The Web version of friendship
Somebody asked a bunch of people online if they thought I was goofy. Another person asked if I’d look better with longer hair. Yet another person asked if I lied all the time.
Spirit guides St. Joseph Christian School
Divine intervention doesn’t keep St. Joseph Christian School from having the same budget woes as its public school counterparts. But it’s not because of a lack of faith. David Gregory, St. Joseph Christian board president, said the school’s financial situation not only fluctuates due to the economy, but other factors.
Innovator team gets early experience with robotics
A collective cheer went up from a charged group of students standing at a large, colorful tabletop arena in the Webster Learning Center Tuesday afternoon.
NILSON MATTA - "BRAZILLIAN VOYAGE" (ZOHO)
(press release) Nilson Matta's "Brazilian Voyage" conjures the vistas and moods of a country that is idealized as a source of breezy airs and pulsing rhythms.
BARB JUNGR - "THE MEN I LOVE" (NAIM LABEL)
Barb Jungr has that Joni Mitchell hipness. Her interpretation of new standards are like vocal poetry.
Signs of spring all around
“No winter lasts forever; no spring skips its turn.” — Hal Borland, American author ••• Bill and Josephine Asbell saw their first robin a few weeks ago. It was in a tree in their next-door neighbor’s yard. “It was a huge thing,” Mr. Asbell said. In American lore, the first robin serves as the dove of hope after a long, hard winter. Its sighting signals that warmer weather, sunnier skies, gentle rains and other vernal pleasures are near. “We wish it would be,” Mrs. Asbell said.
School district to cut some reading positions next year
Rumors abound that the St. Joseph School District cut several teaching positions last week. Doug Flowers, district human resources director, clarified that a few reading teachers’ positions will be cut next year. Most of them are active retiree positions in the guided reading teacher program in some non-Title 1 buildings, he said. Mr. Flowers said six and a half positions are being eliminated.
Bag-Head for City Council?
It looked like Bag-Head Jheri, the Messanie Street philosopher, walking proudly out of City Hall as I drove by Tuesday morning. But instead of his usual trash-bag-saddled attire, he sported a three-piece suit with spats on his shoes and his greasy, activator-laden perm in full-dripping regalia.
Forum held for school board candidates
The first school board candidate forum began with a unified stance on community involvement from the three aspirants and ended with a confusing conversation on discord and discourse.
St. Joseph schools will face cuts
Missouri schools were told last week to expect at least $43 million in budget cuts. Janet Pullen, St. Joseph School District chief financial officer, said the cuts come as no surprise.
Teacher pay heats up in state Senate
If Matt Bartle has his way, Missouri teachers would be paid based on outcomes and merit. The Republican state senator from Lee’s Summit recently told the Senate Education Committee that tenure keeps bad teachers in the classrooms. He introduced a bill that would not only allow districts to adopt merit-based pay, but have various start dates for kindergartners and year-round schools. “First, we must eliminate the bottom 15 percent (of teachers), based on poor performance, and replace them with people who will get the job done,” Mr. Bartle said in one of his weekly columns on his Web site. “Such a move will have to be coupled with a second proposal — exchanging tenure for a merit-pay system that rewards excellent teachers with dramatically increased salaries.”
A newsroom that looks like America
I read an online article the other day that said less than 10 percent of all daily newspapers adequately reflect the demographics of their communities.
St. Joseph pupils expand minds
Inspiring quotes from John Wayne to Louisa May Alcott are written on the walls. Classroom sections are divided into the areas of “Innovate,” “Create,” “Inquiry” and “Collaborate.”
Group begins work on plan for St. Joseph schools
They gathered, all 21 of them — retired educators, parents, businessmen, board members and administrators — inside the Troester Media Center Tuesday evening.
Average Joe: Recession dating
I once worked with a guy who took a girl out to dinner at a convenience store. No joke. And they went there in a taxi cab. The guy’s reasoning was you didn’t have to tip and two frozen burritos were 99 cents each. Another guy I worked with was a little bit classier. He took his dates to the hospital cafeteria. It was cheap and you got a healthy meal, he said.
SJSD sees drop in students with mental health care needs
The total number of students with mental health issues in the St. Joseph School District has dropped in a year’s time. But certain areas have grown, while others have declined.
Students raise funds to help build well in Ethiopia
St. Joseph Christian School capped of its Missions Week with a project to help build a well in Ethiopia.
If these empty lots could speak
Last week a friend and I took a driving tour of black historical sites in the city. It turned out to be a tour of mostly empty lots. Big chunks of our history got torn down through urban renewal in the 1970s. Through memory, we brought parts of it back to life.
St. James students help Haiti with Fat Tuesday fundraiser
Posters with colored-marker handwriting, asking students to “Buy a lot for Haiti,” and “Let’s start saving lives,” hung in the hallways at St. James School on Tuesday. It was advertising for the long table of plastic bags with brownies, Rice Krispies Treats, chocolate chip and Mardi Gras cookies — everything 50 cents each.
Joe Locke - "For The Love Of You" (E1 Music)
Elegance, lyricism and soul are the sublime qualities at play in this magical new release from master vibraphonist Joe Locke.
Claudio Roditi - "Simpatico" (Resonance Records)
Versatile trumpet master Claudio Roditi blends Brazilian Samba and bossa nova with straight-ahead jazz.
Hosea becomes Title I schools
Come next school year, Hosea Elementary will join the ranks of the Title I schools in the St. Joseph School District. After the January enrollment count was tallied up last week, Hosea Principal Lindsay Minson found out her school had a little more than 81 percent free- and reduced-lunch students. Federal law states that any school with more than 75 percent of its students getting free and reduced-price lunches must receive Title I services from the local district. “I suspected it when the January count came out, but I found out for sure last week when the Downtown office let me know,” Ms. Minson said.
More Missourians seeking GED in tough economy
When Geneva Mata lost her job last June, she didn’t know how hard it would be to find another one, especially since she never graduated from high school.
John Vanore & Abstract Truth - "Curiosity" (Acoustical Concepts)
"A talented group of knowledgeable players who are pushing at the outer edges of the big band tradition..." Chuck Berg/Jazz Times
Some trends to watch for in 2010
Whenever I get a letter from Cleveland Indians pitcher Fausto Carmona or Cleveland Cavaliers guard Delonte West, I know it’s really from my friend Mike McCann in Cleveland.
Peggy Duquesnel - "Summertime Lullaby" (Joyspring Music)
"Pianist Peggy Duquesnel is a strong lyrical player...Her improvising was exciting and well-focused." Myrna Daniels LA Jazz Scene
SJSD long-range planning team needs volunteers
The long-range planning effort for the St. Joseph School District took another step forward with a plea for volunteers at Monday’s St. Joseph Board of Education meeting.
Antonio Ciacca - "Lagos Blues" (Motema Music)
"Lagos Blues" is a mirror that reflects the broader story of jazz, its international reach as well as its inclination to coem back and nourish at its American wellspring.
From Struggling Musician to Paid Player: Indie Artists Go Wild for likeZEBRA
Independent Music Hub Steers Unsigned Artists towards a Profit.
The Talented Tenth: Challenged to lead
We are lifted up by the best and brightest among us. If we are to survive, we will let those exceptional men and women define us, lead us and inspire us. They are us in our best light. Our best foot forward.
Funding cuts impact program for parents
For Joe and Alex DuFrain, Parents as Teachers is a family affair. The couple sent their five children through the early childhood program.
New program aimed at future kindergartners
The Parents as Teachers organization will introduce a new program for parents and future kindergartners. KinderKlub is designed to help children who will attend kindergarten this August. Monthly meetings will be held from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. at the Keatley Center, 1202 S. 28th St. The first session will be Feb. 16 at the center. Debbie Kunz, Parents as Teachers coordinator for the St. Joseph School District, said parents and their children will learn important school readiness skills and other information to help them enter school.
Jackie Ryan - "Best of Love Songs" (Open Art)
Over the years, Jackie has gained a reputation as a "musician's singer." She has performed, recorded, or toured with: Clark Terry, Toots Thielemans, Barry Harris, Cyrus Chestnut, Terry Gibbs, Buddy DeFranco, Red Holloway, Eric Alexander, Jeremy Pelt, Ernie Watts, Benny Green, Tamir Hendelman, Jeff Hamilton, Amina Figarova, Mike Wofford, Jon Mayer, Larry Vuckovich, and Jon Hendricks.
Mardi Gras parade a ‘masquerade’
The officially recognized day for Mardi Gras or Fat Tuesday this year is Feb. 16. Any partying before that date is in total agreement with tradition. But afterward?
Catholic schools focus on service
It was an honor for some students to wear jeans and T-shirts with brand names and cartoon characters to school Monday morning. And it was for a good cause.
Haiti native dealing with loss
Carline St. Victor White’s Facebook profile shows a Haiti that is a spectacle of august mansions, lush green countrysides and blue waters. When the Haitian native dreams of her homeland, the sun is always shining.
Fahir Atakoglu - "Faces and Places" (Far & Here LLC)
An all star cast of jazz fusion legends join pianist Fahir Atakoglu on an CD that grabs the listener at the first tune and takes him on a journey through '70s fusion and contemporary jazz.
Chris Greene Quartet - "Merge" (Single Malt Recording)
"There's nothing better than listening to music performed by musicians who aren't afraid to take a chance, but who also treat the music with respect." AllAboutJazz.com
Students challenged to live healthy lives
Dr. Jane Schwabe asked an attentive group of fourth-graders, sitting cross-legged on the Noyes Elementary School gym floor Wednesday morning, how many of them liked TV.
St. Joseph Christian parents meet regularly to pray, learn
A group of parents went to school to pray Wednesday at noon. They gathered around a large oak table in the school library with sodas, salads or brown-bag lunches in front of them.
Mardi Gras was more than just fun
Jim Finlay always had a lot of wacky ideas. The late St. Joseph News-Press graphic artist and columnist came to St. Joseph from New Orleans by way of Pennsylvania. Jim often spoke about how much fun Mardi Gras was, and the revelry and revenue it brought to the city each year.
Average Joe: On the prowl
Whenever I take a stroll along the Missouri River Walk, I'm on the lookout for cougars. Ever since I read "The Beast in the Garden," a book by David Baron about the phenomenon of cougars invading suburbia, I've been wary of wooded areas for fear of running into one. According to the book, cougars have been invading backyards in the Boulder, Colo., area since 1988. And as man destroys more of their natural habitat, we can expect to see them migrate to other areas. For all my wariness, I've never seen a cougar in the wild. They are as scarce on the River Walk as they were in the bars back in the days when I was strolling through the dating wilderness.
Local private schools holding their own
The recession didn’t deter John and Rebecca Spencer from sending their 6-year-old son, Elijah, to a private school instead of a public institution. Money didn’t affect their decision. “Actually, tuition to go to school is about half as much as our day-care expenses were for him,” Mrs. Spencer said. Both Spencers are public school graduates.
Three running for school board
The last of the school board petitions was certified Wednesday, making it official: There will be three candidates running for two seats in April.
What color is your census group?
My mother and father sometimes use the term "negro" when referring to members of our race. I have cousins in rural areas who, to this day, still use the word "colored."
Reeder, Colgan enter race
An opponent of the school bond and levy proposals last year is running for a St. Joseph Board of Education seat. Kenneth Reeder, a former school district substitute teacher, turned in petitions near the 4:30 p.m. deadline Tuesday to run for one of two open board seats. Tuesday was the deadline for filing petitions for the seats. Mr. Reeder's petitions still must be certified.
DAVID SHARP'S SECRET SEVEN - "7" (VORTEX JAZZ)
"Sharp lays down a burning rhythmic canvas that serves as a launching pad for soaring melodic invention." Kevin Owens, The Music Player Network.
State slammed with below average grade card
The state of Missouri received a C-minus on its school report card. That's the grade issued by Education Week in its annual "Quality Counts" report released last week. Using a complex series of measures and statistics, the magazine evaluates issues and trends in American education to rate each state's overall performance. Neighboring Kansas and the nation as a whole earned a C grade.
Trained journalists still needed in the world
When Paul Kandell accepted the Dow Jones Newspaper Fund National High School Journalism Teacher of the Year Award last year, he said jobs for journalists who work only in print no longer exist. The Palo Alto, Calif., high school teacher said journalism classes today need to focus on multimedia.
Local principals honored
Two St. Joseph School District principals recently received awards from the Missouri Association of Secondary School Principals.
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