School News

Nine Columbia Public Schools high school art teachers are being honored for their creativity and passion with a featured exhibit at The Montminy Gallery at the Boone County History & Culture Center.

Battle, Hickman, and Rock Bridge high schools each had an incredible showing at the MSHSAA Track & Field State Championship. Each school secured individual state champions.

Five CPS students have earned recognition by the Missouri Scholars 100 program, a statewide program that honors 100 of Missouri's top academic students in the graduating class of 2025. 

Congratulations to Sammie Symonds, Athletic Director at Battle High School, for receiving the Missouri Interscholastic Athletic Administrators Association (MIAAA) Newcomer Athletic Director of the Year Award and to David Egan, Columbia Public Schools Athletic Director, for receiving the MIAAA Athletic Director of the Year Award.

Battle High School Student Council has been awarded the Missouri Association of Student Councils Honor Council Silver Award and Hickman High School Student Council has been awarded the Missouri Association of Student Councils Honor Council Gold Award at the 2025 MASC State Convention held at Poplar Bluff High School.

The Eastern Missouri District Committee of the National Speech and Debate Association recently named CPS Debate Coach Danielle Johnson as the 2025 Speech and Debate Coach of the Year.

CACC HOSA students attended a record-breaking virtual HOSA State Leadership Qualifier Conference. The conference was the largest to date - with 2,304 participants from 104 local chapters. Thirty-nine CACC students qualified across a wide array of competitive events.

Students at Columbia Area Career Center (CACC) soared to new heights after winning an online 3D animation visual effects contest hosted by Autodesk Instructables.

Students from Rock Bridge High School, David H. Hickman High School, and Muriel Battle High School recently traveled to Moberly, Mo., for the Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA) District Competition. Competing in various categories, students presented, role-played, and tested their skills in hopes of advancing to the State Leadership Conference (SLC) in Springfield, Mo., in April.

Twenty-five Columbia Area Career Center DECA students from three Columbia public Schools high schools qualified to compete in the upcoming state conference. 

Congratulations to the following Columbia Public Schools staff members who were recognized for their work during the January 2025 Board of Education meeting. 

Breleigh Moore, was recently elected by her peers to serve as governor of the 2024 American Legion Auxiliary’s Girls State at Lindenwood University.

The National Speech & Debate Association recently awarded Danielle Johnson of Battle High School the National District Leader Commendation Award.

The State Historical Society of Missouri recently invited Battle High School ninth grader, Janaija Kimbrough, to showcase her National History Day project at the Missouri State Capitol in Jefferson City.