The Boys Cross Country team was recognized for their 2nd place finish at the state cross country meet earlier this month. Carson Driemeier (in the letter jacket) was recognized for placing first individually in an all-class state championship record time.

Boys team (from L to R): Grant Fink, Zachary Spindler, Caleb Williams, Matthew Collier, Christopher Courtois, Carson Driemeier, Hudson Bates, Silas Curtis, Chase Buechting, Lucas DeClue

The Girls Cross Country team was recognized for their FIRST place finish at the state cross country meet earlier this month. This was the 2nd year in a row the girls have won the State Championship Class 4 Title.

Girls team (from left to right): Coach Jessica Beard, Head Coach Wes Armbruster, Elsie Nelson, Hadley Munoz, Maris Peter, Oliva Cole, Katelyn Thurman, Kyndall Gildea, Kayla Rousseau, Hope Munoz, Kendall Counts, Lucy Boyer, Bailee Tolbert

Representatives from the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education visited our district to present our school counseling departments with the prestigious Gysber's Missouri Comprehensive School Counseling Program Award. This award honors exemplary counseling programs that excel in supporting students’ personal, social, academic, and career development.

Schools are eligible to earn this recognition once every five years. Remarkably, this is the second time each of our schools has received the award. Festus R-VI is proud to be the only district in the state of Missouri in which every school holds the Gysber's Award—an impressive accomplishment that reflects the outstanding work, dedication, and professionalism of our entire counseling team.

Approved unanimously. Items were:

Highlights of the things happening in each building. Submitted for the board's review.

The reports are attached at the bottom of this post.

The feedback from our October Professional Development Day was overwhelmingly positive. Staff expressed appreciation for the meaningful, relevant learning opportunities provided throughout the day. Highlights included additional AI training sessions, a transition visit for 3rd grade teachers to the Intermediate School in preparation for next year, and a tour of the new Compass facility for our counseling team. The schedule also incorporated more personalized and small-group professional development, allowing staff to engage in targeted learning aligned to their roles and needs.

Dr Funston presented the second of three reports on the District’s APR results and spring MAP assessment data to the Board. The presentation included an overview of the APR scoring process as well as comparative data across Jefferson County school districts.

Festus students continue to perform at exceptionally high levels, with our MPI scores consistently ranking near the top across all grades and subject areas. This sustained success reflects the outstanding work of our faculty and staff, whose commitment to high-quality instruction and student support directly contributes to these strong outcomes.

Mr. Mangan from ArchImages presented updated plans and renderings for the new high school gymnasium and the indoor practice facility. The overall design of the gym has remained largely unchanged. The indoor practice facility will be located directly behind center field at Tiger Field.

Site work for these projects is expected to begin in February or March. Due to the construction timeline, the indoor practice facility will not be completed in time for the marching band’s fall season. Because their current practice field will be displaced by the gym construction, the project team will create a temporary grass practice area on the future site of the indoor facility for band use during the fall. Construction of the building will resume once marching band season concludes.

During construction, approximately 60 parking spaces will be unavailable. Upon full completion of both projects, an additional 200 parking spaces will be added, resulting in a net gain of approximately 140 spaces for the campus.

The anticipated construction timeline for the gym and indoor practice facility is approximately 24 months.

The District Assurance Checklist required annually by DESE has been approved. This checklist outlines numerous legislative requirements and obligations that school districts must meet. Approval signifies that the district is in full compliance and has affirmed that all required actions, procedures, and policies are being implemented as mandated by law.