This is a continuation of a monthly series from the Network for Educator Effectiveness. We share the accomplishments, creativity, and good news of our partner districts based on schools’ social media activity. Our hope is to spread positivity and bring even more attention to the amazing work happening in NEE schools. 

Graphic image with social media reaction icons and text that reads "Social NEE-dia School Spotlight"

Welcome back to our Social NEE-dia School Spotlight for the 2024-2025 school year!  Before we dive into the first few weeks of school, let’s look at a few of the great things that took place over the summer.   

  • Beverly Parr, a secretary from New Franklin R-I, was recognized for her 60 years of amazing service to the school district — 60 years and still smiling! Congratulations, Beverly! 
  • Affton students, teachers, and families traveled through Costa Rica and Panama this summer as they learned about the countries and cultures along the way.  What a great trip! 
  • Hector Garcia, a talented freshman from Princeton High School, has been hard at work creating a stunning mural at a local business.  We can’t wait to see the finished product. 
  • Smith-Cotton’s show choir performed with the classic rock group Foreigner at this year’s Missouri State Fair.  Not many people get to say they sang with Foreigner!   
  • Tyronn Lue, a former student at Mexico Public Schools and the University of Nebraska, helped bring home the gold from Paris as an assistant coach of the USA men’s basketball team. 
  • High Grove Elementary’s Andrea Einsenhour (Grandview C-4) shared a proud teacher moment: Gold medalist Quincy Hall was once a student in her third-grade classroom.  
  • Students from Harrisonville participated in a fun night event – the annual Cardboard Boat Race. The event featured 27 boats competing for four titles: Fastest, Judge’s Choice, Crowd’s Choice, and Titanic (fastest to sink).  

As the school year began, schools started bustling with a variety of events.  Let’s take a look.  

  • Cody Smith from Sturgeon was honored by U.S. Rep. Mark Alford as his speech on “What America Means to Me” was shared on the floor of the House. 
  • So many of our schools shared wonderful first-day photos, but this one picture from Boonville R-1 may have been the most creative. 
  • After a busy first week, those at Clinton seemed to be completely “pupped” out. 
  • Check out the creative senior parking spots on display at Sikeston!  Lots of artistic talent to go with some comedic relief. 
  • Students at Rolla Junior High celebrated “World Rock Paper Scissors Day” with friendly competitions in the hallways and cafeteria. 
  • Lots of work being done by FFA students at Chanute.  For the first time ever, this group will be exhibiting projects at the Kansas State Fair!   
  • Special visitors landed in Washington!  The Missouri National Guard flew in two Black Hawk helicopters and landed them on the Washington Middle School practice field as part of a public relations event.  
  • FFA students at Osborn R-0 had a great time at their recent Barnwarming event.  From cornhole and basketball to a hayride and bobbing for apples, fun was had by all. 
  • Reeds Spring held a ribbon-cutting for the new Wolf Pack Park.  This park will feature a 21-piece ADA-accessible playground, six tennis courts, four pickleball courts, half-court basketball, hiking trails, biking trails, a nine-hole disc golf course, and a multi-purpose pavilion area. 
  • A wonderful piece of artwork, completed by 2024 graduate Hope Schmelzle, recently became a permanent part of Ste. Genevieve High School.   
  • Congratulations to Sikeston’s Jackie Calbert, who was inducted into the district’s Honor Wall and Hall of Fame.  For 52 years, he has been the man behind the camera who has taken photos of elementary classes, sports teams, graduations, and musical events.  He has also attended five dances a year for 33 years – that’s 165 dances!   

There was so much going on in our member schools during the summer months and early part of the school year.  It was fun to put a spotlight on a few of these amazing activities.  While we can’t highlight everything, we recognize all of our outstanding schools for the work administrators, teachers, support staff, and students are doing each and every day.  Watch for our next blog coming in October as we will continue to celebrate our NEE schools. 

The Network for Educator Effectiveness (NEE) is a simple yet powerful comprehensive system for educator evaluation that helps educators grow, students learn, and schools improve. Developed by preK-12 practitioners and experts at the University of Missouri, NEE brings together classroom observation, student feedback, teacher curriculum planning, and professional development as measures of effectiveness in a secure online portal designed to promote educator growth and development.