Fort Osage's Jason Snodgrass named Missouri superintendent of the year

Fort Osage Superintendent Jason Snodgrass was named superintendent of the year by the Missouri Association of School Administrators, but the seventh-year leader sees the award as an honor for the entire district. “This recognition is truly a reflection of all of the good work taking place in our classrooms,” he said.

Watch: A shining Girls on the Run 5k day

The morning’s cold rain turned into a sprinkle and vanished altogether as crisp sunlight broke out over the 2022 Fall Girls on the Run 5K just as hundreds of girls, parents, siblings and coaches crowded to the starting line Saturday. Check out our video and photo gallery.

Boom! LINC's Lights On Afterschool 2022 events are rocketing, now with video

Our annual Lights On Afterschool celebrations got off to a world-traveling start at Lee A. Tolbert Community Academy, painting and chili-eating at J.A. Rogers Elementary, rocket-fuel explosions at Warford, a fashion show at Faxon . . . and there is so much more throughout LINC’s Caring Communities. Check out our video and photo gallery.

'This is our heart': Building schools of character

Character Counts is foundational. Speaking the program’s name invokes the six pillars of moral living that LINC’s team members learn and carry into their Caring Communities. It guides the lessons and meaningful moments they share with children in their classrooms every day.

Welcome back! This is what Caring Communities look like

Yes, there will be plenty of all the creative fun that kids enjoy in LINC’s before- and after-school programs, but just as reliable are the broader supports LINC’s Caring Communities bring to the children, families and neighborhoods.

Fort Osage breaks ground on new gymnasium

Step by step, the Fort Osage School District keeps working through that list of priority projects set in the district’s community-driven master plan. The latest: Groundbreaking for a new gymnasium.

Simon says: No stopping the possibilities for LINC's big summer

“Do your favorite dance move!” was the Simon Says command, and in a moment LINC children launched into an dazzling array of gyrations, spins and leg kicks — as varied and entertaining as LINC’s menu of summer recreational and educational fun.

NKC Schools' bond/levy issues highlight April 5 election with area school board races

For the second time in two years, the growing North Kansas City School District is asking voters to approve no-tax-increase ballot measures. NKC’s bond issue and levy transfer highlight election day April 5 along with a host of important school board races across most of LINC’s partner districts.

Fort Osage State of the District, 2022: 'Going above and beyond'

Thanks to students, staff and the community “going above and beyond,” Fort Osage has overcome many challenges to stay on course for a “wonderful” 2022, Superintendent Jason Snodgrass said in his annual State of the District address.

LINC's Girls on the Run, Let Me Run boys and their fans celebrate 5K triumphs

Talk about your perfect days. Girls on the Run and the Let Me Run boys program set out in gorgeous fall weather for their big 5K runs Saturday, and we’ve got photos.

Fort Osage breaks ground on new administration, transportation facility

The Fort Osage school board and its constituents had a pretty big wish list for its community and its construction partners when it put two ballot issues before voters last April. Thursday morning, the first ceremonial shovels of dirt got turned for the big-ticket item — a new building for transportation, maintenance and administration.

'Whatever children and teachers need,' GEHA team delivers for Cler-Mont Elementary

Just get all the teachers to put together a list. Then GEHA representatives Karen Rutherford and Niki Nelson said they’d take it from there. See what it means to Cler-Mont Elementary School in the Fort Osage School District.

Fort Osage schools to turn closed highway road stop into mecca of real-world learning

“The possibilities are endless,” said Fort Osage Superintendent Jason Snodgrass. The beloved JBZ's Rockin' B & Mercantile, closed during the pandemic, will become a student-run coffee shop and community event space across five acres of land.

School bonds, levies win big; KC earnings tax triumphs; school board races tight

Bond issues, levies and the earnings tax won big, but many school board races ran tight. See how the final, unofficial totals came out in the April 6 election for our partner school districts.

What’s on your ballot? School bond and levy issues, KC earnings tax, go before voters in April

Several area school districts hope to gain voter support for ballot measures April 6 to improve facilities, increase security and enhance athletics and arts experiences. And Kansas City’s 1% earnings tax will also be on the ballot.

Updates: Students returning to classrooms as Covid cases fall, with new CDC guidance

t’s been a long road. That’s for sure. But continued declines in Covid-19 cases plus more aggressive advice from the Centers for Disease Control are opening the doors for Kansas City Public Schools, Hickman Mills and Center to bring students back into in-person classrooms in the weeks ahead. And other districts hope to bring more students into already-open buildings.

LINC expands community efforts to bust pandemic's barriers for children and families

The mother’s needs came tumbling out like the insides of a dumped suitcase. This was going to take some doing — finding temporary storage, relief from utility bill debt in the thousands of dollars, and fulfilling her child’s prayer that her family would get a new home by her birthday.

Neighborhood schooling: LINC carries aid to families during pandemic

The path to this moment — when tears slipped from a grandmother’s eyes — had wound its way door by door through neighborhoods that are hurting. Like many of LINC’s Caring Communities site coordinators, Danisha Clarkson was out in the field helping her partner school reach families of children who were unaccounted for or needed help in the new school year . . .

Destination unknown: Schools go boldly (with mixed plans) into new year with Covid

Here’s hoping that every school district will be able to say in the end that they planned right for Covid. Because, with no clear path through the pandemic, schools open the year vulnerable to second-guessing, whether all online or inside buildings with their teachers.

'Acting together to save lives': Schools close, focus on aid to families

LINC and area school districts now focus on how to help families get vital services of food, child care and internet connectivity as the coronavirus turns lives inside-out.