West Newsmagazine 6/3/15

20 I SCHOOLS I
By BONNIE KRUEGER
bkrueger@newsmagazinenetwork.com
June 3, 2015
WEST NEWSMAGAZINE
Clarkson - Wilson
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www.clarksonwilsonvet.com
(636) 530-1808
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Bulletin Board
Celebrating character
Craig Elementary has been selected as
the 2015 Elementary Champions for Character
winner. Cardinals Care, in cooperation
with CharacterPlus, sponsors Champions
for Character, awarding three schools in the
area that have a schoolwide ethos of service
learning. The school’s service learning must
be infused into the curriculum and school
life. One elementary, middle and high
school are selected in the metro area.
Craig students came together for a short
celebration where they were presented with
a banner recognizing their accomplishments
– and had a visit from school mascot,
Moonlight the Owl, along with Moonlight’s
pal, the Cardinals’ mascot, Fredbird.
Most Sacred Heart
award winners
On April 17, Cooper Ruhl, an eighth-grade
student at Most Sacred Heart School in
Eureka, was surprised by the Eureka-Pacific
Elks Lodge for his award-winning essay,
“What the Pledge of Allegiance Means to
Me.” He was awarded a $100 stipend from
the Elks by past Exalted Ruler Jim Wall and
contest Chairman Jeff Wilsey.
• • •
The artwork of William Keithley, a
second-grade student at Most Sacred Heart
School, was chosen for the Governor’s
Choice Award at the Missouri Art Education
Association’s Youth Art Month exhibit
in Jefferson City. The mixed media composition
“Poppies” commemorates the sacrifice
of WWI soldiers at Flanders Field and
was on exhibit at the Missouri State Capitol.
First Lady Georganne Nixon presented
Keithley with his award and thanked him
for his beautiful artwork, which is currently
on display in Gov. Jay Nixon’s office.
No More Trash contest winners
Girl Scout troop organizer Kass Stolzberg’s
kindergarten and first-grade Daisies
and second-grade Brownies at Ross Elementary
recently won the kindergarten through
second-grade category in the 2015 “Yes You
CAN Make Missouri Litter Free” trashcandecorating
contest. The girls won with their
entry, “Girl Scouts Make the World a Better
Place with No MOre Trash!” A 50-gallon
plastic drum, donated by Speedy’s Car Wash,
was transformed into a custom trash can
for the girls ‘fellow students at Ross. The
decorated trash can will be displayed on the
school campus to raise awareness and will be
placed in high-traffic areas to reduce litter.
National recognition of
area high schools
Nine area high schools were named in
the top 20 of Missouri’s “America’s Most
Challenging High Schools” by the Washington
Post. They include John Burroughs
(#4); Rockwood Summit (#6); Eureka
(#10); Marquette (#12); Parkway West
(#16); Parkway South (#17); Parkway
Central (#18) and Parkway North (#20).
To determine the rankings, the Washington
Post determined an index score comprised
of the number of college-level tests given
during the 2014 calendar year divided by
the number of graduates that year. Also
noted are the percentage of students who
come from families that qualify for lunch
subsidies and the percentage of graduates
who passed at least one college-level test
during their high school careers.
• • •
All four Parkway high schools – Central,
North, South and West – along with Rockwood’s
Marquette High were honored as
among the country’s “Best High Schools”
by U.S. News & World Report. The schools
received a Silver Medal in the annual list.
In addition, all the schools ranked in the
top 15 for Missouri high schools.
The U.S. News & World Report rankings
include data on more than 21,000 public
high schools in 50 states and the District
of Columbia. Schools were awarded gold,
silver or bronze medals based on their performance
on state assessments and how
well they prepare students for college.
Top marks in fundraising
Bonhomme Preschool and Kids Day Out
children and their families love to help others.
In fact, for the 2013-2014 school year, Bonhomme
was named one of the top 100 fundraising
schools in the country for St. Jude
Children’s Research Hospital.
This spring, Bonhomme preschool children
participated in the school’s 9th Annual Trikea-Thon
to benefit the research hospital. Bonhomme
students were encouraged to ride trikes,
using their healthy bodies, to help children who
are sick and unable to ride. Over the years, Bonhomme
has raised more than $43,000 in the
annual event, with this year’s Trike-a-Thon contributions
totaling more than $5,400.
Rockwood names its
Teacher of the Year
Rockwood Summit English teacher Jon
Frank was chosen as Rockwood’s 2015
Teacher of the Year at the district’s 2015
ROSE Awards ceremony.
According to Frank, his path to becoming
a teacher wasn’t an easy one, but he
uses his story to connect with students
experiencing hardships in their lives.
“Life is full of starting again, and that
applies to a single writing assignment for
a student, a semester that seems lost and
insurmountable, and the prospect of going
back to school or beginning a new life path
during adulthood,” Frank explained.
Marquette graduate named
UMSL scholarship recipient
St. Louis Community College-Wildwood
student Hannah Watson, who earned her
associate degree in general transfer studies
last month, has been named the winner of the
Community College President’s Scholarship.
The scholarship is awarded jointly by the
president of each St. Louis Community College
campus and the chancellor of the University
of Missouri-St. Louis, allowing STLCC
students to continue their studies at UMSL.
The scholarship will allow Watson to
take up to 65 credit hours at UMSL over
the next two years. She intends to pursue a
degree in nursing.
Watson, a 2013 graduate of Marquette
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Grace Prunty and Kole Kitchen raise
funds while having fun at Bonhomme
Preschool’s annual Trike-a-Thon.
High, is a member of Phi Theta Kappa, the
international honor society for two-year
colleges. She has maintained a 4.0 gradepoint
average while taking a full load of
classes and working full-time.
Seeking contest entries
The St. Louis Civic Pride Foundation is
inviting young people from grades three
through 12 to participate in the 2015 Ultimate
Tourist Contest, where they can win a
$500 cash prize for visiting and writing about
their area tourism experiences this summer.
Participants must visit at least three St.
Louis area attractions then write about
their experiences in a 500-word essay or
by creating a brief video.
A cash prize of $500 will be awarded to
one winner in five categories. Entries will
be accepted through Sept. 7. For details,
visit www.explorestlouis/ultimatetourist.
Parkway sexual health
curriculum meeting time change
The time for the Parkway School District’s
health and physical education/sexual
health advisory council meeting at the district’s
Instructional Service Center, 12657
Fee Fee Road, has changed. The meeting
will take place at 2 p.m. on Monday, June
15, rather than at 5 p.m. as earlier reported
in West Newsmagazine’s article, “SEX
TALK: Health curriculum change debated
in Parkway.”