Students from Nipher Middle School in the Kirkwood School District competed in the annual Technology Education Association (TEAM) state contest on May 11 at Lake of the Ozarks, MO. This year’s competition featured approximately 350 student designers and builders from across the state. For the competition, teams of students from across the state submitted projects to the Competition Displaying a variety of Skills, Vocations and Technology. Nipher students were entered in the MD-4 Mechanical Drafting Group/Team Engineering Design Problem Project. The specific project involved students designing a play area for an elementary school. Students from Nipher 8th grade Engineering Technology II class competed in the competition. The class is taught by Mr. David Jackson. Students drafted the playground drawings in Inventor computer-aided design (CAD). The students then created a model of the playgrounds using 3-D printers. Students had to complete an on-sight test for their area of mechanical drafting. Nipher students placed in several of the top spots including: Best of Middle School Division (Best of Show) : Carlye Bennett, Peter Barton and Ty Sharp Peter Barton: Grand Award CAD Shootout (competition on-sight to see who can draw a specific part drawing on the computer the quickest) Braeden Fitzsimmons, Graysen Sturdy and Diego Sauer Grand Award Mechanical Drafting for their drawing and model and Test Scores. Parker Gammon, Cory Drexler and Tre Zimmerman received a "One" Rating on their drawing and project.
The Glendale-Kirkwood Kiwanis Club gifted each of the kindergarten students in the Kirkwood School District (KSD) with an early reader book as part of the service club’s Early Reader Program. Due to COVID restrictions, members of the club dropped off books to each KSD elementary school including students in the KSD At Home program. Kindergarten teachers are presenting the books to their students last week and this week. The program was initiated in spring 2006 when the Glendale-Kirkwood Kiwanis Club gifted books to each of KSD’s 275 kindergarteners. This year, the club members gifted books to each of KSD’s 477 kindergarteners. Over the years, the Kiwanis Early Reader Program has become an annual “graduation” gift for KSD kindergartners and celebrates of the young students’ love of reading, “We are grateful for the Kiwanis Club’s sponsorship of this important program, even with our continued enrollment growth,” said Dr. David Ulrich, KSD superintendent. The Kirkwood teachers selected the books from a list of age-appropriate books prepared by Kiwanis Club member Lynn Bosso from the Kirkwood Public Library.
National School Nurse Day is celebrated on May 12, 2021. The theme is: Championing the Whole Student. This theme recognizes the integral role that school nurses play in bridging health and education to improve each child’s cognitive, physical, social, and emotional development, regardless of whether they are physically present in school or not. School nurses champion the whole student every day of the year. But, on National School Nurse Day, we take special time to celebrate and recognize the contributions that school nurses are making to the health and learning of our KSD students. Kirkwood School District celebrates and acknowledges the accomplishments of our school nurses and their efforts in meeting the needs of students by improving the delivery of healthcare in our schools. We offer gratitude for their contribution to our community by helping students stay healthy, in school, and ready to learn, and keeping parents and guardians at work, not just on this National School Nurse Day, but at every opportunity throughout the year. School nurses serve as a critical health hub for students, ensuring that students are ready for learning by managing complex chronic conditions; identifying and addressing mental health issues; leveling the field on health disparities and promoting healthy behaviors; connecting families to healthcare providers; handling medical emergencies... and now, navigating through the COVID-19 pandemic by testing, tracking and providing vaccination information to students and school personnel. To our nursing team: thank you, for everything you do for our students and schools!
During a ceremony on Thursday, April 29, Kirkwood High School recognized 74 senior students who will receive 50% or more of their collegiate tuition paid for by scholarships.
The Kirkwood High School Mock Trial Team won the Missouri High School Mock Trial Competition. This year’s competition was conducted virtually the weekend of April 9-11 and the trials took place over Zoom. The state competition included 16 high schools from across the state. The teams qualified out of 66 teams who completed in opening rounds across the state.
The box tape project sculpture created by Kirkwood High School junior Elias Muraski was selected to represent the Missouri Senate District 2 in the state capitol as part of the annual Missouri Senate Hall Art Exhibit.
A committee with representatives from the Journalism Education Association, National Scholastic Press Association and Quill and Scroll International Honorary Society chose 14 First Amendment Press Freedom Award winners for 2021. The Kirkwood High School Journalism program is one of the 14 schools selected. The KHS Journalism program consists of three publications. The names of the programs and their student leaders are: The Kirkwood Call editors in chief are students Amara Harper, Amelia Hurley and Tom Mueller. The Pioneer (yearbook) editors in chief are students Julia Frankel, Audrey Scherr and Ainsley Wade, editors in chief. KHTV producer is student Thaddeus Morgan.
Kirkwood High School students Thaddaeus Morgan, Lucy Schene, and Nate Vaughan have been chosen as Semi-Finalists in the St. Louis Teen Talent Competition. KHS Senior Thaddaeus Morgan is competing as a solo drummer. In 2019 and again in 2020, he and his brother Emmanuel Morgan made it to the semi-finals together playing the piano and drums in their band, Consecrated. KHS Sophomore Lucy Schene is competing as a solo vocalist. KHS Senior Nate Vaughan is competing as frontman and guitarist with his band, Guilty Pleasures, along with four students from other schools. Thaddaeus, Lucy and Nate have all been involved in KHS choir and drama programs. We are very proud of all of them!
