Do you have announcements regarding any of Mr. Hoggatt’s former students? Please email or visit Mr. Hoggatt with your news. Below are the latest reports.
Also, use these links to access our slideshows and scrapbooks:
Class of 2017
Class of 2016
Class of 2015
November 25, 2009: Reanna
REANNA came by for a look-see at the end of the school day, yesterday. I didn’t get to talk to her without the fourth graders, but it was super getting to see this jewel of a student. I hope she is attacking many challenges in school (and that she is able to visit again soon).
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November 10, 2009: Media Showcase
News from Joplin High School:
Joplin High School TV Production students took top honors at the thirteenth annual Southern Media Showcase held November 5, 2009 at Missouri Southern State University. Each year, the competition offers high school students the opportunity to showcase their best video work.
Ten area high schools competed in this year’s Media Showcase, with JHS students winning first place in six of the eight categories. Additionally, over half of the competition’s 30 awards were brought home by Joplin students, including the “Sweepstakes” award for best overall video production.
“The TV Production students along with myself and Danny Craven are very excited about this recognition,” says TV Production instructor Bruce VonderHaar. “I am very proud of all the kids who submitted entries for this showcase.”
Graduates from our fourth grade class in this group include MEGAN, who brought home first place in the Newscast category for JET-14, and second place in the Long Format category for “Eagle Outlook”. MAKIAH earned Honorable Mention in the Music Video category for “The Garden”. HAYLEE C. won third place for the Commercial/PSA category with something called “Nairy Hairy”.
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November 1, 2009: Another Sister
LAUREN dropped in for a quick hello one day in the last couple of weeks with her sister and mom.
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October 24, 2009: Sisters
HAYLEY and ANGELICA (from two years ago) came by during parent conferences to give a hug and a hello to “the best teacher”. Their siblings still attend our school.
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October 12, 2009: MMS
I had a meeting at Memorial Middle School after school today. Since the elementary schools get out earlier than the middle schools, there were lots of students in the halls to greet me. I felt like a rock star amidst the crowd.
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October 8, 2009: Angelica and Chance
ANGELICA and CHANCE have both stopped by to say a quick hello. They are both looking good. I hope Middle School is treating my friends well.
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September 25, 2009: Barbara
As I was checking for my mail in the office, this week, a lady was enrolling her kindergartner and her first grader. When she saw me, she asked if I recognized her.
“Vaguely,” I replied.
“BARBARA,” said she.
Oh yes, I have to remember BARBARA, from my first Joplin class – 1995/6. BARBARA was one of a group of girls that had issues more likened to middle school. I remember constantly talking to these three or four girls about friendship.
Of course, it is a strange feeling to realize that my former fourth grader has a child older than my own.
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September 4, 2009: Kendra
KENDRA felt compelled to remind me that I am old! Yesterday, I was excited to read her email to me, but was shocked to hear that she has been out of the fourth grade for 12 years now, is in her fourth year at MSSU, and plans to teach school. Not only that, but she says she is engaged to a police officer.
She succeeded in touching my heart with her comments about her year in my class and the things that inspired her to enter the education field. It puts a teacher on top of the world to hear such things.
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August 27, 2009: Krystal and Quinton
I have neglected to comment on a few “old” students in the last couple of weeks.
KRYSTAL came by to see her sister (in Mr. C’s class) and made a point to visit me on the playground. I am very proud of this former student. KRYSTAL had a terrific academic run in Joplin Schools and earned many awards and scholarships last year.
EMMA continues to attend church services with her “friend”. She also continues to be quite kind and very personable.
After years of presenting devotional messages and sermons at church myself, QUINTON has begun to do the same. Five years ago, QUINTON nominated me for the Golden Apple Award (I’m convinced his touching letter was the thing that won over the judges.). I guess the teacher has become the student.
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August 15, 2009: JHS
When I was greeting the new teachers, this week, the high schoolers were at the high school receiving their schedules. I’m not sure how many of those kids I recognized (You change so much since fourth grade.), but some recognized me. I’ll remind you that I have a terrible memory. That doesn’t mean it can’t be jogged, but if you want to avoid embarassment, please reintroduce yourself.
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August 10, 2009: Lauren
LAUREN (2008/9) emailed me, this morning, to let me know that she has arrived in Switzerland after some time in Italy. What a phenomenal experience! Hopefully, she will be rested and ready for school to start in just nine days! (Bringing me a souvenir?)
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August 3, 2009: Top Honors
The 2008/9 Top Honors (PDF download) for the district are now posted on the district’s website. A quick glance with my forgetful old brain revealed some names I recognized from our fourth grade class. There were a lot of names to read, and I know I missed some of you (and honestly may not have recognized some names after all these years; if you contact me on our Front Page, I’ll add you to the list).
- At Joplin High School: JUSTIN, KRYSTAL, HAYLEE, AMIE, DAVID, MICHELLE, LYDIA, JOSH, ETHAN, ZACHARY, and TIFFANI
- At Memorial Middle School: MEGHAN, MAKAYLA, SAM, LAUREN, WAYNE, CHANCE, BAILEY, and XENA.
- At Cecil Floyd (Fifth Grade): CHLOE, URIEL, HAYLEY, ASHDENS, MACK, LAUREN, IAN, KENZIE, TRENT, KYLE, TRENT, and DOUGLAS
- At Cecil Floyd (Fourth Grade): LAUREN, ALEXANDRA, JERRA, NATHANAEL, KEELEY, SYDNEY, KAYLN, KELSEY, ELAINA, ODELL, KINSLEY, ANDREW, and MICHAEL
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July 30, 2009: Elaina and Jerra
ELAINA emailed me yesterday and reports that she and JERRA have have a fun summer. She has spent time at Silver Dollar City.
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July 18, 2009: Mike
Yesterday, I was at the Joplin Public Library when a young man approached me and said my name. It was a student named MIKE. MIKE was in my class in the first couple of years of my moving to Joplin, and he remembered things we had done in class that I had completely forgotten about. Like most students, though, he remembered building and leading tours through Hoggatt Cave. MIKE now works for KSNF-TV here in town.
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July 4, 2009: Disney Vacation
This girl (pictured at right) writes that her summer has been full with visits to Florida and Michigan. In Florida she went to Disney World and to Daytona Beach, and in Michigan she visited the zoo.
Hearing from three students in the last three days reminds me of the fantastic year we had this year!
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July 3, 2009: Summer Doings
LAUREN (from our 2008/9 class) reports that she is having a lot of fun this summer. It sounds like she has had an exciting time, even visiting an underwater cave. Her group caught some sharks in the ocean this summer, as well.
So now we know how June went for NATHANAEL and for LAUREN. How is YOUR summer going?
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July 2, 2009: Nathanael
NATHANAEL just concluded his stint at summer school. Yesterday was the last day. I was at the school for a meeting and saw NATHANAEL at dismissal. He said his mom made him come to summer school because she didn’t want him to be bored at home. Sorry about that, N-Dawg.
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June 1, 2009: Kaylee and Jerra
I’ve made some former student spottings outside of school, during this last week. On Saturday, I spotted KAYLEE in the ThuNderaTion line at Silver Dollar City, and today, JERRA shared the audience with us at the Pixar movie, UP.
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May 21, 2009: Congratulations
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May 20, 2009: Emma
What a great surprise to see EMMA. She visited our church devotional and Bible class with a friend. EMMA was in a memorable fourth grade class five years ago, the year my daughter was born. Her mother made my daughter a blanket that the whole family still fights over.
That was the same year I received the Golden Apple award. I don’t think I could ever forget that year and all the emotions associated with it.
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May 16, 2009: Matthew and Meghan
According to the superintendent’s electronic newsletter, nine Joplin High School juniors, including former student MATTHEW, have been selected to attend Boys State and Girls State, summer leadership and citizenship programs to be held in June. Says the newsletter, “Considered to be among the most respected educational programs of government instruction for high school students, Boys State is sponsored by the American Legion, and Girls State is sponsored by the American Legion Auxiliary.
“Since the 1930’s, Boys State and Girls State have given young people the opportunity to learn first-hand how their state and local governments work. Each year, program participants spend an intensive week of study, working together as self-governing citizens in preparation for their future roles as responsible adult citizens.”
In the same newsletter was MATTHEW’s sister, MEGHAN. Several Memorial Middle School students in Mrs. Schwab’s art classes drew posters and wrote essays for the annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. poster and essay contest. Eighth grader MEGHAN won 3rd place. She was presented with a Wal-Mart gift card.
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May 12, 2009: Amanda and Sierra
Some cheerleaders invaded our cafeteria today. AMANDA and SIERRA separated from the group to say hi to their old teacher. I was amazed at how much taller these girls have gotten in the few years since they were in my class.
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May 10, 2009: Once Upon a Mattress
We went to the high school musical, Once Upon a Mattress, Thursday evening, and I saw several former students. CECIL was on stage and even took part in a quick ballet/pantomime at the beginning of the show. MAKIAH was backstage running the sound, and DAVID was in charge of the lighting. I was very proud of QUINTON playing lead violin (sister GRACE was in the audience to watch him play a number of solos), and JONATHON who played lead trumpet. TIFFANI also said hi in the hall. It was overwhelming to see so many former students in one place.
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May 5, 2009: Poetry
Linda Norwood, Communication Arts teacher at Memorial Middle School, reports that LAUREN’s poetry has been accepted for publication in Creative Communication: A Celebration of Poets. She, and others from MMS will advance to the next level of the contest.
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April 29, 2009: Writers’ Guild
An email from the high school indicates that the results of the First Annual JHS Writers’ Guild Writing Contest have been released.
Former Student TIFFANI earned Honorable Mention in both the Poetry, with a piece entitled “Storm”, and in the Fiction category with a story called “The Artist”. “The Artist” shows the torment of an artist who is torn between his dark side and “showing the colorful side of Mr. Vincent Kiel” to sell his paintings. Judges remarked that TIFFANI “does some fine descriptive writing in this story that gives us a glimpse inside one man’s artistic temperament.”
It was also great seeing JAED’EN yesterday at Cecil Floyd.
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April 23, 2009: Michelle
Congratulations to the JHS Math League team for placing first in Division 4A in the 2008/9 MSSU Math League Competition. The team was also the top scoring team of all divisions. Also congratulations to MICHELLE for receiving the top individual for division 4A.
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April 11, 2009: Petey
BAILEY stopped in to chat. She asked if I’d read Petey to the class yet, the story obviously stamped into her memory from two years ago.
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April 3, 2009: Science Fair
A year ago, I wrote about MICHELLE’s project in Physics and Astronomy earned her first place in the regional science fair at MSSU. Today, I write about the same girl at the same annual event. This year, MICHELLE earned the Senior Prize at the science fair and remains a key player in math and science in our region.
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March 30, 2009: Micayla
MICAYLA emails me quite a bit. She recently got stuck on Powder Keg at Silver Dollar City when the coaster stopped short of the station. More importantly, she is keeping up with her work in gymnastics and recently competed in Kansas City. She reports that she earned first on double-mini, third on tumbling, and fifth on trampoline.
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February 26, 2009: FBLA
Rayma Taylor, business teacher at Franklin Technology Center, reports that the Future Business Leaders of America for Joplin High School has recently competed in the District 17 contest and took the Sweepstakes Award for the sixth year in a row. Among the students competing, I found ETHAN, KRYSTAL, and ZACHARY.
ETHAN won first place in Public Speaking I and third place in Banking and Financial Systems. KRYSTAL won first place in Spreadsheet and fourth place in Help Desk. ZACHARY brought home second place in Introduction to Parliamentary Procedures, and fifth place in Introduction to Business Communication.
These are tough categories in a contest involving 580 students from 20 area schools. There are some good things happening at Franklin Tech. I’m proud to see my students’ names making the list.
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February 24, 2009: Ashlee
It was fantastic to receive an email from ASHLEE, a 2008 graduate from high school. ASHLEE was fairly quiet when she was in our classroom so many years ago. She told me she is working in a craft store in town, but that she is looking at entering college to become a high school guidance counselor. That has to be a tough job, but somebody needs to do it, and I’m glad ASHLEE has such aspirations.
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February 9, 2009: Tosha
Word is that TOSHA has moved to another state. I wish her well, and would love to hear from her in the coming years.
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February 3, 2009: David
DAVID graced our presence during Math League coaching for the fourth grade, today. Now at Joplin High, DAVID was a student in my class, and he himself was on the math team. In fact, while under our tutelage, DAVID never received anything less that first place at the math contests he attended. That tradition continues for DAVID, as he is still interested in advanced math classes.
It was nice to see this fine young man, and even nicer when he taught Mr. C, the fourth graders, and me a couple of things about dividing fractions. Some things don’t change.
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February 2, 2009: Brandon and Catelyn
I saw BRANDON when he accompanied his sister for enrollment in our class. His sister, CATELYN, reports that BRANDON is now 13.
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February 1, 2009: Jody
I found a picture of a highly memorable student in today’s Joplin Globe. JODY, who now attends school at Thomas Jefferson Independent Day School, was recently in that school’s homecoming court. When I turned the page, I noticed that JODY is also named on the school’s list of honor roll students. I would expect nothing less.
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January 21, 2009: Chris and Samuel
It was really cool and unexpected to see CHRIS. He came in during fifth grade Math League tutoring after school. CHRIS was in my class, five years ago when we adopted our daughter, and my fondest memory of the boy is when the secretary came over the intercom to inform me that the birthparents had been to court to finalize the relinquishment of their custody. I was leaning on a desk at the time, reading a story to the class, and I was speechless – stunned by the wonderful news I had just received.
I had already told the class I was expecting such a call, but when the moment came I was overcome with emotion. Suddenly it all bubbled up, and I couldn’t contain it. I covered my face with my hand to hide my tears, and it was stout little CHRIS who brought me a tissue. I suppose CHRIS will always be an integral part of that memory. It touched me deeply that he had such a compassionate heart.
When CHRIS came to the door, today, I recognized him instantly, even though it has been five years. I don’t usually recognize former students with all their physical changes, but this high school freshman swept into my memory immediately.
I also had CHRIS’s brother, SAMUEL, in a previous class. CHRIS reports that SAMUEL is currently looking for a job. Here’s to hoping they both have a fulfilling and peaceful future.
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December 4, 2008: All-City Singers
My daughter and I were thrilled to attend the All-City Singers holiday concert, Tuesday. We thoroughly enjoyed the wonderful singing, directed by Mrs. Addington. Former students HAILEY, LAUREN, and MACK were members of this high-quality choir. I’ve heard rumors that the ACS will visit our school, this season, which should impress all who attend.
