Local Schools
The Constitution Project
September 22nd 2017 by Dee Loflin
Poplar Bluff, Missouri - A new class has been started at Poplar Bluff High School that partners with local industry professionals to take students through the process of investigating a mock crime, holding a trial and reporting about the proceedings.
The 19 students—selected based on academics, school citizenship and interest level—will be judged on merit in the disciplines of journalism, trial advocacy and crime scene investigation, with the highest scoring teams going on to compete against other schools before the Missouri Supreme Court.
The Constitution Project kicked off on Wednesday, Sept. 6, with PBHS joining a dozen other high schools, 250 students total, in Jefferson City to hear an overview from state leaders, including the Missouri First Lady, Dr. Sheena Greitens.
“I can remember as a student, experiential learning was the most powerful kind of learning because discussing and acting out a concept is more relevant than a teacher lecturing at you,” said social studies teacher Mitch Davis, who presides over the class. “Of course we all have to lecture, but this is a project-based learning class that teaches your rights as a citizen under the Constitution by acting those principles out.”
The founder of the program is Texas County Associate Circuit Judge Doug Gaston, who recalled that many young people were interested in exploring careers in forensic science and pathology after the crime drama TV series CSI came out, so he decided to “meet the students where they were,” and share his passion for the Constitution.
“The biggest thing for me is to teach them that the reason the Constitution matters is the Constitution keeps you free,” the honorable judge said. “You can become what you’re meant to become in life because we don’t have a government that oppresses us, and that’s because the Constitution is not just a document, it protects our rights.”
The class was instituted in Poplar Bluff by Superintendent Scott Dill who, at his previous post, was the head of the first school district in Missouri to participate with Gaston in 2011. The Constitution Project began as a club at Houston Schools, expanding the following semester to all the schools in the county, and going statewide two years later. Last year, Missouri Congress passed a law allowing the curriculum to shape a credit-bearing elective.
“One of the opportunities in changing school districts as a leader—and regions of the state—is the opportunity to poach best practices,” Dill stated. “I’ve never been above looking across district lines to determine what will work best for our kids, without reservation, and making it our own. There’s a perception that districts are in competition, and that may be true in athletics and things like that, but ultimately our public schools stand united toward one common goal – and that’s ensuring our schools are working for our students.”
Pictured are PBHS students simulate how a bill becomes a law in the House Chamber of the Capitol.
Photo and article submitted by Tim Krakowiak, Communications/Marketing Director, Poplar Bluff R-I School District
Last Updated on September 22nd 2017 by Dee Loflin
https://showmetimes.com/Blogpost/v8ir/The-Constitution-Project
First Grade Students Earn POR at S.W. Elementary
September 21st 2017 by Dee Loflin
Dexter, Missouri - Southwest Elementary honors second grade students with Positive Office Referral certificates for week of September 11, 2017.
This award is presented to students who consistently show the 3R's RESPECTFUL, RESPONSIBLE, and READY TO LEARN at Southwest Elementary in Dexter.
Each student received a certificate and a FREE Taco from Taco Bell.
Also some students received Positive Bus Referrals.
Pictured are back row from left to right: Michael Glore, Chase Gibson, Parker Keena, Zane Ruppel, Bronson Menley, Aiden Smith, Eric Sanders, Jaden Carter, Hudson Moore, and Bryan Galloway.
Front row from left to right: Fallon Corbin, Audriana Cazares, Addelyn Gill, Lilah Grimes, Makinley Crosby, Melora McKay, and Olivianna Hester.
Last Updated on September 21st 2017 by Dee Loflin
https://showmetimes.com/Blogpost/v8ic/First-Grade-Students-Earn-POR-at-SW-Elementary
S.W. Elementary 2nd Grade Positive Office Referrals
September 21st 2017 by Dee Loflin
Dexter, Missouri - Southwest Elementary honors second grade students with Positive Office Referral certificates for week of September 11, 2017.
This award is presented to students who consistently show the 3R's RESPECTFUL, RESPONSIBLE, and READY TO LEARN at Southwest Elementary in Dexter.
Each student received a certificate and a FREE Taco from Taco Bell.
Pictured are front row from left to right: Jaycie March, Kelsey Foster, Kaylin Myers, Alyssa Moore, and Addison Calvert.
Back row from left to right: Isabella Lacy, Brennan Hankins, and William Ray.
Last Updated on September 21st 2017 by Dee Loflin
https://showmetimes.com/Blogpost/v8ib/SW-Elementary-2nd-Grade-Positive-Office-Referrals
Kindergarten Positive Office Referrals at S.W. Elementary
September 21st 2017 by Dee Loflin
Dexter, Missouri - Southwest Elementary honors kindergarten students with Positive Office Referral certificates for week of September 11, 2017.
This award is presented to students who consistently show the 3R's RESPECTFUL, RESPONSIBLE, and READY TO LEARN at Southwest Elementary in Dexter.
Each student received a certificate and a FREE Taco from Taco Bell
Pictured from left to right are Christian Colove, Colton Jones, Carson Clark, Newt Barnes, Jackson Gill, Mollie Owens, and Max Wunderlich.
Last Updated on September 21st 2017 by Dee Loflin
https://showmetimes.com/Blogpost/v8i9/Kindergarten-Positive-Office-Referrals-at-SW-Elementary
Trap Members Drive Underway
September 21st 2017 by Dee Loflin
Poplar Bluff, Missouri - The Poplar Bluff Trap Team is holding a membership drive in an effort to get more students involved at an early age, and ultimately keep the sport alive and strong.
“Americans haven’t had an Olympic bunker trap shooter since 1996,” said head coach Josh Wesemann, a Junior High social studies teacher. “Some countries can’t have an Olympic team because their laws don’t allow it, so we have to teach the next generation coming up [an appreciation].”
This is the third year Junior High students are able to participate on the team, after the Board of Education approved the expansion of the program to allow students to gain two more years of competitive experience.
Classified as an emerging sport under the Missouri State High School Activities Association, Poplar Bluff Trap was established in 2005 under the direction of then FFA sponsor Darla Nunn, who presently manages the ICU program at the High School. Nunn said the Friends of the NRA initially donated $2,000 in equipment and shooting gear.
When Nunn’s successor Charles Kinsey, now the Technical Career Center director, took over the coaching position two years later, he helped secure some more NRA funding to do concrete work at the Poplar Bluff Gun Club, building multiple trap houses. The Midway USA Foundation also supplied an endowment of about $120,000 to establish a budget for the team to cover the cost of entry fees and traveling expenses for meets going forward.
Kinsey said he can recall when Poplar Bluff had the only trap team in the area, besides Doniphan. Today there are several additional teams throughout the region that practice at the Gun Club. “That is a direct result of the Gun Club improvements and our school’s lead,” he said.
Trap is open to male and female students, grades 7-12. “Once you get your feet placement down and learn some other technicalities, it basically comes down to mental focus and consistency,” Wesemann explained.
Over the summer, PBHS senior Hannah Cash was named to the Missouri All-State Trap Team, among the top five in the state, and went on to compete at the Scholastic Clay Target Program nationals in Ohio. Hannah shot her first perfect 100 score at practice in recent weeks, simply attributing her motivation to a sibling rivalry with her brother Joseph, a trap standout from the PBHS Class of 2015. “I have to outdo him,” she said, half-jokingly.
There are opportunities beyond high school available to trap shooters who excel. “We’ve worked to get our Gun Club certified which means we can start hosting ATA (Amateur Trapshooting Association) events since our clays are considered registered targets. This helps kids get scholarships,” explained assistant coach Sandy Pike of the R-I Instructional Technology Department.
Katelyn Campa, currently a first grade teacher at Lake Road Elementary, graduated in the PBHS Class of 2010 with a scholarship to Lindenwood University in St. Charles, where she participated in trap, skeet and sporting clays. “It wasn’t a full ride, but it was definitely helpful,” Campa said.
The first trap meet of the 2017/18 season will take place next month at the Gun Club. For more information about the Trap Team, contact the coaching staff on social media at www.facebook.com/PoplarBluffTrapTeam. The cutoff date for students to sign up is Thursday, Sept. 21.
Pictured are Hannah Cash, Poplar Bluff’s own Annie Oakley, aligns her sight to shoot a clay target at practice.
Photo and article submitted by Tim Krakowiak, Communications/Marketing Director, Poplar Bluff R-I School District
Last Updated on September 21st 2017 by Dee Loflin
https://showmetimes.com/Blogpost/v8h6/Trap-Members-Drive-Underway
