MCMS Basketball Final Scores!
#MCPRIDE
Monroe City showed up strong to All-Conference Band auditions this evening! Congratulations to the following students who made the band!
Kiya Hester—4th chair flute
Gianna Quinn—7th chair clarinet
Ethan Moss—10th chair clarinet
Luke Lehenbauer—11th chair clarinet
Jacob Martin—6th chair trombone
Tanner Lorenson—1st chair tuba
Brady McNeill—8th chair percussion
#MCPRIDE
MS Basketball Game Day!
MS Girls 5:30pm @ Mark Twain
A Game, B Game: 2 Quarters
MS Boys 5:30pm vs. Mark Twain
#MCPRIDE
Our research shows that 1937-1938 is when the district tournament switched from February to December. The Dec. 8-10, 1938, tournament book noted that there two tournaments each year when the tournament began. Six girls’ teams and seven boys’ teams were in the first tournament. Forty teams filed to enter the 1938 tournament, but only 16 teams were selected to participate. A.L. Crow was superintendent.
John A. Hays and Sister Sue Walker show the 1925 first place trophy earned by Holy Rosary girls' team at the very first Monroe City basketball tournament, then called the Four-County Tournament, in February 1925 . The tournament trophy has been lovingly cared for and on display at Holy Rosary School since 1925
Who will you have autograph your tournament booklet this year? Do you recognize these 1961 cheerleaders? To Judy, “Rots of Ruck” from me, the handsome kid; “Lots of love” from Ray McDannell; “To my dear older cousin, best of luck” from James DeLashmutt; “Best Wishes” from Carol Buckman; Miss Muthi?, Tom Hagan; Judy Osbourne-“HRS”; “Forever always,” Joey; Dan Hays; David Spalding.
Middle School Basketball
Final Score!
On Thursday, MCHS will have Ground in Grace on campus.
Monroe City FBLA invites everyone to join us for the "Christmas Chaos" Murder Mystery Dinner on November 23rd or 24th at 5:30 PM. Enjoy a delicious meal and an evening of mystery while supporting our FBLA members competing at the State Leadership Conference. Tickets can be purchased from FBLA members or by contacting Mrs. Weldon at dweldon@monroe.k12.mo.us. Ticket sales end Monday! All proceeds will support our students' journey to state competitions.
Congratulations to Audri Youngblood signing her letter of intent to the University of Kansas! Audri has had an outstanding career at MCHS. We look forward to her playing career at the collegiate level!
#MCPRIDE
8th graders attended Career Fair in Hannibal and took a tour of the Vo-Tech.
MS Basketball Game Day!
MS Boys Home vs. Canton
MS Girls Away vs. Canton
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Monroe City R-1 School District Appoints Mrs. Amanda Spalding as Elementary Principal for 2025-2026
Monroe City, MO – The Monroe City R-1 School District is pleased to announce that Mrs. Amanda Spalding has been appointed as the Elementary Principal for the 2025-2026 school year. The Board of Education approved her appointment with a unanimous 7-0 vote on Monday evening.
Mrs. Spalding brings a rich background of 22 years of teaching experience across various elementary grade levels and has led the district’s Title I Reading program for the past 15 years. Her dedication to student success and commitment to educational leadership is further supported by her Masters Degree in Educational Leadership.
“We would like to thank the many individuals who served on the committees; their input was invaluable and very thorough,” said Tony DeGrave, Superintendent of Monroe City R-1 School District. “Mrs. Spalding is a very proud member of our community and school. She loves kids and will strive to excel in the role of Elementary Principal. I am excited about her promotion and working alongside her next year.”
Mrs. Spalding, who is married to Shane Spalding, is a long-time resident of Monroe City. They have two children, Emily and Michael. Her strong community ties and passion for nurturing student growth make her an ideal candidate for the principal role.
This new appointment comes as Mrs. Kim Shinn, the current Elementary Principal, prepares to retire in July after many years of dedicated service. The district wishes Mrs. Shinn a well-deserved and fulfilling retirement and extends its heartfelt gratitude for her contributions.
The Monroe City R-1 School District is excited to welcome Mrs. Spalding to her new role and looks forward to her continued commitment to excellence in education.
Tournament books have changed through the years. Take a look at this front cover from 1955 and the 1985 message from Principal Norman Grossman. Can you identify the 1955 "welcome" group? This 1926 program for the second tournament belonged to Scott Conway. Note that the original tournaments were held in February.
Sam Murray is one of the oldest living players of the Hunnewell Wildcats team. A 1950 graduate of Hunnewell High School, Murray turns 91 on Nov. 13. He and his teammates participated in some of the early Monroe City basketball tournaments. The Hunnewell players faced a bit of a challenge since they did not have an indoor gymnasium. They played their home games early in the season so they could be played outside. Later in the season, they played in the comfort of indoor gyms. Murray remembers that Lentner and a Hannibal team also played outside. Sam and his wife, Charlotte, ran Crawford's Grocery on Winter Street in Monroe City for many years.
Happenings at MCHS#mcpride
MCHS will have MADD DOG'S SIGNATURE HOT DOG'S on campus tomorrow. Here is the menu that will be offered to our students.
Perhaps one of the more interesting chapters in Monroe City basketball history was the year 1941. The 18th tournament was scheduled for Dec 9-13. Pearl Harbor was bombed by the Japanese just days earlier, Dec. 7, 1941 .The 1976 Monroe City News publication recognizing the nation’s bicentennial notes that there was no tournament in 1941 because Office of Defense Transportation (ODT) order prohibited transporting athletes on school buses to conserve fuel for military operations.
However, tournament books contradict this as Paris boys and Monroe City girls are listed in the roster of champions for 1941.
However, not everything went on as normal for the Monroe City community that year in response to World War II and the horror of Pearl Harbor. The War Production Board ordered that there would be no Christmas street lighting. School children made a house-to-house canvas for metal to be used for helmets and hand grenades. Rations of food, tires and other materials were underway. Shoes were limited to four colors-white, black, town brown or army russet. First aid classes were organized and there were knitting clubs at churches to knit items to be sent to soldiers. Monroe City residents were required to buy $5 auto-use stickers at the post office before they could legally drive their vehicles. Gas stations were limited to the number of hours they could be open.
The WPA began the first hot lunch program at Holy Rosary School in 1941. Local Boy Scouts collected 2,500 pounds of paper to be used for paper cartons to ship food and supplies to Russia and Great Britain. Farmers were asked to increase pork production. Gardening was in full swing as people were urged to grow their own food for themselves and others.
Three Monroe City boys were at Pearl Harbor at the time of bombing: Robert E. Painter, J.P. Quinn and Keith Settle. All notified their families that they were safe and uninjured. By 1945, local men-PFC Ivan Ray Walkup, Aloysious Douglas Buckman, Lt. Dalton McClintock, OFC Michael Ketsenburg and Carl Shively were liberated from their German captors. Lt. Dalton McClintock’s brother, Jasper, was in the liberating forces, but neither brother knew of the other’s whereabouts. In September 1945, Jennings Craig was released after three years of imprisonment in Japanese prisons. He received brutal treatment and was forced to eat little but rice for years. He survived the Bataan Death March.
Congrats to our MS Boys & Girls basketball teams on their season openers!
#MCPRIDE
MCHS is Celebrating 1st Quarter with an Apple Bar#mcpride
