Poplar Bluff, Missouri - O’Neal Librarian Ashley Robertson was recently awarded $250 through the Missouri Farm Bureau Federation’s Ag in the Classroom program designed to walk students through the cow to plate process.

Under the grant entitled You Scream, I Scream, We All Scream for Ice Cream: Cow to Ice Cream, third graders will learn about how beef and dairy products are processed. Robertson further noted: “Students will have the opportunity to turn ice cream to butter. The final project will involve eating ice cream to celebrate what we have learned.”

Supplementary to the unit of study, the elementary school is receiving weekly updates about the growth of a calf and the dairy farm it lives on through an adoption program of the St. Louis District Dairy Council.

Pictured: Michael Gross, Butler County Farm Bureau president, presents Ashley Robertson with a check in October.

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

Following a guest lecture about forensic odontology on Wednesday, Oct. 25, at Poplar Bluff High School, local dentist Dr. Eric Blaich took the opportunity to provide career advice to students.

“Do something you like, don’t go for money,” said Blaich, who works for the Dental Arts Group, a family practice spanning three generations. “Look at whether that career field’s growing.”

The PBHS alumnus advised the juniors and seniors in Kathy Miller’s forensic science class to seek job shadow opportunities and internships so they may be able to “find out for free” what career field they are passionate about prior to choosing a major, if they are college-bound.

While he does not suggest that forensic odontology is a lucrative profession, Blaich discussed the integral role such a specialist can play during catastrophic events involving mass casualties. Forensic odontology is the identification of human remains based on dental records or the application of dental science in legal investigations

Teeth are the hardest structure in the body, Blaich pointed out. He noted that identifying an individual by his or her teeth may be used as a last resort if, for example, the person was a fire victim. “Teeth are kind of like snowflakes,” said Blaich, “every set is different.

While a dental record must legally be kept on file for five years, digital cloud storage allows archives to go back much further today, Blaich said. The oldest discovered filling dates back 13,000 years.

Earlier in the month, education consultant Bridget Jackson of the Missouri Department of Conservation visited Miller’s class to introduce students to her cadaver dog, Addie.

 

Pictured: Senior Hunter Goble volunteers to have an impression made of his teeth.

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

Poplar Bluff, Missouri - Several factories at Industrial Park partnered to host plant tours for Poplar Bluff Schools on Friday, Oct. 13, during the second annual Manufacturing Day organized to promote job opportunities available locally.

A total of 84 PBHS juniors and seniors signed up to participate in the Missouri Chamber Foundation-sponsored event, along with Technical Career Center and Graduation Center students.

Many people view factories as if they were the “old steel mill plants” of the turn of the 19th century but today’s manufacturing industry is “very high tech” with “good paying jobs” and “in house training,” said Kim Puckett of the human resources department at Briggs and Stratton.

Students toured the small engine factory—the largest in the world, having produced over 80 million engines since 1989, according to Zach Sentell, Briggs and Stratton production area manager. Each of the engines that go through the assembly line are started up to ensure they run smoothly prior to shipping.

More than 75 robots are used in the manufacturing process, Sentell said. Students were introduced to a collaborative robot called Sawyer, by HTE Automation Technologies based in St. Louis, designed to work alongside humans to perform tasks that require repetitive movement. “Still think we’re just a factory?” Sentell asked rhetorically following the tour.

Gates Corporation, Mid-Continent Steel and Wire, Revere Plastics and Starting USA also hosted students from area schools throughout the day. Instructors from the industrial technology department at Three Rivers College showed students a 3-D printer, among other equipment, and talked about the community college’s career technical studies program, which can be accelerated with transferable credits from technical career centers.

“I tell my students, they can be anything they want to be if they wish to work hard, they just have to want it bad enough,” said Gaelle Freer, Grad Center instructor. “You can start at the bottom of the barrel and work your way all the way to the top, to a management position.”

By the year 2030, 77 percent of skilled baby boomers will have left the manufacturing industry, according to the Manufacturing Institute.

Pictured are Three Rivers industrial technology instructor James Dow (seated) and assistant professor DeAndre Prater discuss with students careers in the manufacturing sector.

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

Poplar Bluff, Missouri - Three Poplar Bluff R-I educators were awarded Missouri State Teachers Association mini-grants for additional classroom resources on Thursday, Oct. 5.

Eugene Field first grade teacher Kristen Spain will receive a subscription to the Science Spin edition of Scholastic Magazine for its curriculum-based activities. Lake Road librarian Shiela Boyles chose a set of books on the concept of ‘growth mindset’ so elementary teachers can have conversations with students about finding learning opportunities even in failure. Junior High communication arts teacher Julie Gambill will purchase computer microphone equipment so students can work on their verbal skills by producing podcasts online.

A total of 123 entries were submitted from the organization’s Southeast Region, according to Poplar Bluff MSTA president Karmen Carson, a Middle School math and science instructor. The winning proposals were reviewed anonymously by a retired teachers group. The educators were granted $100 apiece toward their projects.

Pictured: Kristen Spain and her first graders celebrate the grant news.

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

Poplar Bluff, Missouri - Industry professionals encouraged Poplar Bluff and Twin Rivers sophomores to begin thinking about their futures during the 15th annual Career Fair held Thursday, Oct. 5, at Three Rivers College.

Students learned about opportunities available to them through the Technical Career Center, as well as dual credit options at the community college. Then the high schoolers broke off to hear from representatives in the fields of industrial technology, arts and communications, human services, health occupations, natural resources and the business sector.

Discussing a career in education, R-I Assistant Superintendent of Curriculum Patty Robertson shared a story about how she did not have a plan to reach her career goals until midway through her senior year since—as a first-generation graduate—she did not realize higher education was an option. She eventually was informed about scholarships, Pell grants and student loans.

“The college part is hard, but please know it is worth it, as it can put you in a position for the rest of your life, and there will be opportunities for advancement along the way,” Robertson said. “Your life is a long time and you want to be happy doing whatever you choose to do.

During a session about jobs in social services, PBHS counselor Tina Wilkins expressed a similar sentiment. “It doesn’t matter about your circumstances, if you have the ability and the drive, you can work through it,” Wilkins said.

AmeriCorps member Alyssa Cook, a senior at PBHS, suggested to the younger students to apply to three colleges: one institution that is a safe bet, another that may be a reach and lastly what she referred to as a ‘why not?’

The event is organized each year by AmeriCorps as a way for the volunteers of the program to fulfill their service project requirement. Next month the students will get an opportunity to tour the TCC to learn in more detail about the various programs available to them beginning junior year.

 

Pictured: R-I social worker Donna Moore (standing) and Alyssa Cook of AmeriCorps field questions about some of the intricacies of human services careers.

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