|
You've got eMule!
Vol. 12 No. 3
Welcome back to The eMule! Here is the latest news from Poplar Bluff Schools to help start your week on the right hoof.
| Students provided opportunity to interface with newly hired chef |  | |
A chef who apprenticed at a world-renowned restaurant has begun leading classroom activities, in addition to training kitchen workers and catering events for the Poplar Bluff School District.
Having joined the Chartwells team last month, Kevin Merizalde previously served for five years as executive chef and kitchen manager at Castello’s Restaurant, and was doubling in the cafeteria at Poplar Bluff Regional Medical Center for several months prior. He got his start in the food service industry in New York City, most notably at the famous Tavern on the Green.
“When we promote Discovery Kitchen and the kids wear paper chef hats, they will actually be mingling with a real chef now,” stated Dixie Harden, Chartwells senior director of dining services. “We are fortunate to have Kevin. More than just his background, he has the kind of communication skills and air about him that makes him very personable, and easy to talk to.”
Born in Ecuador, Merizalde attended secondary school in Queens a year behind grade level, due to his language barrier at the time, yet ended up graduating from the Academy of Medical Technology as valedictorian of the Class of 2013. He withdrew from a private college on a scholarship when he was given a chance to work directly under Executive Chef John P. Stevenson at the Central Park location.
“You can go to culinary school and just learn, or you have that step-by-step, hands on education in the kitchen with someone behind you teaching when it’s busy during a rush,” Merizalde said. “It’s a different experience.”
In addition to the iconic Tavern in Manhattan, Merizalde worked under Stevenson at Charlies Bar & Kitchen and assisted with developing recipes as the hospitality adviser did consultant work that included helping to design a menu for a kosher restaurant in London. In between jobs, Marizalde was also employed at and later managed Mighty Bowl 2, an Asian fusion restaurant.
It was at All Nations Baptist Church where Merizalde would meet his future wife Summer, who was there participating in a mission through Westwood Baptist Church of Poplar Bluff, he explained. Summer’s stepfather happened to work for the distributor Sysco, and originally assisted in getting Merizalde an interview in Missouri, when the couple decided to relocate. PBRMC also contracts food services with Compass Group, the parent company over Chartwells.
Adding a chef was part of the food service bid renewal approved during the May Board of Education meeting. Merizalde recalled how he was not seeking a new job at the time, he was recruited via the career search website, Indeed. A school system the size of Poplar Bluff, among the largest in the state for Chartwells, typically staffs such a position, according to Harden.
“He can teach and train my team to use spices for different things, and help enhance the flavor of food without going past our [nutritional] guidelines in place,” Harden said. “He also has the vision, beyond just making dishes taste well, that will allow us to bring our program to the next level.”
Marizalde visited his first classroom on Thursday, Sept. 14, helping to prepare lettuce that the Middle School has been growing since the start of the year in tower gardens funded by Downtown Poplar Bluff Inc., with a grant secured through the U.S. Department of Agriculture. As one of her first orders of business as assistant principal, Karmen Carson consulted with former instructor Shellie Yarbro, who now works for Juice Plus+, to service the vertical, aeroponic gardens, which are several years old.
Studying structures and functions of a plant in Dana Redwine’s fourth grade science class, first-time lettuce eater Adeline Tomblin said she had been watching the plants “grow bigger every single day.” A self-proclaimed expert, having made garden soup as a child playing in the yard, Adeline said: “It’s really good. It kind of tastes like regular leaves.” Another first-timer, Noah Cornell, commented about the fresh salad: “It’s not bad, but it’s not my go-to snack.”
Of his new clientele, Marizalde pointed out: “I love working with kids. They can give you the best feedback you can hear—blunt. ‘Yuck’ or ‘yummy,’ means you’re either doing something right, or you have to make it better.”
Above: Chef Kevin Merizalde of Chartwells Poplar Bluff helps prepare school-grown lettuce for Middle School students studying the structure and functions of plants on Thursday, Sept. 14.
Below: Middle School Assistant Principal Karmen Carson shows Chartwells Chef Kevin Merizalde the school tower gardens she helped refurbish over the summer.
|  | Banker helps PBJHS add therapy dog for Like Skills class |  | |
Poplar Bluff Junior High is the first R-I school to add a second certified therapy dog, this one designated to serve students with special needs, after a community partner led a successful fundraising effort.
Tufte, an English Labrador who turned 2 last month, was introduced this school year to handler Courtney Rutledge’s Life Skills class with help from banker Christy Frazier-Moore of the building’s Bright Futures Site Council.
“[Ms. Rutledge] has the job of molding young minds and helping them learn life skills,” Frazier-Moore stated. “I can’t think of a more perfect way to teach responsibility skills than adding a super dog life Tufte into their daily routines!”
In the spring, Frazier-Moore posted a video in her Chi and Company Facebook group soliciting donations to acquire the service animal. Chi and Company is a club Frazier-Moore started in 2017 in order to teach self-confidence and character lessons to female students at Junior High.
By the following week, the complete $4,000 was raised by friends, family and neighbors of Frazier-Moore. Donating businesses included Blaich Family Dentistry and Hillcrest Animal Hospital, along with the Three Rivers Citizens Advisory Board organization.
Rutledge had been on the waiting list since around December 2020 to purchase her dog from Cares, Inc., a canine assistance program based in Kansas. Over the summer, the educator received word that she was approved – and drove to Concordia with teaching assistant LaRonda Mack to participate in a weeklong training.
Through the nonprofit, incorporated in 1994, handlers are assigned a canine, based on the intended use, after learning commands and completing a public access test at a mall and restaurant. The dogs are trained by inmates of a nearby correctional facility. The board of directors named Tufte’s litter after notable firefighters.
Taking care of Tufte has been tied into the goals of Rutledge’s classroom. Students with functional disabilities walk the dog on a leash and clean up afterward, measure out his food – and if they score high enough on their behavior chart, earn the privilege of giving him a treat. During the transition between class periods, Life Skills students take Tufte into the hallway to engage with the rest of the student body.
“That’s been the most beneficial aspect—my kids getting socialization skills. Their non-disabled peers stop and talk to them. I can’t create that,” Rutledge stated. She further explained how Tufte has the ability to calm a student who is ramping up, or will sit beside an individual who may be nonverbal. “He just knows where to go,” Rutledge continued.
Mack, who did not grow up in a household with pets, and jokes how making a breakthrough with herself was Tufte’s “first job,” admitted that it is impressive watching him engage with students who need him most. “He works his tail off during second hour, almost the moment the kids come in,” Mack said.
A few years ago, Junior High counselor Jennifer Nicolini introduced Durango, a golden retriever, to the building to succeed the late Creggan, a beloved Irish setter. Junior High received approval for two therapy dogs, based on the size of the school and the specific need, according to Patty Robertson, assistant superintendent of curriculum. The district also has active therapy dogs at Eugene Field, Lake Road and O’Neal elementaries. Handlers are responsible for providing dog food, veterinarian services and liability insurance.
Above: Tufte greets students in between classes with handler Courtney Rutledge, special education teacher, on Wednesday, Sept. 13, at Junior High.
Below: Christy Frazier-Moore, who led a fundraiser to pay the fee for a certified therapy dog, has the joy of meeting Tufte on Tuesday, Aug. 29, at Junior High.
|  | Poplar Bluff School District helps foster future administrators |  | |
A program for teachers seeking to become administrators has been reinstated at Poplar Bluff Schools in order to help continue to develop leaders internally.
A total of 23 faculty members attended the opening session on Tuesday, Sept. 12, in the Administrative Building, with teachers ranging in experience from a few years into their tenure to over 20. Some attendees were working toward their master’s degree in administration, while at least one had already obtained a doctorate.
“It was weighing on me – that we need to pour our experience and knowledge into these teachers, and give our aspiring administrators guidance and exposure to practical, real-life situations,” explained Junior High Principal Candace Warren, the voluntary instructor. “I feel like we do a lot for our new teachers through TIPSS [teacher induction program support system], but we had a hole for aspiring administrators – other than them going to their building administrator to ask, ‘Can I help do this?’”
Warren, who is teaching a similar graduate-level course for Central Methodist University, reached out to the superintendent cabinet in January to propose the class, and a staff-wide interest survey was put out shortly thereafter completed by 36 employees. Assistant Superintendent of Personnel Mike Owen agreed to co-teach the class. Other administrators will serve as guest speakers as well, Warren noted.
“There’s not much in a college textbook that’s going to prepare you to navigate all of these situations,” Warren continued. “It’s a lot of on-the-job coming at you, and my hope is that this support will give them an edge when they are going for an administrative job someday.”
The class runs from September through April on the second Tuesday of each month after school. Topics include: leadership style, school culture, curriculum planning, data-driven instruction, staff development, community engagement, budgeting and conflict resolution, according to the syllabus. Each lesson will feature a hypothetical scenario to work through in groups.
Warren pointed out how she previously participated in the district’s Leadership Academy during the 2014/15 school year under then Assistant Superintendent of Personnel Dr. Amy Jackson, and “got a lot out of it.” The program was originally instated by former Superintendent Chris Hon when he oversaw human resources, and also included some future principals.
“A lot of our administrators came from within,” said Owen who, along with Warren, spent his entire career at R-I beginning as a classroom teacher. “It’s good to have a larger view of everything—the inner workings—even if folks decide not to pursue it. College classes can’t prepare you enough; you need to start doing.”
Above: Junior High Principal Candace Warren and R-I Assistant Superintendent of Personnel Mike Owen lead a class for aspiring administrators within the school system last week in the Administrative Building.
| |  |
|
Kiddie Camp
Registration for Poplar Bluff Cheerleading Kiddie Camp will take place from 5-5:30 p.m. Monday, Sept. 18, in the PBHS auxiliary gym. The annual camp, for children preschool aged-sixth grade, will run Monday through Thursday, Sept. 18-21. Cost is $30 per child.
Fall Homecoming
Mules Football will play Sikeston at 7 p.m. Friday, Sept. 22, at PBHS during our Fall Homecoming. The Homecoming Court will be recognized on the field prior to kickoff. Gates open at 5:30. Cost of admission is $4, with no charge for non-school aged children.
Mules Café
The Mules Café returns from 11 a.m.-1 p.m. Thursday and Friday, Sept. 28-29, at 1110 N. Westwood Blvd. Cost per meal—including an entrée, choice of sides, dessert and soft drink—is $9. To place an order or make a reservation, guests are asked to call 573-785-5768 a day prior. Click here to view our menu.
| |
On Tuesday, Sept. 13, KWOC promoted our Cheerleading Kiddie Camp.
On Wednesday, Sept. 13, KBSI Fox 23 reported about the Middle School mural project; and a grant our Junior High received from the Missouri Retired Teachers Foundation for its newly created drama production class.
The DAR reported about the MRTF grant awarded to teacher Hilary Taylor.
KWOC also reported about the $500 grant.
On Saturday, Sept. 16, the DAR reported about our Middle School administration making the “walls talk” in a voluntary effort over the summer.
| |
