FUTUREPROOF: 9 Rules for Humans in the Age of Automation by Kevin Roose is a book that has a fairly optimistic view of the clash between rising technology and humanity--think "Terminator 2." It offers some pointed suggestions to combat the wave of technology, much of it rooted in skills schools can greatly impact. In addition to the suggestions around discrete skills, he suggests habits of mind and dispositions, buoyed by the call of “maintaining humane values (empathy) in an age of new machines.”

Below is a list from Kathryn Hume's blog on Education in the Age of AI that mirrors some of the Roose’s suggestions and details some skills that will be in demand for future workforce:

Flexibility and Adaptability

A one-trick pony will not stay relevant long, disruption as we have all experienced will demand a level of malleability. The need to access resources (increasingly via technology) will allow future workers to “embrace the need to constantly learn to stay relevant.” This has certainly been reinforced through and beyond the pandemic.

Interdisciplinary Application

Climate change, gun policy, and most issues we face are complex and multi-dimensional. Understanding the science of climate change is a start, but working in fields of impact such as the economy and government must also be addressed. Work will demand not a siloed approach but “various disciplines (with) different prisms that refracted a unified whole.” Last week I visited EDGE at Liberty HS near Kansas City to see students using additional fields (art, ELA, etc) to demonstrate their understanding of a math concept. How they approached their learning demonstrated their ability to use their minds well to connect and express ideas.

Framing Qualitative Ideas as Quantitative Problems

The need exists for using quantitative reasoning to address problems and rationally determine a myriad of entrepreneurial or industry decisions. Connecting to mathematical evidence to allow workers and companies to wisely move from “strategy to tactical execution.”

What is our role in this?

Technology and its reach have done more to disrupt than to cause a typhoon in the economy for both repetitive manual labor and repetitive cognitive labor. It surely had a role in fostering the fissures in our culture rooted in vast disinformation and its reach via social media. The Next Generation Science Standards ask students to apply scientific content and to connect knowledge across scientific fields into a scientifically-based understanding of their world. Critical thinking and other depth of knowledge Level 3 or 4 tasks that have students “consider explanation, interpretation, application, perspective, empathy, and self-knowledge” are needed across our curriculum. In English, students read Frederick Douglass' “What to the slave, is the Fourth of July,” James Baldwin book excerpts, and Ta-Nehisi Coates Atlantic article, "The Case for Reparations." Students should consider what is similar and different in historical context, cultural response to the work, and general arguments or limitations. Tasks such as these would go far to support students' deep thinking around their roles as a citizens of a new economy and old democracy, both of which we can impact as a school. As a parent, asking in conversation, “What makes you think that?,” "What supports your perspective?," or general discussion around complex problems in between TikToks can helpful as well!

Best,

Matt Irvin

Please note: Juniors will have a modified A day on Tuesday to accommodate the ACT test.

Echo, journalism and yearbook students earned honors from the Columbia Scholastic Press Association and the Missouri Interscholastic Journalism Association. CSPA announced its 2025 Gold Circle Awards winners. This is the 42nd year of the program and the entries were published during the 2023-2024 academic year.

• Junior Arianna Peper won First Place in the Digital Media Single Sports Photograph for “Senior Calum Shank swims the 200 IM in the State championship finals” and a Certificate of Merit in the News Single Sports Photograph for "Senior Dylan Hulszier swims in the meet against Clayton High School.”
• Also, Peper won Third Place for “Phone policy should not be changed”and senior Ali Schulz earned a Certificate of Merit for “Webster Confessions encourages masked bullying” in Editorial Writing.

• MIJA gave Superior ratings to the Echo News Roundup for Overall Video: Announcements Only and Voices of Webster for Overall Radio/Podcast and Excellent ratings for Overall Print and Overall Yearbook.
• Junior Margaret Korte earned an All Missouri rating in Review Writing for "‘Wicked’ presents talented cast" and Excellent ratings in Radio/Podcast News Feature for "WGHS graduate returns as drama substitute" and "Principal retires from Webster after 6 years."
• Junior Sam Enlund earned an Excellent rating in Student Life/Organization Photo for "Junior performs with dance team" and an Honorable Mention for Social Media Reporting.
• MIJA awarded Excellent ratings in Radio/Podcast News Feature to sophomore Opal Hays for "Saying ‘Hola’ to Webster Groves: Spanish teacher joins World Languages staff," to freshman Isaac Choi for "New English teacher brings fresh take" and to senior Leo Bloomer for "Toenjes joins staff as assistant athletic director."
• Also, Schulz and yearbook seniors Raegan McCoy and Elise Leon made the MIJA Honor Roll.
• Senior Ali Schulz is one of 1,400 recipients of the National Scholastic Press Association's Leadership Award in Student Journalism.

Quill and Scroll announced the finalists in the 2025 Writing, Visual, Multimedia competition. The winners will be announced April 26 at the JEA/NSPA Spring National High School Journalism Convention in Seattle. Junior Jasper Winterton is a finalist is both the DEI - Social Justice Writing and the Feature Writing categories.

Statesmen Service Award ceremony invitations were emailed yesterday. If you did not receive an invitation and feel that your student should have received it, please let Julie Simonson (simonson.julie@wgmail.org) know as soon as possible. If you feel there was an oversight in GivePulse, please reach out to Patrick Bommarito (bommarito.patrick@wgmail.org). Thank you.

College Visits at WGHS

Our spring college visits have begun! Juniors and Seniors may sign up to see a college by visiting the counseling office for a pass ahead of time. See the calendar of visits here.

Individual College/Career Planning Conferences available for Juniors and their families!

Please schedule using the links provided for your College & Career Counselor by student last name.

Jennedy Lombard (A-K) Click HERE to schedule your meeting with Mrs. Lombard

Cassie Aschinger (L-Z) Click HERE to schedule your meeting with Mrs. Aschinger

Save the Date!

All Juniors will take the ACT on April 8th during the regular school day. No registration needed. This will be a paper/pencil traditional format exam.

Looking for ways to prepare for the ACT/ SAT? Check out free prep and practice tests through the Varsity Tutors app - accessible to all students through their Clever account.

Looking to register for other exams? Please visit www.act.org or www.sat.org to view test dates and deadlines.

Thanks so much for your help!

https://www.amazon.com/registries/gl/guest-view/22S6H1GCE7G9O

Class of 2025 Commencement Ceremony

May 17, 2025 6:30pm

Chaifetz Arena

• Doors will open for guests at 5:30 p.m.

• Guests: We are not limiting the number of guests per graduate.

• Tickets: There will be no tickets for entry to Chaifetz Arena.

• Parking: Parking is paid by guests in the Olive/Compton garage. Fees will be announced in the spring. Street parking is available but limited.

• Duration: The ceremony lasts approximately 1.5 hours, depending on the size of the class.

A+ Reminders

As the end of the school year grows closer, students may be asking if they are eligible for the A+ program. We've discovered through informal conversation that many students mistakenly assume they won't qualify because they think they need a GPA that is in the A+/4.0 range! A full list of criteria is available on the school's website, but a very brief qualification summary is a GPA of at least 2.5 and 50 volunteer/unpaid service hours involving mentoring others. As a reminder, the A+ program will provide up to two years of free courses at community colleges and trade schools in Missouri if students meet the criteria. The program is administered through Dr. Klenke-Galbreath's office.

The Chelsea Center keeps the GivePulse database of opportunities that can help students find agency partners offering volunteer opportunities that qualify for A+ hours, but students are also free to search for their own opportunities. Some recent examples of A+ hour impacts we've approved include volunteering for on-site childcare during the services of a faith community, mentoring fellow Scouts during an Eagle Scout project or other Scout activity, assisting with sports camps for younger students, volunteering at a community childcare center, volunteering as a counselor at a summer camp last summer, and tutoring both peers and younger students.

Please help us to encourage ALL students to become familiar with, and take advantage of, the A+ program. Even if students don't anticipate enrolling in a community college or tech school, the program can cover the costs of individual courses taken as prerequisites, or summer courses taken to supplement the 4 year college curriculum. Additionally, some 4 year colleges award scholarship money if the student has that A+ designation on their transcript.

Program administration questions such as enrollment and qualification should be directed to Dr. Jenna Klenke-Galbreath at klenkegalbreath.jenna@wgmail.org. Questions about finding opportunities or entering hours served should be directed to Patrick Bommarito in the Chelsea Center at bommarito.patrick@wgmail.org.

Call your child's AP office to report an absence, late arrival, or early departure. Checking out early? When leaving school during the day, students must check out through the assistant principal’s office.

Student Early Release:

1. We require at least one hour notice when calling your student out early. Call the Assistant Principal's office before the designated time and report the absence. You may also send a note with the student to be presented to the Assistant Principal's office before school.

2. At the designated time, your student will receive a pass to check out if you called ahead. The student will check out in the Assistant Principal's office.

3. You will NOT enter the building if you have called the absence in and communicated a pick-up location with your child. However, if you choose to pick up your child in the building, you must do so at the main entrance on Selma Avenue. Upon entering the building, check in with the receptionist. Please bring your driver's license if you are checking in. The receptionist will contact the Assistant Principal’s office to send for your student. Please be aware that not calling ahead to schedule an early release can take up to 30 minutes to send for a student.

Webster Groves School District uses ParentSquare for school communication, primarily with email, text and app notifications. ParentSquare automatically generates an account for each parent, using their preferred email address and phone number. We encourage parents to access their accounts so they can download the mobile app and update their preferences on when and how they are notified.

Parents & Guardians Getting Started Guide

To stay connected with the learning in our classrooms, please create a Canvas Observer Account which is our district's learning management system. You will find three helpful documents below:

1. Canvas Informational Letter
2. Creating an Observer Account, Logging into Canvas, and Setting Notifications
3. Student Accessing Canvas

If you have any questions please contact Tim Brown, Director of Student Assessment, Data and Learning Technologies at brown.tim@wgmail.org.

The Spirit Store is open! Hours are 8-9:15 a.m., Tuesday - Friday.

The online store is open 24 hours a day at https://www.wghsparentsclub.org/spiritwear.

Every time you shop at the Spirit Store, you are supporting student scholarships and teacher grants!

Email: erb.mickey@wgmail.org
Website: www.webster.k12.mo.us/wghs
Location: 100 Selma Avenue, Webster Groves, MO, USA
Phone: (314) 963-6400
Facebook: facebook.com/WGAlumni
Twitter: @WebsterGrovesHS