The Poplar Bluff Middle School has some features that are unique this year, not just to the district, but on a statewide scale.
With the addition of fourth grade into the configuration, freeing up space at the four lower elementaries, the Middle School is one of the largest upper elementary in Missouri with about 1,200 students, according to data compiled by Principal Dr. Brad Owings.
“My goal is to make Poplar Bluff Middle School a model that other schools seek out and visit,” Owings stated. “When another district calls me saying they want to learn about such and such, that’s when we know we’re doing something right.”
With the 40,000 square-foot addition to the facility, STEM classes (science, technology, engineering and math) have been added to the curriculum—featuring robotics, computer coding, 3-D printing and virtual reality activities. The new front door to the building is a state-of-the-art media center. In place of what was formerly known as C-Building—the science wing—sits a one-of-a-kind enclosed playground for purposes of enhanced safety and security.
The Middle School has gone 2:1 under the district’s digital transformation, meaning a Google Chromebook laptop has been issued to every two students. The combination of technology and makerspaces helps drive the educational institution well into the 21st century, according to Owings, who noted that no innovations will ever replace his top-notch teaching staff.