U City School District to Honor Outstanding Students

The School District of University City Board of Education will honor the accomplishments of students at its monthly meeting Thursday, May 16. 

Superintendent of Schools Joylynn Pruitt said she believes the recognitions are a good reminder to the Board and District as a whole about the reason they exist – to serve students.

“I have high standards for our students and expect them to do great things, but even so, I am always impressed with how talented our students are," she said in a press release."Hearing about their accomplishments inspires us to continue to challenge them academically and expose them to limitless opportunities.”

University City High School

University City High School National Merit Scholarship winner. Ethan Farber, a senior at University City High School, was selected from a pool of 1,500 semifinalists as a National Merit Finalist and winner of a $2,500 scholarship.

Farber was chosen for the honor based on his academic record, two sets of test scores, activities, leadership, essay, recommendation and UCHS’s curriculum and grading system.

Jackson Park Elementary School

Xavier Morgan-Gillard, a fourth-grader at Jackson Park Elementary School was selected as a first-place winner in the Major League Baseball and Scholastic Inc. 2013 In Life” essay contest, which drew 18,700 submissions.

Brittany Woods Middle School

The Duke University Talent Identification program, also known as Duke TIP, was founded in 1980 and is dedicated to the cultivation and education of talented youth

Duke TIP's 7th Grade Talent Search identifies academically promising 7th graders based on standardized test scores achieved while attending elementary or middle school. 

Allen Buckner, Ethan Braeske, Catherine Hoff and David White participated in the program and were named State Recognition qualifiers for scoring at or above the national average of high school juniors or seniors who tested on at least one part of the SAT or the ACT. 

Flynn Park Elementary School

Three Gifted and Talented Education fifth-graders at Flynn Park Elementary School won medals for their participation in the spring and fall sessions of the Stock Market Game financial literacy program.

In the spring, Henry Giles and Marcus Phillips won first place in their division and $109,452.53 in virtual earnings. Henry’s and Marcus’ winnings were not only the largest amount earned in their division, but also the largest amount earned by any elementary team in both events.

In the fall, Connors Sheehan and Marcus won second place in their division and $100,442.47 in virtual earnings.

Stock Market Game teams work together in a live trading simulation to grow their $100,000 virtual cash accounts into the best-performing portfolio. In the process, participants develop leadership, organization, negotiation and cooperation skills.

Barbara C. Jordan Elementary School

Barbara Jordan Elementary student selected for St. Louis Children’s Choir. Jordan Jones, a fifth-grader at Barbara C. Jordan Elementary School, has been selected to sing with the St. Louis Children’s Choir.

The St. Louis Children’s Choir offers young artists world-class performance opportunities and a choral music experience that emphasizes musical excellence and character education. Approximately 500 singers (ages 6 to 18) from more than 230 schools in Missouri and Illinois share their gifts and talents on stage.

The St. Louis Children’s Choir just completed a performance at Powell Symphony Hall on May 12.

Scholarship Donation

Molly Rifkin, an alumna who graduated from University City High School in 1951, is donating $5,000 to create a scholarship fund in the name of her late husband, Shale Rifkin, M.D. The award, named the Shale Marshall Rifkin, M.D., University City High School Class of 1941 Student Achievement Memorial Scholarship, will be distributed to one student per year for five years.

A $1,000 scholarship will be awarded annually to a graduating senior who has displayed exceptional performance in one or more of the following areas: academics, citizenship, sportsmanship and community service.

This year’s recipient is George Brown, a senior at UCHS, who is an outstanding football athlete.

Rifkin is also donating $5,000 to create a scholarship fund in the name of her late brother, Alvin Ostrow. The award, named the Alvin Martin Ostrow Class of 1945 Student Achievement Memorial Scholarship, has the same criteria and distribution plan for the award created in Rifkin’s late husband’s name.

This year’s recipient is Daniel Politte, a senior at UCHS who scored a perfect score of 36 on the ACT college admission and placement exam.

Shale Marshall Rifkin, M.D., was an outstanding student and athlete. He was an All-State football player and champion wrestler. After graduating from UCHS, he attended Washington University for his undergraduate degree, medical school and specialized in surgery.

Dr. Rifkin was a highly-respected surgeon and member of the St. Louis community.

Alvin Martin Ostrow was an exceptional student who loved history and graduated in the upper third of his class. Ostrow read incessantly and balanced a challenging course load including History I, History II and Government all at the same time. He was loved by his teachers and admired for his “prince-charming like face.”

After graduating from UCHS, he attended St. Louis University and worked as an employee in the large-appliance section of Sears, Roebuck and Co.

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