Written by
Beth Farrah, SMT Writer
Essex, Missouri – After nearly four months of waiting, the Richland Elementary students finally got to celebrate the opening of their new playground. After Richland received a USDA grant in August to rebuild their playground, there was a lot of waiting, planning and anticipation from the faculty and students. After a rainy delivery a few weeks ago in the end of October and a lot of hard work put in from Richland’s Superintendent Frank Killian, handyman Calvin Edwards, board member Terry Blair, and other volunteers, both playgrounds were finally completed last Friday.
Both of the new playgrounds were designed to show our school spirit, being colored in red and gray. There is a playground for both the younger students and the older students. The brand new playground includes a brand new tall, swirly slide, swings, and multiple climbing structures, including a rock climbing wall and crawl-through tunnels. Along with the students' new playgrounds, the construction workers and Calvin Edwards have finished building an awning that is perfect for outdoor lunches and other outdoor activities during the summer and spring weather.
On account of their half day and the celebration to the end of National Young Readers Week, the young Rebels were rewarded with a day of play on their new playground last Friday and enjoyed every second of it. The Rebel students and staff want to give a big thank you to everyone who helped their dreams of a new playground become a reality!
Picture above taken by Yearbook Staff member of The Rebel
Submitted by Jill Temples
SMT Writer
Jefferson City, Missouri - Fighting wildfires, delivering relief supplies and medical evacuation are only a few ways flight is used to save lives. Young people throughout Missouri are invited to illustrate these and other lifesaving flights as part of the 2014 International Aviation Art Contest.
Sponsored by the Missouri Department of Transportation and several other national and international organizations, the contest inspires youth to explore aeronautics, engineering and science as they illustrate the theme, "Flying Saves Lives."
Children between the ages of 6 and 17 can participate. Entries are judged in three age classes for creative use of the theme. Entries from Missouri youth will be evaluated by MoDOT employees. The winners will advance to national and possible international levels of the contest.
All artwork for the state competition must be postmarked by Friday, Jan. 17, 2014. For the mailing address and official rules, contact MoDOT's Aviation office. Call (573) 526-2169, send an email to s.hall@modot.mo.gov or visit the national sponsor's site, www.nasao.org
Submitted by Jill Temples
SMT Writer
The Most Valuable Student Scholarship- The Elks National Foundation will award 500 four-year scholarships to the highest-rated applicants in the 2014 competition.
Rules for the scholarship:
-Any high school senior who is a citizen of the United States is eligible to apply.
-Applicants need not be related to a member of the Elks.
-College students are not eligible to apply.
-Applicants must be citizens of the United States on the date their applications are signed; permanent legal resident status does not qualify.
-Male and female students compete separately.
-Applicants will be judged on scholarship, leadership, and financial need. The -Most Valuable Student scholarship deadline is December 6, 2013.
-Applications must be submitted to the Elks Lodge closest to the student's permanent U.S. address.
Applications must advance through local, district and state competitions to reach national judging. The weekend of April 25 to 27, 2014, the 20 top finalists will participate in a Leadership Weekend in Chicago during which they’ll interview with the national judges. These 20 finalists will be vying for two first-place awards of $50,000; two second-place awards of $40,000; and two third-place awards of $30,000. The remaining 14 finalists will receive awards of $20,000. The 480 runners-up will receive fifth-place scholarships of $4,000.
The Chicago office of the Elks National Foundation will announce the 500 national winners, and notify them in writing, by late April 2014. (Many local Lodges, districts and state Elks associations award their own scholarships through this program. These scholarships are not to be confused with the 500 Elks National Foundation Most Valuable Student Scholarships.)
All scholarships are in the form of certificates of award conditional upon the full-time enrollment of the winner in an accredited U.S. college or university.
Ranging from $1,000 per year to $12,500 per year,
Most Valuable Student scholarships are for students pursuing a four-year degree, on a full-time basis (minimum of 12 semester hours), in a U.S. college or university.
For more information on this scholarship, visit the Elks website at:
Written by Jill Temples
SMT Writer
Dexter, Missouri- The Dexter High School choir students will be performing Disney’s High School Musical on Thursday, November 21st through Saturday, November 23rd.
Tickets can be purchased each night at the door, through the high school office, or by Mrs. Sepulvado. Tickets will be $5.00 for adults and $2.00 for Dexter students age five and up. Children four and under will be free.
The performance on November 21st and 22nd will begin at 7:00 p.m. The performance on Saturday, November 23rd will begin at 5:30 p.m. The High School Musical performance will be held in the auditorium of Dexter High School.
Please come out and enjoy the DHS Choir performance of Disney’s High School Musical!
Written by
Dee Loflin SMT Manager/Writer
Special "Celebrity" guests were invited to read to students throughout the week. Students participated in several reading contests.
There were four different contests.
1. Guess Who's Reading- The students had to guess the teacher in the photo, but he/she had a book covering their face. There will be a winner from each grade. Each winner will receive a $25 Barnes and Noble Gift Card. The winners were: Madelyn Haynes 5th grade, Magi McBride 4th grade, and Cole Gibson 3rd grade.
2. Prize Baskets full of Central School Store goodies- The boy and girl in each grade level who earned the most points will receive a prize basket full of school store goodies!
3. Shredded Book Contest- Students were asked to guess the number of pages in a shredded book. The student in each classroom that guessed the closest received a small prize.
4. Daily....10 students in each grade level received a McDonald's coupon if they were at 50% of their AR goal and had 85% accuracy.
