Missouri School Boards' Association

Three Rock Bridge High School students who developed artificial intelligence tools for potential use by the Columbia Police Department were named as finalists in a national competition this week.

The Police Department worked with the students over the winter as they developed AI tools to assist law enforcement. The students were named state champions for their project in the spring.

https://www.komu.com/news/midmissourinews/columbia-students-named-national-ai-championship-finalists-for-tools-for-police/article_2b614b82-3310-4241-ac76-0bdfd8961eb6.html?utm_source=SocialNewsDesk&utm_medium=facebook&utm_campaign=SND_facebook&fbclid=IwY2xjawSZXnVleHRuA2FlbQIxMQBicmlkETFKcWpiRExLbHoyY3JpaWNhc3J0YwZhcHBfaWQQMjIyMDM5MTc4ODIwMDg5MgABHui5bmxnLLYOaOwbhIUuXXHa9DnC7zrweJRMcUFi5VQ7bTY6osujOE2SL2yN_aem_YBiP_6y9CZixMXD40p4Qjw

Columbia students named national AI championship finalists for tools for police Three Rock Bridge High School students who developed artificial intelligence tools for potential use by the Columbia Police Department were named as finalists in a national competition this week.

With temperatures rising, more people are enjoying the outdoors. However, the number of mosquitoes is also on the rise. When 4th graders in Mrs. Eagan's and Mrs. Myers' science classes at Palmyra Elementary learned that a single bat can eat up to 2,500 mosquitoes in one night, they didn't just take notes. They studied the data and got to work.

The result? A non-toxic, kid-powered solution to a community problem — and a powerful reminder of what Missouri public school students can accomplish when learning leaves the classroom.

Link to the story in the comments.

Palmyra Missouri R-1 School District

Two Columbia Area Career Center Digital Media students earned national recognition at the 2026 SkillsUSA National Leadership and Skills Conference in Atlanta, Georgia recently.

Liliana Brown of Ashland and Harvey Munter of Columbia competed against the nation's top career and technical education students in the Digital Cinema Production competition, according to a release from Columbia Area Career Center.

Brown and Munter took third place nationally in the category of Digital Cinema Production, earning bronze medals. The pair also received the prestigious Best Breakthrough Filmmaker Award for their various filmmaking skills.

Ashland and Columbia filmmaking students earn national recognition Two Columbia Area Career Center Digital Media students earned national recognized at the 2026 SkillsUSA National Leadership and Skills Conference in Atlanta, Georgia from June 1st through the 5th.

MSBA's Melissa Randol and Sharon Horbyk were honored to take part in the recent Ribbon Cutting and Grand Opening celebration for the Morris L. Collins Early Childhood Center in Warrensburg. This new facility represents a major investment in the future of Warrensburg, providing high-quality early childhood education in a welcoming and innovative environment.

The center carries a name well known to MSBA. Morris Collins, who passed away in 2019, was a long-time member of the Warrensburg R-VI Board of Education and served as the Region 5 Representative on the MSBA Board of Directors. His commitment to education impacted the lives of countless students, and it's fitting that a place built for Warrensburg's youngest learners now bears his name.

Congratulations to MSBA's own Dr. Kim Ratcliffe, recognized as a distinguished four-time Mizzou alumna!

Her leadership of the MSBA Special Education Advocacy Council produced a decade of policy language adopted at the state and federal level — including recommendations that helped shape the 2004 reauthorization of IDEA. She testified before Congress and was recognized on the floor of the U.S. Senate for her work.

Kim also launched programs that still serve Missouri students today, including the MSBA Medicaid Consortium, which returns millions of dollars to Missouri schools every year; the Autism Educators' Network; a statewide nurse supervision initiative for rural districts; and a su***de prevention program for schools without mental health staff.

As one nominator put it: "Her legacy continues to shape how we prepare teachers, how we frame policy, and how we define excellence."

https://cehd.missouri.edu/2026/03/a-celebration-of-excellence-2026-annual-awards-ceremony/

Congratulations to MSBA’s Tim Pingleton, Full Maintenance Editor in our Policy Department, on leading a successful 2026 American Association of State Policy Services Conference as AASPS president!

Policy professionals from school board associations across the country gathered in Kansas City this week to connect, collaborate and discuss important policy issues facing school boards and public education.

We’re proud of Tim’s leadership and the work he does to support strong policy service here in Missouri and at the national level.