![The Ladue School District School Board held an open meeting Dec. 11 to wrap up the calendar year and discuss policy changes for next year. One such agenda item was changes to the Ladue Middle School curriculum for the 2025-26 school year, which included the addition of broadcast courses. “We're excited about that option, the trajectory that goes into [Ladue] High School,” Angela Thompson, Ladue Middle School principal, said. “We want to be able to have that opportunity.”](https://laduepublications.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/DSC07353.jpg)
At an open School Board meeting Dec. 11, Treasurer Sheldon Johnson announced his plans to resign from the board Dec. 12. Johnson has served on the board since April 2016 — his seat is one of two that is open for election April 2025.
“I’m going to be resigning from the board in writing tomorrow to President Rosen,” Johnson said. “I want to thank everybody for the 104 months that I’ve served on the school board. It was great to serve with the administration and past and present board members.”
At the meeting, the board discussed course changes to Ladue Middle School and reviewed financial and district goal documents.
Superintendent Jim Wipke led a review on the 2024-25 District Goals, highlighting points of pride and areas of improvement for the 2025-26 year. He emphasized the need for more mental health wellness initiatives, highlighting the Student Advisory Committee’s role in providing feedback for the programs. The Student Advisory Committee is made up of Ladue High School students who were appointed by building administration, as well as students that opted-in.
“One of the things that we felt like, as a board and also as a cabinet, is we need to take time to get student feedback,” Wipke said. “We just did a work session where we had questions that were connected to each district goal, and we invited the student advisory council to come in, sit down with the board and give them feedback.”
One such initiative is “No Place for Hate,” a national program which has been implemented within the Ladue School District to decrease the prevalence of bullying. It was created based on data collected from a Panorama survey, in which 75-78% of respondents cited bullying as a major concern, according to Wipke. He, alongside others, hopes to emphasize the program’s importance throughout the school year.
“I really push it hard with our principals,” Wipke said. “It can’t be just a one day event. That’s why I mention it a lot at board meetings, I continue to talk about it at our principals meetings [and] we continue to share out what we’re doing in our schools.”
In addition to policy items, the School Board recognized student and staff accomplishments. They commended the Ladue Middle School Science Olympiad team for their first, second and third place ranking at Washington University in St. Louis’ tournament held Nov. 23, as well as Elle Saleeby (9) and Josie Saleeby’s (8) finalist placement at the 2025 National STEM Festival.
The board also congratulated Reed Elementary School kindergarten teacher Jena Dennett for receiving the December Excellence in Education award.
“Jena is a master teacher,” Reed Elementary School principal Chris Schreiner said. “She knows the curriculum like the back of her hand. She meets every student’s needs: average learner, gifted learner, student with disabilities, shy student, medically fragile students and the list goes on and on.”
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Elle Saleeby (9) and Josie Saleeby (8) were commended for their efforts in the 2025 National Stem Festival at the School Board meeting Dec. 11. The two are now finalists, and are awaiting their results for Phase 2 of the process. “They were among thousands of student applicants from across the nation, from which only 400 were selected,” Ladue School District Director of Communications Kimberly McKenzie said. “This is a huge accomplishment.”
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Reed Elementary School kindergarten teacher Jena Dennett received the December Excellence in Education award. After a video presentation that contained moments of Dennett teaching and a speech by Reed Elementary School principal Chris Schriener, Dennett took to the stage to accept her award. “Thank you to my mom, my role model, and to all of the strong women in my life who have helped shape me into the teacher I am today, raising strong students,” Dennett said. “Teaching is by far the most rewarding job, and I am so thankful that the Ladue School District has given me the opportunity to do what I love.”
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The Ladue Middle School Science Olympiad teams were recognized at the School Board meeting for their first, second and third place rankings at Washington University in St. Louis’ tournament Nov. 23. The program has already received many accolades, having been commended as state champions 18 times and national qualifiers 28 times in its 36 year history. “Our success is easily attributed to the work of our students, parents and the coaches that have put in a tremendous amount of time and often own money to create high level resources for our kids,” Ladue Middle School Science Olympiad Director Michael Clay said.
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