Education Notes: Rockwood Teacher Honored, Students Participate in Leadership Program

Eureka High Teacher Off to a Good Start

Eureka High School Language arts teacher Symphony Stevenson may be just getting started with her educational career, but the Webster University graduate is already earning recognition.  

According to a press release from the Rockwood School District, Stevenson has been named an Outstanding Beginning Teacher by the Missouri Association for Colleges of Teaching Education.

On April 25, she was among 64 new educators from school districts across the state recognized for excellence in serving children. Award recipients were based on evaluations completed by their college or university, and recommendations from the school district which deemed the teacher as highly effective in their first two years in the classroom.

"We are excited for Symphony to receive recognition for her performance in the classroom," said Jennifer Strauser, associate principal at Eureka High. "She is an asset to the students and staff at Eureka High, and we are proud of her."

Rockwood Students Big Part of Youth Leadership St. Louis           

The efforts of several Rockwood high school students in Youth Leadership St. Louis were recently highlighted in a press release announcing the program’s graduation ceremony.

YLSL is run by non-profit organization Focus St. Louis and aims to help transform students into the region’s most promising future leaders. The release explained how the program is creating an impact at Lafayette High School:

This year, participants in Youth Leadership St. Louis, through an innovative partnership with Saint Louis University, conducted experiential research projects within their own schools. The task: research an issue, collect data, and propose innovative solutions. With the help of Dr. Jim Gilsinan, Saint Louis University E. Desmond Lee Professor in Collaborative Regional Education, students learned to collect “action research,” analyze their findings, and formally present their proposals. As a result, changes are already happening. For example, Lafayette High School YLSL students are working with school administrators to improve teacher-student relations at their school in Wildwood. Other student projects tackled academics, support services, sustainability and student regulations. Students designed the research projects to have lasting impact even after they leave high school.