KDSN RADIO News
Missouri Valley Superintendent Condemns Student Behavior, Clarifies Rumor Following Volleyball Game Incident
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MISSOURI VALLEY, Iowa — What should have been a night of celebration for Missouri Valley High School seniors and support for a student battling cancer turned controversial after inappropriate chants from the student cheering section marred the end of Thursday night’s volleyball match.
In a letter sent to parents, Missouri Valley Community School District Superintendent Mrs. Christy Gochenour expressed disappointment over the behavior, calling the incident “a spectacle” that detracted from the team’s win and the intended show of community support.
Gochenour said the student section began chanting a derogatory remark directed at High School Principal Mr. McDonald and at the visiting team immediately following the final point of the match. The superintendent said the chants stemmed from a false rumor that Mr. McDonald had destroyed a poster created to support a student fighting cancer.
“That is absolutely false,” Gochenour wrote. “Mr. McDonald would never do this, and it is offensive that students would believe him to do it.”
According to Gochenour, the facts show that a student had placed a poster in the commons for classmates to write encouraging notes. Some staff members advised Mr. McDonald to remove it since permission had not been granted in advance. He later learned that an inappropriate comment had been written on the poster and took it to his office to prevent it from upsetting the student it was meant to encourage.
Mr. McDonald then contacted the student who started the poster, explained the situation, and invited her to create a new one with proper permission. The superintendent said the student confirmed this account and verified that the principal did not rip up the original poster.
Gochenour said the district is now determining consequences for the student section’s actions, noting that the behavior fell short of Missouri Valley’s district motto: “Built on Pride, Destined for Greatness.”
“There was nothing to be proud of, and nothing about this incident was great,” she said.
Parents with questions or concerns are encouraged to contact Superintendent Gochenour at cgochenour@movalleycsd.org or 712-642-2706, Ext. 4.
