// a href = ./ //

   EAST ST. LOUIS, Ill. (AP) - An East St. Louis program aimed at helping at-risk students is celebrating after every high school senior enrolled in the program graduated and was accepted to college.

   Pathways began in 2011, working with students in sixth grade through high school. There are 168 participants, including this year's six graduates.

   The program at the Christian Activity Center in East St. Louis focuses on academics. Director Angela Whitlow tells the Belleville News-Democrat she'll continue to work with the graduates to help them navigate paperwork, registration and financial aid issues.

   Seventeen year old Paul Graham will be a first-generation college student when he begins studying in a pre-veterinary program at Southern Illinois University Carbondale this fall.

   He says his mom is proud.

   Less than two-thirds of East St. Louis students graduate from high school.

 

   It was a big weekend for graduation ceremonies in the St. Louis area, but Friday night's storms forced several to be moved, postponed or both.  The storms downed power lines and damaged the Family Arena in St. Charles where five high schools had been scheduled to hold graduation ceremonies over the weekend.  

   Francis Howell North, Francis Howell Central and Francis Howell high school combined their separate Saturday ceremonies into one mega-graduation at Lindenwood University on Sunday where more than 390 students received their diplomas.  

   Mehlville and Oakville high schools had reserved the arena for Sunday and instead moved both commencements to Oakville.  And power loss at UMSL forced Hazelwood high schools to move their commencement exercises from Saturday, to Sunday.

Damage to the St. Charles Family Arena by Friday night's severe weather prompted Francis Howell School District officials to to cancel all three of its high school graduation ceremonies for today (Saturday).

Colene McEntee, a spokesperson for the St. Charles County government, said the Family Arena has a big hole in the roof on the street side and lots of water pouring into the concourse.

As of midnight Friday, damage was confined to a 10 sq mile area between Caulks Hill and Pitman Hill Road.  Trees and power lines were down.

Several homes at Whitmoor Country Club in Weldon Spring suffered structural damage along with homes in Cambridge Crossing and Camelot and Haversham subdivisions.  

15-thousand people are converging on the campus of Washington University as they begin their 152nd year of celebrating graduates. And the school warns motorists you might want to take another route if you're commute takes you near Forest Park.

 

Traffic around the university will be very heavy Friday morning due to the university’s annual Commencement ceremony, which begins at 8:30 a.m. Traffic backups should be anticipated on streets near the university, especially Forsyth, Big Bend, Forest Park Parkway and Skinker. 

The university will award 2,873 degrees to 2,752 undergraduate, graduate and professional students. The university also will bestow honorary degrees on six individuals.  

 Cory Booker, the mayor of Newark, N.J., will deliver the 2013 Commencement address. During the ceremony, Booker, who is credited with helping revitalize New Jersey’s largest city with his hands-on and innovative approach, also will receive an honorary doctor of laws degree.

Washington University’s five other honorary degree recipients and their degrees are:

Marilyn Fox, St. Louis civic leader, philanthropist and community volunteer, doctor of humanities;

Martin L. Mathews, president, CEO and co-founder of Mathews-Dickey Boys’ & Girls’ Club, doctor of humanities;

Juhani Pallasmaa, a Finnish architect, educator and critic and a leading international figure in contemporary architecture, design and artistic culture, doctor of art and architecture;

Peter Rosen (MD ’60), one of the international leaders in the field of emergency medicine and one of the pioneers and founding fathers of the specialty, doctor of science;

and Howard Wood (BSBA ’61), co-founder of two of the nation’s most successful telecommunications companies: Charter Communications Inc. and Cequel III LLC, doctor of laws.

 

 

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — Missouri senators are considering a measure to impose tough attendance requirements for students receiving state-sponsored scholarships.

Sponsoring Republican Sen. David Pearce, of Warrensburg, says the bill is designed to help students finish their degrees on time. It would require them to take a defined number of credit hours per semester to remain eligible for aid.

The Bright Flight, Access Missouri and the A+ Schools Program would be affected.

The measure has already won first-round approval and is expected to be sent to the House this week.

COLUMBIA, Mo. (AP) - Hundreds of University of Missouri students are signing a petition asking administrators to reconsider a plan to move the spring honors graduation ceremony from historic Francis Quadrangle to Mizzou Arena.

School officials say there's no longer enough room on the quad.