Chariton County’s small school districts are wrapping up a strong quarter filled with academic honors, athletic successes, student leadership, and community engagement.
Thunder Baseball Co-op Heating Up
The Thunder baseball co-op, which includes students from Brunswick R-II, Keytesville R-III, and Northwestern R-I, has kicked off the season with impressive performances. Recent results include:
- March 23: Thunder 18, Newtown-Harris/Grundy County 0 (4 innings)
- March 24: Thunder 8, Concordia 4 (JV tied 6-6)
- March 20/21: Thunder 28, Harrisburg 9
The team will compete in the CLAA Conference Baseball Tournament this Saturday, March 28, at Northwestern R-I School in Mendon. The schedule is:
- 9:00 a.m. – Thunder vs. North Carroll Knights
- 11:00 a.m. – North Carroll Knights vs. Higbee
- 1:00 p.m. – Thunder vs. Higbee
Admission: Adults $4, Students $3, Senior Citizens Free. Community members are encouraged to come out and support the Thunder.
Brunswick R-II Wildcats
Brunswick R-II students continue to impress both in and out of the classroom. This quarter’s Wildcats of the Quarter include Rowan Abernathy and Aiden Davidson, who each earned a $25 gift certificate to Sherry’s Home Cookin’, while Emmalyn Newman and AJ Hollis received a pizza-and-pop lunch reward for maintaining excellent attendance and grades.
The school’s FBLA chapter had a standout performance at the Middle Level State competition at the University of Missouri. Emmalyn Newman and Kinsley Leimkuehler placed 4th (and qualified for Nationals) in Annual Chapter Activities Presentation. A.J. Hollis and Riley Brashear also took 4th and earned a National qualifier spot in Exploring Marketing Strategies. Gabby Jacobs competed strongly in Career Research & Career Exploration.
The Brunswick Scholars Bowl team placed 3rd overall at the High School CLAA Tournament, with James Reid earning 3rd individually. Elementary students also excelled at the CLAA Spelling Bee, highlighted by Anna Linneman’s 2nd place finish in 4th grade.
Other highlights include successful FFA leadership and speaking results advancing to districts, a well-received 5th-grade “Night at the Museum” presentation on transportation’s impact on Brunswick (held March 26), and an upcoming Star Spangled Spring Concert & Art Show on Tuesday, March 31, at 6:30 p.m.
Keytesville R-III Tigers
Keytesville R-III released its 3rd Quarter Honor Roll, recognizing dozens of students on the Superintendent’s and Principal’s lists across all grades. Standouts include seniors Hannah Keiser, Mason Meagher, Kylie Moore, Ethan Vandevander, and Damian Wever.
In FFA Area IV LDE results, Michael Hughes took 1st in Complete Placement Record Book (advancing to state), with strong showings from Jacob Bartholomew, Clay Bartholomew, Brody Cruse, Kiera Shannon, and Ally Reische.
The high school track team opened its season with personal records at the Mules Relays despite facing much larger schools. Junior high Scholar Bowl placed 4th at conference, with Emma Creason earning 6th individually. The junior high band earned an Exemplary I rating at the Missouri Small School Band Directors Association festival.
Northwestern R-I Eagles
Northwestern R-I honored two more School Board members during March’s Board Appreciation Month: Tiffany Ostermann and Brooke Mauzey. The district also recognized strong performances by its Quiz Bowl teams—high school took 1st at conference (Bryce Hayes 1st individually), while junior high placed 2nd.
Elementary basketball teams took top honors at recent tournaments. Track and field opened the season with new school records and multiple medalists. SOAR program students across grades showcased creativity through board games, escape room designs, and South America geography projects.
Salisbury R-IV Panthers
Salisbury R-IV’s high school girls basketball/softball programs earned strong academic recognition. The girls basketball team placed 8th in Class 2 Academic All-State with a 3.850 team GPA. The high school softball team was also named to the Academic All-State Top 10.
The elementary school held its annual Spelling Bee on March 18, crowning winners in each grade from 1st through 6th. Third-quarter A and B Honor Rolls were released, celebrating consistent academic effort.
Other news includes a successful 8th-grade trip to Chariton County Government Day, an upcoming Easter Bake Sale from the Baking and Pastry class (orders due March 27), a Red Cross Blood Drive on March 26, and a PAT Group Connection STEM event on March 28 at the Salisbury Library.
Community Notes
Fitness Center users in Brunswick: All access expires April 30th—renew your agreement form online or by paper by the deadline to maintain access.
Several districts encourage community support at upcoming athletic events and the Brunswick spring concert.
These small rural schools continue to demonstrate the power of dedicated students, teachers, coaches, and volunteers across Chariton County. Congratulations to all the Wildcats, Tigers, Eagles, Panthers, and especially the Thunder on their recent successes!
