It's March and it's academic bowl season. This year's teams will be busy as they face their conference competitors. In addition to regular matches, we also will be playing in the Schuyler County Junior High Tournament, the Conference Tournament at Macon County, and the District Tournament at North Shelby. Check the calendar for dates and times. The public is invited to all of our matches. There is no admission charge.

Members of the 1999 high school team are Ben Bradley, Bobbi Bradley, Shaun Crandall, Kelly Moore, Jaimee Mountain, and Jason Taylor. The junior high squad members are Ashley Alexander, Brandon Crandall, Trent Platz, Chelsie Potter, Tami Sack, and Kate Slavin. Team managers are Cassie Combs, Amanda Moots, and Jesse Turner.

Yearbook sales will begin March 1 and continue until April 30. This is the 51^st edition of the BHS yearbook. Prices will remain the same as those charged last year. Yearbooks will be $26 without a name and $27 with a name. Yearbooks with a name must be ordered by April 1. Order forms will be sent home with students the first week of March.

The district recently purchased the Lemberger Company's Food Service Program. The program is designed to save time and money in administering a complete breakfast and lunch service in Missouri school districts. It provides, quick, accurate and efficient meal service, student and adult account tracking along with numerous reports and tools to significantly reduce the administrative burden on the district's food service staff.

One of the most valuable reports the program will generate is Account Transactions for an Individual Account. This feature will be very useful when parents question their student's food service balance. The district will also have the ability to generate Delinquent Letters to inform parents of students whose accounts are delinquent.

Congratulations to the boys and girls basketball teams for their 1^st place wins in the 70^th Annual Brashear Invitational Tournament. The girls defeated Clark County JV 47-45 while the boys defeated Novinger 67-50. According to tournament records this hasn't happened since the 1945-46 tournament when the boys team was coached by Bob Sees and the girls were coached by Doris Erwin.

The district tournament will be held March 1-5 at Green City. Both teams received the number two seed and as a result each receive a first round bye. The girls will play the winner of Milan (3^rd seed) and LaPlata (6^th seed) on March 3 at 4:30 p.m. The boys will play the winner of Novinger (3^rd seed) and LaPlata (6^th seed) on March 3 at 6:00 p.m. Good luck to both teams!

We would also like to congratulate Ashlee Erwin and Zac Erwin for being selected to the North Shelby All-Tournament team.

Congratulations to the 8^th grade Choices class. Their PSA (Public Service Announcement) entry to the KTVO Drug-Free Video Contest tied for third place. A KTVO camera crew will be visiting our school in the near future to shoot the PSA. This spot will run on KTVO throughout the next year. One student from this group and a sponsor will be going to Kansas City this spring to appear on public television.

Student Council and National Honor Society will be sponsoring their second Drug-Free activity this year. The second Volleyball/Games night is planned for Friday, March 12 from 7:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. Our students enjoy adult participation so, please come and join us that evening. We will have games and refreshments in the cafeteria and volleyball in the gym. Donations of cookies or chips are appreciated. For more information contact David Tramel or Diane Bradley.

Breakfast each day includes cereal, milk, juice or fruit. New regulations mandate the main entree for the day must be placed on each tray (designated by * in daily menu).

Monday: Sausage/Mr. Ribb*, baked potato, peas, fruit

Tuesday: Biscuit & gravy/Chicken patty*, baked beans, carrots, fruit, cookie

Wednesday: Waffle/Turkey & noodles*, cottage cheese, sweet potatoes, fruit, brownies

Thursday: Muffin/Pizza*, corn, spinach, fruit, cake

Friday: Scrambled eggs/Taco casserole*, green beans, beets, fruit

Monday: Pancake/Country fried steak*, mashed potatoes, gravy, peas, fruit

Tuesday: Toast w/ jelly/Burger on bun*, french fries, green beans, fruit, cookie

Wednesday: Breakfast pizza/Nachos*, lettuce, tomatoes, fruit, brownies

Thursday: Ham/Spaghetti*, meat sauce, slaw, corn, fruit, jello

Friday: Donut/Hot dog*, potato salad, carrots, fruit, brownies

Monday: NO SCHOOL

Tuesday: Sausage/Garlic cheese bread*, corn, spinach, fruit, cake

Wednesday: Biscuit & gravy/Ham*, potatoes, peas, fruit, cookie

Thursday: Toast w/ jelly/Shaved turkey on bun*, green beans, fruit, brownies

Friday: French toast/Beef stew*, corn bread, white beans, slaw, apple crisp

Monday: Scrambled eggs/Chicken nuggets*, macaroni & tomatoes, green beans, cherry cobbler

Tuesday: Biscuit w/ jelly/Tenderloin on bun*, baked beans, slaw, fruit, cookie

Wednesday: Waffle/Roast beef*, gravy, corn, fruit, hot rolls

Thursday: Breakfast pizza/Turkey ala king*, green beans, beets, fruit, jello

Friday: French toast/Fish*, macaroni & cheese, carrots, fruit, rice krispie treat

Monday: Biscuit & gravy/Corn dog*, green beans, beets, fruit, cake

Tuesday: Toast w/ jelly/Bar-B-Q chicken on bun*, corn, spinach, fruit, brownies

Wednesday: Donut/Tacos*, lettuce, cheese, tomatoes, fruit, pudding

S	M	T	W	T	F	S
	1*	2*	3*	4*	5*	6*
7	8*	9*	10*	11*	12*	13
14	15*	16*	17	18*	19*	20
21	22*	23*	24	25*	26*	27*
28	29	30	31

1-6	District Basketball Tournament	T	TBA
8-12	Red Ribbon Week
8	Evenings in Education	H	7:00
9	Academic Bowl w/ Bucklin	H	5:30
11	Academic Bowl w/ Novinger	H	5:00
12	NHS/Student Council Volleyball/Games Night	H	7-10:00
15	NO SCHOOL
16	Academic Bowl w/ LaPlata	H	3:45
18	Academic Bowl w/ Atlanta	T	4:15
18	PTS Meeting - Program will feature Elementary Drama Club	H	7:00
19	Third Quarter Ends
19	Academic Bowl w/ Bevier	T	4:30
22	Academic Bowl w/ Macon County	H	4:30
23	Schuyler County Junior High Academic Bowl Tournament	T	5:30
25-26	District Music Festival at Truman State University	T	TBA
25	Academic Bowl w/ Green City	T	4:30
27	Conference Academic Bowl at Macon Co.	T	9:00

What is a teacher? I believe a teacher must be a jack of all trades. A doctor for healing a small broken world. A seamstress to sew a friendship back together. A builder for building dreams. A chef to feed hungry minds. An entertainer to capture the student's interest. Wow! No wonder I enjoy being an educator. Where else could I go to find so many challenging careers? And how am I rewarded? I have the joy of being a molder of our nation's most valuable resource - our children.

What an incredible responsibility! As an educator, I speak from experience that the demand to successfully accomplish everything to every child is physically impossible. The pressure that educators feel at times can be overwhelming with multiple tasks to carry out. As a parent there will be times you may disagree with how a situation is handled. At those times it is important to talk to your child's teacher.

When you believe your child has been treated unfairly at school, you can choose from two courses of action. You can share your concern and anger with your friends and neighbors and tell them about the "stupid" teacher or administrator, or you can seek some resolution of the problem by contacting the teacher or administrator.

Unfortunately, experience shows that many parents avoid contacting the school. Why don't we contact the teacher to learn the details of the situation and work out the problem? Many parents say, "I don't contact the school, because if I do the teacher will take it out on my child." This could happen, and perhaps it has happened in some instances. But that's not the way the vast majority of teachers behave.

Parents should contact the school when they have a concern about their child's education. If contact is avoided, the problem is unlikely to be resolved. Worse, both the parents and the child may develop negative attitudes about teachers, administrators, and schools. And negative attitudes and resentment are never conducive to good school experiences, much less school success.

When you have a question or a concern about your child's education, you have an obligation to your child and yourself to contact the school. Your first contact should be with your child's teacher so that you can discuss the problem and hear the teacher's explanation. Your questions and your comments should be made in a calm and reasoned manner. If your concern is legitimate, a calm and reasonable demeanor will most likely secure cooperation, help, and a resolution to the problem. And if your concern is not warranted, the teacher will feel good about both you and your child after you leave the conference-and your behavior will set the stage for better communication in the future.

If the conference with the teacher does not result in a resolution of the problem to your satisfaction, the next step is to contact the principal of the school. If you still feel that the problem is not resolved, contact the superintendent or even the board of education. We live in a democratic society, and a parent always has the right to appeal to a higher level of authority in working out a problem.

Know this: Teachers, principals, and superintendents are not always right in dealing with students' educational problems, even though they try to be. But remember this as well: Parents are not always right either. They sometimes jump to the wrong conclusions and make mistakes when considering their child's education. But overriding these realities is a firm truth. Both the teacher and the parents have an obligation to do what is best for the child. Unless parents and teachers fulfill the responsibility by talking and sharing their concerns, the child is the one who will lose.

When you are concerned about your child's experiences at school, exercise the one best option. Contact teachers and school officials so that you can discuss and resolve the problem. But do so with the idea that both you and the teacher are committed to the same goal: to help your child.

Dr. Joyce Montgomery

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