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The AT&T Pioneers, a nonprofit arm of the telecommunications corporation comprised of employees and retirees, donated two Kindle Fires to the O’Neal Elementary School library on Friday, Jan. 9. Over the next couple years, the AT&T Pioneers plan to donate two devices to all the elementary schools in the region, including Eugene Field, Lake Road and Oak Grove, according to volunteers. In October, the organization donated special student dictionaries to all of the third graders in the R-I district as well.

The Iron Mules—the Poplar Bluff High School Robotics Club—placed eighth in the draper division of the sixth annual FIRST Tech Challenge hosted by Southeast Missouri State University on Saturday, Jan. 3, at the Show Me Center in Cape Girardeau. Representing the Iron Mules were sophomores Jessica Foster and Paul Sanders, and juniors Chang Chi, Christian Cmehil-Warn, Diontay Cochran, Tiffany Friday and Diego Rivetti. Teacher sponsors of the club are Patti McCoy and Kathy Miller of the PBHS science department, along with social studies instructor Mike Sowatzke. Competition fees and equipment this year were subsidized by the generosity of the Academic Assistance Group and community members, including the Cmehil-Warn family and Sharon Riley. Leading up to the competition, Briggs & Stratton

The Veterans of Foreign Wars and its Ladies Auxiliary recently honored several of our students and teachers for their patriotism. Poplar Bluff High School juniors Chase Burch, Nikkia Hickman and Stephanie Hobbs were awarded Monday, Dec. 15, by VFW Post 6477 on South Broadway for their winning essays in the Voice of Democracy contest. Hickman was also named a district winner. This year’s theme was why veterans are important to our nation’s history and future. In addition, PBHS social studies teacher Gail Rosmarin and Craig Hamilton, who teaches music at Lake Road Elementary School, won both the local and district Smart/Maher VFW Citizenship Teacher Awards for promoting America’s history and traditions effectively, instilling a sense of national pride in their

The Junior Beta Club of the Poplar Bluff 5th & 6th Grade Center recently donated more than 400 toys and over $1,200 to Project Christmas Promise, as the result of a toy and penny drive that ran from Nov.17-Dec. 12. Project Christmas Promise is a gift donation program sponsored by AmeriCorps. Volunteers work through school counselors in Butler County to identify families in need of assistance during the holiday.  

The Mules Booster Club has selected Poplar Bluff High School Cross-Country standout Katie Sliger and Soccer star Jose Reyes as Athletes of the Month for November. Reyes, a senior, ended the Mules Soccer season with 359 saves, eight penalty kick saves and 10 shutouts. He was selected as goalie for the All-Regional, the All-Conference and All-District first team, and the All-State second team. Freshman Sliger was a Sectional qualifier and earned the sixth place All-District honor. Her personal record for the 5K is 20 minutes and 52 seconds. She maintains a 10.857 grade point average.