Sat, Jul 19 2008
|
|
Published April 25, 2008 09:59 am - Ron Lankford, in 1986, walked through the gate Emerson spoke of and it led him to an opportunity that is still with us today. Carol Stark: Academic excellence rates its its own team :)?:? are all inventors, each sailing out on a voyage of discovery, guided each by a private chart, of which there is no duplicate. The world is all gates, all opportunities.”
— Ralph Waldo Emerson Ron Lankford, in 1986, walked through the gate Emerson spoke of and it led him to an opportunity that is still with us today. During a breakout session at a national conference for educators, Lankford, then a principal in the Webb City R-7 School District, found himself in a crowded room where so many other principals had gathered, there weren’t enough handouts to go around. An editor at the Detroit Free Press held up a special section the paper had printed. It was dedicated to recognizing top students. Intrigued, Lankford gathered up materials and headed back home, where he handed the information over to Andy Ostmeyer, who was covering the Webb City community beat for The Joplin Globe at the time. Months went by, and Lankford figured the paper wasn’t interested. About the time he had given up, a call came in from Tom Murray, the Globe’s managing editor during that time. In the spring of 1987, the Globe printed its first special section naming an All-Area Academic Excellence Team. It was the first of its kind in the state and it would be more than five years later before any other Missouri paper selected a team like this one. I talked last week with Lankford, now the superintendent for the R-7 School District, about the origins the Globe’s banquet. While we can take some credit for recognizing a great idea and running with it, Lankford has been there since the beginning. Not far behind him is Janet K. Myers, communication arts teacher for Joplin High School. She has been on the committee for 20 years. Steve Jameson, the principal of Columbus Unified High School, Columbus, Kan., has served for the past six years. I met the members of the 2008 Academic Team on Thursday night during a banquet honoring them, as well as the educators that members of the team chose to bring with them. Today, you can meet these same super-bright kids. They are featured in the People section, along with some of their essays and short biographies outlining their future plans. Margaret Ann Adams, a senior at McAuley Catholic High School, wants to earn a degree in biomedical engineering and then work in pharmaceutical research. Michelle Kropf, a senior at Seneca High School, wants to “make a significant contribution to science that makes an impact on our world.” 
•
Click to discuss this story with other readers on our forums.
More from the Editorial section
Voices: This will not solve our problems Guest column: Undefined change is just plain scary |
Print this story
E-mail this story
Post to del.icio.us
Discuss this story
 |
 |
 |
||||||||
|
||||||||
 |
The Joplin Globe Publishing Company 117 East Fourth Street, Joplin, MO 64801 Using our site is your agreement to the terms and conditions. News: news@joplinglobe.com • (417)623-3480 Advertise with the Joplin Globe Copyright © 2006 The Joplin Globe, Joplin, MO All rights reserved. |
Popular Business directory links - Joplin Apartments | Joplin Attorneys | Joplin Auto Dealers | Joplin Auto Parts | Joplin Auto Repair | Joplin Beauty Salons | Joplin Car Rental | Joplin Dentists | Joplin Doctors | Joplin Flowers | Joplin Hotels | Joplin Insurance | Joplin Loans | Joplin Mortgages | Joplin Movers | Joplin Pizza | Joplin Realtors | Joplin Restaurants | Joplin Storage | Joplin Tax Preparation | Joplin Travel | Joplin Featured | More...
|
|
Community Newspaper Holdings, Inc. • CNHI Classified Advertising Network • CNHI News Service 
|