The Zalma R-5 School District is a small, rural

Rural

Rural areas or the country or countryside are areas that are not urbanized, though when large areas are described, country towns and smaller cities will be included. They have a low population density, and typically much of the land is devoted to agriculture...

 public school district located in the village

Village

A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet with the population ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand , Though often located in rural areas, the term urban village is also applied to certain urban neighbourhoods, such as the West Village in Manhattan, New...

 of Zalma

Zalma, Missouri

Zalma, once known as Bollinger's Mill, is a small river town quietly nestled on the banks of the winding Castor River at a point where the river makes a horseshoe bend in southern Bollinger County in Southeast Missouri. When the railroad moved to town, the name Bollinger's Mill was changed to...

 in Bollinger County

Bollinger County, Missouri

Bollinger County is a county located in Southeast Missouri in the United States. As of the 2010 U.S. Census, the county's population was 12,363; despite a 2009 estimate that showed the population to be 11,841. The county seat is Marble Hill, which is the only city in Bollinger County...

 in Southeast Missouri

Missouri

Missouri is a US state located in the Midwestern United States, bordered by Iowa, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Kansas and Nebraska. With a 2010 population of 5,988,927, Missouri is the 18th most populous state in the nation and the fifth most populous in the Midwest. It...

. With an average yearly enrollment of approximately 250 students in grades K-12, it is one of the smallest school districts in the state of Missouri.

The district covers most of the southern portions of Bollinger County as well as the extreme southeastern portions of neighboring Wayne County

Wayne County, Missouri

Wayne County is a county located in the Ozark Foothills Region of Southeast Missouri in the United States. As of the 2000 U.S. Census, the population was 13,259. A 2008 estimate, however, showed the population to be 12,652. The county seat is Greenville...

.

Composition

The district consists of one elementary school (Kindergarten

Kindergarten

A kindergarten is a preschool educational institution for children. The term was created by Friedrich Fröbel for the play and activity institute that he created in 1837 in Bad Blankenburg as a social experience for children for their transition from home to school...

-Grade 6) and one consolidated junior-senior high school (Grades 7-12).

The reorganized district includes residents from the small, neighboring unincorporated areas of Arab

Arab, Missouri

Arab is an unincorporated community in southern Bollinger County, Missouri, United States. It is located about four miles south of Zalma and 12 miles north of Puxico on at the intersection of Highway 51 with Highway C and Highway P, twenty miles northwest of Dexter. The community was founded in...

, Gipsy

Gipsy, Missouri

Gipsy is an unincorporated community in western Bollinger County, Missouri, United States. It is located on Missouri Supplemental Route E fourteen miles southwest of Marble Hill on Licklog creek....

, Greenbrier, McGee

McGee, Missouri

McGee is an unincorporated community in eastern Wayne County, Missouri, United States. It is located twenty-three miles northeast of Poplar Bluff in the Mark Twain National Forest. The zip code is 63763. The elevation is ....

, and Sturdivant

Sturdivant, Missouri

Sturdivant is an unincorporated community in extreme southern Bollinger County, Missouri, United States. It is located about sixteen miles north of Dexter along State Highway V. The zip code is 63782...

.

School District Information

• Grades: K-12
• Enrollment: 245 (As of 2009-2010)
• Senior Class of 2009: 14
• Senior Class of 2010: 8
• Senior Class of 2011: 19
• Student/Teacher Ratio: 11:1
• Rate of Attendance: 95.1%
• Graduation Rate: 73.68%
• Composite ACT Score (2008–2009): 22.0

Demographics

During the 2008-2009 academic school year, the total enrollment was 244 in the school district - 98.77% White, 0.82% Hispanic/Latino, and 0.41% Asian.

Activities/Clubs

• Family, Career & Community Leaders of America (FCCLA)
• Student Council
• ZHS Concert Choir
• BETA Club
• Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA)
• Smokebusters
• Speech Team
• Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA)
• Publications (Newspaper/Yearbook)

Athletics/Sports

Zalma is a member of the Missouri State High School Activities Association (MSHSAA) and offers the following sports:

• Boys' Basketball
  Basketball
  Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
  
  
• Girls' Volleyball
  Volleyball
  Volleyball is a team sport in which two teams of six players are separated by a net. Each team tries to score points by grounding a ball on the other team's court under organized rules.The complete rules are extensive...
  
  
• Boys' Baseball
  Baseball
  Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...
  
  
• Girls' Softball
  Softball
  Softball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of 10 to 14 players. It is a direct descendant of baseball although there are some key differences: softballs are larger than baseballs, and the pitches are thrown underhand rather than overhand...
  
  
• Co-Ed Cheerleading
  Cheerleading
  Cheerleading is a physical activity, sometimes a competitive sport, based on organized routines, usually ranging from one to three minutes, which contain the components of tumbling, dance, jumps, cheers, and stunting to direct spectators of events to cheer on sports teams at games or to participate...
  
  
• Co-Ed Cross Country

Athletic Accomplishments

• The Zalma Bulldogs varsity basketball team won the Class 1A State Basketball Championship during the 1939-1940 season.
• The Zalma Lady Bulldogs varsity volleyball team won the Class 1A State Volleyball Tournament during the 1990-1991 season, defeating Osceola
  Osceola, Missouri
  Osceola is a city in St. Clair County, Missouri, United States. The population was 835 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of St. Clair County.-History:...
  
   for the championship. Coach Carl Ritter, Jr. was named Coach of the Year during the 1990-1991 season as well. The Lady Bulldogs made back-to-back appearances at the state tournament in Warrensburg
  Warrensburg, Missouri
  Warrensburg is a city in Johnson County, Missouri, United States. The population was 16,340 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Johnson County. The Warrensburg Micropolitan Statistical Area consists of Johnson County. It is home to the University of Central Missouri.-History:Warrensburg...
  
   in 1991-1992 and 1992-1993 but fell in the championship match both years to New Haven
  New Haven, Missouri
  New Haven is a city in Franklin County, Missouri, United States. The population was 1,867 at the 2000 census. The city was founded in 1856. It was originally called Miller's Landing after Philip Miller, an early settler....
  
  .
• The 2010-2011 Zalma Lady Bulldogs varsity volleyball team posted a 24-5 record, the best record a varsity volleyball squad has posted since the 1992-1993 state squad. The Lady Bulldogs won the Woodland Invitational Tournament for the first time in exactly a decade, defeating Leopold
  Leopold, Missouri
  Leopold is an unincorporated community in eastern Bollinger County in Southeast Missouri in the United States. It is located four miles east on Highway N about seven miles southeast of Marble Hill. The community consists of roughly 65 residents and has one of the smallest public high schools in the...
  
   for the title. They made it to the Elite Eight of the Gold Bracket of the SEMO Imprints SEMO Spike High School Volleyball Classic after posting a flawless 6-0 record in pool play. During bracket play, the Lady Bulldogs defeated Bloomfield
  Bloomfield, Missouri
  Bloomfield is a city in Stoddard County, Missouri, United States. The population was 1,952 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Stoddard County.-Geography:Bloomfield is located at...
  
   before losing in three close sets to Scott City
  Scott City, Missouri
  Scott City is a city in Cape Girardeau and Scott counties in the U.S. state of Missouri. The population was 4,591 at the 2000 census.The Scott County portion of Scott City is part of the Sikeston Micropolitan Statistical Area, while the Cape Girardeau County portion is part of the Cape...
  
  , the then-defending Class 2 state champions who went on to win the entire tournament. The Lady Bulldogs also won the championship of the Mississippi Valley Conference Volleyball Tournament, again defeating Leopold for the title. Unable to go all the way, the Leopold Lady Wildcats stopped the Lady Bulldogs from advancing to Sectionals with a loss in the championship match at Districts. Six of the seven players made the Mississippi Valley All-Conference Team, four made the All-District Team, three made the Woodland All-Tournament Team, and two made the Southeast Missourian All Star Volleyball Team. The Lady Bulldogs were coached by Dwyght Ford.
• For the first time in the school's history, Zalma was able to field a girls' softball team during the 2010 spring season. The Lady Bulldogs were coached by Dwyght Ford.

School Newspaper

Students in the school district do not actually publish their own school newspaper. Instead, students in publications class format The Bulldog Growler, a half-page section in The Banner Press, the county newspaper based in Marble Hill

Marble Hill, Missouri

Marble Hill is a fourth-class city in central Bollinger County in Southeast Missouri in the United States. Located at the intersection of State Highway 34 and State Highway 51, it is the largest city in Bollinger and serves as the county seat . The population was 1,502 at the 2000 census...

, published weekly.

The school did publish its own school newspaper, The Echo, but retired it when The Bulldog Growler was offered by The Banner Press.

Fight song

The school fight song is still sung at ballgames and pep rallies and other athletic events throughout the year. The crowd usually rises to their feet while singing and applauds during the song:

"When those green daggers lead our yells today, and the team will stand in full array, for the dear ole school we love so well, for the green and gold we'll yell and yell and yell, and yes we'll win, win win, yes we will win, and when it's over we will all begin to join the mighty cheering for our team, for Z-H-S HEY!"