Baked mac and cheese is just one of those dishes that is good any time of year. It is easy to transport, keep hot and makes great leftovers. There are lots of great recipes with intricate measurements that make “The Best Mac and Cheese” but really all you need to know are a few simple […]
Not all Missouri roads lead to Columbia, and not all the streets of Columbia lead to the University of Missouri. Except in the world that Lynne and Lanny Geary have created together. Lanny is a retired physician; Lynne, a retired nurse. The couple has traveled throughout the world and spent most of their working lives […]
Art in the Park, the 2-day, free fine arts and crafts festival organized by the Columbia Art League, returns to Stephens Lake Park for its 59th year on Saturday, June 3, and Sunday, June 4. The festival will feature 108 artists from 20 states, some from as far away as Oregon, Florida and Minnesota. There […]
First I like to find out what the homeowner’s vision is. I like to get a starting point and then work towards what they can afford and what the space will allow. You can upgrade the whole room with fresh colors, a new countertop, mirror and light — without heavy permits, changing the roofline and […]
“Only about 30 percent of our students go to state parks with their family even though Rock Bridge State Park is right here in town,” declared Columbia Public Schools’ (CPS) K-12 Science Coordinator Mike Szydlowski. “We don’t want outside to be an exceptional thing. We want it to be normal,” he emphasized. Now, every CPS […]
Catherine Ryberg, a senior at Rock Bridge High School, doesn’t sweat the small stuff. She goes straight to the Big Issues and is already having an impact on them. She’s president of Rock Bridge Reaches Out, the community service student organization, and she’s a founding member of the Youth Advisory Committee for Columbia. “From the […]
Caroline Critchfield, a senior at Rock Bridge High School, is royalty. Instead of holding a scepter and wearing a crown, picture her holding a rolling pin or a toilet plunger and wearing a chef’s toque or ball cap. This multi-faceted princess earned her royal title at Kanakuk, a Christian camp for 300 girls, ages 6 […]
Battle High School senior Emma Davenport took on “Selfie Culture” in a recent series of artwork. When she showed a distorted self-portrait to the fifth graders she mentors, one of them shouted out, “That’s ugly!” “They were right, but ugly doesn’t mean bad,” Emma wrote in her essay. “The comment opens up the opportunity to […]
In the summer between her junior and senior years at Hickman High School, Laura Cox experienced what she calls a life-changing opportunity. She was accepted into the Missouri Public Affairs Academy at Missouri State University. Thirty students from around the state spent part of each day of the week-long academy volunteering in some capacity at […]
Arthur Betts, a senior at Harrisburg R-VIII High School, struggled with some of the 11- to 13-year-old boys he supervised at a military camp in Michigan last summer. “Those individuals did nothing but cause problems: some of them just wouldn’t follow orders, others would get into extremely heated arguments with other recruits that almost escalated […]
Justin Hajicek, a senior at Rock Bridge High School, has been on missions to Paso Real, Honduras, four times in the last seven years. He hopes to become a doctor or other medical professional and is considering becoming a medical missionary. On his trips to Paso Real, he helped dig and build latrines, worked with […]
Rock Bridge High School senior Boonakij Palipatana had some doubts when he first stood in front of a class of children with special needs. “I was wondering how much of a difference I could actually make. I started off with a lesson that would excite the students, and prepared for them to do the greatest […]
Rock Bridge senior Mariah Dale knows the power of storytelling. She is a gifted singer and musician who wants to use her skills to tell meaningful stories through music and digital media to change attitudes and lives. Mariah was on the receiving end of gifted storytellers when she went on a mission trip to Gary, […]
Rock Bridge senior Timofey Kolenikov has wide-ranging talents and interests, from classical piano to math. He isn’t set on a career trajectory just yet, but knows the time he has spent as a volunteer at Cedar Creek Therapeutic Riding Center will inform his attitude toward others forever. In the fall of 2015, Timofey’s younger brother, […]
Hickman senior Brady Wirth made a life-changing mission trip to Nicaragua in 2015. It taught him three things: never give up, don’t take privileges for granted and don’t expect “things” to make you happy. His group took on the challenge of constructing a drainage ditch so the community school wouldn’t flood every time it rained. […]
When Serena Berrey hits a golf ball down the fairway, its trajectory is as long and straight as her own struggle to overcome Type One Juvenile Diabetes. Serena is a senior at Father Tolton Catholic High School in Columbia. “In fifth grade, I was presented with devastating news. I was told I would no longer […]
Dance transformed Kaylin Maggard, a senior at Rock Bridge High School, from a self-described shy and insecure girl into a strong female with high aspirations and a commitment to serve others. “Because of dance, I know the importance of dedication, attention to detail, respect and humility,” Kaylin wrote in her essay. “I have embraced different […]
