This episode of the Affton Unplugged podcast features the NotebookLM AI co-host duo taking a deep dive into the Affton School District 2022-27 Strategic Plan Roadmap.

The Affton School District Strategic Plan functions as a comprehensive roadmap designed to guide the community toward specific educational milestones between 2022 and 2027. Referred to as a Comprehensive School Improvement Plan (CSIP) in Missouri, this document outlines the district’s foundational mission, vision, and core values while establishing concrete goals for the future.

The framework was built through extensive collaboration with students, parents, and staff to ensure the strategy reflects the needs of all stakeholders. Organized into four distinct pillars, the plan incorporates One-Year Plans and a District Scorecard to maintain flexibility and high levels of accountability.

The district commits to a process of continuous improvement and regular performance evaluation. Ultimately, this plan serves as a vital tool for meeting state accreditation standards while ensuring every student is prepared for future success.

In this episode of the Affton Unplugged podcast, Superintendent Travis Bracht interviews three school resource officers to celebrate their contributions in honor of National SRO Day.

The conversation features Officer Ashley Meyer, who discusses her transition from community outreach to early childhood and elementary education, and Officer Bryan Felts, a Navy veteran who serves the local high school. Additionally, Officer John Whitmore reflects on his seventeen-year tenure at the middle school and the meaningful professional relationships he has built.

Each guest shares their personal motivations for entering law enforcement, such as a desire to help others or find a sense of purpose. The officers also describe their hobbies and family lives, offering a humanizing look at the individuals tasked with maintaining campus safety. Ultimately, the episode highlights the strong bond between these officers and the Affton community they protect.

This episode of the Affton Unplugged podcast highlights National School Counseling Week. Superintendent Travis Bracht sits down with school counselors from across the district as they introduce themselves, explain why they became counselors, and share what they love about supporting students.

From elementary social-skills lessons to middle- and high-school transition planning and college readiness, the episode highlights counselors’ behind-the-scenes work advocating for students’ academic, social, and emotional well-being. These experts act as advocates and bridgebuilders, managing academic paths, crisis intervention, and social skills to support the whole child.

This episode of the Affton Unplugged podcast features a discussion led by Superintendent Travis Bracht regarding the Model United Nations program at Rogers Middle School. Teacher Laura Hubbard explains how the curriculum, established in 2019, teaches students about global diplomacy, sustainable development goals, and international policy.

Several eighth-grade students share their experiences researching real-world crises, such as poverty in Venezuela and hurricane relief in Jamaica, while representing the specific values of their assigned countries. The group highlights a unique General Assembly hosted by the school, where they collaborated with peers from another local middle school to negotiate resolutions.

Ultimately, the participants emphasize how the program builds essential 21st-century skills like empathy, public speaking, and collaborative problem-solving. Through these academic simulations, students develop a deeper connection to current events and gain a better understanding of their potential to impact the world.

In this episode of the Affton Unplugged podcast Superintendent Travis Bracht interviews members of the Rogers Middle School Art Club. Led by teacher Katie Rice, the club has seen rapid growth and has integrated student leadership roles to help the club and it's members thrive.

Students share how the club provides a supportive environment to refine their skills and enter various art competitions. The episode highlights significant achievements, including students becoming published artists through national contests and winning awards in local district-wide events.

The episode emphasizes the strong community bonds and creative opportunities fostered through after-school programs. It also serves as an important reminder about how important it is to get students connected to extracurricular activities.

This episode of Affton Unplugged podcast features Superintendent Travis Bracht discussing Unity Day with students and staff from Gotsch Intermediate School. The conversation highlights how this annual event promotes kindness, inclusion, and acceptance through creative projects like posters and videos.

Three fifth-grade students were specifically honored by the Special School District of St. Louis County for a winning video that showcased daily challenges to foster a welcoming environment. The school further celebrated the theme "Unity Every Day" by creating a massive paper chain representing the entire student body and spelling out the word "unity" with their bodies for a photograph.

The participants explain how these leadership roles allowed them to inspire the broader community and reach other schools within the district. This episode emphasizes the importance of student-led initiatives in building a safe and supportive educational atmosphere.

This episode of the Affton Unplugged podcast highlights an annual event hosted by the Affton Education Foundation, an organization that has provided over half a million dollars in college scholarships since 2005.

During a special luncheon, scholarship recipients return to share how these financial awards have helped them pursue diverse academic paths, ranging from business and nursing to marine science and criminal justice. Former students, spanning graduation years from 2020 to 2025, provide updates on their progress at various universities and discuss their future career goals.

The gathering serves as a way for the foundation's board of directors to see the tangible impact of their support on the lives of local graduates. It also serves as a celebration of academic achievement and the Affton Education Foundations investment in the next generation of professionals.

This episode of the Affton Unplugged podcast highlights the Rogers Middle School Mentoring Program that is coordinated in partnership with Mesnier Primary School. This episode features the RMS Social-Emotional Learning Interventionist, Lena Mahurin, and several sixth- through eighth-grade student mentors who participate in the program.

The discussion centers on the benefits and activities of the mentoring program. For example, the program pairs middle schoolers with primary students in grades K-2 for activities such as scavenger hunts, board games and reading. The overall goal of the mentoring program is to build relationships and foster positive role models.

The participants share details about how the program works, its origin, and their favorite memories and experiences as mentors, including an upcoming plan to have the younger students visit the middle school. Overall, the podcast highlights this cross-grade initiative within the Affton School District that truly embodies #OneAffton.

This episode of the Affton Unplugged podcast highlights the Affton High School Speech and Debate Team. The episode features interviews with the two faculty sponsors—Ms. Rice and Mrs. Bayha—and five student participants who share their experiences and competition results.

The sponsors explain that the speech side involves competitive acting with pieces like poetry and humorous interpretations, while the debate side follows a rigorous format on predetermined national topics, requiring extensive research and rebuttal preparation. Students discuss their individual events, the dedication required for preparation, and the strong sense of community and family they have found within the team.

On this episode of the Affton Unplugged podcast Superintendent Travis Bracht highlights the Affton High School Key Club by having a conversation with the faculty sponsor and four student officers. This episode focuses on the student-led organization, which is a community service group sponsored locally by Gravois Kiwanis.

The student officers describe recent activities, including their participation in the Key Leader Weekend leadership training, which helped them develop personal leadership skills and strategies for recruiting new members. They note that the club's membership has successfully doubled in size compared to the previous year, participating in local efforts like campus clean-up, food drives, and volunteering at Oakland House.

Ultimately, the sponsor and students stress that the club is a fun, accessible, and rewarding experience that allows students to make a tangible impact on the community.