Newsmakers in Training & Education

David Schmitz was named the new principal at Kickapoo High School, effective July 1. He will replace Doug Bloch, who is retiring. Schmitz joined Springfield Public Schools in 2002 as assistant principal at Hillcrest High School. He has served as principal of Cherokee Middle School for the last year. Schmitz holds a master’s degree in educational administration from Pittsburg State University in Kansas, and a specialist degree in school administration from the University of Missouri in Columbia. He also is a major in the U.S. Army Reserves. During his time at Hillcrest, he was deployed to the Middle East for 13 months for Operation Iraqi Freedom.

Southwest Baptist University’s speech and debate team earned several awards in the annual Missouri State Forensics tournament held at Drury University in February. During the event, 12 colleges and universities from throughout Missouri competed. In the overall team awards, Bolivar’s SBU finished third in debate sweepstakes, first in individual events, and achieved the first place overall sweepstakes ranking by a narrow margin.

Dennis Nichols, financial adviser with Smith Barney, earned the company’s financial planning specialist designation following the completion of the firm’s financial planning training program. The program takes about 50 hours to complete, and it addresses a wide range of topics, including retirement and education planning, and income tax and estate tax planning. Nichols has been in the financial services industry for 35 years, five of those as a financial adviser with Smith Barney.

Bryan Sanders, professor of legal studies and government at Evangel University, led a roundtable discussion, “Key Issues in Advising Pre-Law Students,” at the 2006 Christian Pre-Law Conference, held March 2–5 in Virginia Beach, Va. Sanders, who has directed Evangel’s legal studies program since 1990, also is president of the Christian Pre-Law Society, which presented the event with co-sponsors Regent University School of Law and Ave Maria School of Law. He said the event was an opportunity for advisers and students to discuss biblical perspectives on law school and the practice of law. Sanders holds a juris doctor degree from Oral Roberts University.

Mark Rogers, assistant professor of mathematics at Missouri State University, will receive a $10,000 grant to participate in the University of Nebraska-Lincoln’s Immerse program, which works to prepare undergraduate mathematics students for the graduate level. The program also develops the teaching, research and mentoring skills of graduate students and early-career faculty. Rogers will participate in the summer program, co-teaching an undergraduate course with another early-career participant, and will begin a joint research project with a senior UNL faculty member.

Curt Gilliam of Nixa earned master technician status from Yamaha. Yamaha spent five years developing the Master Technician program, which comprises six week-long classes and a 100-question exam.

Drury University students Lalila Chemjong, David Cogorno, Reese Henry, Nathaniel Meyer, Miranda Noland and Maike Tillen recently spent four days in New York City, visiting the Museum of Modern Art, the Guggenheim and the American Folk Art Museum. The students were recipients of Devin Prize funds, given by an anonymous alumnus to allow students whose works are judged by professors to visit museums across the United States.