McDonald County SOPE Students Visit Jefferson City

Junior High SOPE students work with Missouri River Relief to learn about Missouri River.

Ava Coffel/MCHS Journalism Class

October 14, 2022

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JEFFERSON CITY — Tramping across the McDonald County High School’s parking lot, 12 sleepy kids made their way to a bright yellow bus. The sun had not yet peaked around the hills and the moon was still bright in the sky. The cold night air bit at the students as they rushed towards the warmth of their bus.

These 12 students are the 2022-23 SOPE (Success/Hope) students. These junior high students get to leave the classroom for a week every month to learn about Missouri's ecosystems. During the week, SOPE students will get the chance to meet various professionals with emphasis in the areas they are learning about, such as river ecosystems.

On Friday October 14, the SOPE students got to travel to Jefferson City and spend the whole day on a boat in Missouri's largest river. On the 2341 mile-long Missouri River, SOPE worked with Missouri River Relief.

Students learned the history of the river and held fossilized animal teeth and examined them to identify which animal they were from. Students were also taught the importance of the Missouri River.

Kristen Schulte, the education director of Missouri River Relief, worked with the SOPE students to teach them about the Missouri River and the animals that inhabit it. Schulte said that she thinks it’s important for students to get out of the classroom and learn in different ways.

“Getting out of the classroom can help students who need to be taught in different ways, it can be helpful to students who need hands-on help,” Schulte said in an interview.

Dr. Stanton, the Superintendent of the McDonald County R-1 school district, said that SOPE brings hope to the students.

"The name is a conjoined word between success and hope and I think it's given the students exactly that," Stanton said.

Sophia Perez, an eighth grader at Anderson Elementary, also went on the trip. Perez said SOPE is a great program and would recommend it to her peers.

"It helps like one-on-one, most of the stuff you do you're doing while you're in the classroom, only now you're not so crowded and have room to think," Perez said.

Perez also said that she would definitely do it again.

"I think they should just try it [SOPE] because it's a new experience and it's just really fun!" Perez said, with a huge smile on her face.