What's It Like to Be a School Nurse in Affton?

Kathy Beezley, nurse at Rogers Middle School in Affton, blogs on Patch for National Nurses Day. Find out what it means to be a school nurse.

Mitchell Herndon's Journey to Health

The Affton family discusses their son's experiences over the past year and a half as he copes with an unknown illness.

It's been a rough year for Rogers Middle School seventh-grader Mitchell Herndon and his family, but things are definitely looking up. Last year Mitchell's health began to fail, diminishing his motor skills. With the help of the St. Louis Children's Hospital, Mitchell is able to walk again and attend classes at Rogers. In a show of support, classmates, teachers and community members raised more than $5,000 during this past weekend's Affton 5 running event toward the Herndon family and the hospital. View photos from the Affton 5 event! But the road to recovery wasn't always so positive. Mitchell's illness has never been diagnosed and several attempts at treatment failed, KSDK reports.  "I have to take care of him. It's like my child. I have …

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The Affton 5 Run: Middle Schoolers Organize Charity Race

Registration for the charity run, which benefits the Herndon Family of Affton as well as St. Louis Children's Hospital - Neurorehabilitation Department, closes Sunday.

Rogers Middle School seventh-grader Mitchell Herndon was a healthy, typical 12-year-old boy until last year, when his health began to fail, leaving him unable to run, walk or even get up on his own. Today, Mitchell is improving so much with the help of St. Louis Children's Hospital - Neurorehabilitation Department that he even walked into school on his own at the start of this semester. Mitchell's classmates, teachers and community members are organizing a race called The Affton 5 to benefit his family and the hospital that helped him heal. Thirty middle school students and their four teacher sponsors at Rogers Middle School organized The Affton 5, a five-mile charity race here in Affton. The course will pass by each building in the Affton…

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Blog: Gov. Nixon Supports Rogers Middle Fitness Progam

Patch blogger Kathy Beezley met the governor in Jefferson City as he signed a proclamation supporting the efforts of Midwest Dairy Council's Fuel Up to Play 60 Program.

Rogers Needs Your Vote to Win National Contest

Vote for Rogers Middle School's beehive statue made from 227 milk cartons for a national contest. If they win, the school could earn thousands of dollars to support gardening and sustainability programs.

How many milk cartons does it take to build a beehive? Apparantly, the answer is 227. Rogers Middle School students—and art teacher Mandi Tripoli—entered the "Made by Milk" carton construction contest, competing against schools across the country for thousands of dollars in prize money. Vote for Rogers' "Bee Sustainable" Beehive here! When you see the picture of the beehive, click the "Vote for this entry!" button on the right. The school hopes to use the prize money to grow the garden and sustainability program at Rogers. Grand prize winners will win $5,000, and the top middle school each win $1,500. The entry with the most votes wins $2,500. Tripoli and her students constructed their beehive sculpture out of 227 milk cartons, paint, glue…

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Fuel Up to Play 60: Rams Visit Rogers Middle School

Rogers Middle School nurse Kathy Beezley blogs about two Rams players visiting the school and learning a dance choreographed by two students.

Students, Faculty, Friends React to Rogers' Death

Scroll through the notes left by friends and former students all across the country in an online guestbook honoring Merrill "Butch" Rogers, the namesake of Rogers Middle School, who died last week.

The passing of a loved one is always difficult, but the friends, family members and former students of Merrill "Butch" Rogers are sharing their happiest memories and wishes in an online guestbook. Scroll through some of the wishes, sent from all over the country, in the window above, and then leave your own wish, prayer or thought in our comment section below. For more on the death of the educator and namesake of Rogers Middle School, check out our story: Merrill Rogers, Namesake of Rogers Middle School, Dies at 82

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Merrill Rogers, Namesake of Rogers Middle School, Dies at 82

Merrill J. Rogers devoted his life to education and serving students. Check the story for visitation and funeral mass plans for Nov. 26-27.

We are missing a pillar of the Affton School District community. Merrill J. Rogers, namesake of Rogers Middle School, passed away last week at the age of 82. A visitation will be held from 4:00 to 8:00 p.m. on Monday, November 26, at Hoffmeister Colonial Mortuary, 6464 Chippewa, at Watson. Funeral mass of Christian Burial will be held at 10:00 a.m. on Tuesday, November 27, at St. Dominic Savio Catholic Church. Interment will follow in Resurrection Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, the family suggests memorial donations to the Affton Education Foundation to support funding special projects to benefit teachers and students. An online guest book may be signed here. From his obituary: Merrill James “Butch” Rogers, 82, of Affton, Missouri passed …

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Rogers Middle School Students Serve Affton Community

Check out the 22 groups Rogers students participate in to make Affton a better place.

Students at Rogers Middle School are getting an opportunity to learn about others and serve their community. Beginning this month, the school has implemented regular service learning days, known as SWERVE Days, which stands for Service With Education, Respect, Vitality and Energy. “We want to make sure that students know that they can make a difference in the world by their actions,” said Jeff Remelius, principal of Rogers Middle School. “Our hope is that students will find a love for volunteerism and continue their work outside of this time with the school.” Students serve in one of 22 available SWERVE groups, which include:  

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Rogers Sixth Grader Wins Statewide Art Contest

Max Loring was awarded a $100 gift card for art supplies and his art will appear in the Missouri’s Youth Adult Alliance 2013 Year in Prevention calendar.

A sixth grade student at Rogers Middle School has been awarded first place in the state for his grade level in ACT Missouri’s Red Ribbon Art Contest. Max Loring was awarded a $100 gift card for art supplies and his art will appear in the Missouri’s Youth Adult Alliance (MYAA) 2013 Year in Prevention calendar, as well as at various statewide drug and alcohol prevention activities. "Max is a talented artist who always works hard,” said Mandi Tripoli, art teacher at Rogers Middle School.  “His love of art, attention to detail, and his choice to be drug-free come together creatively in this successful piece of art." MYAA’s annual art competition drew artwork from 35 schools across the state that showcased the message, “The Best Me is Drug-Free…

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