Elementary students at St. Peter Catholic School in St. Charles toured a medieval castle Friday, meeting monks, sword makers and knights along the way.

Middle school students explained life during the Middle Ages to the younger students at the end of a weeklong Renaissance program.

The school hosts a Renaissance Week every few years, said Mary Blechle, a teacher who organized the events this year. This year the school received a $1,000 Governal/Ryan Memorial Development Grant from the Archdiocese of St. Louis that helped fund the program, so Blechle had the eighth graders perform a children’s version of Shakespeare’s “Hamlet” for the whole school.

Fourth-grade teacher Kaye Hartweger said each teacher read the play to their classes so the students would have a basic understanding of the plot. Seeing the play helped Hartweger, too.

“I never in my whole life understood ‘Hamlet,’” she said. “I’ve never seen such a production in my life.”

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During the week, the entire school learned about the Renaissance in their classes. Art students painted castles and a life-size student-made suit of armor stood in a corner on Friday.

“They’re learning the history of the period, the whole school is,” said Blechle, who teaches middle school students. “It’s all cross-curricular. They did writing, they did reports in computer class. We tied it all together.”

Middle school students learned about different aspects of Renaissance life and gave demonstrations for younger students. Some students showed sword fighting techniques, jesters practiced juggling and monks toiled away in the cryptorium illustrating books.

In the “guild hall,” the smell of incense filled the air. Students sat in costume, performing tasks like jewelry making, rug weaving and embroidery.

In one corner a group of girls pushed cloves into oranges, creating pomanders, which were worn around the neck or at the waist. First-grade students leaned in for a whiff.

Sixth-graders Mike Weiner, 12, and Collin Bearis, 12, demonstrated how to create chain mail. Bearis wound a piece of aluminum wire around a pen to create a long spiral. He gripped a pair of pliers with both hands to cut the spiral into small circles.

Weiner clamped the circles together to create chain mail, which was worn as armor. First-grade students walked up to the pair to watch.

“(The knights) were really smart,” Bearis explained. “They figured out how to make chain mail, which was pretty cool.”

St. Charles Board of Education members Thursday pushed off a decision on reopening Blackhurst Elementary School.

Superintendent Randy Charles had presented nine ways the district could accommodate growth in elementary enrollment to the community and the board in February. Several of the options included reopening Blackhurst Elementary, one of two elementary schools that was closed in 2007 because of falling enrollment.

On Thursday, Charles suggested the board narrow the nine options to three: reopen Blackhurst as a regular elementary school, reopen Blackhurst as an early childhood center to include kindergarten or reopen Blackhurst as a “school of choice,” which would function like a magnet school.

Charles said he hopes the board will select a plan in May so staff members can implement it in time for the 2011-12 school year.

But board members said they weren’t ready to eliminate any of the nine options yet. Board member Wayne Oetting said he thought the public needed to know the cost for each choice.

“If one saves you $1.2 million, that’s altogether different how the public would see that,” he said. “I don’t think myself I’ve seen near enough information. You’re talking about next month, that’s far too early in my opinion.”

During the community meetings in February, Charles explained reopening Blackhurst would cost about $500,000 in one-time expenses and $500,000 in ongoing expenses. He said the district might be able to save money on capital projects next year and could use that money to reopen the school. But state funding is expected to decrease next year, which means the district could face a $3.2 million deficit.

Board president Linda Schultz asked Charles to present a cost analysis for each option during a special board meeting set for May 10.

“If we’re going to make changes, there’s a cost associated with it,” Schultz said. “We need to look hard at can we afford a $500,000 additional cost?”

In a survey the district conducted, parents, teachers and community members voiced overwhelming support for reopening Blackhurst as an elementary school. About 730 parents, 160 teachers or staff members, and 40 community members responded to the survey and at least 60 percent of each group said that option was a “good” or “very good” idea.

Some parents said they thought the district should not have closed Blackhurst in the first place. Other parents don’t want to see their children forced to switch schools again. The district redrew boundary lines after Blackhurst and Benton Elementary Schools were closed.

Charles said he doesn’t recommend the board reopen Blackhurst as a K-12 alternative school, which is one option, because it wouldn’t free up enough space in the other elementary schools. He also said it wouldn’t be fiscally responsible to construct additions to other school buildings with Blackhurst sitting vacant.

Growing enrollment

Here’s a condensed look at the results of the survey on how the school district should cope with growing enrollment. The district divided the responses of parents, teachers and community members.

1. Reopen Blackhurst as a regular school. More than 60 percent of all three groups thought this was a “good” or “very good” idea.

2. Reopen Blackhurst as a “school of choice” that would focus on one subject. Students would have to apply to attend. Thirty-eight percent of parents thought this was a “bad” or “very bad” idea; 52 percent of parents and community members thought this was “bad” or “very bad.”

3. Reopen Blackhurst as an early childhood center that would include kindergarten. At least 39 percent of parents and community members thought this was a “bad” or “very bad” idea, but 51 percent of teachers thought this was a “good” or “very good” idea.

4. Reopen Blackhurst as a K-12 alternative school for “at-risk” kids. At least 40 percent of parents and community members thought this was a “bad” or “very bad” idea. Teachers were split on the suggestion with 38 percent calling it “bad” or “very bad” and 38 percent calling it “good” or “very good.”

5. Combine high schools and middle schools to have one district high school and one district middle school. At least 73 percent of all three groups thought this was a “bad” or “very bad” idea.

6. Construct additions to middle schools. At least 50 percent of teachers and community members thought this was “bad” or “very bad.” About 36 percent of parents thought this was “good” or “very good.”

7. Restructure elementary schools into K-2 and 3-4 centers. At least 61 percent of all three groups thought this idea was “bad” or “very bad.”

8. Move students from Lincoln Elementary School into Blackhurst Elementary School, which is bigger, and redraw boundary lines. At least 45 percent of parents and community members thought this was a “bad” or “very bad” idea. Teachers were split with 39 percent saying it was a “bad” or “very bad” idea and 28 percent saying it was “good” or “very good.”

9. Do nothing, and allow class sizes to go up. At least 79 percent of each group thought this was a “bad” or “very bad” idea.

The Francis Howell School District may still offer summer school this year for elementary school students, despite concerns about a potential drop in funding.

The Board of Education on Thursday voted 4-3 to cut the original budget for summer school from $1.3 million to $1.1 million. Board members directed the administration to bring a new plan for summer school funding to the next meeting.

District spokeswoman Jennifer Gasper said administrators will create a smaller plan for summer school that will try to incorporate as many of the programs as the district has had in past years.

Superintendent Renee Schuster had asked the board to consider cutting free summer enrichment courses for elementary school students, the middle school transition program and transportation as a way to cope with expected reductions in state funding.

The board is expected to make a final decision on the summer school program at their April 15 meeting.

If the board decides not to trim the budget more substantially, the district might have less money to spend next school year.

School districts receive money from the state based on summer school enrollment even if they choose not to offer summer school programs. The Francis Howell district expects to receive about $1.1 million from the state to pay for summer school. In past years, the district would also qualify for additional funding based on attendance, so some of the summer school money could be saved for use during the school year. As of Monday, the state Legislature had not set aside any of the additional attendance money.

With the funding up in the air, districts throughout the state have considered reducing or dropping their summer school programs.

The St. Charles School District won’t offer summer school at all this year, and the Wentzville School District plans to charge students to attend its enrichment program.

Francis Howell administrators had hoped by offering a smaller summer school program, tailored toward students who had fallen behind, they could save more than $1 million to spend during the upcoming school year.

“The question is, where are we going to put our increasingly limited resources?” said Schuster. “If we keep spending money, we’re going to run out.”

Lafata said he doesn’t want to assume the supplemental funding for summer school is dead. He proposed the district cut its original summer school budget slightly and spend the $1.1 million it expects.

“I certainly do not want to take another thing from our teachers,” he said. “For us to make our decision based on one night of getting a projection from the state that may or may not come in is a difficult task at best,” he said.

Board member Mike Hoehn said the district should spend money on student learning during the regular school year.

“The budget is what it is,” he said. “I don’t see any light at the end of the tunnel.”

Most of the nearly 100 parents and community members who commented on the issue on the district’s website said the board should cut the summer school program and use the funds during the regular school year.

District parent Tami Morrissey said she wants to see the school district offer everything, including transportation. She said her oldest three kids attend summer school.

“It’s very helpful for my older son,” she said. “It helps him keep up with his schoolwork. It is nice; they get to practice with some of their schoolwork and work on that with teachers.”

The third candidate, Carrie Doza, a marketing communications manager for Agritain International, won 35.23 percent of the vote. 

Baum could decide to file for a recount, but she said she’s not sure if she’ll do that. The results from the election will be certified April 15, so Baum said there’s still hope the official count could change. Baum said after three years serving on the board, she’s disappointed with a loss. 

“I feel I gave a lot to the district and I wanted to do so much more,” she said. 

Bushdieker said there were no real ideological differences between the three candidates so the race ended up being “essentially a popularity contest.” He said with his background in construction and politics he hopes he’ll be able to help the board. 

In his first month as a board member he plans to talk with Superintendent Dan Dozier about the possibility that fundraising could help the district’s financial troubles. 

“I know we can’t spend more money than we got,” he said. “It’ll probably be hard choices. You’ve got to do what you’ve got to do

Parents, teachers and community members said they’d like to see the St. Charles school district reopen a closed elementary school as a way to cope with growing enrollment , according to results from a survey.

Some district elementary schools have reached capacity because of an increase in the number of kindergarten students. Superintendent Randy Charles expects to see the growth continue and said he wants to have a plan in place to put into action for the 2011-12 school year.

Charles presented nine possible ways to cope with the growth at parent meetings in February and asked everyone to respond to an online survey. About 730 parents, 160 teachers or staff, and 40 community members responded.
Members of the Board of Education are expected to discuss survey results at their meeting set for 7:30 p.m. Thursday.

All three groups rejected most of the nine options presented, but agreed that reopening Blackhurst Elementary School was the best choice. In 2007, the school board decided to reorganize the whole district because they anticipated a drop in enrollment. Blackhurst and Benton Elementary Schools were closed and the children were sent to other elementary schools.

Fifth grade students were moved from the elementary schools to Jefferson Middle School along with sixth grade students; seventh and eighth graders attend Hardin.

More than 60 percent of each group said that reopening Blackhurst Elementary School as a regular school was a “good” or “very good” idea. Some parents who responded to the survey said they thought the district should not have  closed the school in the first place. Others didn’t want to see their children uprooted for a second time.

“Allow some choice to students on the boundaries, even if no bus service,” one parent commented on the survey.

But for this option to work, the elementary boundaries would have to be redrawn said Charles.

Most of the district’s other options were ranked as “bad” or “very bad” ideas by survey respondents. About half of the teachers thought reopening Blackhurst as an early-childhood center that would include kindergarten was a “good” or a “very good” idea, but about half of the community and parents thought it was “bad” or “very bad.”
But survey respondents thought doing nothing at all was worse, with 80 percent of all three groups rating it “bad” or “very bad” option.

The cost to reopen the Blackhurst for any of these purposes would be about $500,000 in one-time expenses and $500,000 in ongoing expenses, said Charles. He said the district might not spend the entire capital projects budget next year and would be able to set aside some money for that purpose.

He said if 60 more kindergarten students enroll in the fall, the board may have to consider cuts in other areas to fund whichever option the board ends up choosing. 

“We know what we have to watch,” he said.

Growing Enrollment

Here’s a condensed look at the results of the community survey on how the school district should cope with growing enrollment. The district divided the responses of parents, teachers and community members.

1. Reopen Blackhurst as a regular school: More than 60 percent of all three groups thought this was a “good” or “very good” idea.

2. Reopen Blackhurst as a “school of choice” that would focus on one subject. Students would have to apply to attend. Thirty-eight percent of parents thought this was “bad” or “very bad” idea; 52 percent of parents and community members thought this was “bad” or “very bad.”

3. Reopen Blackhurst as an early childhood center that would include kindergarten. At least 39 percent of parents and community members thought this was a “bad” or “very bad” idea, but 51 percent of teachers thought this was a “good” or “very good” idea.

4. Reopen Blackhurst as a K-12 alternative school for “at-risk” kids. At least 40 percent of parents and community members thought this was a “bad” or “very bad” idea. Teachers were split on the suggestion with 38 percent calling it “bad” or “very bad” and 38 percent calling it “good” or “very good”.

5. Combine high schools and middle schools to have one district high school and one district middle school. At least 73 percent of all three groups thought this was a “bad” or “very bad” idea.

6. Construct additions to middle schools. At least 50 percent of teachers and community members thought this was “bad” or “very bad.” About 36 percent of parents thought this was “good” or “very good.”

7. Restructure elementary schools into k-2 and 3-4 centers. At least 61 percent of all three groups thought this idea was “bad” or “very bad.”

8. Move students from Lincoln Elementary School into Blackhurst Elementary school which is bigger and redraw boundary lines. At least 45 percent of parents and community members thought this was “bad or “very bad” idea. Teachers were split with 39 percent who said it was “bad” or “very bad” idea and 28 percent who said it was “good” or “very good.”

9. Do nothing, and allow class sizes to go up. At least 79 percent of each group thought this was a “bad” or “very bad” idea.

In the Fort Zumwalt School District incumbents Carol Russell and Scott Grasser retained their seats on the board for another three-year term, each taking about 39 percent of the vote.  Candidate Will Klein had 20.9 percent of the vote in that race. For the two-year term, incumbent Barbara Story beat Renee Porter with 59.8 percent of the vote. Porter had 39.64 percent of the vote.

Francis Howell School District candidates Cynthia Bice and Amy McEvoy won seats on the board and will replace Terry Black and Sandy Sanders, who did not run for reelection. Bice, who was backed by the Francis Howell Education Association, took 30.25 percent of the vote. McEvoy had 26.45 percent of the vote, beating Gary Miller, the other candidate backed by FHEA who had 20.74 percent of votes. Other candidates included Daniel Wright, who took 13.9 percent, and Todd Mizell, who had 8.2 percent of the votes.

In the Wentzville School District incumbent Dale Schaper took 23.3 percent of the vote and will serve a second 3-year term. Longtime district volunteer Pat Hacker took 20.48 percent of the vote, beating incumbent Joe McDonald, who had 16.48 percent. McDonald has served two terms on the board. Other candidates included Peg Scholl, retired district teacher, who took 19.74 percent, Michelle Caracci, parent, 10.85 percent, and Paul Werner, 8.69 percent.

Orchard Farm School District candidate Carrie Doza took 35.23 percent of the vote, winning one of two open seats. Donald “Joe” Bushdieker edged out incumbent Jane Baum with 472 votes to Baum’s 469. Bushdieker is retired after spending 40 years in the construction industry. Baum is the athletic development director for Lindenwood University.

Warrenton School Board incumbent Jan Sutherland retained her seat for another three-year term taking 39.21 percent of the vote. Candidate Scott Costello won the other seat taking 35.04 percent of the vote. The third candidate, Clifford Tucker, won 20.35 percent of the vote.  Sutherland is also running in the Republican primary for the 99th District House of Representatives seat.

Elbert Henzler, vice president of the Amateur Sports Hall of Fame said DuBray was selected because of his support of athletics in the Fort Zumwalt School District and the St. Charles Gateway Athletic Conference.

In addition, DuBray was selected by the St. Louis Chapter of Southeast Missouri State University Alumni Association to be one of the 2010 Southeast Salutes recipients. The Alumni Association selected three outstanding St. Louis-area alumni for their continued passion and commitment to the Southeast. DuBray graduated from Southeast with a Bachelor’s degree in Education in 1969. He’ll be honored Oct. 8, 2010