Over nearly three decades on the Wright City School Board, Mary Groeper has been a part of hiring seven different superintendents and making hundreds of decisions impacting the outcomes of the district. 

As she concludes her 27th year of service and anticipates running for another term in April, she is also being recognized on a statewide level. Groeper was recently elected to the executive committee of the Missouri School Board Association, where she has served as a board member since 2011.

“She’s always got the best interest of the kids at heart,” said R-II Board President Austin Jones, who’s served alongside Groeper for the past 21 years. “If you listen, she has a lot of empathy for families in situations. I think those are the things that drive her and keep her motivated to do a good job as a board member.”

Now Groeper will be able to effect change on a statewide level, as she meets among the president and other officers of MSBA. 

“This is the board that meets prior to the executive session,” explained Groeper, who was nominated and elected by her peers. One representative is chosen for small, medium and large school populations. In addition to her role on the executive committee, she is also a member of the MSBA Board of Directors and MSBA Future Builders Committee.

While Groeper never had a career in education, she has long taken an interest in the outcomes of students in the community. She and her husband, Jack, owned and operated Economy Grocery in Wright City for 26 years, employing many area youth.

“I think it starts with when they owned the store,” recalled Jones. “She always said they would  want to hire high school kids to give them an opportunity to have a job. One of the things she and Jack would do is work with the students on their extra curricular schedules, so they could not only hold a job but stay involved in activities.”

Groeper has an aunt who was a professor and a nephew who is a superintendent, linking her family’s interest in education. But it was her compassion toward young people that drove her desire to become committed to the community. Beyond her work as treasurer of the school board, she also serves as vice president of the Wright City Parks Board and will take over as president of the Kiwanis Club in September. 

“The reason I first did it was I just love kids,” said Groeper. “Kids are my passion, and I like community service as well. I like being involved in the community, so I decided to run for school board. I’ve had several friends who are teachers, and I’d hear them talk about things going on in the school and thought maybe I could make a difference.”

During her time on the board, Groeper has contributed to and witnessed the building of the current middle school, Wright City East Elementary, the Early Childhood Center and the central office. 

“Adding football was one of the bigger decisions we’ve had to make, because the board was very divided on that,” said Groeper. “Building the new schools and selling the old building we had in town at the time was a tough decision to make.”

She’s also been a part of the push for competitive teacher salaries and advancing technology and course offerings to provide the best possible resources for student achievement.

“We’ve come a long way since I got on the board 27 years ago,” said Groeper. “We’ve improved in a lot of ways with our test scores and facilities. I think the morale is better than it was at that time for teachers. We’re in a much better place than we were several years ago.”

Groeper is also a strong supporter of the athletic and band boosters, along with the Blue and Gold Foundation. 

“Everything geared in her life is toward helping the students succeed,” said Jones. “It’s a body of work with her. If you look at that entire body of work and how she’s built on it, that’s a testament of the long-lasting impact she’ll have on the district.”

With her school board position up for election next spring, Groeper is planning to continue her service and is hopeful to be a part of many projects to come.

“We’re getting ready to build the new high school,” said Groeper. “Hopefully we’ll be putting that on the ballots in the future. We’ve started making plans for that, so I’d like to stick around for some input into that.”