Chartwells School Dining Services hosted a series of taste tests last week at Poplar Bluff High School in an effort to receive student input on potential menu items.

 

Students chose from a chicken BLT salad or a Buffalo chicken salad on Tuesday, March 5, and Korean chicken bulgogi or a chicken fried rice bowl the following day in the cafeteria, then voted for which meal they liked the best.

 

“These are things they choose, not us,” explained Dixie Harden, food services director. “We get their input and [create] recipes that fall within the nutritional guidelines.”

 

PBHS is one of three educational partners in Missouri selected to experiment with the Student Choice program through the vendor. Food service employees previously set up a taste test in November featuring burgers.

 

Harden said a permanent Student Choice line may be established next academic year at the High School serving regular lunch items built around feedback, with more periodical samplings.

 

Pictured: A student chooses dressing for her BLT salad while others visit the free salad bar station.

Photo and article submitted by Tim Krakowiak, Communications/Marketing Director, Poplar Bluff R-I School District

Sixth grade reading teacher Terrie Sullivan of the Poplar Bluff Middle School was selected to receive an IKEA classroom makeover upon winning a drawing during the recent PB Connect conference.

 

With the $400 gift certificate, Sullivan was able to better organize her classroom with storage totes, bins, mesh baskets, magazine boxes, letter trays and a bookshelf, plus a rolling cart, magnetic chalkboard, big face clock and a new chair, the teacher happily reported.

 

Sullivan picked out her items after doing some online research to see how other educators have been able to transform their classrooms at IKEA, according to district instructional coach Keri Jameson, co-organizer of the fifth annual PB Connect along with her colleague Stephanie Kuper. All the faculty who attended the in-house workshop were entered into the drawing for the event’s grand prize.

 

Pictured: Student helpers (from left) Matthew Holloman, Cody McNiel, Lilly Coleman, Tervoris Causey, Ryan Burkhart and Blazin Crow assist teacher Terrie Sullivan with her shopping spree items.

Photo and article submitted by Tim Krakowiak, Communications/Marketing Director, Poplar Bluff R-I School District

More than 60 Poplar Bluff High School students signed up to participate in the fifth annual Reality Fair to learn about money management during an event similar to a poverty simulation held Wednesday, Feb. 27, at Three Rivers College.

 

Administered locally by the Ozark Federal Credit Union in partnership with business leaders, the program was developed by the University of Missouri at Kansas City and the Department of Economic Education.

 

“One person changes career paths eight times in a lifetime,” Ozark FCU Business Development Specialist Davine Conover explained to over 200 students, including those of Neelyville and Naylor.

 

Students were randomly assigned family scenarios on an app through which they received a unique profile that included a career path, income, spouse, children, a credit card bill, insurance co-pay and student loan debt.

 

They were tasked with visiting several booths in order to make mock financial purchases, both major and minor, then gathered in the Tinnin Center theater for a lecture about the importance of wise financial decisions.

 

“Everything we do revolves around money,” stated Conover, who has been teaching financial literacy for over 14 years. “These [healthy] habits start today.”

 

Pictured: Realtor Terry Stewart walks students through various pricing options for mock expenditures.

Photo and article submitted by Tim Krakowiak, Communications/Marketing Director, Poplar Bluff R-I School District

Poplar Bluff, Missouri - The Poplar Bluff High School Coffee Crew began serving refreshments to teachers on Tuesday, Feb. 12, in an effort to provide students an opportunity to work on pre-vocational skills for their post-graduation transition.

 

Every Tuesday and Thursday during first and fourth hour, the students bring around a cart to faculty members who order coffee, tea or bottled water. Punch cards designed by the Technical Career Center computer graphics class are purchased my staff for $5 for 10 drinks, plus one freebee.

 

The concept of the Coffee Crew came after a visit to Jackson High School earlier in the academic year, according to Mindy Garrett, R-I special services director. The cart was purchased through a mini-grant teacher Jeanette Miller was recently awarded from the Academic Assistance Group, and special aprons were designed by teacher Alexis Blevins. Chartwells supplied the containers.

 

Jaden Sharp, a senior who works at Starbucks, donated several pounds of specialty coffee to help launch the program, which is sustained by generous contributions.

Pictured: Foreign language teacher Charley Harper receives a hand-delivered herbal tea, after teaching students how to say ‘coffee’ and ‘tea’ in Spanish.

 

Photo and article submitted by Tim Krakowiak, Communications/Marketing Director, Poplar Bluff R-I School District

Poplar Bluff, Missouri - Eugene Field’s seventh annual Valentine King and Queen Coronation was celebrated on Thursday, Feb. 14, generating $850 for the elementary school’s activity fund.

 

Students of each class selected a king and a queen based on the characteristic of kindness, then a grade level winner was named for raising the most money for the Parent Teacher Organization.

 

Classroom royalty from the first, second and third grades were honored during a ceremony held in the gymnasium, with parents invited as special guests. Students from the Media Communications Team emceed the event, profiling the winners, listing the families, hobbies, career goals and favorite Leader In Me habits of the students.

 

Top fundraising students included Malori Morandi and Chadrick Joehrs of the first grade, Miley Baker and Aiden Field of second, and Abby Kearbey and Bryden McElhaney of grade three. Reigning queen and king Aliya Tafoya and D’Quaylin McCoy presented the crowns to the 2019 court.

 

The popular fundraiser began on Valentine’s Day in 2013 under the direction of counselor Esther Luna.

 

Pictured: Malori Morandi and Chadrick Joehrs of Kristen Spain’s first grade class receive their crowns.

Photo and article submitted by Tim Krakowiak, Communications/Marketing Director, Poplar Bluff R-I School District