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Blue Springs R‑IV celebrates state champions and introduces therapy dog 'Ruby' at Liggett Trail
Summary
The board honored student and staff achievements — including a state wrestling champion and a national champion dance team — and heard a demonstration of a new therapy-dog pilot at Liggett Trail that district staff say is improving student engagement and reducing stress.
The Blue Springs R‑IV board recognized a series of student and staff accomplishments and highlighted a new pilot program introducing a therapy dog at Liggett Trail.
Al Hall, activities director, introduced Jackson Paulson, the 2026 Class 4 state wrestling champion at 150 pounds, and praised his perseverance through injury and surgery to win the title. Hall also recognized the Glitter Girls dance team and their coach Erin Brown for winning a national championship; coach Brown and team members described months of training and the group’s reported academic performance (coach noted an average GPA of about 3.52 for the team).
"For seven months ... they never complained," Erin Brown told the board, describing the team’s grit and day-to-day commitment.
Board members applauded both the wrestling and dance achievements, and the board also named Trina McCollum as March Employee of the Month in recognition of long service and dedication; McCollum accepted the honor and credited caring for others as central to her work.
The meeting’s program-of-the-month spotlighted Ruby, a therapy dog assigned to Liggett Trail Education Center. Dr. Greg Johnson and Liggett Trail staff described Ruby’s training (an initial program plus an additional five weeks of training) and said staff and students — including preschoolers — have responded positively. A short video and student comments were shown to the board describing Ruby’s calming presence and classroom benefits.
Board members said they were pleased to see the carefully staged pilot and thanked staff and volunteers who advanced the program.
Provenance: recognitions and Ruby program presentation are recorded from Al Hall’s introduction at SEG 291 through the Liggett Trail presentation concluding around SEG 1019.
