Bulletin Board – Oct. 24

Declining enrollment

Rockwood’s official student enrollment for the 2012-2013 school year is 21,951. This count is 250 students less than 2011-2012’s official enrollment count of 22,201 students. Each year, Rockwood reports its official enrollment at the end of September.

Chief Financial and Legislative Affairs Officer Tim Rooney said the district anticipated a lower student enrollment for 2012-2013.

“As explained in our 2011 Enrollment Projection Report, the decrease in enrollment is expected given our older demographic and established communities,” Rooney said. “Our projections were close to our actual numbers, and we’ve worked with human resources to staff our buildings accordingly.”

Enrollment at the elementary and middle school levels declined, as did enrollment at two high schools – Lafayette and Rockwood Summit. Enrollment at Marquette and Eureka high schools increased, with Eureka High experiencing a 2 percent increase in enrollment.

‘Midwest Spotlight Educator’

Parkway Northeast Middle School’s Bill Bass has been named “Midwest Spotlight Educator” by Cooperating School Districts. As a leader in educational technology, Bass will be honored at the 2013 Midwest Education Technology Conference in February.

Honored educators are using educational technology to make a real difference in teaching and learning for their students and fellow teachers. Their impact is reflected in increased knowledge, new skills and increased academic achievement using technology across various subject areas.

The METC is a large instructional technology conference for K-12 educators. Presenters and attendees from Missouri, Illinois and beyond attend each year to interact with experts in the field, learn from neighboring schools and share best practices.

 

Missouri Elementary School PE Teacher of the Year

The Missouri Association for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance has selected Debbie Kirby, Bellerive Elementary’s physical education teacher, as the Missouri Elementary School Physical Education Teacher of the Year.

Kirby will be honored at the annual convention in November at the Lake of the Ozarks. Kirby will go on to become a candidate for the Central District of the American Alliance for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance Elementary Teacher of the Year.

 

Student aid opportunity

The Scholarship Foundation of St. Louis’ interest-free loan application deadline is Nov. 15. The Scholarship Foundation offers qualified students the opportunity to apply for renewable, interest-free loans of up to $7,000 per academic year, based on financial need, academic potential and strength of character. High school students, college students and nontraditional applicants pursuing their first bachelor’s degree are encouraged to apply.

The Scholarship Foundation of St. Louis is a nonprofit organization that provides access to postsecondary education to eligible St. Louis area students who would not otherwise have the financial means to attend accredited two- or four-year colleges or technical schools.

To be eligible, an applicant must be a U.S. citizen or U.S. legal resident and be a permanent resident of the St. Louis metropolitan area for at least two years.

Students can apply by completing an online application, which enables applicants to simultaneously apply for The Scholarship Foundation’s interest-free loan and a variety of external scholarships. For more information, call (314) 725-7990 or email info@sfstl.org. To apply, visit sfstl.org.

 

Parkway North Vikings finish first

The Parkway North High Viking marching band, under the direction of Mark Linn and Andrew LaRose, took first place in their division in the Washington Marching Band Festival on Oct. 6.

North High’s marching band competed in the field competition with seven other bands in class A, the large band category. In addition, North High had the highest overall score for all divisions out of 18 high school bands.

The North High color guard finished second in their division and third overall, and the North High percussion students placed third out of the 18 schools participating.

Now in its 44th year, the festival featured 35 schools and about 2,100 students in the parade and field competitions.

 

Student Board nominations

Eureka High School students Savya Hingorani and Nathan Vorel and Marquette High School student Neil Shah are among a dozen students from the area selected to serve on the inaugural Student Board of the Federal Reserve Bank.

Nominated by their teachers and chosen by St. Louis Fed staff, the students will serve as liaisons between St. Louis area schools and the St. Louis Fed. The students will meet every other month to learn about and discuss economics and personal finance, and listen to speakers on topics, such as leadership development and career planning. They also will compete for two summer internships.

The new program is part of the organization’s ongoing effort to reach educators, students and the general public with educational materials that cover personal finance and economics.

 

Fundraising for furry friends

When 10-year-old Lauren Budnick decided to help Open Door Animal Sanctuary, she decided to go big.

“I really love what they do for homeless pets and I wanted to help them as much as I can, so my mom and I came up with this idea to raise money,” Budnick said.

A fifth-grader at Living Water Academy, Budnick presented her idea, “Pennies for Pooches,” to the school administrator and staff, and was allowed to run her project during the first two weeks of October.

“Pennies for Pooches” was a class-based competition with each team being represented by an adoptable dog from Open Door Animal Sanctuary.

“I’m very impressed with the combination of initiative, leadership and follow through shown by Lauren as she led us through this service project,” said Tom Keller, school administrator at Living Water Academy. “She truly embodies the qualities of a leader with a servant’s heart that we seek to instill in each of our Living Water Academy students.”

Budnick’s fundraising efforts totaled $1,000, which was presented to Tracie Quackenbush, Open Door’s executive director.

 

Teaching global awareness

Stephanie Barta, a full-day kindergarten teacher at Babler Elementary who also is pursuing certification in Global Awareness at Maryville University, has traveled to Morocco to teach and tour the country.

“Our goal is to bring students together to learn more about each other’s cultures,” Barta said. “The best part of all of this is the way it has changed my planning practices and has instilled in me the need to think globally.”

While away, Barta used Skype to connect with her students as well as sending photos and emails.

Barta said the biggest advantage of the program has been the connections she has made with the teachers and students.

“In addition to sharing strategies to promote cooperation and team building, we are working with teachers at the Moroccan Center for Civic Education to discuss global education,” Barta said.

For her, this experience has re-emphasized the importance of understanding.

“We have so many friends around the world to connect with and learn from,” she said.