Education

By Jazmine Knight St. Joseph school board members discussed tweaks to curriculum and improvements to district buildings at Wednesday’s board meeting. One of the most notable topics discussed was changes to curriculum starting this fall. Stacia Studer, director of curriculum and instruction, explained changes to the science and math courses. Beginning in August, the district

By Ashley Luthans Missouri Western State University’s nursing program hosted its inaugural “Griffon Nurse Training Camp” on Wednesday for incoming sixth to eighth graders. The camp, located at Missouri Western, allowed students to learn all about nursing and complete hands-on activities. The camp featured classroom activities, a LifeFlight helicopter, an ambulance and more. Students involved

By Jazmine Knight A Spring Garden Middle School teacher got a nice surprise on Wednesday. “I learned that I’m one of the Northwest Regional Teacher of the Year finalists,” Barbara Spencer said. Spencer was thrown a surprise celebration Wednesday at Spring Garden surrounded by fellow teachers and administrators. “I was (at a) 10 (level of)

By Jazmine Knight St. Joseph school board member Isaura Garcia announced she is dropping her civil lawsuit against fellow board member Whitney Lanning. The suit stems from the Feb. 26 incident at Troester Media Center, where Lanning is seen in a video following Garcia and yelling. Moments later, Lanning throws her belongings. Garcia said she

By Chris Fortune After more than five years of planning and construction, the Mosaic Life Care Foundation peeled more of the curtain back and provided an update on the ongoing project. Mosaic Life Care Foundation leaders spoke in front of the building at 521 Felix St. Tuesday afternoon and unveiled the inspireU Children’s Discovery Center

By Leah Rainwater The St. Joseph School District continued its efforts to bring in more teachers and staff members with a hiring fair on Tuesday. “This is our fourth or fifth time we’ve tried this,” said Assistant Superintendent, Brian Kraus. “And the last few times, we’ve had 40 to 50 people show up, which is

By Leah Rainwater School board members came together for a work session Monday night, continuing discussions on the long-range plan and the future of St. Joseph schools. Superintendent Gabe Edgar presented the new middle school model from the long-range plan to St. Joseph Board of Education members and others in attendance. The objective of the

By Jazmine Knight St. Joseph kids are out of school for the summer, but that doesn’t mean they can’t work on their reading skills while having fun. Without reading and working on their skills, students can fall behind and struggle when they return to class. Luckily, the Rolling Hills Library and the St. Joseph Public

By Charles Christian The St. Joseph Board of Education unanimously set the amount for teacher and staff pay raises on Tuesday, pending the approval of Proposition C in August. The passage of Prop C in the upcoming election would generate about $7.1 million of income for the district. The board unanimously voted to put about

By Jazmine Knight Amid many conversations about book bans, the St. Joseph School District is taking a new approach to keep parents informed. Planned to start at the beginning of the upcoming school year, the district is working to implement a new parent notification system, which will inform parents of their student’s book choices when

By Ashley Luthans The future of several St. Joseph School District library books is in limbo after community members called for them to be banned. Ten books are under consideration to be banned: “The Bluest Eye” by Toni Morrison, “Looking for Alaska” by John Green, “All Boys Aren’t Blue” by George M. Johnson, “If I

By Charles Christian A historic St. Joseph home is looking to expand its impact through education and innovation. Since 1885, the Shakespeare Chateau Inn has been a landmark in St. Joseph. With its large collection of 19th Century stained glass and accommodations, current owner Isobel McGowan is partnering with the new Shakespeare Chateau Guild to

By Marcus Clem Most folks want to pay teachers more, but the question is always how, and no clear answer to that exists within more than 150 pages of a new Missouri law, rural education leaders have said. Gov. Mike Parson, a second-term Republican who will leave office in early January 2025, signed Senate Bill

By Marcus Clem As the St. Joseph School District sets to work on hiring teachers and staff this summer, it faces a challenge. Assistant Superintendent Brian Kraus told the Board of Education this week that he does not have specific numbers on the effort to hire employees for the 2024-25 year, but that the “applicant

By Kendra Simpson A new program through the Bartlett Center is aiming to help local teenagers gain self-confidence and entrepreneurial skills. With the help of the Chamber of Commerce and the Missouri After-School network, Bartlett Center’s Executive Director, LaTonya Williams, was able to get a grant that promotes entrepreneurship and civic engagement. This grant will

By Marcus Clem St. Joseph schools gave ground on getting kids to class for the recently ended 2023-24 academic term, compared to last year’s data, but one other key benchmark improved. The district announced a satisfactory attendance rate of 77.56% for the year, down from 78.91% in 2022-23, and well below the goal of more

By Charles Christian Retirement didn’t last long for a man who is well-known from his previous roles at an area university. Clarence Green Jr. retired in March after 28 years at Northwest Missouri State University, where he served as chief of the University Police Department, vice president of culture and interim university president. He now

By Riley Funk Facilities and maintenance workers were recognized on Thursday for the work they do to keep schools clean in the St. Joseph School District. The Cleanest Building Contest recognized the work that all custodial staff did during the 2023-24 school year. The winner for the overall cleanest building went to Hillyard Technical Center,

By NewsPress Now Two leading agricultural businesses in St. Joseph are now recognized as the $12 million Convergent Technology Alliance Center nears completion. The CTAC, a co-project of Missouri Western State University, North Central Missouri College and various public and private sponsors, is under construction on Missouri Western’s campus ahead of a scheduled opening for

By NewsPress Now A U.S. Armed Forces retired serviceman with decades of experience in the trades is a newly promoted administrator by the St. Joseph School District. The district said Thursday in a news release that Daniel Steidel replaces Casey Housman as coordinator of maintenance and warehousing, following a previous decision to give Housman the

By Marcus Clem The end of classes for the school year saw four lucky children with good attendance each receive a free bicycle on Wednesday. Coleman Elementary had students gather in the gym ahead of annual Field Day activities to celebrate those who have met the “Strive for Five” standard. Each child so honored is

By Jazmine Knight Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker’s controversial commencement speech at Benedictine College in Atchison, Kansas, is sweeping the nation. Some believe he’s just upholding traditional Catholic views, while others said he was insensitive to women. The opinions of Benedictine College students who attended the graduation are divided as well. One spring 2024 graduate who

By NewsPress Now (StatePoint) It’s graduation season, and if you have a college-bound student in your life, you’re probably looking for great ways to honor all their achievements of the past four years while helping prepare them for future successes. Consider this round-up of high school graduation gifts, by intended college major: Music: College dorm

By Jazmine Knight United Way’s Reading Adventure program is looking for special volunteers to help read to school-age children. The program, launched in 2011, helps kids maintain their reading skills over the summer to avoid a dip in their capabilities. “They will leave school next week and they may not pick up a book again

By Jenna Wilson St. Joseph Christian School celebrated its 2024 graduating class on May 12 with 28 graduating seniors receiving diplomas. The graduation ceremony held at Frederick Boulevard Baptist Church was presented with an opening prayer by Mr. Todd Miller, Teacher of the Year Announcement, Salutatorian address from student Lilly Walker, Valedictorian address from student

By Riley Funk The Bishop LeBlond Class of 2024 walked the stage Friday evening, wrapping up their high school careers. Families and friends gathered at Our Lady of Guadelupe for the ceremony, but first took part in the 64th Annual Baccalaureate Mass. Forty-three seniors were recognized for their achievement, and some received special honors. Six

By Jazmine Knight St. Joseph students will have new opportunities to be scientists and mathematicians in the classroom thanks to a donation aimed to uplift STEM learning. Thanks to Optimum’s donation of $25,000, the St. Joseph School District is now turning to teachers to create fun, innovative STEM projects. Teachers can submit their ideas through

By Jenna Wilson Dozens of JROTC cadets protested outside of Lafayette High School on Thursday in support of Master Sgt. Jamaal Anderson, who was placed on administrative leave by the St. Joseph School District. News-Press NOW has been following this story since last week. District officials have said they are avoiding commenting on the situation