Poplar Bluff, MO - A Poplar Bluff alumnus who leads intercity youth development training throughout the country shared his “tips for a successful life” on Thursday, Feb. 27, during an assembly observing Black History Month at Junior High.
“Get connected,” “stay away from messy people” and remember that “you have value,” stated Cortez Higgs, founder of The Catalyst Effect, to the seventh and eighth grade audience in the gymnasium.
The first piece of encouragement from Higgs pertained to students participating in activities outside of the school day, whether it is athletics, band or another extracurricular club
“A lot of you, if you don’t get connected or engaged, you’re going to live inside a box,” the PBHS Class of 1996 graduate said. “…You only have so much room to go inside the box before you hit the wall.
His next piece of advice was a cautionary tale about associating with the wrong crowd, and how succumbing to peer pressure can ruin one’s chances for a hopeful future.
Higgs used $5 from his wallet to demonstrate his final lesson of the day. He captured the reaction of a group of volunteers after dropping the bill on the ground and stomping on it.
When asked if Zoe Freeman would accept the money even though he proceeded to “call it names,” the student replied affirmatively, explaining that it still “has value.” Higgs rewarded the student with $10 for providing such an astute answer.
“Just like this money, no matter what anyone says or does to you, what they say or do to you does not determine your value,” Higgs concluded. “In spite of the mistakes you make, in spite of the issues or the families you’re with, in spite of what clothes you have, where you live – you have value.”
At the beginning of his lecture, Higgs noted that he grew up in poverty and was the child of a teenaged mother. Despite having experienced some trauma in life, he said, he went on to become an ordained minister, having studied biblical theology at Bethel College, and served as a petty officer in the U.S. Navy, among other feats.
Higgs currently resides in Newport News, Va., with a wife and four children. He has traveled to 45 schools across the country through the Department of Justice, discussing race relations and gang violence prevention.
The schoolwide assembly was spearheaded last year by paraprofessional LaRonda Mack and co-teacher Courtney Rutledge of the Life Skills class. Rutledge graduated with Higgs, and helped arrange for the visit this year. For the remainder of the program, a planning committee was formed that also had student representation.
Other features of the annual event included a performance of “Lift Ev’ry Voice and Sing,” known as the Black National Anthem, led by student Leara Hopson; a special tribute to the late Kobe Bryant; a living museum featuring the depiction of 30 black inventors by students; and a mural contest. The Life Skills students prepared a lunch for the invited guests.
Pictured: Poplar Bluff native Cortez Higgs of The Catalyst Effect receives an ovation from the audience following his Black History Month speech.
Article and photo by Tim Krakowiak, Communications/Marketing Director, Poplar Bluff R-I School District
Poplar Bluff, MO - Oak Grove Elementary won the 11th annual Butler County Community Resource Council Spelling Bee Championship with two classmates vying for the top spot on Wednesday, Feb. 26, at Fox Radio Network.
Journey Warren was named the 2020 champion, spelling the 87th word v-o-r-t-i-c-e-s correctly over finalist, Clint Wallace, also of Oak Grove. Representing the other elementary schools were third graders Willem Thurston of Eugene Field, Brody Oatman of O’Neal and Miley Baker of Lake Road.
Event moderator Kathern Harris of the CRC Children and Youth Succeeding in School Committee stressed that all the contestants were winners for making it to the championship upon competing in a three-week tournament at their respective schools. Oak Grove hosted an additional round in order to narrow its three-way tie down to two.
Last year Oak Grove also sent two competitors to the spelling bee, which ended in a tie between Oak Grove and Lake Road after the finalists spelled all 190 words on the list correctly over the radio. This year the difficulty of the words was increased to a fifth grade level, according to Harris, who noted that some of the tie-breaking words were used in the Scripps National Spelling Bee.
The spell-off was emceed by Dave Wyman of the Missouri Department of Transportation, who serves the CRC as a member of the Parents Working Committee. The spelling bee aired live on KYEX 88.3/98.3 FM, the radio’s nonprofit station. Fox Radio has been broadcasting the spelling bee since the event’s debut in 2010 to help raise the stakes and provide the students with a memorable experience, confirmed owner Steven Fuchs.
Pictured (From left) Willem Thurston, Miley Baker, Journey Warren, Clint Wallace and Brody Oatman pose at Fox Radio Network last week before going on air.
Photo and article by Tim Krakowiak, Communications/Marketing Director, Poplar Bluff R-I School District
A Poplar Bluff elementary school has been nationally recognized for its exceptional student achievement for the third year in a row.
Oak Grove was one of two federally-funded schools in Missouri and only 73 in the United States to receive the 2019 National ESEA Distinguished School award Wednesday, Feb. 5, in Atlanta. The other Missouri school was New Madrid, also located in the Southeast region of the state.
"Your dedication and hard work never go unnoticed," stated R-I Assistant Superintendent of Business Dr. Amy Jackson, congratulating Oak Grove Principal Jenifer Richardson. “You are a remarkable leader and have worked tirelessly for many years to ensure our students’ success and teachers’ success!
Oak Grove was selected for ‘exceptional student performance and academic growth for two or more consecutive years,’ which is one of three award categories. On the Missouri Assessment Program test in the 2018/19 school year, the elementary school scored 85.5 percent proficient or advanced in math, up from 84.5 the previous year, and 81.9 in English language arts, an increase over 75.7 during 2017/18.
Lake Road was named a National ESEA Distinguished School in the same program category in 2018. In 2017, Oak Grove first earned the honor, formerly known as the National Title 1 award, for ‘closing the achievement gap between student groups for two or more consecutive years.’
In its school biography on the network website, Oak Grove attributed its recent accomplishments in part to community partnerships that include AmeriCorps, the Boys and Girls Club, its Bright Futures Site Council, the Butler County Community Resource Council and an active Parent Teacher Organization, supporting activities such as power hour, the lunch buddy program, the Jingle Jog, Math-A-Thon and more.
“The work that I’d say has driven our success is the collaboration taking place among our teachers, but it takes every single person—day in and day out—to make this happen, and you can’t let up,” Richardson said. “We have the framework in place that guides us, but we have flexibility within that framework because things are constantly changing, and you need to readjust and recalibrate for each individual kid every year in order to achieve maximum student performance.”
Since 1996, the national program has highlighted up to two selected schools per state that have successfully used federal funds under the Elementary and Secondary Education Act to “improve the education for all students,” including those who are “economically disadvantaged,” according to a press release from the overseeing association.
Pictured: Oak Grove Principal Jenifer Richardson accepts the National ESEA award earlier this month in Atlanta, with support on stage from (left to right) teachers Becky Ingle, Carey Wilkerson and Gabby Bullock; R-I Assistant Superintendent of Curriculum Patty Robertson; and Title 1 Director JoAnne Westbrook.
Photo and article submitted by Tim Krakowiak, Communications/Marketing Director, Poplar Bluff R-I School District
A second student at Poplar Bluff High School has earned a four-year U.S. Army scholarship.
Aaron Taylor, a senior, will attend the University of North Georgia, one of six senior military colleges in the nation, where he plans to pursue a degree in international affairs.
Taylor said he chose UNG because of the rigor within its ROTC Corps of Cadets, and the fact that the institution has a Russian language program.
“Taylor has been very engaged with us; he’s a very dynamic leader within our organization,” said Maj. Gregory Crites, senior Army instructor at PBHS. “He’s also very involved with the choir and his youth group at church. He’s just an all-around good citizen.”
Serving as command sergeant major over the Pvt. Billie G. Kanell JROTC Battalion for two years, Taylor has held leadership roles on the drill team, the raider team and the color guard.
Classmate Elizabeth Shirrell previously received a four-year college scholarship from the Army in the first round of selections. Less than 1,000 such scholarships are awarded each year nationally, according to Crites.
Photo: PBHS senior Aaron Taylor, JROTC cadet command sergeant major, received a four-year Army scholarship to attend the University of North Georgia.
Article and photo by Tim Krakowiak, Communications/Marketing Director, Poplar Bluff R-I School District
The Poplar Bluff High School JROTC has been accredited as an Honor Unit with Distinction for scoring a near flawless 98.5 percent on a recent program evaluation.
As a result of receiving the most sought-after unit award, cadets of the Pvt. Billie G. Kanell Battalion have earned the privilege of wearing the Gold HUD Star badge on their uniforms. The inspection takes place every three years, according to Gregory Crites, PBHS senior Army instructor.
“It’s not just another shiny thing,” Maj. Crites stated. “They work hard to be ready for the evaluation and if they’re able to show improvement, they are rewarded on behalf of the district. The challenge now is to maintain that, and they will.”
U.S. Army Cadet Command representatives from out of the Reserve Officers’ Training Corps brigade headquarters in Naval Station Great Lakes visited PBHS on Wednesday, Jan. 15, to receive a briefing about the students’ improvement plan, service learning project and program curriculum, plus conducted a drill and color guard evaluation.
Photo: The result of a successful three-year inspection, cadets will now don the Gold HUD Star badge displayed beneath the Poplar Bluff JROTC logo on their uniform.
Article and photo by Tim Krakowiak, Communications/Marketing Director, Poplar Bluff R-I School District
