Nixa Public Schools announced last week John Thomas School of Discovery (JTSD) received the International Technology and Engineering Education Association’s (ITEEA) STEM School of Excellence award for the second year in a row. more

Earlier this month, on Dec. 12, 2023, the Christian County Commission voted 2-1 to adopt Senate Bill 190. more

The Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) has released the statewide Annual Performance Reports (APRs) for the 2022-23 school year. APRs demonstrate the progress local education agencies (LEAs) and their individual buildings are making towards meeting the Standards and Indicators in the sixth version of the Missouri School Improvement Program (MSIP 6). more

A Houston, Texas, man was indicted by a federal grand jury on Dec. 19, 2023, for his role in the theft from an automated teller machine (ATM) at an Ozark bank. more

Children’s Smile Center and Santa’s Toy Drive have each received a $10,000 grant from the Community Foundation of the Ozarks (CFO) through the Delta Dental Rural Youth Program. The grants will support dental health for children in each organization’s service area — Christian, Stone, Taney, Lawrence, Dade and Barry counties for Children’s Smile Center and Christian County for Santa’s Toy Drive. more

Josie Orellana passed away last week, according to a Facebook post by her father, Frank. more

The Christian County Collector’s office will be closed on the following dates: more

Ozark School District Assistant Superintendent of Learning Dr. Craig Carson was recently presented with the inaugural Linda Dorn Leadership Award at the Missouri Association of Reading Recovery Educators conference, recognizing his outstanding leadership in the field of literacy within the District and across the state of Missouri. more

Ozark School District police were honored Dec. 12 at the Christian County Sheriff’s Office annual Christmas party and awards ceremony with three service awards and four life-saving awards. more

After leading the District as interim superintendent for the first half of the school year, Dr. Lori Wilson will now officially lead the Ozark School District as superintendent. The Ozark Board of Education chose Wilson during a special closed-session meeting on the evening of Dec. 13 following a day of in-person formal interviews with three finalists. The vote was unanimous. more

Ozarks Food Harvest donated their 6 millionth meal to Least Of These, Inc. on Thursday, Dec. 14 in celebration of their 25-year-long partnership that began in 1998. Through their partnership with Ozarks Food Harvest, Least Of These distributes USDA food, “Senior Boxes,” fresh produce and additional food items to more than 1,400 families each month. more

Mia Hatten was so inspired by the Girl Scout Cookie Program that she recruited two of her neighborhood friends, Asa and Tucker. Together, they created a business called Stick Pickers, where they help their neighbors by picking up the sticks in their yard for them. more