Gator News – Your Trusted Source

Summer School will be offered for students who need credit recovery for failed courses. Summer School Credit Recovery will be held May 27 – June 18, Monday through Friday, from 8:00 AM to 12:00 PM.

Students will receive their schedules on the first day of attendance. Free breakfast and lunch will be provided for all participating students.

If you pre-register your student and they successfully pass all of their courses by the end of the school year, they will not need to attend summer school.

The deadline for Summer School (Credit Recovery) pre-registration is Thursday, May 14, 2026.

If you believe your student may need credit recovery, please complete the ENROLLMENT FORM.

Pre-registration is required for students who did not complete core or designated elective courses. Summer School provides credit recovery opportunities to support grade promotion and on-time graduation. Families are encouraged to complete the form promptly. If not submitted, school staff will follow up to assist with enrollment and ensure students are appropriately scheduled. Participation is critical for students needing to recover credits and stay on track academically.

Frequently Asked Questions

Which courses are offered?
Core and elective courses are offered, with the exception of AP and Dual Credit courses. Students may earn up to two credits by attending four class sessions. Each course is worth 0.5 credit, and students may take one course per session.

Who is eligible?

Credit Recovery is available for any GSA high school student who has earned a failing grade (F) in a course. This program is designed for students who need to recover credit to remain on track for promotion and graduation by completing required coursework and earning a passing grade in the offered courses.

What are the program dates?
May 27 – June 18.

Is a school uniform required?
No. Students may dress comfortably within dress-down dress code guidelines.

Do students need to bring a Chromebook?
Yes. Some assignments may be completed online during class sessions.

Electronic Devices / Cell Phone Policy

To maintain a focused learning environment, the use of electronic devices, including cell phones, is not permitted during instructional time. All devices must be turned off and collected at the beginning of the school day and returned at dismissal.

Students are expected to remain engaged in instruction without the use of personal devices during class sessions.

Attendance & Expectations

• Daily attendance is required.

• Excessive absences or tardiness may result in removal from the program.

• Students are expected to stay engaged and complete all assigned work.

• All behavior expectations remain in effect; misconduct may result in removal from the program.

• Daily progress will be monitored by teachers.

• Assignments will be evaluated based on completion and accuracy.

• Chromebooks will be accessed as needed. Otherwise, they should not be out.

• Students are expected to follow all staff directions and school guidelines.

• Students who do not follow the instructions will be counseled by the admin team.

Summer school packets must stay at school with the teacher. They will be collected each day before dismissal.

Scheduling

Students will receive their schedules on the first day. If a student is enrolled in fewer than four class periods, they may leave after their final scheduled session.

Daily Schedule

Breakfast: 7:30 – 7:55 AM
1st Period: 8:00 – 8:50 AM
2nd Period: 8:55 – 9:45 AM
3rd Period: 9:50 – 10:40 AM
4th Period: 10:45 – 11:35 AM
Dismissal/Lunch: 11:40 AM – 12:00 PM

For any questions, please reach out to Ergul Gunerhan, Assistant Principal (egunerhan@gsastl.org) or Dr. Icel, HS Principal (icel@gsastl.org)

❗IMPORTANT INFO FROM NURSE JILLIAN❗

All students must have up-to-date immunization records on file before attending school. Documentation must include the month, day, and year of each immunization.

If your student has a medical or religious exemption, then the appropriate exemption form must be submitted and kept on file.

Please note: Unimmunized students may be excluded from school in the event of an outbreak of a vaccine-preventable disease.

If your child is missing any required immunizations, you will receive a notification email from Nurse Jillian.

💦ACHOOO💦

St.Louis has seen an increasing number of cases of flu and respiratory illness in the past month. This is a challenging time of year, and I appreciate your help to keep our students and staff healthy! Please refer to the guidelines below if your child is not feeling well.

Students who exhibit symptoms such as fever greater than 100.4F, persistent cough, sore throat, shortness of breath, vomiting, diarrhea, or general illness should remain at home until they are well enough to participate fully in school activities.

COVID-19 Considerations
Students who test positive for COVID-19 should remain home while they are acutely ill. They may return to school once:

- They have been fever-free for at least 24 hours without the use of fever-reducing medication, and
- Their symptoms have significantly improved, allowing them to participate in normal school activities.

Upon return, it is strongly recommended that students wear a well-fitting mask for several days (at least 5 days) to reduce the risk of transmission, particularly if coughing or nasal congestion persists. Masks are available in the front office and nurse office.

Other Respiratory Illnesses (Flu, RSV, etc.)
The same return-to-school principles apply to other respiratory illnesses. Students should remain home until fever-free for 24 hours without medication and symptoms are improving.

FREE Summer Vision Exams and Glasses!

Does your student need a vision exam or new glasses? Kids Vision for Life is bringing their mobile vision clinic to several public libraries over the summer. You can see learn more at the website:

https://eyethrive.org/mvc/

Exams are around the corner and we want to make sure that every student is prepared and ready on test days.

Bring your school-issued device

-All students are required to bring their school issued Chromebook or device to school on exam days. Personal devices are not permitted for use during assessments

Charge your device the night before

-Please unsure your device is fully charged before arriving at school. a device that runs out of batter during an exam can cause interruptions and stress that no student needs during testing time.

Loaner devices are very limited

- The IT department maintains a small number of. loaner devices for emergencies, but we cannot guarantee availability for every student in need. Do not rely on a loaner device being available on exam day.

Please make sure your student gets plenty of rest, arrives on time, and stays focused during this important time.

9th–11th Grade Finals will be held on Tuesday, May 19; Wednesday, May 20; and Thursday, May 21, according to the schedule below.

Friday, May 22 — Make-up Day / Early Dismissal / Last Day of School. Students will be dismissed at 11:40 a.m.

Daily Schedule for Finals (May 19–22):

-Monday, May 18 – No Lunch available (Field Day)

-Tuesday, May 19 – Lunch available at 12:20 PM (Grab & Go)

-Wednesday & Thursday (May 20–21) – Lunch available at 10:50 AM (Grab & Go)

-Friday, May 22 – Only students who need to make up work will attend (Grab & Go)

❗Important Reminders❗:

-Makeup exams must be arranged directly with teachers.

Let’s finish strong, Gators! Your encouragement at home makes a big difference in your student’s success.

Sincerely,

GSA High School Administration

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.

CAN WE GIVE A HUGE AN HUGE ROUND OF APPLAUSE FOR OUR STUDENTS WHO GOT ACCEPTED INTO THESE AWESOME UNIVERSITIES!?

Angela Koenig - Accepted to Savannah School of Art & Design with $12,000+/year scholarship

Kierra Keightley - Accepted to The School of the Art Institute of Chicago with $20,000+/year scholarship

Ruth Krownapple - Accepted to Belmont University in Nashville to major in Music

Ali Khumaini -Accepted to New York University through Early Decision! NYU is currently ranked #32 nationally and has an acceptance rate of approximately 9%, making this an outstanding achievement.

What an incredible milestone for ALL of our students. We are extremely proud of you and cannot wait to see what you all will accomplish!

Ibrahim Vritic, one of our seniors, has been accepted into a highly selective summer internship with Jane Street in New York City! He is one of just twelve students invited to interview in mid-April.

Jane Street is a globally recognized quantitative trading firm on Wall Street with an exceptionally competitive internship program—accepting less than 1% of applicants each year.

As part of the program, Jane Street will fully cover his travel, housing, and transportation expenses, in addition to providing a stipend during his five-week internship in New York City.

CONSEF CHAMPIONS

These students earned Gold Medals 🥇

• Atticus Luther
• Bright Malachi
• Dario Cardone
• Kawthar Dizdarevic
• Myra Krownapple

Next up we have..

• Ajla Diehl
• Rukiya Gungor

These two earned Silver medals 🥈

Last, but certainly not least we have..

Best of Category:

• Belma Diehl
• Betul Erdogan
• Natella Suleymanova

These students demonstrated:

1. Scientific excellence — rigorous research and experimentation
2. Critical thinking — innovative problem-solving and analysis
3. Presentation mastery — clear communication of complex scientific concepts
4. Dedication — weeks of hard work and commitment to their projects
5. Representation — they made Gateway Science Academy proud on a regional stage

This achievement reflects the quality of science education and support from our entire teaching staff.

• GSA High School earned 1st Place – Best School (High School Division)
• GSA Middle School earned 1st Place – Best School (Middle School Division)
• GSA Smiley earned 1st Place – Best School (Elementary School Division)
• GSA South earned 2nd Place – Best School (Elementary School Division)

In addition, several of our high school students brought home individual awards:

• Ismael(Izzy) Alnusour (12th grade) – Honorable Mention
• Nina Celine Grugeon (12th grade) – Bronze
• Afra Karatas (11th grade) – Bronze
• Rukiye Gungor (11th grade) – Silver
• Garrett McElroy (10th grade) – Bronze
• Betul Erdogan (10th grade) – Silver
• Cassius Schipkowski (9th grade) – Honorable Mention
• Nilufer Ozduman (9th grade) – Silver

Prom night was a total hit! 🎉 Our students showed up and showed out on April 18, 2026, making it a night full of unforgettable memories, laughter, and great vibes. It wasn’t just special for our students—our staff had an amazing time celebrating right alongside them!

A huge shoutout to everyone who helped bring this night to life and to our awesome chaperones who kept everything running smoothly. We couldn’t have done it without you!

King and Queen winners:

Josh Hill

Kieran Basnet.

Prince and Princess:

Rhemi Anderson

Keegan Stolarz

Congratulations to our Spanish team for winning 3rd place in the High School Spanish contest and the Spanish Heritage contest.

Sophia Carlin

Mareli Cucue

Bella Saldana

Andres Aranda Fernández

Samuel Gaviria

Again congrats to these 5 students and keep up the good work !

Mrs. Erdogan

CONGRATULATIONS! Your patience and dedication make a difference every day. Your influence as a teacher lasts far beyond the classroom.

We are officially deep into testing season, and the finish line is within sight! As we continue through these final weeks of the school year, it is essential that our students come to school well-rested, nourished, focused, and prepared to give their very best effort on every exam.

At this point in the year, some resistance and fatigue from students is completely normal. Truthfully, both students and staff are feeling the mental and physical demands of a long school year. However, the race is not over yet, and we must continue to hold fast to our high expectations through the very last day of school.

Please continue encouraging your students to study thoroughly, stay organized, and prepare intentionally for upcoming assessments. Remind them that strong finishes matter, and the effort they put in now can have a lasting impact on their success.

Additionally, it is important that students continue adhering to school expectations throughout the remainder of the year. Over the past week alone, a record number of headphones and other devices have been confiscated. Our cell phone/technology policies remain fully in effect and will continue to be enforced as consistently as possible.

We also want to remind families and students that while we allow “test-comfy” attire during testing days, this does not mean students may wear anything they choose. Dress code expectations and restrictions are still in place. Items such as leggings, open-toed shoes, Daisy Duke shorts, and similar attire remain prohibited under our school matrix. Please refer to the student handbook and matrix for specific details and expectations.

Even with the hard work and long days, we still have some exciting events ahead to celebrate our students and close out the school year together. Seniors can look forward to Graduation on Monday, May 18, at 6:30 p.m. in the Chaminade High School Auditorium. We are also excited for the GSA Block Party, which will take place on Monday, May 18, at Sublette Park. Additional details regarding the Block Party will be shared in a forthcoming email.

With just two weeks remaining in the school year, now is the time to stay focused, stay resilient, and finish strong together. I truly believe our students are capable of success when they commit themselves to the work and put forth consistent effort.

Hang in there—we are almost at the finish line!

Sincerely,

Mrs. Hibbler

The National Honor Society decided to bring out some culture and hosted their very own cultural night. The event turned out to be very successful and really was a fun experience. From the food, to the dancing, and learning ; it was all so captivating! Here are a few photos from the exhilarating night.

Some of the students had the opportunity to participate in College Visit Day and here are some photos our staff wanted to share!

The annual Rock Climbing Club & CYSP went on a trip to Horseshoe Canyon Ranch in Arkansas and OH BOY! does it look like they had loads of fun.

A beautiful time was had and we can't wait to see where you all will go next year!

🥳 MR. FATIHS' ADVISORY!

Students in Dr. Aydin`s Introduction to Engineering Design class learned how to use the professional Computer-Aided Design (CAD) software Onshape. Using this program, they designed a variety of 3D objects from scratch, which were later produced using 3D printers. Through these projects, students gained hands-on experience in 3D modeling, engineering design, and problem-solving skills. The class held the 3D Engineering Showcase for the 5th hour with the support of our wonderful teachers and their students.

"It was a great success, and we truly appreciate everyone who helped make it possible together." - Dr.Aydin

Ms.Bromberg's biomedical class practices controlling bleeding in a medical simulation.

We would like to extend our heartfelt thanks to the PTO Committee for the incredible effort, thoughtfulness, and care you put into making Teacher Appreciation Week so special.

Your generosity and attention to detail did not go unnoticed. From the treats and decorations to the kind gestures throughout the week, every moment made our teachers feel valued, supported, and celebrated. Your commitment to uplifting our staff truly reflects the strong sense of community that makes our school so special.

Thank you for continuously going above and beyond to show appreciation for our educators. Your support means more than words can express.

We are so excited to finally have a school library space for our students! This long-awaited addition creates a welcoming environment for learning, creativity, and exploration. Thanks Mr. Morrow!!!

Our library is more than just a place to check out books. It’s a space where students can read, research, study, collaborate on projects, or simply enjoy a quiet moment during the school day. With a growing collection of fiction, nonfiction, and academic resources, the library supports both classroom learning and a love of reading.

We’re also proud to share that Mrs. McCann has created a library app, making it even easier for students to explore books and access resources right from their devices.

A special thank you to Mrs. Bland for helping decorate the space and bring it to life. Her thoughtful touches have helped make the library warm and inviting for all.

We can’t wait to see our students take full advantage of this exciting new space!

10 of our GSA musicians attended the E. Des Lee Honors Music Festival at UMSL. They participated in workshops with esteemed conductors, Twinda Murray and Dr. David Wacyk.

The event culminated with amazing performances in the Touhill Performing Arts Center.

Our musicians were:

Collin Heller, Assistant Concertmaster

Jared Bender, 3rd chair, 1st violin

Rukiye Gungor, principal 2nd violin

Kusum Basnet, 2nd violin

Garrett McElroy, viola

Mahima Ghalay, viola

Afra Karatas, principal cello with solos

Dylan Tucker, trumpet

Trevor Hurd, with bongo solos

Sydney Kuhnert with crash cymbol solos

Check them out below!

The boys & Girls Club is offering both classroom instruction for the permit test as well as 3 behind the wheel driving lessons for kids who already have their permits.

students are required to be registered with the Boys & Girls Club ($25 fee) but for students already a part of the club it is free.

Looking for a fun, flexible part-time job? The local soccer stadium is now hiring for Guest Services positions! This is a great opportunity to earn extra income while gaining customer service experience in an exciting, fast-paced environment. Ideal for students and community members who enjoy working with people and being part of live sporting events.

Click Here to Apply ⚽

St. Louis Public Library (SLPL) has several volunteer opportunities coming up for teens. Here is the link to the current opportunities. If you know any students interested they can register to attend through this google form.

At GSA, we are proud to call the YMCA our partners in expanding opportunities for students and families. The Y plays an essential role in strengthening our schools—from sponsoring underwater robotics programs in our elementary and middle schools to collaborating with us to secure the Mobile Y for the Gateway Region, which our students and families now enjoy through a variety of after-school activities.

Many of our students rely on the Y as a safe, welcoming place to go after school, and this partnership continues to open doors for incredible experiences. A GSA High School student represented both our school and our local YMCA at the International Leadership Conference in Colombia, showcasing the leadership potential within our district.

The YMCA also invests in our educators—providing professional development opportunities—and works alongside us to co-host family events that bring our community together.

By contributing to the YMCA’s annual fundraising campaign, you are investing directly in our students, our families, and the strength of our community. Every contribution, big or small, makes a meaningful difference.

Thank you for supporting a partnership that helps our students thrive. We are proud to call the YMCA our partners! You can donate easily at the following link-

Here

We’re proud to share that GSA now has a workout room on campus serving our student-athletes. This and many other athletic improvements are possible because of your continued support.

Thanks to your generosity, we have been able to purchase essential tools for our programs, including:

• Dr. Dish Basketball Shooting Machine

• Volleyball Spike Machine

• Additional weights and equipment for the weight room

• We were able to host clinics

• And more resources that directly support student-athlete development

Families can support GSA Athletics in multiple ways:

• Donate directly: https://omella.com/flrgc

• Shop the GSA Merch Store, including retired jerseys, with proceeds supporting the athletic department:
  https://omella.com/7gxza

Thank you for investing in our student-athletes and helping us continue to build a strong, sustainable athletic program.

We look forward to another great spring season as we continue building a culture of accountability, effort, and excellence—on and off the field.

Go Gators
GSA Athletics Department

Important Links

Athletics Website | Access/ Register on FinalForms | GSA FanStore | Download Sports Physical

Follow us on Social Media

GSA Athletics on Twitter | GSA Athletics on Instagram | GSA Gator Athletics on Facebook

Love gaming? Ready to compete and connect? The upcoming Spring Season of Esports is your chance to team up, level up your skills, and represent your school in organized competitive gaming. Build teamwork, strategy, and bragging rights — all while having fun. All skill levels welcome!

Click the controller below for more information.

🐊💙 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

Hello GSA Families,

We’re excited to begin preparations for the 2026 GSA PTO Mouse Races, our largest PTO fundraising event of the year, supporting both GSA Middle and High School students.

Each grade level has a grade-specific fundraising letter with details on:

• The Mouse Races event

• Class basket donations

• How families can help secure business sponsors

Click below to open the documents and see detailed information for each class and representatives.

Mouse Race Sponsor Letter

Mouse Race Flyer

Business Sponsorship Spreadsheet: (If you speak with a business representative, please note it on the spreadsheet.)

Class of 2026 : STL Home Town Basket

Class of 2027: Spa Day Basket

Class of 2028: BBQ and Outdoors Basket

Class of 2029: Pet Lovers Basket

Class of 2030: Gift Card Tree

Class of 2031: Game Night Basket

Class of 2032: Movie Night Basket

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.

The next SWGNA General Membership Meeting is

Monday, January 26, 2025 at 7:00 p.m.

Matt Devoti: devotim@stlouis-mo.gov

Thora Pearson: pearsontho@stlouis-mo.gov