WATCH: Brittany Woods Field Hockey Girls Tear Up the Field

The Brittany Woods Middle School players practiced on a sunny spring day recently.

Marisa Davenport-Sheppard led the Brittany Woods Middle School field hockey team through a practice on Thursday on the high school field. Most of the girls on this team will go to the high school. Jeri Wenneker from the middle school said Davenport-Sheppard "has a great work ethic and expects nothing less from her players. She has built a great field hockey program in our district." The University City High School Lions field hockey team was 10-11 overall and were 6-3 in the Suberban Conference on the season last year. Also in Patch:

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U City School Board to Honor the Best of Brittany Woods

The middle school and its principal will be honored Thursday by the Board of Education.

The School District of University City will hold its monthly board of education meeting at 7 p.m. Thursday, March 14.  Items on the agenda include:  Consent Agenda  Superintendent's Reports, Recommendations

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Excellent Educators

Video: UCHS Principal Talks Successes, Standards

Principal Michael Maclin recently spoke to the PTO at Brittany Woods Middle School.

University City High School Principal Michael Maclin discusses his passion and vision for UCHS at a Brittany Woods Middle School PTO meeting in a YouTube video posted Feb. 20, 2013. Maclin joined the School District of University City for the 2012-13 school year. Previously he worked in the Maplewood-Richmond Heights District. See more on Maclin and UCHS:

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School District to Honor Students, Educators

The School District of University City board of education meets Thursday.

The School District of University City will honor the accomplishments of students and staff at the February Board of Education meeting Thursday, Feb. 21.  The meeting is slated for 7 p.m. Thursday. Superintendent Joylynn Pruitt said she believes the recognitions are a good reminder to the Board and District as a whole about the reason they exist – to serve students.  “I have high standards for our students and expect them to do great things, but even so, I am always impressed with how talented our students are," she said. "Hearing about their accomplishments inspires us to continue to challenge them academically and expose them to limitless opportunities.” The following students and educators will be honored: Missouri Middle School …

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Excellent Educators

Brittany Woods Principal Named Missouri Middle School Principal of the Year

This is the second such honor for Dr. Jamie Jordan.

Dr. Jamie Jordan, principal of Brittany Woods Middle School in the School District of University City, has been named the 2013 Missouri Middle School Principal of the Year by the Missouri Association of Secondary School Principals. Jordan will receive the award at the annual MASSP Spring Conference on Monday, March 25. More than 400 middle school principals were considered for the honor. Jordan receives the recognition based on her impact in the areas of collaborative leadership, curriculum, instruction and assessment, and personalization of the learning environment. Jordan received a similar honor last year. She was named the 2012 Middle School Principal of the Year by the St. Louis Association of Secondary School Principals (SASSP). “…

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Demetri Phillips' Funeral Will Be Held Friday

The 12-year-old was killed last Tuesday.

Funeral arrangements for 12-year-old Demetri Phillips have been set. Demetri died Tuesday, Dec. 11. Demetri was killed Tuesday after he and a friend found a loaded gun under the friend's grandfather's pillow. The gun went off and Demetri was shot in the head. Demetri was a sixth-grader at Brittany Woods Middle School,  Visitation for Demetri will be held from 4-8 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 20, at Archway Memorial Chapel in Hazelwood. The funeral also will be held at Archway at 10 a.m. Friday, Dec. 21. Demetri's body will be buried at Lake Charles Park Cemetery. Immediately following the burial there will be a service at Bible Way Baptist Church in University City.  For more on this story, see our previous stories:

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How to Help: Phillips Family Seeks Help with Funeral

Twelve-year-old Demetri Phillips was shot and killed Tuesday.

Since the tragic death of 12-year-old Demetri Phillips on Tuesday, the University City community has asked "how can I help?" According to the School District of University City, the Phillips family is seeking help with Demetri's funeral and burial costs. Interim Communications Director Shantana Stewart released the following statement: The family of Demetri Phillips, a sixth-grader at Brittany Woods Middle School, who passed away this week, is asking that anyone who is interested in lending a helping hand, as they face funeral and burial costs during the holidays, visit any Bank of America and mention Demetri Phillips when they make a donation. Demetri was killed Tuesday after he and a friend found a loaded gun under the friend's …

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Connecticut Shooting: Days After Gun Death in U City

Newtown Patch is reporting 27 people have been killed today at an elementary school.

News today of the shocking elementary school shooting in Newtown, Conn. comes on the heels of a another senseless gun death in University City.  On Tuesday, the School District of University City community lost Demetri Phillips, a 12-year-old sixth grader at Brittany Woods Middle School. Demetri was shot and killed when a loaded gun went off in the hands of his friend, striking him in the head. The gun was found under a pillow in the friend's grandfather's bedroom. The friend lived with the grandfather. Our sister site Newtown Patch is reporting that 27 people—including 18 children—were killed Friday, in a shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School. The school housed children in grades K-4. Newtown Patch is updating its story as soon …

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Elizabeth O'Fallon

1:56 pm on Friday, December 14, 2012

Such a sad situation. Both of them.   more ›

Police ID 12-Year-Old Boy Shot, Killed Tuesday

Demetri Phillips was a sixth grader at Brittany Woods Middle School.

2:30 p.m. Update: The School District of University city released the following statement about Demetri's personality. "Demetri had a really good sense of humor. He was creative and came up with stories full of adventure. He liked football. He had good manners and good class participation." Our original story: University City Police have identified the 12-year-old boy shot and killed Tuesday in University City as Demetri Phillips. See our previous story: Reports: 12 Year Old Shot, Killed Tuesday in U City  Demetri was shot Tuesday evening by a 12-year-old friend at the home of the friend's grandfather, University City Police Deterctive Sgt. Fredrick Lemons II told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. According to a press release, Demetri suffered …

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School Committee Recommends $19.4 Million Bond Issue

The School District of University City school board will vote on the recommendation at its meeting Nov. 15. If approved, the issue would appear on the April 2013 ballot.

The facilities steering committee for the School District of University City Thursday night recommended seeking a $19.4 million bond issue in April 2013. The committee made its recommendation at a board workshop meeting. The committee, which met several times over the past few weeks, had three overall recommendations for the board. They are: The school district bonding capacity is 15 percent of the district's total assessed valuation, which is approximately $600 million. There is roughly $30 million in outstanding bonds, which gives the district the ability to bond the nearly $20 million without a tax increase. Co-Chair David Harris presented the plan to the board. He said the steering committee worked in sub-groups to review the needs of …

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