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Articles by Madison Stephens
Sparking Potential: How FFA Turned Sparks Into Flames
4.1 min readCategories: FFA in the USATags: ag education, Blue Jackets Bright Futures, Culpeper County FFA, Eastern Region, ffa, FFA in the USA, Future Farmers of Virginia, Growth, Leadership, virginia, Virginia FFA, Women in Agriculture Every journey has a starting point, but sometimes you don’t know it until someone nudges you forward. That nudge — sometimes a gentle push, sometimes an aggressive shove — is what changes everything.
Kettle Run FFA’s Ag Exploration Day Brings Agriculture Alive
3.2 min readCategories: FFA in the USATags: ag advocacy, ag education, ag literacy, Culpeper County FFA, Doing to Learn, Eastern Region, FFA in the USA, hands-on learning, learning to do, virginia, Virginia FFA Kettle Run FFA chapter members teach 4th-grade students from surrounding elementary schools about horse husbandry, safety, and more.
Pastures and Progress: Inside Carroll County FFA
3 min readCategories: FFA in the USATags: ag education, Carroll County FFA, Culpeper County FFA, Doing to Learn, Eastern Region, FFA in the USA, learning to do, virginia, Virginia FFA Carroll County FFA Members give a tour of the school’s land-lab to Virginia Secretary of Agriculture, Katie Frazier. At Carroll County High School in Southwest Virginia, agricultural education is not confined to a classroom.
Ag Access For All: TTAC’s Take On Industry Inclusion
3.9 min readCategories: FFA in the USATags: accessibility, ag education, Ag Education Program Development, agricultural education, Agricultural Education for All, Eastern Region, FFA in the USA, inclusivity, virginia, Virginia FFA Virginia Secretary of Agriculture and Forestry Katie Fraizer discusses the importance of increasing access to education in the agriculture field.
Support That Sparks Success: Wilson Memorial FFA
4.4 min readCategories: FFA in the USATags: ag education, Culpeper County FFA, Doing to Learn, Eastern Region, FFA in the USA, hands-on learning, learning to do, virginia, Virginia FFA, wilson memorial ffa Members of the Wilson Memorial FFA Chapter with Delegate Chris Runion, who regularly attends events, at their Annual Venison Feast. Most students try to avoid failure. In Wilson Memorial FFA, though, members are taught to expect it — and grow because of it.
Deep Roots, Dynamic Learning: Brentsville FFA
3.4 min readCategories: FFA in the USATags: agricultural education, Brentsville FFA, community engagement, Culpeper County FFA, Doing to Learn, Eastern Region, FFA in the USA, hands-on learning, learning to do, virginia, Virginia FFA Members of the Brentsville FFA Chapter participate in the annual AgriMeals for Change event, where they pack hundreds of meals for those in need. At Brentsville FFA, education doesn’t stop at the classroom door; it comes to life through experience.
From Education to Application: Madison County FFA
3.6 min readCategories: FFA in the USATags: Doing to Learn, Eastern Region, FFA in the USA, learning to do, Madison County FFA, Virginia FFA Madison County FFA animal systems students got hands-on experience handling, tagging, docking and giving shots to sheep on their field trip to Shamrock Farm in Staunton, Va. For the Madison County FFA Chapter, the phrase “Learning to Do” is more than a line from the FFA motto; it is the foundation of how students experience agriculture every day.
Mud, Meals and Mayhem: Inside Culpeper County’s FFA Week
4.1 min readCategories: FFA in the USATags: Chapter Leadership, Community Service, Culpeper County FFA, Eastern Region, FFA in the USA, national ffa week, virginia, Virginia FFA Chapter members participate in the 2024 Mud Madness morning warm-up challenge, a staple of the Culpeper County FFA Chapter’s National FFA Week celebration. Chaos. That’s what it looks like at first glance. Students racing against the clock, hands deep in buckets of mud and classmates cheering them on from across the room.
Built by Students, Powered by Purpose: The Fauquier FFA Chapter’s Trip Bopp Farm
Three of Fauquier FFA Trip Bopp Farm’s newborn goats and their mama, only a couple of many. For many students at Fauquier High School in Virginia, agriculture is no longer something learned solely from a textbook; it is experienced firsthand. Through feeding livestock before class, building fences alongside classmates and watching lessons from the classroom take shape in the field, Fauquier FFA is giving members a true farming experience.
Culpeper County’s Farm Tour Cultivates Connection
Culpeper County FFA member Jilian Buell assists a Farm Tour attendee in decorating a pot as part of the Grass Head Planter activity. Americans can rattle off the names of TikTok influencers, memorize viral trends and keep up with the latest fashions. However, how many can explain how their food reaches the grocery store, name a local farmer or say they have experienced agriculture firsthand?
From Farm Fallacies to Food Familiarity
Culpeper County FFA advisor Ty Foster demonstrates the bottle feeding process on Charlie, a Red Devon bull calf. In addition, Foster discussed typical husbandry practices, the importance of removing horns from young bulls, the castrating process and other key practices. Photo courtesy of Lakota Ranch. “Chocolate milk comes from brown cows.” This playful, yet inaccurate statement is a misconception that continues to persist among both children and adults alike.
Rooted in Agriculture, Grounded in Service: One Advisor, Generations of Leaders
In classrooms filled with blue jackets and bright ideas, Stephanie Emmel spent nearly 20 years showing students that true leadership begins with service. From lively discussions around tables to hands-on projects in school gardens and FFA events, her lessons taught students how to lead with purpose and serve their community.
Photovoice within Mental Health Research Involving Adolescents
My blog post summarises a recently published systematic scoping review by Stephens and colleagues (2023), which explores the use of Photovoice within mental health research involving adolescents. Photovoice, a research method developed by Wang and Burris (1997), combines photography and narrative (Mooney & Bhui, 2023), as illustrated in Figure 1. Photovoice has emerged as a powerful tool for researching adolescent mental health (Kaushik et al., 2016).
Battle freshman wins county voter sticker design contest with hands-flag combo
Battle High School freshman Hailey Mendez Roca said she was overwhelmed and surprised to win the Boone County Clerk "I Voted" sticker design contest. "I really didn't expect to win," she said. The Boone County Clerk's Office named Hailey the contest winner on its Twitter in late November. Congratulations to @MurielBattleHS student Hailey Mendez-Roca! Her I Voted sticker design will be featured at our polling places for the 2022-2023 elections.
Battle freshman wins county voter sticker design contest with hands-flag combo
Battle High School freshman Hailey Mendez Roca said that she was overwhelmed and surprised to win the Boone County Clerk “I Voted” sticker design contest. Hailey Mendez Roca, a freshman at Battle High School, won the Boone County Clerk's office "I Voted" sticker design contest. Hailey said that she has been drawing, mostly for herself, since middle school. Tristen Rouse/Missourian “I really didn’t expect to win,” she said.
Columbia students learn gratitude and giving back with food insecurity lesson
Who can tell me what a food pantry is?" Lindsey Mueller asked her third graders at Two Mile Prairie Elementary School on the Monday before Thanksgiving week. Inspired by her own experiences with food insecurity as a child, Mueller used the holiday to teach her class about gratitude and giving back to the community by reading books and organizing a canned food drive.
What's that sound? Pop-it toys find a place with Parkade's English Language learners
From left, first-grade students Razan Ali, Zoey Lam and Nyah Saleh pop the bubbles of pop-it toys to practice sentence structure at Parkade Elementary School on Friday, Oct. 15, in Columbia. Their teacher Beth Butcher said that some students start the school without knowing any English but individual lessons help them to catch up. “Their growth is tremendous,” said Butcher. Beatrice Bankauskaite/Missourian The latest "It" toy has popped up in classrooms in Columbia Public Schools.
Witches, ghosts and carrots: CPS librarians share their favorite Halloween books
Reading scary stories is a much a part of Halloween as carving pumpkins and trick-or-treating. We asked librarians at several Columbia schools for their staff picks of spooky-season books.
Classroom chicks teach CPS students how to say goodbye
From left to right, third grade students Lavelle Buchanan, Tamajah Hayes, Natasha Corona de la Torre, Demetrianna Spivey and Mhegan Smithee sit on a rug across from a group of chicks Sept. 30 at Blue Ridge Elementary School in Columbia. Mhegan said her favorite thing about the chicks is that they chirp and feel soft.
One Read: Mid-Missouri readers share stories inspired by 'Furious Hours'
As part of the Daniel Boone Regional Library’s One Read program, members of the community in Boone and Callaway counties were invited to take inspiration from this year’s selection, “Furious Hours” and tell a tale of another crime using the line “It began with a bang” as a springboard for — and the first sentence of — a mini mystery of their own. The stories could have been based on a historic crime or completely imagined, so long as it told of a crime or of its aftermath.
What's brewing at Alpha Hart? Hot coffee and small-business skills
Damon Williams, 11, left, and James Richardson, 10, pour sugar into cups for the Coffee Cart Club on Friday at Alpha Hart Lewis Elementary School in Columbia. The club delivers drinks to teachers and staff around the school and teaches its student workers math and business skills. The coffee cart is in its third year of operation at the school.
'This one is huge!': Two Mile Prairie's pumpkin patch yields first harvest
Until Tuesday’s change in the weather, the steamy final days of summer still held sway at Two Mile Prairie Elementary School. But the students there have been getting in the fall spirit for weeks, spending time in their pumpkin patch and sunflower field. “Our garden area isn’t roped off, so when the kids are out for recess, they can come over and check on it,” the principal, Amanda Ruyle, said Friday.
Boone Health releases new guidelines for unvaccinated staff
Boone Health is establishing new safety measures for unvaccinated staff, according to a Tuesday news release. Employees who are not fully vaccinated by Oct. 4 will be required to follow additional safety guidelines, including increased restrictions during meals breaks and weekly COVID-19 testing, according to the release.
Death notices for Aug. 16, 2021
Harold "Keith" Burnham, 67, of Columbia died August 13, 2021. A visitation will be held from 5 to 7 p.m. Friday at Bach-Yager Funeral Chapel, 1610 N. Garth Ave. Funeral services will be held at 11 a.m. Saturday at the same location. Katherine Ann Wilson, 48, of Columbia died August 13, 2021. Arrangements are pending. Billy Gene Miller, 85, of Columbia died August 13, 2021. Arrangements are pending. Ernest Daniels, 59, of Columbia died August 14, 2021.
Death notices for Aug. 14, 2021.
Bernice Marie Morris, 97, of Columbia died Aug. 12, 2021. Arrangements are under the care of Nilson-Millard Cremation and Burial Center. Donald Birchler, 82, of Columbia died Aug. 12, 2021. Services will be held 11 a.m. Friday, Aug. 20 at Parker-Millard Funeral Service & Crematory. Inurnment with full military honors will follow at Missouri Veterans Cemetery in Jacksonville, Missouri. Ruby Phillips, 90, of Columbia died Aug. 12, 2021. Arrangements are pending.
Death notices for Aug. 13, 2021
Donald Wheelock Hawley Jr., 74, of Columbia died Aug. 12, 2021. Arrangements are pending. Darlene Marianne Shaw, 88, of Columbia died Aug. 12, 2021. Arrangements are pending. Janet Elizabeth Hughes, 92, of Columbia died Aug. 11, 2021. Arrangements are pending. You must be logged in to participate in the Show Me the Errors contest. Recommended for you Funeral homes often submit obituaries as a service to the families they are assisting. However, we will be happy to accept obituaries from family members.
Construction downtown will cause sidewalk closures and lane restrictions
Construction in downtown Columbia will cause several sidewalk closures and lane restrictions beginning Wednesday. Keith Contracting will be removing signs from buildings located on Elm Street, South Sixth Street, East Walnut Street and Orr Street, according to a Friday news release from the city. The work will take place between 8 a.m. and noon and is scheduled to be completed by next Friday, Aug. 20.
Death notices for Aug. 11, 2021
Myrra Ball, 81, of Columbia died July 21, 2021. Arrangements are pending. George Daniel Smith, 41, of Columbia died Aug. 8, 2021. Arrangements are pending. Donald Ray Harman, 83, of Centralia died Aug. 8, 2021. Visitation will be held at 10 a.m. Friday at the Parkview Christian Church, 120 E. Gano Chance Drive. Funeral services will directly follow at the church. You must be logged in to participate in the Show Me the Errors contest.
Former Rock Bridge student's period product plan expanded to districtwide initiative
What started as a high school civics project is now an initiative in public middle and high schools in Columbia — providing free period products in every girls bathroom. In a perfect world, period products would be equivalent to toilet paper, said Shruti Gautam, a recent Rock Bridge High School graduate who started the project when she was a freshman. “Products should be available in every bathroom,” she said.
Free at-home HIV testing kits now available in Boone County
Free at-home HIV testing kits will be offered by the Columbia/Boone County Public Health and Human Services Department in partnership with the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services, according to a Monday news release. Anyone within the 37-county HIV care region is eligible to have a testing kit shipped to them from the Health Department, and can order a kit at ShowMeCondoms.org/HIV-at-Home-Testing.
New children's autism center to open in downtown Columbia
A new autism center, scheduled to open downtown in September, is accepting referrals for children between the ages of 18 months and 18 years. UCP Heartland Autism Services already has eight patients on the referral list. The center on South Fourth Street in Columbia works with children one-on-one and in social skills groups, according to Laura Barnes, the center's clinical director.
Former city employee urges council to look into city manager's actions
City Manager John Glascock issued a news release Monday prior to the City Council meeting denying he abused his power after allegations from a former city employee surfaced last week. In a letter sent last week to city staff, former budget officer Kyle Rieman accused Glascock of falsifying information, deleting emails and intimidation. While Glascock said he was unwilling to discuss the issues publicly because they are personnel matters, he denied the allegations.
Death notice for July 31, 2021
Woody L. Wright, 82, of Columbia died July 29, 2021. A graveside service will be held at 11 a.m. Wednesday, August 4, at Memorial Park Funeral Home of Columbia. You must be logged in to participate in the Show Me the Errors contest. Recommended for you Funeral homes often submit obituaries as a service to the families they are assisting. However, we will be happy to accept obituaries from family members. The first 100 words are free; over 100 words is $0.50/word.
Young Collector's Day introduces Columbia's kids to the world of art collection
Volunteer Leann Porrello, left, helps Rebekah Fox, 10, pick out a piece of art during the Young Collector’s Day event Saturday at the Columbia Art League in Columbia. This event was a make-up for “Art in the Park,” which was canceled this past year due to COVID-19. Sydney Lukasezck/Missourian More than half of the clothes in Rose Landrum’s closet are pink.
Death notices for July 30, 2021
Harold Foley, 91, of Ashland died July 27, 2021. A service will be held at 3 p.m., Saturday, August 14 at Rejoice Free Will Baptist Church at 1900 Chapel Hill Road. Charles Elvin Batye, 63, of Columbia died July 28, 2021. Arrangements are pending. David Lee Sprague, 63, of Columbia died July 29, 2021. Arrangements are pending.
One death related to COVID-19 reported Friday in Boone County
One death related to COVID-19 was reported in Boone County on Friday, according to a tweet from Columbia/Boone County Public Health and Human Services. The deceased was in the 80+ age group and died July 15, according to the tweet. This was the second COVID-19 death in Boone County in July. This brings the total to 119 COVID-19 deaths in Boone County, with the majority of deaths in the 80+ age group. There were 78 cases recorded Friday, bringing the total number of active cases in the county to 781.
Incoming MU medical students in the class of 2025 are the most diverse to date
Growing up in the small river town of Hannibal, Brooke Burton heard inspirational stories about members of her family in the medical field. Tales about her grandfather saving lives in rural Missouri were shared around the dinner table, as were her uncle's wild stories about his work as an orthopedic surgeon. When Burton's anatomy teacher boosted her confidence about a medical career in high school, she decided to pursue her dreams.
MU to reinstate temporary indoor mask requirements Monday
MU will reinstate indoor mask mandates regardless of vaccination status beginning Monday, according to a Thursday campus update from the MU Incident Command Team. All students, faculty, staff and visitors will be required to wear masks in classrooms and meeting spaces where social distancing is not possible, according to the update. The temporary requirement will be in place until Sept. 15. Those who are not fully vaccinated will be required to wear a mask indoors on campus.
MoDot construction on Stadium will close some I-70 ramps
On July 26 and 27, the I-70 eastbound exit ramp and westbound entrance ramp will be closed. Additionally, two of the three northbound lanes on Stadium Boulevard will be closed July 26, with only one northbound lane closed July 27. On July 28 and 29, the I-70 westbound exit ramp and eastbound entrance ramp will be closed. Additionally, two of the three southbound lanes of Stadium Boulevard will be closed July 28, with only one southbound lane closed July 29.
4H and FFA youth take on first livestock show of the 2021 Boone County Fair
Kaden Francis, 10, grinned from ear to ear Thursday as he stood next to his chicken, Nugget, at the Boone County Fair.. “He’s a black-breasted red old English game bantam,” said Kaden, who lives in Hallsville. A member of 4-H, Kaden was excited to show off his regal-looking chicken, a popular breed for poultry shows with a docile nature. The heritage breed originated in England and was often used in cockfights.
City Council tables proposal to lease 99 parking spaces to the Cherry Street Hotel
A discussion about four proposals by Cherry Street Hotel developers made up a significant part of Monday night’s City Council meeting. Council members tabled a vote to allow the hotel to lease 99 parking spaces in the Tenth and Cherry Municipal Parking Garage. These spaces would accommodate guests of the future six-story, 140-room hotel.
Water Festival connects communities with Missouri waterways
Gatlin Lucas, 7, looks inside a turtle shell during the Water Festival on Saturday at Rock Bridge Memorial State Park. Steve Ferguson, a naturalist, talked about the different native turtle species of Missouri as the children examined the specimens displayed. Tanishka R./Missourian Colorful watercolor paintings, made with water from Gans Creek, whip in the wind on a laundry line tied between two trees early Saturday morning. Down the path, children search the creek’s edge for rocks and critters.
Christian Fellowship celebrates expansion and relocation with first Sunday services
Lorenzo Scott sings on stage to open the 9 a.m. service Sunday. Senior pastor Phil Schaefer envisioned loud services. “People say, ‘Oh, Sunday will be a show?’ It will be if I have my way,” Schaefer said. Cianna Rothwell Morales/Missourian After two decades of fundraising, planning and construction, Christian Fellowship celebrated Sunday with its first services in a new Chapel Hill facility. The congregation’s gathering was joyful and jubilant, complete with singing, dancing, food and laughter.
Tree defender Sutu Forté trial set for end of July
Environmental activist Sutu Forté made headlines in the fall of 2019 when she camped out in a red oak tree to protest the construction of the Shepard to Rollins trail connector. After a week in the tree, Forté was forcibly removed by the Columbia Fire Department and then arrested by the Columbia Police Department for first-degree trespassing. Later this month, Forté will stand before Judge Kimberly Shaw and a jury of her peers to determine whether she is guilty.
Death notice for July 1, 2021
Robert Earl Foster, 57, of Columbia died June 25, 2021. A visitation will be held from 1 to 2 p.m. Friday, July 9, at Parker-Millard Funeral Service & Crematory immediately followed by a funeral service. You must be logged in to participate in the Show Me the Errors contest. Recommended for you Funeral homes often submit obituaries as a service to the families they are assisting. However, we will be happy to accept obituaries from family members.
Four-company team named as contractors for Missouri River bridge
A team of companies from Wisconsin, Virginia, Tennessee and Minnesota has been selected to design and build the new Interstate 70 bridge over the Missouri River near Rocheport, according to a news release from the Missouri Highways and Transportation Commission. The team will consist of Lunda Construction Co. from Wisconsin, Parsons Transportation Group from Virginia, Dan Brown & Associates from Tennessee and Hugh Zeng United from Minnesota. The current bridge, built in 1960, is in poor condition.
Friday storms continued throughout the night producing record rainfall
A series of storms that began early Friday morning resumed Friday night and caused worsening road conditions and flash flooding Saturday. The National Weather Service recorded a total of 5.26 inches of rainfall Friday at Columbia Regional Airport. This smashed the previous record for June 25, which was 3 inches, set in 2003. The weather station at MU’s Sanborn Field recorded a whopping 6.98 inches of total rainfall Friday. By 3 p.m. Saturday, Sanborn Field had recorded another 0.55 inch of rainfall.
Judge grants Columbia man compassionate release for 2012 marijuana charges
U.S. District Judge Stephen Bough granted the compassionate release motion for Eric Scott McCauley, according to a Weldon Project press release Thursday. McCauley, a Columbia man, was sentenced in 2012 to 23 years for marijuana and money-laundering felonies. “The Court finds further incarceration is not needed to reflect the seriousness of Defendant’s crimes, promote respect for the law, or provide just punishment for his offenses,” Judge Bough stated in his order.
Boone County to receive 3 to 4 inches of rain over the next three days
The National Weather Service in St. Louis has predicted Boone County will get 3 to 4 inches of rain over the next 72 hours. The Boone County Office of Emergency Management said there is good potential for flooding of creeks and streams throughout the county, according to a Thursday news release. Boone County was expected to be under a flash flood warning until Saturday morning, weather service meteorologist Jon Carney said.
Missouri Senate convenes for first day of special session
JEFFERSON CITY — Critical race theory, abortion and federal reimbursement allowances were the topics of conversation in the Senate on Wednesday, the first day of the First Extraordinary Session.
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