Poplar Bluff, Missouri - Multi-sport student athletes who display exemplary sportsmanship, ethics and integrity—as determined by coaches—received awards of excellence from the Missouri State High School Activities Association on Friday, May 19.
Sierra Sievers and Joseph Hardimon were named Missouri Good Sports at Poplar Bluff Junior High, and Katie Sliger and Adam Vincent received the annual award at Senior High. Sierra plays basketball, volleyball and cross country, with an 11.0 GPA. Joseph plays basketball, and track and field, with a 9.8 GPA. Katie runs cross country, track and field, and participates in swimming and diving, with a 10.886 GPA. Adam plays football and soccer, and runs track and field, with a 9.944 GPA in the classroom.
“We at MSHSAA firmly believe that a positive role model such as yourself can positively influence the actions of others in your school – your teammates, younger students, your opponents and even spectators,” stated Jason West, MSHSAA communications director. “By taking the responsible steps in displaying positive sportsmanship, you are helping to rekindle the spirit of citizenship and are serving as a positive representation of your school and community.”
Pictured: (From left) Adam Vincent, Katie Sliger, Athletic Director Kent Keith, Sierra Sievers and Joseph Hardimon.
Photo and article submitted by Tim Krakowiak, Communications/Marketing Director, Poplar Bluff R-I School District
Poplar Bluff, Missouri - Graduating senior Katie Huskey has been awarded the $1,000 Dr. Michael D. Laseter Memorial Scholarship for Poplar Bluff High School.
Huskey, who plans on studying biomedical engineering at Columbia University in New York, wrote in her essay that she would like to marry her love of technology and her desire to help others by designing prosthetics to improve the quality of life for amputees.
Huskey is the 10th student to be awarded the Laseter scholarship since its inception. Dr. Laseter was a physician specializing in internal medicine at Kneibert Clinic for over 20 years. After retiring from medicine in 1994, he taught physiology at PBHS on a voluntary basis for five years.
Pictured: Donna Laseter presents a scholarship check to Katie Huskey, who plans to enter the field of medicine.Photo and article submitted by Tim Krakowiak, Communications/Marketing Director, Poplar Bluff R-I School District
Poplar Bluff, Missouri - Top fundraising students presented a check to St. Jude in the amount of $47,748 on Friday, March 31, during a field trip they were awarded to the children’s research hospital in Memphis.
The Poplar Bluff School District has raised a total of $967,924 for the hospital since the campus community first began participating in Math-A-Thon in 1989. If the students reach their all-time goal next school year, R-I will be the first school system ever to donate more than $1 million, according to district coordinator Jenifer Richardson, Oak Grove principal.
During the visit, students—grades K through 8—learned about the work that St. Jude is doing to some day cure cancer by watching informational videos and participating in a historical scavenger hunt, while building chaperones and parents had a chance to tour the world-class facility.
Past O’Neal Principal Lorenzo Sandlin initially took up the cause as a service project for the elementary school nearly three decades ago. Within several years, the initiative went district-wide, and has continued to gain support from the business community.
Pictured are students (in alphabetical order) are Madeline Allbritton, Truston Alexander, Brandt Bell, McKinzie Buenaga, Alyssa Cochran, Daine Dugas, Preston Ethridge, Rowan Gowen, Anna Lack, Naila Moreno, Kyleigh Moffitt, Eliana Persons, Colton Pigg, Charlie Raglin, Brooks Ray, Andon Ridenour, Dalton Rommel, Clayton Schalk, Bailey Smith, Lamonten Thomas, Clarissa Varner and Keaton Willcut; and building coordinators include Staci Barker, Angie Bowman, Sheila Boyles, Jennifer Nicolini, Jenifer Richardson, Ashley Robertson, Melanie Schalk and Jannette Walk.
Photo and article submitted by Tim Krakowiak, Communications/Marketing Director, Poplar Bluff R-I School District
Poplar Bluff, Missouri - Downtown Poplar Bluff Inc. delivered the last of 10 tower gardens, valued at approximately $9,000 total, to the R-I school district on Monday, April 24.
The tower gardens, which have the ability to produce year-round and include grade level curriculum, were secured through funding from the U.S. Department of Agriculture acquired by former downtown director Penny McGath.
“With tower gardens, students will be able to engage in hands-on learning through gardening,” stated Jerrica Fox, McGath’s successor. “Eating behaviors are learned early in life, and the key is to be educated. Through this grant, our schools are now able to incorporate nutrition education and the benefits of gardening in the classroom.”
The grant is a component of a larger initiative to fund a market manager for the Poplar Bluff Farmers’ Market and help sustain the operation annually from May through October. Last year the community portion of the proposal included a greenhouse project at the John J. Pershing VA Medical Center. In addition to providing tower gardens for R-I’s four elementaries, along with the Middle School and Junior High, the money benefitted Twin Rivers as well.
The vertical, aeroponic gardens include a light kit and drainage system, plus cherry tomato, eggplant, bell pepper and gourmet lettuce seeds, among other features.
Shown in the provided photo: (From left) Paula Bradley, Erica Weadon, Valerie Duncan, Candace Hovis, Katelyn Campa and Kasi Stafford of Lake Road pose next to one of two tower gardens the elementary school recently received.
Article and photo provided by Tim Krakowiak, Communications/Marketing Director, Poplar Bluff R-I School District.
Poplar Bluff, Missouri - More than 100 area business associates, educators, pastors, social service workers, legislators and media members participated in the fourth annual Leadership Day at Eugene Field on Friday, April 7, at the elementary school.
The student-led program featured speeches and performances showcasing why Eugene Field has the honor of being classified a Lighthouse school under The Leader in Me program. There are currently 25 schools that have reached the prestigious milestone in Missouri and less than 300 worldwide.
“In my estimate, this is the best thing happening,” commented Greg Gilberto, pastor of Northpoint Nazarene Church. “Scripture says, ‘And a child shall lead them.’ That’s what’s going on here. It inspires me.”
Gilberto, husband of long-time Eugene Field third grade teacher Jackie, observed how the community leaders in attendance were witnessing the young people, grades 1-3, who will be driving Poplar Bluff in the future.
Another church partner in attendance, David Meyes – youth pastor of Westwood Baptist, was just learning about the program for the first time. He said he wanted to test out the seven habits on his young children at home. The initiative is based on Dr. Stephen Covey’s best-seller, “The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People.”
During the event, students discussed their leadership notebooks, which they use to track their own progress that they review with their parents during teacher conferences. Since the school began the program four years ago, behavioral referrals have decreased annually, and attendance and MAP scores have increased, according to Eugene Field Principal Jennifer Taylor.
The student service team reported that they have raised thousands of dollars for charities such as Relay for Life, John 3:16 Ministries and St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, plus donated socks for homeless veterans.
The yearbook team talked about how the students themselves design the school’s yearbook in collaboration with the photography team, who could be spotted taking pictures throughout the event. The broadcast team also discussed their morning announcement program, which can now be viewed on their new YouTube channel: EFTV Leadership Productions.
Members of the lighthouse team reflected on their recent participation in the Missouri School Boards’ Association’s legislative forum in Jefferson City during which students toured the Capitol and got to visit with local legislators, including House Speaker Todd Richardson and Sen. Doug Libla, who were in the audience.
Principals from the Jackson R-II School District also visited Poplar Bluff to explore implementation of The Leader in Me program at their respective elementary schools. North Elementary Principal Dr. Lance McClard said Jackson is engaged in the Positive Behavior Interventions Supports process, which is where Eugene Field’s journey toward improvement began.
Before the Gleeders closed the show with a performance of “The Climb,” this year’s theme, Taylor honored broker Nathan Maurer of Poplar Bluff Realty for supporting Leadership Day for the past three years, contributing more than $9,000 toward the program.
Shown in the photo: Third graders (from left) Kailen Skinner, Kenyon Johnson, Gracie Ruhl and Julia Scott perform “Leader on that Beat.”
Article and photo submitted by Tim Krakowiak, Communications/Marketing Director, Poplar Bluff R-I School District
