Schools

BUNKER, Mo--Students will have an extended weekend as classes are cancelled for Friday.  School officials say a lightning strike caused a power outage.

Nearly 45 percent of Arkansas' public schools are not making the grade for the minimum achievement requirements on state exams. Education officials say 480 individual schools must hire tutors, offer transfers, or fire under-performing teachers to bring up student scores. The tough part is academically challenged schools must increase the number of students who can do math and read proficiently every year. Read about the Common Core State Standards Initiative

NIXA, Mo. -- In a unanimous decision, the Nixa Board of Education extended the contract for Stephen Kleinsmith, superintendent of schools, through the 2015-2016 school year following their annual evaluation of the superintendent.  The evaluation process reviews six categories of Educational Leadership, Business, Finance, Strategic Planning, Board, and Community Relationships.   “We have the best superintendent in the state and the district's track record of success speaks to that.  We have received local, state, and national awards and consistently have high academic success both locally and statewide.  He could not work better with the staff or the board, and he represents the district well everywhere he goes.

EUREKA SPRINGS, Ark. -- The Eureka Springs School District will close on Thursday and Friday.  In a posting on the district website , officials say all schools are closed Jan. 24-25 due to illness and high absenteeism. At this time, the only announced closure dates have been confirmed for Thursday and Friday.

WEST PLAINS, Mo.-- The West Plains school district is one of a long list of schools switching the football field from grass to synthetic turf, touting the safety benefits. "Every single play is a hit," said Junior Tray Whitsell.  He is a defensive nose, and he knows a thing or two about what it's like to get your bell rung. "Me and another player locked up and he hit me wrong… well, for him it was right, but for me it was wrong and it just knocked the daylight out of me.  They tested me and they said I had a concussion," Whitsell said.

NEOSHO, Mo. -- Neosho schools plan to build a 14,000 square foot tornado shelter.  The district applied unsuccessfully last year for funding to build a shelter.  But a public engineer says prospects for getting a grant are better now.  The shelter will hold about 2,200 people, and will be designed to withstand an EF-5 tornado.

BOLIVAR, Mo. -- There wasn't a lot of business going on in Bolivar on Thursday.  Still, there were plenty of folks hard at work. Residents took to the sidewalks with snow shovels, while plow crews worked to clear the streets. With schools and many stores and offices closed, the main drag was quiet -- except for the occasional passing of the plows. "If you are newer to driving, I wouldn't recommend being out here on this stuff," said resident Ryan Cook with a laugh. Those who dared venture out basically had the town all to themselves.

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. -- The governing body of the Assemblies of God voted Thursday to consolidate three institutions of higher education in Springfield, an issue that's been under discussion for about 30 years.  The vote was by a 3-to-1 margin -- 1,318 to 446 -- to merge Evangel University, Central Bible College and the Assemblies of God Seminary. The vote was at the pentecostal denomination's worldwide meeting in Phoenix, Ariz.  Delegates are pastors, lay leaders and denominational leaders from the church's headquarters in Springfield.  Final approval for the consolidation must come from the Higher Learning Commission.

BRANSON, Mo. -- Organizers say Branson's telethon for Joplin tornado relief brought in more than 200,000 dollars, but they're still taking donations thru the end of the week. Thirty performers took to stage at The Mansion Theatre on Sunday night, raising money for Joplin's St. John's hospital and to re-equip the school system's music program.  Many musical instruments that were recovered will be repaired in Springfield and sent back to Joplin before fall classes begin.

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. -- Springfield Catholic High school was honored on Friday for excellence among Roman Catholic high schools nationwide.  The Honor Roll award from The Action Institute recognizes academic excellence, Catholic identity, and civic education.  This is the first time that Springfield Catholic has received this honor.  It's among only 50 schools to be recognized. The award is chosen by representatives from Gonzaga University, Creighton University, and the University of Notre Dame, among others.

Mansfield, Mo. -- Middle schoolers in Mansfield are trading in traditional school supplies for spatulas and rolling pins, and they are learning lessons that go far beyond the classroom.  Inside the school's home economics room, you will see the hustle and bustle you might expect inside the kitchen of a five-star restaurant, but the cooks behind the elaborate culinary creations are just 11, 12, and 13-years-old, and the head chef is their teacher....

GALENA, Mo. -- One person was hurt when a school bus collided with a vehicle at the intersection of U.S. 160 at Bass Hollow Road in Stone County on Wednesday morning. Troopers on scene say the bus, which was not carrying any students at the time, appeared to have pulled out onto the highway and didn't see an oncoming vehicle on U.S. 160.  The bus collided with the vehicle, causing moderate injuries to the driver.  The bus driver was unhurt. Troopers were still on scene at 9 a.m. investigating the crash.

SPRINGFIELD, -- Schools consider it a vital summer camp, but its fate was uncertain. The money ran out, but folks are coming together to save an early education program. The Kindergarten Camp program once operated on a federal grant, but that grant ran out. Now Community Partnership of the Ozarks is leveraging resources to keep it going. The partnership is using donated books, supplies and volunteers. Kids will attend camp for a week and go through the motions of Kindergarten. "If your child loves learning in kindergarten, then they will love learning their entire life.

ROLLA, Mo. - Three years ago, Missouri S&T started a massive geothermal energy project. The unconventional approach will supply energy to fifteen campus buildings as well as the campus chilled-water system. The project is scheduled to be complete in 2014, but S and T is already being recognized for it. It won the 2013 Climate Leadership Award from Second Nature, a non-profit that promotes sustainability in higher education in part because of the school's solar village which contains homes powered by solar panels, but also because the geothermal energy project will save the university over a million dollars a year.

SPRINGFIELD,  Mo. -- The Springfield School District purchased about 15 acres of land just south of Horton Smith Golf Course for the future location of a new elementary school. The purchase is funded by the 2013 bond issue that was approved on April 2 by voters. The new elementary school, with a planned capacity of about 450 students, will replace the present Sherwood Elementary School at the corner of Sunshine Street at Scenic Avenue and relieve crowding in several neighboring schools as the number of students in southwest Springfield continues to grow.

Jefferson City, MO - Colonel Ron Replogle, superintendent of the Missouri State Highway Patrol, announces results of the Motor Vehicle Inspection's 2013 school bus inspection program. A total of 11,890 school buses were inspected between the dates of February 4 and April 30, 2013. Inspectors approved 88.3% of all buses during their initial inspection. Statewide results for 2013 are as follows: ** 10,493 buses received approval upon initial inspection. During the annual school bus program, buses found to be free of defective items are rated as "approved".

WEST LINN, Ore. - Mariachi bands are well-known for serenading people, but what happens when it takes place in the halls of a high school? According to The Oregonian , a group of high school seniors in West Linn, Oregon performed a clever prank by paying $450 to have a mariachi band follow their principal around for two hours last week. The principal, Lou Bailey, took it all in stride, calling it "pretty hilarious. " Here's a YouTube video of the prank as it went down, as captured by a student's camera.

NIXA -- Friends gathered at the site where they unexpectedly lost one of their loved ones in a single car crash about a mile outside of Nixa. Monica Painter, who was just 17, was killed in the Saturday afternoon accident. "She was an inspiration to everybody 'cause she tried for everything and succeeded, and she tried and tried until she succeeded," described Taylor Wheeler, a friend of Monica's.  One of those things Monica succeeded at was cheer-leading.  Fellow members of the squad said she was always laughing and made life a blast.

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. -- Greene County deputies spent part of Saturday morning investigating an assault just south of Springfield, just north of Wanda Gray Elementary School. The incident started around 9:00 Saturday morning.  Deputies received reports of shots fired. The Greene County Sheriff's Department provided no additional information about what happened.  Online court records show Corbin Rice, 22, of 2080 W. Canterbury St. was arrested and charged with unlawful use of a weapon and misdemeanor property damage.  He was released from jail on his own recognizance, with bond conditions that he stay at least 1,000 feet away from the assault victims.

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. -- Hundreds of people will come together on Friday night on a mission to beat cancer. The annual Springfield Relay for Life will be at Parkview High School. It's in the center of the city with one of the biggest gyms in Springfield schools, which will come in handy because it's expected to rain. "We thought this was the smart thing to do. To be safe for everybody and to make it a better transition than to move in the middle of a rain storm," said Matt Hudson, with Springfield Relay for Life.