Bulletin Board — Light the Night walk and more

Raising money in memory

Students at Parkway’s West Middle and Henry Elementary raised $8,300 for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. The students raised money in memory of their former classmate, Mina Sze.

The funds were collected through two Hats On Days and the Light the Night walk.

The West Middle Hat Day raised $713 and the Henry Hat Day raised $435. Students donated $1 or more to wear a hat to school.

More than 100 walkers participated in the Light the Night walk, where walkers carried illuminated balloons – white for survivors, red for supporters and gold in memory of loved ones lost to cancer – to bring light to the dark world of cancer.

 

Selected among the top

Parkway South High’s Mindy Xu was among the top students in the country selected to attend the World Food Prize Global Youth Institute in Des Moines, Iowa, during the Norman E. Borlaug International Symposium, which drew 1,300 people from 65 countries to discuss the world’s hunger and food security issues.

To be considered for participation, students from across the U.S. and abroad researched global food security issues in the country of their choice and then submitted papers on those critical topics, which they also presented to renowned experts and scientists.

At the three-day World Food Prize Global Youth Institute, Xu and 150 other high school students had the opportunity to interact with a diverse group of internationally renowned World Food Prize Laureates and leaders in food, agriculture and international development.

 

National Board Certification

Fourteen Rockwood and five Parkway teachers earned the profession’s top honor in teaching excellence, National Board Certification. The educators include:

• Cathy Kraemer – Bowles Elementary

• Libby Guimbardo, Keith Henige and Patricia Stiehr – Crestview
Elementary

• Matt Frederickson – Central Services

• Ellen Garner and Paul Stanley – Eureka High

• Alison Harris – Lafayette
High

• Eva Johnston and Stephanie McDaniel – Marquette High

• Carol Lickenbrock Fujii, Ellen Kubicek and Casey Otemuyiwa – Northeast Middle

• Jennifer Proffitt – Parkway Central High

• Michelle Dempsey – Parkway South High

• Steve Bruns and Jon Frank – Rockwood Summit High

• Sarah Majino and Tracy Wood – Westridge Elementary

The National Board for Professional Teaching Standards improves teaching and student learning. National Board Certified Teachers are highly accomplished educators who meet high and rigorous standards. Teachers who achieve National Board Certification have met rigorous standards through intensive study, expert evaluation, self-assessment and peer review.

The NBPTS offers 25 certificates that cover a variety of subject areas and student developmental levels. A National Board Teaching Certificate is valid for 10 years with the opportunity to renew certification.

 

Continuing position

Fr. Bob Suit has agreed to continue serving as president of John F. Kennedy Catholic High. The announcement was met with enthusiastic approval from faculty and staff. Fr. Suit has been serving as acting president since last spring and has worked closely with Mary Hey, principal, and Patty McMullen-Hellwig, associate principal, to form a strong leadership team for the school.

 

Keeping Kennedy students flu-free

In honor of a John F. Kennedy Catholic student who recently was diagnosed with Hodgkin lymphoma, free flu shots were provided for all students at Kennedy High in November.

After having parents sign permission forms, pharmacists from a Medicine Shoppe owned by the student’s relatives provided the immunization to 129 students.

Because the student’s immune system is repressed by chemotherapy, one less germ hopefully will help keep her and her fellow classmates well this winter.

 

ENERGY STAR Leader

The Parkway School District has joined the Environmental Protection Agency’s list of ENERGY STAR Leaders, a group of organizations that have improved energy efficiency across entire portfolios of commercial buildings.

“Parkway is pleased to be named an EPA ENERGY STAR Leader,” said Dr. Keith Marty, superintendent. “Through this achievement, we have demonstrated our commitment to environmental stewardship while also lowering our energy costs.”

To be recognized as an EPA ENERGY STAR Leader, Parkway improved the energy efficiency of its buildings by selecting efficient equipment when renovating buildings, retrofitting lights and HVAC systems; utilizing existing systems more efficiently through better control of HVAC equipment and undergoing a retro-commissioning process at two high schools and updating equipment. Students and staff have made behavior changes in classrooms by turning off lights, computers and to being mindful with other energy demanding items.

 

Open Parkway Board positions

Two director positions are open on the Parkway Board of Education, each for a three-year term, in the April 2013 election. Candidate filing began on Dec. 11 and will continue through Tuesday, Jan. 15, 2013, at 5 p.m. Filing must be done in person at the Parkway Administrative Center, located at 455 N. Woods Mill Road in Chesterfield.

Filing hours are from 8-11:30 a.m. and 1-4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday. On the last day of filing, Jan. 15, the hours are 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

To be eligible, applicants must: be a citizen of the U.S., be at least 24 years old, be a resident taxpayer of the Parkway School District and have, or will have, resided in Missouri for one year prior to the election.

At the time of filing, applicants should provide a biographical statement of no more than 200 words and a recent photograph, which will be released to the media and included in Parkway publications.

The terms of Tom Appelbaum and Dr. Sam Sciortino expire in April 2013.

For more information, call (314) 415-8004.