Climbing. KCPS show off student achievement with infographic. Joe Jarosz

Northeast News
April 15, 2015

KANSAS CITY, Missouri — A new interactive display is celebrating the aspirations and achievements of the Kansas City Public School and its students.

Last month, KCPS staff spent time installing a new art piece at that Board of Education building, 1211 McGee St. The piece, titled “#OnTheRise,” is comprised of nearly 500 notecards which feature KCPS students written educational goals. Ray Weikal, public relations and marketing coordinator for the KCPS, said at the time of installation, over 1,000 cards were collected. He noted KCPS officials only inspected the cards to make sure nothing inappropriate was written.

The cards are arranged to represent the improvements the KCPS has made towards meeting state achievement standards, as well as the school district’s target for future success. Since Dr. R. Stephen Green became superintendent in the summer of 2011, KCPS has celebrated three years in a row of improved achievement. The school district has gone from unaccredited and facing a state takeover to earning provisional accreditation in August 2014. Green has made it clear that he expects KCPS to earn full accreditation in 2015.

Weikal said the idea for the interactive display came from Quince Adams, KCPS videographer. Adams said he wanted to do something that brought the students back into the Board of Education building.

“I wanted to do something that showed their aspirations and voice,” Adams said. “I didn’t want them to just be a statistic in this building.”

The title comes from Green’s 2014 speech to KCPS staff, in which he proclaimed, “We were once in demise, and are now on the rise!” The phrase has become a rallying cry for KCPS throughout the 2014-2015 school year. KCPS students, parents, residents, business leaders and community members are encouraged to express their commitment to helping students succeed by using #OnTheRise on their social media pages.

Weikal said there is no set date for the cards to come down, but suspects they’ll be available for viewing at least through the end of the school year.