Superintendent's Message

February 2020

Greetings Cardinal Fans,

 It is hard to believe that February is almost over.  The school year is flying by, and I am hopeful that spring-like weather is just around the corner.  As I write this letter, our high school boys’ basketball team is preparing to play in the District 15 Championship Game, and our Lady Cardinals have completed a much-improved season. We are hopeful for a couple more Cardinal victories yet this season, but no matter what, we are proud of our students, coaches, and fans for a fantastic season. We are also looking forward to coming together in the 2020-2021 school year with our great neighbors to the east, the Osborn Wildcats. If you haven’t heard the news, both of our school districts have agreed to join forces as one and form a full-on athletic coop. I believe the most significant advantage for our schools coming together is that it will provide all of our students with more meaningful opportunities to develop as student-athletes. 

As I walk the halls, I am excited to hear our band students working together as a singular unit and as solos and ensembles in preparation for their spring contest events.  We are delighted to announce that we will be hosting the MSSBDA – Band Day on March 28th with our band set to be the first performance of the day.  The high school district solo and ensemble contest is scheduled for March 27th in St. Joseph.  These are such great opportunities for students, and no doubt have a positive impact on the overall quality of our band program.  We wish them all the best of luck.

The high school Academic Team has begun preparing for another Jeopardy-like season and is set to compete in their first meet on March 5th in Tarkio. Our high school and junior high track teams will have their first practice of the spring on March 2nd.  I also want to remind everyone that our newly formed Osborn/Stewartsville High School Baseball team begins practice on March 2nd as well. Their first regular game of the season is scheduled to be played on March 24th at West Nodaway. 

Our FFA students are also preparing for their spring Career Development Events.  Lots of work is being put in by the students to prepare for their contest events.  I want to wish them all well, and best of luck as they represent our school and community throughout the spring.

In conclusion, it is great to see so many of our students engaged in extra-curricular and inter-curricular activities. I want to encourage our students to continue to find their niche and to get involved. The more a student is involved in school activities, the more impactful their overall school experience will be. These experiences also teach them the importance of teamwork, commitment, and determination, which are skills that will help them throughout life no matter what their future career path might be.

 As always, do not hesitate to contact me if you have any questions or concerns. I am here to serve our students and you as members of the Cardinal community.

 We look forward to seeing you at #TheNest.

Michael Stephenson

Superintendent 

 816-669-3792 

mstephenson@stewartsville.k12.mo.us