Sam Traxel of the Poplar Bluff High School Class of 2018 has been awarded the $500 Kyle Curtis Dicken Memorial scholarship, available to graduating seniors pursuing music. Traxel plans to study audio engineering technology at Belmont University in Nashville.

 

Contributions to the Dicken Memorial scholarship fund may be made to: Community Foundation of the Ozarks, 425 E. Trafficway, Springfield MO 65806. For more information, email awingo@cfozarks.org of call 573-803-1248.

 

Pictured: Curtis and Wanda Dicken present Sam Traxel with a scholarship in May. Also pictured is band director Stephen Winters.

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

The Designing Women Foundation honored three scholarship recipients and Charlie Classics reading contest winners from Poplar Bluff Schools during a reception held Monday, May 14, at the Bloodworth House.

 

PBHS senior Kenneth Hadley earned the $2,000 Charlie Classics Scholarship by reading 101 approved novels beginning in Junior High. Kenneth received an additional $300 Visa bank card for being the top reader in the Class of 2018, completing 42 Charlie Classics throughout the school year, and has been the top reader in his class since eighth grade. Seventh grader Charlee Deaton read a total of 45 books this school year, also earning a $300 bank card.

 

PBHS senior Alexis Tinsley was selected by a committee to receive the $1,000 Designing Women Foundation scholarship, designated for a female student. She plans to attend Union University in Jackson, Tenn., where she will major in pre-med.

 

Aimed to promote literacy, the Charlie Classics reading program is open to all Junior and Senior High students. To qualify for a US Bank-sponsored card—also awarded to second place winners in the amount of $150—Senior High students must read at least 10 classics and Junior High students must read a minimum of 20 books from the respective lists.

 

The Designing Women Foundation in a nonprofit organization dedicated to the cultural and educational enrichment of deserving young people, primarily women. For more information, contact Linda Surber at ljsurber@hotmail.com.

Pictured (From left) R-I Superintendent Dr. Scott Dill, Linda Surber, Alexis Tinsley, Kenneth Hadley, Charlee Deaton, and Kathern Harris of the Designing Women Foundation.

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

Lake Road and Junior High have been selected among only four schools in Missouri and 123 in the United States as national showcase award winners under the Capturing Kids’ Hearts, program officials have announced.

 

“You and your team have created an outstanding environment for students and staff to learn and grow together,” Kelsie Acres of the Flippen Group stated. “During our team’s visit to your school, the positive energy and welcoming tone was evident from the moment they arrived.”

 

The Texas-based Flippen Group, which administers the professional development, recently scheduled site visits to the nominated schools, interviewing the campus community and gathering quantitative and qualitative data on improvements.

 

Capturing Kids’ Hearts teaches processes in order to increase students’ connectedness with both peers and adults on campus, according to a press release from the company. Junior High first piloted the program during the 2013/14 school year. Now a district-wide practice, Lake Road began implementation in 2016.

 

A repeat national showcase award winner, Junior High shifted its focus this year to building relationship capacity with students, instating kindness week by initiating an Instagram challenge, and creating a shoutout or affirmation wall. The school continues to offer Teen Leadership I and II as an elective.

 

“I felt like our teachers have a firm foundation so we thought we’d work with the student body, building on the additional training we have received from the Flippen Group” as a result of this honor, PBJHS Principal Candace Warren commented.

 

Having achieved gold-level recognition under the school-wide positive behavior support program, Lake Road teaches and reinforces expectations in order to improve student behavior. Office discipline referrals are currently on track to be lower than last year, which was already a hallmark year since starting PBIS. While Lake Road has always had classroom expectations, Principal Erica Weadon said having students actually create their own social contract—one of the tools taught under Capturing Kids’ Hearts—leads to more buy-in.

 

“I believe it’s helped with our classroom climate, bringing us closer as a community. After you do it so long, it becomes your culture,” Weadon explained. “Now we hold each other accountable for all those [directives] and at some point, you no longer have to hold people accountable—it’s just what they do.”

 

Pictured: Sean Dunphy, Flippen Group leadership development strategist, observes classrooms and interviews students during a site visit last month at Lake Road.

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

The most in recent memory, 11 Poplar Bluff Technical Career Center students placed in the Missouri SkillsUSA contest held Thursday through Saturday, April 5-7, at the State Technical College of Missouri in Linn.

 

Out of 30 participants who advanced from the district to state level – Luke Cook, Hailey Garrett, Jeramiah Gracia, Nick Loyd, Lara Pierce, Nickalas Richards, Lane White and Levi White have qualified to vie in the national competition June 25-29 in Louisville, Ky.

 

In addition, the aforementioned students each received $1,000-2,000 scholarships to Linn College, along with Brooke Francisco, Michaelyn Hatton and Tara Hutchinson, who also earned top placement.

 

“This is an exceptional, well-balanced group of kids that are here to learn,” said TCC building trades instructor Jody Cochran, SkillsUSA senior advisor. “To make it to state or nationals speaks for our school system and lets people know what kind of education they can get out here.”

 

State events that TCC students excelled in included barbering, carpentry technical information, cosmetology, cosmetology tech info, culinary arts, esthetics, nurse assisting, T-shirt design and team works. More than 3,000 students, educators and industry officials were in attendance.

 

The students going on to participate this summer plan to fundraise to offset uniform, registration and travel costs. Cochran referred to the opportunity as “life changing,” explaining that industry officials may be in attendance to recruit students into the workforce.

 

“When you’re getting national recognition—the top of the top—there are trade people set up wanting to hire these students,” Cochran said. “There are folks retiring and lots of spots opening, and opportunities to make good money and have a good job for a long time.”

 

More than 1,000 trade associations and labor unions actively support SkillsUSA through financial aid, in-kind contributions and involvement of their people in activities, according to a press release from the national organization.

 

Pictured: TCC students who medaled at the Missouri SkillsUSA competition were (front row from left) Jeramiah Gracia, Brooke Francisco and Hailey Garrett; (second row) Lara Pierce and Nickalas Richards; (third row, left to right) Tara Hutchinson, Michaelyn Hatton and Levi White; and (back row) Nick Loyd, Lane White and Luke Cook.

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

 MAP scores and attendance at Eugene Field have increased while discipline referrals have gone down over the past several years, but perhaps more importantly, students are graduating the elementary school with tools to succeed in life.

 

Themed “I Believe in the Power of Yet,” the fifth annual Leadership Day on Thursday, March 22, featured songs, skits and videos of students showcasing the difference between having a growth versus a fixed mindset. Seven visiting schools exploring the program were in attendance, including North Elementary in Jackson, which has just completed the book study.

 

Leadership Day participants experienced the impact of the Leader in Me under which Eugene Field has achieved lighthouse status, the gold standard of the initiative. The teaching philosophy is based on Dr. Stephen Covey’s best-selling book, “The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People.”

 

“I can’t explain this. It would hardly (make sense) unless you watch the kids—they are just amazing,” said Dora Cole, a member of St. Andrew Lutheran Church. “I never watched kids grow like they do here. They are so confident with theirselves.”

 

One of the habits students practice is to synergize. Cole, who accepted the award of Leader of the Year for the church’s long-standing school sponsorship, half-jokingly commented how she did not learn that word until she was in her 40s. And here students, grades 1-3, are showcasing their understanding of the value of working together.

 

First time attendee Dr. Ron Webb, pastor of Mt. Calvary Powerhouse Church, has authored a series of books, most recently: “Leadership from Behind the Scenes.” During the classroom tour portion of the program, Webb stated: “This is where it starts.”

 

Mayor Ed DeGaris has witnessed Leadership Day for the past few years. A graduate of the elementary school himself, DeGaris is the grandfather of second grader Ashton, his third grandchild to attend Eugene Field. Asked if the seven habits are spoken about at home, DeGaris replied without hesitation: “All the time.”

 

Also an alumnus, Gabriel Burke—now a Poplar Bluff Middle School student—provided a testimonial during the show, attributing his success as an A honor roll student who is active in the Junior Beta Club to the Leader in Me program.

 

“I was shy, scared and bashful,” Gabriel recalled. “The seven habits helped me be more social and active.”

 

Pictured: The GLEEders open the event with a performance of the Eugene Field original, “Set it Off.”

 

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