Written by

Beth Farrah, SMT Writer

Essex, Missouri – Throughout the year, there have been many new additions to the Richland R-1 School District. The elementary, junior high, and high school adopted the Bring Your Own Device Program at the beginning of the year and there were also new security systems installed at each entrance for extra protection and peace of mind. The high school also began Advanced Placement (AP) classes in English and History available for seniors. There were numerous new faces added to the staff in both buildings and the hallways in the building are becoming more and more decorated and suited for the Rebel fans.

New additions are still being added, including the new preschool program. Instead of offering summer school for students, the money used to operate summer school will be used to start and maintain a preschool program. Richland’s preschool will be self-funded and the staff believes a self-funded preschool program will be more beneficial to the children considering the new mandated assessments and more rigorous demands being placed on schools and the students by the State and Federal Government.

There will be screening and testing for preschool attendance. The board and superintendent would like to apologize for the inconvenience of not having summer school, but they believe it is the best path for the incoming Richland students and their academic success to have a preschool offered to the younger generation.

This year, the elementary got a facelift and was granted the opportunity of having a new playground built. The equipment was purchased with fundraisers, school funds, and an USDA grant. The students absolutely love it (and so do the teachers). Richland’s school board played a major role and saved the school district a large sum of money.

The bus garage also got an upgrade both inside and out. All doors are now electric which will help extend the life of the garage door. The mechanic bay is insulated which will greatly reduce heating costs and the electrical was updated which increases the safety aspect. The exterior of building was also primed and painted with school colors.

The bus garage wasn’t the only thing at Richland to receive fresh paint. The men and women’s bathrooms located by the main gymnasium received new paint as well. The little gym near the back parking lot also received a new rubber floor which makes the facility much more user-friendly and safer for the physical education courses in both elementary and high school.

Richland’s school board is responsible for all these wonderful new additions that will allow Richland School to continue representing the Richland Community and Stoddard County as a great school. A big thanks goes out to the school board, faculty, and supporting parents who made all these changes possible. 

Written by

Beth Farrah, SMT Writer

Essex, Missouri - As the deadline for FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) approaches on March 1^st, the Richland R-1 School District will be holding a free FAFSA night workshop for all seniors and parents who wish to attend. This event will be held on Thursday, February 27^th, at 6pm in the High School Computer Lab. Please be sure to bring your Federal 2013 or 2012 tax returns! A college representative will be at the FAFSA night to help guide the parents and students through filling out the FAFSA.

Be sure to mark your calendars if you plan to attend. Parents and students will need to attend together. If there are any questions, please contact the Richland High School Counselor, Mrs. Hampton.  If students are set up on the Remind Me Texting App, there are multiple reminders being sent out, as well as pin number information for the event. You can setup the pin number online at http://pin.ed.gov and just follow the instructions on the website. If there is any trouble using the link that was sent through the message, please see Mrs. Hampton in her office sometime this week.

On top of the upcoming FAFSA night, there are also multiple scholarships that have quickly approaching deadlines. If a senior has already been accepted by a college, the college should have many endowment scholarships that they could be rewarded. So don’t miss out! Southeast Missouri State University, Arkansas State University, and Missouri State University Endowment Scholarships have a deadline of March 1^st. The Three Rivers College Endowment Scholarship is on April 1^st. Students that have been accepted to these colleges are eligible to apply for these scholarships online.

Here are more scholarship deadlines (all scholarship forms are placed in senior mailboxes):

Southeast Missouri State Superintedents Association Scholarship Application is due March 1^st.

Essex Area Development Scholarship will be awarded to two students for $500, which is due March 1^st.

Missouri Bankers Foundation Scholarship must be postmarked by March 14^th.

Peter Pasula Study Habits Scholarship has a deadline of April 1^st and can be found online at www.mortgagebrokersburnaby.com

Southeast Health Center of Stoddard County Auxiliary Scholarship (Dexter, MO) must be postmarked by April 4^th.

National Defense Transportation Association (Academic Scholarship Program A, B, C) can be obtained online at www.ndtahq.com with a dealine of April 16^th.

Maple Leaf Dentistry Schoarship has a deadline to apply on May 30^th and all applications can be found online at www.peterboroughdentists.com.

There are many more scholarships to come! So please be sure to keep checking the senior mailboxes. There will be more information on the FAFSA night throughout the week, so mark your calendars! 

Dexter, Missouri - Missouri Representative Jason Smith (R-8) visited the Dexter Senior High School on Tuesday.  He was greeted by Superintendent Dr. Thomas Sharp and high school principal Dan Pollock and was then given a guided tour of the school.

His final destination and reason for visiting the high school was to meet with the Future Farmers of America group and spend time in the Ag classroom.  Mr. Gary Wymna, FFA sponsor treated Jason Smith to a brief lecture on the history of FFA and took a few questions from the first group of students he met with.

The second group of students were given the entire hour to listen to Smith talk about agriculture and how it affects everyone and how congress deals with agricultural issues.  Students were given the rest of the class to ask questions.  This particular class of students were quite inquisitive about Smith's career in government and agriculture.  Even Mr. Wyman asked a few questions of the Congressman.

Congressman Smith was also presented with a FFA club T-shirt.  Shown in the photo below are Erika McCoy, Haylee Arthur, and Brianna Madigan.  The photo above is Garrett Kyle, FFA officer with Representative Jason Smith.

Submitted by
Dee Loflin SMT Manager/Writer

Bernie, Missouri - The Bernie FBLA attended the District 16 Leadership Conference in Malden on Friday, February 14th.

The students who attended competed in various events that involved taking an online test or preparing a speech or presentation.  A few had interactive events that allowed a set amount of time to prepare for various situations to see how students can respond without much preparation time.  

Students were informed about banking and financial decisions by Dave Green, and also viewed a short video composed of pictures submitted by some of the District 16 schools.

Bernie High School junior, Austin Ward served as District Reporter and helped with the award ceremony and the video.

Lacey Johnson, freshman, was elected to District Vice-President Membership for the upcoming 2014-2015 school year.  She has also completed her “Future” and “Business” level awards and will be recognized at the State Leadership Conference.

The Bernie adviser is Mrs. Sharon Guy.

Students advancing to State had to place 1st in an event of skill, performance or presentation.  The top 5 places for Online tests will also advance to state.

The State Leadership Conference is in Columbia, Missouri from April 13-15, 2014.

Winners included:

Teresa Poe – Accounting II – 1st place

Ashlyn Stevens – Client Service – 2nd

Seth Dowdy and Austin Ward - Sports & Entertainment Management – 2nd

Lane Mayberry – Intro to Business Communications – 3rd place

Zack Tanner – Ag Business   AND  Business Math 4th place

Selena Poe and Amber Miller – Desktop Publishing– 4th place

Lacey Johnson - Computer Applications – 4th place

Kelci Yates – Health Care Administration – 4th place

Seth Dowdy – Personal Finance – 4th place

Morgan Baker – Public Speaking – 5th

Selena Poe – Spreadsheet – 5th place

Katie Blanchette, Alexis McGowan and Sierra Eberle – Business Presentation –5th place

Congratulations Bernie FBLA!

Shown in the photo are students advancing to the State level competition.  They are front row from left to right: Alexis McGowan, Sierra Eberle, Morgan Baker, and Ashlyn Stevens.  Middle Row from left to right: Teresa Poe, Katie Blanchette, Amber Miller, Lacey Johnson, and Zach Tanner.  Back row from left to right: Selena Poe Kelci Yates, Seth Dowdy, Lane Mayberry, and Austin Ward. 

Dexter, Missouri - Each month, faculty from each academic department will select a student for STUDENT OF THE MONTH.  Dexter Senior High School "Students of the Month" for both November and December 2013 are shown in the photo.

Front Row: Jodie Cantrell, Paula Hagy, Kayla Costin, Tori Barr, Kirsten Durrow, Myca Sutton

Back Row: Jake Hindman, Brooks Propst, Jacob Robinson, Jonathan Foels.

Not pictured: Faith Anderson, Rebecca Gordon, Timmy Spence, Zach Brasfield, Kyle Smith, Laceann Sumner, Ashley Long

Photo provided by Laura Stone, DHS English Teacher

Congratulations!