Written by
Dee Loflin, SMT Manager/Writer
About a month ago, the First Baptist Church in Dexter had DNOW, a popular youth group event that spanned over a weekend. The youth, both middle school age and high school age, had an opportunity to grow in fellowship with other students and encounter the Lord. Students were together all weekend and stayed in host homes based on their grade and gender.
Each student participated in several impacting sessions, worship experiences and had time for discussion. They also enjoyed valuable time with their friends and the crazy activities kept them entertained.
T.S. Hill Middle School student, Gavin Northcutt, attended the event and wanted to bring those teachings, devotional experiences, and prayer to other kids of his age so they would have the opportunity to feel and know the Lord as he does. With some help from a few classmates, they organized a prayer group. Asked the school if they could use a classroom in the mornings before school as it would make it easier for students who wanted to come to do so.
On the first day there were 87 students who crammed into a classroom big enough to hold them. They started at about 7:50 a.m. on a Wednesday morning and began with Gavin talking about how to get better acquainted with the Lord and what they hoped to accomplish from these morning prayer meetings. Students who attended would gain a sense of togetherness and through spiritual leadership have a better understanding of how and what faith truly means. Gavin is a shining example of how faith has helped him lead this group of spiritually minded students.
Each week a different student gives a short devotional lasting about 15 minutes. They ask if there is any one needing to be placed on the prayer list and then the students are asked if anyone has something to say or questions for the group. Remember it is all student based, this is not lead by the faculty. Scott Kruse, Principal of T.S. Hill Middle School, is on hand as other teachers are throughout the building during the morning hours.
At the end of their meeting, they prayed for strength and guidance and that the group would continue to grow in love and unity.
Now four weeks later, they are still meeting, still speaking about God, still praying and the group has grown even larger. This morning with volleyball and baseball practices and other school related activities, there were 100 students sitting in chairs, on the floor and standing along the wall in the back.Each listening intently to Janie Lindsey who was today's devotional leader. She spoke of getting the word out about having Christ in your life. She spoke of how each student would be challenged daily and they could lean on one another for guidance and support. Not to be bullied or pressured into doing something wrong. She read a few verses from the Bible and just before the bell rang for everyone to go to class, all 100 students stood up, gathered into a very large circle, weaving in and out around the chairs, held hands, bowed their heads and Janie lead them in prayer. "Amen," the students said and with that they single filed out of the classroom, walked to the gym to get their books and headed to class. The community should be extremely proud of them and what they are accomplishing.
Any student at the T.S. Middle School may participate each Wednesday morning. This is not a requirement, nor is it a school related activity. These students meet on their own and have chosen to have a morning prayer group for anyone to attend. They also stand-up and say a prayer daily just before they eat their lunch. Amazing! Truly inspirational!
"We have a great bunch of students at T.S. Hill Middle School!" stated Scott Kruse, Principal. "The devotion group is student led and represents everything good about young adults. I asked them to not let this idea fade away and it is obvious they are committed to seeing this become tradition; something for all middle school students to look forward to and being included."
We have more photos of these extraordinary kids doing extraordinary things on the ShowMe Times Facebook page. Come check it out!
Written by
Dee Loflin, SMT Manager/Writer
Dexter, Missouri – The FBLA (future Business Leaders of America) District #16 State Leadership conference took place at the Bootheel Education Center and the Malden Community Center in Malden, Missouri.
Over 450 students from eighteen schools competed for top honors. This year four Dexter Senior High School students earned some prestigious awards.
There were many different business-related topics that the students were able to test in, ranging from Business Ethics to Health Care Administration to Cyber Security. Each student took an online tests for each subject beginning January 10th and ending January 30th.
Honey Patel competed against 9th and 10th graders from the area and earned a 3rd place in Intro to Business. She also received 3rd place in Business Communications.
Alexis Smith placed 3rd place in Business Math. The objective test consisted of items related to business such as questions on basic math concepts, decimals, fractions, percentages, discounts and consumer credit.
Katie DeWitt received 1st place in Business Math and 5th place in Business Communications.
Jacob Robinson, a Junior, placed 1st in Economics and 1st in Health Care Administration. Jacob was also elected President of District 16, for the 2013-2014 school year. Congratulations!
Katie DeWitt and Jacob will be attending and competing at the State Conference on April 21st – 23rd on the University of Missouri – Columbia’s campus.
These events honor outstanding FBLA members who have demonstrated leadership qualities, participation in FBLA and evidence of knowledge and skills essential for successful careers in business.
If you would like to know more about the Missouri FBLA go to www.missourifbla.org or contact your local high school FBLA adviser.
Congratulations to each of you and we wish you the best on your future endeavors.
Written by
Dee Loflin, SMT Manager/Writer
Dexter, Missouri – Every kid loves McDonald’s! The 3rd grade teachers from Central Elementary School in Dexter, Missouri will tie on a McDonald’s apron and greet guests, take orders, serve food and will even be at the drive thru handing out Happy Meals to hungry kids. These teachers are truly dedicated to their youth and to education. They are going to have a lot of fun pouring milk shakes, salting fries and even flipping burgers to raise money for their classroom.
The teachers are raising money for the 3rd graders at Central Elementary and will then spend the money on items needed for classroom activities. What a unique event to promote school spirit and generate excitement in the community, while also raising funds for our school’s needs.
The McTeacher's Night is a wonderful collaboration between the teachers and McDonald’s and provides an opportunity for schools to raise funds. A percentage of the sales from the event will be donated to the school.
School officials and teachers are encouraged to participate in the event at the restaurant to help generate school donations and the students love seeing their teacher outside of the classroom and behind the counter.
Last year the McTeacher's Night was a great success with over 500 folks coming out to participate. They raised $400 for classroom activities and the students benefited from the teachers’ commitment to their quality education.
Invite your family, friends, co-workers and anyone else who enjoys fast food dining at the Golden Arches. The teachers will be there from 5 p.m. – 7 p.m. on Thursday, March 7th.
Dexter Senior High School- This listing of activities is a service offered by the ShowMe Times, working in partnership with the Dexter Public Schools for your convenience.
The ShowMe Times would like to encourage all of our readers to support our local school system. The education and growth of young people in our community is important to everyone's future.
We would like everyone to join us as we encourage these young students in their pursuits.
So lets get involved by supporting the events at our schools.
Dexter T.S. Middle School- This listing of activities is a service offered by the ShowMe Times, working in partnership with the Dexter Public Schools for your convenience.
The ShowMe Times would like to encourage all of our readers to support our local school system. The education and growth of young people in our community is important to everyone's future.
We would like everyone to join us as we encourage these young students in their pursuits.
So lets get involved by supporting the events at our schools.
