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Welcome back to The eMule! Here is the latest news from the Poplar Bluff R-I School District to help start your week on the right hoof.
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Congrats to our 2020 Teachers of the Year!
The district took a break to celebrate its standout teachers from each building on Wednesday, Oct. 21, during the 2020 Teacher of the Year luncheon, postponed from April because of the stay-at-home order.
A Poplar Bluff Kindergarten Center faculty member was named District Teacher of the Year for the third consecutive year. Nominated by a committee of peers, Tonya Hill succeeds Amanda Summers in 2019 and Debbie Harper the year before that.
Assistant Superintendent of Personnel Fara Jones called the event "inspiring," as principals shared about this year's building-level award recipients who were recognized at the Westwood Center.
Above: (Left to right) Shalyn Copas, Rondi Vaughn, Lori Dawson, Jessica Burnette, Ashley Blume, Tonya Hill, Krista Greenwall, Amy Courtney and Billy Pyland. Not pictured is Michael Barrett.
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In addition to district, elementary grade-span and Kindergarten Center TOY, Tonya Hill (above, right) was a nominee for the regional Teacher of the Year program through the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education.
Hill's 30-year career has been split between teaching elementary school in Alaska and then coming to Missouri in 2005, upon being hired at the former Mark Twain Kindergarten Center. She earned her master's degree in elementary education from Grand Canyon University in Phoenix in 2002.
Kindergarten Principal Jessica Thurston (above, left)
said that Hill has mentored many teachers during her tenure, including herself 15 years ago. She "shares whatever she has" with her colleagues, according to Thurston, is "caring and compassionate" toward students, and "becomes part of their families, whether they want it or not."
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Shalyn Copas (above, right), special education teacher, was named middle school grade-span and Middle School TOY. She was previously named the TOY of the former 5th & 6th Grade Center in 2016.
Copas began her career as an elementary teaching assistant within the TRUST program in 2007, and became a teacher of intensive needs students at the middle school level in 2014. She earned her master's degree in educational technology from Ashford University in San Diego in 2014, and her master's in curriculum and instruction from Arizona State University in Tempe in 2017.
In just a few months of serving as Middle School principal, Dr. Josh Teeter (above, left) said Copas has shown him she is "the example of a teacher of students with special needs." He added: "She has teaching down to a science."
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Billy Pyland (above, right), a High School math teacher and coach of golf, track and football, was named the secondary grade-span and High School TOY. This is the third time in his storied career that he was named a TOY at the building level.
Pyland began his career teaching and coaching at the high school level in Arkansas in 1984, and then took a job serving as football coach for Arkansas State University in Jonesboro three years later. In 1992, he started teaching and coaching at Poplar Bluff High School, and has been a Mule ever since. He earned his master's degree in secondary education from Arkansas State in 1984.
Principal Mike Owen (above, left) said that over the past 28 years, Pyland has served as a mentor to new teachers and coaches alike, and his impact goes "beyond our walls" out into the community. Owen's favorite characteristic about Pyland is "his energy," the principal noted, adding: "he is always up teaching."
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Krista Greenwall (above, right), a teacher of 4-year-olds, was named the Early Childhood Center TOY.
Greenwall began her career teaching preschool from 1999-2003, took a break to raise her children, and then returned to Early Childhood in 2016. She earned her master's degree in education from Southwest Baptist University in Bolivar.
Her principal, JoAnne Westbrook (above, left), said Greenwall is "always full of laughter and love," her "positive spirit is infectious," and she is "truly an inspiration to the staff and the community." Westbrook added that she enjoys the "vibe" Greenwall maintains in her classroom, which even resonates in her virtual classes, judging by the high attendance.
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Rondi Vaughn (above, right), who now serves as principal of Lake Road Elementary, was named the Eugene Field TOY. She was also the Oak Grove TOY in 2012.
Vaughn's tenure began with teaching elementary in Kennett in 1998, and then she was hired the following year in Poplar Bluff, where her career has been split between Eugene Field and Oak Grove, teaching various grade levels as well as intervention/reading recovery. She earned her master's degree in curriculum and instruction from William Woods University in Fulton in 2003, and another master's in elementary administration from Southeast Missouri State University in Cape Girardeau in 2018.
Eugene Field Principal Jennifer Taylor (above, left) said Vaughn shares the same educational philosophy as herself. She credited Vaughn for helping to restructure the interventions at the elementary school. With regard to Vaughn being promoted as principal of Lake Road, Taylor said: "We all know Erica Weadon's vacancy left big shoes to fill. Rondi is the perfect fit."
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Jessica Burnette (above, right), a sixth grade teacher, was named the Lake Road TOY.
Burnette began her teaching career over kindergarten and elementary school in Memphis in 2010, then was hired in 2016 at Lake Road, where she has taught various grade levels at the expanded elementary school. She is currently pursuing her specialist degree in educational leadership from Arkansas State University in Jonesboro.
Burnette's colleagues always seek her opinion, according to Principal Rondi Vaughn (above, left). "She is the go-to person at Lake Road for all curriculum needs. She knows the material, and she knows how to apply it," Vaughn said.
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Ashley Blume (above, right), a third grade teacher, was named Oak Grove TOY.
Blume began her career teaching fourth grade at Lake Road in 2010, and transferred the following year to Oak Grove, where she has taught the same grade level for a decade. She is currently working on completing her master's degree in elementary education through Southeast Missouri State University in Cape Girardeau.
Oak Grove Principal Jenifer Richardson (above, left) noted that she had Blume as a student back when she taught physical education at Junior High. Richardson described Blume as a "difference maker," doing "whatever it takes" to reach her students. Richardson stated: "She always does what's best for kids."
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Amy Courtney (above, right), an intervention teacher, was named O'Neal Elementary TOY.
Courtney began her career as a teacher's aide at the Mark Twain Kindergarten Center in 2003, and was promoted as a certified teacher there the following year. Beginning in 2011, she transferred to O'Neal, where she taught various grade levels.
Courtney's colleagues believe she is "loving," "kind" and always sets her expectations high, according to O'Neal Principal Dr. Amy Dill (above, left), who said she agrees. Dill called Courtney her "right hand," sharing a story about the teacher turning around the educational career of a student on the wrong path. Dill noted that Courtney is a loyal Mules fan, and can be seen at most sporting events.
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Lori Dawson (above, right), a science teacher, was named Junior High TOY.
Dawson began her career in 1999, teaching the full spectrum at Van Buren: grades kindergarten, elementary, middle school and high school. In 2008, she was hired in Poplar Bluff. She received her Master of Education from Southwest Baptist University in Bolivar in 2007.
"To know Lori is to love Lori," said Junior High Principal Candace Warren (above, left), referring to Dawson as the "heart of the building." Warren recalled that Dawson was one of her first hires when she took the helm as principal, and is the "epitome of what every teacher should strive to be." She added that Dawson never raises her voice and has zero issues in her classroom. "She was Capturing Kids' Hearts before it was cool," Warren quoted from Dawson's nomination packet.
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Michael Barrett (above, via FaceTime), instructor of computer science, was named the Technical Career Center TOY.
Barrett worked for Jonesboro Public Schools from 1996-2014, first serving as a machine tool technical assistant and then teaching advanced manufacturing the following year. He was also an instructor of engineering technology and the director of computer-aided design at Arkansas State University during the time period. Afterward, he took a position as project director at Three Rivers College in 2014, and retired as academic dean at the Tulsa Welding School in 2017. Last year, he resumed his career in education over the new Project Lead the Way program at the TCC. He received his Master of Science in 2009 from Arkansas State, where he also earned his master's degree in educational administration in 2011.
"There's just not much he can't do," TCC Director Charles Kinsey (above, left) said. He noted that Barrett is a second-year Poplar Bluff instructor who already won the TOY honor, and it should not come as a surprise, based on the waves he has made in the emerging program, namely with the widely-reported launch of the student created 911 app.
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Flu Shot Vaccine
The Butler County Health Department will offer a free drive-thru flu shot clinic for those interested 10 years of age or older from 8:30 a.m.-6 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 29, at 1619 N. Main St. For questions, call 573-785-8478.
Collaboration Day
Teachers will be hard at work participating in professional development trainings on Friday, Oct. 30, while students enjoy the day off.
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On Wednesday, Oct. 21, the DAR shared the cancer survivor stories of retired educators Brenda Allen and Deborah Livingston in a breast cancer awareness supplement.
On Thursday, Oct. 22, the DAR produced a video about our Teachers of the Year.
On Friday, Oct. 23, KFVS12 reported about our free dinner service offered across the district.
The ShowMe Times also reported about our dinner service offering for all students.
The DAR reported about our Retirement Reception.
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