ShowMe May Spotlight
It's May - and it's a busy month, especially for Jessica Snider, who is in the ShowMe Spotlight for the month. Jessica is a senior at Dexter High School and will graduate with with the Class of 2012 later this month. Jessica is the daughter of Jeff and Debbie Snider, and she is the Senior Class president, a member of Dexter Honor Society, the Future Teachers of America, Fellowship of Christian Athletes, Future Farmers of America, the DHS tennis team and the Kickin' Cats Dance Team. May is truly a busy month - with DHS Graduation on May 18, and a month that includes Cinco de Mayo (May 5), the anniversary of the World War II V-E Day -Victory in Europe - (May 8), Mothers Day (May 13), and Memorial Day (May 28). We also celebrate our teachers on National Teachers Day on May 8 and our nurses on Nurses Day on May 12. The ShowMe Spotlight is a monthly feature of the ShowMe Times, featuring one of the Top 12 finalists in the annual Miss Dexter Pageant sponsored by the Dexter High School Music Department. (Photo by SMT Reader Shannon Putnam. Thanks, Shannon, for everything!!)
By Annabeth Miller,
ShowMe Times Editor
Dexter residents will join with Americans from coast to coast this week, as all join hands and bow their heads in prayer for the National Day of Prayer.
The Dexter Ministerial Alliance will mark the special day with a community observance as 12:15 p.m., Thursday, May 3 at the Dexter Administrative Building on Stoddard Street. The community is invited to join pastors from a number of area churches for a few moments of prayer and community Christian fellowship.
Rev. Don Biggs said the Dexter observance would include time for prayer for national, state and local officials, as well as for the country’s military.
“We'll also pray for our fire and police protection, our educational system, for the judiciary, and for our nation’s upcoming election,” Biggs is the chairman of the Dexter Ministerial Alliance, which is hosting the local National Day of Prayer observance.
“We have found that 12:15 p.m. is a good time for us,” Biggs added. “People get out of work for lunch, and this gives them enough time to get to city hall.”
In case of rain, Biggs said the prayer service would move across the street to the First Christian Church.
Biggs said the theme to this year’s National Day of Prayer is “One Nation Under God” and is taken from Psalms 33:12: "Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord.”
Emphasis of prayer will be on what the NDP organization calls the seven centers of power: government, military, media, business, education, church and family.
The National Day of Prayer is an annual observance held on the first Thursday of May, inviting people of all faiths to pray for the nation. It was created in 1952 by a joint resolution of the United States Congress, and signed into law by President Harry S. Truman. On January 25, 1988, President Ronald Reagan signed into law the designation of the first Thursday in May as the annual observance for the National Day of Prayer.
The National Day of Prayer tradition predates the founding of the United States of America, evidenced by the Continental Congress’ proclamation in 1775 setting aside a day of prayer. In 1952, Congress established an annual day of prayer and, in 1988, that law was amended, designating the National Day of Prayer as the first Thursday in May.
Photo Above: Steve Easterwood of First Baptist Church, Larry Colvin, former pastor at First Christian Church, and Phil Warren of Liberty Hill Church, were members of the clergy who participated in the 2011 National Day of Prayer observance in Dexter. This year the community will gather for National Day of Prayer at 12:15 p.m., Thursday, May 3, at the Dexter City Hall. (ShowMe Times archive photo by Annabeth Miller)
Link of Interest
National Day of Prayer Video
By Annabeth Miller,
ShowMe Times Editor
The U.S. Department of Labor has withdrawn a controversial proposal that would have placed more stringent rules on minors’ work on farms.
“The decision to withdraw this rule — including provisions to define the ‘parental exemption’ — was made in response to thousands of comments expressing concerns about the effect of the proposed rules on small family-owned farms,” the Labor Department said in a written statement. “To be clear, this regulation will not be pursued for the duration of the Obama administration.”
The proposed rules would have barred children younger than 16 from operating tractors or heavy farm equipment on nonfamily farms. They would not have applied to children working on their own family farms.
After a public outcry when the regulations were proposed last year, the department said in February that it would review the possible labor laws.
U.S. Rep. Jo Ann Emerson said Thursday evening that the proposal was out of step with the reality on family farms in Missouri.
“We don’t need much proof that this Administration doesn’t understand rural America, but this proposal was clearly out of step with the reality of growing up on a farm or ranch in Missouri and many other parts of the country,” she said. “Doing chores, driving tractors and helping out on the family farm or ranch is a fundamental part of the formative experience in rural America. It guarantees the passage of a family business from one generation to the next, and it is also how our young farmers and ranchers get a head start on their lifelong dream of having their own operation some day.”
Emerson has opposed the rule since 2011, when it was first put forward by the Department of Labor. The Eighth District Member of Congress cosponsored legislation to stop the action and sent several letters to the Administration urging that the rulemaking to abandoned.
“The agricultural sector is one bright spot in our rural and our national economy. Yet, it is fraught with risk, extremely dependent on energy, and reliant on Americans who work from sunup to sundown. This rule struck at the heart and soul of thousands of family businesses in Southern Missouri. Unfortunately, we have seen time and time again that this is an Administration which regulates first and asks questions later,” Emerson said. “I think, this time, the objections were too obvious to ignore.”
By Annabeth Miller,
ShowMe Times Editor
The word “bibliofile” comes to mind when you know Rhonda Robinson. She loves books! And she works in the perfect place for someone who appreciates, enjoys and revels in books.
Rhonda Robinson is a librarian. To be specific, she is the librarian at T.S. Hill Middle School in Dexter. She is surrounded everyday by books and she has the opportunity to encourage and to enthuse young people about the joys and the new worlds they can discover by reading.
There’s one more positive about Robinson’s career. She has the opportunity to serve on a statewide committee that reads and reviews new books – good books – for middle school readers. Robinson is one of nine teachers in Missouri chosen to serve on the Truman Reader Awards Committee. These teachers review newly- released literature for young teens, and help develop the annual list of Truman Award books for Missouri students.
Robinson explains that a book doesn’t make it to the prestigious “Truman list” overnight. First ‘reader selectors” read 25 books and rate them. The list of 25 is narrowed to 12, which in turn become the annual Truman list of books. The Truman committee – of which she is a member – reads ”hundreds of books” and narrows it to the 25.
“So far I’ve read 147 books,” she said. And they are not books to be taken lightly – the majority are hefty sized novels. She said there have been some exceptional books in the stacks she has read the year. “It’s fun, because I love to read!”
Robinson said the list includes mostly all fiction books, all new releases, and with just a couple of criteria.
“Authors have to be living, and they have to be American,” she added. The Missouri Association of School Librarians sponsors the annual program. The books must also be newly published.
The side benefit to Robinson being a member of the Truman Reader Awards Committee is that she has received bound editions of all the books that she has read and reviewed. That’s 147 newly-published books the students at T.S.Hill Middle School can find on the library shelves. And when you add up the value of those 147 books, that’s nearly $2,000 worth of new books that are in the school library – for free!
The books that Robinson has read and reviewed will be a part of next year’s Truman list – and Dexter students will have an opportunity to read those books next school year. And since Robinson is a committee member, the Dexter students will play a part in developing the upcoming Truman list for all of Missouri.
“The students will have until December 1 to read the 25 that the committee chooses,” she said. Then the students will vote on those 25 books. The top 12 vote getters statewide will become the 12 books on statewide Truman list in two years.
“So our kids are two years ahead,” she said. Students will visit the school library and Robinson will recommend a book she has enjoyed from the list she is reviewing. “It’s really good! Besides the free books for the library, they’re getting the benefit of having someone who has read them –to weed through them all.”
One of Robinson’s favorites so far has been by Ruta Septeys ’”Between Shades of Grey.”
The novel is set in post-World War II Europe, and centers on a 15-year-old girl and her family. One night, the Soviet secret police barge violently into her home, deporting her along with her mother and younger brother to Siberia. The girl’s father has been separated from the family and sentenced to death in a prison camp. The story is about the family’s journey.
“It’s been my favorite (book) so far,” Robinson said. “It’s really good.”
The Missouri librarians also have book lists for other age groups.
- Show Me Reader Awards- grades 1-3
- Mark Twain Reader Awards- grades4-6
- Truman Reader Awards – grades 6-8
- Gateway Readers Awards – grades 9-12
ShowMe Times Editor
When Chris Christian was a student at Dexter High school, he never imagined that one day he would be asked to speak at the school’s Honor Banquet.
But there he was Tuesday evening – standing at the podium on the DHS Auditorium stage, speaking to the students whose academic rank placed them in the top ten percent of their classes.
“When I was asked to speak here tonight, I was caught by surprise,” Christian said. He wasn’t a “top ten percent” student when he attended DHS, but he was president of the student body, and was active in Student Council, Future Business Leaders of America, Fellowship of Christian Athletes, was on the track team, and a member of Dexter Honor Society. After graduating in 2005 from DHS, Christian attended Missouri State University in Springfield, and then Missouri Highway Patrol Academy. He is now a highway patrol trooper, stationed in New Madrid and Pemiscot counties.
Christian noted the celebration Tuesday night of academic success was an outstanding opportunity for the school and the community to join together in a positive way. The Dexter Chamber of Commerce sponsors the annual Honors Banquet annually.
“An honor such as this is an excellent way from the school and the community to recognize and celebrate the choices and sacrifices you have sometimes made during your school years,” he told the students. “In doing this, I believe it is not the honor itself, but more the effort you have put forth for your achievements.”
In a few weeks, Christian noted that some would some be walking across the stage to accept a high school diploma – and walking into a new phase in life. He challenged the students to continue to work for the best.
“I challenge you: Do not rest on your success here at Dexter. Continue to strive toward even higher goals after high school. Discipline yourself to carry over a work ethic into your college career,” he said. Earning good grades in high school has not been a big challenge to many, he observed. “College will be a new experience. For some, you will learn the art of studying. Essays will become longer; tests and exams more difficult; free time will be shortened and time in the library will be lengthened.
To younger students, Christian issued a challenge to continue on the path of academic success and to begin to plan early for a college career.
“Keep an open mind when it comes to selecting a college,” he said. He encouraged students to look closely at collegiate opportunities and to visit campuses, investigate programs offered, and even check into financial aid packages.
Christian also encouraged students to recognize and value their families.
“They are the source that makes tonight possible. No one is more proud of you than your family,” he said.
Students in the Top Ten Percent of the classes were presented with a certificate by Assistant Principal Church Powers, and academic medal by Principal Corey Mouser.
Following the ceremony and photographs in the high school gym, parents and students, faculty and school board members enjoyed a banquet in the DHS cafeteria.
Photo Above: A proud Aaron and Amy Pixley celebrate with freshman son Sion following the Honors Banquet program Tuesday evening, (ShowMe Times photo by Annabeth Miller)
2011-2012 DHS Honorees
Freshman: Madison Christian, Katie Dewitt, Jake Hindman, Jessica Lindsey, Dalton Manuel, Honey Patel, Sion Pixley, Courtney Potts, Brooks Probst, Rachel Putnam, Kathryn Grace Reiker, Rebecca Singh, Alexis Smith, Dakota Southerland
Sophomores: Keaton Altom, Will Baker, Chelsey Berry, Cora Bradley, Jonathan Foels, Kayla Hester, Kelsey Holder, Zachary Kester, Sophie Lebel, Michaela Lesley, Ashley Long, Jacob Mier, Riley Rickman, Jacob Robinson, Kendra Stevenson, Kasity Twaddell, Kali Watson
Juniors: Katlyn Brown, Katelynn Frazier, Damian Glasener, Joseph Greer, Ryan Joyner, Jessica Loflin, Natalie Parrott, Courtney Rasor, Alex Rybolt, Kaitlin Viers, Samuel Ward, Logan Webb, Tyler Wilson, Chase Young
Seniors: Tyler Chapman, Shelby Chappell, Lauren Dudley, Owen Flowers, Taylor Hueckel, Jamie Manuel, Tyler Miller, Brandon C. Moore, Leah Noyes, Emma Powell, Dalton Putnam, Sydnie Rinehart, Jacob Stephens, Lauren Ward
