Three fifth graders from Conway Elementary School were among the eighteen published authors and artists who recently participated in the third annual Grannie Annie Gathering at Left Bank Books. The young authors read excerpts from their family stories that were published in the sixth annual Grannie Annie anthologies, released in May, and the young artists discussed how they came to illustrate the stories as they did.

Participating authors from Conway Elementary School were Isaac Eastlund, “Stop! Grandpa! Stop!”; Hannah Marvin, “The Termite Storm”; and Aleesha Shi, “Jumping Wonders.” Other Conway students whose stories were published in the Volume 6 anthologies were Veronica Zapiain Luna, “Mother Knows Best,” and Julia M. Wang, “The Magic of Writing.”

Grannie Annie, Vol. 6 (a paperback book), and Grannie Annie, Vol. 6 Expanded (a PDF book), include work from 74 students in fifteen U.S. states and Moldova. The Grannie Annie Family Story Celebration, founded in 2005, is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit corporation based in St. Louis.  As it carries out its mission of celebrating family stories and nurturing the writing skills of young people, The Grannie Annie also fosters an interest in history and helps to strengthen family bonds.

Stories published by The Grannie Annie have taken place on six continents over a span of nearly 400 years. Including humor, adventure, hardship, and triumph, the stories vividly depict unique events, while reminding readers of the fundamental experiences common to us all.

Complete details about The Grannie Annie, including all of the published stories, are available at www.TheGrannieAnnie.org. The books can be ordered online or by calling toll free: 1-888-641-5353. Stories to be considered for publication in Grannie Annie, Vol. 7, must be submitted by February 1, 2012.

St. Louis, Mo., June 5, 2013—Four fifth graders from two schools in the Ladue School District were among the twenty published authors and artists who participated in the fifth annual Grannie Annie Gathering at Left Bank Books in downtown St. Louis on June 1, 2013. Before a standing-room-only audience, the authors read excerpts from their family stories published in “Grannie Annie, Vol. 8,” released in May in both paperback and PDF editions, and the artists discussed their illustrations published in the same volume.

The Grannie Annie invites students in U.S. grades 4 through 8, and homeschooled and international students of comparable ages, to interview an older relative, write a story about something interesting they discovered from their family’s history, and share their work. Students are also invited to submit illustrations with their stories. After stories for publication have been selected, additional illustrations are solicited from students in the St. Louis area.

Authors from Conway Elementary School participating in the gathering were Miles R. Bassett, “Remember Me?”; Tripp Gatch, “The Pilot”; and Rebecca Tan, “A Miscommunication.” Participating artist Madison Grady, from Old Bonhomme Elementary School, drew an illustration to accompany “Attack of the Polar Bear,” which was written by Daniel Volobuev, a fifth grader at Conway.

Additional student authors and artists from the St. Louis area, as well as authors from Alabama, Minnesota, and Pennsylvania, joined the celebration at the Gathering—reading excerpts from their stories, discussing their illustrations, and signing books. Volume 8 includes stories and art from 47 students in nine U.S. states.

Founded in 2005, The Grannie Annie Family Story Celebration is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit corporation based in St. Louis. Its mission is to inspire young people to discover, write, and share stories from their family’s history, and to publish collections of their work. The Grannie Annie nurtures writing and illustrating skills, fosters an interest in history, and helps to strengthen family and community bonds. Financial assistance for this project has been provided by the Missouri Arts Council, a state agency.

Stories published in the eight Grannie Annie collections have taken place on six continents over a span of nearly 400 years. Including humor, adventure, hardship, and triumph, the stories vividly depict unique events, while reminding readers of the fundamental experiences common to all.

Complete details about The Grannie Annie, including all of the published stories, are available at www.TheGrannieAnnie.org. The books can be ordered online or by calling toll free: 1-888-641-5353. Stories to be considered for publication in “Grannie Annie, Vol. 9,” must be submitted by February 1, 2014.

Contact Information

Fran Hamilton, 636-527-2822
TheGrannieAnnie@att.net

Connie McIntyre, 314-863-0775
familystories@thegrannieannie.org

www.TheGrannieAnnie.org

Nancy Walther, music teacher at Conway Elementary School and member of The St. Louis Symphony Orchestra and Chorus performed at Carnegie Hall on Friday, November 22, 2013 in Benjamin Britten’s opera, “Peter Grimes.”

Peter Grimes was performed on what would have been Britten’s 100^th birthday.  The concert has become a centerpiece of Carnegie Hall’s Britten celebration.

This performance also marked a personal milestone for Walther.  It was her fifth performance at Carnegie Hall.  The first occurred in the spring of 1984, her first year of teaching at Conway Elementary School.  She marked her 30th anniversary of teaching at Conway Elementary by reprising the first musical she directed at there, “A Tour of Broadway on Opening Night,” which her students will perform in May.

While in New York, Walther also planned to develop a presentation for her students featuring such music landmarks as The Metropolitan Opera, The Juilliard School, Steinway Hall, Broadway theaters, and, of course, Carnegie Hall.  In addition, she was invited to attend part of a school day at the Saint Thomas Choir School.

Also performing in the concert were violinists, Eva Kozma (parent of a student at Conway Elementary) and Wendy Rosen (parent of a student at the high school).

The New York Times Music Review

Carter Reynolds, a kindergartener at Conway Elementary School, was recently seen dancing on television, in a KSDK story about a dancing class for children with cerebral palsy.  Both Carter, and his mother Shelly Reynolds, are interviewed in this heartwarming and inspiring story.

When families gather for the holidays, it can be an opportunity to tell stories and pass on memories. For the St. Louis-based Grannie Annie Family Story Celebration, that provides a possible treasure trove for young people to build writing skills and forge strong family bonds.

Every year, The Grannie Annie publishes a volume of family stories written by students in the fourth to the eighth grade.

The stories can be serious or funny, about life-changing events from long ago,  or everyday occurrences. The one requirement is that they be a story about something that happened to a family member before the author was born.

Read the story and listen to current sixth grader Miles Bassett read aloud the story he wrote for “Grannie Annie” as a fifth grader at Conway Elementary School.

At the December 9, 2013 Board of Education meeting, the district’s 2012-13 Teachers of the Year were recognized.  While these teachers were chosen and recognized earlier in 2013, this was the Board of Education’s opportunity to congratulate them on their award and the outstanding contributions they have made to the Ladue School District.

2013 Individual School Teachers of the Year

Kathryn Ward, Fourth-Grade Teacher, Conway Elementary School

Lori Humphrey, Second-Grade Teacher, Old Bonhomme Elementary School

Sarah Adams Schwartz, Spanish Teacher, Reed Elementary School

Christy Eilerman, Kindergarten Teacher, Spoede Elementary School

Suzanne Costanza, Sixth-Grade Math Teacher, Ladue Middle School

Steve Schmidt, Industrial Engineering Technology Teacher, Ladue Horton Watkins High School

2013 District Teacher of the Year

Lori Humphrey, Second-Grade Teacher, Old Bonhomme Elementary School

They are pictured in the following order in front of Superintendent Dr. Donna Jahnke and Board of Education President Jeff Kopolow: Steve Schmidt, Sarah Adams Schwartz, Christy Eilerman, Kathryn Ward, Suzanne Costanza and Lori Humphrey.

By showing students what a concept might look like, or how it might operate in real life, 3-D printers are increasingly being used as educational tools in schools.  The Ladue Education Foundation has recently approved a grant to purchase a 3-D printer for Ladue Horton Watkins High School.  In this picture, students at Conway Elementary are watching a demonstration to see how these types of printers are used in business, and education to assist in refining concepts and ideas by displaying them in three dimensions.

The Ladue School District was an instrumental part of the success in this year’s School and Youth Campaign for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, raising a total of $3,203.84.

• Jim Goldwasser coordinated the program for Ladue Horton Watkins High School, raising $450
• Andrea Lamere coordinated the program for Conway Elementary School, raising $989.48
• Laila Crabtree coordinated the program for Ladue Middle School, raising $1,764.36

These contributions helped the Gateway Chapter to provide the following to local patients and their families:

•  $1.25 million in financial aid to patients
• Education and support groups for more than 5,000 patients and families
• Information in nearly 600 schools regarding cancer and volunteerism
• Support for children returning to school after treatment
• Advocate services to ensure access to cures and affordable treatements for patients

Dr. Lane Narvaez described Sarah Wieck, a third-grade teacher at Conway Elementary School, as a “master teacher”  when Sarah received the May 2014 Excellence in Education Award.  Sarah started in the Ladue School District in 2003 as a teacher intern at Conway Elementary School.

Dr. Narvaez stated Sarah is always looking for ways to make sure her students succeed, and her lessons are designed to reach all students. In fact, one of Sarah’s impressive accomplishments was the publication of her differentiated lessons.

Described as a calm, patient, creative person with a great sense of humor, Sarah’s colleagues say they are fortunate to have her among the staff.

Sarah received her bachelor’s degree from Illinois State University, and her master’s degree from Lindenwood University.

See Sarah Wieck’s presentation video.

Ladue Schools third-grade team placed fourth in the nation out of 292 teams, and the district’s sixth-grade team placed third in the nation out of 170 teams in the first round of the WordMasters™ Challenge.   The WordMasters Challenge is a national competition for students in grades 3-8 that encourages growth in vocabulary and verbal reasoning.  Each year, over 125,000 students from some of the best public and private schools throughout the United States participate in the WordMasters Challenge.  Students from Ladue Schools’ elementary schools, Fifth Grade Center and middle school participated.

Two third-graders earned perfect scores of 20: Rogan Suri and Mara Welch.

To learn more about WordMasters and to see how other schools across the country fared, click on WordMasters Challenge.

Ladue Horton Watkins High School alumni Kristy Daniels Jackson, class of 1991,  has been named the new District A Director of the Gifted Association of Missouri (GAM) for the Webster Groves School District. Kristy has worked in various school districts over the last 13 years as a gifted specialist, including the Ladue School District at Conway Elementary School. She serves as an adjunct professor for graduate gifted education courses at Maryville University and Webster University.

She was featured last summer in the business section,”People On the Move,” in the St. Louis American newspaper.

Students at Reed Elementary School, Old Bonhomme Elementary School, Spoede Elementary School and Conway Elementary School participated in the Ladue Lego Expo on Saturday, February 7, 2015.Since 2004, Junior First Lego League has presented students with new and exciting challenges to spark creativity.

The Ladue School District’s four elementary schools had 18 teams showcase their work, constructed with Lego elements with a motorized part.  Students also had to learn how to present information using a “Show Me Poster.” At the end of the expo, all teams were recognized for their standout achievements.

Throughout their experience, teams operated under Junior First Lego League’s signature set of Core Values including teamwork, respect and idea sharing.

To read more about Junior First Lego League, click here.

Linda Armbruster’s fourth grade students wouldn’t be surprised to see their teacher at their soccer games or gymnastics events.

Going above and beyond is not a cliché with Linda. Conway Elementary School Principal Dr. Lane Narvaez says excellence in education describes Linda on so many levels.  She encourages her students to excel and she willingly provides individual attention to make that possible.

Parents, students and the staff love her. Dr. Narvaez added, “Linda is one of the kindest people I know and her warmth affects everyone in the Conway community.”  Her students call her fun and awesome. Teachers describe her as a gem.

Linda’s first assignment in the Ladue School District began in August 1996. She taught eighth grade math on the Pioneer Team at the Ladue Middle School. In 1999, she brought her passion to Conway Elementary School. She taught learning lab for several years before returning to the classroom as a fourth grade teacher.

She calls St. Louis her hometown. Linda has been married to John for sixteen years. They have three daughters: Julia, age 11, who attends the Fifth Grade Center. Amanda and Laura, ages 8 and 9 respectively, are students at Conway.

Linda earned her B.S. in Education from the University of Missouri at Columbia. She received her M.A. in Education and Reading Specialist Certification from Maryville University in St. Louis, Missouri.

View Linda Armbruster’s presentation video.

Sixth-graders at Ladue Middle School won first place in the WordMasters Challenge 2 with 192 points out of 200.

The following students were round two winners: Walter Kornfeld, Michael Tu, Joshua Wolk, Huamin Gao, Sydney Marvin, Jahnavi Vishnubhotla, Jennifer Fan, Lucy Yue, Rohan Kumaran, Austin Gage, Alexander Ye, Ari Gottesman, Ryan Lam, Alex Zhou, Harry Chen, Andrew Johnson, Eric Yin, Udonne Eke-Okoro, Eleanor Hohenberg, Sarah Vaidyan and Tomi Zigo.

Students at the Fifth Grade Center averaged 170 points with one student a point shy of 200—a perfect score.

The third-grade team came in fourth in Round 1. They averaged 178 points with one student earning 190 points: Rohan Suri, Mara Welch, Matthew Awad, Francesca Bochicchio, Carter Chuquimia, Riley Coates, Nate Glodeck, Tyler Hofer, Ava Johnson, Emma Margraf, Ashmit Tendolkar, Hannah Wade and Mimi Zhou

Although the fourth-grade team didn’t place in the WordMasters Challenge in 2015, the team averaged 174 points and one student earned 195 points.

On April 8, 2015, the Board of Education recognized the Creve Coeur, City of Olivette and City of Ladue police chiefs and their departments for their service in keeping the schools within the Ladue School District safe.

Creve Coeur Police Chief Glenn Eidman and his department assisted the Ladue Early Childhood Center, the Fifth Grade Center and Spoede Elementary School with any concerns.  Chief Eidman and his officers were extremely responsive to the schools’ needs.  Whether it was traffic or school safety, the officers handled issues delicately and with respect for the individuals involved. Lieutenant Jon Romas was also recognized for his collaboration with district administrators.

City of Olivette Police Chief Knox and many of the officers who serve with him are frequent visitors and familiar faces at Old Bonhomme Elementary School.  Unasked, they provide a constant presence and a sense of community to the school, the students and the City of Olivette.  They are on a first name basis with many of our staff members who know that help is a quick phone call away should they need it.  Knowing that a familiar face will answer that call – whether in person or on the phone — is invaluable.

City of Ladue Police Chief Wooten and his department covered Ladue Horton Watkins High School, Ladue Middle School, Conway Elementary School, Reed Elementary School and the administrative center.  Besides managing traffic safety at the Conway intersections at Warson and Clayton Road, Chief Wooten was actively involved with weekly, sometimes daily conversations with high school students to address any serious issues that might arise. Student Resource Officer Jerry Schwartz was commended for his coordination with the Ladue Police Department for additional assistance. His dedication also included visits to other school buildings that are not located in Ladue.

Ladue physical education programs and Jump Rope and Hoops for Heart donated more than $50,000 to the American Heart Association this year.

Bonhomme Elementary School students donated $21, 913 to the American Heart Association through their 2014-2015 Jump Rope for Heart fundraising campaign. More than seventy percent of the student body turned in a donation compared to the national average of ten percent at schools across the country. Ladue Middle School students collected their largest donation ever of $10,000.

Students at Conway Elementary, Reed Elementary, Spoede Elementary and Fifth Grade Center also participated in Jump Rope for Heart or Hoops for Heart in their P.E. classes each year.

“We carry quite a tradition of contributing thousands of dollars to the American Heart Association, often being recognized among the top schools throughout the state,” says Connie Jander, one of the physical education teachers at Old Bonhomme Elementary.

Connie added that students not only learn the importance of community service, but they also participate in heart-healthy exercises and learn the value of taking care of their own hearts.

Conway was presented with the “Outstanding School Spirit” Award for the second year in a row at the Ladue Dogwood Parade. Our students, parents, and staff gathered to show the community their support for Conway Elementary School

Our students at Conway Elementary are ready to play some pickleball! Ann Chapin, the school’s physical education teacher, applied for and received a $150 mini-grant from the Greater St. Louis Region Missouri State Teachers Association that she plans on putting toward some better quality pickleball paddles!

Pickleball is a fast-growing sport that combines ping pong, badminton and tennis skills. The students play the sport during their PE classes and recess.

“It’s a lifetime activity that all ages can enjoy together,” Ann said. “The upgraded paddles would allow the teachers and parents to improve their skills, too. My long-term goal is to grow the sport within the district!”

Ten of the grants were bestowed. Teachers throughout St. Louis county, St. Louis City, St. Charles County and Lincoln County applied.

The annual “Cheers for Conway” auction hosted by Conway Elementary School raised more than $20,000 on Saturday, Nov. 7, at Cardwell’s in Clayton.

The proceeds will be used for technology, special assemblies, library and PE supplies, along with other items and services for the students.

According to Ladue News, popular auction items were the “Ice Cream Arrest,” where a Ladue police officer “arrests” a chlid and a few friends and they ride in the patrol car to eat ice cream, and teachers having lunch with the winner.

“This annual event is very important to our school in that the money we raise every year goes to ensure that our students have one-on-one technology and other educational needs. We are very grateful for the generosity of all of our donors and those who supported the auction,” Co-chair Terrio Grillo told Ladue News.

Four Ladue Schools students from three elementary schools have stories and an illustration published in “Echoes from World War II: Young Writers Sharing Family Stories.” This book has been published by The Grannie Annie Family Story Celebration in honor of its 10th anniversary.

A 501(c)(3) nonprofit corporation based in St. Louis, The Grannie Annie invites students in U.S. grades 4 through 8, and homeschooled and international students of comparable ages, to interview an older relative, write a story about something from their family’s history, share their story with their extended family and community, and submit their story to The Grannie Annie for possible publication in an annual volume.

“Echoes” is The Grannie Annie’s first themed collection. The 46 stories published in “Echoes” — from student authors in seventeen U.S. states plus India and Moldova — had previously been published in one of The Grannie Annie’s annual volumes. The three stories and the illustration by the Ladue Schools students were originally published from 2006 to 2010. Contributions by the Ladue students were “Escaping from Germany” by Stella Schindler, then at Spoede Elementary School; “Meat!” by Noah G. Steinbaum, and “Related to a Spy” by Emilie Barrett, both then at Conway Elementary School; and the illustration for “Mighty Mo” by Christine Kraus, then at Old Bonhomme Elementary School.

Individually, the stories in “Echoes” are compelling and varied, taking place on battlefields, in prison camps, and in homes in 20 countries around the world. Collectively, the stories embody the war itself, beginning with Hitler’s rise to power and ending with the sentiments of a Japanese-American 25 years after the war’s end.

In his foreword to “Echoes” Jody Sowell, Director of Exhibitions and Research at the Missouri History Museum writes, “The stories included here offer personal and powerful perspectives on World War II and what it meant to the people who lived through this period in our history. . . . These young authors — these young historians — are doing incredibly important and engaging work.”

“Echoes” is intended for readers age 9 and older, including adults. When diverse generations read the book together, the stories are likely to inspire conversations about their own family’s stories and their own family’s involvement in history. In addition, seeing how people, including children, responded to the challenges of war can inspire, encourage, and strengthen young people in today’s world to face their own challenges.

“Echoes from World War II” is available as a paperback book ($14.95) and will soon be available as an eBook ($9.95). It can be purchased from Amazon.com, Left-Bank.com, and TheGrannieAnnie.org. Students whose stories and illustrations appear in “Echoes” — as well as students who submit stories for “Grannie Annie, Vol. 11” — will be honored at a Family Stories Festival on Sunday, June 5, 2016, from 2:00 to 4:00 at the Missouri History Museum in St. Louis. The public is cordially invited to this event.

Learn more about The Grannie Annie, and read all of the stories published to date, at www.TheGrannieAnnie.org.