Learning briefs 5/2/06

SCHOLARSHIPS

• Kiwanis Club of Cape Girardeau awarded $1,000 scholarships to high school seniors: Ashley Ducharme, Jami Dement, Austin Johnson, Corrie Gerecke, Carson Kelley III, Tyler LeGrand, Danielle Gross, Madison Lowrance, Jared Thomas, Erica Ruopp, Rachel Hendrickson, Candice Hoffman and Molly Horrell, all of Cape Girardeau; Regina Bullinger, Kelsey Koehler, Andrew Bertrand and Jacob Wengert, all of Jackson; Lauren Dirnberger and Lucas Dirnberger, both of Oran, Mo.; William Pecord of Thebes, Ill.; David Welker of Gordonville; Jacob Hayden and Joshua Hayden, both of Perryville, Mo.; Eden Ellison of Tamms, Ill.; and Katelyn Vance of Scott City.

Ducharme, Bullinger, Lauren and Lucas Dirnberger, Pecord, Gerecke, LeGrand, Bertrand, Wengert, Ellison, Ruopp, Hendrickson, Vance, Hoffman and Horrell attend Notre Dame Regional High School.

Dement, Johnson, Kelley, Gross, Lowrance and Thomas attend Cape Girardeau Central High School.

Welker and Koehler attend Jackson High School.

Jacob and Joshua Hayden attend Perryville High School.

• Tina Wright, administrative assistant at Franklin Elementary School, was recognized for her role with Practical Parenting Partnerships at the Practical Parenting Partnerships Family Festival at Osage Beach, Mo., in March. School officials said she used her creativity to facilitate family movie nights, multicultural nights and love-of-reading nights. Last year, as parent liaison, she made more than 50 home visits and provided community resources assistance to more than 25 families.

* Mineral Area College of Park Hills, Mo., will honor Dr. Gregory Leet of Cape Girardeau as one of the community college's most distinguished alumni at a commencement ceremony on May 13. A member of the American Optometric Association, Leet specializes in contact lenses. He has been involved in numerous clinical trials for new lens designs.

* Dr. John Kraemer, assistant professor of the environmental science program at Southeast Missouri State University, has been named recipient of the 2005-2006 Distinguished Alumni Award by Indiana State University's College of Health and Human Performance.

-- From staff reports