Community Corner

A Sign of Humor Outside Kid-less Classrooms

The monument-styled display at Ballwin's Claymont Elementary School may have raised a sweaty eyebrow or two on Monday afternoon.

Passerbys on Country Club Drive in Ballwin may have noticed some heat-induced hijinks outside on Monday, but it wasn't the work of a class clown who was blowing off summer steam.

Aaron Wills, who has served as principal at Claymont for the past four years, said Monday's high temperatures prompted a malfunction unlike anything he's seen at the school.

"The sign in front of our school has always been very reliable, but I guess this week's temperatures are just more than it can handle," he said in an email.

Find out what's happening in Ballwin-Ellisvillewith free, real-time updates from Patch.

On a day when the heat index peaked higher than 102 degrees, no students were scheduled for attendance Monday and few personnel were at the school; summer classes are finished for 2011, while the regular session for the Parkway School District is scheduled to resume Tuesday, August 16.

Following a special investigation spearheaded by Ballwin-Ellisville Patch, the exact cause behind the unusual sign display was revealed late Monday.

Find out what's happening in Ballwin-Ellisvillewith free, real-time updates from Patch.

"It was a joke," Parkway spokesperson Cathy Kelly said. "It was the principal."


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

More from Ballwin-Ellisville