As students and teachers take a well-deserved summer break, we would like to thank all the contributors to SOAR, our weekly Butler Eagle publication of student work where “Imagination Takes Flight.”

The colorful addition to Friday's newspapers celebrates creativity, individuality and education.

Teachers and school administrators from all area public school districts and private schools have the opportunity to share the work that goes on in the classrooms.

We thank them for the extra effort it takes to gather the material from their class assignments or go the extra step to offer students the opportunity to participate in SOAR.

Turning its pages, our readers are able to learn students' thoughts on a variety of themes from kindness to patriotism.

The issues usually include a teacher's column, offering those who educate our children the opportunity to share an insight, or Just for Fun, a feature that lets teachers share a project students could do at home.

In SOAR’s Student Snapshots, children are able to share what they like about school, hobbies they enjoy or who they look up to. They share what they are reading and why others might enjoy those books.

The poetry, prose and art that spring from the imaginations of our children often astonish us and our readers.

Our hope is that these young students also become readers. We know their parents and grandparents are. In the June 3 edition, they could learn about the Ukulele Club in the Moniteau School District or how students at Holy Sepulcher School studied bugs while making papier-mâché ones.

SOAR is a lesson in the power of the printed word and the importance of the exchange of ideas. To discover that a student in a different school district likes the same book as you do or become inspired by a project that another class has done or a poem written by another child is part of the joy of community journalism.

During the summer, you can look forward to SOAR on July 8 and Aug. 5. The weekly publication is to begin again Sept. 16.

We are proud to offer this forum to the community and, again, we thank the administrators, teachers and staff for their support.

— DJS