Mehlville board highlights student awards, school improvement data and food-service performance

At the May 22 meeting of the Mehlville School District Board of Education, Superintendent Jeff Hogg and building leaders highlighted student achievements, program recognitions and school improvement data across the district.

Superintendent Jeff Hogg opened the presentations by celebrating multiple district honors and competitions, noting high participation at the districtwide art show and a string of student awards in band, choir, theatre and academic competitions. "We have so many smiling faces," Hogg said during his remarks.

Oakville Elementary principal Dr. Megan Ochoa presented school-level accomplishments and improvement metrics. Ochoa reported Oakville Elementary enrollment at 386 students and described efforts to expand playground accessibility, including poured-concrete sidewalks and equipment modifications so students using wheelchairs can participate. She told the board the school’s art fair raised $928 for the Annie’s Hope organization and said summer school enrollment at Oakville has exceeded 450 students thanks to Proposition S facility improvements that allowed the school to host summer programming.

Rogers Elementary principal Patrick Kinoy described school culture initiatives, including BEAR Awards that recognize students for being ready, respectful and responsible. He said Rogers served 419 students this year and that the school recently added a full-time ELD specialist in response to a four-year increase in students receiving English-language development services.

Melville High School administrators summarized academic and extracurricular outcomes. Principal Dr. Jason Lander and staff reported a current enrollment of approximately 1,441 students, with roughly 40% qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch, 15% receiving special school district services and 13% receiving English learner services. Melville High staff highlighted gains on math benchmarks and described expanded Algebra I EOC interventions that increased the number of intervention sessions from eight to ten this year and served 79 students.

Katie Gegg, director of school food and nutrition, reported food-service highlights: high health-department inspection scores, about $4.4 million in annual program revenue (sales plus federal reimbursement) against about $4.6 million in expenses for the year to date, and a general fund balance of roughly $3.5 million that includes capital equipment purchases. She said the department stores about 725 cases of frozen commodities off-site and that the district received a DESE grant covering much of a $300,000 capital purchase for a dish machine and other equipment.

Gegg also explained universal free breakfast implementation at several elementary schools and said increased participation has improved program viability. "If we're able to feed kids, no charge, I would love to do that across the board," she told the board.

The meeting included recognition of numerous student and staff awards — for example, seals of biliteracy, Project Lead the Way distinctions, state band and choir medals, and local scholarships — and presentations from student representatives from Oakville and Mehlville high schools.

Board members thanked staff for the year’s accomplishments and for work on strategic planning, steering committees and improved summer programming. Several members noted that questions submitted in advance were answered on the district’s e-boards portal.

Looking ahead, building leaders said they will continue work on school-improvement goals (reading, math, science, attendance and sense of belonging) and use professional learning communities and targeted interventions to sustain academic gains.