The third round of The Amazing Shake took place yesterday morning, and our students rose to the challenge once again! 👏
21 students competed in three different activities designed to develop and measure their communication, collaboration, and leadership skills:
🔹 Work the Room Challenge – students carried on impromptu conversations with judges
🔹 Circle of Doom Challenge – students participated in small-group discussions on a variety of topics
🔹 Action-Based Teamwork Challenge – students worked as a team to solve challenges.
Each round gave students the opportunity to practice real-world communication skills while demonstrating confidence, professionalism, and teamwork.
Congratulations to all of our participants, and a special congratulations goes to Tommy Heintzelman, Camila Ortega-Munoz, and Rikki Sattler for advancing to the final round! 🎉 The remainder of the top 10 included Ainsley Smith, Bryson Reynolds, Caroline Bennett, Daksha Guggllilam, Lilybeth Mimbs, Lydia Kramer, and Thalia Anderson.
Good luck in the finals, Tommy, Camila, and Rikki!
21 students competed in three different activities designed to develop and measure their communication, collaboration, and leadership skills:
🔹 Work the Room Challenge – students carried on impromptu conversations with judges
🔹 Circle of Doom Challenge – students participated in small-group discussions on a variety of topics
🔹 Action-Based Teamwork Challenge – students worked as a team to solve challenges.
Each round gave students the opportunity to practice real-world communication skills while demonstrating confidence, professionalism, and teamwork.
Congratulations to all of our participants, and a special congratulations goes to Tommy Heintzelman, Camila Ortega-Munoz, and Rikki Sattler for advancing to the final round! 🎉 The remainder of the top 10 included Ainsley Smith, Bryson Reynolds, Caroline Bennett, Daksha Guggllilam, Lilybeth Mimbs, Lydia Kramer, and Thalia Anderson.
Good luck in the finals, Tommy, Camila, and Rikki!
Congrats to Lilly for her Positive Behavior Referral!
#BeABlackKnight
📍Stay Informed with Knights in the Know
The Knights in the Know signs are on the move! If you are out for a walk or drive on the following streets and see our signs, scan the QR code to sign up for our once-monthly email newsletter so you can stay in the know regarding what is happening in our district:
Byrnwyck Drive 🏡
White Birch Drive 🌳
Hollow Tree Drive 🌲
Magnolia Drive 🌸
Turnberry Drive 🏡
If you would rather join here, visit https://mailchi.mp/vbschools/sign-up-for-knights-in-the-know today!
The Knights in the Know signs are on the move! If you are out for a walk or drive on the following streets and see our signs, scan the QR code to sign up for our once-monthly email newsletter so you can stay in the know regarding what is happening in our district:
Byrnwyck Drive 🏡
White Birch Drive 🌳
Hollow Tree Drive 🌲
Magnolia Drive 🌸
Turnberry Drive 🏡
If you would rather join here, visit https://mailchi.mp/vbschools/sign-up-for-knights-in-the-know today!
Congrats to James, Miles, & Natalie for their Positive Behavior Referrals!
#BeABlackKnight
💪 Empowering the Next Generation: VB ROX!
The ROX (Ruling Our eXperiences) program at VB is making a powerful impact on our students by focusing on the education, safety, and empowerment of girls. Founded in 2006 at The Ohio State University, this evidence-based initiative has reached over 50,000 girls nationwide.
Since Middle School Principal Mrs. Jenn Barrett and MS/HS Counselor Mrs. Allison Limes introduced the program to VB in 2022, they have built a community of 30 ROX alumnae. This year, Mrs. Barrett and Mrs. Limes expanded the program to include both 6th and 7th graders, with eight girls meeting weekly for 20 sessions. These meetings, covering topics like healthy communication, cyber safety, body image, and leadership, were all designed to help girls navigate the unique pressures of being a teenager today.
To ensure the highest quality of mentorship, Mrs. Barrett and Mrs. Limes underwent an extensive three-day training and participate in regular refreshers every three years. We are proud to offer this life-changing experience completely free of charge to our students, as the program is fully funded by grants. While students must apply to participate, the goal remains steadfast: to foster generations of confident girls who control their own relationships, decisions, and futures.
We look forward to continuing this tradition at VB for years to come and appreciate the involvement of our students and staff! ✨
The ROX (Ruling Our eXperiences) program at VB is making a powerful impact on our students by focusing on the education, safety, and empowerment of girls. Founded in 2006 at The Ohio State University, this evidence-based initiative has reached over 50,000 girls nationwide.
Since Middle School Principal Mrs. Jenn Barrett and MS/HS Counselor Mrs. Allison Limes introduced the program to VB in 2022, they have built a community of 30 ROX alumnae. This year, Mrs. Barrett and Mrs. Limes expanded the program to include both 6th and 7th graders, with eight girls meeting weekly for 20 sessions. These meetings, covering topics like healthy communication, cyber safety, body image, and leadership, were all designed to help girls navigate the unique pressures of being a teenager today.
To ensure the highest quality of mentorship, Mrs. Barrett and Mrs. Limes underwent an extensive three-day training and participate in regular refreshers every three years. We are proud to offer this life-changing experience completely free of charge to our students, as the program is fully funded by grants. While students must apply to participate, the goal remains steadfast: to foster generations of confident girls who control their own relationships, decisions, and futures.
We look forward to continuing this tradition at VB for years to come and appreciate the involvement of our students and staff! ✨
Think First: Encouraging Responsible Decisions Behind the Wheel
Our juniors and seniors recently attended a powerful mock crash demonstration along with other Hancock County students at the fairgrounds. With events like prom, graduation, and summer just around the corner, this experience highlighted the real-life consequences of impaired and distracted driving, reminding our students to make safe choices not only on the nights of these big events but every time they get behind the wheel.
We want to thank seniors Brookanne Busch, David Cavera, Chance Frey, Ginny Lewandowski, Sawyer Moore, Tyler Price, and Aubrey Scherf for acting in the event; School Resource Officer Deputy Matt Crouch for coordinating the event; and all the other first responders who played a role in creating this experience for our students.
If you would like to learn more about this experience for our students, you can read an article about the event from Saturday’s edition of The Courier: https://mynewsonthego.com/courier/Reader/Story.aspx?id=fdc174f1-f1f2-4a9a-af3f-1cb69e1f4d78.
(Pictures courtesy of Sgt. Tom Miller of the Hancock County Sheriff’s Office)
More Positive Behavior Referrals!
#BeABlackKnight
How does being bilingual help a speech-language pathologist? In the latest Joust About Careers episode, 2018 VB graduate Lydia Reineke answers that question and many more.
In episode 113, Lydia shares how she is in the career field she chose to pursue during her junior year of high school, why she decided to double-major in Speech and Hearing Science and Spanish and how she uses both of those majors today, why she decided to earn her master’s degree at Arizona State University, and much more.
To watch on YouTube, visit bit.ly/JoustAboutCareers. To listen on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or other podcast platforms, search Joust About Careers.
Have a great week!
In episode 113, Lydia shares how she is in the career field she chose to pursue during her junior year of high school, why she decided to double-major in Speech and Hearing Science and Spanish and how she uses both of those majors today, why she decided to earn her master’s degree at Arizona State University, and much more.
To watch on YouTube, visit bit.ly/JoustAboutCareers. To listen on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or other podcast platforms, search Joust About Careers.
Have a great week!
More Positive Behavior Referrals!
#BeABlackKnight
Congrats to Everly for her Positive Behavior Referral!
#BeABlackKnight
Join our team for the 2026-2027 school year as a High School Paraprofessional! Learn more here: vbschools.net/page/employment
📬 Want to stay connected to Van Buren Schools?
The Knights in the Know signs are back! If you live on McKinley, Fairfield, or Elwood Street, look for the signs in your neighborhood, scan the QR code, and sign up to receive our monthly email newsletter.
Want to just sign up here?
🔗 https://mailchi.mp/vbschools/sign-up-for-knights-in-the-know.
Congrats to Noah for his Positive Behavior Referral!
#BeABlackKnight
Building Connections & Character at VB!
Part of our mission is to help students build connections, and senior Sadie Thorla-Lopez is doing just that. After approaching high school guidance counselor Mrs. Holli Sattler with an idea, Sadie added a heartfelt twist to last Friday’s Buddy Reads. 📖✨
In addition to the elementary and high school students spending time reading together during Buddy Reads, they created personalized cards to show their appreciation for our dedicated custodians and maintenance staff. To brighten their days, Sadie then transformed those cards into collages she is hanging in our buildings.
We focus on helping students become more respectful, responsible, and resilient every day. Thank you, Sadie, and all of our students, for leading with kindness and helping us remember daily how important our facilities team is to our Black Knight family! 🖤🧡
Part of our mission is to help students build connections, and senior Sadie Thorla-Lopez is doing just that. After approaching high school guidance counselor Mrs. Holli Sattler with an idea, Sadie added a heartfelt twist to last Friday’s Buddy Reads. 📖✨
In addition to the elementary and high school students spending time reading together during Buddy Reads, they created personalized cards to show their appreciation for our dedicated custodians and maintenance staff. To brighten their days, Sadie then transformed those cards into collages she is hanging in our buildings.
We focus on helping students become more respectful, responsible, and resilient every day. Thank you, Sadie, and all of our students, for leading with kindness and helping us remember daily how important our facilities team is to our Black Knight family! 🖤🧡
Congrats to Chelsea for her Positive Behavior Referral!
#BeABlackKnight
Congrats to our April Knights of the Round Table!
#BeABlackKnight
#BeABlackKnight
Congrats to Abram for his Positive Behavior Referral! Also a big thanks to our lunch monitors Bev, Candy, and Heidi for all their help during lunches and recess times!
#BeABlackKnight
Congrats to our Tell-A-Tale contest winners, Dakota in 1st and Gavin & Isaac in 5th!
#BeABlackKnight
Congrats to to Christina for her Positive Behavior Referral!
#BeABlackKnight
Congrats to our March Knights of the Round Table!
#BeABlackKnight
