Education

CMS 8th-graders are the next Sharks!
Cassville middle schoolers had the opportunity to give their Shark Tank ideas a shot when they attended the FBLA 8th Grade Entrepreneurship Day. Cassville high school FBLA members organized a full day of entrepreneurial ideas and activities for the eighth-graders, then held a competition among eighth-grade tables for a chance at prizes. Students had a lot of fun, and some amazing ideas were invented. Winners received prizes in both content and commercial categories.

100+ words spelled in Purdy
The Purdy Spelling Bee was held on Jan. 26. Nine contestants from grades 4-6 competed. The winner was Paul Bawithawng, a fourth-grader. The runner up was Solomon Thang, also a fourth-grader. The winner spelled “multitude’ and then “journey” to win the competition. It was a very competitive match with over 100 words used during the entirety of the Spelling Bee.

Purdy FBLA raises $1,350 for employee battling breast cancer
The Purdy High School Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA) chapter, in conjunction with the Purdy High School Volleyball Team, raised $1,350 in their annual October Pink Out fundraising effort. Funds were raised from T-shirt and cake pop sales, a hat day, volleyball raffle and a serving contest at the Pink Out Volleyball Game.
Ag Education is ‘On The Move’ at Southwest
Elementary students to learn about farming, livestock, more Missouri Farmers Care Foundation’s Agriculture Education on the Move (AEOTM) is excited to announce a partnership this fall with the Southwest FFA Chapter to educate third grade students about agriculture. AEOTM, a program of the Missouri Farmers Care Foundation, is a proactive, educational effort in which passionate, trained educators spend time in the classroom helping elementary students build agricultural literacy.

FFA Greenhands attend conference
The Cassville FFA Chapter had 32 Greenhands attend the Area 11 Greenhand conference at Crowder College in Neosho on Sept. 12. The attendees learned the importance of agriculture and FFA. They learned leadership opportunities, supervised agricultural experiences (SAE), and the FFA organization. A total of 528 Greenhands from around the area attended this conference to grow as ag students and to help the ag programs around Area 11 flourish. Freshmen Roper Taylor and Bradyn Alley both agreed they learned a lot about SAE’s. Roper also stated that he realized he already had multiple things that fit into the SAE part of FFA.

Wheaton senior gets Soroptimist scholarship
The Soroptimist Club of Barry County has selected Zoey Martel as the recipient of the 2023 Violet Richardson Scholarship. Martel is a graduate of Wheaton High School. She plans to study nursing at the College of the Ozarks. The Violet Richardson Scholarship is awarded annually to a senior woman in Barry County that serves as community volunteer. Martel volunteers at her church, for local food drives and blood drives, sold drinks for the fire department fundraiser BBQ event, raised money for the Power of Pink Breast Cancer Drive, picked up trash and served meals to elderly community members. The mission of the Soroptimist Club of Barry County is to improve the lives of women and girls in the local community. From left: Laura Holycross, Soroptimist member; Martel; and Allison Angel, Soroptimist member.
Cassville graduate awarded Olin J. Brattin scholarship
Tyra Campbell, a 2023 graduate of Cassville High School, has received the Olin J. Brattin Scholarship, administered by the Community Foundation of the Ozarks.
Cassville native competes at Formula SAE
Each year, the Formula Society of Automotive Engineers (FSAE) challenges students to create small, formula-style cars and bring them to their competition to be tested, judged and raced. This year, teams took their creations to Brooklyn, Michigan, and competed at the Michigan International Speedway from May 16-20.

2 local grads receive Shelter scholarships
The Shelter Insurance Foundation awarded $1,500 scholarships to Isaac Hadlow and Elijah Holenda, graduates of Cassville and Wheaton high schools, respectively. Shelter Agent Terri Lynn DeGraffenreid-Brattin sponsors and partially funds this scholarship.
Drury announces Spring 2023 Dean’s List
Earning a spot on Drury University's Dean's List is a significant accomplishment. The recognition means a student earned a grade point average of 3.6 or greater (on a 4-point scale) while carrying a full-time course load of 12 or more semester hours at Drury, a top Midwestern university, according to US News & World Report.