Cardinal Connections
Clinton Technical School students in Mr. Stone's Automotive Technology class are earning career credentials through the Automotive Service Excellence (ASE) Entry-Level Certification program.
Over the course of two years, students can earn 8 entry-level certifications and 2 advanced certifications. These certifications include: Automotive Maintenance and Light Repair, Electrical/Electronic Systems, Engine Repair, Engine Performance, HVAC, Brake Systems, Suspension and Steering, Automatic Transmission/Transaxle, Manual Drivetrain and Axles, and Automotive Service Technician.
Not only is Mr. Stone able to use the ASE exams to verify students' understanding of skills that have been taught, these certifications also allow students to make themselves marketable to potential employers even before they graduate high school. Two students pictured below (Garrett Doll, Clinton and Dylan Hilworth, Appleton City) have passed all exams and are currently employed with Matteson Auto Repair in Clinton and Heartland Service and Detail in Bolivar, respectively.
Top picture: Back row; Blake Wareham, Pablo Elizalde, Lain Hill, Kaj Heckenlively, Allan Mason
Front Row; Carlton Williamson, Will Vincent, Dylan Hilworth, Arron Gibbs, Jace Jackson, Hunter Harbit, (Jared Wisniewski and Nevaeh Waldron, not pictured)
Bottom picture: Back row; Landon Jones, Clint Sullins, Eli Morris, Preston Elliot, Trapper Tucker
Front row; Logan Ferrell, Garrett Doll, Carlos Juarez
Our students have big dreams and we are so appreciative of our supportive community and alumni who are essential in helping those dreams become reality!
CHS senior Jenna Hess recently received word that she was the recipient of the $25,000 Dream Big Scholarship. Jenna's post-graduation plans are to attend KU or UMKC to fulfill her dream of becoming a physician.
The Dream Big Scholarship was started last year, when a generous CHS alum had the vision to give a senior $25,000 to attend the college of their dreams. The donor wanted the applicant to "Dream Big" and have the opportunity to attend their dream college through this scholarship. This year, the district had 25 applicants.
See more pictures here.
Last month, the Clinton FFA Chapter joined tens of thousands of other FFA members at the 95th annual FFA Convention in Indianapolis, IN.
A few highlights of the trip included:
- The CHS Horse Evaluation Team placed 14th in the nation and received a Silver Rating. Congratulations to Lauren Bailey who finished 5th in the nation with a Gold Rating. Other team members included: Chloe Lawson (gold), Hannah Miller (silver) and Monte Bullock (bronze).
- Students enjoyed attending leadership sessions, visiting with colleges about their future plans and potential scholarship offerings.
- Students also had the pleasure of watching 2021 CHS graduate Victor Chapa receive his American FFA Degree. This honor is bestowed upon a select group of students in recognition of their years of academic and professional excellence. This year, 4,305 American Degrees were awarded. However, only about 1% of members ever obtain this award. Victor's Supervised Agricultural Experience (SAE) was Landscape Management, where he placed first in Missouri and top 10 at Nationals during his high school career. During high school, Victor gained landscape experience at Green Street Market, Legacy Memorials and Lawn Services, as well as other local businesses. Victor is currently enrolled in Delaware Valley University in Pennsylvania, majoring in Horticulture with a minor in Sustainable Agriculture.
See more pictures here.
In Mrs. Hetherington's Crime in Literature class, students have been learning about forensic science, crime scene investigation, and report-writing.
School Resource Officer Violet Williams has been instrumental in planning a practical hands-on assessment where students had to apply what they have learned to interview a witness, analyze fingerprints, determine what Missouri State Statutes were violated, and write the police report. Sergeant Kameren Huffman from the Clinton Police Department and Lieutenant Lenny Kubilus from the Henry County Sheriff's Office then joined the class to review, discuss, and critique the "junior officers" written reports.
Students had a great time learning from the experts and applying what they had learned! Thank you to our local law enforcement agencies for taking the time to share their knowledge and skills with students.
See more pictures here.
Thanks to the generosity of our giving community, and the Truman Lake Community Foundation (TLCF), several Clinton School District staff members have received grants this year to help enhance the educational experience for our students.
At last month's TLCF Donor Appreciation event, the staff pictured here had the opportunity to showcase their project that was made possible through a TLCF grant. Click on each picture in the link to find out about each staff member's project.
The Truman Lake Community Foundation was founded almost 25 years ago, and since then has distributed more than $5.6 million in grants to our community. The foundation offers a way for donors to invest locally and also enhance the quality of life of those in our community. If you are interested in learning how you can make a difference, visit www.thetlcf.com or email trumanlakefoundation@gmail.com
The Clinton School District is excited to join other school districts across the region in celebrating teachers on the 2nd Tuesday of each month.
This month, we celebrated and recognized the outstanding work of Clinton Early Childhood Center preschool teacher, Mrs. Christy Staashelm. Christy has been an educator for 26 years, 17 of those years here in the Clinton School District. During this time, she has impacted hundreds of students. Christy does an amazing job of living out the values of the Clinton School District. Christy starts off the day by greeting every student as they enter the classroom. She does a great job of communicating with parents, and plans lessons that are meaningful to students allowing them to explore and experience their world on a deeper level. These lessons provide students with opportunities to be successful at any level, helping to move them forward. Christy uses Conscious Discipline strategies to help students with self-regulation which helps to promote kindness in the classroom. Mrs. Staashelm has also led an after school Garden Club for several years, allowing learning and exploration to continue for students after the regular school day.
"As a teacher, I get to share so many FIRSTS with my students. I proudly watch the "AHA" moments. Another proud teacher moment is when former students ask permission to be senior mentors in my classroom. With great honor I share many first days of school and last days of school before they head out to conquer new dreams."
We are so glad to have Mrs. Staashelm on our team and we celebrate her and the positive difference she is making in our Cardinals' lives.
Seventh grade students in Mr. Archambo's science class recently completed a lab over series and parallel circuits. Prior to this lab students had been learning about the different materials needed for circuits to function properly. In this lab, students created both parallel circuits and series circuits to understand the difference between each type of circuit and the benefits of both.
See more pictures here.
Mrs. McCoy's art classes at Henry Elementary School and Clinton Intermediate School look like so much fun, we wish we could join too! Take a look at what students have been creating and learning!
- First grade is doing a fantastic job drawing and painting owls. Students have had fun creating emotions on the owls' faces!
- Second graders are finishing up their watercolor paintings that include primary colors and a variety of Cardinal head shapes. Blending primary colors to make secondary colors has been a lot of fun for students!
- Kindergarten is learning all of the steps to use watercolor paints while also learning about different lines they can use to create art!
- Fifth graders learned about the art of mandalas before melting crayons to create their own mandalas using heated skillets.
See more pictures here.
Is your child enrolled in the Clinton School District and in need of cold weather gear (coat, hat, gloves)?
If so, please stop by the school's Coats for Cards event TONIGHT, Thursday, November 10th from 3:30-4:30 (limited quantities, while supplies last). This FREE event will be held at Clinton High School. Please enter the building through the UPSTAIRS DOORS on the northeast side of the school.
Don't miss our Talented Cardinals in this year's Fall Play, "Radium Girls".
Catch this production at Clinton High School's Performing Arts Center at one of the three showings listed below:
- November 11 @ 7:00
- November 12 @ 2:00 and 7:00
Tickets are $5. All veterans and active duty personnel receive free admission on Friday, November 11!
Parents, students, school staff and community members are invited to join the Clinton School District as we celebrate American Education Week, November 14-18. This annual week is sponsored in part by the U.S. Department of Education, and provides schools and communities the opportunity to recognize the accomplishments of public schools, and the essential role that educators play in the success of students.
The Clinton School District will be celebrating with A WEEK OF GRATITUDE!
There are several different ways that YOU can show your gratitude for educators in the Clinton School District next week.
- Businesses, organizations, and churches around town are encouraged to show support for our Cardinal educators with a positive message on their marquee or storefront (more info below).
- Digital postcards will be available next week for you to send a short and sweet message to an educator in the Clinton School District. Please watch our social media pages, website, and your email for more info.
We are incredibly proud to be part of such a supportive network who put children first and we can't wait to celebrate next week! GREAT SCHOOLS HAVE GREAT COMMUNITY SUPPORT AND GREAT COMMUNITIES HAVE GREAT PUBLIC SCHOOLS!
Next week you can help us PAINT THE TOWN RED AND BLUE and show appreciation for our amazing Cardinal educators who play an essential role in the success of our students and community.
We are asking businesses, churches, organizations, etc., to put encouraging messages to our Cardinal staff on their marquees or storefronts. If you choose to participate, please email a picture to alawson@clintoncardinals.org so that we can share these uplifting messages with our staff!
Next week, November 14-18, will be the district's annual food drive.
This community service project supports The Samaritan Center and Project Christmas Cheer. The Samaritan Center has asked that we collect the following items.
- Clinton Early Childhood Center-Pudding or Jello Mixes
- Henry Elementary and Clinton Intermediate School-Jiffy Mixes
- Clinton Middle School and Clinton High School-Saltine Crackers
Please help us meet the needs of our community by participating in this yearly event.
The winter sports season is upon us, and we want to make sure you know where you can catch our Cardinals in action this season!
The Clinton High School and Clinton Middle School athletic calendar can now be found on the HOME PAGE of the district website (www.clintoncardinals.org). Click on the "Athletics/Activities" tab at the top (see image 1 below) and here you will find athletic/activity information, including the calendar for all activities (see image 2 below).
Some important things to note:
- You no longer need to navigate to the high school or middle school webpages to find athletic events for either of these schools. All events are on the calendar mentioned above.
- As changes are made to the schedule, this calendar will be updated to reflect those changes.
- If you see "more events" listed on a date, please click it to view other calendar events for that day.
- Download our app (Clinton School District) to easily access the calendar. Choose the "athletics" icon in the middle of the page (see image 3 below) to find all athletic information and calendar.
- If you would like an additional way to stay informed of activity changes, the Activities Department has created a Remind link-https://www.remind.com/join/9388ck. There is a cap of 150 members per link. PLEASE ONLY JOIN ONCE!
- Don't forget to follow the Clinton Cardinal Activities Facebook page to stay informed!
Did you know that several teachers and groups in our district use social media as a communication tool for sharing information with parents and our community?
Make sure you check out our Social Media Directory at at the link below. It can also be found on our website under the "Stay Connected" tab.
If you would like to receive text messages regarding transportation-related issues (ie, buses running late, buses being combined, etc.) please complete the form below.
Please be aware this is for transportation-related communication ONLY.
**AFTER PROVIDING YOUR NUMBER YOU MUST TEXT Y TO 67587. IF YOU FAIL TO DO THIS, YOU WILL NOT RECEIVE TEXT MESSAGES.**
The district has the following job openings. You can learn more and apply online at this link:
https://clintonsd.tedk12.com/hire/Index.aspx
- Paraprofessional (CECC)
- Speech Language Pathologist (Henry)
- Special Education Teacher (Henry)
We wanted to follow-up with you regarding an email we sent several week ago. In this email we shared with you that the federal program that allowed all meals for all students to be free (regardless of income) had ended.
What does this mean for your family?
- Free and reduced meals are still available for those who qualify. If you have not completed a form this year, and would like to determine if you qualify, you can find a form here or request one from your child's school office.
- Please be aware that even if your child qualifies for free/reduced meals, there are still circumstances where they will be charged full-price for food/drink items.
- A la carte items (CMS/CHS)
- Choosing extra entrees as they go through the lunch line (CHS)
- Getting a second chance breakfast after having a regular breakfast earlier in the morning (CHS)
- Extra milk with breakfast/lunch (all schools)
- Snack milk (Henry Elementary)
- While the district has not denied any student a meal because of a negative balance, it is important that student meal accounts are kept in good standing. You can pay in one of two ways:
- You can send money with your child to turn into their school office.
- You can pay online here. **Please note, you must have a PowerSchool Parent Portal account before you can submit through RevTrak. Please contact your child's school office to set-up this PowerSchool Parent Portal account.** School meal prices are available here.
- Families will start receiving phone calls if their child's meal account is -$20 or more. We ask that families provide payment for these outstanding balances in one of the ways listed above.
We thank you in advance for your attention to this very important matter and ask that you please reach out to your child's school should you have any questions.
The district calendar can be found below.
You can find a dedicated website calendar for the district and each building at the links below. You can also subscribe to each calendar to have events uploaded to your personal online calendar.
District calendar
Clinton Early Childhood Center calendar
Henry Elementary School calendar
Clinton Intermediate School calendar
Clinton Middle School calendar
Clinton High School calendar
Clinton Technical School calendar
