How Do We Compare?

 Japan's Elementary School Lunch

Chinese Elementary School

Nixa Schools - Education or Entertainment?

I'm 88 years old and on social security. Last year I gave 6 weeks of my benefits to Christian County for real estate taxes. Nixa Schools got 4-1/2 weeks as their share. I decided to take a look to see what I'm buying with my money. I don't mind telling you that I'm shocked. 

As you know, we rejected the freeze on assessed property values at the April 7 election. Ignorance or apathy? Who knows. Most people think our schools are wonderful. They tout the statistics Click Here, but they fail to tell you that out of fifty states plus the District of Columbia, Missouri is 39. Being first in a bunch of losers doesn't make you an actual winner.

I'd love to include photos in this post, but they're copyrighted. I hope you'll take time to click on the links to see the whole story.

My brother recently found a box of yearbooks in his garage. Some were my cousin's. One from Reed Jr. High 1949-1950 and one from Central High 1953. Back then, 7th, 8th, and 9th graders went to Jr. High, with 10th, 11th, and 12th in high school. 

Someone had told me that we had a LOT of coaches for Nixa Jr. High and Nixa High School. I decided to make a comparison. Since some coaches overlap between the two schools, I decided to add them together and likewise with Reed and Central.

Here's what I found:

Reed and Central: Students: 2,647 - Coaches 9 (who also teach) 

                                               1 coach for every 294 students

Nixa Jr. High and High: 2,949 - Coaches 97 Here's the Roster

                                                1 coach for every 30 students

Almost 10 times as many coaches now as in the past. Why?

Reed Jr. offered:

Boys Basketball

Boys and Girls Skating

Girls Pep Squad

Central High offered:

Football

Boys Basketball

Cross Country

Track

Boys Baseball

Golf

Tennis

Nixa Jr. for Boys:

Football

Cross Country

Wrestling

Basketball

Track

Bass Fishing

Cheerleading

Nixa Jr. for Girls:

Volleyball

Cross Country

Wrestling

Basketball

Track

Softball

Cheerleading

Nixa High for Boys:

Cross Country

Football

Soccer

Swim

Basketball

Wrestling

Bowling

Baseball

Golf

Tennis

Track

Volleyball

Bass Fishing

Cheerleading

Nixa High for Girls:

Cross Country 

Golf

Softball

Tennis

Volleyball

Basketball

Swimming

Wrestling

Bowling

Soccer

Track

Flag Football

Bass Fishing

Cheerleading

Reed Jr. High  3

Central High   7

Nixa Jr. High 14

Nixa High      28

Central High played basketball in the gymnasium where physical education classes were held. Football and track were played on the Drury College (now University) field which was a few blocks away.

According to the Nixa Schools Website, here are Nixa's facilities.

Nixa Athletic Facilities

Nixa High School Main Gym

Nixa High School Auxiliary Gym

Nixa High School Eagle Stadium

Nixa High School Wrestling Gym

Nixa High School Weight Room

Nixa High School Tennis Courts

Cross Country Track at Inman Intermediate

Nixa Baseball Field

Nixa Softball Field

Nixa Junior High Main Gym

Nixa Junior High Auxiliary Gym

Nixa Junior High Pyle Stadium

Here's the link - you can click on each one: Click Here. Some highlights:  

Weight Room Click Here  Tennis Courts Click Here Eagle Stadium Click Here

But that doesn't include the new 105,000 sq. ft. Apex Center at the High School: An indoor practice field with astro turf. You can see it on YouTube: Click Here.

Did you get that? The FIRST facility like this in Missouri. Cost: $18 million.

The school district recently purchased the Snyder Industrial Park to house the Operations Department, as well as Sodexo (building maintenance including custodial); Chartwell (Compass) food services; bus parking. AND -

"According to the Springfield Business Journal via Google:

Nixa Public Schools purchased the 20-acre former Snyder Equipment property (and an adjacent 5-acre tract) near Nicholas Road and Snyder Blvd for $4.6 million. The site, featuring 75,000 square feet across five buildings, is becoming a new district operations center to house tech services, food services, and future bus transport. 

• Location: Off Nicholas Road and Snyder Blvd, a half-mile north of Nixa High School.
• Purpose: The facility allows the district to move support departments to relieve overcrowding on school campuses.
• Capacity: The site includes 20 acres from Snyder Equipment and a 5-acre adjacent tract, totaling 25 acres with 75,000 square feet of building space.
• Future Use: In addition to operations, parts of the site will be used for Student Athletic Activities.
• Nixa Athletic Calendar

This does not include the sports classified as curriculum:

JROTC Leadership and Education Training LET1-2000 includes archery, rifle marksmanship, rappelling, raider, and drones.

 

Introduction to Robotics - 8935 which I approve, but at the college level. This class  includes an aerial drone competition and a VEX robotics competition. The VEX kits for competition starter kits are $1,285; competition kits are $2,150. Does each student need an individual kit? What about the drones?

eSports is listed as a club, but it meets in the library Monday through Thursday from 2:30 to 5:30. Facilitators are Scott Dunn, Hannah Martin, and Ryan Burnside; all listed as teachers. Since the club meets after school hours, do the teachers get extra pay. Nixa schools now use Career Ladder. And according to the March board meetings, Elizabeth Tiller is a team leader. She is listed under Staff as Teacher.

eSports are video games: Overwatch, Valorant, Rocket League, Apex Legends, Super Smash Bros, and Marvel Rivals are the names of the games.

Yes, we pay for the equipment In May, 2022, Springfield schools paid $59,520 for 60 laptops and related equipment to add eSports in the high schools.

Financial Information:

Fund Balance Information and more

Disbursements 

Expenditures 

Income

Enrollment 

NEF Grants

Bond Projects Click on YouTube for the Jr. High Theater, etc.

Scroll down for other projects. Main items -

District Technology: Smart Boards

    Google: A SMART Board is an interactive whiteboard that acts as a large, touch-sensitive display, connecting to a computer and projector to allow users to control applications, write notes, and manipulate content directly on the screen. It enables collaborative, hands-on learning in classrooms and interactive presentations in business environments. 

District Safety: Fencing. What is that at Inman?

District Operations: More on this elsewhere, but a full kitchen, including a dishwasher?

High Pointe and Summit: Track paved. Is running on pavement bad for you?

Espy: Playground equipment replaced. More dangerous? What's in background?

Espy and JTSD: Pavement for picking up students. 

School Buses: Added 1 new bus and 5 buses. Enrollment dropping.

High Pointe and Summit Storm Shelters: Do they have them at home? Are they going to add them to all of the buildings? I couldn't find a record of a Nixa student being injured by a storm while at school in the past.

 

Media Center: What is it?

Journalism: OMG

Greenhouse: Do we really need one this big?

Birdhouse: Renovations. 

From Nixa Journalism

From the Bird House

FACS: New kitchen. We used to call this Home Ec, and it sure didn't look like this.

Employee Fitness Studio. They can't use what the kids use?

Nixa Journalism 

Quick News TV with archives

Nixa Podcasts Including Learning with Loden The Superintendent

March Board Meeting Board Meeting recaps are shown here. or you can access the videos on their website www.nixapublicschools.net/schoolboard or Board Meeting Archives 

Staff entire district in one list

Aetos Center

S.C.O.R.E Second Chance Of Receiving an Education More on SCORE

Nixa Health Clinics Clinics at High School, Jr. High, Faught Administration, and ELC; also a roaming member who can visit the other schools if time available. This service is for students, teachers, staff members, and staff dependents.

One Nixa Paid classes for the public held at Faught Administration

Salary Schedules  185 days

A Quick Hello

My least favorite month is August. It's always hot and sticky and I lost my mother, my oldest brother, and my son in August. Though my mother died in 1972, it still saddens me on the 22nd. My brother left in 2020, and I lost my son the following year. 

My accomplishments added up to zero for the month. I criticize people who retire and then sit around and watch TV, but that's exactly the way I've been acting. No more. Pity party is over.

My downsizing came to a halt, only managing to discard one set of dishes. I did a lazy lunch for my brother and nephew. Notice the bottles on the unironed tablecloth, and I didn't do any better with the food.

Make your own Caesar salad.

Pork steak and applesauce, baked potatoes (add your own toppings,) frozen mixed vegetables, Sister Shubert rolls (also from frozen), iced tea (purchased in jugs,) and Marie Callender's frozen chocolate something. 

I took the set of dishes, 4 placemats, 4 napkins, and 4 napkin rings to the thrift store, but then I bought all of this. I'm losing the downsizing challenge, but I only spent $13.60.

Of course, Pepper claimed it as his own.

The books were 25 cents each.

I thought Mim would like this.

I read Alexandra Stoddard's books in the past, so this was like running into an old friend. Her suggestions are inspiring, plus there are lots of fun pencil drawings.

Three gardening books; will I ever get my yard spruced up?

The one which says "House Plants" is actually a really thick loose-leaf binder, so I can remove pages if I wish. Lots of categories; not just house plants.

Plus a Southern Living outdated book on Quick Decorating.

The magazines were 10 cents each. A real find. Eleven Discover Britain.

Niece Sarah and Husband Josh are going to Yellowstone next year, and this magazine is perfect and also includes Grand Tetons. The two fishing mags are for Brother Bill.

There's also a Better Homes and Garden and an Ideals.

Eight new napkins for $3.00

A like-new tablecloth for $3.00, a kitchen towel and a guest towel for 75 cents each. I think I'm yearning for fall.

A notebook with more than 100 plastic sheet protectors for $2.00. At Walmart, sheet protectors are $2.97 for 25 and a 3" binder is $11.94. Woo hoo!

The four serving spoons were 25 cents each. I always run out of them when I'm cooking a lot.

My trip to the thrift store inspired me to do more shopping so I went to Michael's, looking for a sunflower wreath. They have one online, so I thought perhaps there would be one in the store. Nope, but I did buy all these tulips for $8. What am I going to do with them? Don't know yet, but at 80% off, I'll figure out something. I think I know how to use the white ones, but spring is a long way off, so no rush.

Then I headed to Home Goods, looking for a wreath and some crocks to hold kitchen utensils. I found this wreath for $16 - the one from Michaels was $40, but much nicer. However, I do have sunflowers in my garage stash, so I can add to this one.

I also found one crock. It's rather nice - hand painted. I think it's larger than the plain white ones at Walmart which cost the same - $10. I want to make my kitchen more practical, and getting those large spoons, ladles, and spatulas, etc. out of the drawer will help.

Then wonder of wonders, I found a chest to go in front of my desk. I've searched and searched the web, and it was waiting right here all the time. 

This is the first thing I see when I walk into my office, and without something to hide them, I see all the chair legs and whatever I've stored under the desk.

I was using this basket of fake plants, but it gets so dusty, and Stormy is always messing with it. Now I have something easier to maintain, plus extra storage.

Jill told me she saw Gorilla glue sticks at Hobby Lobby, so that was my next stop, thinking they might have some crocks as well. The wreaths I make keep falling apart, so I thought Gorilla might be the answer. 

But - I didn't know where to look and there was NO ONE working the floor to ask. I finally gave up. The fall decor is 40% off right now, so I picked up a few paper goods items and checked out. I asked the cashier why there was no help, and she said that the schedule is planned so that it's top heavy, with most people scheduled for the top of the day and tapering off in the late afternoon. I think I was there about 4:30 or 5:00. Don't go there after 4:00 if you need help finding something. I think that's when the shift changes.

My last stop was Gabe's. I walked out empty handed. They have very few items other than clothes now. Quick stop. Won't be going there again.

I never tire of this YouTube vlog on how Trump will never be president; too funny  Click Here 

Time to regroup. Tomorrow is Monday, the first of the month, and the first day of autumn on the Patsy calendar. A good time to reset.

No more whining. Time for me to remember how fortunate I am, looking for a blessing every single day.

HAPPY LABOR DAY

BACK TO SCHOOL TIME

WE'RE NEVER TOO OLD TO LEARN

TRY YOUTUBE UNIVERSITY

STILL TIME FOR A DAY TRIP

OR TREAT YOURSELF TO A NICE LUNCH OUT

I'VE MISSED BLABBING TO YOU

THANK YOU FOR SHARING MY LIFE

Disney World on $50 or Less

I've been to Disney World twice, but I've never finished World Showcase at Epcot. It's been on my bucket list for years. At 87, I don't feel I should travel alone any longer. I don't think I'm going to be mugged or worse; but what if I drop dead, and there's no one there to pick up the pieces?

Problem solved - Nephew Will has agreed to go with me. We're shooting for November, 2026. Disney World has changed a lot since I was there. They've added two parks - Animal Kingdom and Hollywood Studios - and Disney Springs was just a tiny little shopping area for buying Disney products, but is now almost another park.

It's all very confusing now with 20+ hotels, lightning lanes to bypass long lines, apps on your phone for reserving rides or meals, meal plans for a one-time price, four festivals a year, after hours parties, early entry, extended hours, parades, free shuttle from the airport eliminated. A visit definitely needs time to plan, AND I need to lose twenty pounds, get on a walking plan to build stamina, and find just the right shoes.

Will came over to take a look at Ancestry and where I've worked on the family tree, as he plans to take over and work on his mom's branch. While he was here, we started looking at YouTube videos by searching "Disney World." This is when I knew we had a lot to learn. I called DW to see if they would mail me the brochures they hand out at each park. No. Well, duh! If you can't plan ahead, it's practically worthless at this point. I asked if I could buy them. No. I called Auto Club as I knew they specialize in Disney packages. No brochures. Then I found them on ebay. I bought us each a pack - all four parks plus Disney Springs for $2.12 each, including postage. They turned out to be 2024, but we'll need new ones in 2026 anyway. Disney World is constantly changing. 

Each brochure has a map of that park.

Then you can choose areas in that park.

And each has an explanation of the area, all color coded.

Plus a legend to answer even more questions.

Now I could finally get organized. I knew I wanted to eat the authentic Cobb salad at The Brown Derby in Hollywood Studios. I wanted to taste the dressing so I could see if the copycat recipes were authentic, and I wanted to see if they actually served it in DW. I went to YouTube and searched "Brown Derby."

Here's what I discovered by watching vlogs on YouTube:

The Cobb salad was originated by Bob Cobb (one of the owners) when a patron came in after going to the dentist and couldn't chew well. The salad is chopped iceberg, bacon, turkey, bleu cheese, hardboiled eggs, and tomatoes. This is my version I've been using.

TRUE COBB SALAD

Lettuce
Turkey (or chicken)
Bacon
Hard-boiled eggs
Tomatoes
Bleu Cheese (or Monterey Jack if you don’t care for Bleu cheese)
 
Salad dressing: (Makes a lot, but good on other salads)
1 cup water
1/2 cup white wine vinegar
1/2 tsp sugar
1 Tbs salt
1-1/2 tsps pepper
1-1/2 tsps Worcestershire sauce
1-1/2 tsps dry mustard
3 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 cup olive oil
1-1/2 cups salad oil

Finely chop all ingredients except vinaigrette.
 
Arrange in a circle of wedges, or in a circle of stripes.
 
Serve with the salad dressing on the side.
 
When served, dress the salad and mix it on the plate, or transfer the chopped ingredients to a salad bowl, dress, toss, and serve.
 

Nope. It was chopped much finer, and when tossed, looked like something that had already been eaten once. Then in one video it was described as having a French vinaigrette. Then I saw one before it was tossed, and the dressing looked like a creamy vinaigrette.

I also learned from a video that a movie star came in and complained that she was on a diet and couldn't have dessert, and why couldn't they come up with a diet dessert. It was during the time when the Grapefruit Diet was all the rage, so the Grapefruit Cake was born as a joke. The video showed it, and I immediately wanted a piece. Today I discovered this because I subscribed to a blog called DisneyFoodBlog.com Click Here I can make my own. I no longer need to eat at The Brown Derby. 

As you know, I was once a bookkeeper, so I have to be balanced and organized. I started with Epcot Center. I started with a spiral-bound notebook and started by listing the first item in the brochure by number (there are 87) and name. Over to the far right I made columns for Yes and No, and if I really want to see it, it gets a double X. Then I would search for it on YouTube. 

An amazing number of people have vlogs on YouTube, and most amazing of all, they have the complete rides videoed. In my wildest dreams I would not have believed that Disney would allow this, but there they are. Some are even overkill by showing you how to get there by starting at the Epcot entrance. There are even videos about the snack stands, the coffee stands, etc. 

So here's the scoop: If you have voice-activated search on your TV or viewing device, you only need the guides. You can even order 2025 right now for $2.47. Click Here 

If you don't have a voice-activated method for viewing YouTube, I'd suggest purchasing a Roku at Walmart which will cost about $45 with tax; too much trouble searching by typing. So there you go - $50 or less. It's not the same, but if you choose not to go in person but would love to check it out, this is a wonderful substitute.

You can also use an online map with clickable numbers, but I find it too cumbersome. This is located on the Disney World website. For such a professional company, I find their website very user unfriendly.

If you're a foodie, you'll love searching the YouTube restaurant vlogs. They tell all, including the prices and seeing the food is great entertainment so far as I'm concerned. 

After I finish the brochures, I'll start working on searching the hotels (also fun just to see them, as they're themed), and then explore the transportation systems: bus, monorail, skyliner (those modules hanging from an overhead cable,) and watercraft (boats and ferries.) There are also two waterparks which Will might like. Then we need airline searches and transfers to and from the park. I also need to figure out how to program everything on my phone or wristband (cheaper if you buy them from Amazon instead of Disney.) Your phone or wristband will store your room key, park tickets, lightning lane reservations, restaurant reservations, etc. 

A personal observation: If Walt could visit his World today, I think he would be sorely disappointed. He wanted it to be The Happiest Place on Earth; not The Most Profitable Place on Earth. Everything has an upcharge. The only free things I've found are the brochures when you enter (one to a customer,) water, and transporatation between parks and Disney hotels. There are places to fill your water bottle, or you can go to most fast food stands or restaurants and request a cup of water. I haven't found the answer yet, but probably the restrooms are still free. The room, food, and drink prices are about double what you'd pay anywhere else. The park tickets have always been expensive, but worth the price in the past.

Most distressing though would be the emphasis on food and drink. And alcoholic drinks?! Walt would not be happy. Disney is supposed to be a family place. I know people have to eat, but food seems to be more important than the rides now. 

I lived in California for years and spent many happy hours at Disneyland. The Magic Kingdom at DW is almost identical - just more spread out because they had the land where they could. Nothing much has changed in all these years. 

The added Animal Kingdom and Hollywood Studios parks seem to be getting big makeovers, which tells me they've not been very successful. Thrill rides seem to be taking the place of animatronics rides. Imagination and technical innovation have been replaced by Michelin stars, celebrity chefs, and character meet and greets.

Oh, well. I'm showing my age. Times change. There's still some magic at DW. I hope you'll try a virtual tour. You might be surprised.

I've spent the week playing DW, and haven't accomplished a thing. I made two recipes which were not worth saving:

Jambalaya

And Frozen Fruit Salad

Then I made "Canned" Soup which I might keep, as it makes a lot if you need to feed a crowd.

“CANNED” SOUP

1 lb. ground beef, browned and drained OR 1 lb. hot dogs, sliced
1 cup chopped onion
1 can Hormel chili without beans
1 can pinto beans
1 can great northern beans
1 can black beans
1 can corn
1 can diced tomatoes
1 can Rotel
 
Brown the meat and onions in a large pot. Drain if using ground beef.
 
Drain the can of corn and add it to the pot.
 
Do NOT drain all the other cans. Add all to the pot.
 
Mix well and simmer 25-30 minutes.
 
Serve with tortilla chips and shredded Monterey Jack cheese.
 

And if you're wondering why I'm showing you photos of food from recipes I'm discarding, I just wanted to show you I did SOMETHING last week. I also went to lunch twice. Will took me to the NLA Cafe when he came by to check out Ancestry, and I took him to lunch at Cedars to give him the brochures when they arrived so he can start his own research.

So back to work, and I probably will take a blogging break for awhile to catch up.

My perpetual calendar today:

And I've added, "And your dreams could be your future."

FOLLOW YOUR DREAMS

TAKE A VACATION, REAL OR VIRTUAL

KEEP COOL DURING THESE HOT DAYS

LOTS OF SALADS

AND WATERMELON

AND ICED TEA

THANK YOU FOR SHARING MY LIFE