Freedom Rider Imparts Life Lessons to Students

Matt Walker Jr. shared his experiences as an original Freedom Rider during a presentation at North Kirkwood Middle School Friday.

The following article was submitted by the Kirkwood School District. North Kirkwood Middle School students were treated to a piece of living history during a presentation on Friday. One of the original Freedom Riders, Matt Walker Jr., shared his experiences as one of the youngest participants on the Freedom Rides. Prior to Walker’s visit, students and parents were encouraged to watch a PBS documentary together about the Freedom Rides. Walker’s presentation began with a candid description of the “Jim Crow oppressive way of life.” He shared his experiences about going to a department store and being able to buy but not try on clothes because of his skin color as well as bathrooms being designated as men, women and colored. At a stop on the …

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Whiz Kid

Rising Star: Kirkwood Teen Lands TV Pilot

A student from North Kirkwood Middle School is in Los Angeles for a role in a TV pilot that he hopes could become the next tween sensation.

A Kirkwood seventh-grader could soon become your tween’s next favorite Disney star. Zach Waldrop, a 13-year-old student at North Kirkwood Middle School, is in Los Angeles shooting a television pilot for a kids’ variety show that will be pitched to the likes of the Disney Channel and Nickelodeon. Zach, who uses the stage name Zach Louis, already has several film roles to his credit, as well as theater, commercial and print experience. But he’s hoping the pilot – which he described as a cross between The Mickey Mouse Club and Saturday Night Live, with musical numbers and sketch comedy – makes him a household name. “I think it’s going to be great,” he said. “I’m a little nervous. It’s going to be a little weird being away from my mom and my …

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Seven Kirkwood School District Teachers Achieve National Board Certification

The teachers were recognized by the Kirkwood Board of Education at their Dec. 12 meeting.

Seven teachers from different schools in the Kirkwood School District are now National Board certified teachers after completing a long assessment process conducted by the National Board of Professional Teaching Standards. The teachers are: According to the NBCT’s website, the certification is obtained after completion of a voluntary assessment program which recognizes “effective and accomplished teachers who meet high standards based on what teachers should know and be able to do.” The certification complements the teacher’s state license and it is valid for 10 years. “What some people may not realize is that this is a grueling process,” said Scott Stream, president of the Kirkwood Board of Education. “It says a lot about you.” The …

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Pageant Queen Wows Judges at National Competition

Madison Shead returned to Kirkwood with three titles after competing in the 2011 National American Miss Pageant.

Kirkwood's Madison Shead managed to capture the attention of judges during this year's National American Miss Pageant. The eighth-grader at North Kirkwood Middle School and former student at Westchester Elementary School competed against 42 pre-teen state finalists in the competition that was held in Los Angeles during the week of Thanksgiving. Shead won third runner-up in the categories of Spokesmodel, Volunteer Service and the National Scrapbook Contest. In July, Shead qualified for the National American Miss Pageant when she was crowned Miss Missouri Pre-Teen. (See: Whiz Kid: Kirkwood Teen Shines in Pageant.)

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Middle Schoolers Publish Suspenseful Stories, Photos

After training from a professional writer and photographer, 220 NKMS seventh graders submitted photos and “story starters” designed to inspire readers to tell their own tales.

There aren’t any rock-scaled serpents in Laumeier Sculpture Park, but that didn’t stop Matilda Workman. While looking for inspiration for a scary, suspenseful story, Matilda, a seventh grader at North Kirkwood Middle School, stumbled upon a rock-studded sculpture—easy to do in the 100 acre open-air museum—and snapped a photo of one small curve. From that picture, she built a “story starter,” a two-to-five sentence paragraph that sparks a story idea in the mind of the reader, about a rock-scaled serpent. “He lived in my creek, never bothering anyone,” Matilda wrote. “He would just lay on the bank, basking in the sun, waiting for me. Whenever I came, I brought him bread and wine, both of which he loved. And that was how our world worked. …

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Kirkwood Veterans Tribute Needs Your Help

Do you know a North Kirkwood Middle School graduate who is a veteran? A group of students wants to hear about them.

Students with a mission to pay tribute to those who have served our country need your help now. The Veterans Service Learning group at North Kirkwood Middle School would like to update its Veterans Tribute Board in the main hallway of the school. In order to do so, students are calling on the community to send them information about NKMS graduate who are veterans. The effort follows NKMS implementing a school-wide initiative to have every student participate in service-learning. Learn more about NKMS service learning here. If you know of a veteran and would like to help a group of young people honor and educate their peers about those who have come before them, please contact Jennifer Siegel, Counseling Center Assistant at North Kirkwood …

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Here's Looking at You, Maria Stobbe

Kirkwood Patch Notable Neighbor Maria Stobbe is honored for her work at North Kirkwood Middle School.

Kirkwood School District teacher of the year Maria Stobbe was recognized at the Teacher of the Year banquet Wednesday evening in Jefferson City. (See: Kirkwood Teacher of the Year Combines Service and Learning) The awards were presented by Peter F. Herschend, Branson, president of the State Board of Education; and Missouri Commissioner of Education Chris L. Nicastro. The Missouri Teacher of the Year, Kristen Merrell, from the Lee’s Summit School District, was honored and the five state finalists in this year’s program were recognized. The five public school teachers chosen as state finalists who were also honored at the banquet include:

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Notable Neighbors

County Recognizes 85-Year-Old Kirkwood Cafeteria Worker

The hard work and dedication of North Kirkwood Middle School cafeteria worker Mary Binggeli has earned the 85-year-old employee the title of Outstanding Older Worker of the Year for St. Louis County.

At a ceremony on Wednesday at North Kirkwood Middle School, 85-year-old cafeteria worker Mary Binggeli was recognized as the St. Louis County regional winner for the Mers Goodwill Outstanding Older Worker of the Year contest.  Binggeli has worked for Chartwells School Dining Services in the Kirkwood School District for 15 years. Terri Whitaker, Chartwell’s Director of Food & Nutrition Services for the Kirkwood School District, nominated Binggeli. Whitaker describes Binggeli as “a woman that we all look up to. She always has a smile and hug for everyone and can work circles around all her co-workers.” The Chartwell’s staff arranged the ceremony as a surprise to Binggeli. “I thought I was coming over for a mandatory meeting. I was surprised…

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Principal Warns Parents After Suspicious Vehicle Incident

A Kirkwood principal warned parents of the incident in a email.

The principal of North Kirkwood Middle School emailed parents a list of safety tips after an incident involving a suspicious vehicle and a Nipher Middle School student who was bicycling home from school. On Tuesday, shortly after 4 p.m., a student who was bicycling home from school saw a vehicle travelling east on East Argonne Drive approach the intersection of East Argonne Drive and Fillmore Avenue, according to a statement from the Kirkwood Police Department released Thursday. The car entered the intersection and the driver, described as a white male 30 to 35 years of age, held his cell phone out of the car window and appeared to be taking a photograph or video of the student. The student rode away and the vehicle continued eastbound at …

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Whiz Kid

Whiz Kid: Kirkwood Teen Inspires Marikle Foundation

Marik Lingo fought leukemia and received the miracle of a new heart. Today she's behind a foundation that raises thousands of dollars to help the families of other sick kids.

Today Marik Lingo is a healthy, active eighth grader helping to raise money for the families of sick children. But just a few years ago she was in a fight for her own life. The Kirkwood teen was just 7 years old when her appendix ruptured a few days after Christmas. An emergency for anyone, but for Marik, now 13, it meant the start of many months spent in and out of the hospital. That’s because doctors discovered Marik had leukemia. Once Marik started chemotherapy, her parents, Mark and Carrie Lingo, thought she would soon be getting well again. But after her final round of chemotherapy, doctors found that her heart was in jeopardy. “That was her last round – we (thought we) were done,” Carrie Lingo remembered. “The type of chemotherapy …

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