Red Willow County School Districts
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SOUTHWEST PUBLIC SCHOOLS
Mission Statement-“United We Educate” Our wish is to develop responsible, life-long learners through a progressive, quality education. This district, in cooperation with family and community, will provide a flexible and varied educational program committed to excellence. Students will become empowered to become productive and contributing members of a global society.Danbury and Lebanon School Districts combined their students at the beginning of the 1958-1959 school year to form the Beaver Valley School District.The Indianola and the Red Willow School Districts met as a combined school district on June 26, 1969 to hold the first school board meeting for the newly formed Republican Valley School District. Beginning with the 1969-1970 school year, students combined to form the Republican Valley Schools.The Wilsonville School District combined with the Beaver Valley School District on September 1, 1983. An elementary attendance center remained in Wilsonville until the mid-90’s.The Bartley and Beaver Valley School Districts officially became the Twin Valley School District on March 1, 1997. An elementary attendance center remained at the building in Danbury with Junior-Senior High students combining for the 1997-1998 school year in Bartley.The Marion School District decided to close the doors of their K-8 district and combine with the Twin Valley District on August 1, 1998 following state legislation ruling Class I school districts affiliate with a kindergarten-grade twelve district.The Twin Valley and Republican Valley School districts legally merged on August 1, 2003 following a majority vote of the patrons of both districts on March 25, 2003 to issue bonds to build a new building in Bartley and merge both districts. The Twin Valley fourth grade students were transported to the Republican Valley Elementary School in Indianola for the 2003-2004 school year, and the district’s preschool was located in Bartley. A cooperative agreement between both districts allowed students participating in cross country, junior high sports, track and golf to combine during the 2003-2004 school year.On October 13, 2003, the Board of Education approved the newly formed district’s name and mascot as the Southwest Public School Roughriders. A motion by the School Board on November 10, 2003 approved the school colors as navy blue, Carolina blue, and white. The school name, mascot, and colors were approved following a vote of the student body. The remaining grades of each district officially began classes as one district for the 2004-2005 school year with grades six through eight located at the Bartley site and grades nine through twelve at the rural Republican Valley High School site. Elementary students will continue to receive their education at the building in the City of Indianola. The final drawing of the official Roughrider mascot was approved at the February 9, 2004 Board of Education meeting. Contractors began work on the new building site at Bartley in March of 2008. Occupation of the new building took place on November 13, 2009.