No national competition for Hickman Academic Team

Hickman High School’s Academic Team qualified for nationals on Nov. 1, at the MU Quizbowl tournament.  According to the team sponsor, Deanna Wasman, they will not be attending the competition.  The event falls on the same date as Hickman’s graduation. Budget constraints will also prevent the team’s participation.
Wasman also added that the main focus of [...]

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Breakdown of top native languages spoken in schools

Columbia Public Schools have seen an increase in the number of English Language Learners (ELL) this year. A total of 138 new ELL students have enrolled in classes since July 2008.
Keeley Elementary has the most ELL students of any school. A majority of its 71 students are referrals from the refugee resettlement office, which [...]

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Consequences for loss of free play time

At last week’s Wonderplay conference in New York City the lack of unstructured play time for children puts them at a disadvantage according to an article in USA Today.  Free play fosters creativity and innovation. Psychologist Micheal Thompson delivered the keynote speech that emphasized the dire need for more spontaneous play. He said that the [...]

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Columbia Independent School raises over $1,000 in pennies

Columbia Independent School students recently raised over 100,000 pennies for Pennies for Peace, a program that uses the collection of pennies to build schools in Afghanistan and Pakistan. The pennies were collected, which totaled $1,098.02, between Sept. 26 and Oct. 10, with different containers placed throughout the school for different age groups. After the pennies [...]

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One person dead after scaffolding fell from the new elementary

One person is dead after scaffolding at Columbia’s new elementary school collapsed in the late afternoon Monday. Seven people were involved and three were sent to the hospital, according to Lynn Barnett, assistant superintendent for student support services.
“We want to share with the public our loss and our grief,” Barnett said at the Columbia Public [...]

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Board president might seek committee position

Although she will not be running for re-election to the school board when her term is over in April, Board president Michelle Gadbois insists she won’t be abandoning Columbia Public Schools. After Monday’s board meeting, Gadbois said that she will seek a seat on the Achievement Gap Task Force, which researches ways to eliminate achievement [...]

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How far should a school go to measure progress?

In addition to keeping track of test results, schools in Britain are also keeping track of whether their students are “falling into the grip of extremists and fanatics.”
The teachers can look over the 47-page checklist for signs of change and are required to report names of students who demonstrate those signs.
The schools are also handing [...]

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Columbia Independent School names new headmaster

Scott Gibson III was named Columbia Independent School’s new headmaster on Saturday, effective immediately. He was chosen unanimously for the position by the school’s board of trustees.
Board chairman John Thompson said in a news release issued Saturday: “In our search, our objective was to find a leader with significant experience in the international community, an [...]

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Few attend third community forum for superintendent search

At the last community forum Wednesday night at Gentry Middle School, Missouri School Boards’ Association consultant Bob Watkins talked to the six people in attendance, plus School Board President Michelle Gadbois, board member Tom Rose and Chief Academic Officer Sally Beth Lyon.
The group talked about different leadership styles, making tough decisions and Columbia’s unique makeup as [...]

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Not many turn out for superintendent search forums

Other information from Wednesday night’s community forums about the superintendent search process:

Missouri School Boards’ Association consultant Bob Watkins, who is helping the school board with the superintendent search, met with the assistant superintendents Wednesday, and he will meet later with the Chamber of Commerce, school staff and community groups such as the NAACP and Columbia Parents [...]

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