We Are SPPS
Katie Kupris is a first-year teaching assistant at Como Park Elementary School, where she attended elementary school before finishing her SPPS education at Como Park Senior and Focus Beyond. Born with mosaic Down syndrome, Katie considers herself a person with a special ability and is being highlighted as part of National Disability Employment Awareness Month.
Chuck Spellman and Edward Lacy wake up early every day to ensure thousands of students in St. Paul get to and from school safely every day. Watch this video to learn more about them, and don’t forget to thank your bus driver this week during National Bus Safety Week!
William Rubio is a National Honor Society member, takes multiple IB classes, is active in JROTC, volunteers in the community, and has a 4.2 weighted GPA. Now a senior at Harding High School, William’s success story didn’t start until he started showing up for himself.
JoAnn Clark has served SPPS for 35 years as a Harding parent volunteer, PTA president, AVID tutor, community advocate and friend to the entire St. Paul community. She is also the chair of the Thinking Career and College Early Fair and has taken hundreds of students on the HBCU College Tour. We are so grateful for her service to the community and for making the future a little brighter for Minnesota students.
Focus Beyond graduate Conor O’Meara is living his dream as a sports radio host and co-owner of the new Highland Popcorn, a nonprofit snack shop that employs people of all abilities. Learn how Conor’s teachers and job coaches at Focus Beyond prepared him for success in this video honoring Developmental Disabilities Awareness Month.
Four SPPS high school students were awarded the Posse Scholarship, which covers full four-year tuition for Macalester College. Only 10 scholars received the scholarship this year after a rigorous interview process that identifies students with extraordinary academic and leadership potential. The four SPPS students were recently recognized at a Board of Education meeting.
Chaske Henry and his brother Robert Henry are students at Harding High School and founders of the drum group Ȟoká Máza. Inspired by their elder male role models, they use songs that have been passed down for generations as a way of connecting to their Indigenous heritage and sharing their culture. It is a way to forge healing and pay tribute to their roots, not only during Native American Heritage Month, but year-round.
Maria Soto is a longtime Saint Paul Public Schools staff member who is currently serving as a special education teaching assistant and on-call Spanish interpreter for the Latino Consent Decree Parent Advisory Council (LCD PAC).
When you think of school lunch, you may not think about homemade breads, specialty sauces or ingredients sourced from local family-owned businesses. But that’s exactly what SPPS students get to eat every day thanks to Chef Bono and his hard-working team in the Nutrition Center Kitchen.