Dexter, Missouri - Summer School students in Mrs. Twaddell's and Mrs. Putnam's class were surprised with a visitor from the Missouri State Highway Patrol.

The students weren't in trouble!!!  Instead they learned life saving information from Office Clark Parrott.  He performed a mini lesson and demonstrated the importance of wearing seatbelts and sitting in a booster seat.

The students gave him a "thumbs up" for Officer Parrot and the Missouri Highway Patrol.  We thank him for all he does to keep us safe and for all highway patrol officers who risk their lives everyday to keep our roadways safe!

Evanston, Illinois - Alexis Smith, a 2015 graduate of Dexter High School, has been selected as one of this year's National Merit Scholarship recipients.  Smith is the daughter of Gabe and Brooke Smith of Dexter and will pursue a career in medicine.

National Merit $2,500 Scholarship winners are chosen from a talent pool of more than 15,000 outstanding finalists in 2015 National Merit Scholarship Program.

Winners are the finalists in each state judged to have the strongest combination of accomplishments, skills, and potential for success in rigorous college studies.  The number of winners named in each state is proportional to the state's percentage of the nation's graduating high school seniors.

The scholars were selected by a committee of college admissions officers and high school counselors, who appraised a substantial amount of information submitted by both the finalists and their high schools: the academic record, including difficulty level of subjects studied and grades earned; scores from two standardized tests; contributions and leadership in school and community activities; an essay written by the Finalist; and a recommendation written by a high school official.

By the conclusion of this year's competition, about 7,600 academic champions will have won National Merit Scholarships worth approximately $34 million.

Springfield, Missouri – Missouri State University recently awarded scholarships to incoming students fro the 2015-2016 academic year.

These students were selected from those who applied based on their ACT scores, GPA, standing in graduating class, and leadership shown in community and school activities.

Included on the list of scholarship recipients are Ryan Joseph Hulshoff of Dexter, who earned the Board of Governors Scholarship; Rachel Putnam of Dexter who earned the Dean’s Scholarship; and Kayleigh Mychal Burch from Puxico who earned the Provost Scholarship.

Missouri State University is a public, comprehensive university system with a mission I public affairs, whose purpose is to develop educated persons while guided by three overarching and enduring commitments to student learning, inclusive excellence and institutional impact. 

The university’s identity is distinguished by its state-wide mission I public affairs, which entails a campus-wide commitment to foster competence and responsibility in ethical leadership, cultural competence and community engagement.

Shown in the photo is Dexter Class of 2015 graduate Rachel Putnam.

Stoddard County, Missouri - The Stoddard County Association for Retarded Citizens is sponsoring a scholarship for any Stoddard County High School graduate or GED holder pursuing a career or training in any mentally retarded/developmentally disabled (MR/DD) field.

They publicized the information in the ARC's newsletter and distributed to all Stoddard County High School and local Missouri colleges.

This scholarship in the amount of $1,000 is available for two semesters and is dependent upon the following criteria:

1.  recipient pursuing a degree in Special Education or related field of study

2.  recipient taking a minimum of twelve hours per semester

3.  recipient maintaining a "B" (3.0) average

4.  recipient being a resident of Stoddard County

Applications can be picked up at the ARC office at 1318 West Grant, or at your local Stoddard County school.  Interested applicants should complete an application and mail it to the address at the bottom of the application or dropped off at the ARC office.  It should be postmarked no later than July 1, 2015.

If you wold like any further information, please do not hesitate to contact Sherry Jines at 624-8525.

Dexter, Missouri - Southwest Elementary students earned certificates for being good students on the school bus.  "Positive Bus Referrals".  These are the second grade students who earned such recognition.

Second grade students at Southwest receiving Positive Bus Referrals for May 2015 are from left to right Madison Bennett, Kaylynn Burge, Sean Wheetley, Sophia Moore, and Kinley Kennedy.  Not pictured is Brookelynn Franklin.

Congratulations!