WRITER: Matt Resnick

High school students say Lawrence College and Career Academy gave them a new outlook on their futures, career paths

Before enrolling at the Lawrence College and Career Academy, Soleil Cummins-Grinnell had reached a point in her academic career where she "could not imagine a future for herself." By the time she reached high school, the sophomore said at the Dec. 11 Lawrence school board meeting, she felt "burned out" and like "an empty shell" of herself. She said she couldn't even envision herself going to college in the ...

Douglas County leaders to receive update on spacing needs for $100 million-plus Judicial and Law Enforcement Center renovation project

More details about the size of a proposed renovation of the Judicial and Law Enforcement Center are expected to be presented at Wednesday's Douglas County Commission meeting. While plans have since evolved, commissioners were told in May that the county’s courtrooms were much smaller than typical courtrooms in other jurisdictions. Jeff Lane, the principal architect with TreanorHL overseeing the project, said ...

Lawrence school board approves repurposing of Liberty Memorial Central Middle School to STEAM-based curriculum

The Lawrence school board on Monday unanimously approved the repurposing of Liberty Memorial Central Middle School to a STEAM-based curricular focus beginning with the 2024-25 school year. "I think our students are going to have an experience unlike anything else we have done in Lawrence," LMCMS eighth-grade teacher Laura Leonard told the Journal-World. Dialogue surrounding the STEAM curriculum, which stands ...

Lawrence school board to receive update on plans for 'repurposing' Liberty Memorial Central Middle School

The Lawrence school board on Monday will receive an update on plans for the potential repurposing of Liberty Memorial Central Middle School to a special curriculum that blends the "STEAM” fields of science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics. The idea for repurposing LMCMS came amid declining enrollment and the closures of Pinckney and Broken Arrow elementary schools earlier this year. In February ...

New LHS principal's road to 'dream job' at alma mater has been winding, including recent life-threatening health scare

Last winter, Quentin Rials’ future was suddenly thrown into doubt after he faced a life-threatening medical emergency that required open-heart surgery. Now, just a year later, he has not only overcome the health crisis, but has claimed the top post at his alma mater. “This is my dream job,” Rials said after he was named the Lawrence High School principal last week. He had been serving as the interim ...

County commissioners delay approval of legislative priorities statement; Kelly urges addition regarding school surveys

Medicaid expansion, criminal justice reform, and a repeal of a Kansas law defining what bathrooms transgender individuals can use are among a host of items that Douglas County leaders have tentatively identified as items they hope state legislators tackle in 2024. But county commissioners at Wednesday's meeting didn't approve the county's annual legislative priorities statement because Commission Chair Patrick ...