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Thursday, May 23, 2013

Hancock Scholar-Athlete Wants to Make Sports a Career

Find out more about Hancock High School student Jacob Renfrow, who was named one of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch’s 2013 Scholar-Athletes.

Hancock High School student Jacob Renfrow was recently announced as one of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch’s 2013 Scholar-Athletes, which is bestowed on one senior from each school in the Post-Dispatch coverage area. Renfrow is a baseball player who was named to the all-conference first team two times, according to his profile on Post-Dispatch. Renfrow told the newspaper he'll study business at McKendree University in hopes of working in sports marketing. View Renfrow’s full profile on Post-Dispatch. This year's 150 scholar-athletes were honored May 15 prior to the Cardinals-Mets game at Busch Stadium, according to Post-Dispatch. Join Mehlville-Oakville Patch for more community news or join us on Facebook and Twitter.

Monday, May 20, 2013

Hancock Place Music Teacher to Retire After Nearly 20 Years

Gene Rauscher, who has been teaching middle and high school students in the district since 1994, says he will miss watching his students "grow into themselves."

Gene Rauscher, a music teacher in the Hancock Place School District, is retiring after nearly 20 years at the district. Rauscher has been teaching middle and high school students in the district since 1994. Subjects he has taught include band, choir, guitar, music appreciation and piano just to name a few.  Patch asked Rauscher to reflect on his years as a music teacher. We also asked what he'll miss most and what he's looking forward to in his retirement. Here are his answers: How long have you been teaching? I have 19 years with Hancock Place and taught for three years at Mehlville High School (1979-1982). I started at Fayette High School in Howard County (1974-1975) and also taught in DeKalb, MO, from 1975-1976.  What will you miss the …

Sunday, May 19, 2013

Fundraiser Benefits Mehlville HS Student Battling Leukemia

Stop by McAlister's Deli Monday with a copy of the attached flyer, and 15 percent of proceeds will support Ali Hayes.

The Mehlville School District community is banding together to support a 16-year-old Mehlville High School student who is battling leukemia. Members of "Ali's Army" sold t-shirts at the school to benefit Ali Hayes' ongoing medical treatments. The school district posted a photo of participating students on their Facebook page on Friday. Monday, members of the community can join the effort. McAlister's Deli, 4000 Lemay Ferry Rd., is hosting a fundraiser on May 20 from 11 a.m. until 9 p.m. The restaurant will donated 15 percent of its proceeds to the Ali Hayes Fund. Customers must bring in the attached flyer, according to the district's Facebook page. (Just click the image to enlarge!)

Saturday, May 18, 2013

Solar Panels Mean Savings for Mehlville Schools

The district estimated an annual savings of $130,000 when they approved solar panelling for five buildings.

The Mehlville School District has already been able to reap some savings from solar panels atop five district schools, which were installed in December. At the end of last school year the district’s Board of Education approved a 20-year agreement with StraightUp Solar to install solar panels on the roofs of Beasley Elementary, Hagemann Elementary, Bernard Middle, Oakville High and the Witzel Alternative Academy. The panels are expected to offset roughly $130,000 in annual energy costs. Each system will prevent the consumption of 3.3 million pounds of coal and 6.6 million pounds of Carbon Dioxide emissions over the course of the 20-year lease agreement, according to the district website. During the April 25 Board of Education Meeting Chief …

Bryan Andrews.

4:58 pm on Sunday, May 19, 2013

Ha Ha nice methinks he needs to take off his tinfoil hat.   more ›

Friday, May 17, 2013

Mehlville School District Dedicates New Tennis Courts

Construction on the new courts at Bernard Middle School was completed earlier this year.

The Mehlville School District held a special celebration Wednesday for the dedication of eight newly-constructed tennis courts at Bernard Middle School. The district's Board of Education approved the project in late 2011. The Mehlville School District earned more than $60,000 in grant money toward construction, which was completed earlier this year. The project cost the district approximately $434,000. Check out the attached video for a message from Superintendent Dr. Eric Knost, or view photos of the dedication ceremony on the Mehlville School District Facebook page.   Catch up on the latest Mehlville School District news:

Thursday, May 16, 2013

With Home Values Down, Property Taxes Could Jump in Mehlville School District

That's one proposal under consideration by the Mehlville Board of Education.

If the Mehlville Board of Education wants to keep its tax revenues at the current level, it will need to raise the residential property tax rate on homeowners in the district. That's because the assessed values of homes are down by 3.5 percent. Chief Financial Officer Noel Knobloch presented his five-year projections during the Board of Education’s May 9 meeting as a part of the board's budgeting process. A final vote on 2013-2014 budget is expected next month. One of the options that Knobloch presented included a “complete roll up” of the tax rate by 3.5 percent. Taxpayers would pay more or less depending on their home's reassessed value, according to Call Newspapers. Another option would be to roll the tax rate up but by one penny less, …

PaulRevere

9:47 pm on Monday, May 20, 2013

VOUCHERS bandwagon! The Indiana State Teachers Association and the National Education Association sued to stop the Indiana statewide program, which allows families with household income below 150% of school lunch eligibility to receive vouchers equal to between 50% and 90% of state per-pupil education funding to use at any school. Using vouchers at religious schools did not violate the state …   more ›

Wednesday, May 15, 2013

Blades Elementary Principal, Gym Teacher Forced to Kiss Pig

It was all part of a friendly bet during a student fundraiser for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.

Students at Blades Elementary recently held a fundraiser at the school to benefit the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, which ended with the principal and gym teacher kissing a pig. It was all part of a friendly bet on who raised the most money - the boys or the girls. If the boys raised more money, the school's administrative intern and kindergarten teacher had to kiss the pig. If the girls won, the principal and gym gym had to pucker up. The girls won the competition, resulting in Principal Jeremy Booker and gym teacher Brandon Schulte kissing the pig.  Check out the fun in the attached You Tube video, courtesy of the Mehlville School District.

TLV-STL

2:06 pm on Wednesday, May 15, 2013

My kids both attend Blades, and while this stuff seems so silly to me, they love it! Congrats to Mr. Booker (and Mr. Schulte) for once again sacrificing their own dignity for the sake of the students and the Lukemia & Lymphoma Society.   more ›

Tuesday, May 14, 2013

New Principal for Rogers Elementary School

Dr. Patrick Keenoy is currently an assistant principal at Washington and Trautwein schools.

A familiar face was announced as Rogers Elementary School's new principal. Dr. Patrick Keenoy has been with the district since 2000, most recently as an assistant principal at Washington Middle and Trautwein Elementary schools. Keenoy was honored as the 2011-2012 Middle School Assistant Principal of the Year by the St. Louis Association of Secondary School Principals. "We're thrilled to keep Patrick in our ranks and make him the next principal at Rogers," Superintendent Eric Knost said during last week's Board of Education meeting. Keenoy isn't the only Mehlville administrator moving into a new role. Oakville High School assistant principal Jim Kern will serve as the new principal for Margaret Buerkle Middle School.   Catch up on the …

Denise Bayer

8:18 am on Tuesday, May 14, 2013

Dr. Keenoy is an asset to the Mehlville School District and our district continues to benefit from the extraordinary educator and administrator that he is. Congratulations on your new position, Dr. Keenoy! Yes, Rogers is fortunate to have you as their leader.   more ›

Monday, May 13, 2013

Alex Fees Joins the Mehlville School District

The longtime reporter and producer will serve as the district's new communications specialist.

The Mehlville School District's new communications specialist is a familiar face to St. Louis news viewers. Superintendent Eric Knost announced that Alex Fees had been hired for the position during last week's Board of Education meeting.  Fees is a correspondent and producer who has done work for ABC's "Good Morning America," MSNBC, CNN and the Rachel Ray Show. Fees has also been a regular fixture on KSDK NewsChannel 5 for 15 years and was named Best TV Reporter on St. Louis Magazine's A List in 2007. Knost said the district has been looking for an addition to the communications department who would continue the use of videojournalism to "tell the story of the district." "We are thrilled to introduce our latest arm to that, Mr. Alex Fees…

PaulRevere

12:52 pm on Wednesday, May 15, 2013

Thank you Dr. Knost. For at least reading my comments. One day ,you will realize Taxation is not a panacea to Missouri's Public School system failures & questionable accomplishments. History will prove me right. Go to Illinois and Wisconsin "Patch". see the tremendous changes about to take place as the people are fed up with Public school Teachers. It's coming to Missouri. It's not me you should …   more ›

Saturday, May 11, 2013

Four Mehlville Schools Named National Schools of Character

Beasley Elementary, Bierbaum Elementary, Hagemann Elementary and Mehlville High School received the honor.

Beasley Elementary, Bierbaum Elementary, Hagemann Elementary and Mehlville High School were named National Schools of Character by the Character Education Partnership, the Mehlville School District announced in a news release Thursday. Only 29 schools nationwide received the honor this year. National Schools of Character are schools and districts that have demonstrated through a rigorous evaluation process that character development has had a positive impact on academics, student behavior and school climate, according to the release. Trautwein Elementary was honored as a National School of Character last year.  Blades Elementary, Oakville Elementary, Point Elementary, Rogers Elementary and Bernard Middle School have been honored as State …

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