Searcy, Arkansas - More than 750 students received diplomas at Harding University's commencement exercises on May 7, 2016. Owen Flowers of Dexter, Missouri received a Bachelor of Science degree in athletic training.
Owen was a 2012 graduate of Dexter Senior High School and is the son of Tim and Kim Flowers.
Harding is the largest private university in Arkansas and has been ranked by U.S. News & World Report for 22 consecutive years as a top 25 school in the South.
Flowers recently announced his engagement to Amanda Ryan and passed his Board of Certification as a Certified Athletic Trainer. He would love to work with high school, collegiate, or professional athletes. At the present time he is working in Alaska over the summer with his brother Ethan.
Shown in the photo are from left to right: Ethan Flowers (Owen's brother), Kim Flowers (mom), Owen, Amanda Ryan (finance') and Tim Flowers (dad).
Searcy, Arkansas - Kendra Stevenson, a 2014 Dexter High School graduate and a student at Harding University in Searcy, Arkansas chose to spend a semester abroad in the country of Greece. She left on May 10th for a three-month summer semester.
The program named "HUG" stands for Harding University in Greece and as a part of the HUG curriculum she is spending the semester immersed in Greek culture. Her major is public relations and she will have the opportunity to experience a Mediterranean cruise and visit historical sites in the Peloponnese Norther Greece, Turkey and Israel. The group lives in Port Rafti, Attica, cultivating new relationships with fellow students.
Students in the program have a full course load available to them taught by visiting Harding University professors. The classes encourage exploration and interaction among the people of Greece.
Harding is the largest private university in Arkansas and has been ranked by U.S. News and World Report for 22 consecutive years as a top 25 school in the southern United States.
Kendra is the daughter of Kay Stevenson and Keith Stevenson. While at Dexter High School she was active in tennis and softball all four years of high school.
She was also the President of Fellowship of Christian Athletes and President of Rotary-Interact Club. She was a member of the Dexter Honor Society and has been in the Top 10% her 9th, 10th, 11th and 12th grade years.
Bloomfield, Missouri - The Bloomfield School Board hired Coach Jason Karnes as the new High School Principal at a special board meeting held on Wednesday, June 9, 2016 at the Administration Building.
Karnes is a graduate of Bernie High School and was the Bloomfield High School basketball coach. The position became available when Dustin Hicks left Bloomfield High School to become the new Superintendent at the Bernie School District.
Kara Thompson was also hired as a new Middle School math teacher. No other action was taken at the executive session of the Bloomfield Special Board Meeting.
Dexter, Missouri - Destiny Robertson, a 2015 Dexter High School graduate, and the daughter of David and Ruth Robertson, has accepted membership into the National Society of Collegiate Scholars (NSCS).
"NSCS is more than just a symbol of academic achievement. membership gives students access to a number of amazing benefits including career and networking resources, scholarships, travel, and service projects both on campus and in the community," stated Stephen Loflin, NSCS founder and Chief Executive Officer.
NSCA is a member of the Association of College Honor Societies and is the nation's only interdisciplinary honors organization for first-year and second-year college students. Membership is by invitation only, based on grade point average and class standing. NSCS has over one million lifetime members and 300 chpaters in all 50 states, Washington D.C. and Puerto Rico.
While at Dexter High School Destiny was a member of the Lady Cats Tennis Team her junior and senior years and has been a member of the track team her freshman and sophomore years. She was also active in Fellowship of Christian Athletes, Future Teachers of America, FCCLA, Scholar Bowl Team, Pep Club and the Dexter Honor Society.
Destiny plans to attend Arkansas State University in Jonesboro, Arkansas and major in Education.
Tuscaloosa, Alabama - The Barry Goldwater Scholarship and Excellence in Education Program has selected two University of Alabama students as Goldwater Scholars for 2016-2017.
They are: Andrew Raddatz, a chemical engineering student from Austin, Texas; and Jacob M. Robinson, a chemical engineering major from Dexter, Missouri. In addition, Samantha Dyroff, a chemistry major from Des Peres, Missouri, received an honorable mention.
From 2007 to 2016, UA is No. 1 in the United States for Goldwater Scholars, with 27. Harvard is second, with 26.
This year, 252 Goldwater Scholars were selected on the basis of academic merit from a field of 1,150 mathematics, science and engineering students who were nominated by the faculties of colleges and universities nationwide.
The one- or two-year scholarships will cover the cost of tuition, fees, books and room and board up to a maximum of $7,500 a year.
The Goldwater Foundation is a federally endowed agency established in 1986. The program, which honors U.S. Sen. Barry Goldwater, was designed to foster and encourage outstanding students to pursue careers in research in the fields of mathematics, the natural sciences and engineering.
Jacob Robinson, son of Mark and Rhonda Robinson, graduated from Dexter Public Schools in Dexter, Missouri in 2014 and is pursuing a career focused on researching novel screening methods and treatments for Alzheimer’s disease and other neurodegenerative diseases.
He was accepted into the Emerging Scholars program before arriving at Alabama. This helped him become involved in undergraduate research early during his freshman year. Jacob has worked with Dr. Margaret Liu, assistant professor in UA’s department of chemical and biological engineering. His research has focused on metabolically engineering Clostridium bacteria to maximize biobutanol production. Outside of the lab, Jacob has been involved in DREAM and READ Alabama, organizations devoted to mentoring and reading to local elementary students. After graduation, he plans to attend medical school and pursue a doctor of medicine/doctorate.
