West Newsmagazine School Bulletin Board

West Newsmagazine is West St. Louis County's exclusive direct-mailed community newspaper.

School Bulletin Board

Last day of school

The last day of school for most Parkway School District students is a half day

on Fri., May 23. Central High and South High students will attend a half day on Tues., May 27, to make up for time lost due to plumbing and power outage problems earlier in the year.

The last day of school for elementary, middle and Marquette High students in the Rockwood School District is Thurs., May 22. The last day of school for Eureka High, Lafayette High and Rockwood Summit High is Fri., May 23.

Celebrating children

St. John Lutheran School preschoolers celebrated the "National Week of the Young Child" recently by dressing up as storybook characters.

They had guest readers come in each day to read to them as well and reinforce the importance of reading and imagination in learning.

Circle Of Concern awards 25 scholarships

Circle Of Concern’s 2008 Scholarship Competition has awarded grants to 25 young people from area schools. This year’s scholarships totaled $62,500.

Individual grants ranged from $500 to $5,000. The scholarships will be paid to the community college, four-year college or professional trade school the recipients choose to attend.

Circle Of Concern has awarded scholarships each spring since the late 1960s. More than 500 area young people have received Circle grants over the past four decades.

The scholarship awards were presented to the young people at Circle’s Scholarship Luncheon on May 1.

The recipients include:

* Daniel Nolan, Rockwood Summit High School, Walter Beranek Scholarship.

* Davion Sanders, Parkway South High School, Arlene Frazier Scholarship.

* Leah Becerra, Parkway South High School, Jane Bedell Scholarship.

* Michael Kaveler, Parkway Central High School, Bob Stone Scholarship.

* Affton Gilmore, Marquette High School, St. Martin’s Scholarship.

* Michelle McClure, Marquette High School, Rockwood Retired Teachers Scholarship.

* Ella Tait Fund/Delmar Baptist Church Scholarships: Hermance Fortune, Parkway South High School; Jhamie Johnson-Scott, Parkway North High School; Gaybrielle Priest, Valley Park High School; Eunice Theordor, Parkway South High School.

* Scholarships honoring Susan Cooney from AEP River Operations in Chesterfield: Kelsey Cobb, Valley Park High School, Sara Lin, Parkway West High School.

* Circle Of Concern Scholarships: Alexis Atkins, Parkway South High School;

Retha Bisso, Parkway West High School; Brittney Cloudy, Marquette High School; Tykia Fitch, Marquette High School; Keith Jackson, Rockwood Summit High School; Heather Marler, Valley Park High School; Amy Nethero, Lafayette High School; Missy Noell, Parkway Fern Ridge High School; Allissa Pickerill, Valley Park High School; Kristine Randolph, Parkway West High School; Joshua Skaggs, Valley Park High School; Kristen Steele, Valley Park High School; and Adeline Wider,

Rockwood Summit High School.

Surprise winner

On May 1, Ian Pittwood, a sixth grader at Selvidge Middle School in Ballwin, was surprised when he was recognized by representatives from Johnson Controls and Philips as the Missouri winner of the Igniting Creative Energy Challenge - a program that asks students to develop creative ways to conserve energy and encourage sustainability.

Pittwood was awarded $1,000 for his school, courtesy of Johnson Controls and a 2GB flash audio player, courtesy of Philips.

Pittwood’s winning project was an original 30-second television commercial. His commercial educates viewers on the benefits of using compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs), while urging viewers to use CFLs instead of incandescent light bulbs to save energy.

Glory of Missouri winners

Fourteen Rockwood Valley Students went to Jefferson City on April 24 to receive their Glory of Missouri Awards.

This award was established by the Missouri House of Representatives to honor students who represent the 14 virtues that are engraved in the House Chamber:

Knowledge, Education, Liberty, Equality, Law, Justice, Fraternity, Progress, Honor, Truth, Virtue, Temperance, Enterprise, and Charity.

Principal is one of nation’s top educators

St. John Lutheran School’s principal, Spencer Peregoy, recently received one of the nation’s top honors in elementary and middle school education when he was selected by the National Association of Elementary School Principals to receive the National Distinguished Principals (NDP) Award for 2007.

Peregoy, one of only six private school principals in the United States to receive the award, traveled to Washington, D.C., where he was recognized for his work by Raymond Simon, the deputy secretary of the U.S. Department of Education.

“It is really exciting that our efforts to provide a quality Christian education are being recognized by others and it speaks to the great work being done by the outstanding faculty and staff,” Peregoy said. “On behalf of the entire St. John Lutheran School community, I’m honored and honestly, somewhat humbled, to receive this award.”

Students recently presented Peregoy with a handmade cross in honor of his award. The cross was filled with one bead from each student, pre-school through eighth grade, representing the difference Peregoy has made in each student’s life.

Peregoy has been St. John Lutheran School’s principal since 2000.

The National Distinguished Principals Award honors exemplary elementary and middle school principals who set the pace, character, and quality of the education children receive during their early school years. The program is sponsored by the National Association of Elementary School Principals (NAESP) in cooperation with the U.S. Department of Education, supported by a corporate partnership with AIG VALIC. The award highlights the fundamental importance of the school principal in achieving educational excellence for pre-kindergarten through eighth grade students. The recognition afforded by the NDP designation instills pride in principals' accomplishments and reinforces their continued leadership in helping children develop a lifelong love of learning.

One public school principal is chosen annually from each of the 50 states and the District of Columbia. Principals representing private K-8 schools, Department of Defense Dependents' Schools, and the U.S. Department of State Overseas Schools also are selected separately. Public school principals are nominated by peers in their home states, and the final selection for each state's NDP is made by the NAESP state affiliate. Honorees from private schools and overseas schools are selected by special committees.