April 10, 2025

Personnel

At last night’s meeting, the Board approved the hiring of four new administrators, all effective July 1.

Dr. Ben Johnston, administrative intern at Babler Elementary
Abby Smith, coordinator of professional learning
Raechal Catalano, administrative intern at Wild Horse Elementary
Patrick McCart, coordinator of maintenance and grounds services

Ben replaces Dr. Michelle Fitzsimmons, who has been announced as the next Babler principal, Abby replaces Dr. Dawnette Wiskur, who is retiring at the end of the school year, Raechal replaces Dr. Erin Koch, who has been announced as the next Kellison principal and Patrick replaces Bill Branson, who is retiring at the end of the school year.

Read more about Dr. Johnston, Mrs. Smith, Mrs. Catalano and Mr. McCart.

Reorganization Meeting

On election day, voters in the Rockwood School District decided upon candidates for two open seats on the Board of Education. The following members were sworn into office at the Board’s reorganization meeting.

Three-Year Terms: Sarah Boyer and Dr. Mara Vorachek-Warren.

Lynne Midyett was re-elected as Board president and Tammy Rhomberg as Board vice president. Cyndee Byous was re-elected treasurer. Janet Sadowski was re-elected as secretary to the Board of Education. Learn more about the reorganization meeting.

Superintendent Comments

In his Superintendent Comments at the April 10, 2025, Board of Education meeting, Dr. Curtis Cain shared the following updates:

Earlier this week, the Meramec River again experienced a major flooding event that impacted the Eureka High campus. While the crest Tuesday morning was not as high as it was in the fall, the athletic fields south of the school were still covered with water, and we closed the south entrance and instituted modified drop-off and pick-up procedures on Tuesday due to some water reaching the parking lot. I would like to, again, thank our district facilities team, our local police and fire officials and the students, staff and families of Eureka High for their cooperation and crucial assistance this week as we ensured we could safely hold school with minimal disruption to the learning day. I would also like to thank the City of Eureka for allowing us to use their ball fields for team practices while ours were not accessible.
Each spring, the Rockwood School District invites all stakeholders to participate in a Community Survey to provide feedback around topics that include leadership, academics, character education, culture and belonging in Rockwood. The survey is anonymous, and all students, staff, parents and community members are invited and encouraged to participate. The survey is open through Friday, April 18 and can be accessed by visiting the home page of the district website, rsdmo.org. Thank you for taking the time to add your input about how we can continue to make Rockwood a great place to learn and grow.
Stanton Elementary’s Jordan Espinosa, LaSalle Springs Middle’s Bryan Tenny and Lafayette High’s Brad Balog are Rockwood’s 2025-2026 grade-level Teachers of the Year. These three outstanding educators were chosen from among our 31 building-level Teachers of the Year and are under consideration to be named Rockwood’s district Teacher of the Year, which will be announced at the ROSE Awards Ceremony on April 27. I had the honor of being among the group of students, staff and family members who surprised these teachers with the good news at their schools on Wednesday.
Eureka High Associate Principal Sarah Goodman earned the 2024-2025 High School Assistant Principal of the Year from the St. Louis Association of Secondary School Principals. The award recognizes assistant principals who have succeeded in providing high-quality learning opportunities for students as well as demonstrating exemplary contributions to the profession. Sarah is now eligible for state and national Assistant Principal of the Year recognition. Her family and Eureka students, staff and other colleagues were on hand to celebrate her last week. Let’s watch.

To view Dr. Cain's entire Superintendent Comments from the meeting, click here.

Patron Comments

There were no patron comments at last night's meeting.

Agenda Items

School Bus Driver Appreciation Proclamation - The Board approved the proclamation designating April 22, 2025 and May 10, 2025 as School Bus Driver Appreciation Days. By recognizing the national and state School Bus Driver Appreciation Days, we encourage all district personnel, patrons and students to recognize the vital role of school bus drivers and our transportation staff and their contributions to the education and safety of our students. Read the proclamation.

Board Discussion

Review of April 24, 2025 Board of Education Meeting Date - Board members and Cabinet members reviewed the April 24, 2025 Board of Education meeting date. View the planning calendar.

**Board meeting agendas are available to view the Saturday before regularly scheduled Board meetings on BoardDocs.**