loyola academy | Students, alumni, staff and community members gathered to break ground on the school’s new upper-elementary academic wing. The expansion will contain two new classrooms and a multipurpose room, adding more than 4,000 square feet to the campus. It also will allow the school to increase its population by 50%.

the whitfied school 
Sophomores had a “snowball” fight to help relieve fears about the upcoming school year. The grade gathered and threw crumpled papers on which they had written questions and concerns. Teachers then addressed the questions, allowing for a low-stakes and fun way to help make students feel more comfortable.

micds
Senior Hattie Sloane’s lacrosse skills have gone international. She represented Team Australia in the World Lacrosse U20 Women’s Championships in Hong Kong. After spending the summer training in Australia, Sloane joined a Melbourne club team and attended training in Japan before heading to the championship, which brought together 20 countries. The Australian team finished in fourth place.

kirkwood school district
The school district celebrated the accomplishments of athletes, coaches and community members on and off the playing field, pool, mats and court. This month, it held the induction ceremony for the KHS Athletic Hall of Fame Class of 2024. Inductees were honored with a recognition ceremony at a Kirkwood High School varsity football game and received Hall of Fame plaques, which were unveiled at another event. Twelve athletes, five teams, three coaches and two community members were honored.

parkway west high school 
Congrats to Elizabeth Franklin! The recent grad was selected as the Missouri Student Journalist of the Year—the first student in the school’s history to receive the honor. The competition requires student journalists to build a portfolio highlighting their skills in a variety of areas, including leadership, ethics, reporting, marketing and more. Franklin held the editor-in-chief position of the school’s student news site, the Pathfinder, and her future plans are to become a civil rights attorn