🏀 GCES Basketball Update! 🏀 Due to a short week (no school on Monday and Tuesday), and Gilmer County High School's participation in the WV State Volleyball Tournament, our basketball clinic dates have been adjusted: 📅 4th Grade: Monday, November 17 | 4:00–5:30 PM 📅 5th Grade: Tuesday, November 18 | 4:00–5:30 PM After the 5th-grade clinic, coaches will draft teams and notify parents and students of their team placement and practice schedule. #GoGilmer
🦃November Calendar of Events🦃
🎖️ Join us live for the Gilmer County Veterans Assembly as we honor those who have served our country. Tune in to the livestream at 9:30 AM and be part of this special tribute: https://youtube.com/live/0qEy74brfUE?feature=share
💙 GCES Supports Our Wildcat Families 💙
Due to recent community hardships, Gilmer County Elementary School will begin offering a supper program for all students starting Thursday, November 6, 2025. This program will be provided at no cost to families, just as our breakfast and lunch programs are.
🍽️ Supper will be served each school day until further notice.
Students will enjoy their meals here at school before heading home for the evening.
Due to recent community hardships, Gilmer County Elementary School will begin offering a supper program for all students starting Thursday, November 6, 2025. This program will be provided at no cost to families, just as our breakfast and lunch programs are.
🍽️ Supper will be served each school day until further notice.
Students will enjoy their meals here at school before heading home for the evening.
🎬 Third & Fourth Grade Musical Performance: Kid Flix! 🎵
Our 3rd and 4th grade students took the stage for their musical performance Kid Flix, featuring songs from a variety of favorite movies! The audience loved every moment — especially the surprise visit from Spider-Man! 🕷️🎤
A huge thank you to Mrs. Leggett for her hard work, creativity, and dedication in preparing our students for such a fantastic show! #GoGilmer #LoveMyWVSchool
Mrs. Sprouse’s 2nd grade scientists enjoyed a fun visit from Emma Casto at Glenville State University! Students learned about solids and liquids and discovered the difference between reversible and irreversible changes using chocolate chips, butter, and ice. #GoGilmer #LoveMyWVSchool
At Gilmer County Elementary, students are learning what it means to be real writers! Through our Top Score Writing lessons, they are building strong foundations in organizing ideas, using transitions, and adding details that bring their stories to life.
Writing isn’t just a classroom skill—it’s a lifelong tool for thinking, expressing, and connecting. Families can encourage writing at home by inviting children to journal about their day, write stories together, or share letters with loved ones. 📝
🎥 Take a look at this month’s video to see our Wildcats in action as they grow into confident, creative writers! 💙🐾#GoGilmer #LoveMyWVSchool
https://youtube.com/shorts/rWqqerk23tY?si=gp4QDbyB4c-RqVwx
Writing isn’t just a classroom skill—it’s a lifelong tool for thinking, expressing, and connecting. Families can encourage writing at home by inviting children to journal about their day, write stories together, or share letters with loved ones. 📝
🎥 Take a look at this month’s video to see our Wildcats in action as they grow into confident, creative writers! 💙🐾#GoGilmer #LoveMyWVSchool
https://youtube.com/shorts/rWqqerk23tY?si=gp4QDbyB4c-RqVwx
🤒 Please check out the flyer for ways to help stop the spread and keep everyone feeling their best!
Our kindergarten scientists in Mrs. Moyers’ and Mrs. Loudin's kindergarten class had a slime-tastic time on Friday! 💚🧪
They rolled up their sleeves for a hands-on science experiment and made their very own slime! #GoGilmer #LoveMyWVSchool
Here are a few more of our Wildcats joining in the fun for Red Ribbon Week! ❤️
Students took time Friday to work puzzles together in honor of this year’s theme — Life’s a Puzzle, Solve It Drug-Free! #GoGilmer #LoveMyWVSchool
🐾GCES Wildcats: Week-At-A-Glance🐾
Attendance Matters
#GoGilmer #LoveMyWVSchool
As part of Red Ribbon Week, Mrs. Rhoades' 4th grade class celebrated the theme “Life is a Puzzle—Solve It Drug-Free!” by working together to solve puzzles and practice teamwork. 🧩❤️🚫 #GoGilmer #LoveMyWVSchool
🎶🧟♂️ It’s time to Monster Mash! 🧟♀️
Mrs. Moyers’ and Mrs. Louden's kindergarten class took a fun brain break to dance and move along to the Monster Mash! 👻💃🕺
Glenville State University, Gilmer County High School and Gilmer County Elementary School are working in collaboration to hold a county Veterans Assembly on Friday, November 7, 2025 at 9:30-11:00 a.m. at the GSU Waco Center. We would like to invite all Gilmer County Veterans to join us in honoring your service to our Country. A charcuterie brunch board created by Foodie Momma (compliments of United Bank of Glenville and Calhoun Banks) will be provided to Veterans in the Waco Center Vantage Box from 8:00-9:30 a.m. prior to the Assembly. Any Veteran wishing to attend can RSVP by calling GCHS at 304-462-7960 or emailing pknicely@k12.wv.us. We want to open the Assembly to the Gilmer County community to join in honoring our Veterans.
This year’s Guest Speaker will be Colonel Jonathan M. Townsend, United States Air Force. Colonel Townsend is the Director, Department of the Air Force Continuity of Operations, Secretary of the Air Force Office of Administrative and Management, Pentagon, Washington D.C. He is responsible for contingency planning, continuity training and crisis relocation for the Secretary of the Air Force, Chief of Staff of the Air Force, Chief of Space Operations, and key Headquarters of the Department of the Air Force personnel. He also oversees the daily operations, maintenance, and readiness of critical relocation sites and equipment in support of the Headquarters Department of the Air Force Continuity of Operations mission.
Colonel Townsend enlisted in the United States Air Force in 1998 and served as an Air Traffic Controller before earning his commission from Officer Training School in 2002. As a senior Airfield Operations Officer, he has served in various leadership and staff positions across five major commands as well as four deployments, in support of Operations ENDURING FREEDOM, IRAQI FREEDOM, and INHERENT RESOLVE. He commanded the 78th Operations Support Squadron at Robins Air Force Base, Georgia, and the 441st Air Expeditionary Squadron at Kobani Landing Zone, Syria. Prior to his current assignment, Colonel Townsend studied at the Air War College, Maxwell Air Force Base, Alabama, before serving as the Operational Training Infrastructure Plans and Policy Branch Chief, Directorate of Training and Readiness, Headquarters Air Force, Pentagon.
MAJOR AWARDS AND DECORATIONS
* Bronze Star with one oak leaf cluster
* Meritorious Service Medal with three oak leaf clusters
* Air and Space Commendation Medal with three oak leaf clusters
* Air and Space Achievement Medal
* Meritorious Unit Award with one oak leaf cluster
* Air and Space Outstanding Unit Award with four oak leaf clusters
EFFECTIVE DATES OF PROMOTION
* Airman First Class – September 1998
* Senior Airman – January 2001
* Staff Sergeant – August 2002
* Second Lieutenant – December 2002
* First Lieutenant – December 2004
* Captain – December 2006
* Major – November 2012
* Lieutenant Colonel – September 2017
* Colonel – August 2023
Colonel Townsend is originally from Glenville, WV, and is a 1994 graduate of Gilmer County High School as well as a 1997 graduate of Glenville State College. He and his wife, Tara, who is also from Gilmer County, currently reside in Fairfax Station, VA, and are the parents of three daughters: Brenley, Madison and Brooke.
This year’s Guest Speaker will be Colonel Jonathan M. Townsend, United States Air Force. Colonel Townsend is the Director, Department of the Air Force Continuity of Operations, Secretary of the Air Force Office of Administrative and Management, Pentagon, Washington D.C. He is responsible for contingency planning, continuity training and crisis relocation for the Secretary of the Air Force, Chief of Staff of the Air Force, Chief of Space Operations, and key Headquarters of the Department of the Air Force personnel. He also oversees the daily operations, maintenance, and readiness of critical relocation sites and equipment in support of the Headquarters Department of the Air Force Continuity of Operations mission.
Colonel Townsend enlisted in the United States Air Force in 1998 and served as an Air Traffic Controller before earning his commission from Officer Training School in 2002. As a senior Airfield Operations Officer, he has served in various leadership and staff positions across five major commands as well as four deployments, in support of Operations ENDURING FREEDOM, IRAQI FREEDOM, and INHERENT RESOLVE. He commanded the 78th Operations Support Squadron at Robins Air Force Base, Georgia, and the 441st Air Expeditionary Squadron at Kobani Landing Zone, Syria. Prior to his current assignment, Colonel Townsend studied at the Air War College, Maxwell Air Force Base, Alabama, before serving as the Operational Training Infrastructure Plans and Policy Branch Chief, Directorate of Training and Readiness, Headquarters Air Force, Pentagon.
MAJOR AWARDS AND DECORATIONS
* Bronze Star with one oak leaf cluster
* Meritorious Service Medal with three oak leaf clusters
* Air and Space Commendation Medal with three oak leaf clusters
* Air and Space Achievement Medal
* Meritorious Unit Award with one oak leaf cluster
* Air and Space Outstanding Unit Award with four oak leaf clusters
EFFECTIVE DATES OF PROMOTION
* Airman First Class – September 1998
* Senior Airman – January 2001
* Staff Sergeant – August 2002
* Second Lieutenant – December 2002
* First Lieutenant – December 2004
* Captain – December 2006
* Major – November 2012
* Lieutenant Colonel – September 2017
* Colonel – August 2023
Colonel Townsend is originally from Glenville, WV, and is a 1994 graduate of Gilmer County High School as well as a 1997 graduate of Glenville State College. He and his wife, Tara, who is also from Gilmer County, currently reside in Fairfax Station, VA, and are the parents of three daughters: Brenley, Madison and Brooke.
🎄 GCES Families! 🎄
Be on the lookout — Holiday Luncheon forms are coming home tonight in student folders/backpacks! 🥰
Please return the form by Friday, November 7th.
We can’t wait to celebrate the season with you!
#GoGilmer #LoveMyWVSchool
🐾GCES WILDCATS: Week At-A-Glance🐾.
It’s Red Ribbon Week at our elementary school! 🌟 We’re celebrating making healthy choices and saying NO to drugs. Check out the flyer for our fun Spirit Week dress-up days!
🌟At Gilmer County Elementary, we’re helping our youngest Wildcats build strong math skills through hands-on learning — and you can do it at home, too!
This short video shows simple ways to help your child practice counting, sorting, patterns, and problem-solving in everyday routines. Whether you’re cooking, playing, or cleaning up toys, there are easy ways to make math meaningful and fun.
👩👦 Try these strategies at home and watch your child’s confidence grow!
📹 Check out our video below to see these ideas in action.
https://youtube.com/shorts/9PiPVyVDiqc?feature=share
This short video shows simple ways to help your child practice counting, sorting, patterns, and problem-solving in everyday routines. Whether you’re cooking, playing, or cleaning up toys, there are easy ways to make math meaningful and fun.
👩👦 Try these strategies at home and watch your child’s confidence grow!
📹 Check out our video below to see these ideas in action.
https://youtube.com/shorts/9PiPVyVDiqc?feature=share
🧡 GCES Stands United Against Bullying! 🧡
Yesterday, our Wildcats celebrated Unity Day by wearing orange and joining together to promote kindness, acceptance, and inclusion.
A huge thank you to Mrs. Goodnight for organizing this meaningful event and reminding us that when we stand together, we can make a difference! #GoGilmer #LoveMyWVSchool
Yesterday, our Wildcats celebrated Unity Day by wearing orange and joining together to promote kindness, acceptance, and inclusion.
A huge thank you to Mrs. Goodnight for organizing this meaningful event and reminding us that when we stand together, we can make a difference! #GoGilmer #LoveMyWVSchool
🎻 JAM Returns 🎶
Our Wildcats are venturing into their second year of the Junior Appalachian Musicians (JAM) program! This unique opportunity allows students to learn traditional Appalachian string music by ear, connect with the cultural heritage of central West Virginia, and perform alongside local master musicians.
We’re proud to see our students carrying on the rich musical traditions of our region—one string at a time! #GoGilmer #LoveMyWVSchool
Our Wildcats are venturing into their second year of the Junior Appalachian Musicians (JAM) program! This unique opportunity allows students to learn traditional Appalachian string music by ear, connect with the cultural heritage of central West Virginia, and perform alongside local master musicians.
We’re proud to see our students carrying on the rich musical traditions of our region—one string at a time! #GoGilmer #LoveMyWVSchool
