School Back in Session For Everyone in Ladue and Frontenac

The roads will soon be packed with yellow school buses. Kids will be walking along the sidewalks and riding their bikes to school. Car pools drivers will be queuing up to the doors to drop off and pick up their school aged children. The lights will be burning in many of the buildings late into the night. School will be back in session soon.

Here’s a look at school hours, enrollment, changes to facilities and staffs at schools in Ladue and Frontenac.

Community School

First day of class: Monday, Aug. 29

School hours: 8 a.m.-3:05 p.m.

Enrollment: 345 students from preschool through sixth grade

New construction/programs: Installation of the school’s original “Wings in the City” butterfly garden for senior kindergarten through third grade, introduction of the renowned Singapore Math curriculum

John Burroughs

First day of class: All schools, all levels Monday, Aug. 29

Hours for each building: Monday through Thursday 8 a.m.-4:30 p.m.

Enrollment: 600 students

New leaders/construction: English teacher Jill Donovan becomes the director of academics. Regulation soccer field for boys’ and girls’ program is completed and additional field is under construction for boys’ varsity lacrosse.

MICDS

First day of class: Tuesday, Aug. 23.

Hours for each building: Lower School 8 a.m.-3 p.m., Middle School, 8 a.m.-3:15 p.m., Upper School 8 a.m.-3:10 p.m.

Enrollment: 1,220 total students with 200 in the Lower School, 420 in the Middle School and 600 in the Upper School

New Leaders/Construction: Scott Small is principal of the upper School, and Tom Wyman is the director of technology.

The Hermann Squash Center was constructed during the last school year and opened in March, adding five new courts to the recreation center on the MICDS campus. Over the summer, the Orthwein Theater on the Upper School campus was renovated, including new carpeting, seating, safety railings, paint, spotlight platforms and improvements to the light and sound systems.

Ladue School District

First day of class: Monday, Aug. 15, Ladue Early Childhood Center first opens at its new location on Monday, Sept. 12.

Hours: Elementary schools 8:45 a.m.-3:35 p.m., middle school 8:05 a.m.-3 p.m. and high school 7:40 a.m.-2:20 p.m.

Enrollment: The district’s total is 4,040 students. Conway has 396 students, Old Bonhomme has 461 students, Reed has 493 students, Spoede has 477 students, Ladue Middle School has 948 and Ladue Horton Watkins High School has 1,265.

New leaders/new construction: Brian Garner moves from middle school to high school as the new activities director. Greg Baber moves from the high school (assistant principal) to become an assistant principal at the middle school. Derrick Wallace has been promoted to director of diversity, equity and safety. He also becomes safety coordinator for the district.

The only major construction is the completion of the new Ladue Early Childhood Center on the acquired Westminster Christian Academy campus.

St. Joseph’s Academy

First day of class: Wednesday, Aug. 17, freshman orientation is Aug. 15 and sophomore, junior and senior orientation is Aug. 16.

School hours: 8:05 a.m.-2:45 p.m.

Enrollment: 606 total, ninth through 12th grade

New leadership and construction: Anita Reznicek is the new president of the school. She has 23 years of experience at St. Teresa’s Academy in Kansas City, MO. The faculty copy room was renovated including adding air-conditioning. All classes are equipped with Smart Boards, and math teacher Kathy Siegel will pilot a multitouch Smart Board in her classroom. All teachers received new laptops.

Villa Duchesne and Oak Hill School

First day of class: Wednesday, Aug. 17 junior kindergarten through 12th grade

School hours: Campus open 7:30 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday-Friday.

Enrollment: 680 total

New leaders/construction: Therese Hagemeister, an alumna of Villa Duchesne, is the new director of enrollment management.

The main entrance to the school for grades 5-12 has been remodeled, offering outdoor seating, new landscaping and a water feature. The high school has wider lockers in bright colors, coded by grade level. The elementary students can now read on a new outdoor patio outside the 15,000-book library at Oak Hill School.

The school has a new, faster campus Internet connection, and the gymnasium floor and track have been resurfaced.