Education

25 new hires at Cassville schools
The Cassville school district welcomes the following new certified staff to the district for the 2024-25 school year.
15 total Southwest grads have fully-funded educations
Six individuals from the 2024 Southwest High School graduates have received coveted grants and scholarships to continue their education fully paid for, joining nine of their peers in having their continued education fully funded.

Through the Years, July 31
30 YEARS AGO: RIDERS DO THE PENNING — These three teams were among the E-Z Rider group providing pre-rodeo entertainment for the crowd Thursday through Saturday last week. The riding club also put together a Saturday parade for the event.

Electric co-op youth program means education, fun
Mallory Kelly, of Wheaton High School, was among the 85 students from across Missouri who participated in the Missouri Electric Cooperative CYCLE (Cooperative Youth Conference and Leadership Experience) program. The conference was held July 16-19, 2024 at the DoubleTree Hotel in Jefferson City.

Southwest grad gets rootEd scholarship
Jordan Long, of Washburn, a 2024 Southwest High School graduate, was recently named as a recipient of the rootEd Undergraduate Scholarship. The root-Ed Undergraduate Scholarship offers students attending a 4-year University up to $12,000 a year for five years.

Cassville grad wins national FBLA award
A Cassville graduate is making a major mark in the collegiate Future Business Leaders of America scene. Crowder College student Grant Preddy, of Cassville, is the National Champion in Finance, a title he won at the FBLA National Leadership Conference in Orlando, Fla., recently.

Home school co-op celebrates first semester
The SHINE Ozarks Co-op held its open house and end of semester celebration on May 21st. The group, comprised of mainly Barry County residents, has 25 families enrolled and held its first semester in the spring. Five local homeschool mothers started the co-op to give families the opportunity for community while homeschooling. The group thanks First Baptist Church in Cassville and Washburn First Baptist Church for facility use. Interested families can find the co-op on Facebook at SHINE Ozarks Co-op Information or email ShineOzarks@gmail.com.

Through the Years, June 19
50 YEARS AGO: THERE’S DOLLARS IN THOSE SWATHS — This business end view of a combine in action on the Keen farm near Exeter is typical of action these days in Barry County as farmers harvest a valuable fescue seed crop. Operator of the machine is Bob Lauderdale. Worth Keen, co-owner of the operation, speculates this year’s crop on this land is about usual, since recommended fertilizer and grass care was followed in pre-season programs.

Cassville FFA’s Mitchell named State FFA Vice President
During the 96th Missouri FFA Convention, Cassville's Langston Mitchell was named a 2024-2025 State FFA Vice President. Mitchell is a member of the Cassville FFA chapter.

4 qualify for Speech and Debate nationals
Four Cassville High School (CHS) Speech and Debate students have earned their spot at the National Speech and Debate Tournament, set for June 16-21 in Des Moines. During the National Speech and Debate Association (NSDA) district qualifying tournament, the following students placed first or second out of 25 competing school districts.