Puxico, MO - Savannah Jackson earned a Positive Office Note at Puxico Elementary this week. Her teacher is Mrs. Julius.
"I am proud of this student because she has kept an eye out for others needing a friend. Savannah had gone out of her way to be kind and ask others to play," stated Mrs. Julis.
She displayed great teamwork.
Mrs. Thompson said she is very proud of her and the kindness she has shown to her classmates.
Dexter, MO - DHS students were awarded with academic honors from College Board National Recognition Programs. Students excelled in College Board assessments and schoolwork to earn these awards, which colleges use to identify academically competitive underrepresented students
Dexter High School students have earned academic honors from the College Board National Recognition Programs. These National Recognition Programs grant underrepresented students with academic honors that can be included on college and scholarship applications and connect students with universities across the country, helping them meaningfully connect to colleges and stand out during the admissions process. Colleges and scholarship programs identify students awarded National African American, Hispanic, Indigenous and/or Rural/Small Town Recognition through College Board’s Student Search Service.
The following student(s) have been awarded recognition (award key below)
Alise Howell: NRSTA National Rural and Small Town Award = NRSTA
Ellie Dowdy: NRSTA National Rural and Small Town Award = NRSTA
Teachers who were instrumental in helping were Tiffany Wiggins-History, Christy Griffin-English, Amanda Long-History, Jacob Williams-History/Psychology, and Celeste Colley-Science
Students who may be eligible have a GPA of 3.5 or higher and have excelled on the PSAT/NMSQT or PSAT 10, or earned a score of 3 or higher on two or more AP Exams; and attend school in a rural area or small town.
Dexter, MO - The annual staff luncheon at Dexter Schools took place at the high school on Thursday, August 18, 2022. After the luncheon the new staff gathered in the gym for a photo.
Front Row from Left to Right: Taylor Bryeans, Mary Ezernack, Chad Jamerson, Steven Edwards, Sarah Tilley, Delaney Simmons, and Ashlyn Bruce
Second Row from Left to Right: Danielle Patch-Landers, Michelle Walker, David Mayberry, Josh Hester, Emma Parsley, McKenzie Brown, and Kasie Delay
Third Row from Left to Right: Dalton Phillips, Shirley Potter, Mattilyn Williams, Summer Crowder, Ali Calonne, Jennifer Hayman, and Jennifer Randl
The Bernie Board of Education held their annual Tax Rate Hearing before the start of the regular school board meeting on Monday the 15th day of August.
The tax rate in the General fund was set at 2.9739 . The tax rate in the Debt Service Fund was held at $.30.
The Principals gave their building reports and Mr. Dustin Hicks gave a facility update.
"The high school parking lot expansion, annex gym painting, library flooring, new gym banners and floors of the annex gym and high school gyms are completed," commented Hicks.
"The demo and reconstruction of the office is complete as part of the new security doors project. The new doors are ordered and being installed. The desks have been installed in the library and the district is waiting on the bookshelves to arrive," continued Hicks.
The district is waiting on plumbers to arrive and finish the basement plumbing and bottle fillers. The new equipment for the playgrounds have been ordered and the asphalt laid on the basketball courts. The asphalt must cure for 90 days before the athletic court sealant can be installed. The goals and nets have been installed.
The irrigation infrastructure has been installed and the district is waiting on a city tap. The elementary furniture and ice makers have been ordered.
The board approved the purchase of new furniture for High School Principal Brad Botsch. The current furniture will be used in other offices where needed.
Hicks said the trouble with the irrigation system on the softball field was traced to a control box on the pole in left field. He said the wires were corroded and the control box was replaced at a cost of $1,900.
The Board approved Program Evaluations on School Climate and Summer School.
The program’s goal is to provide a positive teaching/learning environment conducive to the growth of all individuals involved. The program is evaluated on discipline referrals, average daily attendance and graduation data. No changes were recommended to the program.
The Board accepted the 2021/22 Annual Secretary of Board Report.
It was presented by board secretary Dena Mouton. The report details the financials from the past year for the board. The total revenues were $6,504,689.42 and total expenditures were $6,407,360.43.
Lindsay Beaird presented changes to the Local Compliance Plan and the Board of Education approved the Plan as presented.
The Board approved the financial statement and bills were authorized for payment.
During Executive session, Superintendent Goals were reviewed.
The Board accepted the resignation from Terry Williams as a Bus Driver.
The Board hired Jim Blackwell as a Bus Driver.
The substitute employee list for the 2022/2023 school year was approved.
The next meeting of the Board will be Monday, September 12, 2022.
The Missouri State Highway Patrol conducted intruder training at Dexter High School. Other police departments along with Dexter Police Department were Bloomfield, Stoddard County Sheriff and the Bernie Police. Training has been ongoing during the summer.
“The Dexter Police Department takes school safety serious and we are glad to partner with the highway patrol to provide this training,” stated Dexter Police Chief Hank Trout. “This year we have included Stoddard County (Sheriff’s Department), Bloomfield, Bernie, and all officers here at Dexter in the training. We will continue to do that throughout the training.”
The training included drills simulating an active shooter situation, classroom work and a virtual simulation program. The virtual simulation program allowed the officers to walk through a school virtually during an active shooter situation. The program demonstrated what it would be like to walk through the school looking for the threat while staff and students were attempting to escape the building.
“We are doing multi agency active threat training today. The Dexter High School has been gracious enough to let us use their facility,” said trainer Corporal Ricky Vannada with the Missouri Highway Patrol. “We are meeting not only our officers but the Dexter Police Department, Stoddard County Deputies and officers from other agencies within Stoddard County.”
“We are teaching them the same training that we received from the federal law enforcement training center, which is a standard that is being taught across the country in active threat,” continued Vannada. “We are teaching them to respond to threat immediately upon arriving to the scene and we are teaching them techniques that will allow them to effectively locate the threat and stop it.” 
“It is important to stay current on the training that deals with active threat because as you can see it is always changing,” said Vannada. “We try to keep up to date on the techniques. And one thing this training basis on is we don’t normally train together. Normally highway patrol is not training with the sheriff’s department or sheriff’s department is not training with municipality. This is a standardized training that is being taught so that when agencies do meet up at a location we can all be on the same page and locate the threat.”
Vannada and Trout both said if an incident like this were to occur in Stoddard County that it would be a multiple agency response to the scene. Trout said if an incident occurred and Stoddard County or other towns such as Essex or Bloomfield needed them, the Dexter officers would be there.
“It is a multiple agency response,” said Vannada. “That is what this training is for. It is just that we have some type of standard that when we do meet up we are able to function even as a single officer or as a team.” Vannada said before the officers can allow parents into a school building following such an incident they have to be sure it is safe to enter.
“That is why we have training like this so when that does happen we are able to effectively respond,” said Vannada. “The point of this training is speed of response. We are trying to get to the threat as fast as possible to stop it and then we can contact parents and answer questions.”
Vannada said the police department in the town where the incident occurred would be in command. For example if the incident were in Dexter then the Dexter Police Department would be in command and a command post of some kind would be set up and information would be relayed through.
“Because 911 is going to be flooded with calls there should be a point set up where that information is funneled into one location,” said Vannada.
“We would like to thank the Dexter administration for allowing us to do this here at Dexter Schools, which they always support us” said Trout. “School safety is a priority for them.”
Let's hope and pray that nothing like this ever happens in our community.
