Well, as the 2025-26 academic year begins to unfold we find ourselves wading into Homecoming or as it has been known historically, "T-Week!" Monday night we crowned Grace Wol and Dain Richardson to rule over our festivities this week from a field of outstanding young men and women in the Royalty Court. Ten additional seniors were recognized for their Tanager Pride, citizenship and talents - academic and otherwise - to serve as Candleholders for the Royalty Court.

Representing the senior class in the Royalty Court were: Ladies: Thea Jennewein, Grace Wol, Elizabeth Fisher, Lydia Anderson, Delaney Smidt and Gentlemen: Gary Merkwan, Hunter Morse, Dain Richardson, Trey Hansen, and Sver Ansorge-Jepsen.

Also representing the senior class as Candleholders for the Court: Ladies: Brynn Shefl, Skylar Griese, Georgia Johnson, Katelyn Proefrock, Catie Naber, Gentlemen: Jacob Fischer, George Berninger, Isaac Mayrose, Devon Steckelberg, Wilson Jordre.

"T-Week" always brings about a week of fun and school spirit with lots of red and white, a fun theme, dress-up days (for students and staff), Volunteer Day activities on Wednesday, competitions between classes with the guys' Peachfuzz volleyball match and the gals' PowderPuff football game taking center stage on Thursday and the Class Olympics and Parade featured on Friday before the Homecoming football game against Madison rounds out our week at the Dome.

We hope everyone comes out and celebrates the Tanagers this week as we puff out our red-feathered chests and let the state know that we are the baddest, toughest and coolest seed-eating song birds in the state!

Jon

VHS seniors Caleb Chasing Hawk and Ryan Vitt were recently named National Merit Scholarship Semifinalists for 2026! Chasing Hawk and Vitt mark the sixth and seventh NMSC semifinalists for VHS in the last five years! With the opportunity to continue to compete for the Merit Scholarship award, the two seniors are now in competition for some 6,930 scholarships worth over $26 million dollars to be offered in the coming spring! With about 95% of the semifinalists expected to reach finalist status and about half of the finalists will earn the National Merit Scholarship and Merit Scholar title, we wish Caleb and Ryan the best of luck!

Its been a great start to the 2025-2026 school year! I would like to remind everyone of the importance of regular school attendance. Attendance plays a vital role in the success of every student. Good attendance not only ensures that students keep up with assignments, but it also helps them build essential habits that prepare them for life beyond school. Consistent attendance leads to stronger academic performance, positive social connections, and long-term success.

Even occasional absences can add up, creating gaps in learning and making it harder to stay on track. Research shows that students that attend regularly are more likely to achieve higher grades, graduate on time, and develop skills needed for post-secondary education and career readiness. Every day learning matters. Making attendance a priority is a team effort here at VHS. This is a vital role we play in students’ lives.

Once again, we want to draw your attention to these two apps as they will be important tools for parents and students at VHS!

The ParentSquare app will connect you to all communications at VHS and now, districtwide as all Vermillion School District buildings will be utilizing ParentSquare! The BIG BENEFIT of the ParentSquare app is that it will keep all of the school's communications in one, easy-to-find location - within the app. No more digging through an overfull personal email inbox for that one message the school sent a week ago! A quick check of the app and you've got it at your finger tips!

Students should likewise download the StudentSquare app from the Apple or Google Play stores, as appropriate for the very same reason!

The Infinite Campus Parent & Student apps will integrate even more with our schools now. While you can use them just as before, to check attendance and grades, now you can use the apps to communicate the need for a student absence or tardy, to find out what time your student checked into or out of school and your student will be able to request a hall or restroom pass directly in Campus from the app.

Founded in 1984, Science Olympiad is the premier team STEM competition in the nation, providing standards-based challenges to 6,700 teams at 425 tournaments in all 50 states. Locally, our students will have the opportunity to compete just down the street at USD. Science staff members Megan O'Connor and Libby Sykes will be organizing the team.

Educators Rising is a community-based movement from PDK International, in which chapters at schools feed teacher preparation programs at institutes of higher education with the support of State Departments of Education and local funders and foundations. These entities come together to provide a clear pathway to provide a solution for districts and high levels of teacher quality. Vermillion HS has received a PDK International/Educators Rising grant to kick off the school's involvement in this organization. VHS students will have the opportunity to be a part of Educators Rising through the Senior Internship Experience spearheaded by VHS Business teacher, Sara Rohde.

Participation in high school activities is one of the most powerful ways for students to strengthen both body and mind. Activities foster resilience, reduce stress, and build lifelong skills that support strong mental health.

Vermillion offers a wide range of activities for students. The demands of school and social pressures can be overwhelming. School activities are a natural outlet that can lower anxiety. Teamwork and a sense of belonging are a couple of the greatest mental health benefits. By encouraging balance, supporting participants, and celebrating efforts, we help develop the confidence and resilience our students need for success.

The Vermillion School District will be utilizing the Bound software program for its activities. This is comprehensive integrated software tailored for activity directors and schools. This was introduced to all schools in the state of South Dakota to unify scheduling, registration, ticketing, communication, and facility management. Most schools are transitioning to Bound from various other programs. This is an attempt to be more efficient and unify communication. However, we ask for some patience as we transition into this program. Expect some learning curves for all of us. We believe this will provide a better product for our activity programs in the end.

Vermillion Public Schools would also like to remind parents of yearly physical/consent forms required to participate in athletics. Each athlete must complete a physical before participation. Parents and students need to be aware of the Activities/Athletics handbook policy. Each student athlete will have the policy explained to them. Adult and Student activity tickets will be available at the high school, administration building, or at various sporting events. Cost for the activity tickets is $50.00 for adults and $25.00 for students. The Vermillion School District is offering a family activity pass for $120. (Card readers will be available for credit card use) If you have any questions, please call Vermillion High School. We look forward to a great 2025-2026 school year and GO, TANAGERS!

Dual credit classes are officially in progress, and we wanted to send out a few reminders to help everyone get off to a strong start.

Students will access their courses through D2L, the online learning platform used by the South Dakota Board of Regents. Grades are only available through D2L, so students will need to log in to view their progress and share that information with parents if needed. Please note that VHS counselors and administrators do not have access to grades for these college-level courses.

We strongly recommend that parents sit down with their student this week to confirm that they can access their course(s), view the syllabus, and understand where to find assignments and grades. This small step can help prevent major issues later in the semester.

Final grades are sent from the colleges at the end of the semester and will be added to students’ high school transcripts at that time. Each course will use the grading scale listed in the syllabus, so students should review that information right away to understand how their work will be evaluated.

If a student has concerns about their class or instructor, it’s their responsibility to communicate directly with the professor. Due to FERPA laws, college instructors usually can’t speak to parents unless a FERPA release form has been completed by the student. If a student is struggling, they should reach out to their professor as soon as possible. VHS counselors and administrators are happy to help students draft or review emails to instructors, but we cannot contact professors or institutions on the student’s behalf.

Keep in mind that dual credit grades do count toward VHS eligibility requirements. Poor academic performance may lead to the loss of UPP status or ineligibility for extracurriculars. A low or failing grade can also have long-term consequences, including:

If a course requires exams to be taken using a LockDown Browser, students must check out a compatible device from the VHS tech office. The devices students currently use will not work for these exams, so it’s important to plan ahead and check out the necessary equipment well before any exam deadlines.

Also, please remember that dual credit courses continue as scheduled, even during vacations, school trips, or absences. Students are still responsible for all assignments and deadlines. If they anticipate missing class or work, they must contact their instructor in advance. However, instructors may or may not grant extensions or alternate arrangements.

The following are due dates for the 2025-26 ACT testing dates:

Filling out the FAFSA can be a little overwhelming. But if you take the time to gather the information needed and then lean on the resources available to help, you will complete the application – and it will be easier than you think. Check out- https://ourdakotadreams.com/paying-for-college/financial-aid/completing-the-fafsa/ for more information. 

The FAFSA form must be submitted by 11:59 p.m. Central time (CT) on June 30, 2026. Any corrections or updates must be submitted by 11:59 p.m. CT on Sept. 12, 2026.

Each college and career/trade school may have its own deadline. Check with the school you’re interested in attending. You may also want to ask about the school’s definition of an application deadline. For example, the deadline could be the date your FAFSA form is processed or the date the school receives your processed FAFSA data.

The SD Opportunity Scholarship provides up to $7,500 over four years to a qualifying student who attends an eligible higher education institution in South Dakota. The scholarship is distributed at the beginning of fall semester and the other half is distributed at the beginning of the spring semester:

There are two ways a student can become eligible for the Opportunity Scholarship:

Option 2: (has a higher ACT requirement, but no curriculum or GPA requirement)