The Poplar Bluff School District qualified nationally in a total of 16 competitions at the recent state Beta conventions in which 113 R-I students participated in.
Piper Duncan of Poplar Bluff High School placed first in Division II Onsite Drawing; Kylie Darnell placed second in Division II Digital Art; Dean Hester placed third in Ninth Grade Math; and Adeeti Mishra placed fifth in Twelve Grade Math during the Missouri Senior Beta Convention held last month in Springfield
In addition, Emma Papanicolaou earned a Golden Ticket during the Solo Talent dance routine, further qualifying to perform as part of the opening ceremony of the National Beta Convention slated for July in Nashville. For the first time, PBHS also had a student run as a candidate for vice president of the student organization, according to co-sponsor Stephanie Kuper. “While we didn’t win, I am incredibly proud of the candidate, Nya Cram, and all the students who participated in the campaign skit,” Kuper said.
During the Junior Beta Convention, hosted prior at the Convention Center, the Poplar Bluff Middle School team of Camden Donnell, Bridget Popp, Clint Wallace and Addy Yarbro placed first in Elementary Quiz Bowl – Oral, as well as second in Written; Mason Howell of Lake Road placed second in Elementary Speech; Jackson Kennedy of Junior High placed second in Seventh Grade Science; Tenley Moss placed second in Elementary Performing Arts – Solo; Christian Acevedo of Middle School placed third in Fifth Grade Science; Alex Gholson of Lake Road placed fourth in Sixth Grade Math; Connor Haywood of Middle School placed fourth in Sixth Grade Science; Nakayla Randolph of Lake Road placed fourth in Elementary Creative Writing; Ella Rushin of Middle School placed fourth in Elementary Black & White Photography; Emmalynn Dennis of Middle School placed fifth in Elementary Painting; and Molly Murphy of Middle School placed fifth in Elementary Drawing.
Each of the top five students, along with only a handful of Golden Ticket winners, are eligible to compete on the national stage this summer. Lake Road co-sponsor Kasi Aldridge noted that the elementary school Quiz Bowl team placed among the top eight, and she is “incredibly proud” of their “flexibility” in navigating the hybrid event of both virtual and in-person competition, considering it was just their second convention.
Poplar Bluff Middle School students (left to right) Camden Donnell, Addy Yarbro, Bridget Popp and Clint Wallace placed first in the Elementary Quiz Bowl – Oral competition during the 19th annual Junior Beta Convention held in December in Springfield. Poplar Bluff High School senior Piper Duncan took first place in Division II Onsite Drawing during the 72nd annual Senior Beta Convention held last month at the Springfield Convention Center.
Photo and article by Tim Krakowiak, Communications/Marketing Director, Poplar Bluff R-I School District
A Poplar Bluff Middle School teacher was among a shortlist of area educators out of 724 total nominations to be selected in the second annual McDonald’s Outstanding Educator program.
Aleanna Moore, who presently teaches fourth grade math, was reportedly one of nine regional honorees including a single grand prize winner.
“We’re excited to recognize those who go above and beyond for our students through the Outstanding Educator awards,” stated local McDonald’s owner/operator Shannon Davis in a press release. “Our teachers are constantly adapting to whatever is thrown at them, while making sure the youth in our communities succeed!”
Moore has served at the Middle School for the past five years, before which she was employed at Oak Grove and Lake Road Elementary, respectively. Her tenure in public education began in 2008 in the North St. Francois County School District, teaching grade four the entire time
Her colleague, Kendra McLevain, nominated her last month when submissions were being solicited via Facebook. “She is the most dedicated teacher I know,” McLevain wrote in part. “She is kind, compassionate, and caring and always puts her students’ needs first. She goes the extra mile for each and every student.”
McLevain elaborated that Moore is a “helpful and inspiring soul” and it is universally recognized among her co-workers. In fact, Moore was named the Middle School Teacher of the Year by her peers in 2018.
At the end of the month, Moore will receive a $100 Visa gift card, which she said she plans to use toward classroom headphone sets, a ‘best teacher ever’ coffee mug, and 25 free McDonald’s coupons to give out to students at her discretion.
According to Amanda Campbell, who handles the public relations for McDonald’s locally, Davis “loves recognizing educators” and plans to continue the contest for years to come. In addition to a Poplar Bluff location, Davis owns a total of 18 McDonald’s restaurants throughout the region.
Pictured: Middle School teacher Aleanna Moore (right), a 2021 McDonald’s Outstanding Educator, poses with her pod-mate, Kendra McLevain, in the fourth grade wing.
Photo and article by Tim Krakowiak, Communications/Marketing Director, Poplar Bluff R-I School District
About 100 students signed up for the opening day of Chess Club at the Poplar Bluff Middle School, immediately placing the after-school group next to Junior Beta as the upper elementary’s most active.
“I didn’t know chess is this popular,” fifth grader Elan Hocke commented. Elan previously was a member of a small community club, but since he no longer has the time after riding the bus home, he said he usually just plays chess alone
When Principal Dr. Josh Teeter took over at the Middle School last year, he had plans to launch a club, but COVID-19 protocols prevented it. He also attempted to start one in his former post at Junior High, but said he was never able to put in the time necessary to promote it, plus he was contending with other interests like gaming.
“My goal for this whole thing, you know, if I ruled the world, would be to turn this into an elective class,” Teeter said. “Like sports, it gives kids another outlet.
“I struggled in math in Middle School, but no one could beat me at chess," continued Teeter, "so I knew I had brainpower."
The Middle School purchased 30 chessboard sets with instructions included from Wholesale Chess, and borrowed 10 more from another campus. Several students brought their own boards as well.
For the inaugural meeting this month, students who already knew how to play were paired with those who did not. Going forward, Teeter said the format would operate much like class in that there will be whole group as well as individual instruction. Tournament teams may emerge if enough students become serious.
The activity was so well-attended that it already has been divided into two weekly sessions instead of one, with multiple teacher chaperones. Fourth grade meets in the cafeteria from 3-4:30 p.m. on Tuesdays, and grades five and six gather on Thursdays.
“Chess is what smart people do,” Teeter stated. “The kids don’t know this yet. They just think it’s fun.”
According to the principal, there are more possible variations in the first 20 moves of chess than atoms in the observable universe. Students who play for just one hour per week can improve their academic outcomes by 10 percent, he went on, and even higher when they compete at the tournament level.
Teeter noted on the permission slips to parents and guardians that chess could improve a child’s social-emotional development, cognitive abilities, communication skills and strategic planning.
Having played since he was 12 and competitively by age 14, Teeter was one of the founding members of the community chess club earlier this spring alongside Junior High math teacher Brett Russell, and an educator from Westwood Baptist Academy.
With a stroke of luck, Dane Mattson, a grandmaster from Minnesota now residing with his wife in the Doniphan area, began participating with the group. Teeter hopes to invite Mattson, who is employed by Chess.com, to serve as a guest speaker for the students in the future.
Pictured: Fourth graders Baylee Ward and Elijah Mohr of Madison Copeland’s class contemplate the ending sequence of a chess game.
Photo and article by Tim Krakowiak, Communications/Marketing Director, Poplar Bluff R-I School District
The Three Rivers College Educational Talent Search program has donated a stockpile of gently used STEM kits to the Poplar Bluff Middle School for its hands-on elective.
The recent donation included “two cars worth of drones and other really cool gadgets,” reported sixth grade guidance counselor Britney Stahl, who serves as the Middle School’s ETS point person. She noted that program representatives offered the items to enrich the science, technology, engineering and math program out of the “kindness of their hearts.”
The new tools for classroom activities include Animation Labs, Vortex Labs, KiwiCo Tinker Crate Glowing Pendulums, Laser Projectors, Light-Chasing Robots, Electroluminescent Wire Sculptures, Drone and Test Tubes for Mentos Geyser Experiments, Snowmaking, Jelly Marbles, Water Absorbing Polymer Cubes, Growing Plants in Test Tubes, Rainbow Tubes, Magic Sand, Energy Beads, Water Gel and Orbs, according to STEM instructor Melanie Schalk.
The kits were left-over from the end of the program’s five-year grant cycle, during which officials applied for additional funds to start a STEM club to help keep Junior High students engaged, and used the products for weekly Zoom sessions through the pandemic, according to ETS Director Brandi Brooks.
“We were asking around to see who could possibly use the kits, and ‘Bingo,’ this was the perfect fit,” Brooks said. “I’m excited to see what they do, and thrilled that someone can use it; it’s really cool for the students. I was terrified it would sit here.”
Funded through the U.S. Department of Education, the ETS program provides monthly in-school workshops, college campus tours and cultural enrichment opportunities for Poplar Bluff students, beginning in grade six. Established locally over three decades ago, ETS at Three Rivers is the largest such TRiO program in Missouri, with a seven-person team of outreach specialists.
Eligibility is based on whether students will be first-generation college attendees, their free or reduced school lunch status, and if significant assistance would be needed in order to finance higher education. Around 1,000 students are served in the region, comprised of 10 school districts, with Poplar Bluff being the largest.
“We provide that link for them—whether it’s exposure to college campuses, or helping them go through the application process—to show the importance of something postsecondary in terms of education or a certification program that will advance whatever training it is that you need,” Brooks explained. “We work with the whole student, not just college heavy stuff; tutoring services, soft skills. And every year we build just a little bit more until they get to that [pivotal] junior year.”
Pictured: STEM students of the Poplar Bluff Middle School pose next to a representation of the activity kits generously donated by the Three Rivers College ETS program.
Photo and article provided by Tim Krakowiak, Communications/Marketing Director, Poplar Bluff R-I School District
Poplar Bluff, MO - Fifty universities, technical trade schools and branches of the military were represented during the return of the College Fair on Tuesday, Oct. 19, at Poplar Bluff High School.
“Our juniors have not had a normal year since eighth grade,” pointed out Sara Woodard, PBHS counselor. While the public health crisis “created some virtual opportunities students didn’t have before,” she continued, the opportunity for students to have questions answered in person is unparalleled.
The hope, Woodard noted, is to offer students “as much exposure” to postsecondary options as possible. The annual event, organized through the Missouri Association for College Admission Counseling, is open to PBHS juniors and seniors, as well as Top 30 sophomores.
There were a few institutions represented for the first time in recent memory, according to the counseling department, including the University of Mississippi and the Nossi College of Art in Nashville.
Michelle Donovan, Nossi admissions representative, explained how the art school was looking to branch out into the Missouri market, and the St. Louis National College Fair was canceled. Specializing in just five select programs, Nossi offers a fixed-tuition policy with no out-of-state fees, and recently added dormitories.
Another resource available for high schoolers is a full-time college and career adviser, Jade McCain, who began at her alma mater last month. A collaboration between the Missouri College Advising Corps under the University of Missouri Extension and AmeriCorps, the position is offered at host schools with a high percentage of low-income, underrepresented and prospective first-generation college students.
Advisers, like McCain of the PBHS Class of 2017, are often from backgrounds and schools similar to the students that they serve. The “near-peer approach” is different than other programs in that the advisers are available to all students on campus for postsecondary planning, apprenticeship opportunities and coordinating group activities, according to MCAC literature.
Pictures: Students stop to learn about culinary arts and other degree programs offered at Sullivan University in Louisville.
Photo and article by Tim Krakowiak, Communications/Marketing Director, Poplar Bluff R-I School District
