First time out, Dexter students excel at Jr. Beta Convention

When T.S. Hill Principal Scott Kruse, along with Counselor Nancy Langley, proposed that the middle school launch a Jr. Beta organization in October 2012, neither could have imagined the impact the club would have on the students in sixth, seventh, and eighth grades in Dexter.

"The response of both the students and the staff has been phenomenal," Kruse said upon returning from the group's first participation in the Jr. Beta State Convention last week at Poplar Bluff's Black River Coliseum. The students attended Tuesday night, Jan. 14 and returned on Wed. Jan. 15.

Jr. Beta is an academic program emphasizing leadership and service. Grades, school attendance, and citizenship play into the criteria that is set in each district for membership. A $15 fee at the sixth grade level covers membership through the eighth grade. The club promotes academic achievement, character, service and leadership through a number of activities including community service projects, skits, art, and public speaking, to name a few.

Dexter Schools are the last in Stoddard County to join Beta. Every county school currently participates at the middle school or high school level, or both. Dexter High School students have an opportunity to participate in Student Council as an alternative to Beta.

Noreen Hyslp photo - Scrap-booking -- Second Place -- Cassie Bess, Michaela Gard, Madelyn Webb, and Torie Beaird.

"We have well over half the student body participating," Kruse said, "And they are loving it. They're involved. They're excited, and their success at Poplar Bluff during their first time out there tells the story. It's been the best thing in the world for these kids, and we couldn't be more pleased."

Langley concurs. She and Kruse, along with a group of nine other staff sponsors accompanied 249 middle school students to the convention where they competed with middle school students across Missouri in several academic areas as well as talent, photography, art, scrap-booking, poetry, crafts, quilting, and several other areas.

"Last year we had just formed before the convention, so we attended, but it was only to observe," explained Langley. "Still, the kids had a great time and we would never have been as successful this year had we not done that."

Noreen Hyslop photo - Living Literature -- Third Place -- Emily Smith and Caleb Hoggard.

The group's success came in the form of several awards including a first place prize in the area of talent.

"We've got a unique six-member group that absolutely raised the roof in the talent division," Kruse says. "They've been a really popular element here at school, but they had never really performed outside of T.S. Hill before, and they took first place. It was an awesome experience."

The group to which Kruse refers is called, "The Trashmasters." To say they are unique is an understatement. The six-member group, dressed in black from head to toe with the exception of white gloved hands, carry with them their tools of the trade -- each has a trash can and a set of drumsticks."

Noreen Hyslop - Jordan Adams, at left, took first place in the Web Design Division. Web Design is one of the few categories that competes only on the local level and not the national level. Adams' first place prize was one of two firsts earned by T.S. Hill Middle School students at the Jan. 14-15 State Beta Convention.

The group performs about a two-minute routine of playing in unison in a perfectly orchestrated beat on the tops of the trash cans. Without ever missing a beat, and with antics to go along with their precision, the group took home the first place prize at the convention.

"They were a huge hit," Kruse said, "And they're just a great group of kids."

The atmosphere of Jr. Beta, Langley attests, is "electric." "The kids made a lot of new friends, and many of them saw kids from neighboring schools who they knew, so some friendships were renewed, too. We couldn't have been prouder of this group of students. They were exceptional in every way."

Noreen Hyslop photo - At left is Shawna Thompson with her Sketching Pastels entry that granted her a third place prize.

Six buses carried the middle schools to Poplar Bluff without incident.

It was no small task to transport all the props necessary for the convention. The Trashmasters had their trash cans, but along with them was material to construct a live scene from a favorite book as part of the Living Literature competition.

"We had a team that had just a few minutes to construct a cabin scene that portrayed a favorite element from the book, 'Lost in the River of Grass,' and then two students served as characters in the book in a live display."

Noreen Hyslop - Cassie Bess with her sculpture that took second place.

T.S. Hill Middle School had a total of 15 students qualify to move on to Nationals, which will be held in June in Richmond, Va.

"We didn't foresee this happening," Kruse said. "So, we're not sure how we're going to get that done, but we're working on it. It would be a great disappointment if these kids didn't get to go. They've worked so hard, and they are so inspired after taking part in the convention. We've got a lot of talking to do and we'll have to make some big decisions in the weeks ahead, but it's a great problem to have!"

Taking home awards were Emily Smith and Caleb Hoggard for their Living Literature exhibit, Jordan Adams, who received a first place prize for his website design, Michaela Gard, Cassie Bess, Madelyn Webb and Tori Beaird, who received a third place in the Scrapbook Division, Joe Rice, Matthew Chesser, Logan Elder, Sean Rybolt, Aaron Wells and Dylan Long for their Trashmasters routine in Talent, Maycie Martin, who won first place in Quilting, Anna Bishop, who took second place in Watercolor, Cassie Bess, with a second place prize for Sculpture, and Shawna Thompson, who took third place in the Sketching Pastels Division. Only one winning category, Website Design, does not participate at the national level.

Noreen Hyslop - Anna Bishop with her artwork that took second place in Watercolor.

"It was amazing getting to go," said Madalyn Webb. "I wish they had it at high school I'm going to miss Beta next year."

"We met a lot of kids from out of town," another participant said, "which was neat because we saw kids who we've played volleyball against, but we got to see them in a whole new element. It was great."

Shawna Thompson, who won for her pastel sketch, said she'd never traveled much out of state.

Noreen Hyslop photo - Maycie Martin with her quilt that earned her a first place prize.

"I met some really amazing people, and I hope we get to go to Virginia this summer. That would really be awesome."