Education

By Jazmine Knight The St. Joseph School District moved forward with its superintendent search at a special board meeting Wednesday evening. School board president LaTonya Williams says it’s almost like it’s Christmas. She is filled with joy to see so many people were interested in the position. “As you’re looking to get people to apply,

By Jazmine Knight Twenty-five people have applied to be the next leader of the St. Joseph School District. Applications for the position closed on Dec. 1, and the Board of Education is now entering the final phase of its superintendent search. The next step in the process takes place on Wednesday, Dec. 4, when the

By Nicole Scott The St. Joseph School District is seeking candidates for two positions on the district’s Board of Education. The spots, which each have three-year terms, will be on the April 8 ballot. Filing for the positions begins from 8:30 a.m. until 4 p.m. on Tuesday, Dec. 10. The final filing opportunity is from

By NewsPress Now (Family Features) Thanks to the explosion of ecommerce over the past couple decades, consumers can find virtually any product or service they can think of online. In fact, the consumer ecommerce market is expected to approach $6 trillion by 2027, according to the International Trade Administration, up from roughly $4 trillion in

By Jazmine Knight United Way is calling all employers, asking to hear their opinions on childcare and how it affects their workforce. The goal of United Way’s Success by Six program is to prepare each child to prepare each child before they enter kindergarten, by making sure they are on track with their learning. Due

By NewsPress Now (StatePoint) Even a short vacation from school can cause learning loss and leave kids feeling behind when they return to the classroom. Fortunately, there are many ways to keep minds active during the holiday break, some of which will reinforce the concepts they are learning in school. Here are a few of

By Jazmine Knight The St. Joseph School District released its Annual Performance Report Monday, showcasing gains in several areas that move the needle closer to accreditation goals. Results are based on student performance during statewide assessments showing math and social studies scores rising. For 2024, the St. Joseph School District has a composite score of

By Leah Rainwater The Kansas City Invention Convention is expanding its program to include students throughout Missouri and parts of Kansas. The convention is an annual event presented by the Linda Hall Library, “One of the world’s leading independent science research libraries”, located at 5109 Cherry Street in Kansas City, Missouri, near the University of Missouri –

By NewsPress Now A St. Joseph School District librarian is being honored as part of a statewide competition. Lindsay Holland of Spring Garden Middle School is Librarian of the Year for the Northwest Region and will now be considered for the state title by the Missouri Association of School Librarians. According to the district, Holland

By NewsPress Now (StatePoint) Every student deserves a fair shot. Fortunately, opportunities exist to help people with disabilities pursue the education and training they need to succeed in their chosen career path. Since 2017, Wells Fargo has partnered with Scholarship America to award 253 renewable scholarships to students with disabilities. Recently renamed “The Stacey Milbern

By Jazmine Knight Lindbergh Elementary hosted a Glow Read Night on Thursday to support literacy while incorporating a little fun. The halls of Lindbergh were filled with tables of age appropriate literacy activities. Kindergartners utilized magnetic letters to spell out words. From there, teachers had students switch out letters to create new words. For example,

By Jazmine Knight Missouri Western State University announced on Wednesday that they have hired a new provost. Dr. Jay Johnson has been appointed as provost and vice president of academic affairs. Johnson says it’s an honor to assume the role. He believes Missouri Western is a leader in economic and social mobility for the St.

By Ashley Luthans A new after-school club has been formed at Lindbergh Elementary School with help from a local business. More than 20 ukulele kits were donated by Lanham Music to help form the club. Sara Verduzco, an employee at Lanham, said the business wanted to give back and bring music to everyone. “We love

By NewsPress Now St. Joseph School District attendance is at its highest rate since the COVID-19 pandemic ended. District officials released the year-to-date attendance report for November, showing rates increased from the August report. District attendance currently sits at 85.89%. K-12 attendance rates have improved compared to 2023 with ninth grade leading by almost 7%

By NewsPress Now The St. Joseph School District is asking for the community’s input as leaders look toward the future. A survey titled “Portrait of a Graduate” asks for a list of essential characteristics people believe are necessary for a student’s future success. The district has put together a team of stakeholders, students, educators and

By Jazmine Knight St. Joseph School District officials are sharing some impressive scores from this past fall’s end of course exams. “At the beginning of the year, we do assessments in our EOC tested areas for the high schools and also Algebra I in eighth grade,” said Dr. Ashly McGinnis, assistant superintendent of academics. The

By Jazmine Knight The St. Joseph School Board gathered for another school board meeting Monday night. Starting off strong with recognitions, the district honored Raider cadets that completed the JROTC National Ranger Challenge. Following that, the district recognized George Willoughby as a Cross Country Class 5 State Medalist and the Benton High School Cross Country

By Kendra Simpson Central High School will celebrate the American entrepreneurial spirit this Friday in honor of American Enterprise Day. During lunch, Central’s Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA) will host a Trivia and Treats event. Two students, Rudy Habiger and Jacob Orth, will share key aspects of the American economic system by asking trivia questions

By Jazmine Knight Missouri Western State University and North Central Missouri College gathered to celebrate the ribbon cutting of the new Houlne Center for Convergent Technology on Friday. The 20,000-square-foot laboratory provides practical and applied learning in industries such as skilled manufacturing, construction and innovative service technologies. “This has been a two to two and

By Jazmine Knight Voters may see a proposal for a new high school next spring as St. Joseph School District officials continue to move forward with their long-range plan. Following a meeting of the school board on Monday, President LaTonya Williams said the next step in improving district facilities is to put the construction of

By Jenna Wilson As construction continues on the South 29th bridge near Pickett Road, some parents are frustrated their kids have to cross through a ravine to get to the school bus. “Now that they’ve started construction there is no longer a bridge here,” said Courtney Chamberlain, a mother who lives in the neighborhood. “These

By Jazmine Knight The St. Joseph School board met Monday evening at the Troester Media Center to discuss updates and to review yet another challenged book. Originally challenged on May 29 and retained in Sept., “Looking For Alaska,” the 2005 novel by John Green, has recently been appealed for being too inappropriate for SJSD students.

By Brandpoint (BPT) (BPT) – With 18 million Veterans living in the United States today, Veterans Day is not only an opportunity to recognize the men and women who have served the country, but also celebrate their successes after service. Military service and life afterwards is often shrouded in misconceptions. Many of us are unaware

By Brandpoint (BPT) (BPT) – Professor David W. Miller, executive director of the Princeton Faith & Work Initiative and lecturer at Princeton University, has announced his latest white paper, “The Ethics of Organizational Change.” The paper offers an academic perspective on organizational change and transformation at the intersection of historic, cultural and social change. In

By Jazmine Knight With the large influx of non-English speakers in the area, the St. Joseph School District has a free program designed to help that community. Through SJSD’s adult education program at the Keatley Center, adults at any level can learn English at no cost. “Some of them can speak to you. Some of

By Brandpoint (BPT) (BPT) – Murals aren’t just large-scale works of art — though they function all on their own to beautify public spaces. They also serve as powerful platforms for cultural expression and highlight the vibrancy of their communities. According to research from nonprofit Americans for the Arts, art in public spaces (like murals)

By Jazmine Knight Attendance within the St. Joseph School District is starting to look up. Ashly McGinnis, assistant superintendent of academic services, said numbers have significantly improved as students readjust from the impact of the COVID pandemic. In October of 2022, the district sat at 79.55% for attendance across all schools. A year later, the

By Jazmine Knight The St. Joseph School Board had their hands full as they hosted several scheduled meetings on Oct. 28 On the agenda, the board voted on multiple actions regarding various construction projects and policy changes. The board selected DLR Group as their architectural firm for the proposed construction of a new high school.

By Jazmine Knight St. Joseph students Lou Lengudi and Emily Dalrymple always knew they wanted to go into education. Now, through the Career Pathways to Teaching program, those dreams are becoming a reality sooner than they could ever imagine. It all started four years ago when the St. Joseph School District decided to help grow

By NewsPress Now Another donation is helping with the finishing touches as the inspireU Children’s Discovery Center enters its final weeks of construction. According to officials with the Mosaic Life Care Foundation, the Proper/Fricke family made a $120,000 donation towards the $19 million project. The money will help with special programming and events during Children’s