Oct. 13, 2023
Two Seasons, Four Superstars, One Special Award
At Mizzou Academy, one of our commitments is to cultivate a culture of celebration and appreciation. Our quarterly Honor Awards are one of the ways we foster recognition for faculty and staff. In addition to recognizing the ways members of our team operationalize our mission and values, these awards are an important opportunity to say thank you. All members of our Mizzou Academy community are eligible for these peer-nominated Honor Awards. Our recent summer and fall nominees and recipients include both teachers and support staff. They exemplify the best in student and team support. Learn more about these professionals below.
Oct. 13, 2023
Expanding Literacy Development
Educational Leadership Conference in São Paulo The five professionals, seated in large wooden chairs, passed two microphones between them, each leaning in as their colleagues spoke. This moving panel included laughter, affirmation, and even a few tears. The topic was expanding literacy development in elementary, middle, and high schools across Brazil. Catia Costa, who coordinates secondary programs at Harmonia–a bilingual school in Campo Grande–spoke about the importance of seeing each other. She talked about how her leadership team has worked with students to better greet one another and the school support staff in the morning. Seeing each other is a…
Oct. 5, 2023
Happy World Teachers’ Day 2023
Today, World Teachers’ Day is co-convened in partnership with the International Labour Organization (ILO), UNICEF, and Education International (EI). At Mizzou Academy, we are proud to join in this global celebration of teaching, teachers, and learning.
Oct. 3, 2023
Mizzou Elementary: Site Visits with Our Youngest Tigers
A Grade 1 student at Colégio Magno delights in math with balloons. Pink balloons quickly filled Verena Daroque’s Grade 1 classroom. The students were delighted for such a bright, hands-on opportunity to explore measurement. Lisa DeCastro, our Elementary Coordinator, beamed as she sat with a group of the young mathematicians to hear more about their mathematical thinking. Both she and Executive Director Dr. Kathryn Fishman-Weaver remarked that the learning environment Daroque had cultivated was “joyful.” Fishman-Weaver and DeCastro also seemed right at home in the sweet chaos of early elementary. That’s no surprise, as almost 20 years ago the two…
Sep. 15, 2023
Mizzou Academy Celebrates Faculty Promotions
As we launch a new academic year, Mizzou Academy is thrilled to celebrate twelve faculty promotions! Alicia Bixby, Dr. Thitinun (Ta) Boonseng, Jill Clingan, Lisa DeCastro, Dr. Sherry Denney, Kimberly Kester, David Prats Vidal, Brennan Ransdell, Gregory Soden, Brian Stuhlman, Ericca Thornhill, and Stephanie Walter have all moved up from instructor titles into professors of professional practice. This new faculty role is fitting as this group is leading innovation in online, blended, and global education. They are doing so through academic lead work at Mizzou Academy, our lab school within the University of Missouri’s College of Education and Human Development. …
Aug. 10, 2023
Everywhere You Choose to Fly
Congratulations to the MIE 2023 Scholars! Carol Cortonezi laughs with Dr. Laura Zangori at the MIE poster showcase The Mizzou International Experience (MIE) program culminates with an annual poster showcase in Townsend Hall. The showcase brings in faculty and staff from across the university who spend the morning learning with Mizzou Academy visiting high school scholars. Each student presents on what the MIE program has meant to them and what lessons they will each take home. This year, many members of the MIE class of 2023 incorporated the expressive arts in their presentations. For example, Heitor Stalhschmidt wrote a poem…
July 26, 2023
Two Programs, Two Celebrations, and One Deep Commitment to Gifted Education
Brian Stuhlman, Rosalynn Le, Megan Lilien, and Karen Scales Sometimes people get Mizzou Academy and Missouri Scholars Academy mixed up. “It isn’t unusual at a conference for someone to stop by the Mizzou Academy table looking for information about the Missouri Scholars Academy,” said Dr. Kathryn Fishman-Weaver, executive director of Mizzou Academy.” Luckily, we can usually answer those questions, as well.” Mizzou Academy is the online lab school within the College of Education and Human Development. Serving over 7,000 students annually, Mizzou Academy provides elementary, middle, and high school programming to students around the world. The…
July 19, 2023
Welcome to the Mizzou International Experience (MIE) Class of 2023
On Thursday, July 13, 2023, Townsend Hall was full of activity, laughter, and pizza as Mizzou Academy welcomed students, coordinators, and ambassadors for the Mizzou International Experience (MIE) program. The 2023 summer program students and ambassadors have joined us from Brazil, Spain, Ghana, and the United States. At the Thursday Welcome Party, students heard from program leaders, including Brian Stuhlman, Dr. Ta Boonseng, and Lindsey Mirielli. Dr. Kathryn Fishman-Weaver, the Mizzou Academy executive director, also addressed the group. She calls MIE her “favorite two weeks of the school year.” In her remarks, Fishman-Weaver told everyone that she wants the…
June 22, 2023
University of Missouri High School Celebrates Graduating Class at a Meaningful Ceremony at the Historic Missouri Theatre
At the 24th Mizzou Academy graduation ceremony on June 3, 2023, Greg Soden, a Speech and Social Studies teacher, looked out over the podium at the students in attendance with a smile. He remarked, “It’s a bit strange and beautiful to meet your students in-person for the first time at their graduation. That is how it works at Mizzou Academy, and I couldn’t be more excited to be with each of you today.” A Global Lab School As a global and blended lab school within the University of Missouri’s College of Education and Human Development, students study with Mizzou Academy…
April 24, 2023
Library Exhibit Features Literary Works of Dr. Kathryn Fishman-Weaver
Exhibit Description: View a collection of literary and arts integration projects led by Dr. Kathryn Fishman-Weaver. This bright display draws the viewer right into stories about youth participatory action research (YPAR), global education studies, and experiences teaching women’s and gender studies in schools. From murals created with kindergarten scholars to a bubblegum pink model of the human brain (3D printed at 300% size), this exhibit is a must-see for anyone interested in teaching and learning. Fishman-Weaver also includes copies of her six recent books, a peek inside a new poetry project, and bold posters celebrating co-authors, educational collaborators, advisory editors,…