While students enjoy a few final weeks of summer fun, back to school reminders have begun.                 
     Jackson County Health Department has joined with countless other health entities to encourage COVID-19 vaccines for students 12 years of age and older prior to the start of school. In order to be fully vaccinated prior to the first day of school on August 23rd, the first dose should be completed by July 19th.
     For more information on COVID-19 as well as other vaccinations required for Missouri students, visit www.jacohd.org/events.
     Registration has opened for returning students at Grain Valley Schools, with August 3rd as the deadline for families to complete the online registration process. Parents of incoming kindergarten students do not need to complete the process unless their address has changed since enrollment. In-person assistance will be available at South Middle School on August 4th from 11:00am—7:00pm for families who need additional assistance.
     Back to school shoppers may want to mark August 6-8th on their calendars, as the state’s sales tax holiday begins on the first Friday in August and continues through the following Sunday. 
     Certain back-to-school purchases, such as clothing, school supplies, computers, and other items as defined by the statute, are exempt from sales tax for this time period only.
     In 2021, the Sales Tax Holiday begins at 12:01am on Friday, August 6, and runs through Sunday, August 8.
 

     Registration has opened for  returning students at Grain Valley Schools, with August 3rd as the deadline for families to complete the online registration process. Parents of incoming kindergarten students do not need to complete the process unless their address has changed since enrollment. In-person assistance will be available at South Middle School on August 4th from 11:00am—7:00pm for families who need additional assistance.
     While student meals are free for the 2021-22 school year due to current USDA pandemic provisions, families who may qualify for free or reduced price meals are encouraged to register for the program during student registration to avoid any lapse in benefits when pandemic provisions expire.
 

The University of Missouri has announced the spring 2021 Dean’s List.

Grain Valley:
Kendyll L Bailey, Senior
Drake Elliot Bray, Junior, Arts & Science
Warren Godfrey Haralson, Senior
Shaley Elizabeth Harper, Sophomore, Journalism
Austin Levi Hoagland, Sophomore, Journalism
Meagan Janeen Hodges, Senior, Journalism
John Daniel Hodson, Sophomore, Engineering
Jackson Adam Hoover, Sophomore, Agr-Food & Nat Resources
Alice Lin Sophomore, Business
Madyson Lynn Marrs, Junior, Agr-Food & Nat Resources
Keely Michelle McElligott,  Junior, Journalism
William H Perry, Freshman, Journalism
Julian Mikel Sanjur, Junior, Health Professions
Hannah Raleigh Sears, Junior, Arts & Science
Victoria Gabrielle Seever, Sophomore, Arts & Science
Alec Darian Shaffer, Sophomore, Arts & Science
Kendra Renea Sibert, Junior, Arts & Science
Allison Ann Smith, Senior, Arts & Science
Stephen Andrew Swingle, Junior, Engineering
Brett M Tieman, Senior, Education
Benjamin M Totta, Junior, Health Professions
Mackensie Danielle Wagner, Sophomore, Agr-Food & Nat Resources
Vanessa Carla Watkins, Junior, Arts & Science
Kaylee Michelle Williams, Senior, Health Professions
 
 

​     The Central Missouri Police Academy (CMPA) at the University of Central Missouri celebrated a milestone when it graduated its 161st cadet class on June 19th. All 25 members of the graduating class have found employment, making this the first time that 100 percent of the cadets were hired at the time of graduation. Additionally, all of the cadets passed their Missouri Peace Officer Standards and Training (POST) test to become Class A Licensed Officers. 
     The pinning ceremony that took place at UCM involved representatives from more than 18 law enforcement agencies from across the state, with some agencies hiring multiple cadets. From this graduating class, the Warrensburg, Chillicothe, Independence, and Grain Valley police departments all hired multiple new officers for their cities and the Lafayette County Sheriff’s Department Office hired two new deputies. Other communities or Sheriff’s Departments to hire graduates of the CMPA were Carroll County Sheriff, St, Clair County Sheriff, Henry County Sheriff, Johnson County Sheriff, Grandview Police Department, Warsaw Police Department, St. Joseph Police Department, Pettis County Sheriff, Whiteman Air Force Base Security Forces, Saline County Sheriff, Lee’s Summit Police Department and Clinton Police Department.

     Graduating cadets joining the Grain Valley Police Department:
     Krista James
     Dustin Lancaster
 

​     The Fort Osage Board of Education took action at their June 8, 2021, meeting to purchase the former Rockin B Mercantile and Coffee Shop located at 26911 E US Hwy 24, Buckner, MO. The property sits between the District’s main campus and Buckner, MO.   
     “This is a tremendous opportunity for students and our community. Operating a business requires a set of skills that will help students well into the future. Beyond this learning experience for students, our goal is to create a welcoming environment for community members of all ages to enjoy,” Dr. Jason Snodgrass, Superintendent of Schools said.
     The business will be the new home of the Entrepreneurial Studies program from the Career and Technology Center at Fort Osage. Students in this program are from Fort Osage, Blue Springs, Grain Valley and Oak Grove school districts.  
     Entrepreneurial Studies explores entrepreneurship through running a fully functional student run business. Students will learn about store operations, customer service, marketing and inventory management by operating the new business under the direction of their instructor and a food service manager.
     Other programs from the Career and Technology Center that will be involved the first year include the marketing and culinary arts programs. 
     The business will be renamed by a committee of staff, students, and community members this summer. The entrepreneur students will begin class at the new location when school begins in August. A tentative opening of the coffee shop is scheduled for October 2021. Once open, the business will serve coffee and a limited food menu. Future plans include an event/meeting space for Fort Osage staff and the community.
     The student-run business is part of the District’s strategic initiative of Real World Learning that increases the number of graduates who leave high school ready for post secondary learning, work and life.
     “We are excited to further our work of ensuring all students are successful beyond high school by preparing them to continue their education or enter the workforce. This is just one of many opportunities Fort Osage is engaged in to provide real world learning opportunities for our students,” Snodgrass said.
 

     Metropolitan Community College has released the Dean's List for the Spring 2021 semester. The 2,602 students who received Dean’s List recognition earned a GPA of at least 3.5 while being enrolled in six or more credit hours.
 
Grain Valley:
Hallee Kay Ballinger
Trevor A Bartlett
Bianca A Bautista
Rebecca Boom
Stephanie Sue Branson
Elizabeth Louise Favor
Sophia Freire
McKenzy Nicole Gauert
Kaiden Harris
Kylie Josephine Hawkins
Aaron E Headley
Jackie Nicole Jozefkowicz
Ethan Syver Kalthoff
Jordan Renae Lamb
Megan Marsh
Bailey Lorene McKay
Hayden Dallas Mitchell
Madison Montgomery
Kevin Morris
Haley Michelle Myers
Leah Shae Niemeyer
Alex Samuel Perez
Sam M Petralie
Mary B Phipps
Danielle Nicole Picard
Andy Andres Reyes
Dalton Andrew Richard
Diane Nicole Rodgers
Rebecca Rubak
Shannon Schlichting
Angela G Strandburg
Shuyler R Sullivan
Matthew Sutliffe
Travis Andrew Tovar
Chelbi Marie Walk
Gavin Lane Wolfe
 

     Quaker Window Products in Freeburg, Missouri,  announced fifteen recipients of this year’s Thomas M. Knoll Memorial Scholarships. To be eligible, scholarship applicants must have a parent or legal guardian working at Quaker or they must be an employee themselves.
     Landen Hinton, a graduate of Grain Valley High School, is the son of Edward Cannon, a Delivery Driver for Quaker, and a recipient of this year’s scholarship. Hinton will be studying Accounting at the University of Missouri in Columbia.
 

​    Grain Valley High School (GVHS) celebrated its 320 graduates during a commencement ceremony at Cable Dahmer Arena in Independence on May 26th.
     The school’s 113th commencement was another demonstration of life returning to normal following a school year impacted by COVID-19. The class of 2021 endured continual change due to the pandemic, from virtual and hybrid schedules to the return of full in-person instruction, to canceled and then modified events and activities, not to mention the daily impact of social distancing, mask mandates, and quarantines.
     Student commencement speaker Hannah Lytle quoted writer Anthony J. D’Angelo in the opening lines of her speech to students:
     “Become a student of change. It is the only thing that will remain constant.”
     Lytle noted that her class had become “pretty great students of change”, and that the transition they were making together that evening meant a change in the paths each graduate would be taking.
     “Our paths up to this point have been paved for us. None of us are going down the same path. We all share this experience, but today, we get to use this experience differently,” Lytle said.
     GVHS teacher and coach Pete Carpino was elected by the student body to address the graduating class. Carpino is retiring from education after 32 years, the last 7 in Grain Valley.
     Carpino encouraged the graduates to “take care of the little things” in life, as those “little things add up to big things in critical situations”.
     “Your life will be a roller coaster…the ups and downs of your life will be so much smoother if the little things are taken care of,” Carpino said.
     GVHS Principal Dr. Jeremy Plowman highlighted the accomplishments of the 320 graduates, which included 18 Bright Flight scholars, 69 National Honor Society members, 157 A+ graduates, 32 students receiving athletic scholarships, and first year scholarships totaling $4.11 million. Plowman recognized students graduating with honors and 7 students entering the armed forces after graduation.
     Reached for comment before the graduation ceremony, Plowman reflected on this year’s graduating class.
     “This class will always be near and dear to my heart. Their junior and senior years were dominated by a pandemic. Yet, they persevered in so many ways. In athletics and activities, Grain Valley moved into the Suburban Conference with some of the most successful schools in the State and have had unprecedented success. Academically, this senior class had National Merit Scholars, a plethora of Bright Flight scholars and some very prestigious scholarships. Their school spirit remained strong when it would have been easy to let it wane,” Plowman said.
 
 

​     Pete Carpino joined the faculty at Grain Valley High School in the Fall of 2015. Head football coach David Allie was part of the recruitment effort that influenced Carpino’s decision to join the district. The two best friends have shared many milestones together since agreeing to become Eagles, including back to back football district championships in 2019 and 2020.
     Carpino is no doubt proud of the accomplishments attained during his educational career. The physical education teacher values relationships above all else though. That is apparent to anyone who has ever watched Carpino teach, coach, or enjoy time around his co-workers. It was also part of the overwhelming sentiment shared by students and community members when compiling feedback for this story. Their words explain the legacy of Carpino’s influence.
     “I voted for Coach Carpino to speak at our commencement because it seemed fitting. He had coached a lot of us and was fun guy to look up to. That along with the fact that he was leaving the high school the same time we were,” Parker Bosserman said.
     Cole Keller contributed, “We chose Coach Carpino to speak at graduation because he has had such a great impact on a lot of us. He is interested in what is best for us and keeps it real with us. Since he is retiring, it is only right he gives a goodbye speech.”
     Jordyn Weems added, “Ever since we were freshmen, Coach Carpino said he was going to graduate with us – and he did!”
     Riley Bown continued the adoration with, “Having Coach Carpino speak at the Class of 2021’s graduation is special because of how much he is involved with our school. He is a varsity assistant football coach and a girls varsity assistant basketball coach. Both of those programs have had a big impact on our school over the last couple of years. He is also someone that a lot of people know around our high school and this community.”
     Hunter Newsom concluded, “We selected the right person for the job in choosing Coach Carpino to speak at graduation. He has been with us these past four years and made an impact on many of us. Also, with him going into retirement, we felt like it had to be him speaking since he was here at the start of our journey and is now leaving us.”
     Two hallmarks of Carpino are that he is prepared and honest. Even if it meant late hours watching game film with little sleep or the truth not always being what a student athlete wanted to hear. Both attributes have served Carpino well throughout his career and his time at Grain Valley High School. Something not lost on John Overstreet. The longtime Grain Valley resident has been a staple on the sideline taking pictures for the community during many of the contests that Carpino has coached in.
     The following are memories Overstreet has compiled in reflecting on his time around Carpino.
 
     “Memories of Pete Carpino…For those Eagles fans with gray whiskers, a nemesis of sort from days gone by. The orchestrator of more than one heartbreaking loss on what were once the grassy (real grass) football fields of Oak Grove and Grain Valley High Schools. A guy whose actions and abilities demanded the respect of an opposing team’s players, coaches, and even their fans. And while most of us did not know Pete Carpino back then, we all knew about Coach Carpino’s successes on the field.
     What I have learned in the past several years of watching him work with our kids during brisk, late season football games, or the hardwood basketball courts of mid-February, makes me glad that Grain Valley was able to snag him for the short time we did. And yet, there is a little streak of jealousy there too, as I realize what we missed by not having him there to guide our kids for the entirety of his career. Pete likes to win, and I believe he does everything in his power to do so. But more importantly, Pete likes to see kids win, and he has the innate ability to get them to do everything in THEIR power to do so.  What the kids do not always see, is that while Pete is coaching them to win at sports, he is also coaching them to win in life. That practice makes perfect, either on the court or in a career. That preparation wins games and finishes projects on time. Things they can use every day for the rest of their lives, learned from a guy who walks the sideline of a high school football game.
     From the sidelines, I am blessed to see up close how coaches interact with their student athletes. Pete knows how to (and perhaps more importantly, when to) point out a player’s mistakes and how to correct them. He knows when to be stern, and when it is more important to be supportive. In a late season basketball game a few years ago, in a less than stellar season, a bench player drained a three pointer from well outside her range. As I looked across the floor at the Eagle’s bench, the first person I saw jump to his feet and cheer was Pete. The game was lost, and the season nearly over, but the smile that was on that girl’s face as she ran by him standing near the bench will forever dwell in my mind.
     As the minutes ticked away in the last football game I attended, and the scoreboard left little doubt as to how the season was to end, I paid particular attention to the man who was likely coaching the sport for the last time. His attention was directed to players and other members of the coaching staff, shaking hands, wiping tears, giving out hugs.  Yep, we were lucky to have him for the time we did, but you cannot help but wonder about what might have been.
     Pete Carpino, the guy I respected in Oak Grove Orange, and learned to love in Eagle’s Blue. Best wishes to you, my friend. I hope you enjoyed your time here as much as we enjoyed having you.”
 
     Carpino is looking forward to speaking at commencement at 7:00pm on May 26th at Cable Dahmer Arena. Carpino is equally as excited to spend the next chapter of his life with his wife in retirement. Thinking about what has been and what is next leaves Carpino being true to his character in being a man of few words. This time around it appears to be due to what his experience at Grain Valley High School has meant to him.
     “It is a great feeling to know that so many kids nominated me to speak at graduation. I did not expect it. I am humbled to be speaking at the ceremony,” Carpino said.
     “I feel very lucky to have had this position (teaching and coaching) at the high school. I will miss it. The daily conversations with my co-workers and students that led to relationships were the best.”
     Congratulations to Coach Carpino for a career spent serving others. Grain Valley High School and the community of Grain Valley are thankful for your contributions. Your impact will live on and be dearly missed.
 

     Grain Valley High School senior Carter Barnes has been researching opioid reversal agents as a part of his biomedical sciences capstone project. Students in the program are tasked with looking at ways to address health related problems in the community.
     After working at a pharmacy, Barnes became aware of the prevalence of opioid overdose and the medications available to help reverse overdoses.
     “There are thousands of deaths each year from opioid overdose, and there are drugs available to help reverse opioid overdoses,” Barnes said.
     “When I worked at the pharmacy, we would suggest drugs such as naloxone (brand name Narcan) to people who take opioid medication, and many people were not aware of the drug or its purpose.”
     “It’s a really good idea for people to know these reversal agents are available to them.  Not just for themselves, but for dogs or other people in their homes who may accidentally take a medication.”
     Barnes said that physicians often prescribe reversal agents such as naloxone when prescribing an opioid medication, and pharmacists will also consult with patients regarding the medication.
     Barnes has planned a marketing campaign to spread awareness of opioid reversal agents, including reaching out to local media and distributing informational flyers to post around the community.
     Barnes plans to study biology at UMKC, and is interested in the research side of the profession. Barnes credits the biomedical science program at GVHS as a major influence in his college plans.
     “Throughout the classes, you’re able to explore different careers in the biomedical field. It definitely helped increase my interest in studying biology in college.”
     Barnes has been active in the GVHS Scholar Bowl and is a member of HOSA (Health Occupations Students of America).
 
Image: GVHS Senior Carter Barnes researched opioid reversal agents as a part of his biomed capstone project, and is distributing