Gator News – Your Trusted Source

Dear Gator Families,

We are excited to welcome Marley Knox, Erin Johanningmeier, and Amanda Usery as the new administrative assistants at GSA High School! Each brings unique strengths, meaningful experience, and a shared commitment to supporting our students, staff, and school community. Please join us in celebrating their arrival and learning more about the talented team members joining our front office.

Marley earned her psychology degree from Webster University and later expanded her skills in finance and accounting, traveling nationwide with Wells Fargo to train new brokers. Wanting to return to meaningful, people-centered work, she is excited to join GSA High School. Marley brings empathy, curiosity, and a strong desire to help others succeed, making her a valuable addition to the administrative team.

Erin joins GSA High School after five years in emergency and surgical veterinary work. Ready for a new challenge that lets her connect with people in a different way, she brings creativity, energy, and enthusiasm to the GSA community. A lifelong St. Louis City resident, she shares her home with her two dogs, Phoebe and Gracie, who accompany her on many of her outdoor and creative adventures.

Amanda brings strong experience in education and youth support, with degrees from Northwest Missouri State University and Jefferson Community College. She has worked with children since 2010 and has practiced The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Teens since 2017. As a former foster youth from St. Louis, she understands the power of mentorship and supportive environments. Her calm, caring approach and commitment to student growth make her a natural fit for the GSA community.

We’re excited for the energy, heart, and fresh perspectives Marley, Erin, and Amanda bring to GSA. Be sure to stop by and say hello!

SCHOOL ILLNESS:

We are at the start of cold and flu season! Per our GSA handbook guidelines, students may NOT return to school until they have been fever, vomit, and diarrhea free for 24 hours without the use of medication. If your student has a severe cough, they should also stay home until they have had 24 hours of improving symptoms. If a student is sent home with any of these symptoms, they may not return to school or participate in extracurricular activities until a full 24 hours have passed. Thank you for your support to help reduce the spread of illness in our school community.

The DENTIST is coming to GSA!

If you would like your student to see the dentist when they come to GSA, please turn in the permission form that was sent home in October asap. Once we have the date of the dental visit to school, we will share this information with you. If you need another form, please call the school nurse or email nursefyler@gsastl.org

Does your student need health insurance?

You can find local, in-person help to apply for Medicaid by going to the website:

https://covermissouri.org/find-local-help/

GSA High School will have several important assessments and finals in December 2025. ACCUPLACER testing for the fall term will take place December 9–11, followed by Benchmark 2 assessments from December 9–12. To close out the semester, High School Finals for the first semester are scheduled for December 17–19. Students are encouraged to prepare early and stay organized as we approach this busy testing period.

Food Drive Update

Thank you to everyone who has already contributed to the National Honor Society Food Drive supporting families affected by the SNAP benefit shutdown. Your generosity is already making a meaningful impact in our community! As a reminder, students can continue bringing in food items to their first-period teachers through December 16th. Each item still counts toward your classroom’s total points, and the competition is heating up!

The classroom with the highest score by December 16th will earn a pizza party, and the top grade-level pairings (12th & 11th or 10th & 9th) will receive a dress-down day on January 7th.

Here is the current Top 5 leaderboard as of this week:
🥇Dr. Mindy – 281 points
🥈Ms. Backoski – 107 points
🥉Ms. Neudorf – 97 points
Ms. Bland – 87 points
Mr. Fatih – 69 points

We’re grateful for all the donations that have come in so far, and we encourage everyone to keep the momentum going. Every item helps a family in need this holiday season—let’s finish strong!

GSA High School will host its annual Science Fair on December 10th in the gym. Students will showcase their projects, experiments, and innovations for staff, peers, parents and community members to explore. This event is a great opportunity for students to demonstrate their creativity, scientific thinking, and hard work. We encourage everyone to stop by, support our young scientists, and celebrate their achievements!

Next Tuesday, 12/9/25, our PTO is hosting a fundraiser at Panera Bread (6607 Chippewa Street). Stop by, grab your favorite meal, and support our school at the same time! You MUST show either a digital copy or physical copy of this flyer.

A portion of the proceeds will go directly to helping our students and staff.

We hope to see you there! 🍞📚✨

Ms. Bromberg's class enjoying a break in the snow after finishing their benchmark testing for the period.

On November 14th, senior-level 1818 students (the dual-credit college program with St. Louis University) visited Pius Library at SLU, and received first-hand SLU librarian instruction on research from librarian Paige Chant. Students were also given a campus tour by Kiara Laack, an 1818 communications coordinator.

Uniform Donations Needed

Please donate gently used school pants and uniform shirts that your student has outgrown to help other students! We especially need sweatshirts and adult mens pants at this time. Thank you.

We are pleased to share that one of our students, Muhammed Ugur Ivgen, has been successfully matched with Washington University in St. Louis (WashU) through the QuestBridge National College Match Program.
QuestBridge is a highly selective national nonprofit organization that partners with leading colleges and universities to provide full four-year scholarships to high-achieving students from low-income backgrounds. A successful match includes a comprehensive financial aid package covering tuition, room, and board.

You can now purchase home game tickets online or in person!

Online Purchase: Click HERE
✅ Show your digital ticket at the gate for entry.

At the Gate: Credit card payments accepted.
💳 Please note: A small card fee will be added.

💡 Tip Notice: The platform automatically adds a tip at checkout. If you wish you can change the tip amount to $0 before completing your purchase.

Thank you for supporting GSA Athletics.

🐊💙 Welcome to the GSA Athletics Merch Store!

We’re adding retired Gators jerseys to the shop—your chance to own a piece of GSA history. These authentic jerseys have been worn in competition and are now available for fans, alumni, and families to take home.

Every purchase supports new jerseys, warmups, and equipment for our current athletes, helping us keep GSA teams strong and game-ready.

🛒 Shop now or make a direct donation to back our Gators: GSA Merch Store

2025-2026 PTO Meeting Schedule

December 16: Board meeting @ Middle School

January 27: General meeting @ Middle School

February 24: Board meeting @ High School

March 24: Board meeting @ High School

April 28: General meeting & Elections @ Middle School

May 14: Board meeting @ High School

PTO Website

hs.gsastl.org/pto

Please join the PTO Facebook Page:

https://www.facebook.com/GSAMiddleSchoolPTO

Looking for ways to connect, give back, and help shape the future of our community? Join one of our local neighborhood associations!

• Southwest Gardens Neighborhood Association – Build friendships and support neighborhood projects.

• Northampton Neighborhood Association – Share your voice and stay informed about community updates.

• The Hill Neighborhood Association – Celebrate culture and help plan fun neighborhood events.

• South Hampton Neighborhood Association – Work together to keep South Hampton vibrant and welcoming.

Whether you attend a meeting, volunteer at an event, or simply stay informed, your participation strengthens the GSA community and the neighborhoods we call home.

Matt Devoti: devotim@stlouis-mo.gov

Thora Pearson: pearsontho@stlouis-mo.gov