West Liberty-Salem Local School District

The WL-S Boys and Girls Swim Teams are off to a great start to the season. Last week, The Tigers competed in two meets. The results are below. December 3rd at Home meet at Champaign County YMCA VS Jonathon Alder, Shawnee, Fairbanks, Graham, Urbana, and London. West Liberty-Salem Lady Tigers: Lydia Schmidt - 100 Freestyle - 01:08.62 - 1st Place (20pts) - 50 Butterfly - 41.96 - 4th Place (15pts) Laney Craig - 100 Freestyle - 01:25.71 - 8th Place (11pts) - 50 Freestyle - 39.31 - 12th Place (7pts) Aylivia Miller - 50 Freestyle - 34.78 - 8th Place (12.5pts) The Lady Tigers finished with 65.5 pts to finish 5th overall. West Liberty-Salem Tigers: Kam Hissong - 50 Freestyle - 25.74 - 1st Place (20pts) - 50 Butterfly - 28.12 - 2nd Place (17pts) The lone Tiger swimmer brought home 37 points to finish 5th overall. The Tigers combined for 102.5 points to finish 5th overall. On Saturday, December 7th, WLS took on 12 teams at the Trotwood Sprint Invite. West Liberty-Salem Swimming Tigers: Kam Hissong - 100 Freestyle - 59.02 - 7th Place (12pts) 50 Backstroke - 30.18 - 1st Place (20pts) The lone Tiger secured 32 points for a 10th place finish. West Liberty-Salem Lady Swimming Tigers: Aylivia Miller - 50 Freestyle - 35.68 - 19th Place 50 Butterfly - 43.16 - 10th Place (7pts) Lydia Schmidt - 100 Freestyle - 1:10.97 - 7th Place (12pts) 50 Butterfly - 36.75 - 7th Place (12pts) Lady Swimming Tigers combined for 31 points and an 11th place finish. The Tiger team as a whole finished the day with 63 points and a 12th place overall finish. WL-S swimmers travel to Wittenberg Natatorium in Springfield for the Kenton Ridge Invitational on Saturday, December 14th. Pictured are Kamden has set to school records this season in 50 Free: 25.62 and 100 Free 59.02, Aylivia Miller in 50 Butterfly, and Lydia Schmidt takes off in 100 Free on December 3rd.

Dahlia Sokolow claimed first place and completed a gold sweep at the American Open Finals. She set new Ohio State records, surpassing her own previous records with a 51kg Snatch, a 64kg Clean and Jerk, and a 115kg total. Dahlia concluded the 2024 season with first place finishes at all three national competitions.

Our high school girls' and boys' basketball teams have been working with the Little Dribblers in preparation for two exciting performances! The Little Dribblers have been learning key basketball fundamentals such as dribbling, shooting, and passing, and they will showcase these skills in a fun halftime show at upcoming games. You can catch a performance during halftime of the girls' JV and Varsity games on Saturday, December 14th, and at halftime of the boys' JV and Varsity games on Tuesday, December 17th. Come out to see all they've learned and stay to enjoy the games!

Get ready for an action-packed week for the Tigers! Here's a peek of what's coming up this week!

Members of our high school choir and show choir performed at the West Liberty Opera House this evening kicking off their Christmas season. They sang beautifully to accompany the village happenings including the Christmas Tour of Homes and Businesses. Thank you to the West Liberty Business Association for the invite!

Mrs. Leichty, MS Guidance Counselor, is teaching lessons on gratitude in our middle school! During the lesson, she asked students to write a note of gratitude to a teacher or staff member who made a difference in their lives. Chance Harman, a 6th grader, chose his kindergarten teacher Mrs. McNabb. He shared that she was always so kind to him and the other students and that kindness has stuck with him through his years at WL-S! What a great lesson during the holiday season! Keep it up, Middle schoolers! And thanks for making an impact, Mrs. McNabb!

Hello Families, This is Kraig Hissong, Superintendent, with a reminder that tomorrow, Friday, December 6th, students will be on a scheduled, two-hour delay to allow for staff meetings and professional development. School will start at 9:40 for MS and HS and 9:45 for the elementary.

Hello, this is Kraig Hissong, Superintendent, calling to notify all WLS families that due to slick road conditions, WLS will be on a 2-hour Delay for Thursday, December, 5th. School will start at 9:40 for the MS and HS and 9:45 for the Elementary. Thank you.

Congratulations to our November Middle School Students of the Month! Students are nominated and voted on by their teachers for being great students and awesome leaders! The following students were named: 8th Grade: Karlee Lucas & Brandel Sullivan 7th Grade: Kayla Schwaderer & Josh Collins 6th Grade: Natalie Arthur & Michael Beard

WLS has 20 extra yearbooks from the 2023-2024 school year available for purchase! They’re $45 each (cash or check made payable to WLS), and it's first-come, first-serve—so act fast! To snag your copy, stop by the front office or email Mrs. Cotrell at alcotrell@wlstigers.org. Stay tuned for more details later this year on how to order your 2024-2025 yearbook! The office also has a limited selection of yearbooks from previous years. Contact the office if you are interested.

The PTO's Santa Shop is open, and the shelves are stacked with holiday magic and every item comes with a sprinkle of Christmas cheer! It’s like walking into the North Pole without leaving West Liberty-Salem! Students have one more day to shop for treasured gifts for family and loved ones!

Braving the bitter cold was no challenge for our athletes! A group of high school athletes from various sports looked festive and full of spirit as they rode in style during the Christmas in the Village parade. Leading the way for Santa, the WLSAA float was a beautiful display of both Christmas cheer and school pride!

Dahlia Sokolow, age group 13 and under, is a force to be reckoned with, reigning as the #1 weightlifter in the United States in the 64kg weight class. On December 5th at 6 PM, she takes the stage at the American Open Finals in Arizona, the finale for the prestigious national title. Her domination this year has been nothing short of spectacular—sweeping gold in the snatch, clean and jerk, and total at the Ohio State Championships, the Arnold Classic, and the National Youth Championship! Dahlia is ready to add another victory to her already impressive list and we are all rooting for her! Best of luck, Dahlia!

This morning, a group of our high school cheerleaders spread holiday cheer alongside Santa at the Opera House! They served up festive cookies, steaming hot chocolate, and juice, creating a magical atmosphere for the children who gathered to meet Santa.

🏈🏆 Let's give a warm welcome back to the Tigers at West Liberty-Salem TONIGHT! The buses are expected to arrive around 11:20 PM. Please gather along the south entrance off Route 68 to cheer on the Tigers as they celebrate an incredible season! 🏆🏈

What a nice feature about coaches and families dedicated to serving our students and athletes. https://www.springfieldnewssun.com/sports/were-blessed-to-be-together-mcgill-jarzab-families-leading-wls-football/P42UWHD3X5A4FKCIPW4S7ZNBX4/?fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAR3g1XX2XVJm2tRaODSjKB0iQnPKd-5LZrew7g3wWSjghn_jjHSuZqwAOXo_aem_KrA0sAPQ7cXJM9jAMztR_A

Details for Friday! We invite the community to join us at WL-S to send off the football team on Friday at 2:50 PM. We will meet at the south entrance. Bring your signs, school spirit, and noise makers! We would also encourage anyone in Urbana to park at The Airport Cafe, Theresa's Gingerbread House (just south of White's Ford), or the Community Building (south 68 at the edge of town), line the street and wish them luck as they head south! The busses officially leave the school at 3:00. If you live along 68, you could also put signs in your yard if you can't join us! Game information: West Liberty-Salem vs Ironton State semifinals at Chillicothe HS Tickets are available via cash at the gate or at the link below: ohsaa.org/tickets Adults $15 Students $10 Gates open at 5:30 PM Parking is $5, cash only Spectators use the entrance at 409 Stacey Rd Chillicothe, OH Or 345 Arch St Chillicothe, OH Parking is not plentiful so arrive early or overflow parking is available on the street. Go Tigers!

The National Honor Society recently hosted its annual blood drive in collaboration with Community Blood Centers. Thirteen faculty members and 31 students and staff registered to donate, resulting in the collection of 24 units of blood—120% of the drive's goal. These donations will help save 72 lives! First grade teacher Jenny Patton (pictured) has donated blood five times through the WL-S NHS blood drives. Great work, West Liberty-Salem students and staff!

Good afternoon WL-S Families. Today our staff and students participated in a barricade drill. We practice and discuss this drill in individual classrooms to help understand appropriate steps to take in our district safety plan. We encourage you to talk to your students about what they learned and practiced.

The Grinch popped in for a visit! Mrs. Cordell's class watched The Grinch today, and after the movie had a run in with the mean one himself! Students were hesitant to share their wishlists with him after the movie and his mischievous thievery was still so fresh in their minds! One student even exclaimed, "Don't steal my Christmas, Grinch!"