A Poplar Bluff restaurateur has worked with the culinary arts program of the Technical Career Center to upgrade its curriculum in an effort to better serve the industry.

 

This school year TCC instructor Brandon Moon began implementing ProStart, a two-year certification program developed by the National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation, to further train students both academically in the classroom and experientially in the field.

 

“If we have the option between curriculum developed by restaurant leaders or a well-intentioned curriculum company, we’re gonna go with the industry,” stated Charles Kinsey, TCC director. “Students will be better poised to advance through the ranks of assistant chefs and sous chefs, and hopefully be more employable.”

Colton’s Steak House & Grill co-owner Herman Styles has been in discussions about ProStart with Dr. Scott Dill since he took the helm as superintendent in 2016/17. Last school year, R-I officials and Styles visited with Leone Herring of the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education to secure approval. Over 100 schools in the state have adopted the program, which meets Missouri Learning Standards.

 

“Working with Mr. Kinsey and Mr. Moon, we agreed to update the curriculum and ensure our students—upon successful completion of the program—are ready to take their place in the workforce,” Dill explained. Chef Moon is also entering his third year at R-I.

 

ProStart covers all levels of the restaurant business including safety, knife skills, front of the house service, marketing and food costs. To complete the program, students must gain 400 hours of on-the-job experience, a portion of which can take place in the Mules Café and the remainder at local restaurants, either paid or voluntarily.

 

“It’s similar information to what we had, but I feel that ProStart is geared toward job opportunity and career placement,” noted Moon, who will be attending a series of trainings himself to obtain his ProStart teaching credentials. “We have a couple students interested in owning their own restaurant. This is a foundation.”

 

While the TCC invested in the textbooks for the class, the hope is that additional funding lines with be opened up through new grant opportunities to continue to enhance the program, according to Kinsey. There are also student scholarships available through the NRAEF as well as competitions on top of SkillsUSA.

 

The president of the Missouri Restaurant Association, Styles has been in the restaurant industry for 46 years, currently employing over 500 people at his seven franchise locations. It took him five years in the business to run his first restaurant, he told the class on Thursday, Aug. 23.

 

“Eighty-five percent of managers start as line cooks and work their way up the ladder,” Styles said. “The industry is always in demand for management people; this program is a kick start.”

 

Pictured: (Far left) Paraprofessional Monica Lewis, (in back, left to right) Charles Kinsey, Dr. Scott Dill, Herman Styles and (far right) Chef Brandon Moon are pictured with TCC culinary arts students displaying their new textbooks.

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

Subrina Berger of Poplar Bluff has received the Ozark Federal Credit Union Scholarship to attend Three Rivers College this Fall.  Thomas is married to Christopher Berger and is the daughter of G. Dewayne Robison of  Poplar Bluff and Glenda Forbes of Collinsville, IL.  She is a 1986 graduate of Poplar Bluff Senior High School and  plans to study Elementary Education while at Three Rivers.

 

Ozark Federal Credit Union awards up to two $500 scholarships each year.  To be eligible for the OFCU scholarship, the student must be a current OFCU member, in good standing, and planning to attend Three Rivers College.  The scholarship is open to both traditional 1st-year students and non-traditional students.  OFCU scholarships are determined based on merit.  Funds are awarded yearly and disbursed between two semesters for the amount of $250 per semester.  The scholarship is for one year only and the student must maintain a 2.0 GPA and remain a full-time student for the entirety of the year in which the scholarship is awarded.   

 

Three Rivers College, recognizing outstanding academic achievement as well as financial need, has a number of established institutional and endowed scholarships to assist students in realizing their educational goals. To apply for scholarships and other financial aid at Three Rivers College, visit trcc.edu/financialaid. For information on contributing to scholarships at Three Rivers, contact the College Development Office at 573-840-9077.

 

Three Rivers College offers a wide variety of college transfer and career/technical programs on its main campus in Poplar Bluff; at locations in Sikeston, Kennett, Dexter, and Cape Girardeau; and online. For additional information, visit the college website at www.trcc.edu or call toll-free 877-879-8722.

 

Pictured: Subrina Berger (center) receives a scholarship check from Davine Conover (left) of Ozark Federal Credit Union and Regina Morris (right) of Three Rivers College.    

Poplar Bluff teachers displayed “ingenuity” in their recent grant proposals to the Missouri Retired Teachers Foundation, according to officials, bringing home four of seven $500 grants dispersed throughout an 11-county region.

 

Winners included: Shayln Copas of the Middle school with a project entitled ‘Eat to succeed! Using life skills and cooking lessons to explore the world;’ Hilary Taylor of Junior High with the project ‘Reaching gifted minds through robotics;’ Karen Harris of PBHS with ‘Cell structures and processes;’ and Jennie Randolph of the High School – ‘Understanding Shakespeare.’

 

The MRTF presented 98 grants totaling $49,000 to teachers representing 14 regions of the state this month. Association members scored the proposals.

Pictured: (Left to right) Anne Moyer, MRTA Region 12 vice president; special education teacher Shalyn Copas; James Barnhill, Butler County unit president; science teacher Karen Harris; John Moyer, MRTF board member; communication arts teacher Jennie Randolph; R-I Superintendent Dr. Scott Dill; communication arts teacher Hilary Taylor; and Linda Surber, Butler County unit vice president.

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

Poplar Bluff, MO - The Poplar Bluff R-I Instructional Technology Department fabricated an interactive 3-D topographical map as a summer project to help further engage students this year as they learn earth science concepts.

 

The augmented reality software was made available for free by UC Davis developers, who secured a grant through the National Science Foundation to educate about freshwater lake ecosystems. The IT department first became aware of the AR Sandbox during a MOREnet conference.

 

Poplar Bluff Superintendent Dr. Scott Dill commended the staff for going above and beyond to enhance the learning experience for students even though their primary responsibility is to “keep the hardware going” in classrooms.

 

“To me, this is what true instructional technology is all about,” said R-I Chief Technology Officer Aaron Badgley, who constructed the box while Computer Technician Holden Jennings helped program the Xbox sensor. The mobile contraption holds 250 pounds of highly reflective sand that does not produce fine particle dust.

 

Middle School teacher Tana Bringer plans to kick off her STEM curriculum this month with the AR Sandbox, and then the hands-on exhibit will be available for teachers throughout the district to incorporate into lessons.

 

Pictured: Summer school students have the honor of testing out the AR Sandbox for the first time.

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

Poplar Bluff Technical Career Center students proved this summer that they are competitive in their respective trades not only in Missouri, but on a national scale.

 

Eight top students recently vied in the National SkillsUSA Championship in Louisville, Ky., placing as high as in the top five of the country. In addition, outgoing senior Luke Cook earned a $1,000 scholarship from the mikeroweWORKS Foundation, based on an essay.

 

Hailey Garrett placed fifth in cosmetology, Nickalas Richards placed seventh in barbering, Jeramiah Gracia placed 14th in T-shirt design; Cook, Lane and Levi White, and Nick Loyd placed 20th in team works; and Lara Pierce placed 26th in esthetics, with Joselin Clark serving as her model. Building trades instructor Jody Cochran, SkillsUSA advisor, chaperoned the students during the conference.

 

Pictured: (From left) Nick Loyd, Joselin Clark, Lara Pierce, Luke Cook, Lane and Levi White, Nickalas Richards, Jeramiah Gracia and Jody Cochran are pictured during the National Leadership and Skills Conference. Not present for the photo is Hailey Garrett.

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