to be at various times: an astronomer because I loved space and science fiction; a zoologist because I loved lions and read everything I could about them and had to always bug my parents to take us to the zoo to see them; and a veterinarian because I loved animals of all kinds – except snakes. I do not like snakes.” On behalf of Greenwood, we are very grateful that Ms. Gibson chose to become an English teacher and share her breath of knowledge with us all.
Greenwood Debate participated in one of the largest invitational tournaments of the year jointly hosted by Springfield Central and Glendale this past weekend. Over 35 schools participated from across Missouri – including several large schools from the Kansas City area – participated in the Springfield Winter Classic.
Jamie Alford continued to show that she is one of the state’s best performers in International Extemp – earning 4th place out of over 65 competitors in the event. Jamie also placed 3rd in Informative Speaking. She and her partner, Eleanor Hilotin, also won debates against Lee’s Summit West, Liberty, and North Kansas City before losing a close 2-1 decision against Willard in the quarterfinals. Jamie and Eleanor end their regular season with an impressive preliminary win-loss record of 18-2 on the year. Also advancing to semi-finals in large individual event fields were Mary Gabriel in US Extemp and Fatima Aslam in International Extemp.
The first-year competitors participated at Glendale High School and also proved very successful. Marcus Ryan and Ethan Duff dominated novice US Extemp with 1st and 2nd place, respectively. Marcus and Ethan also advanced to the semi-finals of novice Policy Debate. Also, Carys Argueta and Gabriel Parada placed fourth in novice Policy Debate. Amore Penella and Anna Le both advanced to semi-finals of individual events – Amore in Informative Speaking and Anna in International Extemp. The future of Greenwood Debate is looking brighter than ever!
Next up – several varsity students will compete in our last regular season competition which will be held at Rock Bridge High School in Columbia, MO this weekend.
Go Jays!
It’s time for the spring session of Girls on the Run at Greenwood! We are happy to announce our new partnership with Old Missouri Bank as a Visionary Program Sponsor, allowing Girls on the Run of SW MO to expand our program to two new Title 1 schools in 2023!
Girls on the Run empowers girls in 3rd - 6th grades to be the best version of themselves through movement, connection and confidence building.
Registration for our spring session ends February 15. To sign your girl up today, use the QR code or go to gotrswmo.org. We can’t wait to see your girl this spring! For questions, contact Amy Pinegar 417-839-2275.
Greenwood Laboratory School
Email: Greenwood@Missouristate.edu
Website: https://education.missouristate.edu/greenwood/
Location: 1024 East Harrison Street, Springfield, MO, USA
Phone: (417) 836-5124
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/greenwoodlab
