Poplar Bluff, Missouri - Several factories at Industrial Park partnered to host plant tours for Poplar Bluff Schools on Friday, Oct. 13, during the second annual Manufacturing Day organized to promote job opportunities available locally.

A total of 84 PBHS juniors and seniors signed up to participate in the Missouri Chamber Foundation-sponsored event, along with Technical Career Center and Graduation Center students.

Many people view factories as if they were the “old steel mill plants” of the turn of the 19th century but today’s manufacturing industry is “very high tech” with “good paying jobs” and “in house training,” said Kim Puckett of the human resources department at Briggs and Stratton.

Students toured the small engine factory—the largest in the world, having produced over 80 million engines since 1989, according to Zach Sentell, Briggs and Stratton production area manager. Each of the engines that go through the assembly line are started up to ensure they run smoothly prior to shipping.

More than 75 robots are used in the manufacturing process, Sentell said. Students were introduced to a collaborative robot called Sawyer, by HTE Automation Technologies based in St. Louis, designed to work alongside humans to perform tasks that require repetitive movement. “Still think we’re just a factory?” Sentell asked rhetorically following the tour.

Gates Corporation, Mid-Continent Steel and Wire, Revere Plastics and Starting USA also hosted students from area schools throughout the day. Instructors from the industrial technology department at Three Rivers College showed students a 3-D printer, among other equipment, and talked about the community college’s career technical studies program, which can be accelerated with transferable credits from technical career centers.

“I tell my students, they can be anything they want to be if they wish to work hard, they just have to want it bad enough,” said Gaelle Freer, Grad Center instructor. “You can start at the bottom of the barrel and work your way all the way to the top, to a management position.”

By the year 2030, 77 percent of skilled baby boomers will have left the manufacturing industry, according to the Manufacturing Institute.

Pictured are Three Rivers industrial technology instructor James Dow (seated) and assistant professor DeAndre Prater discuss with students careers in the manufacturing sector.

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

Poplar Bluff, Missouri - Three Poplar Bluff R-I educators were awarded Missouri State Teachers Association mini-grants for additional classroom resources on Thursday, Oct. 5.

Eugene Field first grade teacher Kristen Spain will receive a subscription to the Science Spin edition of Scholastic Magazine for its curriculum-based activities. Lake Road librarian Shiela Boyles chose a set of books on the concept of ‘growth mindset’ so elementary teachers can have conversations with students about finding learning opportunities even in failure. Junior High communication arts teacher Julie Gambill will purchase computer microphone equipment so students can work on their verbal skills by producing podcasts online.

A total of 123 entries were submitted from the organization’s Southeast Region, according to Poplar Bluff MSTA president Karmen Carson, a Middle School math and science instructor. The winning proposals were reviewed anonymously by a retired teachers group. The educators were granted $100 apiece toward their projects.

Pictured: Kristen Spain and her first graders celebrate the grant news.

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

Poplar Bluff, Missouri - Industry professionals encouraged Poplar Bluff and Twin Rivers sophomores to begin thinking about their futures during the 15th annual Career Fair held Thursday, Oct. 5, at Three Rivers College.

Students learned about opportunities available to them through the Technical Career Center, as well as dual credit options at the community college. Then the high schoolers broke off to hear from representatives in the fields of industrial technology, arts and communications, human services, health occupations, natural resources and the business sector.

Discussing a career in education, R-I Assistant Superintendent of Curriculum Patty Robertson shared a story about how she did not have a plan to reach her career goals until midway through her senior year since—as a first-generation graduate—she did not realize higher education was an option. She eventually was informed about scholarships, Pell grants and student loans.

“The college part is hard, but please know it is worth it, as it can put you in a position for the rest of your life, and there will be opportunities for advancement along the way,” Robertson said. “Your life is a long time and you want to be happy doing whatever you choose to do.

During a session about jobs in social services, PBHS counselor Tina Wilkins expressed a similar sentiment. “It doesn’t matter about your circumstances, if you have the ability and the drive, you can work through it,” Wilkins said.

AmeriCorps member Alyssa Cook, a senior at PBHS, suggested to the younger students to apply to three colleges: one institution that is a safe bet, another that may be a reach and lastly what she referred to as a ‘why not?’

The event is organized each year by AmeriCorps as a way for the volunteers of the program to fulfill their service project requirement. Next month the students will get an opportunity to tour the TCC to learn in more detail about the various programs available to them beginning junior year.

 

Pictured: R-I social worker Donna Moore (standing) and Alyssa Cook of AmeriCorps field questions about some of the intricacies of human services careers.

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

Poplar Bluff, Missouri - Poplar Bluff High School’s graduation rate was 91.8 percent this year, a gain of 4.2 percent over last year, the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education recently reported.

School officials attribute the steady increase since 2011’s 78.6 percent to the progress teachers are making in tracking data, building relationships, and generally working harder to engage students and ensure individuals obtain the knowledge necessary to advance.

“Much credit should be given to high school staff for their efforts during the student’s final four years,” affirmed Patty Robertson, R-I assistant superintendent of curriculum. “However, this is reason for all of us to celebrate. We begin laying an academic foundation and helping students to form dispositions about learning as early as 3 years old.”

The Professional Learning Community model was one district-wide initiative implemented over the past several years that has built time into the academic calendar for educators to collaborate across subject areas, grade levels and school buildings. Capturing Kids’ Hearts is the cultural piece that centers on building a positive discourse with students by establishing social contracts, among other tools, in various school settings.

The digital transformation, through which a district laptop has been supplied to each student, began at the Junior High and expanded to the High School, allowing teachers to supplement their lessons with educational resources available online that are vetted by instructional coaches.

The Graduation Center allows students at risk of falling behind grade level due to various life circumstances a chance to catch up in a smaller classroom setting. Because of its success, school leaders are in the planning stages of expanding the non-traditional program into a full alternative school for students who do not excel in a typical campus environment.

Other opportunities tailored to upper grade levels include advisory during which students are provided a class period to check in with a designated teacher and meet with ‘lifeguards’ in each department if they are struggling to grasp a concept. The ICU, or intensive care unit, is a parental notification system utilized when students miss assignments.

Lastly, PB Writes is an activity that puts an emphasis on research and essay writing across all core subjects with monthly prompts designed to prepare freshmen and sophomores for the EOC and upperclassmen for the ACT.

“None of this makes [school] easier, it makes it more student-focused, giving kids opportunities they didn’t have before,” stated Mike Owen, PBHS principal. “These are extra things our staff and students are doing. The easy route would be to sit back and do what’s always been done.”

Owen, a first-year high school principal with five years of administrative experience in secondary education, noted that his pet peeve is what he refers to as the “phantom rule,” or things that are done a particular way simply out of routine. Crediting his predecessor Mike Kiehne for implementing many of the aforementioned initiatives, Owen said he believes the stage is set for him to make the necessary tweaks to improve programs, as his specialty is attention to detail.

“I’ve been in the district for 20 years and this high school did not always have the reputation that it has now,” said Owen, referring to all the dropout prevention measures being implemented today. A total of 340 students earned diplomas in the Class of 2017, marking the largest graduating class since 1980, according to district records.

“We are now a strength for the district,” Owen continued. “Our efforts are being noticed, and the results are showing.”

Pictured: Prior to commencement in May, members of the graduating Class of 2017 visit O’Neal in their gowns, an annual tradition at each of the elementary schools across the district.

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

Poplar Bluff, Missouri - A dozen Poplar Bluff High School students were named to the Southeast Missouri All-District Choir, the most to qualify in recent memory, according to educators.

A total of 28 PBHS choral students auditioned on Saturday, Sept. 23, in Cape Girardeau. The finalists will rehearse and perform a concert on Saturday, Nov. 11, at Cape Central High School. The upperclassmen will have an opportunity to try out for the All-State Choir.

Pictured: (Back row from left) PBHS Director of Vocal Music Joshua Allen, and students Jillian Wendler, Hunter Ellis, Jacob Chippewa and Jayvon Holloway; (middle row, left to right) Natalie Hunsaker, Allison Knowlton, Ross Dare, Michael Allen Ward Jr. and Aaron Taylor; and (front row) Shelby Ross, Kerrigan Moore and Michael Joseph.

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