In a interesting article in the Kansas City Star, Raytown Superintendent Allan Markley is quoted as stating…
“Some will argue they’ve had a chance for 30 years,” Raytown Superintendent Allan Markley said. “But their feet haven’t been held to the fire the way they are now. If everyone is ready to rally behind them, they should be given the chance.”
The “Ultimate Chili Challenge” was held at Raytown High School last night where five teachers – one from each department – competed for the best chili concoction during halftime of the varsity basketball game for a monetary grand prize to put towards his/her department. Assistant Principal, Brad Drace, sampled the unique chili concoctions and chose the spicy, beefy chili recipe made by Social Studies teacher, Kevin Page. His secret ingredient? Raytown High School pride and, of course, Williams Chili Seasoning. Clicking on the photos below will result in a much larger view.
Raytown High School Assistant Principal Brad Drace quickly samples the teachers’ chili concoctions during halftime of the varsity basketball game.
(L to R): Social Studies Teacher, Kevin Page, won $500 to put towards the Social Studies Department; Assistant Principal Brad Drace proudly displays the other check for $500 for Raytown High School. In total, Williams Foods donated $1,000 to Raytown High School.
There will be a Raytown School Board candidate forum on Feb. 25th at 2PM. The location is the Raytown Christian Church, located at 6108 Blue Ridge Boulevard. The event is sponsored by the NAACP and is open to the public. The NAACP held a similar forum for the candidates in the school board election held last year.
The following is from the invitation to the candidates.
“The forum format is a panel discussion, co-facilitated by two individuals with experience in education and community affairs. Candidates will have a brief opportunity to introduce themselves at the beginning of the forum, and to give a short summary at the conclusion. Questions will be solicited from district parents and other stakeholders in advance, as well as from audience members during the forum. Questions will be screened by the facilitators, and edited or condensed as needed to avoid redundancy and fit into the time allowed”
From left to right, teacher Susan Miles, Hannah Steele, Zach Kujath, Michael Bartelli, Chris Sadler, Braden Best, Zoe Davis, Gabe Ammerman, Anthony Moore, Skylar Stewart
Raytown Quality Schools Middle School Challenge students represented the district at the Great Plains Regional of the Future City Competition held at the University of Kansas in Lawrence in January.
The Future City Competition is a national, project-based learning experience where students in 6th, 7th, and 8th grade imagine, design, and build cities of the future. Students work as a team with an educator and engineer mentor to plan cities using SimCity™ 4 Deluxe software; research and write solutions to an engineering problem; build tabletop scale models with recycled materials; and present their ideas before judges.
Several Raytown teams won awards. The Raytown Central Middle School Team Gravinetix made up of students Christopher Sadler, Hannah Steele and Zoë Davis brought home the “Mother Earth Award” recognizing the most innovative concept for improving the environment.
The Raytown Middle School Team Tight-Anium won the “Most Creatively Named City”. Those group members are Ceara Dorsey, Grace Little, Mia Rivera-Watkins, Conlan Miller, Maxine Nwachukwu, Steven Keener, and Nicolas Cruz.
The Raytown Middle School Team Hidden Valley Ranch won the “Camelot Award for Safest City”. Those group members are Jon Marple, Brooke Fielding, Carl Glosenger, Regan Ross, Trey Ludwig and Sean Laney. This team also placed 19th overall.
The Raytown South Middle School team Survivor Town placed 18th overall. Those team members were Isaac Barkley, Marigrace Heinze, Hannah McIntyre, Kaycee Mahone, and Kyra Little.
Overall, Raytown Central Middle School team ZINC, made up Lauren Owens, Macey Snell, Collin Guthrie, Savanna Jackson, Madison Burt, and Mariah Omland. They were represented by Sierra McMurray, Constanza Castro and Israel Hanke finished 13th out of 48 teams.
On National Signing day for collegiate football, several Raytown High School and Raytown South High School athletes committed to colleges and universities to continue their athletic careers.
Signing for Raytown High School were Terrance Hill, linebacker, with Southeast Missouri State University; Justus McMullen, wide receiver with the University of Central Missouri; Henry Burns, linebacker with Missouri Valley; and Chris Scott, offensive and defensive lineman with Missouri Valley.
Signing for Raytown South High School were Josh Johnson, Offensive Line, with Lincoln University; Marqus Moye, Outside Linebacker, with William Jewell; Mustafaa Rose, Running Back, with Lincoln University; and Delvon Rouser, Wide Receiver, with Lincoln University.
In other collegiate signings, Raytown High School’s Steven Deshazer signed with the University of Missouri for track.
The Raytown South varsity and novice debate teams competed at the Springfield Parkview Tournament on January 27 and 28. The Raytown High varsity team also competed at Parkview and the novices competed at Ruskin.
Raytown South finished 4th of 41 teams competing, and 6th of 41 teams in the novice varsity combine sweepstakes. Individual winners were Garrett Poorman, 1st in Varsity United States Extemporaneous Speaking and 2nd in Championship Lincoln-Douglas Debate; Daniel Worthington, 3rd in Varsity International Extemporaneous Speaking; Joseph Bennett, 4th in Varsity Humorous Interpretation; Michael Daniels and Joseph Summers, 5th in Varsity Duo Interpretation; and Bryson Kenworthy, 6th in Varsity Duo Interpretation.
At Parkview, top finishers for Raytown High School were Josh Ethridge, 9th in Lincoln-Douglas Debate; and Paige Keeton with Cory McAlister, 4th in Public Forum Debate.
At Ruskin, top finishers for Raytown High School were Blake Shepheard, 8th in Lincoln-Douglas Debate; and Carl Hayter Sirls, 5th in Dramatic Interpretation.
The Raytown South teams are coached by Matt Good, and the Raytown High teams are coached by Mark Harris.
A flu or a flu like infection has hit the Raytown Schools hard. One school reported about 1/3 the students and staff were home sick. The plan is to close the schools on Monday, January 30th and disinfect the schools and busses.
for more information on this click HERE to read a KC Star report.
From September 13 – October 15, students in elementary, middle school and junior high entered the “Bag Your Favorite Book” contest by designing an original cover of a book. Nine area students, one per grade from kindergarten through eighth grade were selected as winners. Ryan won an artist set, and the Robinson library got a check for $500. Anna’s class will also get a party hosted by Price Chopper.
Over 8,000 entries were received from the Greater Kansas City area.
The Raytown and Raytown South Speech and Debate Teams competed on January 20 and 21 and the Truman and Oak Park tournaments.
Top finishers for Raytown High School at Truman in the novice tournament were Adriana Albor and Derek Baska with a 2-1 record.
At Oak Park, the Varsity team finished in 6th place. Top finishers were Blake Shepheard, 6th in Student Congress, and Jeffri McIntosh, 4th place in Student Congress. Claire Robinson was named the outstanding Presiding Officer. Jackson Bonifield and Claire Robinson finished 4th in Policy Debate, and in Samatha Causey finished 4th in Lincoln Douglas debate. The Talking Blue Jays are coached by Mark Harris.
Raytown South competed only at the Truman portion of the tournament. The following won awards: Jamel Peterson, 1st place in Lincoln-Douglas Debate; Dara Britton, 1st place in Current Events Speaking; Chester McIntyre, 1st place in Poetry Reading; and Briana Wesley, 2nd place in Poetry Reading and 2nd place Children’s Storytelling.
Additionally, McIntyre and Hannah Unruh, earned 3rd place in Duo Interpretation; Jasmine Farmer, earned 3rd place in Current Events Speaking; Kesha Gordon, earned 3rd place in Original Oratory; and Leeann Williams, earned 3rd place in Lincoln-Douglas Debate.
Final results include Matt Van Ross, 4th place in Children’s Storytelling; Unruh, 5th place in Prose Reading; Brandon Jones, 5th place in Lincoln-Douglas Debate and 5th place Current Events Speaking; and Kaulic Williams, 6th place in Student Congress. Raytown South is coached by Matt Good.
State Senator Victor Callahan addresses the Raytown Democratic Association on the subject of the future of the KCMO School District and the effects on Raytown.
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Students from the Spring Valley Elementary Treblemakers musical group performed at the annual Raytown Martin Luther King, Kr. Celebration, “Unity With Love- Pass It On”
The Raytown South and Raytown High School Debate teams participated at the Liberty and Liberty North Tournaments on January 13 and 14.
Raytown South took 4th place of 46 teams. Individual winners were Garrett Poorman, 2nd in Varsity United States Extemporaneous Speaking; Joseph Bennett and Joseph Summers, 3rd place in Champion Public Forum Debate; Ethan Wilkins, 4th in Regular Lincoln-Douglas Debate; and Faith Orie-Okpewho, 4th in Regular Lincoln-Douglas Debate and 6th Varsity Original Oratory.
Additionally, Joseph Summers, was 5th in Varsity United States Extemporaneous Speaking; David Dempsey and Jonathon Wright, were 5th in Novice Duo Interpretation; Suzi Hamilton and Bryson Kenworthy, were 6th in Varsity Duo Interpretation; Joseph Bennett, was 6th in Varsity Humorous Interpretation; and DaeShawn Webb, was 8th in Varsity Prose Reading.
For the Raytown High School team, top finishers were Josh Ethridge, who was undefeated in the Championship division of Lincoln-Douglas to finish in first place, and Claire Robinson, who finished 7th in Student Congress.
In the junior varsity competition, the top Raytown High School finisher was Carl Hayter Sirls, with a 4th place finish in Dramatic Interpretation.
The Raytown School District hired an energy consultant whose recommended changes resulted in a $500,000 annual savings in energy cost for the district.
For more on this story click HERE to read the NBCActionNews article.
Thank you NBC Action News for providing the embedding code for this video.
The Raytown High School band will be traveling to New Orleans on January 6 to play at the Bowl Championship Series National Championship Game. The band will be a part of the mass band for the finale of the half time entertainment. The games airs Monday, January 9 at 7:30 p.m. on ESPN. The group is under the direction of Joseph Hill.
The Raytown School District will elect 2 board members on April 3rd. Filing for the positions will close at 5:00 p.m. on January 17th. The two incumbents Kristie Collins-Delarber and Amy Tittle have filed. A newcomer Alonzo Burton has also filed.
Five area school districts, as well as individual taxpayers from those districts, have filed a petition in Jackson County court seeking clarification regarding a Kansas City Public Schools (KCPS) policy governing student transfers. The districts are: Blue Springs, Independence, Lee’s Summit, North Kansas City and Raytown. The petition seeks to delay the implementation of the KCPS transfer policy while the education and governance issues of KCPS are determined in the courts, legislature or State Board of Education.
KCPS loses its accreditation January 1, 2012. Under state law, students residing in the Kansas City, Missouri school district are eligible to apply for a transfer to an accredited school district in Jackson County or an adjoining county. Prior to 1993, this law stated that accredited school districts could choose whether or not to admit students from unaccredited schools. Under an amendment to the law in 1993, accredited schools districts are required to admit student transfers from an unaccredited district if the unaccredited district provides transportation and pays tuition as determined by the accredited district. Blue Springs, Independence, Lee’s Summit, North Kansas City and Raytown are accredited school districts to which KCPS students may seek a transfer.
On December 21, 2011, the KCPS Board of Education adopted a policy that requires the receiving accredited school districts to provide transportation for students. The policy does not state that KCPS will pay tuition in an amount set by the accredited districts or in accordance with the accredited districts’ tuition policies. Furthermore, the KCPS policy also does not allow all resident students to transfer, but instead, only allows students who have attended a KCPS school for two academic semesters immediately preceding the transfer request to a transfer.
The five districts listed above are committed to meeting their legal obligations to all students involved.
On Friday, December 23, representatives from the five districts filed the joint petition in Jackson County, Missouri, which asks the court to clarify the rights and responsibilities of the parties under the recent KCPS student transfer policy. The petition also asks the court to clarify the responsibilities of the parties under the statute regarding transfers, and to determine that the KCPS Board of Education policy is in violation of the Hancock Amendment.
Specifically, the petition asks for:
1. An injunction prohibiting KCPS from transferring resident pupils of KCPSaccording to its student transfer policy or in accordance with state law, Section 167.131 revised statutes of Missouri .
2. The court to declare:
a. KCPS student transfer policy is void as a violation of 167.131 revised statutes of Missouri.
b. KCPS transfer policy is invalid as it requires accredited schools to provide an education for and transportation of KCPS students in violation of Hancock Amendment.
On January 1st, 2012, the Kansas City Missouri School District (KCMSD) will lose its accreditation. As a result, students residing within KCMSD may transfer to neighboring districts. The Missouri Supreme Court, in July, 2011, ruled that an unaccredited district must pay tuition to the receiving district. Kansas City Missouri School District offered to pay neighboring districts $3,733 per student for the 2012 fiscal year, and proposes to make payments by the month. In their new transfer policy, KCMSD also stated they would not pay tuition for students who have not attended a KCMSD school for at least the two previous semesters.
The State Legislature has drafted a plan that would allow surrounding districts to run KCMSD schools on a contract basis.
For more on this click HERE to read a The Republic, Columbus Indiana article (yes Indiana!) and click HERE to read The Republics article on the proposed legislation.
For more on this click HERE to read a KCTV article.
For more on this click HERE to read a KMBC article.
It is difficult to believe that the district’s tuition proposal of $3,733 is a good faith offer, since it is less than one-fourth of the current per pupil expenditure, as reported by DESE. From the data in the table above, there would appear to be only 3 reasonable starting offers. The amount they are spending now per student, the amount Raytown is spending now per student, or the average of the two.
Requiring a student to have been enrolled for two semesters is an avoidance of the district’s responsibility to provide a decent education to all students in the district. It seems likely that this policy is designed primarily to prevent students currently attending private schools at their parents’ expense from taking advantage of the opportunity to transfer to a neighboring district, at KCMSD’s expense.
UPDATE
RaytownOnline.com owner/reporter attended a NAACP meeting that R. Stephen Green, Ed.D., the acting superintendent of the Kansas City Mo. School District was the featured speaker. At the end of the speech, there was a question and answer session and the RaytownOnline.com reporter was able to ask about the tuition offer.
Raytown School District Mathematics Curriculum Coordinator Marilyn Cannon has been named the 2011 Missouri Outstanding Middle School Educator for the state by the Missouri Council of Teachers of Mathematics (MCTM).
Cannon has been with the District since 1994 and has served as a middle school mathematics teacher, department chair, instructional coach, and curriculum coordinator.
“ I am excited to receive this award not because it speaks highly of me but of the work we do in Raytown,” Cannon said.
Dr. Steve Shelton, Assistant Superintendent of Secondary Education, calls Cannon a driving force behind alignment to state and core standards and a data expert.
“Marilyn works tirelessly at evaluating our data to show us how to best impact instruction. Her commitment to the mathematics department is admirable,” Shelton said.
Cannon received her award at the MCTM fall conference.
The cards were stacked against Raytown South. Their opponents were the defending Kansas 6A champions. The final score at Avila University Saturday night was 54 to 48. South forced 19 turn overs and Junior Diago Tyson scored 22 points. The Cardinals pulled within 2 points towards the end of the game, but in the end the Falcons got the victory.
The good news for South fans is that South was able to be competative with a 6A State champion school and Tyson has another season of play.
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