K-12 Education

On Tuesday, students from Family Career and Community Leaders of America groups from three junior high schools painted pumpkins and delivered them to nursing homes.

Columbia elementary school counselors will host two viewings for parents to observe the sexual abuse prevention books and videos their children are scheduled to view at school this year. 

For a second year, Hickman High School will host its Kewpie Math Classic, a math competition for middle school students with questions created by members of Mu Alpha Theta, a math honor society at Hickman.

Nontraditional math curriculum used in Columbia Public Schools vary in a lot of ways, and educators hope students would gain multiple problem-solving skills from it.

Despite meeting Missouri Assessment Program proficiency targets as a school, Mill Creek Elementary School wound up on No Child Left Behind's "needs improvement" list for 2008. Principal Mary Sue Gipson says the label doesn't accurately reflect the school.

About 30 people spoke at a Columbia Public Schools' public comments meeting Thursday night. Among their concerns were quick, responsible curriculum decisions and easing children through the district's planned math changes.

The school will hold a Western-themed celebration Thursday, with visits from alumni and former teachers.

Organizers for Read for the Record, which took place Wednesday, hoped to involve 400,000 people to break the record for the most children being read the same book by adults on the same day.

The joint committee decided they need more time before making recommendations to the public.

For the eighth graders in Columbia's junior high school bands, Friday's Providence Bowl Parade was their first public marching experience. The three junior high marching bands, alongside the high school bands, also played the national anthem at the rivalry game.

Enrollment in AP classes increased this year at Rock Bridge and Hickman high schools, an increase that mirrors the statewide increase of 14 percent. Douglass High School does not offer AP courses but its students can take the courses at Hickman and Rock Bridge. The increase in AP enrollment can be attributed to two factors: saving money and seeking a challenge.

Along with Alaska, Missouri is one of just ten states in the country that does not regulate or monitor home schooling, according to the Home Schooling Legal Defense Association.

Friday's Providence Bowl Parade was the first public marching experience for students from Jefferson, Oakland and West junior high schools. The junior high school bands also played the national anthem with the high school bands at Friday's rivalry game.

Eighteen Hickman High School students, six Rock Bridge High School students and one Christian Fellowship School student were named 2009 National Merit semifinalists.

Though it hasn't been decided officially, Interim Superintendent Jim Ritter said all grade levels will likely use a traditional approach, but students in grades nine through 12 could be able to choose the traditional or nontraditional route.

Friday's parade in downtown Columbia begins homecoming week for Rock Bridge High School.

The Columbia Public School District is putting six vacant lots and one school building back on the market after the lots failed to sell in a June 24 auction.

The Islamic School of Columbia is in the midst of celebrating Islam's most sacred holiday, Ramadan. To begin the celebration at the school, first-year Principal Zuhnia Kozbar made each student a gift bag filled with a toy, dates and other treats.

'U Matter' is the new message that Columbia Public Schools is sharing with middle, junior and high school students through its latest substance abuse prevention campaign being launched this week.

One child has transferred from Benton Elementary School, and a total of five schools are now on the state's "needs improvement" list for failing to meet Missouri Assessment Program testing standards the past two years.