Bakersfield R-IV School District

Our 8th graders have been learning all about the Fossil Record and how fossils provide evidence about Earth’s past. Today, one of our students brought in fossils he personally found and researched—and we loved getting to see his learning come to life!

BSN will be here on Tuesday September 29th at 9:30AM to sell Letter Jackets to any interested high school student.
Please contact Coach Lansdown with any questions.

Bakersfield Announces Superintendent Opening for 2027-2028

Bakersfield R-IV School District is seeking an exceptional educational leader to serve as Superintendent of Schools beginning July 1, 2027, for the 2027–2028 school year. This opportunity is available due to the retirement of a long-serving superintendent.

Bakersfield R-IV is a small, but mighty district with a strong tradition of innovation, academic excellence, community support, and commitment to student learning. The Board of Education is committed to conducting a thoughtful and thorough search to identify a leader who is aligned with the district's values, culture, and long-term vision for continued excellence.

Applications are being accepted until November 2, 2026. For more information contact Dr. Amy Padgett at apadgett@bakersfield.k12.mo.us or 417-284-7333.

Dr. Amy Padgett announces retirement after 16 years Leading Bakersfield R-IV School District has been the honor of my career. The people here at this school, and in this community, make Bakersfield a special place that is very rare in today's world. In the past 16 years we have been able to accomplish a lot. Over 4 million dollars in large grants have been secured. Facility improvements have been comprehensive. HVAC units have been updated. Major walkways have been covered. A new high school was built, ensuring safety for future generations of Lions. The 20 year levy was reduced to 13 on this building, saving taxpayers 7 years of interest. The FEMA building was constructed creating a safe place for school and community. Parking was expanded. Pride Park was rebuilt twice, and now a third time at a new location. The elementary was expanded with six classrooms and four bathrooms. The greenhouse was completely rebuilt. The gym floor was completely replaced once and has since been re-sanded and painted. New roofs were put on the middle and high school, and substantial repairs were made to the gym roof. Most importantly, the academic bar for this district has been raised significantly. Eight years before COVID required online learning, we had an online learning lab to provide course options for kids. We have drastically expanded the science department with state-of-the-art equipment, implemented Project Lead the Way courses and equipment, and added IT courses and equipment (Coding, robotics, and many more). Career and Technical courses and offerings have been expanded both on-site and via our partnership with SoMoTech. Opportunities in dual credit and industry recognized credentials are drastically increased from 16 years ago. Comprehensive training for elementary teachers in the science of reading is provided, resulting in a 95% APR last year! Thank you for the support you have given me. Without supportive school boards who have partnered and worked alongside me, progress would have been derailed. There is still more work to do, and there always will be. I have no doubt the board, school, and community will continue to support school leaders to work together to continue to provide an excellent education for every student. It is with a humble and grateful heart, that I am tendering my retirement effective at the end of the school year. Once a Lion, Always a Lion. Forever grateful, Dr. Amy Padgett

See You at the Pole Update! Wednesday September 23rd
MS/HS will be meeting at 8'oclock .
Elementary will meet at 8:15, after morning announcements.
Students in the elementary will receive a permission slip with details about the event tomorrow that will need to be signed before Wednesday.
Parents and community members are welcome to join us at either meeting.

Bakersfield Elementary invites you to meet us at the pole. Start your morning strong!

FFA members have been busy this month! Our annual fundraiser is in full swing; the 6th Annual Ozark County Bull Blast is tomorrow, and today is National Teach Ag Day. In honor of Teach Ag Day, our President, Khloe Simmons, worked with students in Mrs. Heather Smith's class, teaching them about poultry production. She, along with member Leslie Luna, also gave impromptu speeches on Tuesday at the Area Leadership conference to hundreds of students from other chapters. Paxton Cotter represented our chapter in a competition for the Area 13 spirit stick. On September 10th we held our annual chapter ice cream social and want to give a huge shoutout and thank you to Cloud 9 Ranch for unexpectedly donating 5 gallons of ice cream!

This month's Ag Ed Program highlight is Supervised Agricultural Experience Projects. Did you know that SAEP's are an integral part of Ag Education? As part of the "Three Circle Model", every student enrolled in Ag Education courses across the nation is required to have an SAEP. SAE's are projects a student works on outside of school and utilize the instruction learned from the classroom. The goal of SAE's is to gain real-world, hands on experience, learn record-keeping skills, possibly make a little bit of money, and earn rewards/degrees through FFA. Check out the link attached to view a few of our student SAE spotlights.
https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1LMQw_UE4IWL3XEtHnmJNWLp1toAAdRIGoTWo77uyo54/edit?usp=sharing

Join us for an evening filled with family, friendship, and fun!

See You at the Pole – September 23rd🙏

Join us for See You at the Pole, hosted by FCA, on Wednesday, September 23rd at 8AM! We'll meet at the flagpole outside of the high school office!

This is a special time for students, staff, and community members to gather for prayer and reflection. Everyone is invited to attend!

Staff Spotlight...Meet Valerie Lockett!

Reminder: Today is the last day of the Laundry Soap Fundraiser. Please return your orders today.

School Picture Retake Day will be Tuesday, October 6 after lunch to accommodate VoTech students. We will take: 📸Fall Yearbook Picture Retakes, 🎓Senior Composites (Tux/Drapes), and🎮Clubs. SENIORS: girls, be sure to bring a camisole or something that slips easily off the shoulders and boys, please bring a white t-shirt to wear!

Sept. AG Ed/FFA Update:

I am thrilled to announce this year marks the 100th anniversary of Agricultural Education courses at Bakersfield High School. To commemorate our history and traditions, each month of this school year we will highlight a component of our agricultural department and our FFA chapter. This months spotlight will be Supervised Agricultural Experience Projects. Stay tuned for a special link in the coming days where our hardworking students will share their SAE's with you.

Important September Dates:

8th: Annual Fruit and Meat Fundraiser Begins
9th: National Convention Registration Opens
10th: FFA Dues are due. $20
10th: FFA Meeting and Ice Cream Social after school - 5:30 PM
15th: Area Leadership Conference for AG SCI 1 and Officers -OD required- During the school day.
15th: FFA Concession Stand during the Volleyball Game. Workers arrive at 4:30 please.
16th: Bull Blast set up for Officers after school at Gainesville Saddle Club Arena
17th: National Teach Ag Day
18th: 6th Annual Ozark County FFA Bull Blast at GSCA. 7:00 PM
22nd: FFA Fundraiser Ends
23rd-25th: Order FFA Jackets.

Staff Spotlight...Meet Tammy Gardner!

School Pictures will be TOMORROW, Thursday, September 3. We will take:
📸Fall Pictures for the yearbook. VoTech students, please go to the FEMA building that morning as soon as you arrive at school to get your picture taken. Even if you are not purchasing pictures, we still need your photo for the yearbook! All other students will be called as a class to the FEMA building when the photographer is ready for them.

Four things you can control today (and every day) are your ATTITUDE, your EFFORT, your BEHAVIOR and your ACTIONS.

It doesn't matter what others are doing, are not doing, or who you think is being unfair. Every day you can focus on being positive, working hard and making others around you better.

-Jon Gordon

Hello Prek-6th Grade Parents & Guardians,

The Bakersfield Elementary School requests your help in the Buckets for Benefits Laundry Soap Fundraiser. This fundraiser provides the elementary school with the financial resources to support our extracurricular activities, such as our annual Christmas movie and pizza, Reading and Math incentives, Benchmark and AR Reward Parties, to name a few. Our goal is for each student to sell at least one item. Everyone who sells at least one item will receive a special treat.

Thank you in advance for your participation.