1. Back To School • August 7, 2013 1
Vol. 14 August 7, 2013
Back to School
More Than School Work
Hard workers at Cristo Rey P. 4
Early Education in NE
KCPS early learning opportunities P. 5
Bright Future for KCPS
Accreditation in sight for KCPS P. 6
New Addition to NE School
Catholic school gets new Principal P. 9
3. Back To School • August 7, 2013 3
Garfield Elementary (KCPS)
436 Prospect Ave.
(816) 418-3600
Affiliation: Public Education
Principal: Doug White
Hours: 8:30 a.m. – 3:25 p.m.
First Day: August 12
Website: www.kcpublicschools.org
Grades: Preschool to Sixth
Gladstone Elementary (KCPS)
335 N. Elmwood Ave.
(816) 418-3950
Affiliation: Public Education
Principal: Dana Carter
Hours: 8:10 a.m. – 3:25 p.m.
First Day: August 12
Website: www.kcpublicschools.org
Grades: Preschool to Sixth
Holy Cross Catholic School
121 N. Quincy Ave.
(816) 231-8874
Principal: Barbara Deane
Affiliation: Private Catholic
First Day: August 14
Website: www.holycrosscatholic-
school.org
Grades: Kindergarten to Eighth
District: Catholic Diocese of Kan-
sas City-St. Joseph
James Elementary (KCPS)
5810 Scarritt Ave.
(816) 418-3700
Principal: Jo Nemeth
Affiliation: Public Education
Hours: 9 a.m – 4:15 p.m.
First Day: August 12
Website: www.kcpublicschools.org
Grades: Preschool to Sixth
KIPP Endeavor Academy
2700 East 18th St., Suite 155 B
(816) 241-3994
Principal: Jacob Schmitz
Affiliation: Public Charter
Hours: MTuThF 7:45 a.m. to 4
p.m.; Wednesday 7:45 a.m. to 2:45
p.m.
First Day: August 6
Website: www.kippendeavor.org
Grades: Fifth to Eighth
Outreach Christian Education
2900 NE Cates
(816) 455-5575
Principal: Kathy Taylor
Affiliation: Private Christian
Hours: 8:30 a.m. – 3:30 p.m.
Website: outreacheducation.org
Scuola Vita Nuova
544 Wabash Ave.
(816) 231-5788
Principal: Nicole Goodman
Affiliation: Public Charter
Hours:8a.m.–3:45p.m.;Wednes-
day early dismissal at 2 p.m.
First Day: August 14
Website: www.svncharter.org
Grades: Kindergarten to Eighth
Whittier Elementary (KCPS)
1012 Bales Ave.
(816) 418-3850
Principal: Adrain Howard
Affiliation: Public Education
Hours: 8 a.m. – 3:25 p.m.
First Day: August 12
Website: www.kcpublicschools.org
(search for Whittier)
Grades: Preschool to Sixth
Continued from previoius page
BACK TO
SCHOOL TIME
is a good time to make sure your
children are healthy AND up-to-
date on all their immunizations...
NEIGHBORHOOD
FAMILY CARE
4601 Independence Ave.
241-6334
Elaine W. Joslyn, D.O.
Karen E. Leuenberger P.A.-C
Serving the Historic Northeast since 1994
1 day-old to101-year-old.
We are here year round for your
whole family.
Northeast School
Directory
Back to School Calendar
Back to school health fair
Samuel U. Rodgers Health Center will be hosting their
health fair Saturday, Aug. 17, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the
health center, 825 Euclid Ave. Kansas City, Mo.
Back to school resource fair
LINC is hosting a resource fair at Garfield Elementary, 436
Prospect Ave., Aug. 8 from 2 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. Families will
get the chance to meet teachers from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. Stu-
dents can receive free books and supplies while they last.
Time to register at KCPS
The first day of the 2013-2014 school year starts Aug. 12
for KCPS students. Families must register students prior
to the first day at the KCPS Admissions office, 1211 McGee
St., from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday. Families
must bring the student’s birth certificate, a copy of their
lease or mortgage and a copy of a current utility bill. For
more information about registration call KCPS at (816)
418-7505.
Back to school night for SVN students
Students enrolled at Scuola Vita Nuova are invited to the
back to school night Monday, Aug. 12, from 5 p.m. to
7 p.m. at 544 Wabash Ave. Students can meet peers while
parents get details about the 2013-2014 school year.
4. Back To School • August 7, 20134
By JOSHUA PHILLIPS
Northeast News
BuildingsandfacilitiesofKan-
sas City Public Schools (KCPS)
are getting a $27 million facelift.
Improvements include a
renovation of the Interscholas-
tic League Stadium (Joseph G.
Bryan Field), air conditioning for
East and Northeast high schools
as well as air conditioning for
Banneker Elementary School
and upgrades to Lincoln College
Preparatory Academy and Paseo
Academy for Fine and Perform-
ing Arts auditoriums. The district
started the upgrades in December
of 2012 and should have all proj-
ects completed in August, before
the 2013-2014 school year starts.
Engineers reviewed the Inter-
scholastic League Stadium in the
summer of 2012 and determined
upgrades needed to be made to
protect the safety and user expe-
riences for the athletes and fans
in the stadium. The renovations
include installing artificial turf
and two 90-foot lighting posts,
and upgrading the running track,
seating, locker rooms, the press
box, sound and communica-
tions, and the concession stand.
Morethan$5millionwillbeused
toward the renovations of the sta-
dium. Garcia Architecture, LLC is
providing design specifications
for renovating the 25-year-old fa-
cility.
During the summer months,
East and Northeast high schools
released students early on a regu-
lar basis due to the lack of proper
airconditioningtocooldownthe
schools. Now, both schools will
have HVAC units, energy efficient
windows and lights and more
for this project. As of June 2013,
buildingupgrades,suchasinstall-
ing air conditioning, have been
underway at East and Northeast
high schools and Banneker El-
ementary School. In addition,
painting has begun on the top
floors of East and
Northeast high
schools. Abate-
ment work has
been completed
at East, and more
than 50 percent
of the abatement
work has been
completed at
Northeast. Boil-
ers were also re-
moved at North-
east and will be
relocated to the
boiler room at
Manual Career
Technical Center.
The total cost for this project is
approximately $20 million.
Renovation work for the Lin-
coln College Preparatory Acad-
emy and Paseo Academy of Fine
and Performing Arts auditoriums
has been underway since No-
vember 2012. As of June 2013, all
seats and carpet were removed
to make way for renovations.
KCPS said the “auditoriums at
both schools host multiple com-
munity events annually, neces-
sitating the need for immediate
improvementsinseating,lighting
and overall environment.” The
projected budget for renovation
work to both auditoriums is $2
million.
Northeast High School receives multiple upgrades
Construction Crusade. NEHS receives a num-
ber of upgrades, including air conditioning.
Joshua Phillips
Students gain real world experience through Cristo Rey
By JOSHUA PHILLIPS
Northeast News
While in high school, some
students work, some students
play sports or are involved in or-
ganizations and some focus solely
on academics.
However, Cristo Rey high
school students go above and be-
yond.
Seniors Jackie Castillo, Joc-
elyn Serrata and Vanessa Beltran
take part in a long list of high
school activities. Part of their daily
routines include: playing soc-
cer, being student ambassadors,
being involved with the Rotary
Club, having 4.2 grade-point aver-
ages, being senior Christian lead-
ers and being members of the
National Honor Society (NHS).
TheyarealsoapartofCristoRey’s
Corporate Work Study Program
(CWSP).
Benefits of CWSP
“There is more responsibility
put on you,” said Castillo, who
works at Inergy Propane as a mail
clerk. “Once we graduate from
Cristo Rey, we will already have
four years of experience in a cor-
porate work setting.”
Along with having 34 credits
needed to graduate from Cristo
Rey high school, all students at
Cristo Rey must have four years
of corporate work experience
before they graduate. More than
100 companies in Kansas and
Missouri participate in the CWSP,
such as Inergy Propane where
Castillo works, Commerce Bank
where Beltran works and St.
Luke’s East Hospital where Ser-
rata works.
During the summertime stu-
dents can be paid for their work,
but once the academic year starts
their payment is sent directly to
CristoReyhighschooltohelppay
for their tuition.
“The environment is reallyCristo Rey. Seniors Jocelyn Serrata, Vanessa Beltran and Jackie
Castillo say they’ve benefitted from the work study program.
Joshua Phillips continued on p. 10
5. Back To School • August 7, 2013 5
By JOSHUA PHILLIPS
Northeast News
Kansas City Public Schools
(KCPS) is adding a new school
to the district that supports early
childhoodeducationprogramsfor
the community.
Woodland Early Learning
Community School, located at
Seventh Street and Woodland
Avenue, will be the newest KCPS
school in the Historic Northeast.
This new school will house stu-
dents ages three to four from
Head Start, early childhood and
pre-kindergarten exceptional
education programs. Renovations
to the school are expected to be
completed in early August with
the school starting on Sept. 3.
KCPS Director of the Office
of Early Learning Jerry Kitzi is in
charge of the renovation work as
well as how the school functions
once it is opened.
“Children born to parents in
low-income families have a vo-
cabulary of about 400 frequently
used words getting ready to enter
kindergarten, but children born
to parents in higher-income fami-
lies getting ready to enter kinder-
garten have three times that vo-
cabulary,” Kitzi said. “If you are a
child starting out through trauma,
a smaller vocabulary, the lack of
a safe environment and the lack
of social and emotional develop-
ment, you are going to be behind.
Andonceyoufallbehind,youusu-
allystaybehind.Asaschooldistrict
that is what we are trying to pre-
vent.”
Getting a Head Start
Kitzi said the Head Start pro-
gram will help the young students
develop learning, social and emo-
tional abilities to prepare them for
entering elementary school.
“The idea (of Head Start) is
helping the parent make sure the
health and development of the
child is there,” Kitzi said. “Over
time we had to address more so-
cial and emotional developments
of the children, which determines
how cognitive abilities develop.”
With the sequestration last
year, Kitzi said Head Start budget
was cut by 5.72 percent and the
choice was to either cut the days
offered or reduce seats for the
program. The decision was made
to cut the days offered for the
program, which is why the new
school will open Sept. 3. KCPS is
allotted706seatsforHeadStartby
the Mid-America Regional Council
(MARC), and families must meet
certain eligibility requirements to
be enrolled in Head Start.
The income guidelines to be
in Missouri’s Head Start, accord-
ing to www.benefits.gov, are as fol-
lows: Family size of one must have
a maximum income of $14,521;
family of two must have max in-
come of $19,669; family of three,
$24,817; family of four, $29,965;
family of five, $35,113; family of
six, $40,261. For each additional
person add $5,148.
Children must be three years
old before Aug. 1 of the current
school year, and previously en-
rolled children will be eligible for
second year enrollment without
verifying family income. Ten per-
cent of the total enrollment slots
must go toward children diag-
nosed with disabilities.
Kitzi said that Head Start
with KCPS is geared toward fos-
tering a child’s development,
helping children become ready
for kindergarten and working
with families to help their child
learn.
By JOSHUA PHILLIPS
Northeast News
In an effort to help chil-
dren become more physically
active during the day, the Mid-
America Regional Council
(MARC) is calling upon Kan-
sas City, Mo., and Kansas City,
Kan., area schools to take part
in having kids walk and ride
bikes to school.
Each year MARC encour-
ages schools in the Kansas
City metropolitan area to take
part in Walk to School Day
and Bike to School Day. Walk
to School Day will take place
Oct. 9, 2013, while the next
Bike to School Day will be May
7, 2014.
“Daily activities for schools
are cutback (and) people
are looking for solutions to
make kids active,” said Aaron
Bartlett, senior transportation
planner with MARC. “We want
to do more with marketing
and branding to get awareness
out to parents that there are
options out there on getting
their kids to school.”
One of the alternative
transportation methods that
MARC has helped with in-
cludes bike trains and walking
school buses. With the walk-
ing school buses, a school-
appointed person will walk
with students to school for a
safe and healthy way to get to
school. With the bike trains, a
school-appointed person will
ride his or her bike to school
with the students.
“We want to focus a lot
of attention on schools be-
ing involved,” Bartlett said.
“The hope is to have walking
school bus programs in more
schools. Students are more
ready to learn and their test
scores are better with morn-
ing activities (such as riding
bikes or walking to school).”
KCPS launches new school in Historic Northeast
continued on p. 6
MARC promotes annual day to walk, bike to school
continued on p. 15
Early education. Woodland Early Learning Community School
will be the newest educational addition to the Northeast.
Joshua Phillips
6. Back To School • August 7, 20136
By JOSHUA PHILLIPS
Northeast News
Kansas City Public Schools
(KCPS) is gearing up for another
school year as it awaits to be re-ac-
credited by the state.
KCPS Superintendent Dr. Ste-
phen Green said the district and
community should be optimistic
about reaching at least provisional
accreditation with the improve-
ments due to the 2012-2013 state
assessment test scores.
“I think we have made a strong
and compelling case for there not
being a need for state assistance
with our test scores,” Green said.
All Missouri school districts
have been placed under a new ac-
creditation scale called the Missouri
State Improvement Program (MSIP
5), meaning that districts are scored
on a 0 to 140 points scale. Under
MSIP 5, school districts must earn
70 total points to be “provisionally
accredited,” districts must receive
98 total points for “accreditation”
and districts earning at least 126
total points will receive “accred-
ited with distinction,” according to
www.childrenseducationalliance-
mo.org. Missouri school districts
that have earned 0 to 68 points are
unaccredited.
“We have spent a lot of time,
energy and effort to let the public
know the difference between ac-
creditation of high school and col-
lege,” Green said. “The notion is
that people think our diplomas do
not mean a lot for KCPS students;
however, that is not the case since
our students still receive scholar-
ships. I am very optimistic about
our test scores because the growth
that we have had is based on efforts
by our students.”
Missouri’s Department of El-
ementary and Secondary Education
(DESE) uses the MSIP 5 to grade
districts for each of the �MSIP 5
Performance Standards: academic
achievement, subgroup achieve-
ment, college or career readiness,
attendance rate and graduation
rate.
Academic achievement is deter-
mined by the Missouri Assessment
Program (MAP) scores and the im-
provement of those scores. Sub-
group achievement is determined
bytheperformanceofstudentswho
receive free or reduced price lunch-
es, racial and ethnic backgrounds,
English Language Learners (ELL)
and students with disabilities. Col-
lege or career readiness is deter-
mined by ACT, SAT, COMPASS or
Armed Services Vocational Aptitude
Battery (ASVAB) test scores, the
average composite scores of previ-
ously mentioned tests in a district,
high school graduates who earned
a qualifying score on Advanced
Placement (AP), International Bac-
calaureate (IB) or Technical Skills
Attainment (TSA) assessments and
if graduates attended post-second-
ary education or are in the military
within six months of graduating.
School district attendance rates
are also graded depending on how
well a district has been able to re-
duce truancy and have students in
class longer. Districts are also grad-
ed on how graduation rates have
increased.
“For some of our students
things may not be as bright, but
education can be that light in the
darkness,” Green said.
Missouri Gov. Jeremiah “Jay”
Nixon signed Missouri Senate Bill
125 (SB 125) into law July 12. This
law eliminates the two-year waiting
period for the State Board of Educa-
tion to step in to help unaccredited
school districts. However, Green
said that in the upcoming weeks
KCPS will announce in further de-
tail how the district has exceeded
the 70 point requirement to earn
provisional accreditation.
The district will not need state
assistance to obtain accreditation,
since it has met the minimum re-
quirement of 70 points on the MSIP
5 to earn provisional accreditation.
If KCPS would have failed to attain
the required 70 points, then SB
125 would have allowed for the ap-
pointment of a special administra-
tion board from DESE to control
the operation of the district until it
reached provisional accreditation.
“The goal of KCPS is well be-
yond accreditation,” Green said.
“It is important to have the hype
about it, but we will embed what-
ever it takes to get accreditation and
make it standard procedure for the
future.”
KCPS to achieve provisional accreditation
More than $1.2 million in
transportation alternatives is
sub-allocated to Kansas City,
Mo., for different transporta-
tion uses by the U.S. Depart-
ment of Transportation. The
transportation alternatives
program funding is reserved
for fiscal year 2013 and allocat-
ed to urbanized areas within a
state population greater than
200,000.
The first national Walk Our
Children to School Day was
held in Chicago in 1997, and
the event became internation-
al in 2000 when Canada and
the United Kingdom joined
the United States. As of Dec.
31, 2011, the total amount
of funding for National Safe
Routes to School programs
apportioned to all 50 states
was more than $978 million,
according to www.walkbik-
etoschool.org. National Bike
to School day is newer com-
pared to Walk to School Day
which started May 9, 2012.
Bartlett says that MARC
tries to help area schools, en-
couraging them to take part in
International Walk to School
Day and National Bike to
School Day.
Grade schools in the Kan-
sas City, Mo. and Kan. met-
ropolitan areas that have
participated at least three
years in International Walk to
School days include: Acadé-
mie Lafayette, Alexander Do-
niphan, Belinder, Bentwood,
Bonner Springs, Briarwood,
Broken Arrow, Brookridge,
Brookwood, Chapel Lakes,
Christ the King Parish, Frank-
lin, Highlands, Indian Valley,
Langston Hughes, Lee’s Sum-
mit, Liberty View, Prairie Park,
Quail Run, Rushton, Sunflow-
er, Sunset Hill and Tomahawk.
Those interested in regis-
tering an event for their school
can go to www.walkbiketo-
school.org/go.
continued from p. 5MARC
New Grading Scale
•A= Minimum of 126 points acquired.
“Accredited with distinction”
•B= Minimum of 98 points acquired.
“Accreditation status”
•C-D= Minimum of 70 points acquired. “Provisionally
accredited” (KCPS current status)
•F= 0 to 69 points. “Unaccredited” (KCPS former status)
7. Back To School • August 7, 2013 7
Summer school programs prevent learning loss in KC
By JOSHUA PHILLIPS
Northeast News
Students in Kansas City Pub-
lic Schools (KCPS) were invited
to attend free summer school
programs to help those with the
greatest academic needs move
forwardandcatchupwiththerest
of the class.
Summer school operated
from June 3 to June 28 and stu-
dents were allowed to miss only
one class. KCPS invited students
in grades third through sixth who
failed both communication arts
and math and students in grades
seventh through 12th who need-
ed assistance recovering impor-
tant academic credits to move on
to the next grade level.
Derald Davis, KCPS school
leadership executive coach and
head of the summer school pro-
grams, said these summer school
programs can help prevent the
learning losses during the sum-
mer.
“We are able to meet the indi-
vidualneedsofthestudentsinthe
summer school,” Davis said. “A lot
of districts made the decision that
they cannot afford to have sum-
merschool;wemadethedecision
that we cannot afford to not have
summer school. Typically, there
is some sort of learning loss that
takes place (during the summer).”
Davis said the programs went
so well that the average daily at-
tendance for elementary students
was 89 to 90 percent, while high
school attendance was almost 96
percent. Thirteen students in the
programs were high school se-
niors who took one or two classes
in order to receive their diplomas
from KCPS.
“Summer school students
took care of business and did
what they needed to do to catch
up,” Davis said. “There are always
students at different interest and
academic levels, and every child
can learn, but we all do not learn
atthesamepaceorthesameway.”
Students were re-assessed at
the end of the summer school
in June, and Davis said that no
student decreased in test scores,
some stayed the same and most
increased their test scores.
KCPS summer school pro-
grams were located at Gladstone,
Wheatley and Paige elementary
schools, each from 8:40 a.m. to
3:55 p.m., as well as locations at
Central and Success academies
from 7:30 a.m. to 2:45 p.m.
“Say you have a student who
has As and Bs in all their core
classes as a fourth grader, but par-
ents still want them in summer
school. We would tell them they
do not qualify for our summer
school program because we want
to reserve seats for students who
have the greatest needs,” Davis
said. “However, here are some
summer school camp opportuni-
ties you can still take your child
to.”
KCPS partnered with KC
Friends of Alvin Ailey, Upper
Room, the YMCA, the Sixth Grade
Summer Bridge Academy and
with LINC to provide free camps
for families wanting children in
summer programs.
The Upper Room summer
camp, which ran June 10 through
Aug. 2, was located at Primitivo
Garcia, George Melcher, Trail-
woods and Garfield elementary
schools. Upper Room is a reading-
intensive course with enrichment
activities and field trips. The Alvin
Ailey camp, located at the Paseo
Academy of Fine and Performing
Arts, took place June 3 to June 28
and taught students disciplined
dance training, creative writing
skills, personal development and
how to respect themselves and
others. The YMCA summer camp,
located at Satchel Paige Elemen-
tary, started June 17 and ended
July 26 and provided an enriched
literacy experience to help sharp-
en reading and writing skills.
The Sixth Grade Summer Bridge
Academy, located at Wheatley El-
ementary,operatedJune3toJune
21. The LINC summer camp was
located at Holliday Montessori,
Border Star Montessori, African-
Centered College Preparatory
Academy and Crispus Attucks El-
ementary, from June 3 to July 12
and focused on academics, youth
development and parent engage-
ment.
“First and foremost, all of this
is designed for the students to be
successful,” Davis said.
Summer school gave students
the opportunity to gain additional
credits to advance to the next
grade level, he said.
In order to help students with
their reading grade levels, the dis-
trict has more than 30 University
of Missouri-Kansas City (UMKC)
student interns doing their practi-
cum work alongside teachers
to address comprehension and
reading needs of the students.
KCPS has also hired reading inter-
ventionists to assist students with
reading difficulties.
“Having the UMKC students
there to co-teach made it more
meaningful to the students in
the classes,” Davis said. “Students
learn better by having the two
adults playing off each other, and
we are making sure that we are
continued on p. 8
Time to say goodbye. Cristo
Rey 2013 graduates say one
final goodbye to their alma
mater during the college
send-off night July 23. The
recent graduates received a
backpack and a laundry bag
full of dorm essentials, pic-
tured left. Marissa Alaniz,
right, will take her grad
pack and laundry bag to
Kansas City Kansas Commu-
nity College. Joshua Phillips
8. Back To School • August 7, 20138
By JOSHUA PHILLIPS
Northeast News
One Catholic Parish school
in the Historic Northeast is hav-
ing renovation work done to it
before the school year starts Aug.
14.
Holy Cross Catholic School,
121 N. Quincy Ave., is receiving
a facelift, which includes install-
ing new ceiling lights, tiles and
windows that reduce the amount
of UV light from the sun to save
costs to the school. Only the
first floor is being renovated and
funding is being provided by the
Bright Futures Fund.
“We want to preserve the
mid-century look of the building
and make it work for the school,”
saidJeremyLillig,executivedirec-
tor of the Bright Futures Fund of
the Catholic Diocese of Kansas
City-St. Joseph. “With more fund-
ing, we can expand the work to
the second floor and preserve
the building for the future. (Holy
Cross) started in 1910 and we
want to keep the history going.”
The Bright Futures Fund pro-
vides scholarships and tuition
grants to families to help make
Catholic education affordable.
LilligsaidtheBrightFuturesFund
is providing more than $415,000
next year.
4327 North East Chouteau Trafficway
In The Chouteau Crossings Center
Across From Festival Foods
816-453-0045 • Follow Us On at DollarStop
Back to
School
supplies
All for a
or less
-Pencils
-Pens
-Paper
-Markers$100
Updating history. The Bright
Futures Fund helps Holy
Cross renovate its first
floor. Joshua Phillips
Modern upgrades come to Holy Cross Catholic
better able to meet the needs of
students to give them better indi-
vidualized attention.”
Davis said opportunities were
not just provided to American-
born citizens, but to students also
new to America, who were given
the chance to attend summer
schooltolearnEnglish.Thosestu-
dentshailedfromEasternEurope,
Central Africa and South America.
“Families depend on their
kids learning English at school
to help them at the home,”
Davis said. “Students are the
spokesperson for the family
when they go and operate and
maneuver through this new life
in this new society.”
Davis said these summer pro-
grams can help KCPS work to-
ward accreditation by first laying
down the foundation.
“No matter what the cost, we
make sure we offer what is in the
bestinterestofourstudents’educa-
tion,”Davissaid.“Wedoeverything
possible to make sure students are
on grade level and that will show
up in our standardized test scores
and (they are) a huge barometer as
to whether or not we are moving
the district forward. Definitely of-
fering these opportunities will go
toward that particular component
of the re-accreditation process.”
continued from p. 7SUMMER
9. Back To School • August 7, 2013 9
By JOSHUA PHILLIPS
Northeast News
Historic Northeast resident
Jean Ferrara has
served as principal of
the Holy Cross Parish
Catholic school.
Now, she is bid-
ding farewell to Holy
Cross to serve as a
principal of St. John
LaLande Catholic Par-
ish school in Blue
Springs, Mo.
Ferrara will con-
tinue to call Historic
Northeast her home,
however.
“Holy Cross and
theNortheastwillalwaysbehome
to me,” Ferrara said. “I tell people
I am always a pilgrim on a jour-
ney. It is a new energy, new adven-
tures, new challenges and know-
ing a new community of people
(in Blue Springs).”
The new principal for Holy
Cross is Barbara Deane, who has
had experience with Kansas City,
Kan. Public Schools (KCKPS).
Deane has served as a teacher,
special education administrator
and principal of Hickman Mills
schools for 27 years. She later
worked as a special education co-
ordinator at the KCKPS central of-
fice and as the director of special
education with the Fort Leaven-
worth school district.
Deane heard about the open
position at Holy Cross from the
Catholic Diocese of Kansas City-
St. Joseph Superintendent Dan
Peters.
“Now is a good chance to get
together with folks in the com-
munity and in the school to start
thinking about how we want to
move forward in the next five
years with the curriculum, the
building, the programs and all
kinds of things,” Deane said.
Ferrara was also approached
by Peters about the open position
in Blue Springs, Mo., for St. John
LaLande principal.
“At Holy Cross
the idea was to
make it attractive
to people, to sell
the idea that peo-
ple have not con-
sidered which was
private and Catho-
liceducation,” Fer-
rara said. “There is
a different mental-
ity between the
urban and subur-
ban school com-
munities. There
are many more
programs to be healthy and active
in the suburbs, where it was a re-
covering mission to stabilize Holy
Cross. The notion was that Holy
Cross was failing, but Holy Cross
is doing anything but closing.”
Deane worked at Christ the
King, a parish that closed after its
2012-2013 school year, prior to
her new position at Holy Cross.
“What I will miss at Christ the
King is the great community of par-
ents. They are really active, had a
lot of volunteering, terrific kids and
were a really close-knit commu-
nity,” Deane said. “They really wel-
comed me in at Christ the King.”
Deane also said she has felt
welcomed at Holy Cross.
Farewell. Jean Fer-
rara will work else-
where, but will
still live in the NE.
New principal at Holy Cross
New Face of Holy Cross.
Principal Barbara Deane
10. Back To School • August 7, 201310
friendly and everybody is really
welcoming there,” said Beltran
on working at Commerce Bank
downtown. “(With the CWSP) you
learntohavecommunicationskills
with the adults you work with and
have connections for future jobs.”
Jeff Cooper and Catherine
Sparks are associates of the CWSP
at Cristo Rey high school in Kan-
sas City. Cooper helps connect
students to jobs, while Sparks
trains students on how to work in
a corporate setting.
“They are working with adults
in professional environments and
gaining those skills in confidence
that they can be successful in those
types of environments,” Cooper
said. “The students come in and
work in a lot of different depart-
ments so they get some view of
what those career paths are like
and they work with professionals in
those careers to get some perspec-
tive to see if they would be inter-
estedinsomethinglikethatornot.”
Students typically work in
departments such as accounting,
copy centers, human resources,
information technology, mail
rooms, marketing, records man-
agement and volunteer services.
Cristo Rey students fill out a sur-
veyattheendofeveryyearchoos-
ing their preferences for where to
work and the CWSP staff sets out
to find the best match for each
student. Rebecca Summers, Cris-
to Rey director of institutional ad-
vancement, said there are some
positions that are volunteer.
Students dress professionally
and work approximately five full
days each month of the school
year from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
each of those days.
“The students really drew me
in to be interested in this posi-
tion because I came from a back-
ground similar to them growing
up,” said Greg Alejos, the new
directoroftheCWSPatCristoRey
Kansas City. “It is a great school, a
great program and has great stu-
dents.”
Alejos has not had academic
education experience; however,
he said when he worked for
March of Dimes and the Ameri-
can Heart Association that there
were learning experiences for
himself and others.
Program History
The first school of the Cristo
Rey Network was Cristo Rey Je-
suit high school, established in
1996 in the Pilsen neighborhood
of Chicago. Along with providing
corporate work experience with
the CWSP, the Cristo Rey Network
offers private Catholic education.
Every year students take col-
lege seminar classes. Freshman
year students are introduced to
the high school and to college.
Then as each year passes, stu-
dents work more toward com-
pleting a college application,
creating a resumé, taking ACT
preparation sessions and making
a list of colleges they are interest-
ed in attending to narrow down
their college choices.
Since 2010, 100 percent of
the graduating seniors from Cris-
to Rey in Kansas City have been
accepted into college. The Cristo
Rey Kansas City class of 2013 will
head off to college with approxi-
mately $1.7 million in combined
scholarships. The graduating
class of 2014 including Castillo,
Beltran and Serrata, could match
that scholarship amount.
Bright Futures
Castillo said she has different
college options open, such as the
University of Central Missouri,
Rockhurst University, the Univer-
sity of Kansas, the University of
Missouri and the Loyola Universi-
ty-Chicago. She said she wants to
eventually work as a prosecution
lawyer.
Beltran said she is thinking
about attending Creighton Uni-
versity or the University of Mis-
souri-Kansas City (UMKC) and
wants to be a pediatric doctor.
SerrataiscurrentlyintheKauff-
man Scholars program, which
Summers said can guarantee Ser-
rata a debt-free undergraduate ed-
ucation.Serratasaidsheisthinking
about attending Rockhurst Univer-
sity and UMKC, and said she wants
to work in a medical profession.
“We receive a lot of support,”
Castillo said. “We have our par-
ents’ support, Cristo Rey staff
members’ support and our co-
workers’ support. It is a really
good school here, and they do
not want to see you fail.”
•The 2013 graduat-
ing class of 47 students
earned $1.7 million in
combined college schol-
arships.
•Since 2010, 100 percent
of Cristo Rey Kansas City
graduates have been ac-
cepted into college.
•Approximately one-third
of the total student en-
rollment at Cristo Rey is
from the Historic North-
east area.
CRISTO REY continued from p. 4
City Union Mission lends helping hand with clothes store
Northeast News
Now through Aug. 9, disad-
vantaged youngsters and their
parents can “shop” for free cloth-
ing at City Union Mission’s back-
to-schoolstore.Income-qualified
students in grades K through 6
who are enrolled in KCPS will
receive an outfit required by the
district, including a uniform shirt
and pants, along with two pairs
of new socks and underwear.
“Having clothes that fit prop-
erly,thatarecomfortableandthat
make children feel good about
themselves is important to their
success in the classroom,” said
City Union Mission Executive Di-
rector Daniel J. Doty. “That’s why
we’re continuing to make cloth-
ing the focus of our annual back-
to-school outreach.”
Students and their parents
who are interested in receiving
the free clothing are invited to
visit the Mission’s Community
Assistance office, 1700 E. 8th
St., to qualify and then select the
items in the proper sizes. Hours
of distribution are 10 a.m. to 3
p.m. Monday through Friday.
The program will run through
Aug. 9 or until supplies last.
“Parents themselves felt re-
lieved they didn’t have to worry
about the added financial bur-
den of purchasing the uniforms
out of their already tight bud-
gets,” Doty said.
In all, the Mission antici-
pates providing clothing for
as many as 500 school chil-
dren. Mission friends and
partners are invited to help
cover the cost of the uniforms
at $25 each. Financial contri-
butions can be made online
at www.cityunionmission.org.
Cristo Rey Stats
12. Back To School • August 7, 201312
By JOSHUA PHILLIPS
Northeast News
The Kansas City Public
Schools (KCPS) Board of Educa-
tion (BOE) will no longer have
as many members due to a bill
signed into law June 11.
Governor Jay Nixon signed
into law Missouri Senate Bill 258,
which will reduce the number of
members on the board from nine
to seven and moves the election
date of the board members to
match local municipal elections.
The new board structure will fea-
ture two elected “at-large” mem-
bers with the other five being
elected from five “sub-districts,”
which will be redrawn by the lo-
cal redistricting commission by
Nov. 1, 2018.
The law will also move the
date for electing school board
members in conjunction with lo-
cal municipal elections, starting
in 2019. Missouri Sen. Paul LeVo-
ta (D-Independence) said chang-
ing the election date will increase
voter participation.
“There are good people who
want to improve the district for
the students,” LeVota said on his
sponsored bill. “The number of
people who vote in the board
elections is ridiculously low. This
law changes the election time
to coincide with local municipal
elections to increase voter turn-
out.”
Although money will be
saved by running one election for
both board and municipal elec-
tions, LeVota said the main focus
of this law is to increase commu-
nity involvement with KCPS and
make the KCPS BOE more con-
sistent with other school districts
in the state.
“The state may take over
the district and we need more
engagement at the polls,” Le-
Vota said. “This law helps to have
more consistency and save mon-
eyforrunningtheelectionsatthe
same time. Engagement with the
community is the main point of
this law.”
LeVota said he hopes to elimi-
nate the “write-ins” and appoin-
tees to the KCPS BOE elections
and having the nine-member dis-
trict is unusual since the district
has been shrinking during the
past 10 years.
“School elections for the elec-
tion of (BOE) directors shall be
held on municipal election days
in 2014 and 2016. At the election
in 2014, directors shall be elected
to hold office until 2019 and until
their successors are elected and
qualified. At the election in 2016,
directors shall be elected until
2019 and until their successors are
elected and qualified. Beginning at
the election for school directors in
2019, the number of directors on
the board shall be reduced from
nine to seven,” according to SB
258.
With Gov. Nixon’s signature,
SB 258 will become law Aug. 28.
KCPS BOE members to decrease due to new law
Nixon the Educational
Lawmaker
•Nixon signs LeVota’s
SB 258 into law to reduce
KCPS BOE members.
•The Governor vetoes SB
253 because higher edu-
cation would suffer.
•Nixon signs SB 125 into
law, allowing for the Mis-
souri DESE to intervene
sooner in a district’s ac-
creditation status.
FREE TICKETS!! Be one of the first two youngsters to turn in the correct, completed
word search on Page 13 to win a set of four tickets to the Renaissance Festival. Turn in
the completed word search to the Northeast News, 5715 St. John Ave., Kansas City, Mo.
14. Back To School • August 7, 201314
To enroll in a brighter future, visit www.kcpublicschools.org/enroll
Your education checklist
Expanded, free early learning opportunities
Innovative and high-tech learning tools
Multiple opportunities to earn college credit
Prepares students for college, career or the workforce
15. Back To School • August 7, 2013 15
Location Significance
Woodland was built in 1921
and previously served as Wood-
land Elementary School. Kitzi
then approached the KCPS school
board about opening an early
childhood education school since
students were bused from the
Northeast south to other KCPS
schools. KCPS Board of Educa-
tion (BOE) gave approval for Kitzi
to work with the Kansas City Fire
Department on inspection of the
building in January. In May, KCPS
BOE gave its seal of approval to
begin working on the school.
Since then, construction and re-
modeling work has been done to
make the school more age appro-
priate and look better.
“Woodland is great because
it is the right size and it is at a
really important location,” Kitzi
said.
Another reason why the new
Woodland is an important loca-
tion, Kitzi said, is because of the
community partners who will
help the school. Community
organizations such as Parents
as Teachers, the Gillis Center,
Kansas City Community Gar-
dens, Mattie Rhodes Center,
the Local Investment Commis-
sion (LINC) and the Kansas City
Public Library will partner with
Woodland to support the chil-
dren’s cognitive and develop-
ment skills. Parents as Teachers
will work with the provider to
teach them how to help with the
child’s development.
“The most exciting partner
with the school is Parents as
Teachers,” Kitzi said. “It is critical
to have exceptional education for
children diagnosed with some
kind of condition that challenges
them to learn. That is why we will
have Individualized Education
Plans (IEP) to mainstream those
children with learning disabilities
into the classrooms. We will also
have behavior interventionists
to correct bad behavior of the
young children since they misbe-
have by scratching, hitting, kick-
ing and biting.”
Students who were enrolled
in Head Start, early childhood
and pre-kindergarten exception-
al education programs at Garcia,
Gladstone, James, Trailwoods
and Whittier elementary schools
will now attend Woodland Early
Learning Community School.
KCPS considering opening two
more early childhood educa-
tion schools for the 2014-2015
school year. The locations of the
schools have not been finalized;
however, the schools will be in
the midtown and south Kansas
City areas.
Your Mouth Is Talking
Are You Listening?
J. Edward Kendrick
Doctor of Dental Surgery
4605 Independence Ave., Kansas City, Mo. 64124
(816) 231-3333
Mon. 7 a.m.-2 p.m. Thurs. 7 a.m.-2 p.m.
Tues. 9 a.m.-6 p.m. Fri. 7 a.m.- Noon
Wed. 9 a.m.-6 p.m.
Oral health is integral to total
health. Don’t wait until it hurts.
We talk before we treat.
— Walk-ins Welcome —
Se habla Español
continued from p. 5WOODLAND
New school in the NE. Community partners, such as LINC,
Parents as Teachers, Mattie Rhodes and more will be
housed in the new Woodland school. Joshua Phillips
16. Back To School • August 7, 201316
Q: What school is Missouri’s largest medical school and has
been serving the Kansas City community since 1916?
Improving the Well-Being
of the Communities We Serve.
Founded in 1916, Kansas City University
of Medicine and Biosciences’ College of
Osteopathic Medicine is both the oldest
medical school in Kansas City, Mo., and
the largest in the state. It is also the
second-largest provider of physicians
in Missouri, with 72 percent of alumni
practicing in primary care specialties
and 40 percent in rural areas.
KCUMB offers a variety of stand-alone
and combined degree programs in the
following areas:
• Osteopathic Medicine
• Bioethics
• Biomedical Sciences
Visit www.kcumb.edu to learn more
about all KCUMB has to offer.
A: KCUMB
1750 Independence Ave. • Kansas City, MO 64106 • 816-654-7000
www.kcumb.edu www.facebook.com/KCUMB www.twitter.com/KCUMB
