Cape schools superintendent Glass stars in educational programming

Neil Glass is not just superintendent of Cape Girardeau’s public schools. He’s also star of “Won’t You Be My Tiger?,” a television program airing each weekday on The Heartland’s CW (WQWQ) for the month of May — also available on YouTube.

Episodes air from 10 to 11 a.m. each weekday, said district spokeswomen Kristin Tallent, on WQWQ, channel 12.2 in the Cape Girardeau region, Spectrum channel 713, and DirecTV and Dish channel 9.

“We are extremely thankful to KFVS12 for the opportunity to connect with our students and families on their sister station, WQWQ-TV, during the precautionary coronavirus closure,” Glass said in a statement. “Our hope is that families feel comfortable leaving their kids in front of the TV for an hour, knowing that our content will be educational and fun.”

The school district ceased face-to-face classes March 18 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and since then, district teachers have continually provided educational enrichment activities via email, social media and phone calls. But, Glass said, families asked for more.

“Parents have been forced to juggle a number of duties, including stepping in to promote continued learning within their homes,” Chris Conroy, vice president and general manager of KFVS12/WQWQ, said in a statement. “As a television station, we are always looking for ways to support the community we serve. Providing families a little relief during this uncertain time is something we are very proud to do.”

Tallent said that in the weeks since the show premiered, she’s received a lot of positive feedback.

“We are thankful to WQWQ for the opportunity to showcase our extraordinary educators while making connections with kids throughout our region,” Tallent said. “I hesitate to brag on (Career and Technology Center instructor) Randy McWilson too much because I’m scared someone might try to steal him from us, but he has done a beautiful job of editing these shows. His enthusiasm for making our district shine and his dedication to our students is truly priceless.”

Tallent said that while the purpose of the show is to keep students entertained, “I get excited to think about others in our community getting a snapshot of the magic going on inside our classrooms each day. These vivacious educators you see on your television screens are the people who are inspiring young minds to dream and grow. I think that’s enough to get anyone excited about this school district.”

“Won’t You Be My Tiger?” may also be viewed at www.youtube.com/channel/UCgVT9bvTIXKWSRayfw0iPQw.