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Dr. Peter H. Raven, who has led the Missouri Botanical Garden for 40 years, will be honored with a free celebration, August 6, on the upper level of the Ridgway Visitor Center.
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Missouri Botanical Garden to Honor Dr. Peter Raven with Celebration
ST. LOUIS, MO, (SLFP.com), August 1, 2010 - A special evening at the Missouri Botanical Garden will honor Dr. Peter H. Raven, who has led the Garden through nearly four decades of unparalleled accomplishment. Raven, president of the Missouri Botanical Garden, will retire on Sept. 1 after leading the Garden since 1971.
On Friday, August 6, from 5 to 8 p.m., join the Garden in celebrating the highlights of his career and personally wish him well. Throughout the evening, visitors can write a personal memory of Dr. Raven in his "scrapbook."
Proclamations honoring Raven's commitment to the St. Louis community and the Garden'smission "to discover and share knowledge about plants and their environment in order to preserve and enrich life," will be presented by Mayor Francis Slay and County Executive Charlie Dooley.
Arnold Donald, chair of the Garden's Board of Trustees will also make remarks recognizing Raven's contributions and accomplishments. Remarks will begin at 6 p.m.
Raven is recognized as one of the world's leading botanists. Described by Time magazine as a "Hero for the Planet," Raven champions research around the world to preserve endangered plants and is a leading advocate for conservation and a sustainable environment. In recognition of his work in science and conservation, Raven is the recipient of numerous prizes and awards, including the prestigious U.S. National Medal of Science, the country's highest award for scientificaccomplishment.
To recognize Raven's service to the Garden, a limited number of Metasequoia
glyptostroboides 'Raven' Shaw's Legacy ® Dawn Redwoods will be available for purchase. The new eight-foot 2011 Plant of Merit® will be available in 10 gallon pots at a price of $550 per tree.
The price includes the tree, delivery and planting (within the metro St. Louis area), and will be available for purchase beginning at 5 p.m. on Aug. 6 in the Ridgway Visitor Center. All proceeds will benefit the Missouri Botanical Garden's Plants of Merit program.
The event is free and open to the public and light refreshments will be served.
Advanced reservations are required by July 30; call (314) 577-0868.
More Missouri Students Excel in Statewide MAP Tests
ST. LOUIS, MO, (SLFP.com), August 1, 2010 - Last spring, nearly 406,000 students in grades 3-8 took the mandatory MAP tests in English and mathematics. Nearly 135,000 students in grades 5 and 8 also took a science test.
Statewide, the proportion of elementary and middle school students achieving proficiency or advanced levels rose in all subjects over the previous year. While English and science scores improved significantly, the largest gains were in mathematics, officials say.
Students proficient in math rose over the previous year by 3.9 percentage points in grades 3-5 and by 4.4 percentage points in grades 6-8.
Math scores also were up at the high school level. More than 67,000 high school students took the Algebra I end-of-course exam, and the percentage of students demonstrating proficiency or advanced improved by 4.6 percentage points, to 57.3 percent.
In English, proficiency levels rose by 3.3 percentage points in grades 3-5 and by 1.8 percentage points in grades 6-8. High school students nudged the bar in English II by 0.6 percentage points.
Commissioner of Education Chris L. Nicastro credits the growth in all subjects to the hard work of teachers and administrators across the state.
"Overall, it is clear that our schools and districts are taking achievement seriously, and working hard to improve student performance across the board," Nicastro said. "It's also clear that until every child is at 'proficient' or above, we can't stop working."
Next month, the preliminary MAP scores will be finalized and become a part of the state's 2010 Annual Performance Report. The APR provides a progress report on how each school district is doing, as measured by the 14 academic performance standards that are the cornerstone of Missouri's accreditation requirements for public schools.
St. Louis Health Care Safety Net Receives Critical Funding
ST. LOUIS, MO, (SLFP.com), August 1, 2010 - The State of Missouri has received a "Gateway to Better Health" Demonstration Project from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). The Demonstration will allow the redirection of $25 million in annual Medicaid funding to preserve and expand important community health center services in St. Louis urban core. These funds will assist in the transition to expanded coverage under the new Federal Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA).
"I was thrilled to work hand-in-hand with the St. Louis Regional Health Commission, who carries out such critical work in our community, to reach this point where the federal government is acting to accommodate the structure of the RHC and enabling its life saving work serving underinsured and uninsured patients," said Sen. Claire McCaskill.
"This funding means that people in the St. Louis area who find themselves without insurance during these tough times will have access to the health care that they desperately need. It's essential that we continue to provide the health care safety net for those who need it until the new health care reform law is fully implemented."
The St. Louis Regional Health Commission will coordinate, monitor and report on the Demonstration Project, continuing its work of the last 10 years. Since the region formed the Commission, access to community health center services has dramatically increased by more than 120,000 additional annual visits, and St. Louis has become a national model for innovative ways to improve safety net health care services.
"We are delighted to receive this funding, which is critical to the viability of the St. Louis region's health care safety net," said Robert Fruend, Jr., chief executive officer of the St. Louis Regional Health Commission.
"We are deeply grateful to Senators Claire McCaskill and Kit Bond, Representatives Todd Akin, Russ Carnahan and William Lacy Clay, Governor Jay Nixon and his staff at the Department of Social Services, County Executive Charlie Dooley and Mayor Francis Slay for their strong support in ensuring that the health care safety net remains in place in the St. Louis region."
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