Education

By Jazmine Knight Missouri Western State University is preparing for the opening of its new Convergent Technology Alliance Center building, now with an official name. Named the Houlne Center for Convergent Technology, this building aims to provide a 20,000-square-foot workforce development laboratory for areas such as manufacturing, construction, cybersecurity and other related industries. The building

By NewsPress Now Missourians will get a break on the cost of school supplies during the state’s annual sales tax holiday from Friday, Aug. 2, to Sunday, Aug. 4. During that weekend, purchases such as school supplies, computers, clothing and other qualifying items as defined by statute are exempt from all state and local sales

By NewsPress Now A new face will be leading the esports program at Missouri Western State University. Alec “Chance” Mueller has been named the new director of Griffon Esports, effective Aug. 1. He previously was esports head coach at Ashland University in Ohio. In his new role, Mueller will oversee all aspects of MWSU’s esports

By Jazmine Knight Free child care is on the way for St. Joseph School District employees. District employees will have free before- and after-school child care after the school board approved a child care initiative in partnership with the YMCA at Monday’s board meeting. The YMCA is offering to cover the costs of 50 children.

By Kendra Simpson A few St. Joseph teachers won’t have to worry about purchasing school supplies this year thanks to a local car dealership. Anderson Auto Group will randomly fulfill teachers’ Amazon wish lists through a posting on its Facebook page this week. Teachers take days, if not weeks, to prepare their classrooms, but that’s

By Kendra Simpson The St. Joseph School Board will add a little more time to the start of its search for a new superintendent. The board had received two bids from search firms as of its meeting Thursday. The deadline for request for proposals was extended to noon on Monday, Aug. 5. The board will

By Chris Fortune St. Joseph teachers took time out of summer vacation to learn about the skills local employers are looking for to help prepare their students. The St. Joseph Chamber of Commerce concluded its annual Teacher Externship Program on Thursday. The partnership between St. Joseph School District and local businesses took place over four

By NewsPress Now The St. Joseph School board is meeting this evening to discuss early steps in its search for a new superintendent. The board plans to begin talks about requests for proposals from search firms and make plans to interview those contenders. Current superintendent Gabe Edgar announced he will retire at the end of

By Chris Fortune Students never stop learning as they advance through grade school, and the same goes for teachers, who strive to grow in their profession. The Missouri Council of Teachers of Mathematics came to Carden Park Elementary to help St. Joseph School District math instructors do just that. Carden Park teacher Kelly Robb serves

By Ashley Luthans Students filling out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid might notice some differences to the process, as a new mandate has brought about some major changes. The FAFSA Simplification Act aims to modify various aspects of the application and streamline different processes. This contributed to nationwide delays as students applied this

By Jazmine Knight With the district’s long-range plan continuing to develop, a bond for the youth sports arenas could potentially stand in the way of it earning voter approval. While this may cause stress for taxpayers, district and city officials are looking to find the best path forward for voters. “We kind of talked about

By Jazmine Knight Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey announced that his office will be demanding records from the St. Joseph School District’s Board of Education after “credible allegations” of illegal activity were brought to Bailey’s office. Bailey and his team will be investigating the violation of the Sunshine Law, state ballot-measure expenditure and state conflict

By NewsPress Now (StatePoint) No matter the career path students pursue, writing and communication skills are essential to success. Whether a student identifies as a “math kid,” a “sports kid,” or even a “reading kid,” writing doesn’t always come naturally. Parents and teachers need to be creative in how they present writing, so students feel

By Jazmine Knight After the St. Joseph School District announced a change in schedule for three elementary schools, parents had mixed reactions online, but some local families think the change won’t be too disruptive. Eugene Field and Parkway Elementary will now be in session from 8:45 a.m. to 3:50 p.m. Bessie Ellison Elementary will now

By NewsPress Now The St. Joseph School District announced Monday in an email to district families that three schools will have different start and end times for the 2024-25 academic year. Ellison, Field and Parkway elementary students will see changes to their schedule. Carden Park, Coleman, Edison, Ellison, Hosea, Lindbergh and Skaith will be in

By Jazmine Knight A proposition on the August ballot is aiming to make the St. Joseph School District more competitive by providing salary increases to teachers and staff. Currently, Missouri sits near the bottom when it comes to teacher and staff wages. Voters will have the chance to decide on Aug. 6 to approve Proposition

By NewsPress Now Benedictine College is still considering a potential new medical school on its Atchison, Kansas, campus, but it will do so alone. Officials said Tuesday that a partnership between Benedictine and Catholic Healthcare International to explore the possibility of a medical school has been amicably dissolved and the college is now moving forward

By NewsPress Now (StatePoint) College-related costs are at an all-time high, and while many parents harbor concerns about the expense, they value the education their child is receiving. That’s according to the April 2024 College Ave survey. The survey found that while 89% of parents of four-year college students believe a college degree is important

By Jazmine Knight With summer school ending for some students, many might think it’s time to put the school supplies away. However, summer learning is proven to be essential so students don’t fall behind or regress over the break. MidCity Excellence founder and CEO Kimberly Warren said their organization is trying to shape, mold and

By Jazmine Knight Superintendent Gabe Edgar announced Wednesday that he will be leaving his role after the 2024-25 academic year and beginning a new chapter in his life. Edgar began his 28-year career in public education in the Marceline R-V school district as a business teacher and coach. He was hired in 2019 as St.

By NewsPress Now The St. Joseph School District soon will be looking for a new leader. Superintendent Gabe Edgar announced Wednesday night that he will retire at the end of the 2024-25 school year. Edgar’s resignation is effective June 30, 2025. “Serving this community has been an incredibly rewarding experience,” Edgar said. “It has been

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