A SMT News Report

POPLAR BLUFF, Mo. – A long-awaited and much-needed Physical Therapist Assistant program will soon be offered at Three Rivers College.

The pilot semester of the new program, which has been created in conjunction with Linn State Technical College, will begin this fall. Through this partnership, students take general education courses from Three Rivers for the first year, and then take the PTA coursework delivered by Linn Tech in Poplar Bluff the second year.

“We have several students who have been preparing to enter this program for over a year,” said Kim Shackleford, division chair for Health and Human Services at Three Rivers. “Students have to have all of their general education classes finished, including the necessary health and medical pre-requisites.”

Those required general education courses include anatomy and physiology, medical terminology, psychology and more. Admission requirements also include satisfactory ACT scores and/or proven success in college coursework, an essay, recommendations, and 40 hours of physical therapy observation in two different locations.

Current students interested in entering the PTA program this fall should contact the offices of Nursing and Allied Health (573-840-9680) as soon as possible to make sure they meet all deadlines and requirements.

According to Marlene Medin, department chair for the PTA program at Linn State, the program will accept between eight and 10 Three Rivers students for the fall 2011 semester.

“Once we get up to speed, we hope to be able to accept 12 to 14 students,” said Medin. “This model allows students to finish all general education courses at Three Rivers, and then apply to Linn State to begin the PTA coursework at Poplar Bluff in the fall.”

“Indicators point to continued growth in the field of physical therapy for the foreseeable future,” said Medin. “I think the baby boomers will continue to age and need more and more physical therapy to stay active.”

Medin also added that the number of physical therapist assistants in Missouri is not enough to meet the demand, and the biggest need is in Southeast Missouri.

“Gov. Nixon encouraged higher education institutions to collaborate to meet this need,” said Medin. “Basically, he told us to do it, and here we are.”

This collaboration between Three Rivers and Linn State is made possible through the Missouri Health Professions Consortium, which includes four other community colleges and the Missouri University School of Health Professions.

Representatives from Three Rivers College and Linn State met recently to finalize the plans for the PTA program collaboration. Participating were (from left) Three Rivers Vice President for Learning Dr. Wes Payne; Kim Shackleford,division chair for Health and Human Services; Marlene Medin, Linn State; KD Berrey Linn State ]; and Three Rivers Vice President for Student Success Jason Hoseney.(TRC Photo)

POPLAR BLUFF, MO – The Patrons of the Arts Society of Three Rivers College has announced its 2011-2012 season of performances, which will include children’s shows, popular music, Shakespeare and more.

“Our focus on additional children’s shows this year is due to the success of ‘The Nutcracker’ last year,” said Dr. Wes Payne, Vice President for Learning, who organized this season’s lineup. “We feel it’s very important to bring the fine arts to a new generation and get them hooked on things like live theatre, dance, and music.”

The 2011-2012 lineup includes:

Bach to the Future - 7 p.m., Saturday, Sept. 3
Babaloo Music And Fun</> - two shows at 3 p.m. and 7 p.m., Saturday, Sept. 24
Chinese Acrobats - 7 p.m., Friday, Oct. 14
Jacob Marley’s Christmas Carol - 7 p.m., Saturday, Dec. 3.
The Elves and the Shoemaker - 3 p.m., Saturday, Dec. 11
Puss and Boots - 3 p.m. and 7 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 21
Othello - 7 p.m., Tuesday, Feb. 21 Give ‘Em Hell, Harry! - 7 p.m., Saturday, March 10
The Sword and the Stone - 3 and 7 p.m., Saturday, March 31
Moscow Festival Ballet - April 30

All shows will be performed at the Tinnin Fine Arts Center on the Three Rivers campus. Tickets are only $10 each, and seating is general admission. Tickets can be purchased online in advance at the new Patrons of the Arts webpage at trcc.edu/tinnin.

Tickets will also be available at the following Poplar Bluff locations two weeks before each performance: the Poplar Bluff Chamber of Commerce, and the Business/Financial Services office at Three Rivers. Tickets will also be sold at the door, as available.

Season tickets for the 2011-2012 Patrons’ series will be sold for a limited time at $85 each. Season ticket holders may attend all 10 shows for this price, a 15% discount. To purchase, or for information on how to join the Patrons of the Arts Society, please contact the Office of the Vice President for Learning at (573) 840-9689. Season tickets will also be sold at the door on Sept. 3 before the “Bach to the Future” performance.

By Annabeth Miiler,
ShowMe Times Editor

For the first time in 30 years, a new director will stand at the podium in the choir room at Dexter High School this fall.

Jamie Sepulvado has been hired to assume the director’s role following the retirement of long-time choral director MaryRuth Boone this spring.

Sepulvado is a Jackson native and has taught music for five years in the Advance schools and five in Perryville.

A 1994 graduate of Jackson High School, Sepulvado attended Southeast Missouri State University where she said she majored in percussion and vocal performance and earned a bachelor’s in music education.

Sepulvado is married to Chip Sepulvado and has three children, Grace, age 6; John, 3; and Selah, age 8 months. Chip Sepulvado has worked at Nestle Purina in Bloomfield for six years. The family attends Zion United Methodist Church in Gordonville, where she is the choir director.

“This is my dream job,” she said. “I’ve been keeping an eye of Mrs. Boone’s retirement. The school’s wonderful, the program’s wonderful. I’ve been looking forward to taking over something like this.”

She said she enjoys teaching, but is going “to miss her little ones.” At Advance Sepulvado taught music in grades K-12.

“My goal is to not only let them (the students) have a little bit of fun in high school, but to teach them how to get into college, how to succeed past high school. My focus is to get them some kind of money for college,” she said.

Sepulvado said she is committed to carrying on the many programs the DHS Choirs participated in annually under Boone’s leadership – include the holiday madrigal, concerts, and pop concert.

“Everything is going to be continued,” she said. “Mrs. Boone is going to continue to work with Show Choir, and I am going to help with that.”

Sepulvado says she will also continue the emphasis on achievement through the All-District and All-State choir honors programs, as well as the contests in the spring.

“My goals include to continue the success it already has and I want them to be successful in life not only as singers but as people,” she said. She says she is looking forward to the school year. “I am excited about it.”

Photo Above: Jamie Sepulvado in the choir room at Dexter High School.

The students at Southwest Elementary School learned about "Cool Careers" last week, and capped off the week by a visit from a "cool" professional, Todd Odell of the Dexter Fire Department. He showed the youngsters all his gear for fighting fires, answered all their questions, and even demonstrated some of the features of his fire truck -- including the aerial spray. It was a hot day in the summer so kids did what just comes naturally, and ran through the fine mist from the spray and had a good time. At the end Fire Department employee Garrett Wray passed out junior fireman stick-on badges - just the added treat for the afternoon! (SMT photos by Annabeth Miller)

ShowMe Times Photo Gallery

This week the students in first grade in summer school in Dexter celebrated the American Flag as the nation observed Flag Day on Tuesday. The youngsters in Shannon Putnam's class celebrated with an All-American Flag Day Treat - special "sparklers" - pretzels dipped in white chocolate and then covered in red and blue sparklers. It was an All-American day! Throughout the week the students have also learned some of the finer points of flag etiquette - including when to salute the flag and how to care for the American flag. (SMT Photo by Annabeth Miller)