Creighton teens teach younger students about careers

Sherwood Middle School students got to learn about careers from their high school counterparts as Sherwood High School’s Future Business Leaders of America chapter celebrated Enterprise Day, a national celebration of the free enterprise system on Nov. 15.

FBLA members from the Creighton school researched a career they were interested in pursuing and put together a presentation, ore than 25 in all. The middle schoolers then were able to ask questions of the older students.

Drexel seeks feedback on four-day week

The Drexel School District moved to a four-day week of classes this fall and wants to know how families think it’s going.

An online survey, posted on the district website, will be open through Dec. 20. The district will use the survey information as it plans for the next school year.

Superintendent Terry Mayfield said discussion of the four-day week began as the administration looked for ways to increase professional-development time for the staff and through informal discussions with the school board.

The idea was to use the extra training time to study and implement effective teaching strategies, make sure instruction is aligned with new state standards and testing, keep developing programs to meet the needs of Drexel’s students, and make the most of technology as the district puts devices into the hands of each student — iPads for kindergarten through second grade and Chromebooks for older students.

“It was not a decision based on saving money,” Mayfield said by email. “However, it will be a byproduct.”

The district expects to save 1.5 to 2 percent with the four-day schedule, he said, which could generate $40,000 to $50,000 for Drexel. The district chose Monday as the extra day home for students, because many holidays already fall on Monday.

Belton student honored at Cass Career Center

Christian Weisz, a fire-science student from Belton, is the Student of the Month for December at Cass Career Center.

He was nominated for his strong work ethic and dedication to the program. He has earned several fire certifications as well as his Statesmanship award with SkillsUSA.

Musicians named to All-State Band

Five Cass County musicians have been selected for All-State Band — four from Raymore-Peculiar and one from Harrisonville.

Representing Ray-Pec, Cate Wilhite was selected as the eighth best oboist in the state to qualify for the Honorable Mention Band, Zane Brown was named the seventh-best trumpeter, and Brooke Hord was named the third-best snare drummer in Missouri.

For the second consecutive year, Ray-Pec’s Tammy Yang was named the No. 1 mallet player in the state. She also was selected as the fifth-best timpani player.

From Harrisonville, junior Zach Austin was named ninth chair for trombone.

Every student must memorize 13 scales and play five etudes that are specific for each instrument. All those auditioning play the same music for a given instrument, and judges do not know who is playing as they listen.

Tubas everywhere

Students from the Harrisonville, Cass Midway and Raymore-Peculiar school districts were among those traveling to the Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts on Dec. 4 to participate in TubaChristmas.

TubaChristmas in Kansas City has taken place annually since 1979, bringing together hundreds of tuba and euphonium players from all walks of life. Sometimes, multiple generations of the same family have made TubaChristmas an annual tradition.

The students spent the morning practicing and then performed a concert in Helzberg Hall.

Harrisonville students who took part included Alex Sheldrake, Kyron Beavers, Garrett Seigenthaler, Evan Dumont, Trinity Register, Ashlie Songer, Zach Walsh and Michael Dahn.

Participants from Ray-Pec were Kiersten Grier, Brent Corbin and Xander Roller.

Cass Midway band director Tracy Smith accompanied junior Darla Brown and eighth-grader Will Dahman to the event, according to a report by Caleb Daugherty posted on the district website.

Compiled by Elaine Adams, Special to The Star

This story was originally published December 12, 2017 at 10:39 AM with the headline "Creighton teens teach younger students about careers."