KCTV5 has a “Cool Schools” program which showcases “cool” non-athletic achievements from Kansas City high schools. Viewer submissions are received via an entry form on KCTV5’s website telling them why a particular high school should be highlighted.  They review these submissions and select a different high school to broadcast live from every Friday during their morning show from 5-8 a.m.  Thanks to sophomore Paige Wendland, junior Emily Strickland and senior Taylor Irwin’s nominations, the “More In The Morning” team will be broadcasting live from STA Jan. 8, showcasing STA as KCTV5’s Cool School of the week.  This means that Jan. 8, students and faculty will be asked to be at school and ready to show their spirit at 5 a.m. for the on-air feature.

Note: There will be a poster making day at 11 a.m. on Dec. 29 in the McDonald Conference room of Donnelly Hall open to all students.  The administration will provide a free lunch, posters and markers.

#1 – We’re all girls, and it’s awesome!

#7 – Our campus is beautiful, from the landscape to the hundred-year-old M&A Building.

#11 – We have inimitable school spirit – hundreds of girls dressed up as zombies to support our volleyball team recently!

– excerpt from sophomore Paige Wendland’s “15 reasons why STA is a cool school”

Q and A with president Nan Bone, marketing and public relations Diane Wilmot and administrative assistant Kelly Drummond:

Q. Who is putting this event together?

A. The administration and the three girls who nominated STA, with help from Spirit Club moderator Katie Dolan.

Q. Which non-athletic achievements will we be showcasing during the live segments?

A. A dance team performance, drama teacher Shana Prentiss’s Scotland trip, Spirit Club, a song by the choir and a portion of the play from the theatre group.

Q. How did you decide which achievements to showcase?

A. We asked the question, ‘What is St. Teresa’s?’ We are a Catholic school based on service to the dear neighbor. We want to showcase the service part of it too.

Q. How will we get students to come to school at 5 a.m.?

A. There will be an early dismissal, but we are relying on the students’ pride to come through that morning. There will also be a ‘special gift’ for the first students to arrive. Students that come to school early will get out early.

Q. What activities will be going on during the event to keep the enthusiasm alive throughout the morning?

A. We will have everyone bring in canned goods for Operation Breakthrough and spell out the words ‘STA cool school’ on the gym floor and the coaches have volunteered to serve Chris Cakes. There may also be a faculty/staff vs. senior game of volleyball.

Q. What will students be wearing?

A. T-shirts with the cool things about STA on the back and their uniform skirt.

St. Teresa’s is not only a historical site, but also the oldest campus in Kansas City. … We are one of the only schools with modular scheduling, which means each day has a unique structure and students have free periods. We build a welcoming and friendly environment that not only fosters knowledge, but also individuality and leadership. I can say with confidence that STA is the most unique high school in Kansas City.

-excerpt from junior Emily Strickland’s nomination

Q and A with Liberty High School’s Student Council sponsors Jennifer Holferty Gravina, Lindsay Plaster and Melanie Prince who recently put together Liberty’s cool school event Nov. 13:

Q. How did you decide which non-athletic achievements to showcase during the live segments?

A. We chose groups that have been honored or awarded recognition at some point, i.e. our yearbook staff and orchestra, and groups that are well recognized in the community, but may not receive as many accolades as our athletic teams do. It was beneficial to highlight an equal amount of “active” highlights (such as the choir, orchestra and drumline performing) and “non-active” highlights (such as interviewing a few of the journalism students regarding the yearbook honors) in an effort to add variety to the live segments. A few of the live segments simply involved the KCTV5 anchorwoman giving commentary, which gave the cameraman the opportunity to highlight the student crowd.

Q. How did you get students to come to school at 5 a.m.?

A. We did not have an early dismissal, but we promoted the event for several weeks with posters around the school, e-mails and announcements. We relied on the Student Council members to generate excitement about coming to school so early and being on TV. We also provided the materials and held a poster making session the night before the event and opened it up for anyone in the school to come (there is a poster competition the morning of the event and the winners for the best poster get a gift card to Wendy’s).

Q. How many students participated?

A. 100-300 students out of 2,200.

Q. What activities were going on during the event to keep the students enthused?

A. Some competitions among the classes like a basketball game and a relay race.

Q. Did the students enjoy the morning?

A. It was a lot of fun for everyone involved. This is an excellent way to honor and recognize your school and to highlight its many accomplishments.

It’s an all-girls catholic, private environment that allows girls to be who they are and not be ashamed of it… With activities like Frosh Fest, advisory parties and awesome school activities like our newspaper, The Dart, there’s no way STA isn’t a cool school.

- excerpt from senior Taylor Irwin’s nomination, where she posed the question: “How is STA not a cool school?”

Liberty High School’s advice to STA:

1. Brainstorm a way to lure students into the gym when they arrive to school even if it’s just for a few minutes before they head to class.
2. Have a large TV in the gym for the students to see themselves on air.
3. To promote the event: host competitions during the week prior to Jan. 8 and announce the winners at the Cool School broadcast, have drawings/door prizes for students who are in attendance during the broadcast (see if local companies will donate items for the drawings/prizes), honor the most spirited “early bird” and sell breakfast food and donate the proceeds to a charity.
4. Have the advisors and teachers on board to get students there. We invited our cheerleaders, two dance teams and musical cast to perform, but they all declined; it’s hard to get groups there.
5. Arrange for certain students to be interviewed for the break-outs so they are prepared with accurate information.
6. Have a sound system set up and some fun pump up music to play when your dance team and other groups are not performing.
7. Have fun!

Click here to view videos from previous Cool Schools.