Palmyra R-1 Community Meeting
Join us for an important Community Meeting to discuss school finance and Missouri legislation updates that will impact public education now and into the future.
📅 Monday, March 23rd
⏰ 6:00 P.M.
📍 Palmyra High School
Topics of Discussion:
• School Finance Legislation
• Homestead Property Tax Credit / Senate Bill 3 (on the April ballot)
We encourage all community members to attend, stay informed, and be part of the conversation about the future of our schools.
We hope to see you there!
Andrew Lehenbauer, a 2003 graduate of Palmyra High School and 2005 OSU-Okmulgee grad with a degree in applied science with emphasis on diesel power systems. My wife Jessica and I have 3 beautiful daughter who are students in Palmyra. 🎓
After working in the heavy construction repair sector for almost a decade, I came back to work full time on my family's farm. I am the Operation Manager at Lehenbauer Farms Inc. I work with my dad, Ronnie, along with my brother Mark and his wife Amy, to make LFI a producer of choice. Rooted in faith and family values, our mission at LFI is to lead with innovation and resourceful stewardship, serve our community, and build lasting relationships to create a legacy of farming excellence. 🤝
Why did I choose to serve on the school board? 💬
I chose to serve on the board because I wanted to invest in our youth. Time is our greatest and most precious commodity. In this ever-changing world, I wanted to be a part of the discussion on how we spend our time and resources to educate our kids so they can have the confidence to tackle the challenges that will be thrown at them as adults.
What do I love most about our district? 💬
I love how our district and community sets high expectations for every aspect of learning. Our students and staff continually exceed those expectations which extend beyond just grading and standardized testing. We always have room for improvement and growth, but thru strong goals and hard work our administration, staff, and students will continue to grow together in their educational journey to help each student see success. The fact we have strong community backing and support makes us one of the best districts to raise your kids.
Fun Fact? ⭐
I hate sweet potatoes 🚫🍠
Fast Five with Andrew: ⭐
Coffee or Tea: Sweet Tea 🥤
Early Bird or Night Owl: Night Owl 🌙 🦉
Favorite School Event: Graduation 🎓
Favorite Subject in School: Vo-Tech Welding 🔥🛠️
One word that describes our district: Proud 💪
Are you a Palmyra graduate?
Palmyra High School Class of 2003
👏 Thank you Andrew for your dedication to Palmyra R-1 and for helping lead our district forward! 🧡🖤
Students attended the Quincy Symphony Orchestra Young People’s Concert on Friday and had a great time listening to the orchestra while learning about the instruments and the instrument families that make up a symphony. 🎻🎺🥁
What a great opportunity for our Panthers to experience music in a whole new way! 🧡🖤
Just a quick reminder that there will be no school on Thursday and Friday, March 19 & 20.
Enjoy the long weekend and we will see everyone back in class on Monday!
📅 Looking ahead:
The next scheduled break will be April 2, 3, and 6.
Have a great day, Panthers! 🐾📚
Join us for a fun evening while supporting our PHS students and the After Prom event!
📅 Tuesday, March 17
🚪 Doors Open: 5:30 PM
💰 Auction Begins: 6:30 PM
📍 Sesquicentennial Building – Flower City Park
Come out for a night of Quarter Madness, great food, and shopping with local vendors!
🍽 Food by Rebel Pig
Free will donation meal featuring:
• Smoked Pulled Pork
• Cheesy Mashed Potatoes
• Green Beans
• Dessert & Drink
🛍 Vendors include:
Tupperware, Three Sisters Boutique, K’s Keychain Kreations, Thirty-One, Sarah’s House of Nails, Mandyish, K’s Bags, TRAK Treats, Lemongrass, Oakridge Engraving, and more!
Bring your quarters and get ready for a fun night of bidding, prizes, and community support for our students.
We hope to see you there! 🧡🖤🐾
Our science classes will once again be participating in the exciting tournament created by researchers at Arizona State University. Students will analyze animal traits, habitats, and behaviors to predict which species will advance through the bracket.
Students will research the animals, fill out their brackets, and see if their predictions survive the wild world of March Mammal Madness! 🌎🦣
Who will survive and advance? Stay tuned as our students follow the tournament and cheer on their picks!
#PantherPrideInTheClassroom
Meet your Palmyra R-1 School Board President, Roth McElvain! 🏫
Roth is a 2011 graduate of Palmyra High School and a 5th generation farmer. He has been married to Kaitlynn for 11 years and they have 3 children: Atticus, Frederick, and RuthAnn. Roth was elected to the school board in 2019 and appointed President in 2025. 🎓
Community Connection: 🤝
Kiwanis Board Member
Lewis and Marion County Cattlemen’s Association Board Member
Knights of Columbus Member
Palmyra School Foundation-School Board Liaison
I believe that strong communities come from resilient people coming together and working towards growing a better tomorrow for the next generation.
Why did I choose to serve on the school board? 💬
I chose to serve on the board as way to give back to the school and the community that I love so much. Education is the building block for successful communities and we are so fortunate of Palmyra’s excellent track record of educating our children. Through serving on the school board, I found my passion for policy making and education advocacy.
What do I love most about our district? 💬
I love to see the passion for student success from all our district staff members. The Palmyra community always steps up to support our students and our school.
Fun Fact? ⭐
My Family has been farming on the same farm ground since 1898. 🚜
Fast Five with Roth: ⭐
Coffee or Tea: Black Coffee ☕
Early Bird or Night Owl: Night Owl 🌙 🦉
Favorite School Event: Graduation — I love shaking each graduate’s hand and wishing them luck. 🎓
Favorite Subject in School: Math 📚
One word that describes our district: Innovative 💡
PHS Graduate?
Yes I graduated from Palmyra in 2011.
👏 Thank you Roth for your leadership and dedication to our students, staff, and community! 🧡🖤
Did you hear that? 👂🔊
Our 8th graders worked on their active listening skills with Mrs. McBride. Panthers had to carefully listen to the speaker in their group and follow directions to create a design. This activity challenged them to communicate clearly, listen closely, and work together as a team.
Mrs. McBride said they did a great job collaborating and had a fun time with the challenge! 🧡🖤
#PantherPrideInTheClassroom @ Palmyra Middle School
Creative thinking, counting money, and customer service were just a few of the real-life skills on display. Students created their own restaurants complete with a name, logo, and menu, and practiced adding money and giving back change to their “customers.” 💰
Way to go Panthers, developing real life skills and preparing for a successful future! 🧡🖤
Not only did the bread turn out great, but the students also did an excellent job working together in the kitchen. It was a fun (and tasty!) way to bring a little Irish culture into the classroom. ☘️🍞
#PantherPrideInTheClassroom @ PHS
All students received a brand new grade-level book today, along with the additional books they earned during Book Blast. It was a fun celebration of reading and a great way to grow our students’ home libraries!
Congratulations to Skylar for winning the EPIC TREASURE CHEST as the grand Book Blast prize! 🎉🏆
Thank you to everyone who supported our Panthers and helped make this event such a success. We hope our students enjoy their new books and continue their love of reading!
#PantherPrideInTheClassroom @ PES 🧡🖤
📺 March 13 at 6:30 PM
📺 March 14 at 6:30 PM
📺 March 15 at 10:30 PM
Our FCCLA members put on an amazing spring showcase tonight! It was wonderful to see them sharing the projects they have created this year and celebrating all of their hard-earned achievements. 🎉
Next up, these Panthers will be traveling to Springfield, MO, for the State Leadership Conference—good luck, team! 🐾✨
Throughout the month, we will be highlighting the members of the Palmyra R-1 Board of Education who generously volunteer their time to serve our students, staff, and community.
Our board members help guide the vision of our district, make important decisions, and work to ensure Palmyra R-1 remains a strong and thriving place for students to learn and grow.
Join us as we say thank you and introduce the leaders who help support our Panthers!
Jade, Ella, and Greta participated in the World Food Prize Foundation Missouri Youth Institute today at the University of Missouri. During the event, they presented their research at a roundtable discussion with peers based on a 1,500-word paper addressing a United Nations Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) impacting a country of their choice.
Their research topics included:
• Jade – Water Sanitation in India
• Ella – Education and Literacy in Ecuador
• Greta – Education in Ethiopia
We are proud of the time, research, and thoughtful discussion these students brought to important global issues. Congratulations on this well-deserved recognition as Borlaug Scholars! 🧡🖤
In STEAM and Library, our students are exploring the four components of creativity: Fluency, Flexibility, Originality, and Elaboration through Finish the Picture activities with Mrs. Meyers and Ms. Lehenbauer.
👏 Congratulations to this month’s Creativity Challenge Winners! Their masterpieces showed off all four creativity skills in action.
🌟 Be sure to check out our Creativity Wall of Fame—a school-wide display that highlights one student’s work from each grade level and a staff member every month. We look forward to seeing next month’s imaginative creations!
#PantherPrideInTheClassroom @ Palmyra Elementary School
#PantherPrideInTheClassroom @ PHS
Last night we welcomed our future Panthers and their families to Palmyra Elementary for the first night of Panther Prep. Incoming kindergarten students had the chance to explore the classrooms, meet teachers, and try out some fun learning activities.
One highlight of the evening was visiting Mrs. Griesbaum’s classroom, where students even got to watch a baby chick hatch in the incubator! 🐣
We loved meeting our newest Panthers and can’t wait to see everyone again for Night 2 of Panther Prep on April 22, when students will also get to enjoy a school bus ride!
Our 5th grade Social Studies students in Mrs. Hillman's class held a mock trial of The Three Bears vs. Goldilocks as they learned about the U.S. justice system and the Bill of Rights. Students took on important courtroom roles including attorneys, witnesses, jurors, a judge, and a bailiff as they examined the charges against Goldilocks—trespassing, eating food that did not belong to her, and breaking Baby Bear’s chair.
Through testimony, evidence, and arguments from both sides, students experienced how the Fifth, Sixth, and Seventh Amendments protect the rights of people in court and help ensure a fair trial.
It was a fun and engaging way to bring civics to life while practicing critical thinking, teamwork, and public speaking. Now the big question… was Goldilocks guilty or not guilty? 👀⚖️
#PantherPrideInTheClassroom @ PMS
