Host of 'Ghost Town Gold' Visits Wild Horse Elementary

The TV show hosts stopped by the school Thursday for an assembly and to help gather "student artifacts" for a digital time capsule.

The following information was supplied by the Rockwood School District Scott Glaves from “Ghost Town Gold,” the host of a new Discovery Channel series, was the featured speaker at an assembly Nov. 15 at Wild Horse Elementary School. Glaves showed artifacts from the old west that he’s gathered from years of searching. Notable items included 100-year-old leather chaps, boots, a horse tack and a hat. Students in third through fifth grade asked thoughtful questions about Glaves’ travel experiences. The show, Ghost Town Gold, focuses on finding artifacts that tell about the Gold Rush era. As a tie-in with the show, Discovery Education and Discovery's Destination America Network created the GenZGold Digital Time Capsule to gather and highlight …

• Photos (4)

Rockwood Fifth Graders' Trek to Smoky Mountains Yields Knowledge, Fun

Fifth grade students in the Rockwood School District have the chance to get hands-on science experience in this unique field trip.

There’s no cellphone service. No Internet access. Other electronic gadgets are off limits too—no iPods, no video games. It’s just kids, teachers and nature. They go on daylong hikes, chase salamanders, paint their faces with paste made from minerals, spend time in a science lab looking at the invertebrates that live in water. It's a field trip unlike any other. Each year, hundreds of fifth-graders in the Rockwood School District clamor onto buses for the long drive to the Great Smoky Mountains Institute at Tremont, a nonprofit in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park that focuses on science education. There, the students spend three days exploring and learning about the nature around them. And they have a lot of fun, too. "The most …

• Photos (2)

Chesterfield Elementary Schools Honored for Healthy Efforts

Kehrs Mill, Wild Horse and Chesterfield elementary schools are among the first schools in the state to be recognized in the USHealthier Schools Program.

When a group of elementary school students was asked what their favorite part of school lunch was, one raised his hand and proudly proclaimed "Broccoli!" at Wild Horse Elementary School Tuesday. Yes, you read that right. An effort by the Rockwood School District to encourage healthier eating habits and more physical activity seems to have caught on. Thirteen Rockwood elementary schools were awarded for their efforts as part of the HealthierUS Schools Challenge. The Rockwood schools were the first in Missouri to be awarded in the program, which has been around since 2005. The HealthierUS Schools Challenge, sponsored by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, recognizes schools that have improved the quality of the food served in cafeterias, …

•  1 Comment
• Photos (7)

Dr. Nick Barnes

11:46 am on Saturday, May 28, 2011

I love this! This an absolute necessity and it should be made mandatory for all schools. The children are the future and we have to teach them how to eat and live a healthy life. Great job Rockwood School District!   more ›

The Ribbon's Cut: Big Lots is Officially Open

The store gave $2,500 to Wild Horse Elementary.

The Big Lots in Chesterfield Valley officially opened Friday.  Big Lots, which offers closeout prices on brand-name products, has its soft opening about a week ago. The ribbon-cutting ceremony occurred at 9 a.m. Friday, and about 15 customers were lined up and ready to peruse the aisles for deals.  The store presented a $2,500 check to Wild Horse Elementary School, which Principal Karen Kieffer said would likely be used to purchase new computers. Located in the old Circuit City space, the store is about 23,000 square feet and has a furniture department along with the typical Big Lots offerings of toys, housewares, seasonal products and more. Gift cards and swag are being given to customers Friday while supplies last.

• Photos (5)

Students Experience Ellis Island and Become Citizens—All Before Lunch

Third-graders at Wild Horse Elementary liven up history with immigration simulation.

The boat is crowded and uncomfortable. Children stand shoulder to shoulder, wondering what will happen when they get off the boat. There are health tests to pass and questions to answer, and they hope that everything goes smoothly. But then, the Statue of Liberty pierces through their nervousness. Except it’s not the Statue of Liberty. It’s Wild Horse Elementary School principal Karen Kieffer in a costume. And the boat isn’t at sea; it's in the cafeteria. For seven years, third-grade students at Wild Horse Elementary have participated in a immigration simulation. After researching their family history, they take on personas and dress in costumes that would have been similar to the garb their ancestors wore on their way to America. They …

• Photos (3)

Gold Star Teachers

Fifth-Year Educator Receives Teacher of the Year Honor

Suzanne Whitford of Wild Horse Elementary credits colleagues for her development as a teacher.

Suzanne Whitford, a fifth grade teacher at Wild Horse Elementary, is an advocate for technology in the classroom. Whitford was named Teacher of the Year at her school.  “I’m proud to be named as Teacher of the Year for our school,” Whitford said. “But I have some big shoes to fill. There are so many outstanding teammates here who helped me develop as a teacher,” she added. “My mother is a great teacher and she was instrumental in my wanting to be a teacher.” Whitford, who has been teaching for only five years, came to Wild Horse Elementary as a graduate of Illinois State University. She's since earned a master’s degree in educational technology from Webster University. Whitford feels that remaining up-to-date with technology and …

• Photos (1)

Rockwood Merges P.E. and Nutrition With 'Let's Move' Program

Roughly 12 months after first lady Michelle Obama introduced the 'Let's Move' program targeting health issues among youth, health writer Dawn Runge examines the program's local progress.

When first lady Michelle Obama introduced the "Let's Move" initiative in February of 2010, she singled out various contributors to childhood obesity, including issues related to urban sprawl and dependence on car travel. "And we’re determined to finally take on one of the most serious threats to their future: the epidemic of childhood obesity in America today—an issue that’s of great concern to me not just as a first lady, but as a mom," she said. Although low-income areas are more likely to suffer from the health problems related to obesity, middle-class communities are not immune, and several schools in the Rockwood School District aren't taking chances. “Rockwood (school district) does value physical education. We have it four times a …

• Photos (1)