Tryouts held for annual talent show

Tryouts for the annual South Middle School Talent Show were held after school Tuesday.
The show will be held in the school auditorium on the final day of school, Thursday, May 24, in conjunction with the awards assembly.
The show is under the direction of Ms. Julie Yonkers.

(Photos, from top: eighth graders Samantha Warren, Christen Cool, and Kelley Leach; eighth grader Katie Wood; seventh grader Alex Karns; eighth graders Hannah Doerge and Jaclyn Wright; Ms. Yonkers and the faculty judges.

Top 10 named in SMS Essay Contest

The 10 finalists have been selected in the fourth annual South Middle School Essay Contest. The finalists have been placed on a page on the original Room 210 site.

The judges, Joplin High School freshmen, sophomores, and juniors who did well in the contest when they were at South, will review the essays and vote later this week.

The 10 finalists are:

Jordan Chambers, Colten Hawkins, Rachelle Hughbank, Breanna Martin, Faith Mowry, Dylan Prauser, Victoria Smith, Raycee Thompson, Taylor Tressler, Demi White

The first place winner will receive $15, with $10 for second, $5 for third, $3 for fourth, $2 for fifth, and $1 apiece for those finishing in sixth through 20th places.

R-8 administrators to recommend May 24 as final day

Now that Governor Matt Blunt has signed a bill authorizing Missouri school districts to waive days missed during the January ice storm, it appears the last day of school for Joplin R-8 students will be Thursday, May 24.

The final decision will be made Tuesday when the R-8 Board of Education meets.

The final day at South Middle School will be a half day, featuring the annual talent and awards program.

Finalists named in SMS Essay Contest

The 20 finalists have been named in the annual South Middle School Essay Contest, according to Mr. Randy Turner, eighth grade communication arts teacher.
This year's finalists, 14 eighth graders and six seventh graders, were chosen from among approximately 200 applicants. The top 10 will be announced Tuesday and the winners will be chosen by a panel of Joplin High School students who placed in the competition when they attended South.

The 20 finalists are:

Jordan Chambers, Christen Cool, Zach Davis, Makenzie Freeman, Colten Hawkins, Rachelle Hughbank, Will Kessler, Dylan King, Tori Mardis, Breanna Martin, Faith Mowry, Dylan Prauser, Mollie Sanders, Tim Scroggins,Braden Showers, Victoria Smith,Raycee Thompson, Taylor Tressler, Demi White, and Ken Zhang

The top 10 papers will be posted on the original Room 210 website: www.room210.com.

Lauren Bynum qualifies for state in debate

Joplin High School freshman and South alumni Lauren Bynum qualified for state in 2 on 2 policy debate during the MSHSAA District Competition held March 2-3 at Carl Junction High School.
The JHS team finished second out of 18 teams.

Courtesy experiment concludes in eighth grade communication arts

The annual courtesy experiment in Mr. Randy Turner's eighth grade communication arts concluded Friday.
Each year in the fourth quarter following the MAP tests, Mr. Turner's classes watch the 1967 movie To Sir With Love starring Sidney Poitier as a schoolteacher who changes the lives of a group of London students from the wrong side of the tracks, by treating them as adults and expecting them to observe formal courtesy.
After the movie, the students follow the same rules the students of Poitier's character, Mark Thackeray, had to follow. In addition to being polite, female students are referred to as Miss (whatever their last name is) and male students are referred to by their last names. Male teachers are called "sir,' while female teachers are called ma'am.
The students will write a paper on their experience Monday, according to Mr. Turner.

(Photo: Two students who really gave their all during the week-long courtesy experiment were Tyler Walker and Tim Scroggins, shown with Ms. Joyce Wall)

Eighth grade honor roll trip held

Weather finally cooperated with South Middle School officials, as the eighth grade honor roll trip was held Friday. Earlier outings for sixth and seventh grade honor students, scheduled for Wednesday and Thursday, were postponed due to the weather and will be held Wednesday, May 9, and Thursday, May 10.
The eighth graders ate lunch at Northpark Mall, then spent a couple of hours at Rangeline Miniature Golf. They returned to the school in time for seventh hour.
Eighth graders who were eligible to take the trip were:

Breanna Baker, Jacob Bennett, Jacquelin Bogarin, Austin Bolt, Nichelle Carter, Blanca Castaneda, Kovan Chew, Christen Cool, Mikaila Craig, Michael Daugherty, Ashley Dean, Brittany DeKruif, Steven Denmark, Hannah Doerge, Fischer Dowell, Marina Dudley, Tate Duley, David Evans, Leah Forkner, Rachael Foster, Devin Freeman, Dakota Gilmore, Zachary Grimes, Lane Hampton, Paige Harmon, Alexis Hawk, Lacy Heiskell, Christy Hernandez, Dusty Hill, Aaron Hodges, Amanda Holcombe, Corey Hounschell, Cheyenne Howard, Spencer Hunt, Kylie Hurrell, Shaynee Johnson, Kelley Leach, Grant Lewis, Breanna Martin, Kane McCaslin, Matt McCoy, Nathan Morris, Faith Mowry, Taylor Mulik, Kelsey Pace, Allen Peterson, Cindy Pham, Dylan Prauser, Jesse Rowe, Mollie Sanders, Cassey Schulze, Tim Scroggins, Kaylee Sexton, Latasha Sherrick, Alicia Shofner, Victoria Smith, Ashlee Stephens, Catherine Stewart, Kaitlin Sullivan, Savanah Sweeton, Tyler Walker, Shaeleigh Wallace, Blake Ward, Ana Warner, Amanda Webster, Dillon Winstead, Katie Wood, Shandera Workman, Craig Yeoman, Ken Zhang

Second signing set for Devil's Messenger

A second signing for Mr. Randy Turner's novel, Devil's Messenger, will be held 3 to 9 p.m. Saturday, May 19, at Hastings Books, Music, and Video in Joplin. The first signing was held April 21.
Devil's Messenger, a combination horror story/murder mystery, is Mr. Turner's second novel. His first, Small Town News, was published in 2005.
Mr. Turner teaches eighth grade communication arts at South.

"Thoroughly Modern Millie" concludes tonight

The final performance of the Joplin High School musical Thoroughly Modern Millie is scheduled for 7 p.m. today in the T. Frank Coulter Auditorium.
The play, written by Richard Morris and Dick Scanlan, opened Thursday night. Former South Middle School in the students in the cast included: Kristin Carter, Lauren Bynum, Skye Smith, Hunter Dowell, Nikki Burkett, Daniel Burkett, Mary White, Kaycie Trumbore, Bethany Reed, Zach Bradley, Sabrina Rogers, and Noelle Kownslar.
SMS alumni on the production staff included: Hunter Dowell, Mariah Hibbard, and Kristin Carter.
The set construction crew included: Daniel Burkett and Nikki Burkett.
Costume crew included: Noelle Kownslar, Fox Navarre, Bethany Reed, Sabrina Rogers, and Mary White.

(Photos: From top, Millie, played by Mallory Hoskins, and her boss Trevor Grayden, played by Daniel Burkett; scene-stealing SMS alumni Hunter Dowell as Ching Ho and Skye Smith as Miss Dorothy; the girls at the Hotel Priscilla; Skye and Ashley Trotnic as Mrs. Meers. Photos from Joplin High School)

Quiz bowl team to play faculty

The South Middle School Quiz Bowl team will play the faculty during TA Wednesday, May 16, according to Mr. Randy Turner, sponsor.
The competition has been an annual event at South for the past four years, and was started by former Quiz Bowl sponsor Mr. Jason Weaver.

(Photos: Kane McCaslin, Lainie Nicolas, Ken Zhang, Alex Kangethe, and Dylan Prauser during a recent practice; Savanah Sweeton prepares to answer a question; Kane McCaslin thinks over his answer, while an exhausted Lainie waits; Ken helps set up the buzzers, Mollie Sanders and Lainie have a brief conversation before the practice.

Students named to third quarter honor roll

Third quarter honor roll students have been named. Honor roll trips were scheduled to be held this week, but the first one, the sixth grade trip, was cancelled Wednesday due to the weather. It has been rescheduled for next Wednesday.
The seventh grade is scheduled to play miniature golf today, with the eighth grade trip set for Friday. Those making the honor roll were:

Eighth Grade- Breanna Baker, Jacob Bennett, Jacquelin Bogarin, Austin Bolt, Nichelle Carter, Blanca Castaneda, Kovan Chew, Christen Cool, Mikaila Craig, Michael Daugherty, Ashley Dean, Brittany DeKruif, Steven Denmark, Hannah Doerge, Fischer Dowell, Marina Dudley, Tate Duley, David Evans, Leah Forkner, Rachael Foster, Devin Freeman, Dakota Gilmore, Zachary Grimes, Lane Hampton, Paige Harmon, Alexis Hawk, Lacy Heiskell, Christy Hernandez, Dusty Hill, Aaron Hodges, Amanda Holcombe, Corey Hounschell, Cheyenne Howard, Spencer Hunt, Kylie Hurrell, Shaynee Johnson, Kelley Leach, Grant Lewis, Breanna Martin, Kane McCaslin, Matt McCoy, Nathan Morris, Faith Mowry, Taylor Mulik, Kelsey Pace, Allen Peterson, Cindy Pham, Dylan Prauser, Jesse Rowe, Mollie Sanders, Cassey Schulze, Tim Scroggins, Kaylee Sexton, Latasha Sherrick, Alicia Shofner, Victoria Smith, Ashlee Stephens, Catherine Stewart, Kaitlin Sullivan, Savanah Sweeton, Tyler Walker, Shaeleigh Wallace, Blake Ward, Ana Warner, Amanda Webster, Dillon Winstead, Katie Wood, Shandera Workman, Craig Yeoman, Ken Zhang

Seventh Grade- Molly Baker, Nathan Baker, Lindsey Beall, Emylee Brown, Tozia Burris, Taylor Camden, Jordan Chambers, Marcus Clark, Matthew Cruzan, Brittney DeMasters, Breanne Diles, Derek Dillon, Zachary Dorris, Dermott Evans, Taylor Fetterman, Tara Fleming, Brittany Frisbie, Devyn Hale, Gage Haskew, Icesus Holland, Brandon Holman, Amie Howard, Jacob Johnson, Alex Kangethe, Alex Karns, Sarah Kessler, Breanna Knapp, Tera Knight, Allie Lacey, Lauren Layne, Luke Lenhart, Sydney Long, Hunter Lynn, Jacob Lyons, Wade Mathis, Candace McGilluray, Mary Jean Miller, Brittany Mitchell, Ian Mitchell, Victoria Mitchell, Anh Nguyen, Holly O'Dell, Olivyah Parker, Andrew Perry, Payton Pollock, Chloe Potts, Shalea Purdy, Blake Putnam, Gilbert Randolph, Samantha Rice, Andrew Roberts, Bryan Ross, Mariah Sanders, Adam Schilling, Daniel Scott, Beau Scroggins, Adrienna Self, Unyajit Sirichok, Adam Snearly, Shawn Spicer, Brett Stearnes, Isaiah Stout, Bayley Strella, Nathan Stripling, Jeffrey Terry, Kaycee Thompson, Latosha Treat, Brittany Utley, Greggory VanLoon, Kyle Vene, Casee Wheeler, Johnna Yeoman

Sixth Grade- Torri Ackerson, John Alumbaugh, Jodi Anderson, Victoria Baker, Sierra Bartholomew, Abigail Bass, Austin Boyd, Lisa Bromley, Alexis Brown, Charlee Brown, Nathan Brummer, Casey Burkhart, Darieus Burkhart, Hannah Cady, Tracie Cottrill, Ronald Darby, Aaron Daum, Brittney Davis, Shaney Delzell, Danielle Doerr, Laila Douglas, Karissa Dowell, Preston Eafrati, Calisha England, Judith Fausto, Austin Fenn, Sandra Gallegos, Elizabeth Gordon, Emily Goucher, Kelsey Gould, Olivia Hampton, Allison Hankins, Hannah Hare, Christopher Harpole, Joshua Harris, Taylor Harris, Shanice Hailey, Elisabeth Heimberg, Tanner Hermitage, Alex Hill, Esteban Hinojosa, Brittany Hudson, Ricky Hutchison, Taylor Jobs, Erin Johnson, Carson Jones, Morgan Jones, Kevin Justus, Brandon Laub, Nicholas Laub, Kylie Lewsader, Elisha Mansour, Tianna McCarthy, Dominique Michael, Stephen Miller, Hunter Mills, Damien Mitchell, Damon Monasco, Robert Munalem, Alexander Musgrave, Tyler Nonemaker, Morgan Osburn, Taylor Parker, Bethani Patterson, Spencer Peterson, Blake Price, Dakota Reasoner, Stefon Rich, Thomas Richins, Alexandra Ritter, Gabriel Sachetta, Krystal Schulze, Jordan Schumacher, Bryson Sexton, Taylor Shutte, Dakota Smith, Benjamin Story, Lauren Temple, Logan Terry, Victoria Thompson, Theodora Voutiritsas, Elaina Warren, Ethan Warstler, Andrew Welch, Allison White, Storm Whittington, Tiffany Williams, Emilee Wills, Alexis Woods, Emily Yarbrough, Taylor Yates

SMS Choir receives II rating at Worlds of Fun

The South Middle School Choir, under the direction of Ms. Julie Yonkers, received a II rating at Worlds of Fun Saturday, April 28.
Those representing South were:

Sopranos- Taylor Camden, Nikki Carter, Gina Casada, Jordan Chambers, Brittany DeKruif, Hannah Doerge, Leah Forkner, Makenzie Freeman, Christina Gates, Alexis Hawk, Ashley Henson, Rachelle Hughbank, Tera Knight, Tessa Luper, Sarah Matthews, Kelsey Pace, Sarah Painter, Cindy Pham, Katie Phelps, Mackenzy Pierce, Tymber Pope, Rachel Richins, Hannah Rosario, Mollie Sanders, Alicia Shofner, Samantha Warren, Tamera Wirick, Katie Wood, Shandera Workman, Nichole Yeoman

Alto- Jacquelin Bogarin, Tozia Burris, Christen Cool, Takada Davis, Ashley Dean, Tara Fleming, Paige Harmon, Christy Hernandez, Shaynee Johnson, Selena Jordan, Katie Kemmery, Lauren Layne, Breanna Martin, Tori Mitchell, Holly O'Dell, Samantha Rice, Mariah Sanders, Cassey Schulze, Adrienne Self, Kaylee Sexton, Shelby Shumaker, Hailey Smith, Sydney Snyder, Shanna Striegel, Kaitlin Sullivan, Kendra Wilson, Jaclyn Wright

Baritone- Cecil Cornish, Tanner Crawford, Jared Fuller, Colten Hawkins, Joe Huddleston, Alex Karns, Kelley Leach, Grant Lewis, Dylan Prauser, Jesse Rowe, Adam Schilling

Spring band concert held

The annual spring band concert at South Middle School was held Tuesday night under the direction of Mr. Reed Barnes.
The program started with three numbers from the Jazz Band, followed by four from the Beginning Band, and five from the Concert Band.
Jazz Band members are: Aaron Hodges, Cheyenne Howard, Nathan Morris, Tim Davis, Daniel Story, Gareth Evans, Grant Evans, Gil Randolph.

Beginning Band members are:

Flutes- Abby Bass, Emily Jenkins, Emma Rice, LynnLee Shepherd, Kelsey Tressler
Clarinets- Kylie Lewsader, Taylor Jobe, Austin Mallory, Michael Oyler, Lauren Temple
Saxophonists- Tyler Nonemaker, Alex Wittington
Trumpets- Calvin Alumbaugh, Madison Briggs, Brandon Laub, Spencer Peterson, Orion Quintana, Kermith Revera, Drew Welch
Trombone- Stephen Miller, Dillon Warlaumont, Tommy Winstead
Baritone- Brandon Ross
Percussion- Dylan Caldwell, Dylan Goad, Hunter Mills, Damien Marshall, Ethan Warstler, Emilee Willis

Members of the Concert Band are:
Flutes- Breanna Baker, Molly Baker, Amber Chacon, Becky Cooper, Steven Denmark, Jessica Kennedy, Lynn Nichols
Clarinets- Kisha Adams, Tiffany Douglas, Brittany Frisbie, Cody Gilmore, Aron Hembree, Lainie Nicolas, Catherine Stewart, Savanah Sweeton
Saxophones- Austin Bolt, Zack Cloven, Cheyenne Howard, Andrew Mays, Brittany Mitchell, Bryan Ross, Amanda Webster
Trumpets- Jordan Adame, Joran Bailey, Nathan Baker, Tyler Beall, Nathan Cox, Zac Dunnic, Gareth Evans, Corey Hounschell, Sarah Kessler, Luke Lenhart, Nathan Morris, Amanda Needham, Casey Sharp, Brett Stearns, Jeff Terry, Kyle Vene
French Horns- Brian Geier, Will Kessler, Christian Miller
Trombone- Geoff Aiken, Tate Duley, Aaron Hodges, Kelly Newberry, Desean Triplett
Tubas- Tim Davis, Daniel Story
Percussion- Jarvious Britt, Levi Crews, Fischer Dowell, Grant Evans, Tyler Graves, Zach Hibbard, Allen Peterson, Chloe Potts, Blake Putnam, GIl Randolph, Daltom Smith, Billy Nguyen

New LAB members selected

Members have been selected for the 2007-2008 LAB (Library Advisory Board) according to Mrs. Bonnie Turner,librarian.
Sixth graders added to the group were: Abby Bass, Aaron Daum, Eliza Fausto, Damon Monasco, Alex Musgrave, Tyler Nonemaker, Dakota Smith, Victoria Thompson, Elaina Warren, Ethan Warstler, Drew Welch, Allison White.
Seventh graders who will return next year are: Molly Baker, Shane Ellis, Gareth Evans, Brittany Frisbie, Jordan Hamilton, Brandon Holman, Lauren Layne, Richie Lyons, Chloe Potts, Shalea Purdy, Shawn Spicer, Bayley Strella.

MAP Testing completed at South Middle School

By TIFFANY DOUGLAS and
ANGELA WALLANDER
Room 210 Staff Writers

How many times have you taken the MAP test? Was it stressful?
Well, the stress is over. As of Wednesday, April 25, MAP tests at South Middle School are over for another year.
MAP tests are taken by Missouri students in grades four through eight. The eighth graders' tests determine what classes they are able to take during high school.
Principal Mr. Ron Mitchell said, "My students here at South Middle School have made a great effort on the MAP test." He noted the high attendance, with sixth graders earning a party by having the highest percentage attend during testing days.
South has had success at the tests, Mr. Mitchell said. The scores for last year's seventh grade communication arts classes were 13 points above the state average.
To make scores even better this year, teachers have made changes. Sixth grade classes have worked with kids on their writing skills and the school has started giving MAP practice tests to show teaches the areas in which the students need help.

Schedule announced for middle school construction

The construction scheduled for the new South and East middle schools was announced at a Joplin R-8 Board of Education meeting Monday night:

The plan calls for bids to go out in September on the East Middle School construction, in December on the South Middle School construction, and in March 2008 on the North Middle School expansion. East and South should be completed by the fall 2009 semester, North in the following semester.

Show Choir selected for 2007-2008

SMS Show Choir members were selected this week following tryouts. Those chosen were:

Sopranos- Haley Bowers, Lexi Brown, Hannah Cady, Taylor Camden, Jordan Chambers, Shaney Delzell, Sarah Matthews
Second Sopranos- Courtney Burns, Tozia Burris, Tera Knight, Lauren Layne, Sarah Painter, Krystal Schulze, Nichole Yeoman
Altos- Jodi Anderson, Carson Jones, Tara Fleming, Morgan Jones, Tori Mitchell, Holly O'Dell, Mariah Sanders.

MAP Testing to begin April 17

At long last, the MAP tests are almost here.
Testing will begin April 17 and be held the 18th, 19th, 24th, and 25th.
MAP kickoff assemblies are scheduled for Monday, April 16, with eighth grade meeting during TA, seventh grade during first hour, and sixth grade during second hour.
Eighth graders will take math tests the first week, and communication arts during the second. Seventh graders will take communication arts the first week and math the second, with sixth graders taking the same schedule.

The real reason to clean our lockers

By SAVANAH SWEETON
Room 210 Staff Writer
Many of you may wonder why we have a designated day in T.A. for cleaning out our lockers.
Well trust me, the teachers didn't just come up with some silly idea... some people really do need to clean out their lockers. I mean really do.
One day during a Journalism Club meeting, some of the students decided to get a pop from the teachers lounge, but Lainie (Nicolas) needed to go get her money. Okay, no big deal right?... no.
It took all of journalism club to clean out her locker only to find one single nickel and lose another, as you can see by the accompanying photos, so she could eventually not get a pop.
So there really is a need to clean out our lockers in school... it comes in handy when you need to find something really important, like a nickel for a can of pop.

(Lainie Nicolas is shown searching for that ever-elusive nickel. Photos by Allen Peterson)

SMS Choir receives a I at NEO

By KELLEY LEACH
Room 210 Staff Writer
The South Middle School Choir received a I rating at the annual NEO Festival April 3. Three ensembles also received I ratings, as did the following individuals:

Haley Bowers, Lexi Brown, Hannah Cody, Storm Whittington, Jordan Chambers, Mariah Sanders, Taylor Camden, Sarah Matthews, Tori Mitchell, Adam Schilling, and Nikki Carter.
Receiving II ratings were: Krystal Schulze and Felisha Derrick. Three ensembles received II ratings.
For a full list of those attending the festival, check this link.

Landis, Micklethwaite elected to R-8 Board of Education

Joplin R-8 voters elected incumbent Mike Landis and Ashley Micklethwaite to the Board of Education Tuesday.
Landis topped the voting with 4,928 votes, followed by Ms. Micklethwaite with 4,331, Jim Coburn with 3,783 and LaRae Miller with 3,006.

Joplin R-8 bond issue passes

A new South Middle School was approved by Joplin R-8 voters Tuesday night.
Voters, by a margin of 5,251 to 3,596, approved the plan, which calls for the construction of new South and East middle schools, and the complete refurbishing of North Middle School.

Pham in a box

Student Council member Cindy Pham has done much for the organization this year, but that doesn't necessarily include fitting into a box which is being used for the organization's recycling project.
The project, which started as part of eighth grade social studies teacher Mr. Rocky Biggers' annual Project Citizen assignments during the third quarter, has been taken on by the council, and has been a success.

Navarre to perform in Stone's Throw play

Cheyla "Fox" Navarre, a Joplin High School freshman, will perform in Stone's Throw Theater's upcoming production of the William Inge classic "Bus Stop," set to begin Thursday in Carthage.
Miss Navarre, a former South student and Journalism Club member, has appeared in two previous Stone's Throw productions, one at Joplin Little Theater, and in Joplin High School's fall production of "The Diary of Anne Frank."

(The accompanying Joplin Globe photo shows Fox in a scene from the play.)

First track meet held

By CHRISTEN COOL
Room 210 Staff Writer

South did really well on Monday. South athletes worked their "butts" off out there running against other schools.
South won a few medals in seventh grade 4x2 relay Alex Karns , Blake Putnam, Tolby Clemons, and Jeffery Terry got second place, Matt McCoy took third in shot of the distance of 38.9 ft, Kelley Leach got 65.5 for discus and for shot she got 34 feet and finished in second place.
At the meet, all of us were cheering each other on. It was wonderful feeling the wind rushing by your face and the sweat dripping off your arms and face. The best feeling of all though is passing that finish line at the very end. When you're at a track meet, it goes pretty fast- one race after another so you have almost no rest point but it's all worth it in the end. We have our next track meet on Friday in Neosho at 4 p.m. Wish us luck

NEO Music Festival scheduled

South Middle School vocal students, under the direction of Ms. Julie Yonkers, will perform at the annual NEO Music Festival Tuesday, April 3, in Miami, Okla.
Practice will be held first and second hours Monday, April 2.
Those scheduled to perform are:
Sopranos- Taylor Camden, Nikki Carter, Gina Casada, Jordan Chambers, Brittany DeKruif, Hannah Doerge, Leah Forkner, Makenzie Freeman, Christina Gates, Alexis Hawk, Ashley Henson, Rachelle Hughbank, Tera Knight, Tessa Luper, Sarah Matthews, Kelsey Pace, Sarah Painter, Cindy Pham, Katie Phelps, Mackenzy Pierce, Tymber Pope, Rachel Richins, Hannah Rosario, Mollie Sanders, Alicia Shofner, Samantha Warren, Tamera Wirick.
Altos- Jacquelin Bogarin, Tozia Burris, Christen Cool, Takada Davis, Ashley Dean, Tara Fleming, Paige Harmon, Christy Hernandez, Shaynee Johnson, Selena Jordan, Katie Kemmery, Lauren Layne, Breanna Martin, Tori Mitchell, Holly O'Dell, Samantha Rice, Mariah Sanders, Cassey Schulze, Adrienne Self, Kaylee Sexton, Shelby Shumaker, Hailey Smith, Sydney Snyder, Shanna Striegel, Kaitlin Sullivan, Kendra Wilson, Jaclyn Wright
Baritones- Cecil Cornish, Tanner Crawford, Jared Fuller, Colten Hawkins, Joe Huddleston, Alex Karns, Kelley Leach, Grant Lewis, Dylan Prauser, Jesse Rowe, Adam Schilling.

Quiz bowl team has best showing ever in Academic Challenge

The South Middle School Quiz Bowl team had its best showing ever in the Academic Challenge trivia competition held Tuesday at College Heights Christian School.
The top South team, consisting of captain Savanah Sweeton, Kane McCaslin, Lainie Nicolas, and Kylie Hurrell, posted a 6-3 record, including wins over eventual tournament and overall champion Carl Junction, Carl Junction II, Monett, Monett II, Diamond II, and South's second team.
The second team, consisting of captain Dylan Prauser, Ken Zhang, Mollie Sanders, and Alex Kangethe posted a 3-6 record, with wins over Carl Junction II, Diamond II, and Monett II. It took South's top team overtime to beat the number two team 60-50.
The top team was led by Miss Sweeton with 12 correct answers, McCaslin with 11, Miss Nicolas with 10, and Miss Hurrell with six.
Leading the second team were Prauser and Kangethe with eight correct answers apiece, Zhang with seven, and Miss Sanders with six.
Not able to make the competition were Sarah Kessler, who was representing South at the Regional Science Fair at Missouri Southern State University, and Marina Dudley.
The Academic Challenge is a traveling competition held once a month with meets this year in communication arts, science, math, history, and general trivia. The meets were held at Carl Junction, Neosho, Diamond, Lamar, and College Heights.
The quiz bowl team's season is expected to continue with a second meet against Memorial and North middle schools some time this quarter, a competition with the South faculty, and possibly a dual meet with Diamond.
The team is sponsored by Mr. Randy Turner and Mrs. Kathy Weaver.

Board candidate forum held at South

The four candidates for the Joplin R-8 Board of Education discussed issues March 22 during a forum in the South Middle School Auditorium.
The forum moderator was Rob O'Bryan. Candidates for two three-year posts are incumbents Jim Coburn and Mike Landis, Ashley Micklethwaite, and LaRae Miller.

Track schedule given

By CHRISTEN COOL
Room 210 Staff Writer

South Middle School's track schedule for this year is as follows:

Mon. Mar. 26 McDonald County

Fri. Mar. 30 Neosho

Tues. Apr. 3 Carthage

Tues. Apr. 10 Carl Junction

Thurs. Apr. 19 Nevada

Tues. Apr. 24 Joplin

Mon. Apr. 30 Tri- County Conference
[rain date: May 1]

The places that are named are where the meets are going to be held. So come out and cheer us on. South is working hard like always.

Tours given of South to prepare for bond issue vote

Tours of the three Joplin R-8 middle schools were given Monday night to provide voters with information prior to next week's $57 million bond issue election.
At South, voters were shown the auditorium, which doubles as a gymnasium, small classrooms, leakage problems, handicapped accessibility problems, the small library and the computer lab which was formerly a boys' restroom.

Parent-teacher meetings today and Friday

South Middle School students will be out of school Friday for parent-teacher conferences.
The conferences will begin after school Thursday and last until 7 p.m. The conferences are scheduled from 7:30 to 11:30 a.m.

First track meet postponed

BY CHRISTEN COOL
Room 210 Staff Writer
(Note: Eighth grade track member and Room 210 staff writer Christen Cool is providing an ongoing diary of the 2007 track season at South Middle School.)

I'm sorry to report South didn't have that first track meet of the year like it had planned. It was rained out. The athletes had been working for three weeks and then they get rained out what a shame.
So instead they had yet another day or practice- you know what I'm talking about- that fun thing a few days before a big game.
The coaches had us all running hard, getting in every single minute they can get in before we have to compete with other schools. Distance runners did stairs like crazy, hopping up the stairs right foot only, then going up the stairs left only, walking all the way down then hopping with both feet all the way up and then walking all the way down then jogging up the steps then last, but not least, skipping a step going all the way up.
They had to do that for eight minutes then run for five minutes. It's safe to say we were all pretty beat by the end of the run. What made it more fun is that we had to do it all over again before we could go home!
Throwers had to do stairs like the distance people. Out of the two groups, we had a few kids get sick. The sprinters had to work outside doing different things, working on relays such has hands offs. We all worked really hard today the reason I say this is because everyone was sweaty like you wouldn't believe, soaked, I tell you. All we need to do now is make our coaches just as proud as we do in practice by winning this year. All we have to do is work for it and I know we can do it if we work as a team, not by ourselves in a race. We might run by ourselves in the race but that doesn't mean we can't get cheered on by the others.

More than 300 attend bond issue pep rally

More than 300 attended a bond issue pep rally Tuesday night at Joplin High School.
The rally featured information about the April 3 $57 million bond issue, which calls for construction of new South and East middle schools, and a massive refurbishing of North Middle School.
Entertainment was provided by the Joplin High School Jazz Band, Sound Dimension, the All-City Singers, and the duo of Superintendent Jim Simpson and Memorial Middle School Principal Steve Gilbreth, on fiddle and guitar, respectively.
Testimonials for the proposal were given by community leaders.

Track season about to begin

BY CHRISTEN COOL
Room 210 Staff Writer

(Note: This is the first in a series of track diary entries by SMS eighth grader and Room 210 staff member Christen Cool.)

On March 20, 2007, South will have its first track meet at Junge Stadium. There will be about 75 to 100 middle school students running for the top spot to be number one.
Any coach will tell you not to eat very much before a race unless you believe it's good the second time around. You have students running and jumping their hearts out for the number one spot.
The meet will feature everything from the 100 to the mile in running to long jump to pole vaulting in the jumping. At the track meets, there are both seventh and eighth graders of both genders there.
Kelley Leach is one of our throwers. She throw both shot put and discus. James Mitchell runs the 800 meter; that's a hard race to run. They say the hardest race is the 400; one lap easy right? It's not as easy it looks. You have to be able to sprint one lap. That's a lot of work. The easy race to run would, of course, be the 100- one straight away.
Track is a team sport but it's also a self sport, you could say. It's a team sport by giving your team a win and it's a self sport because you are seeing how hard you can push yourself for that win to make your team, your coaches, your family, but most importantly yourself happy. Track pushes you in speed, distance, how much you want and in mind. So we shall see who has what it takes and who does not.

Three SMS students advance to regional science fair

The following students, who competed in the 6th Grade Gifted Science Fair advanced to the Missouri Southern Regional Science Fair. They earned the opportunity based on their interviews with three professional scientists, who scored them on the interview, knowledge of the Scientific Method, and visual display. They were also scored based on the quality of their written report, preparation, promptness, and quality of work:

Alex Hill, first place, earth and environmental science
Calvin Alumbaugh, physics and astronomy
Olivia Hampton, plant sciences

Bond issue rally set for tonight at JHS

A rally to support the upcoming bond issue will be held 6:30 p.m. today at the Joplin High School Auditorium.

(Photo: A press conference on the bond issue was held earlier this month in the MAC Lab at South Middle School.)

SMS students, former students named to high school choral groups

The following South Middle school students and alumni were selected to Joplin High School choral groups following recent tryouts:

Concert Chorale- Hannah Doerge, Leah Forkner, Amanda Needham, Alicia Shofner, Taylor Tressler, Jaclyn Wright, Zach Bradley, Daniel Burkett, Nikki Burkett, Lauren Bynum, Lauren Hight, Breanna Jamerson, Jessica Myers, Skye Smith, Josh Thiele, Kaycie Trumbore

Touch of Class- Brittany DeKruif, Hannah Doerge, Christy Hernandez, Taylor Tressler, Katie Wood, Lauren Hight, Brenna Jamerson, Jessica Myers, Grace Randolph, Shelby Sullivan, Kacie Trumbore, Tamera Zajac

Sound Dimension- Arlisa Arwood, Nikki Burkett, Daniel Burkett, Lauren Bynum, Jordan Hudspeth, Becca Mascher, Spencer Moss, Derek Rider, Skye Smith, Josh Thiele

Five South students named high school cheerleaders

South Middle School students selected as Joplin High School cheerleaders after tryouts earlier this month were:

Kaylee Sexton, Tessa Luper, Becky Cooper, Cindy Pham, and Loryn Ligon

Tryouts provide challenge for prospective cheerleader

By TORI MARDIS
Room 210 Staff Writer
Thursday, March 8, 2007.
A bunch of us have worked hard all week and on that day after school we tried out for cheerleading. Since Monday, about 50 girls went to Joplin High School until seven o'clock every day. We stretched and jumped, worked on our toe touches and herkies. The varsity cheerleaders worked hard, teaching us our cheer and chant. They went over our routine with us a few times then we split up into groups and practiced.
Since girls from North, South, and Memorial are trying out, we normally worked with girls from our school since we knew all of them.
Mock tryouts were held Wednesday, March 7. Each girl performed in front of three varsity cheerleaders. We sprinted in, did two jumps, our chant and cheer. I was so nervous I almost got sick. A lot of other girls felt sick, too, but everyone was o.k. and tried their best.
As the time approached for the real tryout, we were all really nervous because we had to go in front of the varsity squad, coaches, and the rest of the judges. I kept going over the chant and cheer in my head.
"Hey, hey, let's fight, let's win tonight." We had to repeat it two more times.
And our cheer was "Joplin Eagles, our team is on top. JHS, we're fighting non-stop. Explosive, dynamic, you're looking at the best, we explode with spirit and eliminate the rest.
"Yell JHS, JHS, JHS."
Those who tried out from JHS were Christen Cool, Samantha Warren, Cindy Pham, Kendra Wilson, Alicia Shofner, Nikki Carter, Lacy Heiskell, Tessa Luper, Hannah Doerge, Kaylee Sexton, Loryn Ligon, and Tori Mardis.

Athletes weigh in on bond issue proposal

By KELLEY LEACH
Room 210 Sports Editor

During his time as an athlete at South Middle School, Lane Hampton never had a chance to play at his home school. "It sucked so bad," he said.
If a proposed $57 million bond issue passes next month, future South athletes will never have to go through what Lane and his teammates have. The issue calls for construction of a new South Middle School...and this one will have a gymnasium.
"It's a good idea," Lane said.
Because of the lack of a gymnasium at South, South athletes have played their home games at Memorial Middle School. Their home football games have been played at Junge Stadium. If the bond issue passes, South will have its own football field.
Principal Ron Mitchell says it is not fair that South athletes have to play all of their games on other courts and fields. South's past athletes certainly agree with that, and hope future athletes will never have that problem.

Tressler, Martin honored by Elks Lodge

South Middle School eighth graders Taylor Tressler and Breanna Martin were honored Thursday by the Joplin Elks Lodge for taking first and third place, respectively, in the lodge's annual essay contest.
A reception was held in the SMS Library, in honor of the two and four other winners in the contest's fifth and sixth grade and seventh and eighth grade divisions.
This year's topic was "Why I Am Proud to be an American."

(Photos: From top- Taylor Tressler and Breanna Martin, group photo of winners with Elks Lodge members, Taylor receives her award. Breanna receives hers)

Devil's Messenger on sale at Hastings in Joplin

Eighth grade communication arts teacher Randy Turner's second novel Devil's Messenger is on sale at Hastings in Joplin. Five copies were put on the shelves Monday afternoon and more will arrive later as the time grows closer for the 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, April 21, signing.

The book is on sale at three locations in Joplin- Hastings, the Changing Hands Book Shop and Always Buying Books. It is also available at Pat's Books in Carthage, and at the Lamar Democrat office in Lamar. More sites will be added in the near future, and more signings will be scheduled in late spring and during the summer.

The novel is a combination horror story/murder mystery about a teenage girl who communicates with her murdered father through Instant Messenger.

Principal explains bond issue to Journalism Club

SMS Principal Ron Mitchell explained the upcoming bond issue to Journalism Club members during a news conference Thursday morning in Room 210.
More information about the $57 million bond issue, which calls for construction of a new South Middle School, an East Middle School, and a total refurbishing of North Middle School, will be featured later on Room 210 News.

(Room 210 News photos by Allen Peterson)

Eighth graders tour Joplin High School

South Middle School eighth graders toured Joplin High School Thursday in preparation for next year when that campus will be home for most of them.
The visit began with lunch, then freshman students, all originally from South took students through the building. The visit lasted approximately an hour and a half.

(Photos: South students are introduced to the JHS cafeteria; Freshman Principal Joe Boyd greets the eighth graders. Photos by Kelley Leach)

Tressler, Martin to be honored at reception

South Middle School eighth graders Taylor Tressler and Breanna Martin will be honored during a reception 1:30 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 27, in the SMS Library.
The two finished first and third, respectively, in the annual Elks Lodge Essay Contest. Representatives of the Elk Lodge will present them with savings bonds for their efforts.

Project Citizen students selected for state

Mr. Rocky Biggers' second and fifth hour classes will attend Project Citizen in Jefferson City next month.
The two classes were selected following a public presentation last week in the South Middle School Auditorium.
Second hour chose recycling as its project, while fifth hour's presentation was on teen court.
More information, including the names of the students in each class, will be featured later on this site.
(Photos by Allen Peterson)

Honor roll field trips scheduled

The top academic students at South Middle School will receive a well-deserved treat this week, when they leave the SMS campus for a couple of hours to eat at the mall and play laser tag.
Sixth graders will leave Wednesday at the end of third hour and return for seventh hour, while seventh graders are scheduled to go Thursday, and eighth graders on Friday.
Students who are eligible to attend the outings are:

Eighth Grade- Dalton Anderson, Breanna Baker, Tyler Beall, Jacob Bennett, Austin Bolt, Andrew Burkhart, Lloyd Burrow, Blanca Castaneda, Kovan Chew, Christen Cool, Rebecca Cooper, Michael Copeland, Mikaila Craig, Andrew Crouch, Michael Daugherty, Chelsea Dawson, Ashley Dean, Steven Denmark, Christopher Diles, Hannah Doerge, Fischer Dowell, Marina Dudley, David Evans, Leah Forkner, Rachael Foster, Devin Freeman, Brian Grier, Dakota Gilmore, Zach Grimes, Lane Hampton, Paige Harmon, Alexis Hawk, Lacy Heiskell, Christy Hernandez, Dustin Hill, Aaron Hodges, Corey Hounschell, Cheyenne Howard, Spencer Hunt, Kylie Hurrell, Shaynee Johnson, Dylan King, Jessica Knight, Kelley Leach, Grant Lewis, Tessa Luper, Breanna Martin, Andrew Mays, Kane McCaslin, Matthew McCoy, Nathan Morris, Faith Mowry, Taylor Mulik, Lanie Nicolas, Victoria Nolan, Kelsey Pace, Cindy Pham, Dylan Prauser, Jesse Rowe, Jesse Ruvalcaba, Mollie Sanders, Cassey Schulze, Tim Scroggins, Kaylee Sexton, Alicia Shofner, Angela Sliger, Hailey Smith, Victoria Smith, Ashlee Stephens, Catherine Stewart, Grant Stewart, Daniel Story, Shanna Striegel, Savanah Sweeton, William Thrasher, Emily Tripoli, Tyler Walker, Blake Ward, Ana Warner, Samantha Warren, Amanda Webster, Craig Yeoman, Ken Zhang.

Seventh Grade- Molly Baker, Nathan Baker, Kirsti Banning, Lindsey Beall, Joseph Bennett, Emylee Brown, Sara Buck, Tozia Burris, Taylor Camden, Jordan Chambers, Tolby Clemons, Matthew Cruzan, Brittney DeMasters, Breanne Diles, Derek Dillon, Christine Dunn, Dermott Evans, Taylor Fetterman, Tara Fleming, Brittany Frisbie, Devyn Hale, Summer Harbeson, Gage Haskew, Jessica Highley, Icesus Holland, Brandon Holman, Amie Howard, Ashley Howe, Rachelle Highbank, Jacob Johnson, Selena Jordan, Alex Kangethe, Alexander Karns, Sarah Kessler, Breanna Knapp, Tera Knight, Lauren Layne, Luke Lenhart, Sydney Long, Hunter Lynn, Jacob Lyons, Austin Mallory, Wade Mathis, Ian McPherson, Mary Jean Miller, Brittany Mitchell, Ian Mitchell, Victoria Mitchell, Anh Nguyen, Billy Nguyen, Holly O'Dell, Andrew Perry, Payton Pollock, Chloe Potts, Shalea Purdy, Blake Putnam, Gilbert Randolph, Samantha Rice, Andrew Roberts, Mariah Sanders, Adam Schilling, Daniel Scott, Adam Snearly, Shawn Spicer, Kayla Stewart, Isaiah Stout, Bayley Strella, Nathan Stripling, Jeffrey Terry, Kaycee Thompson, LaTosha Treat, Christian Underwood, Brittany Utley, Greggory VanLoon, Kyle Vene, Jamie Walters, Hannah Ward, Dillon Warlaumont, Casee Wheeler, Johnna Yeoman

Sixth Grade- Torri Ackerson, John Alumbaugh, Jodi Anderson, Victoria Baker, Sierra Bartholomew, Abigail Bass, Haley Powers, Austin Boyd, Lisa Bromley, Alexis Brown, Nathan Brummer, Casey Burkhart, Hannah Cody, Hollis Cady, Tracie Cottrill, Ronald Darby, Aaron Daum, Shaney Delzell, Danielle Doerr, Laila Douglas, Karissa Dowell, Caroline Dutton, Preston Eafrati, Calisha England, Taylor Erwin, Judith Fausto, Austin Fenn, Sandra Gallegos, Riley Gass, Valerie Glass, Kelsey Gould, Olivia Hampton, Allison Hankins, Hannah Hare, Christopher Harpole, Joshua Harris, Shanice Hazley, Elisabeth Heimberg, Isaiah Hicks, Alex Hill, Esteban Hinojosa, Brittany Hudson, Ricky Hutchison, Jordan Ivey, Anna Johnson, Erin Johnson, Carson Jones, Morgan Jones, Morgan Lamar, Brandon Laub, Nicholas Laub, Kylie Lewsader, Elisha Mansour, Dominique Michael, Hunter Mills, Damon Monasco, Lane Morrill, Robert Munalem, Alexander Musgrave, Tyler Nonemaker, Morgan Osburn, Taylor Parker, Spencer Peterson, Blake Price, Orion Quintana, Stefon Rich, Thomas Richins, Alexandra Ritter, Gabriel Sachetta, Krystal Schulze, Bryson Sexton, Taylor Shutte, Dakota Smith, Benjamin Story, Shane Striegel, Logan Terry, Victoria Thompson, Theodora Voutiritsas, Shani Wage-Knight, Elaina Warren, Ethan Warstler, Andrew Welch, Allison White, Storm Whittington, Shannon Williams, Tiffany Williams, Emilee Wills, Alexis Woods, Emily Yarbrough

Track season approaching

By CHRISTEN COOL and BECKY COOPER
Room 210 Staff Writers

Track is coming up pretty fast at South Middle School.
The fun begins at the end of February for seventh and eighth graders. Track can be hard, but it's so much fun. Track athletes compete in numerous events, including 100 meter dash, 200 meter dash, 400 meter dash, 800 meter run, 1600 meter run, 4 x 100 relay, 4 x 200 relay and 4 x 400 relay. Also available for athletes are other events, including hurdles, pole vaulting, high jump, long jump, shot put, and discus. Athletes may compete in up to four events.
South has three coaches, Coach Rocky Biggers, who teaches at South, Coach Adrien Hedley, who teaches at an elementary school, and Coach Jason Veisselmeyer. Coach Biggers coaches field events, Coach Hedley coaches the distance runners, and Coach Veisselmeyer coaches the sprinters.

CP Hearts fundraiser begins

By KEN ZHANG
Room 210 Staff writer

The race is on!
The CP hearts fundraiser has started again at South Middle School. Beginning Jan. 22, SMS students have started to sell CP Hearts and because of the four snow days, the deadline has been moved to Feb. 19.
South students participate in the fundraiser to raise money for the CP Center, which helps children with cerebral palsy learn and be able to attend regular school.
South is competing against other schools, including Aurora, Diamond, Cecil Floyd, and Carthage, to raise the most money. At South, the TA that sells the most hearts will receive breakfast at McDonald's and will visit the CP Center.

South teams win doubleheader over North

South Middle School basketball teams swept North Monday night, with the A team using a strong fourth quarter to run past North 21-15, while the B team rode a buzzer beating, nothing-but-net three-pointer by Blake Ward to down North 16-15.
The A team trailed 13-12 after three quarters, but outscored North 9-2 in the final six minutes, including five points from J. T. Taylor, who led all scorers with 11 points, including a pair of three-pointers. Tyler Walker and Cody Sadler contributed fourth quarter baskets. Austin Bolt had a three-pointer in the second quarter.

(Photo: Austin Bolt runs into a North roadblock during the second half of South Middle School's 21-15 win over North Monday night. Also shown for South, from left, are Tyler Walker, Cody Sadler, and Layne Hampton.

SMS teams do well in Joplin quiz bowl match

The first Joplin quiz bowl match in two years was held Monday at Memorial Middle School.
Memorial's number two team won, though not before being taken to overtime by South's number one team, consisting of Kane McCaslin, Kylie Hurrell, Lainie Nicolas, and Savanah Sweeton.
South's number two team, led by Dylan Prauser, who answered 23 questions during the tournament, defeated the number one team. Other members of the number two team were Sarah Kessler and Alex Kangethe.
The SMS Quiz Bowl team will compete in a social studies tournament at Lamar in February.

(Photo: Kane McCaslin, Kylie Hurrell, Lainie Nicolas, and Savanah Sweeton are shown prior to their overtime win over North Middle School's number one team.)

Second quarter honor roll released

The second quarter honor roll has been released at South Middle School. Those making the list were:

Eighth Grade- Dalton Anderson, Breanna Baker, Tyler Beall, Jacob Bennett, Austin Bolt, Andrew Burkhart, Lloyd Burrow, Blanca Castaneda, Kovan Chew, Christen Cool, Rebecca Cooper, Michael Copeland, Mikaila Craig, Andrew Crouch, Michael Daugherty, Chelsea Dawson, Ashley Dean, Steven Denmark, Christopher Diles, Hannah Doerge, Fischer Dowell, Marina Dudley, David Evans, Leah Forkner, Rachael Foster, Devin Freeman, Brian Grier, Dakota Gilmore, Zach Grimes, Lane Hampton, Paige Harmon, Alexis Hawk, Lacy Heiskell, Christy Hernandez, Dustin Hill, Aaron Hodges, Corey Hounschell, Cheyenne Howard, Spencer Hunt, Kylie Hurrell, Shaynee Johnson, Dylan King, Jessica Knight, Kelley Leach, Grant Lewis, Tessa Luper, Breanna Martin, Andrew Mays, Kane McCaslin, Matthew McCoy, Nathan Morris, Faith Mowry, Taylor Mulik, Lanie Nicolas, Victoria Nolan, Kelsey Pace, Cindy Pham, Dylan Prauser, Jesse Rowe, Jesse Ruvalcaba, Mollie Sanders, Cassey Schulze, Tim Scroggins, Kaylee Sexton, Alicia Shofner, Angela Sliger, Hailey Smith, Victoria Smith, Ashlee Stephens, Catherine Stewart, Grant Stewart, Daniel Story, Shanna Striegel, Savanah Sweeton, William Thrasher, Emily Tripoli, Tyler Walker, Blake Ward, Ana Warner, Samantha Warren, Amanda Webster, Craig Yeoman, Ken Zhang.

Seventh Grade- Molly Baker, Nathan Baker, Kirsti Banning, Lindsey Beall, Joseph Bennett, Emylee Brown, Sara Buck, Tozia Burris, Taylor Camden, Jordan Chambers, Tolby Clemons, Matthew Cruzan, Brittney DeMasters, Breanne Diles, Derek Dillon, Christine Dunn, Dermott Evans, Taylor Fetterman, Tara Fleming, Brittany Frisbie, Devyn Hale, Summer Harbeson, Gage Haskew, Jessica Highley, Icesus Holland, Brandon Holman, Amie Howard, Ashley Howe, Rachelle Highbank, Jacob Johnson, Selena Jordan, Alex Kangethe, Alexander Karns, Sarah Kessler, Breanna Knapp, Tera Knight, Lauren Layne, Luke Lenhart, Sydney Long, Hunter Lynn, Jacob Lyons, Austin Mallory, Wade Mathis, Ian McPherson, Mary Jean Miller, Brittany Mitchell, Ian Mitchell, Victoria Mitchell, Anh Nguyen, Billy Nguyen, Holly O'Dell, Andrew Perry, Payton Pollock, Chloe Potts, Shalea Purdy, Blake Putnam, Gilbert Randolph, Samantha Rice, Andrew Roberts, Mariah Sanders, Adam Schilling, Daniel Scott, Adam Snearly, Shawn Spicer, Kayla Stewart, Isaiah Stout, Bayley Strella, Nathan Stripling, Jeffrey Terry, Kaycee Thompson, LaTosha Treat, Christian Underwood, Brittany Utley, Greggory VanLoon, Kyle Vene, Jamie Walters, Hannah Ward, Dillon Warlaumont, Casee Wheeler, Johnna Yeoman

Sixth Grade- Torri Ackerson, John Alumbaugh, Jodi Anderson, Victoria Baker, Sierra Bartholomew, Abigail Bass, Haley Powers, Austin Boyd, Lisa Bromley, Alexis Brown, Nathan Brummer, Casey Burkhart, Hannah Cody, Hollis Cady, Tracie Cottrill, Ronald Darby, Aaron Daum, Shaney Delzell, Danielle Doerr, Laila Douglas, Karissa Dowell, Caroline Dutton, Preston Eafrati, Calisha England, Taylor Erwin, Judith Fausto, Austin Fenn, Sandra Gallegos, Riley Gass, Valerie Glass, Kelsey Gould, Olivia Hampton, Allison Hankins, Hannah Hare, Christopher Harpole, Joshua Harris, Shanice Hazley, Elisabeth Heimberg, Isaiah Hicks, Alex Hill, Esteban Hinojosa, Brittany Hudson, Ricky Hutchison, Jordan Ivey, Anna Johnson, Erin Johnson, Carson Jones, Morgan Jones, Morgan Lamar, Brandon Laub, Nicholas Laub, Kylie Lewsader, Elisha Mansour, Dominique Michael, Hunter Mills, Damon Monasco, Lane Morrill, Robert Munalem, Alexander Musgrave, Tyler Nonemaker, Morgan Osburn, Taylor Parker, Spencer Peterson, Blake Price, Orion Quintana, Stefon Rich, Thomas Richins, Alexandra Ritter, Gabriel Sachetta, Krystal Schulze, Bryson Sexton, Taylor Shutte, Dakota Smith, Benjamin Story, Shane Striegel, Logan Terry, Victoria Thompson, Theodora Voutiritsas, Shani Wage-Knight, Elaina Warren, Ethan Warstler, Andrew Welch, Allison White, Storm Whittington, Shannon Williams, Tiffany Williams, Emilee Wills, Alexis Woods, Emily Yarbrough

Meeting set to plan bond issue campaign

The following item was taken from the Joplin R-8 School District website:

In preparation for Joplin’s upcoming April school bond issue, community members dedicated to improving educational facilities for the children of Joplin are invited to attend the first Grassroots School Bond Committee meeting.
The purpose of the meeting is to organize a large, active committee composed of stakeholders who desire to see the Joplin School District build three new middle schools to replace the very old existing structures. This will be a grassroots effort of patrons who will plan and implement the upcoming bond issue campaign.

The meeting will be held at Joplin High School in the Eagle Talon Conference Room. Anyone needing additional information about the grassroots meeting may contact the Superintendent’s office at 625-5200 ext. 123.

More information about the bond issue will be featured in upcoming posts on Room 210 News.

South captures two awards in annual Elks Essay Contest

The information is sketchy, but two South Middle School students placed in the annual Joplin Elks Lodge Essay Contest.
School officials know that South students took first and third place in the annual competition, but information on which individual students captured the awards is not yet available.
This year's topic was "Why I Am Proud to be an American."
This is the third time in the last four years that South has taken first place in the competition. It is also the third time SMS has has at least two of the top three entrants.
More information will be furnished on this page at a later date.

Eighth grader meets brother for first time

By TORI MARDIS
Room 210 Staff Writer
If you have ever ridden a roller coaster you know the feeling.
You are excited and nervous at the same time. You don't know if you should laugh or cry. Well that's the way I felt when I interviewed Tiffany Douglas, a South Middle School eighth grader.
Tiffany had never met her older brother until earlier this month. She was nervous before they met. "I hope we get along and get to see each other more," she said.
Tiffany and her brother had never met because he lived with his mom and it was too far for him to come, Tiffany said, adding that her brother would have felt like a stranger because he did not know his dad, but her brother Todd decided that it did not matter and he wanted to meet his little sister.
The meeting went even better than Tiffany expected. Todd had planned on staying here for a few months, but he liked it here so much he decided to stay for good and Tiffany can see her brother whenever she wants.

South students provide Christmas for needy children

The South Middle School Student Council's annual Penny Wars competition resulted in a merrier Christmas for some needy Joplin-area children.
STUCO members took the proceeds from the competition to Wal-Mart the final day before Christmas break, bought presents, then gave them to the Joplin Fire Department, which oversees the event, during a seventh-hour assembly.

SMS Project Citizen featured in Eagle Eye

Project Citizen, an annual project in Mr. Rocky Biggers' eighth grade social studies classes was featured in the most recent issue of the Joplin R-8 School District's newsletter, The Eagle Eye.
The following article was printed:


A project created by a group of South Middle School eighth graders has received an Outstanding Achievement Award from the National Conference of State Legislatures and the Center for Civic Education. The group's winning portfolio entitled "Pre-Driver's Ed," had previously been judged at a state-level competition and earned the honor of representing Missouri at a final round – the 10th Annual Project Citizen National Showcase in Nashville, Tennessee. Members of state legislatures, legislative staff, educators, attorneys, and other citizens from around the country served as judges in
this prestigious showcase.
Project Citizen is an award-winning middle school civic education program that engages classes of students to identify public policy issues in their communities, learn about the issues, and propose action plans to address the issues. Classes produce portfolios about changing public policy in their communities. Last school year, two SMS American History classes taught by Rocky Biggers participated in
Project Citizen and won at the state-level competition.
The winning "Pre-Driver's Ed” project approached the problem of how best to prepare new drivers to pass their driver's permit test. The students proposed a new "mini class" within the Teacher Advisory classes for eighth graders, which would teach the Missouri Driver's Manual.
The students, now freshmen at Joplin High School, include: Cheyenna Beck, Maddison Billings, Zach Brower,Shelbi Cooper, Paco Gonzales, Kristin Grasser, Dakota Hackworth, Angelica Himojosa, Michelle Holden, Sierra Hutchinson, Tilly Ingram,
Candra Kaderly, Danielle Kleeman,Veronica Leonard, Shelby McMillen, Blake Mills, Alex Needham, John Ness, Tabitha Robbins, Ryan Simpson, Adam Sonnier, Jeff Taylor,
Tevin Triplett, Miranda Veith, and Ashton White.

Joplin schools accredited with distinction

(THe following article was printed in the Joplin R-8 School District newsletter, The Eagle Eye.)

The Joplin School District has officially received the coveted “Accredited with
Distinction” designation from the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary
Education (DESE) for the third consecutive year. Once again, Joplin is among an elite
group of Missouri school districts to earn the state's "Distinction in Performance"
award.
"Receiving this honor for the third year in a row is a reflection on the focused efforts by all of Joplin's staff on being the best," says the Superintendent, Dr. Jim Simpson.
"We are all committed to building on each year's achievement to ensure that our students are prepared for a successful future."
To receive the annual "Distinction in Performance” award, Missouri school districts must meet at least 13 of 14 student performance standards on their Annual Performance Report (APR), which is compiled each year by DESE. An APR is based on the same criteria used in the accreditation process and displays whether or not a school district has met standards related to student academic performance.
These include MAP (Missouri Assessment Program) test scores, ACT college entrance
exam scores, attendance rate, graduation rate, the number of graduates continuing to
college, and other academic performance measures.

Rooker is December 'My Teacher Rocks" winner

Math teacher Mrs. Barbara Rooker was the My Teacher Rocks winner for December. She was nominated by eighth grader Leah Forkner.
In her nomination letter, Miss Forkner wrote:

My teacher Mrs.Rooker Rocks!!!!! You can always talk to her when things aren't going so good and she loves to hear stories of when times are good for you. When Mrs. Rooker is teaching a lesson, she waits until you understand how to do it before she moves on. She will wait for hours after school if you don't understand what she is talking about. I feel so lucky to have Mrs. Rooker for the third year this year!