Piper student wins metro-wide contest

A Piper East Elementary student, Lexie Simpson, received a classroom party and a donation to the school library for winning a Price Chopper book cover designing contest. It is a program designed to encourage reading. (Submitted photo)
A Piper East Elementary student, Lexie Simpson, received a classroom party and a donation to the school library for winning a Price Chopper book cover designing contest. It is a program designed to encourage reading. (Submitted photo)

Student receives classroom party and $500 donation for school library

A fourth-grade student at Piper East Elementary School, Lexie Simpson, has won a metro-wide contest to design a book cover in the Price Chopper annual “Bag Your Favorite Book” contest.

Nine students from across the metro area won awards for designing a book cover as part of Price Chopper’s annual “Bag Your Favorite Book” contest. Winners will be surprised with their prizes at school assemblies. This year’s fourth grade winner is from Kansas City, Kan.

Price Chopper received more than 9,500 entries for the contest this year.

From Sept. 8 to Oct. 17, students in elementary, middle school and junior high entered the “Bag Your Favorite Book” contest by designing an original cover of a book. Teachers determined if their students could pick a favorite book or an assigned book. Nine students (one per grade, K-8) were awarded with a classroom party and a $500 donation for their school library.

Lexie is in Mrs. Schuler’s fourth-grade class at Piper East Elementary School. Her book cover was designed for “The Kicks: Win or Lose” by Alex Morgan.

“Bag Your Favorite Book” is one of two programs under Price Chopper’s “Feeding the Reading Appetite” literacy initiative. Price Chopper launched “Feeding the Reading Appetite” in 2007 to provide teachers a new way to provide incentives for their students to read more.

The other program, “Party for Pages,” allows classrooms to earn parties based on the number of pages they collectively read. Reading goals are established based on grade level. Classes who reach their page goal receive a classroom party! This program goes through May 8, 2015.

For more information on the Feeding the Reading Appetite program, email kelli@archmarketinggroup.com.

A book cover design from Piper East Elementary School student Lexie Simpson won a metro wide contest recently. (Submitted photo)
A book cover design from Piper East Elementary School student Lexie Simpson won a metro wide contest recently. (Submitted photo)

New stroke treatment underway at KU Hospital

The University of Kansas Hospital reports it is already using a new technique praised in Wednesday’s New England Journal of Medicine as a major breakthrough in serious stroke care.

Dr. Marilyn Rymer, vice president of neurosciences at The University of Kansas Hospital in Kansas City, Kan., said going directly to large blood clots blocking blood vessels to the brain and removing them was 70 percent more effective in producing positive patient outcomes than the current standard of care, which is IV infusion of clot busting drugs.

The research trial using the acronym MR CLEAN noted attacking the clot directly is more effective regardless of which method is used. The catheter can attack the clot by vacuuming out the clot or snare it and pull it out with a stent.

Dr. Rymer said The University of Kansas Hospital has been using both approaches and agreed with the study’s findings that the approach is more effective.

Dr. Rymer said clot busting drugs will still be used alongside the clot removal techniques.

While the new technique offers some hope that recovery can occur somewhat later than under current guidelines, Dr. Rymer said it is still important to get medical care quickly at the first signs of a stroke.

To see a KU Hospital video on this new technique, visit https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fQrzEUonE6U.

– Story and video from KU Hospital