Raymore-Peculiar South Middle School

🎥 New Episode of Staff Spotlight! 🎥 https://youtu.be/iEGk4AQKGDA In this episode of Staff Spotlight, Raymore-Peculiar School District Superintendent, Dr. Mike Slagle, chats with Michael Parten. Michael is wrapping up his first year with Ray-Pec as the PE Teacher at Bridle Ridge Elementary.

Ray-Pec middle school students attending BoysGrow educational farm worked with the construction team over the past six months to create a custom coffee table from reclaimed barnwood. Using innovation, critical thinking and collaboration, this unique piece of functional art was purchased by a sponsor. Next year, the class is planning to create another functional piece to auction at the Ray-Pec Foundation Gala. The BoysGrow educational farm program serves as an example of what students can accomplish through creativity, hard work and mentorship. Pictured: Students: Arthur Toney, Nate Fine Middle School Teacher: Amie Tompkins TA: Liz Babcock BoysGrow Mentor: Russ Babcock

2024 Ray-Pec Summer School enrollment is OPEN! Elementary and middle school students will attend Monday through Thursday, June 3 to 27. (As June 19 is a holiday, students will attend on Friday, June 21.) High School students will attend Monday through Friday, June 3 to 28. No classes will be in session on June 19. For more information on enrolling, please visit our website here: raypec.org/page/summer-school-2024

Patty Phillips, Deanna Olson, and Janet Jones took the oath of office on Monday night during a brief reorganization meeting of the Ray-Pec School Board. School Board Secretary Pam Steele administered the oath of office. Phillips will serve a two-year term. Olson and Jones will serve three-year terms. Under provisions of Missouri Statute Section 115.124, there was no election for school board directors because the number of candidates who filed was the same as the number of positions to be filled. The Board re-elected Ruth Johnson to serve as Board President, and re-elected Deanna Olson to serve as Vice President. The Board approved Steele to continue as Board Secretary, and Chief Financial Officer Tiffany Banks to continue as Board Treasurer. The Board also approved Carol Barnes to serve as the delegate to the Missouri School Boards Association Assembly. Paul Coffman was selected to serve as the alternate delegate to the MSBA Assembly. New School Board Member Janet Jones is pictured with her husband, Donavan Jones, and son Brantley, a second grader at Bridle Ridge Elementary.

Ray-Pec family, please welcome new Head Basketball Coach George Goode! This is a name that may be familiar to many Kansas City basketball fans. Goode was a standout player from Raytown South High School who led the Cardinals to 23-4 and 22-5 seasons and was twice recognized as a First Team All-State and First Team All-Conference player. He was a 2007 graduate of Raytown South. Goode said he is excited to join the Panther family. As a collegiate player, Goode played three seasons at the University of Louisville and one season at Fairleigh Dickinson University. He played professionally for five seasons on the international circuit in Taiwan, Canada, Germany, Qatar, and Oman. For the past two years, Goode has been the head basketball coach at The Barstow School in Kansas City. During that time, he has led his teams to two conference titles and two district championships and has been named the Conference and District Coach of the Year twice. Coach Goode has coached at each level of high school programs from freshman to varsity and has experience developing talent and basketball skills at each of the various levels. In addition to interscholastic coaching, Goode has worked with organizations such as MoKan Elite to build basketball skills for the past three years. Goode has developed a coaching philosophy centered on fostering a culture of excellence, teamwork, and personal growth. He believes that the basketball court provides a unique opportunity to teach valuable life skills such as discipline, resilience, and leadership. As a coach, his primary goal will be to create an environment where student-athletes can thrive both athletically and personally. Goode is also a businessman and has seven years experience in managing employees, time, and schedules at Ruby Jean's Juicery. He believes this job gave him the tools that helped him become more well rounded and a more capable leader.

You are cordially invited to the 2024 Volunteer of the Year reception. We had over 35 individuals nominated to receive the VoTY Award this year! We are amazed at the support these individuals provide to our district and wish that we had time to formally honor each of them and their contributions. We will honor the following finalists: Aaron Howlett, Amber Rodriguez, Amy Sellmeyer, Debbie Kansteiner, Desiree Almanza, LaTisha Spiller, Laurie Keeley, LeeAnne Thompson, Lora Kurzweil, Lyndi Dewey, Michelle Houston, Nicole Cline, Shelby Ayres Please join us if you are able, share this invitation, and remember to thank a volunteer today! VoTY Reception Tuesday, April 23rd 7:00pm Ray-Pec Academy Board Room

Through the Eyes! 👀 https://youtu.be/odC8_uWOTHk This episode of Through the Eyes focuses on our brand new Girls' Flag Football team! Hear what they say their favorite parts of football are and what drew them to the sport.

We're almost there! Take a look at the progress on the new PAC! 👀🤩

Senior DRIVE Night is one week away! The DRIVE Project is designed to help students invest in becoming more educated, active, and productive members of their community while developing the essential skills required to be competitive in the current job market, focusing on components of our Portrait of a Ray-Pec Graduate. Students in English IV have worked on these projects all year, and would love for you to come out and see what they have accomplished!

MSBA and Ray-Pec School Board President Ruth Johnson opened the afternoon session of the MSBA Advocacy Day at the State Capitol today. Superintendent Dr. Mike Slagle was also in attendance to meet with legislators about school finance and solid waste landfill issues.

Thank you to everyone who supported the recent Major Saver card sale! More than $27,000 was raised for the Ray-Pec Public School Foundation and the participating elementary and middle schools. Raymore-Peculiar students sold 4,057 Major Saver campaign cards. Of the total, $13,793.63 will benefit the foundation, and the rest will be distributed to the individual schools, based on the number of cards sold. The fundraiser was celebrated at the April 9 Administrative Council meeting. In back, from left: South Middle School Principal Stacy Johnson; Timber Creek Elementary Principal Dr. Lauren Gechter; Raymore Elementary Principal Jennika Miller; and Eagle Glen Elementary Principal Rebecca Kolkmeier. In front, from left: Creekmoor Elementary Principal Ashley Tegenkamp; Peculiar Elementary Principal Keri Collison; and Foundation Executive Director Jodie Huston. (Not pictured: East Middle School Principal Katie Campbell; Bridle Ridge Elementary Principal Dr. Jennifer Chastain; and Stonegate Elementary Principal Kiley Brown.) Elementary and middle school students sold the $15 cards featuring 21 special offers. Cardholders may also download a free app to access other reusable offers. If you missed out on the fundraiser campaign, you can still order a card to benefit the Foundation's work: https://www.majorsaver.com/ (Click on the link to purchase a Major Saver card, and search for Raymore-Peculiar.) All cards purchased online will be mailed directly to the customer.

Raymore-Peculiar High School announces its upcoming production of the classic American family drama "A Raisin in the Sun." Performances of the show will be in the Ray-Pec East Middle School Flex Theatre at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, April 11, and Friday, April 12; and at 2:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. on Sunday, April 14. Debuting on Broadway in 1959, Lorraine Hansbury’s "A Raisin in the Sun" introduces us to the Youngers, a hard-working family reeling from the recent loss of their father. However, dealing with grief and redefining familial roles are just some of the challenges they face. As they try to better the family's financial situation with the insurance payout from their father’s death, they must confront housing discrimination, racism, and questions of what it means to assimilate. The cast includes Sav Jordan as Ruth Younger, Devantz Desravines as Travis Younger, Tre Hill as Walter Lee Younger, Amari Russell as Beneatha Younger, Kenyale Edwards as Lena Younger, Devin Fisher as Asagai, Tre Saunders as George Murchison, Alex Moore as Bobo, Noah Tuttle as Karl Lindner, and Lena Roy as Mrs. Johnson. Working behind the scenes are Teacher Dane Schnake as the director, Teacher Adam Segura as Technical Director, and Patron Kay Connelly, Teacher Jayme Overstreet, Todd Schnake and Pam Schnake as production assistants. The assistant directors for "A Raisin in the Sun" are Aaryn McClenden, Avery Monnig, Amy Robinson and Katrina Tilawen. The scenic coordinator is Avery Monnig. The stage manager is Katrina Tilawen. The assistant stage manager is Ace Evans. The lighting designer is Emma Browning. The sound designer is Ellie McRill. The costume designer is Lily Seward. The props designer is Hailey Feagins. The house manager is Bella Gallagher and the box office manager is Addi Kesler. Tickets may be reserved by calling the box office line, 892-3999 extension 2400. Tickets are $7 for adults and $6 for students. Link to reserve tickets: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSd2yQmjVOgtznm9KoDxhoeKvmG_es1ZyeeRC-gZ31M-dK3FUg/viewform

April is School Library Month and this week is National Library Week! 📚 Whether you're diving into a classic novel, researching a topic, or simply finding a quiet space to unwind, libraries offer something for everyone. Let's give a round of applause to librarians and library staff for their dedication in fostering a love for reading and learning. 👏 #NationalLibraryWeek #LoveLibraries #ReadMore 📖✨

The first edition of the RPHS PRISM Multi-Media Art and Literature Magazine has been printed. Thank you to five LEAD Center students that worked hard to bring the vision to life and put this 64 page, full-color magazine together - fully funded by sponsors! The PRISM is ready for purchase at the price of $5 each! Art Teacher Amy Hellums has 250 copies of the magazine available for purchase. If you'd like to purchase one in support of our RPHS artists and writers, send an email to amy.hellums@raypec.org. All proceeds from the magazines sold will go toward scholarships for a few 2024 seniors that have artwork/ literature published in the PRISM.

🎉 Today, we celebrate Paraprofessionals Appreciation Day! 🌟 Let's take a moment to honor the incredible dedication and hard work of our paraprofessionals. Your commitment to supporting students and educators does not go unnoticed. Thank you for all that you do! 👏 #ParaprofessionalsAppreciationDay #ThankYouParas

Kindergarten registration for the 2024-2025 school year is now open! If your child will be 5 years old by Aug. 1, 2024, see information about kindergarten registration and screening. As you register, you will select a time and date for an in-person screening appointment. Screening dates vary by school.

As we near the end of March, we're wrapping up our Board of Education celebration. Last but not least, meet Board Member Bill Lowe. He was appointed to the board in 2018 to fill a vacancy when Kim Bailey was selected to serve on the State Board of Education. He was then elected in April 2019 to his first term and re-elected in April 2022. "I believe in the motto of service above self. The school board provides me the opportunity to serve the community of Raymore and Peculiar in an impactful way." What is Bill's "why" for serving on the Board? "It is my belief that when a school district provides avenues of success for each student, the community as a whole benefits. When families decide to move into communities, they often look to see what type of education the school district is providing. Our school district has always provided students with a high level of education and opportunities to learn those critical thinking skills necessary for future success. I wanted to ensure those standards continued as well as meet the needs of future industry opportunities. It is important to have leaders on the board that put the success of the district above self. There are times when decisions are made that not everyone is going to like. A leader still has to make those decisions in the context of what is best for the district as a whole." Thank you, Bill, for your dedicated service to our District!

Our tutoring coordinator has spent the last month traveling across the district to visit approximately 80 tutors working with students of all ages! In addition to helping students across the district, the tutoring class also helps students accomplish the 50 tutoring hours required to earn A+.

🎥 New Video! 🎥 https://youtu.be/5AwrbWEmsJM This episode of Through the Eyes has us looking down the sights! Hear what our Trap Shooting team has to say about all of the benefits of their sport.

If it's still March, we're still celebrating our Board of Education! Meet Board Member Billy King. He was first elected to the Board in April 2018 and is currently completing his second term. "I am a proud Ray-Pec graduate, and I want to make sure that the district is a safe environment for all students. Everyone in the district matters. We are all here to make sure the kids have the best learning experience possible." Thank you, Billy King, for your dedicated service to our District!