Dexter, Missouri - The 2017 Winter Sports Senior Night was held on Friday, February 10th at the Bearcat Event Center.

Caroline Powers is the daughter of Chuck and Felicia Powers.

She is a member of the honor choir, football cheerleader, and Kickin' Cats Dance Team all four years of high school.

She is has been FCCLA President for the past two years.  She is a Sr. Beta Executive Board Member and is active in SEMO Showstoppers, Student Council, Drama Club, Fellowship of Christian Athletes, and National Honor Society.

Her future plans are to attend college and major in Broadcast Journalism.

Dexter, Missouri - Southwest Elementary honors students with Positive Office Referral certificates.

This award is presented to students who consistently show the 3R's RESPECTFUL, RESPONSIBLE, and READY TO LEARN at Southwest Elementary in Dexter.

Each student received a certificate and a FREE Taco from Taco Bell.

Shown in the photo front row from left to right: Dawson Carnell, Clayton McGowan, and Carter Childers.  Back row: Jeremiah Feece, Jensen Blackwell, and Veer Maisuria.

Dexter, Missouri - The 2017 Winter Sports Senior Night was held on Friday, February 10th at the Bearcat Event Center.

Kaylea Murdock is the daughter of Jimmy and Mandy Murdock.

She has been a member of the Kickin' Cats Dance Team for four years.  She is also a member of the FCCLA and DECA Clubs.

Her future plans are to attend the Sikeston Career and Technology Center and Southeast Health College of Nursing and major in Nursing.

Cape Girardeau, Missouri - Naturalists with the Missouri Department of Conservation’s (MDC) Cape Girardeau Conservation Nature Center visited elementary schools in Ste. Genevieve and Bloomsdale recently to give nature programs. These visits are part of a large effort the naturalists make every year to take nature programs to students who might not otherwise get to visit the center.

“This time we did Lewis and Clark based programs, but we do other programs such as mammals,” said Sara Turner, manager of the nature center. “All of our nature programs teach about animal conservation, habitats, nature appreciation and connect to classroom science studies.”

Debbie Baker, a fourth grade teacher at Bloomsdale Elementary School, said she appreciates the programs coming into her classroom.

“The great thing about the classroom visits is that it brings a whole new level of learning into the classrooms,” Baker said. “Many of our students may never get the chance to visit the nature center, but they still got that hands-on experience because it came to them.”

Baker said her students learned about Lewis and Clark this year as part of their curriculum, and she appreciated how the naturalists went into depth about what life on the trail was like, and what contributions different members of Lewis and Clark’s crew made to the team.

“I was very impressed with the presentation, and the students loved it,” Baker said.

Turner said map and compass and other outdoor skills are included in the programs. Due to classroom time constraints and lack of school funding for gasoline and buses, it creates a need for the naturalists to travel to some schools, which saves field trip costs for the school, she said.

“We initiate the contact based on which schools haven’t been to the nature center in a while for a field trip and which schools we think might benefit from learning about our Discover Nature Schools (DNS) or Missouri National Archery in the Schools programs,” Turner said.

Turner said she hopes the programs help teachers see how they can tie nature as a theme into their current teaching strategies using DNS curriculum as the lesson or supplement to their lessons.

“We correlate with the current school standards, too,” Turner added.

For the students, the benefit is knowledge and appreciation of Missouri wildlife and the ability to see ways they can get outside and discover nature.

“We give them insight into how people had to be much more connected to the land in previous generations,” Turner said. “They will hopefully begin to see how their own survival connects to the survival of nature.”

Shown in the submitted photo: Naturalists from the Cape Girardeau Conservation Nature Center recently brought Lewis and Clark themed nature programs to 133 elementary students in Ste. Genevieve and Bloomsdale.

Article submitted by the Missouri Department of Conservation.

Poplar Bluff, Missouri - A new group of student leaders has emerged at the Poplar Bluff Middle School this year with the relocation of the campus on Victory Lane.

A total of 25 sixth graders make up the Safety Patrol, an organization committed to directing walkers through Bacon Park before and after school.

“We never had walkers before, so we had to design an exit strategy,” said Principal Dr. Brad Owings, referring to the previous location of the school on Oak Grove Road. “It’s another way for students to show responsibility and leadership, and be role models.”

The teams of students work in shifts, from 6:50-7:20 in the morning and 2:20-2:45 p.m., lining the trail on the hill behind the school to the city park. Several students man a station, and there is one roamer with a cell phone in case of an emergency.

The students wear safety vests and are supplied with gear such as flashlights and hand warmers for the changing conditions. Following each shift, the Patrol debriefs with teacher sponsors, Kathy Pattillo and Kelly Lawson. They also meet as a group monthly, and have had guests including school Safety Resource Officer Kenny Carpenter.

“The students take the job very seriously, and it is an honor,” said Pattillo, noting that the group has a waiting list. Lawson added: “These are skills that can carry them through life.”

Shown in the photo: Lanie Robertson mans her station in the forefront, while Safety Patrol members line the asphalt trail behind her.

Photo and article submitted by Tim Krakowiak, Communications/Marketing Director, Poplar Bluff R-I School District