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Ferguson-Florissant School Board Honors Students, Staff on Dec. 8
The Ferguson-Florissant School District Board of Education will honor the accomplishments of students and staff at its monthly board meeting on Wednesday, Dec. 8.
Superintendent of Schools Jeff Spiegel said he believes the recognitions are a good reminder to the board and district as a whole about the reason they exist – to serve students. The following will be honored:
• Deja Myers, a senior at McCluer North High School, for being honored as an Outstanding Participant in the 2011 National Achievement® Scholarship program for Black American Students. Deja’s PSAT/NMSQT® score is among the top three percent of the more than 160,000 Black Americans who applied to the program. She will receive a certificate, and her name will appear on a roster of Outstanding Participants provided to approximately 1,500 U.S. colleges and universities in recognition of her potential for academic success in college.
• Steve Marsden, a fifth-grade teacher at Duchesne Elementary School, for being named one of 15 “Teachers of Excellence.” MySci, a program that provides hands on science for elementary students, awarded Marsden the certificate for his work on its “Science Alive” investigative science learning program. This program has no cost to Duchesne. A special night is currently being planned, so all families can view the hands-on exhibit. For the last two years, Marsden’s students have learned about and cared for numerous live creatures, including a chinchilla, python snake and cocktail bird. As a Teacher of Excellence, Marsden will help MySci develop a new curriculum that better meets student and teacher needs. He received the Challenger Center for Space Science Education’s Turner N. Wiley Award in May.
• McCluer South-Berkeley (MSB) students and staff for hosting incumbent Democratic congressman William Lacy Clay, Jr. and Republican challenger Robyn Hamlin in November. The two debated issues related to Missouri’s first congressional district, which includes much of North St. Louis City and St. Louis County. The board thanks social studies teacher Jim Hodges and his American Politics students for organizing the event. More specifically, junior La’Brimore Aikens videotaped the debate. The following seniors also played a role: Asia Jackson developed questions, Monyia Chavers and Glorious Pool were moderators, and Brene’ Qualls kept time.
• Griffith, Johnson-Wabash and Parker Road Elementary Schools for having 90 percent or more student participation in the Kids Voting Missouri program. “The state estimates that only 46.8 percent of Missourians voted, so 90 percent is a significant turnout. It’s nearly twice the amount of participation that the state received from registered voters,” said Mark Forbes, social studies and foreign language coordinator. The board salutes principals Robin Witherspoon, Suzette Simms and Kristy Houle. The board also thanks the following Kids Voting liaisons for their efforts: Griffith librarian Jenny Gray, Johnson-Wabash fourth-grade teacher Michael Smith and sixth-grade teacher Sarah Jennings.
