By Annabeth Miller,
ShowMe Times Editor

it was a great night to be a Bearcat!!

With the first full day of school completed, and a clear, beautiful evening, Bearcat fans young - and not so young - gathered at Charles Bland Stadium for the Bearcat Football Jamboree.

Folks streamed through the gates where DHS teachers Rhonda Lowery and Jamie Sepulvado were minding the ticket sales, and poured in for a night of football, friends and fun!

While the Bearcats and guests from New Madrid, East Prarie and Kennett faced-off on the field, lots of folks revelled in the fun and friendship.

The Bearcat Booster Club was on hand selling memberships, promoting the Homecoming Weekend Dodge Ball Tournament (Go teams!) while the DHS Football Cheerleaders were enthusiastically greeting friends and selling bracelets and promoting Bearcat SPIRIT!

The first official game of the 2011 Football Bearcat season is next Friday evening, Aug, 26. The 'Cats will meet the Dragons from Ste. Genevieve.

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By Annabeth Miller,
ShowMe Times Editor

It’s a record-breaking celebration for Devin Stephenson and the Three Rivers College family.

The college president – who has had his ‘feet on the ground’ in Southeast Missouri since the summer of 2009 – has helped open new college centers in Dexter and Cape Girardeau, has seen the expansion of college programs, and watched the college enrollment continue to grow.

So Thursday was a special day for Stephenson, as Three Rivers celebrated exceeding the 4,000 student enrollment mark.

Stevenson and a crew of college officials and staff were at the Dexter center Thursday as part of a tour of the region to celebrate the milestone enrollment. And it was clear Stephenson was especially proud of the new Dexter facility. He recalled his first meeting in Dexter to discuss a college center in the community.

“I knew there was going to be magic from the beginning” of the meeting, Stephenson said. “It really just takes a vision and some people to do it. We’ve been able to do something wonderful here.”

Stephenson said the great thing about the center is the opportunities it offers to Dexter area residents.

“This is a ‘people’ business,” he said. “A lot of folks think we are in the education business. Really, this is a people business. It’s about making a difference in people’s lives, improving the quality of life for them, and giving them a chance when they didn’t have a chance or giving them hope when they don’t have hope. “

Stephenson said the statistics of the college’s progress are staggering.

• This time last year the TRC Dexter center was an empty industrial building. The facility opened in January 2011 and no has more than 250 students.
• Piedmont now has 70 students enrolled at a brand-new instructional site.
• The Kennett center has a 29 percent increase in credit hours; the Cape Girardeau center a 48 percent increase in credit hours; the Sikeston center now has more than 500 students and has run out of space.
• Total college enrollment at the end of Thursday was 4,243 students – a 12 percent record of 2010.
• Total credit hours taken this semester is 46,535 – a 16 percent increase of 2010.

“We say that this is the ‘Golden Age’ of community colleges, and it indeed is,” Stephenson said.

The college president told the group at the celebration luncheon at the Dexter center that he was recently on a family vacation and got on a hotel elevator with a group of high school students. He said the young people had t-shirts that said “Don’t tell me the sky is the limit when there are footprints on the moon.”

“Bottom line for us is that we want to push the number even higher,” Stephenson said. “That means we’re serving somebody. That means we are meeting a need. That means people are getting the kind of education they need.”

Stephenson informed the group of community leaders gathered that in the next 10 years only 80 percent of new jobs created will be to individuals who do not have four-year college degrees. He explained the majority of the jobs in the future will go to people with some post-high school education – primarily associate degrees.

“The whole concept of taking education to where people live is what we are all about,” he said.

The noonday celebration included a number of Dexter city officials, representatives of the Dexter schools, the Chamber of Commerce, and local business and industry.

The school bells rang early Thursday morning, calling students, teachers and staff back to the school buildings.

The first visible signs that it was the first day of school weren't even on school property ... it was on the streets. Traffic all around the Dexter schools campus were bumper-to-bumper for a while early Thursday morning, as kids and parents headed to schools. Traffic was backed on Grant Street, One Mile Road, Brown Pilot and Central Drive as everyone flocked to school.

With book bags in hand, youngsters headed into school to check out classrooms, teachers and meet friends. Parents of younger elementary school students often went inside as well, some snapping "first day of school" photos with teachers and making sure all is well on the first day of a new school year.

Thursday is a half day in the classroom, followed by Media Day for high school athletes in preparation for the fall athletic season. The fall football Jamboree is Friday evening at Charles Bland Stadium, with Kennett, East Prairie, and New Madrid County Central joining the Bearcats for an evening of football. The Jamboree will begin at 6 p.m. Friday; $1 admission will be charged at the gate (no passes allowed).

Dexter schools is joined by Bernie and Bloomfield in returned to the classrooms Thursday. Richland students headed back to school last week.

Photo Above: Teacher Kara Lummukka greets Nate Gargas to the fifth grade at Central Elementary Thursday morning.(SMT photo by Annabeth Miller)

State Rep. Paul Curtman was the guest this month at the Stoddard County Republican Club meeting.

Curtman is a first-term Republican state representative from Pacific. He represents District 105 in the Missouri House, which includes parts of Franklin, Jefferson and St. Louis counties.

Curtman spoke to the club about the values of individuals liberty, limited government, and state rights with respect to the Constitution.

Serving in the U.S. Marine Corp from 1999 to 2003, Curtman attained the rank of sergeant. While on active duty he participated in operations in support of Operation Enduring Freedom and the Global War on Terror.

Curtman is a member of Cornerstone Baptist Church where he also serves as the assistant youth director. He is a 1999 graduate of Pacific High School and a received his B.A. in Political Science from the University of Missouri - St. Louis. After graduating from the university, he became a licensed Series 7 Financial Advisor.

The Stoddard County Republican Club meets at 6:30 p.m., the third Monday of the month at the Hickory Log Restaurant in Dexter.

Photo Above: Stoddard County Republican Club President Carol Beam greets State Rep. Paul Curtman at this month's meeting of the Stoddard County Republican Club. (Reader Submitted photo by Gene Weeks)

Photo Bloe: State Rep. Paul Curtman is welcomed to Stoddard County by (from left) County Associate Commissioner Carol Jarrell, Curtman, State. Rep. Billy Pat Wright, and State Senator Rob Mayer. (SMT photo by Annabeth Miller)

By Annabeth Miller,
ShowMe Times Editor

With Dexter schools set to open Thursday morning, new teachers and other school employees were recently introduced during the annual “back to school” luncheon for teachers and staff in the Dexter district. The luncheon was held Tuesday at DHS, sandwiched in between a full agenda of meetings and time for teachers to spend preparing their classrooms. New members of the Dexter School staff for 2011-2012 include:

Southwest Elementary

• Kathy Taylor will be a Title I VIP aid at Southwest
• Molly Propst will serve as a Title I VIP aid at Southwest Elementary this year.

Central Elementary

• Adam Clark will teach third grade at Central. Clark is a Dexter High School alum and graduated in 2010 from Hannibal-LeGrange University. This is his first year teaching in public school
• Jennifer Bolin will be teaching 5th grade. She is from Doniphan, and graduated in 2006 from Southeast Missouri State University. This is her fifth year of teaching.
• Cody Boyer will be an aide in the 4th and 5th grade. Boyer is an Dexter High School alum and graduated from Southeast Missouri State University in 2009.
• Kristi Rinehart will be teaching 4th grade at Central. Kristi is no stranger to Central Elementary or the Dexter district; this will be her first as a classroom teacher.

T. S. Hill Middle School

• Scott Kruse has returned to his hometown as the principal at T.S. Hill Middle School. He earned degrees from the University of Missouri-Columbia in 1994, from the University of Missouri-Kansas City in 1996 and in 2007 earned his master's of education from William Woods University. He served for six years as the assistant principal at New Madrid County Central Middle School.
• Chris Bolin will teach Special Services at the middle school. A graduate of Doniphan High School, he is a 2006 graduate of Southeast Missouri State University and has worked in education for four years.
• John Walker will teach grades 6-8 Special Services at the middle school.

Dexter High School

• Misty Everett will teach English at Dexter High School. She is a Campbell native and has spent seven years in education as a teacher. She received a Bachelor of Science in Education in 2003 from Southeast Missouri State University, and a M.A. degree in 2008, also from Southeast.
• Rhonda Lane is a native of Fayette and has 24 years experience in education. She received a bachelor’s degree in education from the University of Missouri-Columbia in 1987 and a master’s degree from William Woods University in 2006. She will teach English and Personal Finance at DHS.
• Candy Miller will be the nurse at Dexter High School. No stranger to Dexter schools, she has children in the local schools.
• Marti Pulliam is the new Industrial Arts teacher at DHS. She is a native of Ellington, has two years of teaching experience, and lives in Bernie. She graduated in 2010 from Hannibal-LeGrange University.
• Jamie Sepulvado will teach choral music at DHS and T. S. Hill Middle School. She is a Jackson native, has taught for 11 years, and graduated in 2000 from Southeast Missouri State University.

Students report for classes on Thursday morning, Aug. 18 for a half day of classes. The first full day is Friday, Aug. 19.

Photo Above: New staff for the 2011-2012 school year include (seated, from left) Misty Everett, Marti Pulliam, Jamie Sepulvado, Molly Propst, Kathy Taylor, Candy Miller, Kristi Rinehart; (standing, from left) Cody Boyer, Scott Kruse, John Walker, Rhonda Lane, Jennifer Bolin, Chris Bolin, Adam Clark. (SMT Photo By Annabeth Miller)