North County School Board Elects New Leadership, Approves Latin Honors System

Bonne Terre, Mo. (KFMO) - The North St. Francois County R-I School District Board of Education has voted in new leadership while also approving a significant change to how top graduating students are recognized.

During Thursday evenings Board of Education meeting, Dave Bahr, who previously served as board vice president, was elected as the new board president. He replaces James “Jebo” Bullock, who will now serve as vice president following the board’s reorganization.

In other leadership roles, Julie Pratt was re-elected as board treasurer, and Dave Mallow was re-elected as board secretary.

In addition to board leadership changes, the board approved a shift away from the traditional valedictorian and salutatorian honors system. The district will now adopt a Latin honors system to recognize academic achievement among graduating seniors.

Latin honors are commonly used in high schools and colleges and are based on grade point average tiers rather than class rank. These distinctions typically include:

• Cum laude (with honor)
• Magna cum laude (with great honor)
• Summa cum laude (with highest honor)

The move reflects a growing trend among school districts to reduce competition tied to class rank and instead recognize multiple high-achieving students.

The change may also better reflect the evolving structure of education within the district. Officials note that approximately 25 percent of North County seniors are currently attending school virtually.