Raytown Educational Foundation awards $67,000 in scholarships; nutrition staff honored

The Raytown Educational Foundation reported to the board on June 9 that it awarded 51 scholarships to 24 Raytown and Raytown South seniors totaling $67,000.31. The foundation said the scholarships represent 38 funds created by individuals, organizations and alumni classes, and that award presentations took place at high school ceremonies on May 14.

REF also described dual-credit scholarship reimbursements: 24 applicants (11 from Raytown High, 13 from Raytown South) took a combined 229 credit hours and the transcript records the dollar figure "21839 dollars" for that total; students were reimbursed $9,337.50. REF said it awarded 10 teaching and learning grants totaling $15,000 for the 2025–26 school year and described programs it supported, including the Sparkle Empowerment conference, Men of Excellence, and a culinary benefit partnered with chef Mike Kraustoski to support the Hernan Culinary Institute.

At the same meeting the district recognized the Nutrition Services team. A presenter (speaker 8) and the nutrition services director (speaker 9) highlighted the department's scale and importance: "We serve approximately 5,000 lunches a day, 3,500 breakfasts a day, and about 5 to 600 after school meals per day," the director said. Karen Atherton (speaker 10) was singled out for 20 years of service and for being named Missouri School Nutrition Association employee of the year; Atherton described working to help families access free and reduced-price benefits and program improvements.

REF's scholarship awards and the nutrition recognition were presented as informational reports; the board did not take separate formal action on these presentations during the meeting.