Puxico R-8 School District

We are proud of you Indian Nation! Not much else needs to be said. We could end the post there. Read on if you wish though. A huge thank you to Brian Bess and Three Rivers Community College for allowing us to play at the Libla Family Sports Complex for our 2024 Quarterfinals contest. From the District’s perspective, we want to give a huge shout out to our school community. Yesterday, for both teams 1881 tickets were purchased for that game. It was awesome to have the opportunity to watch this team, these cheerleaders, and these coaches play in this quarterfinals game. Our school community provided love and encouragement when they needed it and we can all say that we enjoyed this ride. A few more thank yous, we are not intentionally excluding anyone, so please help us by adding them to the comments. We are thankful for healthy kids, safe travels throughout the season, and so many great experiences. We appreciate the picture takers and those that share them, we appreciate the streaming services, radio coverage, and media coverage. Our kids have felt like local celebrities this year. Appreciation also goes to the game officials/referees. Without you, these games aren’t possible. Thank you! Wow, now our awesome players. The summer work, early practices, showing up when school isn’t in session, program dedication, and your desire to keep developing skills through your work in the off season, shined through this year. Thank you for letting us enjoy the success that you all have created as a team. We can’t wait for next year. To the cheerleaders, thank you for keeping the crowd motivated and engaged. Your talented jumps, stunts, and tumbling are appreciated and we know it takes a lot of work and courage to do that in front of such a large group of people. To the ball coaches and cheer sponsors, where to begin? We know you’ve spent more time with these kids than your own family this season. We know you’ve sacrificed time away from family events and dedicated that to these programs. Thank you for the summer programs, the extra time, and the continued work. We also appreciate the teamwork you all do as a team with Coach Copling for extra opportunities. We appreciate his dedication to help all programs develop too. The early gym shooting and extra work has added to this success. Thank you! At a time when you all only wanted to focus on the sport, you managed team dinners, pep rally’s, pinkout nights, senior night events, etc. and you did it successfully. Thank you for caring for them like they were your own and loving them through this season. To our school community and businesses, thank you for the donations, the food, the game favors, the shirts, cheering in the crowd, the fun, the craziness (Puxi-Joe) and the support. The outpouring of support and help this year was inspiring. This experience was enhanced by your cheers & support, both at home and on the road. To the board of education, thank you for providing a need wherever it was. You all are always willing to help, and often don’t have to be asked. Thanks for being at the games, hosting the watch party, helping with yesterday and supporting our kids on this ride. To the parents & families of these programs, WOW the road miles for practices and games, the time on the road and in the gym, the encouragement, the support, and the involvement. Thank you for sharing your kids and letting us enjoy their success! To the additional school staff that work behind the scenes, THANK YOU! From scorekeepers, tech folks, scoreboard operators, office folks, custodians, maintenance, and others - THANK YOU! Bottom line-We are thankful for these opportunities and we are proud of each of you!! #GoPuxico Hey Bulldogs, bring that state title down south back to South Pemiscot!

Ms. Skillman’s 7th grade class have been competing against each other in teams in marble races. The goal of the project was to slow the marble down without it stopping completely. The team with the slowest time won. The winners were Jacob, Chase and Peyton with a time of 14.13 seconds! It was an intense competition between all teams. Another successful marble run with lots of new, unique designs!!!

Congratulations to the following Puxico Junior High Students who placed at the State Convention: Annabelle Allen- 7th Grade Math 5th place Jordan Vega- 7th Grade Spanish 1st place Ruger Moit- Pottery 4th place Dayton Schackleford- Solo Dance 1st Place Kaylee McClelland, Rubee Pierce and Matti Beth Fox- Digital Portfolio 5th place Drake Armstrong, Ty Owens, Colton Stroud, Landon Faries and Jagur Backus- Engineering 3rd place These students qualified for nationals and will be able to participate at the National Beta Convention in June in Savannah, GA. Congratulations students!

Mrs. Smothers’ 6th grade Social Studies class played two rounds of “trashketball” demonstrating the pros and cons between capitalist and communist economies.

So much love in one little town. A huge thank you to everyone that helped back home and those that cheered extra loud! The Indians will play Saturday at 1:00 in the quarterfinals. In Perryville, we couldn’t have had a classier crowd. They brought the school spirit for all of our hometown friends! In Puxico, lots of smiles and tasty food. Thank you, once again, for making the very best of this situation. To the fellas, cheerleaders and coaches, thanks for letting us enjoy each opportunity with you- You make us proud! #GoPuxico #GoIndians More to come….

4th -8th grade students from the Puxico R-8 School District participated in the annual Stoddard County Scholastic Meet. We appreciate Elizabeth Scego and Traci Barnfield along with their classroom teachers helping these students prepare for the academic challenge. Winners: Analogies and Spelling 5th Grade- Jaley Copling - 3rd Place Math 4th Grade - Gabe Gleason - 2nd Place Science 4th Grade - Jaxsom Page - 3rd Place Science 6th Grade - Jarren Spain - 1st Place Language Arts 5th Grade - Westin Swain - 3rd Place Language Arts 8th Grade - Alyssa Owens - 1st Place Social Studies 4th Grade - Cannon Hood - 2nd Place Social Studies 7th Grade - Ruger Moit - 3rd Place General Achievement 6th Grade - Jacquelyn Woolard - 2nd Place Declamation 6th Grade - Layla Stewart -3rd Place

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 27, 2024 PUXICO SCHOOL WATCH PARTY INFORMATION EDITED ON 2/26-TWICE & NOW A THIRD & THERE IS EVEN MORE!!!!!! We hear you! While we can’t convince them to change the host site, we can help you catch some Puxico Indian Basketball action!!! Payne Contracting and Crabb & Co will be volunteering to host a watch party. They will serve free pulled pork sandwiches, while supplies last. Other concessions will be available for purchase. Casa Lopez is also providing Chicken, Cheese, & Rice during the watch party for a donation to the athletic programs (while supplies last). Thanks so much Edwin & Jessica! Bringing your sweet tooth? Ms. Star with Creative Me By Star is donating some of her yummy cookies for your enjoyment tomorrow night! Wow what a treat. Thank you Star Ramey! We received a call this afternoon that First Midwest Bank is donating $500 to provide popcorn for the watch party and to the program! Thank you so much to Rhonda and all the supporters at First Midwest Bank. Anthony will love hearing this! A big thank you also goes out to Matt Phillips at The Midway. He is delivering 5-6 pizzas to share with the Indian Fans tomorrow night!!!! Looks like there will be plenty of yummy food to go around! Cody Placher has stepped up and will be bringing by some bottled water to wash this all down with! What more could we ask for? Love this community. AK Ag Services just offered to bring all the paper goods, serving utensils, & miscellaneous supplies. Thanks a bunch Allison! That’s one more thing we don’t have to take care of. Nutrien Ag Solutions will be bringing soft drinks. We are so humbled and excited for our community to be able to be together. What a great night for our program. Thanks Clay Faries! Southeast Coop is rallying the fans with another donation to tonight’s watch party and athletic program! Thank you so much David Crain and Southeast Coop. All donations and proceeds received during the watch party will go to the Puxico R-8 School athletic programs. Sounds like an awesome night! We are all so proud of our Indian Tribe! #GoIndians

A little extra encouragement from Mrs. Peggy Parsley, Mrs. Karen Haynes, Mrs. Kyla Freeman and the awesome 2024 Puxico Indian Cheerleaders! It looks awesome!!!

We would like to thank everyone that came out to our hall of fame induction ceremony. It was huge success and we cannot thank all who helped us make this night happen enough! It was an honor and a pleasure to be able to celebrate our Valedictorians and Salutatorians for their academic achievements and the sacrifices they made to be an excellent student at Puxico High School. It was also a great honor to celebrate the 1989- 1990 boys basketball team and their accomplishments. The players and Coaches were the epitome of a team and set the standard for Puxico Basketball. They broke records and set records that may never be broken. We want to thank you for your contributions to the program, the school, and the community. Truly a team that will never be forgotten.

Thank you to all the parents and grandparents for helping make Valentine’s Day such a special day for our kiddos. We appreciate you❤️

It was hard to see this season end. We are proud these ladies never quit playing. Best wishes to our seniors, Emily Carr & Austin Harbin. #GoPuxico

Job Title: Regular Route, School Bus Driver Classification: Classified Salary Position, starting at $19.27 per hour. Terms of Employment: Employed drivers run a regular bus route in accordance with the student days defined by the District calendar. Hours are approximately 6:15-7:45 a.m. and 2:45-4:15 p.m. daily. Regular Route Drivers are eligible for district benefits such as health insurance benefits and personal leave days. May, or may not, include driving opportunities for field trips, athletic trips, and summer school. Evaluation: Position performance and attention to safety will be evaluated often by the maintenance/transportation supervisor in accordance with provisions of the Board’s policy on Certified Personnel Performance Evaluation. Qualifications of School Bus Driver: Class B CDL with School bus endorsement, school bus driver physical, and passing all required background checks. The District is willing to help approved individuals in obtaining their school bus endorsement. Summary: Puxico School is seeking qualified applicants to drive a regular route for the 2023-2024 school year. This position focuses on pre and post trip inspections, driver safety, and daily driving for the morning and afternoon bus routes. Motivated applicants are encouraged to apply ASAP. The position will remain open until filled. Applications are available on the district website at www.puxico.k12.mo.us or by calling 573-222-3762. Position will remain open until filled. Questions should be directed to Jim Clark, Puxico Maintenance and Transportation Supervisor at 573-222-3762.

We will be celebrating FBLA week next week! Members, get your gear ready and make plans to join us for some fun!

Reminder for High School Seniors! We are giving away twenty (20) $500 scholarships again this year to graduating high school seniors in our service area planning to attend college or trade school in the Fall semester. To apply, visit our website https://www.ozarkelectric.com/scholarship-program or ask your school counselor for an application. Please submit your application to your school guidance counselor by Friday, March 15, 2024

Puxico Basketball Homecoming is always a fun week! Check out some of the pictures from our dress up days this past week! We love all the smiles on their faces!

Puxico Nursing & Rehab Center hosted a local art contest recently. 1st place went to Nathan Dumas (center), 2nd place went to Dayton Shackleford (right) and 3rd place went to Mackenzie Callaway (left), also pictured is Shannon Seward (Social Services) on the far left and Peggy Parsley (Puxico Art Teacher) on the far right. Thank you to Mrs. Peggy Parsley, the Puxico Nursing and Rehab Center, and to the students that submitted art work. #GoPuxico

Our members attended the 2024 District Leadership Conference held in Poplar Bluff yesterday. Several of those members came home with a medal. Congratulations to everyone!

Congratulations to these Missouri Arts Council winners! Screenshots of the artwork is attached. You may have to zoom in to see the individual student art pieces. 6th grade: Brylee Campbell—“Fishing with Grandpa” 3rd place in the 6th grade division and her piece will be in Representative Herman Morse of the 151st district in Jefferson City for a year. Jacquie Woolard-” Pumpkins” Honorable mention Braylen Fox-“Paradise” Braylen’s work will be on will be on display at the Southside Farms exhibition. It will be displayed at the May Green Cultural center in Cape during the 2024 Eclipse opening on Friday, April 5th 7th Grade: Andrea Clark-“Life on the Farm” 1st place in the 7th grade division Jordan Vega-“Coyote” 2nd place in the 7th grade division Peyton Pierce-“Dream Car” Honorable mention Anabelle Allen-“Dreamy Countryside” Honorable mention 8th Grade: Virginia Joslin-“Colorful Car” Her art will be in the Southside Farms Exhibition. It will be displayed at the May Green Cultural Center in Cape during the 2024 Eclipse opening on Friday, April 5th. Jake Jackson-“Green Car” Jake’s art will be in Representative Herman Morse of the 151st district in Jefferson City for a year.

Mrs. Smothers’ 6th grade Social Studies started out this new year with their economics unit by stepping back in time. They were each given an occupation/trade and must barter their goods/trade skills in order to survive for a year. There were a lot of negotiations going on in class.

Puxico R-8 School and the Puxico Board of Education are excited to announce the Puxico Hall of Fame Inductees. We welcome the 1989-1990 Puxico Indians Varsity Basketball Team, the Valedictorians and Salutatorians from 2010-2014, and the 2023 Valedictorian and Salutatorian. CONGRATULATIONS! The Hall of Fame Banquet will begin at 5:00 on Friday, February 16, 2024 with the Induction Ceremony taking place between the Girls and Boys Basketball game. Contact the high school office at 573-222-3175 to reserve your ticket now.