Essex, Missouri - Richland R-1 School’s yearbook program recently received three top level photography awards during the International Quill & Scroll Yearbook Excellence Contest.
Drew Hickson, left, who graduated in May 2016, brought home the Sweepstakes award for the Sports Action Photo, Division B category and sophomore Emily Blunt, right, also received a Sweepstakes award for her shot in the Clubs or Organizations Photo, Division B.
The Sweepstakes award is the top over all winner in a division for a Quill & Scroll contest. In the middle, Editor-in-Chief Katie Pinkley shows off The Blue and Gold Comprehensive Visuals Award the staff received for their overall photo work in their 2016 yearbook.
The Blue and Gold Staff Excellence Award is the highest achievement a staff can receive in the International Quill & Scroll Yearbook Excellence Contest.
Article and Photo by Kyle Carter / Richland Schools
Dexter, Missouri - The Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA) is sponsoring "Dime Wars" between the high school classes to raise money for March of Dimes.
Let's help FBLA students and their classes by supporting them with DIMES! Cash in your dollars and send with a high school student. It's a great fundraiser for the March of Dimes. Business in Dexter can participate by collecting DIMES all week. You can divide your donation by 4 and donate directly to the FBLA group.
The winning class at Dexter High School will get "Baby Ruth" candy bars.
March of Dimes is about helping babies, so start saving your DIMES!
Donations will be taken to the library the week of Monday, February 6th - Friday, February 10th.
Faculty who want to wear jean need to get their $10 Dime Donation to Mrs. Guy as soon as possible.
"The mission of the March of Dimes is to improve the health of babies by preventing birth defects, premature birth and infant mortality." For more information about the March of Dimes click HERE.
Bell City, Missouri - McKayla Hunt has been awarded a scholarship to attend Southeast Missouri State University - Cape Girardeau, Missouri for the 2017 - 2018 academic year.
Hunt has received the University Scholarship and Residence Life Leadership Award.
She is currently a senior at Bell City High School and is the daughter of Kevin and Stacey Hunt. He will graduate in May of 2017 from Bell City R-II High School.
Dexter, Missouri - Seventh and eight grade students from T.S. Hill Middle School will be competing in the Regional Science Fair on March 7, 2017.
Students were able to display their projects for family and friends in the middle school cafeteria last week. Winning entries were selected to compete at the Show Me Center on the campus of Southeast Missouri State University - Cape Girardeau in the annual Regional Science Fair.
The students are under the direction of Cacie Ramsey in eighth grade and Kristin Miller at the seventh grade level.
Local winners at the 7th grade level are:
Chemistry: 1st Place - Aeriel Coyer, 2nd Place - Andie Kruse, Honor Mention - Alex Dugan
Life Science: 1st Place - Lydia Bishop, 2nd Place - Abby Dement,
Earth Science: 1st Place - Annie Banken
Physical Science: 1st Place - Baily Whitaker, 2nd Place - Camden Riley, 3rd Place - Mia Williams, Honorable Mention - Gerica Harris, Honorable Mention - Rachel Lin
Local Winners at the 8th grade level are:
Chemistry/Physics: 1st Place - Tara Williams, 2nd Place - Riley Slusher, 3rd Place - Sydney Asberry and Chloe Thurmon
Life Science: 1st Place - Ryder Boles and Gavin Cartwright, 2nd Place - Austin Daniels, 3rd Place - Courtney Northcutt and Andrew Ellinghouse
Psychology: 1st Place - Bailey Chamberlain and Shelby Bishop, 2nd Place - Layne Medler, 3rd Place - McKayla Annesser
Poplar Bluff, Missouri - Poplar Bluff Junior High School students had a chance to view the world from another lens last week.
“Finding Kansas” author Aaron Likens spoke about what it is like to live with Asperger’s syndrome, an autism spectrum disorder he was diagnosed with at the age of 20, prior to which he did not realize he was different.
“If you met one person with autism, you met one person with autism,” said the 33-year-old on Wednesday, Jan. 25, in the gymnasium. “One person’s Kansas can be another person’s opposite of Kansas.”
Kansas to Likens is a state of mind; a place of familiarly where he feels “safe, confident and normal,” his book states. For him that locale happens to be the racetrack, having grown up a mile from the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. In addition to presenting over 800 times about autism awareness through Easter Seals Midwest in St. Louis, Likens is a successful flagman at racing events across the country.
The author of the blog “Life on the Other Side of the Wall” available at www.aaronlikens.com, Likens discovered writing as a way to express himself, he said, admitting that the craft was merely a “painful” task for him in grade school. “I’d like to say it was a noble effort – wanting to make the world a better place,” Likens said.
To the seventh and eighth graders, Likens variously described himself in a light-hearted way as unfiltered, hypersensitive and routine oriented. Individuals affected by the condition may not be good judges of body language and take things very literal, he added.
“Those with Asperger’s see and process the world around us differently,” Likens said, quite simply. Although these may seem like common traits in people, Likens explained that there are different degrees. While he is clearly well-educated about the interworking of his mind, he said he does not recognize his pattern of behavior until after the fact.
In 1980, one in 1,500 people were documented to have autism, in 1997 that number grew to one in 500, now one in 68 Americans are diagnosed with the disorder, said Likens, citing the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. A new incident rate will be released in the near future.
According to the most recent studies which, Likens noted, are incomplete, Asperger’s appears to be “a wiring issue” through which information is processed in a part of the brain that should not be receiving the signal.
R-I Special Services Director Mindy Garrett, who booked the event, said she selected the Junior High age level because students are particularly receptive to building “empathy and compassion” at that age. Likens agreed that his favorite type of audience consists of pre-teens and teenagers because of their thoughtful questions.
“It’s such an honor to be able to present at schools,” Likens posted on his public Facebook page afterward. “This student after my (presentation) came up to me and said that it was so thrilling to see someone with his diagnosis speak and to finally know he isn’t alone.”
About three-fourths of the students Aaron Likens spoke to about living with Asperger’s syndrome indicated they know someone with autism spectrum disorder.
Article and photo submitted by Tim Krakowiak, Communications/Marketing Director, Poplar Bluff R-I School District
