Young Heart Ambassadors Take Center Stage at Fox C-6 Board Meeting
ARNOLD — Two young Fox C-6 students delivered the most memorable moments of the July 14 Board of Education meeting, sharing their personal experiences with heart conditions while encouraging the community to continue supporting the American Heart Association.
Hannah Caputa, who will enter fifth grade at Rockport Heights Elementary School, told the board she was born with a condition called an anomalous right coronary artery and underwent open-heart surgery when she was 6 years old.
Hannah served as an American Heart Association Heart Ambassador last year and will continue in the role during the upcoming school year. She has also helped teach other children about hands-only CPR through a video shown at schools throughout the St. Louis area.
“I am proud to be a heart ambassador again this year because I can share my story to people who understand heart conditions, but also spread awareness to people who may not understand,” Hannah said.
She said she hoped Fox C-6 schools could raise even more money during the coming year to support children and adults with heart conditions.
Nine-year-old Zander Cruz, a student at Hodge Elementary School, also addressed the board. Zander explained that he was born with a bicuspid aortic valve and a heart murmur.
The condition means one of his heart valves has two openings instead of the usual three. Zander said his aorta is enlarged and that he may eventually require surgery as an adult.
Zander has participated in the American Heart Association’s Kids Heart Challenge since kindergarten and has consistently ranked among the district’s leading fundraisers. American Heart Association representative Kerry Backard said Zander raised approximately $1,000 during the most recent campaign.
“I love being a part of the American Heart Association because I love raising money and spreading awareness for other kids and people like me,” Zander told the board.
Backard said eight Fox C-6 schools participated in the Kids Heart Challenge last year, providing heart-health information to approximately 3,800 students and families. The participating schools raised more than $21,000 for the American Heart Association.
The organization also recognized Fox C-6 for its lengthy history of participation. Backard presented the district with a Million Dollar Club poster celebrating the cumulative support Fox schools have provided over the years.
She described Fox C-6’s relationship with the association as one of the longest-running school district partnerships in Missouri.
The Kids Heart Challenge teaches students about exercise, sleep, nutrition and other habits that can protect their cardiovascular health. It also introduces children and their families to hands-only CPR.
Backard said the goal is to prepare children rather than leave them frightened during an emergency. She shared the story of a fourth-grade student who helped perform CPR on her father after he collapsed from cardiac arrest.
The presentation also addressed cardiac emergency response plans. Missouri school districts are expected to have plans in place for responding to cardiac emergencies during the upcoming school year, including emergencies that may happen during evening or weekend activities.
Backard encouraged districts to ensure automated external defibrillators are centrally located and accessible rather than locked in offices that may not be open during after-hours events.
Literacy Data Shows Fox Below State Average
The board also received an extensive update on literacy instruction and the district’s Reading Success Plans.
Assistant Superintendent of Teaching and Learning Dr. Tracy Haggerty said the plans are required for students who are reading one or more grade levels below expectations. The plans identify interventions that may include small-group instruction, individual assistance or specialized literacy classes.
Approximately 22.7% of Fox C-6 students from kindergarten through eighth grade currently have Reading Success Plans. That includes 28.5% of elementary students and 11.9% of middle school students.
Haggerty said the statewide average is approximately 42%, placing Fox C-6 nearly 20 percentage points below the state average for students reading at least one grade level behind.
“While we’d love to see 100%, we know that not all of our kids are learning the same,” Haggerty said. “We’re doing the best we can to put those literacy supports in place for them.”
The district will expand Reading Success Plans into the high schools during the coming year as students who already have plans move into ninth grade.
Fox C-6 has also begun transition conferences between elementary, middle and high school educators to ensure information about struggling readers follows students as they move between buildings.
The district is using several programs based on the science of reading and has incorporated literacy standards into subjects beyond English language arts. Haggerty said handwriting instruction, including cursive, has also been included in the district’s elementary Amplify curriculum.
Superintendent Dr. Paul Fregeau praised teachers and intervention specialists for taking on the additional responsibilities associated with the literacy requirements while districts face pressure on state funding.
New Curriculum Approved
The board approved updated high school science and business curricula.
The science curriculum includes Physics in the Earth, Pre-AP Physics in the Earth and Environmental Science. Biology and chemistry curricula had previously been presented to the board.
District officials said the curriculum was aligned with Missouri Learning Standards, ACT expectations and state assessment requirements.
The business curriculum included work on 13 elective courses developed over approximately three years. The district said the courses were updated to reflect current technology and workplace expectations.
Students are required to complete personal finance as a graduation requirement, while other business offerings remain elective courses.
Administrators said the pacing guides were also adjusted to accommodate the district’s upcoming transition to block scheduling.
District Prepares for School’s Return
Fregeau reminded families that online registration for new and returning students is available through Infinite Campus.
School supply lists have also been posted on the district website, and families were encouraged to complete applications for free and reduced-price meals.
Fregeau said those applications can provide benefits beyond breakfast and lunch, including reduced testing fees, reduced Chromebook insurance costs and eligibility for some scholarships. Participation also affects the amount of federal funding the district receives.
The superintendent noted that the first day of school was 42 days away at the time of the meeting.
Although preparations for the new year were discussed, the board did not receive or discuss any proposed changes to school buses, transportation procedures or bus routes during the meeting.
Board Approves Facility Projects
The board approved a contract to install 449 lighting dimmers in classrooms across 12 schools.
The project will cost slightly more than $500,000 and will be funded through existing capital-project money in the maintenance budget.
District officials said the project was requested by teachers who wanted greater control over classroom lighting. Teachers have sometimes covered or altered lighting fixtures to create a more comfortable environment for students.
Officials said the dimmers may reduce electricity use, but the savings cannot be reliably calculated because individual teachers will determine how much lighting they use.
The district received only two bids for the work. Administrators acknowledged that errors in the district’s original bid documents may have created confusion among potential bidders.
The contract was approved with two board members voting in opposition.
The board also approved a $634,429 bid from Accurate Paving for asphalt replacement at Sherwood Elementary School, Rockport Heights Elementary School and Fox Athletic Drive.
The overall project remains below the district’s $700,000 budget, which also included separate grading work at Rockport Heights to address an area that regularly collects water and leaves part of the playground and parking area unusable after rain.
Other approvals included an agreement to hold the district’s 2027 graduation ceremonies at Chaifetz Arena, a $73 hourly overtime rate for Arnold police officers working outside their regular school-resource-officer duties and a contract with Mercy Sports Medicine for athletic training services at both high schools.
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