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Moline-Coal Valley Superintendent Outlines Gains, Growing Student Needs

MOLINE — Moline-Coal Valley School District Superintendent Dr. Rachel Savage told Moline Rotary members Monday that the district is seeing continued progress while also facing ongoing challenges tied to attendance, mental health, school safety and growing student needs.

Savage said the district serves about 7,300 students and employs just over 1,000 full- and part-time staff members. The district includes 15 schools: 10 elementary schools, an early childhood center, two middle schools, Moline High School and Aspire, the district’s alternative school.

She said diversity continues to be one of the district’s defining characteristics, with more than 60 languages reported as being spoken in students’ homes.

About 62% of district students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch.

Savage said that level of need requires the district to use its resources carefully and work closely with outside organizations to provide additional support to students and families.

“Our community partners help fill in all the different nooks and crannies and cracks of needs that our families have,” she said.

The district’s stated priorities include fostering student growth, creating safe and welcoming schools, strengthening community partnerships and helping students become more resilient.

Savage said one of the district’s strongest indicators is its teacher retention rate, which stands at about 95%.

Quad Cities Marathon Founder Shares the Heart Behind the Race

Quad Cities Marathon founder and race director Joe Moreno recently shared with Rotary members how a simple idea nearly 30 years ago grew into one of the region’s best-known community events.

Moreno, who retired from 3M in Cordova after 35 years, never expected to still be leading the marathon nearly three decades after helping launch it. What began as an effort to bring a full marathon to the Quad Cities has grown into an event supported by approximately 1,000 volunteers, a 60-member organizing committee and a nine-member board of directors.

Moreno likes to describe the event as “five races through four cities, over three bridges, in two states and through one island.”

Limmer Updates Rotarians On MetroLINK Services

Ben Limmer, Executive Director of the Rock Island County Metropolitan Mass Transit District, recently provided an update on MetroLINK services, major capital improvements and plans for the future of public transportation in the Quad Cities.

Exchange Student Introduces Family To Rotarians

Rotarian Gary Francque introduced the family of former MoRo exchange student Joao Miguel (2023-24), parents Alexandre and Daiane and brothers Joao and Davi, who are visiting Moline from Brazil, after visiting a year ago when Joao returned to Moline to attend Black Hawk College.

The Bix Is More Than a Race — It’s a Quad Cities Homecoming

Moline Rotary welcomed Michelle Burnett Juerhing, Race Director of the Quad-City Times Bix 7, as our featured speaker.

Michelle shared how the Bix has grown from a small race with just 84 participants in 1975 into one of the Quad Cities’ most recognizable traditions. More than five decades later, the event has expanded to include eight days, seven events, three cities and two states.

Whether someone runs, walks, volunteers or cheers from the course, everyone can be part of what Michelle calls the Quad Cities' largest homecoming.

Thank you, Michelle, for sharing the history, growth and community spirit behind one of our region’s most treasured traditions.

Moline Rotary Awards Grant To Moline High School Drama Boosters

Moline Rotary Supports Drama Boosters’ Monday Meal Program

Moline Rotary presented a $400 grant to the Moline High School Drama Boosters to support its Monday meal program during show week.

On the Monday before each production opens, students often rehearse from immediately after school until approximately 10 p.m. The Drama Boosters provide a catered meal, giving the cast and crew time to eat, recharge, and connect before the demanding week ahead.

Student representatives explained that the meal helps strengthen the friendships and sense of community that make the theater program so meaningful. They also shared how the Drama Boosters support students throughout the year through fundraising, volunteer service, recognition programs, and assistance with productions.

The students thanked Moline Rotary for its generous contribution, which will help continue this important tradition while supporting students’ creativity, confidence, leadership, and teamwork.

2026 Summer Concert

Nice turn out for the Moline Centre Program Summer Concert.

Moline Rotary 2025-26 Grant Project

The Moline Rotary Club and Twin Rivers Rotary After Hours Club partnered to support Assistive Technology expansion across the Moline-Coal Valley School District through a combined donation of $6,114. The project provides adaptive tools and communication resources for students with disabilities while also engaging more than 90 Moline High School engineering students in designing and creating assistive devices using 3D printing technology funded by the grant.