The Poplar Bluff High School Competition Cheer Squad won the Class 4 Large Squad division of the Missouri Cheerleading Coaches Association State Championship on Sunday, Oct. 5, in the Hearnes Center at the University of Missouri in Columbia.

The Cheer Squad previously took home for the first time is school history the state championship last year, just several months after Varsity Cheerleading Coach Stephanie Hillis reinstated competitive cheerleading at PBHS, with the blessing of Athletics Director Kent Keith.

Click here to read about the Competition Cheer Squad's national accolades.

Above: On Monday, law enforcement officials from the Poplar Bluff Police Department and the Missouri State Highway Patrol escorted the cheerleaders and their coaching staff back to PBHS, where the entire campus community lined the sidewalks to welcome them.

Below: Members of the area media interviewed the Competition Cheer Squad on Monday when the cheerleaders returned victorious from the state championship.

Poplar Bluff High School senior Emily Walls was named the 2014 Football Homecoming Queen during the football game versus Maplewood-Richmond Heights on Friday at Morrow Stadium. The Mules won 48-20.

Above: Walls is shown being escorted by classmate Tyler Norton during the pep rally earlier in the day at E.T. Peters Gym.

Below: The Homecoming Court-[from left] Leeza Edmundson, Steven Halter, Halle Huffman, Briar Alford, Tyler Norton, Emily Walls, Cassidy Harris, Austin Jefferson, Bailey Alford and Mallory Dye-is introduced by Student Council vice-president Trevor Asher.

Emergency medical technician Lauren Lady and paramedic David Ross of Butler County Emergency Medical Services visited Eugene Field Elementary School in an ambulance on Wednesday, Oct. 1, to discuss their profession as well as safety with second graders.

The students-under the instruction of Kristen Kassinger, Kylee Moss, April Sandlin, Kristen Spain and Shannon Wilkerson-recently went over the story "Time For Kids: A Trip to the Emergency Room" in class.

"Our goal with that presentation was to expand our students' background knowledge on the subject of emergencies and how to handle them proactively, to expand career goals by learning about important careers in the community and how leadership impacts those positions, and to develop vocabulary related to the medical field to assist with students' understanding of our non-fiction text selection," Spain explained.

Below: [From left] Austin Smith, Troy Parnell, Kenyon Chappell and Nicholai Lane get to see the inside of one of the three ambulances operated by Butler County EMS.

Poplar Bluff High School juniors and seniors were recently given the opportunity to participate in Preview Days during which students took a tour of Three Rivers College, received academic program overviews as well as information on federal aid.

The PBHS counseling department-comprised of Susan Brown, Tamara Day, Tina Wilkins and Regina Williams-accompanied the students. In partnership with the community college, the counselors plan to host the visit annually.

Above: [From left] PBHS seniors Melina Gonzalez, Darian Sales and Macy Beller; Three Rivers Student Services Associate Zach McAnulty; and seniors Destinee Harmon, Melissa Lam, Brooke Smith and Jessenia Ellis meet Rocky Raider, the Three Rivers mascot, on Wednesday, Oct. 1. 

On Friday, Sept. 26, Poplar Bluff High School seniors Madison Rose [left] and Darian Sales-one of five appointed ambassadors of the Graduate to Mas program-take the countdown to graduation pledge.

Sponsored by the Taco Bell Foundation for Teens, the incentive program begins with PBHS students signing an online pledge to graduate, then high schoolers participate in various activities-including researching careers and college scholarships, and completing SAT and ACT prep questions-to earn points toward prizes throughout each round of the competition.

Poplar Bluff High School students interested in a career in the medical field recently viewed a video presentation from the Area Health Education Centers during advisory, and later were provided applications to the national organization. The AHEC motto is connecting students to careers, professionals to communities and communities to better health.

Above: PBHS juniors and seniors who signed up are pictured on Monday, Sept. 22, watching testimonials by students across the country explaining the benefits of joining AHEC.

Poplar Bluff High School students of the Future Business Leaders of America and DECA clubs participated in the annual St. Louis Cardinals Career Day last month at Busch Stadium.

The field trip, topped off with a Cardinals baseball game against the Pittsburg Pirates, included a college fair. Chaperoning the students were instructors Jordan Bidewell, Will Durden, Tracey Hall, Crystal Huddleston and Heather Pullam.