West Newsmagazine 11-7-18

20 I SCHOOLS I
November 7, 2018
WEST NEWSMAGAZINE
@WESTNEWSMAG
WESTNEWSMAGAZINE.COM
Lighting Up Homes For Over 40 Years
Quality You Can Count On
www.manchesterelectric.com
(636) 225-9919
Children served by Kingdom House find their perfect costume
for Halloween.
bulletin
board
By BONNIE KRUEGER
Halloween party for
Kingdom House families
Whitfield School’s Community Service
Club hosted its annual Halloween party for
Kingdom House families on Saturday, Oct.
20. More than 100 costumes were donated
during the school’s month-long costume
drive leading up to the event. Young guests
had fun picking out a costume.
During the party, Whitfield students
helped distribute costumes and facilitated
fun activities with the children including
face-painting, decorating pumpkins and
playing games.
Kingdom House helps the economically
disadvantaged achieve economic independence,
self-sufficiency and a path out of
poverty.
Eureka High student named
city’s first Citizen of Distinction
Lauren Jeffress, a senior at Eureka High,
was named the city of Eureka’s first-ever
Citizen of Distinction. The honor came
Lauren Jeffress, the city of Eureka’s first
Citizen of Distinction
after some inspiring
things she has done
in the community.
After she lost
a close loved
one, Jeffress’ high
school community
rallied around her. Now, she is paying it
forward by helping others who have experienced
similar losses.
“I tried to turn tragedy into inspiration
and learned to take what happened and
channel it into helping others,” Jeffress
said.
Some examples of how Jeffress helps
her community include raising money for
The BackStoppers organization, starting
a grief support group at a middle school,
and collecting money and supplies for
families experiencing the loss of a loved
one.
Eureka Mayor Kevin Coffey said the
new Citizen of Distinction award recognizes
young adults for their enthusiastic
leadership and dedicated support designed
to improve the lives of others.
“It’s important that we appreciate and
recognize young people who are building
leadership in our community,” said Coffey.
In college, Jeffress hopes to start a nonprofit
organization to help people who
have lost a loved one.
Local student featured
in national blog
Miriam Academy student Devlin Riney
recently was featured in the
Newmanitarian blog, sponsored
by the Newman’s
Own Foundation.
As part of the blog’s
Road Trip segment, representatives
from the Newman’s
Own Foundation
leave the headquarters and
visit places across the country
that are making a difference
in people’s lives.
In October, the Newman’s Own Foundation
visited Miriam Academy where they
received a tour given by Riney and his
mother, Heather.
Devlin Riney and his mother, Heather,
recently were featured on the Newman’s Own
Foundation’s Newmanitarian blog.
“St. Louis is most famous for the Gateway
Arch, but for local children who have
learning differences, Miriam School and
Miriam Academy are landmarks of even
greater significance,” the blog wrote.
The blog post talks about how Riney was
diagnosed with autism, ADHD and anxiety,
but that it’s evident he feels “happy and
comfortable” at Miriam.
“When I drop Devlin off, I sometimes
find myself tearing up because I am so
thankful for Miriam,” Heather told the
Newman’s Own Foundation. “The staff
not only understand him, they embrace
him.”
To read the full blog post, visit newmanitarian.org/category/road-trip/.
Miriam Academy serves high school
students with learning challenges in an
environment designed to help them excel.
Miriam School does the same thing for
students in grades pre-K through eighth
grade.
Parkway adds two nationally
certified school nurses
Parkway school nurses Kimberly
Morelli, West Middle, and Karen Malik,
Green Trails Elementary, have earned the
Nationally Certified School Nurse [NCSN]
credential, which validates their specialized
knowledge and expertise as a school
nurse.
Parkway now has 22 nationally certified
school nurses, the most in the state.
The NCSN credential is granted to
registered nurses who meet educational,
employment and other criteria, and who
have successfully passed the national
examination managed by the National
Board for Certification of School Nurses.
The NCSN process is accredited by the
American Board of Nursing Specialties,
whose rigorous standards ensure that the
credentialing process of the NBCSN meet
or exceed industry standards for certification
and that its examination is reflective of
the knowledge expected of the proficient
school nurse.
Parkway Central Middle band
teacher named semifinalist
Paul Holzen, a band teacher at Parkway
Central Middle, has been selected as a
semifinalist for the 2019 Grammy Music
Educator Award. Holzen was chosen as
one of 25 semifinalists nationally, out
of 2,800 nominations, and was the only
teacher selected from Missouri.
The teachers are recognized for making a