Anyone that is a deep thinker might spend some time thinking "What Is High School For?" The greatest times of our lives are sometimes remembered to be the time spent in our high school.

What do you get from those years? Friendships that will last the remainder of your life. The first time that I ever .... (you fill in the blank).

You may have even met that person that you are (or are not) spending the rest of your life. It's a great time of development and learning.

An interesting twist worth considering came to us from a blog by Seth Godin. (http://sethgodin.com/sg/) Seth shares many common sense ideas as it relates to business practices and just life.

Seth has written 13 books that have been translated into more than 30 languages. Every one has been a bestseller. He writes about the post-industrial revolution, the way ideas spread, marketing, quitting, leadership and most of all, changing everything.

His twist on the future of the high school experience if nothing else, thought provoking.

What's high school for?

Perhaps we could endeavor to teach our future the following:

How to focus intently on a problem until it's solved.

The benefit of postponing short-term satisfaction in exchange for long-term success.

How to read critically.

The power of being able to lead groups of peers without receiving clear delegated authority.

An understanding of the extraordinary power of the scientific method, in just about any situation or endeavor.

How to persuasively present ideas in multiple forms, especially in writing and before a group.

Project management. Self-management and the management of ideas, projects and people.

Personal finance. Understanding the truth about money and debt and leverage.

An insatiable desire (and the ability) to learn more. Forever.

Most of all, the self-reliance that comes from understanding that relentless hard work can be applied to solve problems worth solving.

So take a moment to look at a new twist in how we can use the knowledge and understanding of our high school education. Sometimes, motivation and attitude toward the "job" or the problems of life many times resolves a lot of the problem.

A SMT News Report

The Dexter High School Choirs will guide a trip back through musical history during its annual Pop Concert.

The two nights of “Pop Goes Through The Years” will be held Monday and Tuesday, May 9 and 10, in the DHS Auditorium. The DHS Chamber Choir, Show Choir, Concert Choir, Choraliers and Men’s Choir will all be featured in two nights of concerts.

Each night’s concert will begin at 6:30 and tickets must be purchased in advance by contacting Dexter High School. Tickets are $6 per person.

DHS Vocal Music Director MaryRuth Boone stressed that each night will feature a different concert program, with the choirs, soloists and ensembles.

“This is always a special time for the students. They look forward throughout the school year for the annual pop concert, and it is always full of some wonderful acts. The students are creative, talented and hard-working, and I feel certain this year’s concerts will be a great time for all,” Boone said.

This year’s theme, Boone said, lends itself to a wide variety of great music through the years.

The Show Choir will feature the Tribute to Michael Jackson it will be performing in June on the choir’s concert tour of New York City.

Tickets for the Pop Concert must be purchased in advance by contacting Dexter High School at 614-1030. Tickets are $6 per person.

Photo Above: The ladies of the DHS Chamber Choir work on the choreography for one of their selections for the 2011 edition of the DHS Choirs Pop Concert: Pop Goes Through the Years! The concert will be held Monday and Tuesday, May 8 and 9, beginning at 6:30 each night. Tickets must be purchased in advance by contact Dexter High School.

A ShowMe Times Report

Sometimes the lessons that stay with a person the longest are the ones they learn with their head, hands and heart.

The youngsters in first grade at Southwest Elementary School in Dexter had such a learning experience this spring as they raised, nurtured, watched grow and then released into the world a flutter of butterflies.

Butterflies have four stages to life: four parts, egg, larva, pupa and adult.

The first graders received the butterflies when they were still in the the larva stage – or as caterpillers. They lived in butterfly houses – screened tubes that stood a tad less than some of the students.

“We watched them eat and grow, moving their way up to the top to form a chrysalis. After about a week in that state, they hatched into beautiful butterflies,” said first grade teacher Shannon Putnam.

The ones Putnam’s class helped raise were Painted Ladies, one of the thousands of varieties of butterflies.

“We watched them and fed them in our Butterfly Pavilion for about a week,” Putnam said. “Then, when the temperature was right, we released them.”

Fellow teacher Kristina Twaddell said her students attached to the growing and maturing butterflies. “My kids yelled wait before we let ours go because they had to say goodbye,” Twaddell said. “Then, back in the room one of the boys got very upset worrying about the butterflies. The other day when it was storming one of the kids said, out of the blue – ‘I hope, our butterflies are okay,’”

Sometimes the hardest lesson is the lesson the one that you have to let butterflies - and even young children - grow and be free.

Butterflies Photo Gallery

A Show Me Times News Report

ST. LOUIS - A group of Dexter elementary school students continued a tradition recently by lending their musical talents to a professional baseball game.

The Songmakers at Central Elementary traveled on Saturday, April 24 to St. Louis and Busch Stadium to perform at the St. Louis Cardinals - Cincinnati Reds baseball game.

Under the direction of music educator Delisa Stize, the Songmakers were invited to perform during the Seventh Inning Stretch the traditional "Take Me Out to the Ballgame." The fifth grade students - sporting their bright red "Songmakers" shirts - lined up in the outfield and led the stadium of baseball fans in the song.

The Songmakers performance was broadcast on the Cardinals state-of-the-art stadium broadcast system, with video of the group shown on the large screens throughout Busch Stadium.

Coordinating the event for the students were Stize, Central Elementary Principal Cindy Bowman and Central Counselor Dennis Keith. A large crowd of Dexter parents, family and friends bought game tickets and attended the game.

Ryan Franklin was the unfortunate man on the mound at the end of a very unfortunate top of the eighth inning for the Cardinals that day, as they watched a late lead evaporate in a 5-3 loss to the Reds. Miguel Cairo's two-run single against Franklin was the deciding blow, but only the last indignity in a truly miserable half-inning for the home team and its fans.

A highlight for the Songmakers was Albert Pujols' sixth-inning solo homer that gave the Cards their 3-2 edge after a two-run Votto homer tied the score in the top half of the same inning.

The final score of the game was Reds 5, Cards 3.

Photo Above: The Songmakers choral ensemble from Central Elementary School performed "Take Me Out To The Ballgame" recently at a St. Louis Cardinals baseball game in St. Louis. (SMT photo by Leigh Ann Kincy)

A ShowMe Time Photo Gallery

A SMT News Report

COLUMBIA, Mo. - A Bloomfield student placed in a statewide public speaking contest recently.

Anna Eftink, a member of the Bloomfield FFA Chapter, placed sixth in the Extemporaneous Public Speaking Career Development Event at the 83rd Missouri FFA Convention.

Eftink’s advisor is Chad Upchurch.

MFA Inc. sponsors the competition, which requires contestants to deliver a speech based on one of three agricultural topics. Participants have 30 minutes to prepare their four- to six-minute speeches.

An additional five minutes of questions are included as a part of the overall competition. The event helps students to polish logical thinking and verbal skills needed in the classroom.

The Missouri FFA has 25,077 members representing 326 chapters. The national organization has more than 523,000 members representing 7,487 local chapters in all 50 states, Puerto Rico, Guam and the Virgin Islands.

The FFA makes a positive difference in the lives of students by developing their potential for premier leadership, personal growth and career success through agricultural education.