School
Cassville wins speech and debate awards
In November, 14 members of the Cassville High School speech and debate team competed at the Marion C Early tournament. Cassville competed against 18 schools and received third place in team sweepstakes.

FFA engages youth at Food for America
Isabelle Gabriel and Zarah Hunter color on a palette at the Cassville FFA’s Food for America event on Friday, where high school students made presentations on animals, fishing, farming and more.

Purdy students feed families in need
Students in Amy Harkey’s Prostart I & II Courses at Purdy High School prepared and distributed 250 healthy, complete meals of chicken and vegetable fried rice for families in their community last week. The meals, prepared through the Kids Feeding Kids program, were donated to families served by Purdy Prostart I students.

Local veterans honored in PAC’s first official event
Kayli Anderson, center, and Melody Stephens, retrieve the U.S. Flag after the playing of “Taps: to end the Veterans Day recognition in the Cassville Performing Arts Center on Monday. The event was the first to be held in the newly finished facility.

Purdy Carnival fills halls with fun
Diego Aldaba, 6, of Purdy selects a Blow-Pop with the hope of a larger prize a the Purdy Carnival on Friday. Running the game was Abby Schallert, a Purdy kindergarten teacher, and Aldaba’s mother, Griselda Rivera, provided support. Kyle Troutman/[email protected]

Southwest announces tip-off candidates
Five young ladies will vie for Tip-off Queen at Southwest High School on Nov. 26. They include, from left: senior Addison Keates, sophomore Jazmyn Rivas, junior BreeAhna Paulsen, junior cheer Candidate Abigail Callison and freshman Brianna Taft.

Purdy FBLA raises over $1,500 for local women battling breast cancer
The Purdy High School Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA) chapter raised just over $1,500 in their annual October Pink Out fundraising effort. Funds were raised from T-shirt and cake pop sales, a hat day, and a serving contest at the Pink Out Volleyball Game. The Purdy Community was especially generous, enabling the chapter to help two local women currently battling breast cancer.

Purdy schools focus on changing standards
Curriculum overhaul leads to new reading program The Purdy school board heard updates on programs and renewed insurance for the coming year during its October meeting. This is a transitional year at Purdy in light of curriculum changes that followed the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education’s Missouri School Improvement Program 6.

FBLA teaches Halloween safety
Makaiden Bolles, with the Cassville High School FBLA, asks an elementary student a question about Halloween safety during a presentation made by about a dozen high schoolers for primary student on the topic on Oct. 31.
Purdy schools make facilities improvements
Purdy school officials this fall have moved into the final phases of a multi-year effort to improve facilities around and adjacent to the school campus. Superintendent Travis Graham said the effort to catch up on deferred maintenance has now focused on replacing the heating and air conditioning units on the roof of the school, dating back some 20-30 years.


