Class Acts

Jo Perusich was a tad embarrassed to admit it: “We’re party girls.” But that bubbly personality trait she shares with fellow Women’s Service League member Chele Trammell is what has driven them to serve as co-chairs for the...... Full story

Jim Farris prefers to volunteer with a hands-on approach. “There’s so many things you can volunteer for ... I can see what I’m doing here,” Farris said. “I don’t want to go to meetings or talk on the phone, so...... Full story

Dale Hogan, of Sedalia, has witnessed boys turning into men through leadership, community service, citizenship and camping. Hogan started working with the Boy Scouts of America about nine years ago, when his son Kinser joined Cub Scouts....... Full story

The Sedalia Lions Club has seen how little things can make a difference in the life of a child. For more than 50 years, the club has bought shoes for children in need during the holidays.This year the club bought shoes for 89 children who attend...... Full story

anet Bice has been a successful fundraiser for PROP — Putting Roofs Over People — but she also provides the housing alliance with other necessities: awareness and hope. Bob Vickers, housing director for the Pettis County Community...... Full story

Susan Sanderson has been a beacon of light for the region’s blind citizens for 16 years.The 60-year-old lifelong Sedalia resident does a little bit of everything for the Blind of Central Missouri chapter, which was organized in the 1970s. She...... Full story

Combine years of dance training with natural leadership skills and the result is one of the youngest dancers to be captain of Smith-Cotton High School’s High Voltage dance team. Jordyn Bryant, a 16-year-old junior, became captain during her...... Full story

As the notes of several orchestral instruments sounded across the Smith-Cotton Junior High School campus during the band’s summer practices, senior Susan Bell stood at the top of a small staircase in the wrestling room directing one the...... Full story

McKenzy Kennedy goes to the pool every day, works on her tan and enjoys watching children play in the water. The full-time lifeguard has saved three lives and in the fall will be saving time by graduating from high school a year early.Kennedy, 16,...... Full story

She’s the youngest student who will graduate from Smith-Cotton High School in 2011, but Caitlyn Craig hasn’t let that hold her back from dreaming big.Caitlyn, 16, is applying to attend Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore where she...... Full story

Cole Camp High School junior Talbert Richard has found a brotherhood in scouting, a place where he can hang out with boys his own age.“We have common ties,” Talbert said, “and common beliefs.”Talbert, 16, began participating...... Full story

It all began on a coffee table in her parents’ living room, but Izabella Ozwald hopes it will end on a Hollywood stage.Izabella, a 15-year-old Smithton High School sophomore, found her singing voice at the age of 2. She said she would climb...... Full story

With three fingers pressed firmly against the back of the seat on a lawnmower, Brody DeBates begins to paint a thin line of bright blue paint with his other two fingers gently clutching a small paintbrush. His tongue peeks out of his teeth covered...... Full story

With skill and precision, Jason and Miranda Gunn raise their bows simultaneously and release arrows toward separate targets.The Gunn siblings, who both attend Sacred Heart School, began participating in archery in 2006. Jason, 15, said he was...... Full story

It takes a little luck, a lot of skill and tons of patience to catch a fish. And 17-year-old Drake Young possesses all three.Young, 17, has been participating in bass fishing tournaments since age 10. He got his first rod and reel as a toddler and...... Full story