by Michael Smith


Grain Valley head coach David Allie decided to try something new.

His Eagles took on Suburban White Conference rival William Chrisman Friday at Norman James Field, and on the second drive of the game, he lined up freshman wide receiver Dawson Head in the Wildcat formation.

Head broke off a 53-yard run, which set up his 1-yard touchdown run, the first of his varsity career, to put the Eagles ahead 14-0. He was one of multiple Eagles to accomplish a first-time varsity feat as Grain Valley steamrolled the Bears 63-6.

Head is a transfer from Knoxville, Tenn., and had played at the running back position in middle school. He also was a state track champion, so Allie wanted to utilize his speed at the wide receiver position. That was on display on only on the 54-yard run, but on a 17-yard touchdown pass in which he caught from quarterback Chase Neer as he beat a Chrisman cornerback on a waggle route late in the second period.

“We had that wildcat package and have been working on it in practice for the last couple of weeks,” Allie said. “I thought we needed to try it in this game, and he did a great job running the ball. He’s explosive.”

Neer and senior running back Robert Palmer said they were impressed with the freshman.

“Dawson is probably the fastest player on the team, so we have to find a way to get him the ball,” Neer said.

Added Palmer: “We need to see him back there some more. I can’t wait to see him grow.”

Head said he was excited to get his first varsity score.

“It’s pretty awesome,” Head said. “It was a long process but I am happy to be here.”

That wasn’t the only first-time accomplishment for an Eagle during the contest. Sophomore Carter Cygan, the backup place kicker for Grain Valley, made three extra points late; and freshman Brody Davis and senior Jacob Moore scored their first varsity touchdowns, on a 2-yard and 3-yard run, respectively.

“(Moore) is a senior that is behind our varsity running backs on the depth chart, but we’ve tried him at other positions like defensive line to get him some playing time. Brody is a freshman who plays up at the junior varsity level some and plays on the freshman team, too.”

Palmer continued his spectacular season as he rushed for 223 yards and two touchdowns on 12 carries. He scored on runs of 7 and 9 as he went into the end zone untouched both times. Through three games, he has 659 yards on the ground and five TDs.

Last season, Simone Award finalist and first-team all-state running back Ty Williams had 571 yards and eight touchdowns through his first three games. So far, Palmer is on pace to have a similar season as Grain Valley’s previous star running back.

“This has been crazy,” Palmer said. “I never would have thought this would happen. The offensive line was amazing. They provided great blocking.”

Added Neer: “(Palmer has) been amazing. He really started standing out in that first game. Throughout the summer and preseason, we thought it was going to be a three-headed monster at running back, but he took over that No. 1 spot.”

Neer added a 63-yard touchdown pass on third-and-21 on a screen to running back DJ Harris and also had a 5-yard scoring run on his team’s opening drive. Harris ran the ball five times for 89 yards and another TD from 1 yard out.

William Chrisman had its only score on a 79-yard TD run from sophomore Stefan Castorena with 1:08 left in the contest.

On defense, senior safety Aaron Barr had an interception of Chrisman quarterback Declan Watson and as a team, the Eagles had eight tackles for a loss and one sack from senior defensive end Alex Osborn.

Downtown Grain Valley, in partnership with Grain Valley High School student government and Central Jackson County Fire Protection District, has revived the Community Pep Rally and Bonfire just in time for homecoming.

The community is invited on Wednesday, September 18th from 6:30pm - 7:30pm to the Grain Valley Community Gardens downtown for a spirit-packed rally. Cheer on GVHS sports teams, enjoy the pep band, and meet the Eagles mascot.

GVHS high school students will then have the space reserved for them from 7:30-9:00pm to gather around the bonfire and make some memories. 

by Michael Smith
 

All it took was one mistake.

The Grain Valley boys’ soccer team was in a non-conference game with Van Horn Monday at home and it played even with its opponent for the first 20 minutes of the contest.

However, Van Horn junior Miabo Asukulu lobbed a pass from about 45 yards out toward the Eagles’ goal. Goalkeeper Alex Tuttle settled under the ball and tried to make the stop. The ball slipped through his hands and went into the net, which resulted in the Falcons first goal and the road team went on to defeat Grain Valley 2-0.

“The margin of error is so small when you are playing one of the top teams in Class 3 like Van Horn,” Grain Valley head coach Brett Lewis said. “We can’t give away silly mistakes to teams like Van Horn. We must put shots on target, too.”

“The first goal was deflating because we were playing with them.”

The Falcons (3-1) controlled a physical game that got chippy at times. They double teamed Grain Valley’s midfielders and forced turnovers which led to chances at scoring in the attacking third of the field. That led to Askukulu’s score in the 20th minute of the game.

Tuttle did get a bit of redemption in the 38th minute though. He made a diving stop on a penalty kick from Falcons senior Diego Escutia after Grain Valley committed a foul in the penalty box.

Van Horn put the game away in the 72nds minute, however. Sophomore Andrew Barron drilled a direct free kick from about 30 yards away over the reach of Tuttle and into the upper 90 of the goal to give his Falcons a two-goal cushion.

“I felt like our center backs got out of place and the shot went between them,” Lewis said. “I felt like we gave them another opportunity by committing a foul that was unnecessary.”

Meanwhile, Grain Valley (1-3) had a handful of opportunities it was unable to convert on. Junior Lukas Gutauskas had an open shot in the Falcons 18-yard box bounce off the left post, sophomore Cooper Bousselot ripped a 25-yarder that was headed inside the far post, but was caught by Van Horn keeper Kester Phillips and senior Alex Luna just missed a goal after pushing a shot just high and over the net.

​“I think we had two of the better opportunities in the game,” Lewis said. “Making those opportunities means so much when you’re playing a good team.”

by Michael Smith


One week after rushing for 197 yards and a touchdown, Grain Valley senior running back Robert Palmer proved he is the real deal.

Palmer and the Grain Valley football team went up against Suburban White Conference rival Platte County, a team it beat twice last season, including a 27-25 victory in the Class 5 District 7 championship game.

Palmer followed up his big game last week with 242 yards and two touchdowns on 16 carries against the Pirates.

Normally a performance like that would lead to a victory. However, the Eagles offense couldn’t muster much aside from two 80-yard scoring runs from Palmer and the defense had issues stopping an explosive Platte County offense as Grain Valley fell 52-21 Friday at Moody Murry Memorial Field.

“We couldn’t sustain drives to get our defense a rest,” Grain Valley head coach David Allie said. “Our defense wore down. We had smatterings here and there of good plays on offense, but we couldn’t sustain anything.”

Grain Valley (1-1) stayed even with Platte County in the first half as the teams went into halftime tied at 14-all. After Platte County scored a touchdown, the Eagles responded with nine unanswered points as Palmer found a huge hole on the right side of his offense line and rumbled 80 yards for a score with 31 seconds in the first, tying the game at seven.

The Eagles defense took advantage of two bad snaps from Platte County center Barrett Ryan, both of which led to two safeties and four points in the first half. Place kicker Colton Clyman also made a 26-yard field goal with three seconds in the half.

In the second half, however, is when things changed. Platte County outscored the Eagles 38-7 in the final 24 minutes. Platte County scored 17 consecutive points which began with a pass on a bubble screen from Platte County junior Rocco Marriott to wide receiver Ty Christopher.

Palmer made it 31-21 with 1:35 left in the third period when he scored on a toss play as he beat the Pirates defense on the right side as he raced along the sideline for another 80-yard TD run on a toss play.

Platte County then rattled off 21 consecutive points to put it away. The spurt was highlighted by a 55-yard scoring pass from Marriott to junior Tres Baskerville, who broke two Eagles tackles on the way to the end zone.

Grain Valley had issues slowing down Marriott, who completed 17 of 23 passes for 235 yards and five touchdowns through the air and had eight carries for 65 yards and another score on the ground.

“We have to come back and learn from this game,” Allie said. “Their quarterback is good. He can scramble and he has a strong arm.”

On defense, senior defensive end Alex Osborn led Grain Valley with two sacks and junior linebacker Hunter Nally had a team-high seven tackles.

Grain Valley will take on William Chrisman next week at 7 p.m. on the road.

​“We have to have that next-game mentality,” Allie said. “You mourn or grieve or whatever you want to call this, and move on to the next one.”

by Michael Smith
 
The Grain Valley volleyball team started out hot.

The Eagles were locked in a tight battle at the beginning of their match with Suburban White Conference rival Truman on the road.

After a back-and-forth battle, Grain Valley won the first set. However, Truman stormed back thanks to the Eagles’ struggles receiving serves and the senior strong duo combination of Jayden Herl and Avery Patton at the net as Grain Valley fell 25-21, 21-25, 16-25, 15-25 loss Tuesday.

Neither team led by more than 2 points in the first set leading up to a 20-all tie after a hit out of bounds from Truman gave the Eagles a side out. Then a kill and a block from senior Kayla Gallagher, who had a team-high 12 kills, led to a 6-1 run to and a first-game win.

The Eagles (1-1, 0-1 White Conference) carried that momentum into the second set and had its biggest lead at 16-11 after sophomore Piper Jackson got a kill from the middle following a near 2-minute long rally.

The Patriots took over and never looked back from there. They ended the set on a 14-5 run behind a trio of kills from Patton that gave the home team the second game.

“We came out on fire and ready to play. We listened. We knew some of Truman’s weaknesses and we tried to expose those,” Grain Valley head coach Tori Squiers said. We just have to learn to continue to win sets.”

Things did not start off well in the third set as Truman got off to a 5-0 start thanks to three aces and struggles returning serves from Grain Valley. The Eagles battled back to tie the game at 5-all, which was spearheaded by two kills from Gallagher. Grain Valley later took a 12-11 lead following a Truman block that went out of bounds but three kills from freshman Andi Gardner helped Truman end the game with a 13-5 spurt to put Truman ahead 2 sets to 1.

Grain Valley trailed the entire fourth set after falling behind 5-0 once again. Gallagher had three kills, while junior Chesnie King had two, but it wasn’t enough.

Squiers said her team is young and is working on building chemistry with just two seniors on the team. King is playing as a setter for the first time in her career and is working on gelling with her hitters.

“We are still trying to work out some kinks and with that, there are errors that are bound to happen,” Squiers said. “(Herl) really hurt us. She’s a strong hitter who made us work defensively.
“We have a strong offensive team. We just have to make sure we are utilizing everyone. Chesnie is setting for the first time and the connection with the hitters is a little off. She is building that knowledge of being a setter. But she’s stepped in and she’s rocked it.”
​

by Michael Smith


The Grain Valley football team had some big shoes to fill.

The Eagles had their season opener against Raytown Friday at Ted Chitwood Stadium. It was their first game without Ty Williams, a player who had the best offensive season in the history of the program last season.

He was a Simone Award finalist and a first-team, all-state selection in a year he rushed for 2,485 yards and 33 touchdowns. That is a lot of production that head coach David Allie would have to replace.

Can Grain Valley do it?

Well, it helped answer that question Friday in its season opener against Raytown. Senior Robert Palmer, a transfer from North Scott in Iowa, gave the Eagles a huge boost as he carried the ball 20 times for a career-high 197 yards and a touchdown while sophomore Sjoeren Aumua had nine carried for 72 yards and two scores as they helped their team earn a 34-12 victory.

“DJ (Harris) had a couple of good runs for us, too,” Allie said of Harris, who had three carries for 26 yards. “Those guys carried the load for us.”

The Eagles started out slow on offense as they were only able to muster field goals of 39 and 28 from kicker Colton Clyman, whose latter field goal came 10.8 seconds left in the first half to tie the game at 6-all going into halftime.

Raytown’s score came when quarterback G Williams found a wide-open Larry Porter Jr. wide open over the middle for a 12-yard TD pass late in the second period. Raytown failed on a two-point conversion attempt.

The Blue Jays defense did a good job stopping Grain Valley’s runs up the middle in the first half, so head coach David Allie made an adjustment to mix in more outside runs after halftime. I ended up paying off.

Raytown junior Armon Weathers recovered an Aaron Barr fumble on the kickoff return after halftime, but the Blue Jays were unable to capitalize with any points as the Eagles got a turnover on downs.

The offense finally got going as Palmer later carried two Raytown defenders in the end zone with him for a 9-yard scoring run to put his team ahead 13-6 at the 6:10 mark in the third.

“We had some creases inside in the first half, we just weren’t hitting them,” Allie said. “When they were loading up inside, that gave us the edge. We had a sweep and toss that helped us attack the C and D gaps.”

Raytown drove the ball down the field on the ensuing possession and made it to the Eagles’ 22-yard line. Williams connected with Hunley on a 17-yard pass, but Barr, a senior safety, punched the ball out of his grasp and junior Brody Jones’ recovered it at the Raytown 14.

The Eagles then had a drive that was highlighted by a 76-yard jaunt from Palmer.

“I saw that gap and I took advantage of it,” Palmer said of the big run. “It was a perfect moment.”

Aumua later found a huge hole on the left side and ran into the end zone untouched for a 14-yard TD run, the first varsity score of his career, to make it 20-6 with 2:20 left in the third quarter.

“It feels good, man,” Aumua said. “I finally get to show my talent. I can just show out from here on out. I like the outside runs because I have more space to do what I want and juke tacklers.”

The Blue Jays responded on their next drive. Williams lobbed a pass to the right side of the end zone and Porter made a leaping catch over Grain Valley cornerback Jordan Fuller for a 14-yard score. That narrowed the gap to 20-12 after another failed 2-point conversion try.

After that, the bend but don’t break Grain Valley defense did just enough to win, while Aumua scored a 2-yard run and quarterback Chase Neer connected with a wide-open Landon Marriott for 8-yard TD pass to cap the scoring for the 1-0 Eagles in the fourth period.

“The blocking was way better in the second half,” Palmer said. “The first half, we struggled blocking and things weren’t going our way, then we hit the switch in the second half. The execution was perfect, and we played our game.”

by Michael Smith
 
​
The Grain Valley boys soccer team had a mixed bag of results in Wednesday’s preseason jamboree.

It was a final tune-up before they start the regular season on Aug. 31 in the Harrisonville Boys Soccer Shootout. The jamboree featured Raymore-Peculiar, Platte County and Blue Springs at the Blue Springs soccer field.

The Eagles showed flashes of brilliance in a 1-0 win over Ray-Pec but had some struggles against Blue Springs in their second scrimmage as they fell 3-0. In the jamboree, each scrimmage lasted 35 minutes and there was about a 2-3 minute break while the clock was running for a water break.

While the Eagles had mixed results, they had two players who stood out who were major bright spots – sophomore Cooper Bousselot and junior Cohen Hackworth. Both play on the back line and showed they could be key pieces for the 2024 version of the Eagles.

During Grain Valley’s 1-0 victory over the Panthers, Bousselot scored the team’s only goal. He blasted a 25-yard from the middle of the field and perfectly placed the shot inside the top right corner of the goal.

“I knew I was going to shoot it after my first touch,” Bousselot said. “I saw that the goalkeeper had come off his line and just had a well hit and clean shot.”

Grain Valley head coach Brett Lewis mouth was left agape for a few seconds as he was in shock at how impressive Bousselot’s shot was.

“Cooper is only a sophomore, but he plays like he’s older,” Lewis said. “He has a high IQ and he’s good on the ball. If he gets time and space, he can put the ball in a dangerous area for the goalie.”

Grain Valley had a bend-but-don’t break defense against the Panthers led by Cohen Hackworth, who had some excellent recovery runs on defense as he often chased down Panther players on breakaways to make stops.

The Panthers had a few opportunities to score but missed some shots wide and high of the goal and senior goalkeeper Alex Tuttle made a diving save on a hard-hit shot with 10 seconds left against Ray-Pec.

“You saw how comfortable he is back there tonight Lewis said of Hackworth. “He played up top for us late last year, but his natural position is center back.

“He’s one of our top defenders with how athletic he is and how quick he can recover.”

There are some things the Eagles can shore up before their season-opener, according to Lewis and his players. Against the Wildcats, Grain Valley surrendered a hat trick to senior Will Ahring, who scored all three of his goals inside the Eagles’ penalty box.

“I told the team they were going to press more than Ray-Pec and they were going to be more intense and try and win the ball in the attacking third. We had some guys that were shying away when they should have been trying to get the ball. We just have to mature a little bit and get some confidence in our younger players.”

Even following the loss against Blue Springs, the Eagles had some positives to take away, especially after a strong performance against one of the strongest programs in the Kansas City area – Ray-Pec.

“That gave us confidence as a team that we can play well against them,” Hackworth said. “It gives us some chemistry and hope.”

by Michael Smith


The Grain Valley softball team has had a good amount of success in recent years.

Last season, the Eagles went 23-7 last season, but fell 5-3 in the first round of the Class 5 District 6 Tournament against Fort Osage. The team has won at least 20 games for five consecutive seasons, but was unable to come away with a district championship.

Second-year head coach Flip Courter and his players hope to overcome that hump and win a district championship in 2024 behind a trio of talented pitchers.

Senior Makenna Moore, junior Sidney Hemme, and sophomore Molly Jones are three hurlers who will see time in the circle and whom Courter expects to be major contributors for this season.

Last season, Hemme made both the all-region and all-district teams. Moore was someone who helped keep the scores close against elite level opponents such as Raymore-Peculiar and Troy Buchanan.

Moore, the ace of the staff, has the most velocity behind her pitches and is someone who an NCAA Division I caliber prospect as she will pitch for Jacksonville State in 2025.

Hemme had a stellar season in 2023 as she went 8-2 with a 1.32 earned run average and had 63 strikeouts, 23 walks and notched a 1.13 walks and hits per inning pitched. Hemme stated her breaking pitches are her best ones and what helped her have success last season.

Jones doesn’t throw as hard as Hemme or Moore, but she is good at locating her pitches and using her changeup to get outs.

Courter said he plans on using all three pitchers this season, which is a different approach than most other teams use. Most teams usually have one workhorse pitcher to toss most games, while having a second pitcher who goes in when the ace needs a rest or if the workload needs to be split due to having to play multiple games in one day.

“In softball, 90 percent of the game is pitching,” Courter said. “We bring back three good pitchers off last year’s team. “Having three pitchers gives us the flexibility so we don’t have to use the same pitcher over and over.

“Our pitchers aren’t going to have the gaudy numbers because we are splitting things three ways.”

Hemme noted that having three pitchers could provide an advantage for the Eagles.

“Our pitching is really diverse,” Hemme said. “A lot of our pitchers are good for different situations. All our pitchers can handle any situation. We are deep.”

It will help the Eagles have a solid defense behind them, led by sophomore center fielder Madison Rust, who covers a lot of ground, according to Courter and his players.

“I could put ball anywhere in any situation and I, 100 percent trust my field to back me up and get us out of any situation,” Hemme said.

Olivia Slaughter will be tasked with calling the pitches as she is a returning starter who will play at catcher. She split time with another catcher in 2023 but will start most games in 2024. On offense, she is one of the best hitters on the team. She is good at hitting line drives and had a few homeruns last season.

Senior Sal Haley returns as the starting third baseman after coming off an outstanding season in which she hit .432 and had a 1.210 on based plus slugging percentage with three homeruns and 33 runs-batted in.

“She’s a phenomenal third baseman,” Courter said. “She gives us a really good bat in the middle of the lineup.”

Senior Kiersten Parker will return to play second base for the Eagles. She is a power hitter with a big swing and gives the team some speed on the basepaths. Rust likely will be Grain Valley’s leadoff hitter as she provides speed and is an above-average contact hitter at the plate.

Junior Syndee Wagner is a returner at shortstop. Like Parker, she has some pop in her bat and can hit some homeruns.

The Eagles have some vacancies at the corner outfield spots and at first base. Courter said Jones and Hemme can play in the field when they are not pitching. Seniors Melissa Riggle and Bailey Mason and junior Morgan Hart could get some playing time, too. Newcomers such as freshmen Abrianna Scott and Mackenzie Rust could get into the mix, as well.

“We have a lot of different girls who play a lot of different positions. We will be pretty stacked this year.,” Haley said.

With multiple options and pitcher and in the field, Grain Valley could have the depth and the talent to win an elusive district championship.

​“There has been only one final four team in Grain Valley’s history,” Courter said. “Grain Valley has a strong softball tradition, but we haven’t gotten over that hump to make the final four. I don’t see why that shouldn’t be one of our goals.”
 

by Michael Smith


The Grain Valley football team is coming off a season in which it had arguably the best offensive player in the history of its program.

Running back Ty Williams, a Simone Award finalist, rushed for 2,485 yards and 33 touchdowns. He also had 385 yards through the air and five more scores in 2023. He’s now a graduate and is playing for Washburn University’s football team.

That’s a lot of production Grain Valley will have to try to replace. It may be near impossible, but after Friday’s preseason jamboree, the Eagles appear to have someone who could provide some good production at the position.

Senior Robert Palmer, a transfer from North Scott High School in Iowa, had an impressive showing at a jamboree that featured defending Class 6 state champion Liberty North, Lee’s Summit and Class 3 semifinalist St. Pius X at Moody Murray Memorial Field.

He carried the ball six times for 30 yards and caught one pass for six yards, scoring one of the Eagles’ two touchdowns of the day.

At the jamboree each team got to run 11 plays on offense and 11 on defense against each team while starting drives from the opponent’s 35-yard line. If a team failed to get a first down, it would start over at the 35.

His big run came against Lee’s Summit as he broke a tackle on a run between the tackles and used his speed to get to the second level of the Tigers’ defense for a 20-yard gain. He ended up scoring on a 1-yard run later in the drive.

He’s a physical running back who looks good on runs between the tackles but also showed he can be a good pass catcher out of the backfield.

“He’s a tough runner,” Grain Valley head coach David Allie said. “He can bring the physicality when he needs to. He’s a great kid and has worked from Day 1 since he’s been here.”

Junior quarterback Chase Neer has liked what he’s seen from Palmer so far.

“When he gets the ball, he’s at least getting four yards,” Neer said. “He’s not taking no for an answer. He’s powerful, strong, fast, he does it all. I am excited to see how he can help our offense this year.

“When the defense crashes in the middle to try and stop Robert, that opens up opportunities for me to get to the outside and run or even pass it on a run-pass option.”

He could be the team’s primary running back or could split carries with fellow senior DJ Harris. So far, the transition has been seamless after moving to Grain Valley.

“At my old school, we ran similar things as Grain Valley did,” Palmer said. “Coming into Grain Valley, I knew what I needed to get done and knew my role.”

Neer also had a solid day at quarterback as he completed 3 of 4 passes for 18 yards and four times for 29 yards. He had a 12-yard touchdown run against North on a passing play. He couldn’t find an open receiver so he took off running to the right side and got the edge for the score.

“I didn’t think he was going to run it, but he did,” Palmer said of Neer’s TD run. “I was impressed. I am excited to work with him this season.”

Grain Valley did have its fair share of struggles, however. The Eagles had a handful of fumbles throughout, including two which were recovered by the opposing defense. They also struggled to defend the passing game on defense as seven of the nine touchdowns surrendered by the Eagles defense came through the air.

“Across the board we have some things to work on,” Allie said. “We had too many balls on the ground and near turnovers. You can’t beat yourself. We got another week to improve on that.

“We were rotating some kids in and out (on defense). We didn’t play a few kids tonight because we had some bumps and bruises. But we will have some kids who will hopefully start next Friday.”

​Grain Valley will have its season opener next Friday at 7 p.m. at Raytown High School.
 
 
 Correction: An earlier version incorrectly listed Ty Williams as attending Truman State University. This was corrected to read Washburn University. 8/25/2024 9:50am.
 
 

by Cole Arndorfer
 
The Grain Valley Schools Board of Education met on Thursday, August 15th for their August meeting. This meeting included the Superintendent's report, a discussion on annual CSIP priorities, four items of new business, and discussion on a set of board polices.

In his report, Superintendent Dr. Brad Welle reported that the high school construction was progressing well. Back-to-school events, including meet-the-teacher nights, are in progress in advance of the first day on August 20, 2024.

Welle then moved into discussion of the district assessment plan. After providing a brief overview and answering a couple of questions, Welle concluded his report.
 
The board then looked at a revised version of the 2024-2025 CSIP annual priorities, which will be brought back as an action item at the next board meeting. One of the main highlights of this plan is the implementation of academic multi-tiered system of supports in grades K-8.

These guidelines would be used to classify the needs of an individual student based off their understanding of class material. Tier one would be general all-class instruction, tier two would be devoting some special time and focus for an individual student, and tier three would be a more intensive intervention with the student. In order to implement this, professional development would focus on tiers two and three, Welle said.

The board then moved into new business. First, the board approved extra duty positions, and then approved the additions of two elementary teachers.

Third, the board discussed the curriculum review committee. Welle pointed out to the board members that the names of those serving on this community engagement committee is listed on their handouts for them to review before the item comes back as an action item.

For the final item of the meeting, the board was introduced to a set of polices for them to review before they come back as action items at a future meeting. After some clarifying questions, discussion closed on the item.

Following this, the board adjourned into executive session. The next Board of Education meeting will take place on Thursday, September 19, at 6 pm in the Leadership Center.