August Ray of Hope Honorees 💫

Congrats to Director, Micheal Deen and Assistant Director, Jose Ruiz with the Raytown Schools Wellness Center for being the August 2025 Ray of Hope Awardee. Micheal and Jose strive to create a sense of belonging at the Wellness Center, welcoming community members of all ages into their facility every day. Watch a video highlighting this achievement here

Know someone who deserves to be recognized as the September Ray of Hope honoree? Email us your submissions at communications@raytownschools.org!

Convocation 2025: Rooted in Excellence 💥

Raytown Quality Schools officially kicked off the 2025–26 school year with a powerful Convocation event celebrating our theme, We R What We Do: Rooted in Excellence. The morning featured a moving performance by the combined choirs of Raytown High School and Raytown South High School, remarks from School Board President Alonzo Burton, and recognition of our Building Teachers of the Year and Building/Department Support Staff Employees of the Year. Teacher of the Year Ellie Lilly and Support Staff Employee of the Year DJ Patel also shared inspiring words with colleagues. A superhero-themed video starring Superintendent Dr. Martin-Knox set the stage for her uplifting message encouraging all staff to carry excellence into the year ahead.

Watch More Videos from Convocation 2025 Here.

Raytown High School Transition Day and Freshman Academy Kick-Off
The school year is officially underway, and our students are off to a great start! Just before classes began, Raytown High School hosted Freshman Transition Day, giving 9th grade students the chance to get acclimated to their new school, learn more about Freshman Academy, and build connections that will help set them up for success.

This year marks the launch of Freshman Academy at both Raytown and Raytown South High Schools—an important step in transforming the high school experience. Freshman Academy provides a supportive and structured environment that eases the transition into high school while also giving students opportunities to explore a wide range of courses that will be available within the Academies of Raytown in the coming years. By laying this foundation, we are helping prepare students for success in college, careers, and life.

For more information visit the Career Academies Web Page here.

Leading the Way

Rather than simply driving into a new school year, district leaders, along with Teacher of the Year Ellie Lilly and Support Staff Employee of the Year DJ Pittel, hit the road in a different way—through a special edition of Carpool Karaoke. Singing and dancing their way around Raytown, the group brought plenty of energy and laughter as they geared up for the first day of school. Both Ellie and DJ also shared inspiring messages with staff at Convocation, reminding us of the passion and dedication that fuel our schools. Thank you to our leaders, Ellie, and DJ for kicking off the year with joy and enthusiasm!

Watch the whole video here.

Enrollment Planning | Make Plans to Participate

With the support of the Board of Education, Raytown C-2 School District is undertaking enrollment planning to address imbalances in school utilization and enrollment, and to proactively account for future growth within the district. Raytown C-2 School District has begun enrollment planning to meet key objectives and will be hosting a series of three informational meetings. See the flyer for more details and watch for information to be shared via Facebook Events. To view the graphic flyer more closely, you can download it below as a pdf.

Back to School Carnival Brings Fun & Community Connections 🍿

The Raytown Quality Schools Back to School Carnival on August 16 was the perfect way to kick off the new school year! Families enjoyed games, food, face painting, and prizes while also connecting with local community partners. Dozens of organizations came together to share resources and support our students and families. Thank you to everyone who joined us for a day filled with fun, information, and community spirit—we’re excited for a great year ahead!