Bloomfield, Missouri - The Bloomfield School board met on Monday, June 20, 2016.

The board approved resurfacing the high school gym parking lot, purchasing of a van, adding an 8th hour to the high school and middle school, and changes in the 2016-2017 handbook.

The biggest adjustment will be adding the 8th hour.  Class periods will now be 46 minutes in length with the first period being 48 minutes.  Other changes in the handbook are students will have to have some type of health insurance to go on school trips, student meal prices, definition of “appropriate shorts” length, and a change in the form used by parents to allow corporal punishment.  The Elementary Handbook also added a Scholar Leadership Award.

In Executive Session the Bloomfield School Board approved the resignation of Debbie Stogsdill from an elementary teaching position, the hiring of Sabra Mayberry for an elementary teaching position and the hiring of Brandon Crook for the ISS/ALS teaching position.

Also several extra curricular positions were filled:

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.

Bloomfield, Missouri - Students and staff at Bloomfield observed Make a Difference Day on May 23rd by performing a variety of civic projects in the community.  the day focused on providing service learning projects for students in the Bloomfield School District.

Toni Hill, Superintendent of Bloomfield School District, reached out to the community to identify service activities.  The students did a variety of activities from cleaning up the city park, and visiting the nursing home to picking up trash along Prairie Street as well as washed cars.  Students even cleaned out the school buses. They also got their hands dirty performing some landscaping at the local nursing home, Assembly of God Church, First Baptist Church and the Welcome to Bloomfield sign on Hwy 25.

Other students made decorations for the nursing home, played board games with the residents, made cards for the Children's Home, cleaned up the school campus, and made home-made dog treats for the animal shelter. 

"We, as a district, feel that it is important to teach our students to give without expecting anything in return.  The art of serving is a life lesson we want to instill in each of our students," commented Toni Hill.

Shown in the photo from left to right are Ethan Thatcher, History Teacher Taylor Fields, Shawn Robey, Nathan Thatcher, and Collin Wilson.

Bloomfield, Missouri - The Bloomfield High School Class of 2016 will graduated Sunday, May 15th at 4:00 p.m. in the Bloomfield Gym.

Mara Kay Mayo has been named the Class of 2016 Valedictorian.

She is the daughter of Ryan and Heather May.

Her plans are to attend the Missouri University of Science and Technology at Roll, Missouri where she plans to obtain a Bachelor of Science degree in Environmental Engineering.

Morgan Marie Fuwell has been named the Class of 2016 Salutatorian.

She is the daughter of Raymond and Tina Fuwell.

Her plans are to attend Southeast Missouri State University at Cape Girardeau and hear a degree in Nursing.

Bloomfield, Missouri - Girl Scout Troop 70668 host a blood drive Saturday, April 23rd from 10:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m. in the Bloomfield R-14 Library located at 301 West St. in Bloomfield, Missouri.

The American Red Cross has an emergency need for blood and platelet donors. Severe winter weather since Jan. 1 has forced the cancellation of more than 300 blood drives across 20 states, resulting in more than 9,500 donations uncollected, further depleting an already low winter supply. Blood donation appointments can be quickly and easily scheduled by using the Red Cross Blood Donor App, visiting redcrossblood.org or calling 1-800-RED CROSS (1-800-733-2767).
 
In the Missouri-Illinois Red Cross Blood Services Region, serving parts of Missouri, Illinois and Kansas, 10 blood drives were canceled since Jan. 19, causing nearly 300 blood and platelet donations to go uncollected.
 
“Blood products are being delivered to hospitals as quickly as donations are coming in,” said Todd Wagner, donor recruitment director for the Missouri-Illinois Blood Services Region. “Eligible donors are urged to make an appointment to give blood or platelets now and help ensure blood products are available for patients.”
 
Because of generous donors, the Red Cross is able to provide blood products to patients like 2-year-old Charlie Stephens. Charlie has received both blood and platelets during treatment for acute lymphoblastic leukemia. Her mother, Michelle Stephens, donates blood regularly. “I want to help supply blood for someone else, because others have provided for my family,” she said.
 
The Red Cross must collect approximately 14,000 blood and platelet donations every day for the patients at about 2,600 hospitals and transfusion centers nationwide. Blood and platelets are needed to respond to patient emergencies, including accident and burn victims, heart surgery and organ transplant patients, and those receiving treatment for leukemia, cancer or sickle cell disease.

Platelets and type AB plasma also needed

Platelet donors and those with type AB blood are also continually needed to help ensure patients receive the lifesaving blood products they need. Platelets – a key clotting component of blood often needed by cancer patients, surgical patients and bone narrow recipients – must be transfused within five days of donation, so donations are constantly needed. Donors with type AB blood are urged to give blood or platelets to restock the plasma supply. Type AB donors have the universal plasma type, which can be given to patients of all blood types.

Individuals who donated blood earlier this summer may be eligible to donate again and help patients like an expectant mother at a Red Cross-supported hospital who is currently receiving nearly 100 units of blood products a week until she delivers. Her need alone could add up to 1,100 units.

How to donate blood

The free Blood Donor App – available in app stores by searching for American Red Cross or by texting BLOODAPP to 90999 – not only makes appointment scheduling easy, but donors can also access their digital donor card and be notified when their donation is distributed to a hospital. Donors can also visitredcrossblood.orgor call 1-800-RED CROSS (1-800-733-2767) to make an appointment or for more information. All blood types are needed to ensure a reliable supply for patients. A blood donor card or driver’s license or two other forms of identification are required at check-in. Individuals who are 17 years of age (16 with parental consent in some states), weigh at least 110 pounds and are in generally good health may be eligible to donate blood. High school students and other donors 18 years of age and younger also have to meet certain height and weight requirements.

Blood donors in the Missouri-Illinois Blood Services Region can now save time at their next donation by using RapidPass to complete their pre-donation reading and health history questionnaire online, on the day of their donation, prior to arriving at the blood drive. To get started and learn more, visitredcrossblood.org/RapidPassand follow the instructions on the site.

About the American Red Cross

The American Red Cross shelters, feeds and provides emotional support to victims of disasters; supplies about 40 percent of the nation’s blood; teaches skills that save lives; provides international humanitarian aid; and supports military members and their families. The Red Cross is a not-for-profit organization that depends on volunteers and the generosity of the American public to perform its mission. For more information, please visitredcross.orgor visit us on Twitter at@RedCross.