School
Teacher sues after Facebook fiasco
A Columbia Middle School teacher filed suit in Monroe County court earlier this month after a false Facebook post that attributed racist comments to her circulated online. Elizabeth Kanyuck is…
Read MoreCuller: teaching in Columbia was ‘dream come true’
A Columbia teacher who has affected almost three decades of youngsters is now retired, as Jeanie Culler called it quits at the end of the school year. Culler taught second…
Read MoreSix new coronavirus cases reported in Monroe County
Monroe County reported six new COVID-19 cases between Monday and Tuesday, bringing the overall total to 115. Monroe County Health Department Administrator John Wagner said two of the new cases…
Read MoreRetiring teacher livened up classroom
The self-described “oldest teacher in the building” is now retired from Waterloo High School, as math teacher Stephen Livengood stepped down after 22 years with the district. During his time…
Read MoreSchmersahl ‘grateful and blessed’ for career
When she first joined the Columbia School District, Linda Schmersahl was hired as a substitute teacher for a kindergarten teacher who was on sick leave. When that teacher did not…
Read MoreMueller elected state FFA president
The Illinois FFA held its annual convention over the weekend, with the proceedings taking place online due to COVID-19. At this first virtual convention, Valmeyer High School graduate Lexi Mueller…
Read MoreMonroe County tops 100 coronavirus cases
It took roughly 10 weeks from the first reported case, but Monroe County passed the century mark of coronavirus cases last week. There are now 107 cases of the virus…
Read MoreLongtime Columbia teacher retires
When Denise Cogo started teaching kindergarten at Parkview Elementary School in Columbia in the fall of 1998, she took over for Linda Schmersahl, who was on maternity leave. Cogo did…
Read MoreWHS student is Entrepreneur of the Year
The Monroe County startUP program recently announced this year’s winner of the Entrepreneur of the Year Award. Using a combination of a rubric from the class trade show and the…
Read MoreLongtime WHS art teacher retires
While the typical fanfare may not be accompanying teachers who retired at the end of this school year, their contributions have still been felt by generations of students. None of…
Read MoreColumbia School Board OKs roof work
The Columbia School Board decided how to address the parts of the roof at Columbia High School in need of immediate work, choosing an option that involved a mix of…
Read MoreCDC offers reopening guidelines
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recently released six “decision trees” aimed at helping decision makers as they look to reopen amid the coronavirus pandemic. The guidelines cover schools,…
Read More