By Joe Foster
SMT Contributing Reporter

ESSEX - The new Miss RHS for the 2011 school year was crowned in a pageant on Tuesday night before a volleyball game.

The new Miss RHS is Sophomore Katlyn Rofkahr. Miss Rofkahr, 16, is the daughter of Debbie and Eddie Rofkahr. She enjoys camping, fishing, swimming at her grandfather’s campsite, and being with her friends. Her activities include playing volleyball, and cheerleading. She is a member of BETA Club, Student Council, FFA, FCA, and FBLA.

The representatives for each grade are:

• Senior Paige McCormick
• Junior Baylee Taylor
• Sophomore Katlyn Rofkahr
• Freshman Hailey Laws

When asked what she thought about it all Katlyn said, “I am very happy that the student body voted for me. I was not expecting it at all!”

The mistresses for the pageant were Mallory Ashton and Chelsea Freeman.

ROLLA - The “man in the moon” will take center stage this fall at Missouri University of Science and Technology. The public is invited to view the moon through Missouri S & T’s 16-inch telescope on three evenings this fall.

The Missouri S&T Observatory will open its doors at 8 p.m. Friday, Sept. 9, to view the moon on the first Visitors' Night of the semester. The sky must be clear for observing and the session length will vary.

Visitors' Night at the Observatory is free of charge and no reservations are required. Each observing session is open ended. Children are welcome to attend but must be accompanied by an adult.

The observatory will offer two additional opportunities to view the skies this fall, at 8 p.m. Friday, Oct. 7, and at 8 p.m. Friday, Nov. 4. Viewing is subject to weather conditions.

Built in 1973, the Missouri S&T Observatory is adjacent to the university's Stonehenge replica on Highway 63 North, north of V.H. McNutt Hall and west of St. Patrick's Lane. For more information contact Dr. John L. Schmitt, associate professor of physics at Missouri S&T, at 573-341-4369 or email jschmitt@mst.edu.

CAPE GIRARDEAU - For the fourth straight year, Southeast Missouri State University is one of the best colleges and universities in the Midwest, according to The Princeton Review.

The education services company, widely known for its test prep programs and college and graduate school guides, included Southeast as one of 153 institutions it profiled in its "Best in the Midwest" section of its website feature, "2012 Best Colleges: Region by Region," posted earlier this month on the company's website.

“We are pleased to once again be recognized as one of the “Best in the Midwest” by the Princeton Review,” said Kenneth W. Dobbins, president of Southeast. “Our University’s outstanding faculty, academic programs and accreditations make us ‘The University of First Choice,’ and we are proud to be recognized as one of the best by Princeton Review."

Robert Franek, Princeton Review senior vice president and publisher, said the Princeton Review chose the 'regional best' colleges “mainly for their excellent academic programs. From several hundred schools in each region, we winnowed our list based on institutional data we collected directly from the schools, our visits to schools over the years, and the opinions of our staff, plus college counselors and advisors whose recommendations we invite. We also take into account what students at the schools reported to us. Only schools that permit us to independently survey their students are eligible to be considered for our regional 'best' lists."

For this project, The Princeton Review asks students attending the schools to rate their own schools on several issues -- from the accessibility of their professors to quality of the campus food -- and answer questions about themselves, their fellow students, and their campus life. Comments from surveyed students are quoted in the school profiles on The Princeton Review site. The profiles also have a "Survey Says" list that reveals topics about which students surveyed at the school were in highest agreement.

The schools in The Princeton Review’s "2012 Best Colleges: Region by Region" website section are also rated in six categories by The Princeton Review. The ratings, which appear on the school profiles, are scores on a scale of 60 to 99. The Princeton Review tallied these scores based on institutional data it obtained from the colleges in 2010-2011 and/or student survey data. The rating score categories include: Academics, Admissions Selectivity, Financial Aid, Fire Safety, Quality of Life, and Green.

The Princeton Review does not rank the 629 colleges in its "2012 Best Colleges: Region by Region" list hierarchically or by region or in various categories. Rather, the Princeton Review surveys students, asking them to rate their own schools on several issues – their school’s academics, administration, campus life, student body and themselves.

A SMT News Report

Thursday was a lucky day for Veronica Hampton!

It was Veronica's name that was drawn Thursday as the winner of the new Toshiba laptop computer from the T.S. Hill Middle School Parent Teacher Organization (PTO).

Presenting Veronica with the new laptop (photo left) is Amy Worley, president of the Middle School PTO. The PTO has been selling tickets for a drawing for the laptop, and the drawing was held at the conclusion of the middle school pep rally Thursday afternoon.

Veronica is a sixth grade student at the middle school and is the daughter of Kim and Charles Hampton.

The pep rally featured the 8th grade band and flag corps, the 7th and 8th grade cheerleaders and the introduction of the football team.

The middle school Bearcats take on the Sikeston Bulldogs in home football action Thursday evening at Charles Bland Stadium.

SPRINGFIELD - Each semester, students at Missouri State University who attain academic excellence are named to the dean’s list. For undergraduate students, criteria include enrollment in at least 6 credit hours during the summer semester and at least a 3.50 grade point average (on a 4.00 scale).

Stoddard County students who earned Deans List honors for the Summer 2011 semester include

• Eric J. Windham of Dexter
• Brittany N. Lewis of Essex

Missouri State University in Springfield was founded in 1905. The main campus is in Springfield with an enrollment of more than 23,000 students.