According to Christian County Sheriff Brad Cole, on April 28, 2023, at approximately 4:10 p.m., Christian County deputies assigned to campus security at the Christian County Justice Center (110 West Elm Street) observed a physical altercation across the street on the Ozark Square. more

What if an entire community read the same book during the same month? What if the book everyone read together has a unifying message about kindness, neighborliness and friendship? What if everyone celebrated these lessons with family-friendly events where readers can come together to discuss? more

During the Rural Philanthropy Summit on April 25, the Community Foundation of the Ozarks (CFO) presented Cynthia Glenn with a Board Member of Excellence Award. She serves as a board member for the Finley River Community Foundation (FRCF). more

Over spring break, members of Ozark High School’s (OHS) Educators Rising traveled to Westminster College in Fulton for the state competition. All 14 students who competed placed in the top five of their respective events, with six placing first overall in their events. They will all move on to compete at the national competition in Florida over the summer. more

The Nixa Reader’s Theatre competed in the Missouri State High School Activities Association State Theatre Competition at the end of April. They competed in semi-finals on Thursday, April 20, and advanced to finals on Friday, April 21. Only four schools in the state of Missouri advanced to finals. Nixa’s Reader’s Theatre received third place overall. They performed “The House in the Cerulean Sea” by T.J. Klune. more

Nixa High School’s Meghana Nakkanti was recently named a semifinalist for the 2023 U.S. Presidential Scholars Program. more

On April 23, 150 Nixa High School choir students traveled to Worlds of Fun in Kansas City to compete in the Festival of Choirs. more

Nixa choir and band students participated at the Missouri State High School Activities Association (MSHSAA) State Solo and Small Ensemble Music Festival on the campus of the University of Missouri on April 27. more

Nixa High School DECA (Distributive Education Clubs of America) members earned the organization’s highest honors at DECA’s annual International Career Development Conference (ICDC) in Orland, Florida, on April 22-25, 2023. A competition is also held during the conference. more

Jarad Giddens became the new mayor of Nixa when he won the April 4 general municipal election in Christian County. He took over the role from Mayor Brian Steele. more

Ozark School District is welcoming two new assistant principals for the 2023-24 school year. The Board of Education, at the April 13 meeting, approved Ashley Penrod as assistant principal for Tiger Paw Early Childhood Center and Brandon Scott for Ozark Middle School. Current Tiger Paw Assistant Principal Brianna Kelly is transitioning to East Elementary. more

Nixa Parks & Recreation announced a grand opening ceremony for the new inclusive playground at McCauley Park will be held Tuesday, May 2, 2023, from 5:00-7:00 p.m. Local media and members of the Nixa community are invited to attend this ceremony. In conjunction with the ribbon cutting for the new nearly $1 million playground, the City will celebrate that PlayCore, a leading company in play and recreation research, programming and products, recently awarded its National Demonstration Site™ Award to Nixa Parks & Recreation. more

Bryan Properties plans to open the first 60 of 240 planned units at the upcoming River Ranch apartment complex in Ozark. The project marks the first development of this scale in Christian County, as well as one of the first big pushes by a developer to increase the county’s population, and ultimately, the workforce. more

After serving as Ozark superintendent for the past five years, Dr. Chris Bauman is retiring at the end of the 2022-23 school year. The Board of Education accepted his retirement during the April 13 board meeting, effective June 30, 2023. more

Don Currence became the new mayor of Ozark when he won the April 4 general municipal election in Christian County. He took over the role from Interim Mayor RJ Flores, who stepped in after Bradley Jackson resigned to become Christian County’s Eastern Commissioner. more

The City of Ozark has been selected to receive $1.179 million in American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds for local tourism projects from The Missouri Department of Economic Development as part of Missouri’s Local Tourism Asset Development program. more

Karson Robb competed at the Missouri National Archery in the Schools Program (NASP) State Championship in Branson. This archery tournament had 3,571 students compete in the event. more

The Ozark School District welcomed three newly-elected members to the Board of Education following the April 4 election. Newcomers Amber Bryant, Guy Callaway and Christina Tonsing were sworn onto the Board at the April 13 meeting. The Board voted to re-elect incumbent Sarah Adams Orr to serve as president and Mark Jenkins as vice president for the 2023-24 school year. more

Mathews Elementary has been recognized as a Model Professional Learning Community (PLC) at Work®, one of only 500 schools and districts in the U.S. and Canada to receive this honor, and the second school in the district. more

There’s not much more adorable than seeing 7- and 8-year-olds escort you to your table, take your order, prepare and deliver your food, clear your table and then collect payment. more

The first leases have been signed at River Ranch, the new family-friendly apartment community in Ozark. more

Over spring break, members of Ozark High School’s FCCLA (Family, Career and Community Leaders of America) competed in their state competition and finished with some impressive awards. Of the students who competed, five are advancing to nationals, which will be held in Denver in July. more

A general municipal election will be held in Christian County on Tuesday, April 4, 2023. Christian County Headliner staff have reached out to the candidates in this upcoming election, offering an opportunity to explain their platform to their constituents. more

The 27th Annual NIXPO Business and Community Expo was held this past weekend on Mar. 18 at the Nixa High School. more

Xaniyah Williams, a 5th grader at Sparta Schools, received accolades from the Christian County Lions Club on Mar. 8, 2023, for the Lions Club International Peace Poster contest. more