Education

By Jazmine Knight Two St. Joseph educators are in the spotlight for statewide achievements. Landi Quinlin, who works at Truman Middle School, was awarded the Northwest region middle-level principal of the year by the Missouri Association of Secondary Principals. Jill Huntsman, the director at Hillyard Technical Center was honored as administrator of the year by

By Leah Rainwater St. Joseph kids got a chance to learn all about how the city runs on Tuesday thanks to Tiny Tot Town at Civic Arena. Hosted by St. Joe Parents as Teachers MO Curriculum Partner, Tiny Tot Town is an interactive, simulated community designed to show and teach children how the town runs.

By NewsPress Now The St. Joseph School District has spent the past few months reviewing 10 books challenged by the community to determine if they were fit to be on library shelves, and now, only three from that list remain undecided. “If I Was Your Girl” by Meredith Russo, “All Boys Aren’t Blue” by George

By Charles Christian Recruiting and retaining substitute teachers remains a challenge for the St. Joseph School District. Although the St. Joseph School District has gained ground in regard to teacher and staff pay in the last year, pay rates for substitutes have remained the same over the last several years, and the need for substitute

By Kirsten Stokes Two St. Joseph children’s advocates will be part of a statewide effort to improve kids’ well-being throughout Missouri. Dlo Duvall and Kristin White have been selected to participate in the Kids Win Missouri Early Care and Education Leader Fellowship for 2024-2025. “Just hearing stories from people of what the needs are out

By NewsPress Now Tenderloin lovers have a chance to make a difference this month, with tenderloin proceeds going toward student lunch debt each Thursday throughout October. The St. Joseph School District Foundation is hosting the 2024 Tenderloin Challenge to help tackle school lunch debt in the district. Every Thursday in October, $1 from every tenderloin

By Jazmine Knight The St. Joseph School District will be heading into their next board meeting with tons of local opinions after they completed a series of community input sessions. Spring Garden, Bode and Robidoux Middle School each hosted an hour-long session where parents, staff and local residents could voice their thoughts and opinions about

By Ashley Luthans St. Joseph School District officials and school board members presented a check to Second Harvest Community Food Bank on Wednesday after raising money for Hunger Action Month. The total amount donated was $1,360, in which funds were raised with portions of ticket sales at two “Orange Out” football games in September. Shannon

By Jazmine Knight As part of the St. Joseph School District’s superintendent search, the district is inviting the community to voice their opinions. St. Joseph School Board President LaTonya Williams shared details on how the input session will work and tips for giving constructive feedback. “It’s not going to be like an open forum kind

By NewsPress Now Two St. Joseph School District leaders were honored Monday for going above and beyond in their roles. Jill Huntsman of the Hillyard Technical Center received the “Administrator of the Year” award from the Missouri Council of Career and Technical Administrators. Landi Quinlin of Truman Middle School was honored with the “Middle Level

By NewsPress Now As the St. Joseph School District searches for a new leader, officials are looking for the community’s input. This Wednesday, Oct. 2, three community input sessions are planned to gather feedback on what residents would like to see in a new superintendent. The sessions, which are open to parents, staff, students and

By Jazmine Knight The St. Joseph School District has a new program to help parents from other cultures become leaders in their children’s education. The Family Leadership Institute (FLI) is designed to help non-English-speaking families become advocates and involved in their student’s school. “It benefits the students because they have their parents interested in what

By Jazmine Knight The St. Joseph School District announced this week that it will be implementing virtual learning days this school year when necessary, and officials are sharing more about what that will look like for families. For those unfamiliar, AMI stands for alternative methods of instruction. An AMI day can be used as a

By NewsPress Now (StatePoint) Falling just a little behind in math class can have a snowball effect, making each new concept even more difficult to master. Here’s what you can do to help ensure your child thrives in the classroom now, and in the years to come: Supplement Their Learning Math courses can move quickly.

By Jazmine Knight The St. Joseph School District board of education has a laundry list of agenda items going into Tuesday’s school board meeting. To open the meeting on a positive note, the district honored one local social worker, Lavell Rucker, with Missouri’s School Social Worker of the Year award. After that, both Superintendent, Gabe

By NewsPress Now The St. Joseph School District is asking residents to share their thoughts on the search for superintendent at one of three input sessions next Wednesday. Community members can provide input at several locations on Oct. 2: 4-5 p.m., Spring Garden Middle School 5:30-6:30 p.m., Bode Middle School 7-8 p.m., Robidoux Middle School

By Jazmine Knight Being an announcer for ESPN is something most people can only dream of, but for sports marketing students in the St. Joseph School District, they’re making those dreams a reality. Sports marketing students at Benton, Lafayette and Central high schools are the brains and voices behind what you see on TV. Taught

By Ashley Luthans The St. Joseph School District Foundation hosted its first community breakfast event on Friday. A large crowd of people showed up to learn more about the positive things the school district is doing. The event was led by students from across the district, and one of the emcees, Central High School senior

By NewsPress Now Free monthly sessions for parents, grandparents, primary caregivers and child care professionals are being offered through the United Way Success By 6 beginning next week. The first session featuring Quinci Stewart and Lacey Raymond discussing composure skills and using an assertive voice to set boundaries, structure and routines is from 6 to 7:30 p.m. on

By Jazmine Knight St. Joseph School District officials spoke about the severity of social media threats and their protocols to monitor online incidents after posts likely involving Kansas City schools surfaced. Postings about school violence have been circulating in the area, and it’s believed they originated in the Kansas City area, SJSD leaders said in

By Jazmine Knight The St. Joseph School Board met this evening to discuss progression in the search for a new superintendent. If you recall back to June, current superintendent, Gabe Edgar, announced his retirement at the end of the 2024-2025 school year. In recent meetings, the board finalized a timeline for hiring which includes when

By Leah Rainwater Applications are open for one competitive scholarship available to high school seniors in Andrew and Buchanan counties. The Cotillion for Achievement has been offering scholarship applications, enrichment opportunities and leadership training for almost 39 years. Each year, 16 finalists are selected based on scholastic achievement, extracurricular activities, community involvement and a written

By Jazmine Knight In recognition of the tragedy that took place 23 years ago on Sept. 11, 2001, students at Robidoux Middle School had a chance to explore the event’s history throughout the school day. School librarian Melissa Corey and Robidoux middle social studies teachers created a 9/11 exhibit in the library. Student tours began

By Jazmine Knight The St. Joseph Schools district will host a reception for their new Family Leadership Institute Sept. 11 from 5-6:30 p.m. at the Troester Media Center board room.  Attendees can learn more about institute and how this program will help English learning families. For questions or more information contact Michelle Schulze at michelleschulze@sjsd.k12.mo.us.

By Jazmine Knight One Central High School student was honored Tuesday afternoon for her volunteerism around St. Joseph. Nyliya Washington received the “Most Spirited Volunteer for 15” award through the Youth Volunteer Corps and Patrick Mahomes’ 15 and the Mahomies Foundation. The award recognizes positive leaders in volunteerism. The Patrick Mahomes’ 15 and the Mahomies

By Jazmine Knight Hillyard Technical Center students will have another way to gain hands-on career experience thanks to a new piece of equipment. Diesel tech students welcomed a new, fully operational Freightliner chassis donated by Daimler Truck North America. The chassis was previously stored at Altec as the school’s diesel shop was being remodeled. Mike

By Jazmine Knight The St. Joseph Board of Education voted on the fate of two more challenged books Monday evening. The school board voted 4-2 to retain “Crank” by Ellen Hopkins, “This Book is Anti-Racist” by Tiffany Jewell. LaTonya Williams, Whitney Lanning, Mike Moore and Rick Gehring voted to retain both books with no restrictions

By Jazmine Knight As college students start to get into the swing of the semester, some may notice an unexpected deposit in their bank account. Refund checks come when students take out a loan for a certain amount of money to cover the cost of school but the loans exceed the school bill. The additional