The McDougal Annual Homecoming Picnic will host a Car Show for cars and trucks on August 30 from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. There will be a $25 dollar entry fee that includes one hamburger and soda. Registration will be from 9 to 10 a.m. with judging beginning at 10 a.m. For more information, please contact Erica Nossett at 870-631-2238.
Bullying can happen to just about anyone in any school in any town in the country. It is important to realize that bullying can occur in person, online and even through devices. Rumor-spreading and verbal insults are forms of bullying. Students do not always report behaviors that are indicative of bullying, so bullying instances may be greater than data suggests. The Monique Burr Foundation for Children says 13 million students will be bullied in the United States this year. Around 160,000 students miss school daily for fear of being bullied. The U.S. Department of Justice says one in four children are bullied. Bullying also is a problem in Canada. According to the 2019 Canadian Health Survey on Children and Youth, the majority of Canadian youth between the ages of 12 and 17 (71 percent) reported experiencing at least one form of bullying in the 12-month period prior to the survey. Eighty-nine percent of Canadian teachers see cyberbullying as a top concern, and 42 percent of bullied youths face it monthly. Parents, educators and students need to be aware of bullying and treat it with the concern it deserves.
Well, it finally happened. I hit the big 4-9. The last of the 40s. The final lap before the next-decade birthday comes screaming around the corner.
this year.
The annual McDougal Homecoming Picnic is set for Saturday, Aug. 30, at Edna Cooper Park along U.S. Highway 62.
Students raise their hands on the first morning of school Monday after a few months of vacation where hand raising may not have been required. Youngsters and their parents were welcomed in spectacular fashion to Park Elementary School Monday by Principal Chad Hovis and Park teachers so accustomed to the annual transition. Kindergarteners were allowed to be accompanied to class by their parents until the newcomers felt comfortable. All teachers were present in the cafeteria for the morning introduction which began with breakfast, the Pledge of Allegiance and a few basic rules children need to know.
August 13-First day of school, morning bell rings at 7:45 a.m.
On Sunday, July 6 the First United Methodist Church in Corning and Pocahontas welcomed the Reverend George Odell as their new pastor. Pocahontas FUMC was previously served by Rev. Pat Bodenhamer from July 2019 to June of this year when she decided to take a leave of absence. She has recently completed the non-traditional certification teacher’s exam and will be the seventh and eighth grade English teacher at Pocahontas Junior High School. Corning FUMC was previously served by Rev. Lisa Girard from July 2022 until February of this year when she resigned due to health reasons. As part of this shared pastorate, service times will be changing for both churches. At Corning, the new time will be 8:30 a.m. and at Pocahontas, 10:15 a.m.
All aboard the Back to School Express
Around mid-July C.R. Crawford Construction began their demolition work to remove sections of the Corning High School and Corning Middle School campus. Superintendent Jennifer Woolard says that, “We are hopeful the demolition will be complete by August 13, the first day of classes. We are waiting on final approval of our plans for construction. Once those get approved we will send out bid packages and get going on accepting bids. I am hoping construction will begin 2-4 weeks after demo is complete. Right now the construction management company is saying 18.5 months from start of construction to completion.”