Local News – Monday, October 2nd, 2023
The Healthy Dent County Prevention Coalition met Thursday at the Salem Community Center@The Armory for their monthly meeting. They discussed the new fiscal year vaping and THC prevention after Chief Joe Chase brought in a quart ziploc bag nearly half full of vaping devices taken from students by one instructor in one semester. One of the new programs will be trained students that will teach prevention in the area through a program called “Teens Teach Prevention.” Parents of students in the 4th through 6th grade will be receiving postcards to alert them of the danger of the vaping and THC ingestion. This will be the first of a series of four postcards that will be sent out describing the effects of THC, marijuana, alcohol and vaping. Also discussed were the many edible marijuana and THC edibles that are available which are disguised to resemble candy or snacks. Members of the coalition will hold a “Drug Takeback Day” in October and it will be at Wal-Mart and Country Mart for unused prescription drugs that people may have they want to dispose of. This is free and there are no questions asked. Healthy Dent County will continue their “Too Good for Drugs” program in the schools and they just received a new four-year grant called the “Stop Act” grant that will concentrate on underage drinking. The group received an update on the “Building Communities for Better Health” being run through the Dent County Health Department. The next meeting will be October 26th at the Salem Community Center@The Armory before the meeting was adjourned.
The Salem R-80 High School Homecoming was held Friday night before the football game between Salem and Willow Springs. The Homecoming Court was comprised of freshman attendant Kaylli Carr being escorted by freshman Maxton Schloemer, sophomore Jessie Fulton being escorted by sophomore Jayden Ard, and junior Jaydn Atkinson being escorted by junior Grant Case. The Homecoming Queen and King candidates were seniors Laney Phillips escorted by senior Nelson Brothers, senior Leya Russell being escorted by senior Jamal Metcalf, and senior Lindsey White was escorted by senior Landon Stobbs. For the first time, Salem R-80 crowned a Homecoming Queen and King. Last year’s queen Yadira Blanco crowned this year’s Homecoming Queen, Lindsey White and Nelson Brothers was named the Homecoming King. Congratulations to everyone involved in the Homecoming festivities.
A group of thirteen seventh grade students, led by high school seniors from St Louis’ John Burroughs School, were found safe after an extensive search that lasted until just before dawn on Wednesday. The children were first reported missing by school officials Tuesday evening when they didn’t return to camp as scheduled. The class was practicing “orienteering,” the use of map and compass, in a heavily wooded and rugged area near the Roger Pryor Pioneer Backcountry south of Echo Bluff State Park in Shannon County. The group was found using a thermal imaging drone that was operated by Deputy Matt Foster of the Howell County Sheriff’s Department. This device, mounted to a drone, detects heat sources from a distance. The students were located on a gravel bar on Big Creek near Dugan’s Bluff. Agencies from across southern Missouri were involved, including the Shannon County Sheriff’s Department, which managed the multi-agency search along with Pioneer Forest staff. Other agencies providing valuable assistance were Missouri State Park Rangers, the National Park Service, Missouri State Highway Patrol, Timber Community Volunteer Fire Department, Howell County Sheriff’s Department, Missouri Department of Conservation, Birch Tree Volunteer Fire and Rescue, and the AmeriCorps volunteer organization. Mercy EMS and the Shannon County First Responders provided medical support. The pilgrimage of students from John Burroughs School has been a tradition of the school since their former student, Leo Drey, donated part of the land of the Pioneer Forest to the school in 1973. Since then, more than 4,000 John Burroughs students have come to the ‘Drey Land” camp on the banks of Sinkin Creek in Shannon County. Over those years, the school has had great relationship with the LAD Foundation, with the rangers in the area and with Shannon County Sheriff’s office.
Eight Salem High School students were named to the All-District Choir for the Central Division. Named to the 2023 Honor Choir were Corby Ball, Devon Blackwell, Elijah Brakensiek and Neely Leathers who are all eligible to audition for the All-State Choir. Named to the 2023 Concert Choir were Maggie Hogan, Hannah Greener, Daniel Jennings and Seth Moore. Congratulations to these students on their achievement.