CUBA – Various Crawford County R-2 administrators reported on Oct. 28 that the first quarter of the school year was a success in multiple facets. 

Cuba Elementary School Principal Tess Green said that all of the students have taken at least one field trip so far. She said that elementary school students have been to the apple orchard, first and second grade students visited the pumpkin patch, third grade students went to the Missouri State Capitol in Jefferson City and fourth graders traveled to the St. Louis Zoo. 

She also reported that the second grade concert was a huge success and that the school has been receiving great feedback on new music teacher Reghan Martin.

“I know this is my only second year in the district, so I can’t speak on too many past music teachers we’ve had, but our parents were really impressed, as was I (with Martin),” Green said. “She broke out rhythm sticks during the concert instead of just having the students on the riser singing. It was very moving for parents to see that it’s not just a special area, that those kids are getting a great education in those special area classes too, and those that have a passion for music had their time to shine that night. And so it was very cool.” 

Cuba elementary school’s next concert will be a fourth grade performance on Nov. 13 in a celebration of Veterans Day. 

Cuba Middle School principal Marie Shoemaker also had positive reports about her students’ recent field trips. She said that fifth grade students also visited the zoo and eighth grade students visited the State Penitentiary in Jefferson City.

“No one got locked in any cells, so it was a win for the day,” Shoemaker joked.

She added that the school’s title meetings with parents coincided with the Book Fair, which helped attendance for those meetings. 

“Every kiddo of the parents that came got a free book voucher so they could go to the Book Fair and get a book free,” Shoemaker said. “They didn’t have to pay anything for that. There was no limit on the price or anything. We had about 20 kids that got a free book from the book fair.”

Cuba High School Principal Michael Clutts reported that students were “having a blast” with Halloween spirit week, and things are going well at the school otherwise. Board member Rodger Bridgeman Jr. said about 30 Cuba High School students attended the regional college fair in Rolla and students were  “very respectful and very kind.”

“I think they got some really good information. A lot of those kids showed up on my data report afterwards of what colleges and what places they were looking at,” Bridgeman said.

In other business, an agenda item to discuss creating a Cuba High School soccer team was tabled by the board because three of the seven board members weren’t in attendance for the meeting. 

Rich Bratcher spoke in the citizens participation portion of the meeting and advocated for having high school soccer, citing the improved behavior and academics from student athletes on the Inferno Club team he coaches. Between 20 and 30 of the more than 300 members of the Cuba Soccer Program attended to show their support for the initiative. 

Cuba High School students were surveyed about their interest in soccer. Athletic Director Ryan Okenfuss was in attendance to present the results, but was asked to come back to next month’s meeting in lieu of the missing board members. 

The next board meeting will take place on Nov. 20 at 6 p.m. at the Cuba Central Office.