Cardinal Connections Newsletter
September 26, 2024
CHS GRADUATE RECEIVES SCHOLARSHIP
Congratulations to 2024 Clinton High School graduate Paige McNabb who has been awarded a rootEd Alliance Undergraduate Scholarship of up to $12,000. Paige, who is attending Missouri State University and majoring in Sports Medicine, is one of 31 students in Missouri to receive this scholarship. Paige’s selection is particularly noteworthy given this year’s application cycle was by far the most competitive in the 5 years this scholarship has been available. This scholarship is renewable for up to five years and supports graduates in the pursuit of their bachelor's degree.
It is through the Clinton School District’s partnership with rootEd Alliance that this opportunity is made available to students. In the spring of 2019, the Clinton School District announced the launch of the rootEd Alliance and the exciting opportunities this program would offer high school students.
rootEd Alliance is a national nonprofit that partners with states and rural-serving organizations to help students define and plan their futures following high school graduation. Clinton High School alum, David Steward played a pivotal role in bringing rootEd Alliance to the district.
A SWEET LESSON
Learning about the human body has never been this sweet!
Clinton Technical School EMT students had a blast in a recent Body Directions and Planes lab featuring... gummy bears! This creative hands-on lesson helps students to visualize the planes and sections of the human body.
Like all programs at CTS, students enrolled in the EMT program are given the skills they need to be gainfully employed right here in our community, or to further their education upon high school graduation. Every spring, eligible EMT students can take an exam to earn their EMT certification.
Students are taught by Megan Weiss.
See more pictures here.
FARM TO CLASSROOM
Clinton High School students in Mrs. Miller's Advanced Animal Science class are combining the best of both worlds....livestock and technology.
Students used a variety of methods to explore and learn about the different parts of livestock anatomy.
The livestock animals pictured here are part of the FFA School Farm. The school farm sits on 5 acres to the south of the high school, and provides students the opportunity to learn hands-on skills about raising and maintaining livestock. This great addition to the school was made possible by many generous donors.
GROWING OUR OWN
For the second year in a row, Clinton High School is excited to announce that it has received a grant from the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE). This $10,000 Grow Your Own Grant is designed to increase recruitment of high school students into the teaching profession.
For the past four years, CHS has taken a proactive approach to combat the growing teacher shortage crisis. Students who show interest in pursuing a career in teaching have the opportunity to be a part of the Future Teachers of America program, allowing them to attend college visits to education programs in the region and also attend the University of Missouri Future Teacher Academy. Clinton High School also created an internship program within the district to allow high school students with the identified interest and characteristics to enroll in “Teaching As A Profession”. These students are provided with a year-long mentorship in the grade-level classroom of their choice. This program allows for high school students to get teaching experiences and mentorship of the teaching profession, allows younger students to see the older students as a teacher role-model, creates a sense of “home” for students, and builds a partnership with the greater Clinton community.
Through the reward of this grant, Clinton High School will offer students who complete the Teaching As A Profession internship, and are enrolled in a Missouri Educator Program within their post-secondary plans, with a $500 scholarship. These students will be given one year of mentoring provided by the teacher in which he/she interned with. Teachers will also be paid $500 for their agreement and completion of this mentorship to the student. This mentorship will include monthly check-ins, advice, questions, classroom observation placements and opportunities, and the connection of a homebase for these students. New this year, any student who completes the program and receives a scholarship will also be provided the opportunity to receive their substitute certificate, which will be paid for by the district through this grant.
“I am extremely excited Clinton High School once again received the Grow Your Own grant," says Jenny Corson, Clinton High School Principal. "Only 125 schools in Missouri were awarded the grant and we are grateful to be one of them. Our hope is to grow our students into educators and bring them back to the district to teach!”
SCIENCE TAKES FLIGHT AND MATH GETS SWEET
Our teachers provide some great hands-on learning for our Cardinals!
Third graders in Mrs. Klahs' class recently read a book about a Great Horned Owl, and then learned about different types of owls. The highlight of the lesson was dissecting owl pellets to find bones from the animals it had eaten. Students also identified the bones to see what animal it might have come from. The students had so much fun!
**Fun fact......owls usually swallow their food whole, digest the edible parts, and then expel the indigestible parts through their mouth as a pellet.
Students have also been learning about the properties of addition. To make it more exciting Mrs. Klahs added M&M's to the mix! Students divided their candies by color and created math problems using two or more addends, and then used the properties of addition to solve. And of course, at the end of the lesson everyone enjoyed a sweet treat!
See more pictures here.
BLOOMING CARDINALS
Little Cardinals in Ms. Madi's and Ms. Christy's classes recently enjoyed a nature walk.
During the walk, Clinton Early Childhood Center preschoolers explored the world around them. Students found flowers and observed their colors, shapes, and sizes. This activity encouraged the students to engage with nature, building their observational and conversational skills and sparking curiosity about their environment. Through discussions about the flowers, students also expanded their vocabulary and learned to appreciate the natural world around them
See more pictures here.
ROLLING INTO SUCCESS
Clinton Technical School students in Mr. Stone's Automotive Technology program recently accepted a very generous donation from Travis Walters with Matteson Auto Repair.
Four tires were donated for the 1990 Shelby Daytona program car. This vehicle is one of several that students work on during their time in Mr. Stone's class.
Travis also stopped by the school to visit with both the morning and afternoon students. Students then had the opportunity to put the tires on the wheels and then on the car.
We appreciate our many community partners who help us provide great opportunities like this to our students.
See more pictures here.
CHS STUDENT COMPETES AT INTERNATIONAL CONVENTION
The Golden Valley Eagles #3667 and the Missouri State Eagles sponsored Clinton High School student, Caleb Cron during the Fraternal Order of Eagles International Convention on August 3, 2024.
Caleb participated in the God, Flag and Country Oratory Competition in New Orleans, LA. He placed 3rd in the 14-15 year old age group. His speech focused on the history of our country, referring to our patriotic leaders of the past, the present and our future. Caleb received an Eagle trophy and a prize of $250.00, as well as additional gifts for his participation.
Congratulations, Caleb!
Caleb is pictured below with Fred and Roxanne Thompson representing Golden Valley Eagles #3667 during the FOE International Convention in New Orleans, LA. See more pictures here.
UNLOCKING FUN WITH TEAMWORK
The Clinton Middle School Discovery class, taught by Ms. Raymond, had fun recently participating in an Escape Room unit.
During this unit, students collaboratively tackled various escape room puzzles and challenges, followed by creating their own escape room. Students also completed a lesson on recognizing their strengths and areas for improvement, and were able to apply this knowledge during the escape rooms. Students were able to see firsthand how teamwork made them stronger!
See more pictures here.
HOMECOMING 2024
Homecoming 2024 will be held the week of October 7th.
As always, we will have a week of fun that is filled with school spirit at all of our schools. This will include:
- Spirit Week (see themed days below, all buildings are encouraged to participate)
- Parade, 1:30 on Friday, 10/11 (if your business or organization wishes to participate in the parade, please complete this form).
- Homecoming Football Game, 10/11 (7:00 at Cardinal Stadium)
- Coronation of Homecoming Royalty (halftime of football game)
- And more!
HALLOWEEN DANCE
CHS Band Boosters will be hosting their Halloween Mommy and Me Dance on Saturday, October 12th in the Clinton High School Commons from 6:00-8:30.
Tickets are $30 for each mother and child (each additional child is $5). Tickets can be purchased at the Clinton Chamber of Commerce or at the door.
See the flier below for more info.
NO SCHOOL AND PARENT TEACHER CONFERENCES
Parent Teacher Conferences will be held Thursday, October 17th. **Please note, school will not be in session Thursday, 10/17, Friday, 10/18 and Monday, 10/21. Staff will be taking part in professional development on Monday, 10/21.**
Please watch for more information regarding Parent Teacher Conferences.
GAME DAY EXPECTATIONS
The district’s goal is to provide a fun, safe, and engaging opportunity for students and families to support our high school and middle school athletic teams. In doing so, the Clinton School District is announcing several new expectations that will be put in place for the remainder of the home football and soccer games.
Students 5th grade and under can not enter the game unless they are with an adult (18 years or older). Students must sit with this adult during the game.
Unless seated with their parent/guardian, middle school students will be required to sit in the area designated for CMS students (east side of the bleachers).
Unless seated with their parent/guardian, high school students will be required to sit in the area designated for CHS students (west side of the bleachers).
Students are not allowed to bring balls of any type into Cardinal Stadium.
Students should remain seated during the game (unless using the restroom or visiting the concession stand). Students are not permitted to be on the track, under the bleachers, or on the visitor’s side of the stadium.
We appreciate your support and assistance in helping our fans and Clinton School District families have an enjoyable and safe experience while cheering on our Cardinals!
WALK TO SCHOOL DAY
We hope Henry Elementary School and Clinton Intermediate School students can join us for WALK TO SCHOOL DAY on October 2nd!
- Parents can drop students off or park at Equity Bank (7th and Ohio) between 7:15 and 7:45a.m. on the morning of October 2nd.
- Parents should enter Equity Bank on 7th Street and exit on 6th Street.
- A volunteer or teacher will walk with small groups of students and students will learn how to use crosswalks and crossing guards.
- For more information contact Gina Johannsen, gjohannsen@clintoncardinals.org
ADULT EMT PROGRAM
Interested in becoming an EMT?
This November-February, Clinton Technical School will be offering an Adult Basic EMT course.
If you are interested, or want to learn more, email Megan Weiss-mweiss@clintoncardinals.org
CARDINAL HOLIDAY MART
Don't miss out on your chance to register as a vendor for the annual Cardinal Holiday Mart!
This annual event will be held on November 16th from 9:00-2:00. Mark you calendar for this amazing day of shopping!
To register as a vendor, please email, abracher@clintoncardinals.org. The price of a booth is $30.
HELPFUL BUS APP
FirstView is a bus tracking and communications app, offered in partnership with First Student, the district's transportation provider. The FirstView app offers parents live bus tracking with custom alerts and notifications.
To get started using FirstView, please use this link. If you should have questions, please contact Transportation at 660-885-2644.
ATHLETIC CALENDAR
Want to catch our Cardinals in action this year?
You can view a full athletic calendar on our website at this link.
MEAL BALANCES
To accommodate students who purchase school meals, payment options include an online payment system (found here) that will take credit and debit cards, or cash and check payments may be made at all school buildings. We ask that lunch accounts do not incur a negative balance.
If you have not already completed a Free and Reduced Meal application for the 2024-2025 school year, we encourage you to do so. This application can be found here on our website, or you may request one from your child’s school office.
Please be aware that even if your child qualifies for free/reduced meals, there are still circumstances where they will be charged full-price for food/drink items.
- A la carte items (CMS/CHS)
- Choosing extra entrees as they go through the lunch line (CHS)
- Getting a second chance breakfast after having a regular breakfast earlier in the morning (CHS)
- Extra milk with lunch/breakfast (all schools)
- Snack milk (Henry Elementary)
EMPLOYEE RECOGNITION PROGRAM
The Cardinal Compliment program is back!
This program is a way for you to salute any Clinton School District employee who goes above and beyond what is expected. Whether you're a parent impressed with that special touch your child's teacher added to a moment, a coworker who thinks their colleague doesn't hear often enough about the great job they are doing, or a community member who witnesses a staff member’s commitment to kids - you can send a Cardinal Compliment!
Supervisors, including the superintendent, will see your submission. The employee will receive a certificate of gratitude and a token of appreciation that lets everyone know he or she was given a Cardinal Compliment.
Every month, Cardinal Compliment recipients will be listed on the district website and posted on the district Facebook page to let others know the names of the district's difference makers!
SCHOOL YEAR CALENDAR
The 2024-2025 school year calendar can be found below.
You can find a printable version on our website.
