neXt: The next generation, covered now

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Student showcase: High School art exhibit highlights the talent of area juniors and seniors

Get a preview of the pieces

Some art never makes it past the refrigerator, but a few dozen area high school art students have pieces now hanging in the Crisp Museum at the River Campus.

The 30th annual High School Art Exhibit opens Sunday and features 90 different pieces by juniors and seniors in Southeast Missouri and Southern Illinois.

"I think it really helps boost the egos of the students and helps them really to be more strengthened and move on in art," said Chris Wubbena, an assistant art professor at Southeast Missouri State University, which hosts the show every year.

"I always look forward to it," Central High School senior Ratko Radojcic said.

"I think our art is appreciated ... but when it's actually recognized regionally, it's always very gratifying," Radojcic said.

He has a photograph and a sculpture in the gallery, his second appearance in the show.

Devone Greer, a junior at Scott City High School, has a watercolor painting in the show for his first time. He couldn't participate before this year because the show is only open to juniors and seniors.

"I was pretty excited about it," he said. "I've been wanting to do it for a couple of years."

The art will hang until Feb. 24. The opening reception and awards ceremony is from 2 to 4 p.m. Sunday.

-- Chris Harris

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The X Games: Get ripped this weekend

Southeast Missouri doesn't give you much snow in January -- or ever, really -- but this weekend ESPN gives you three days of the Colorado Rockies with hours of snowboarding, skiing and snowbobiling events at the Winter X Games in Aspen, Colo.

Snowboarder Shaun White, 21, is back with a vengeance after he lost gold medal status in the SuperPipe for the first time in six years to 25-year-old Steve Fisher. And Norwegian Andreas Wiig, 26, will be back to defend his gold in the SlopeStyle and Big Air events.

All the veterans will have to look out for 17-year-old Luke Mitrani. He's been on a board almost his entire life and had a sponsored board from Burton by age 9. This will be his virgin run at The Games.

Hometown hottie Gretchen Bleiler, who's from the Aspen/Snowmass area, will defend her turf in the pipe. She's on the U.S. snowboard team and out for a run at the 2010 Olympics.

Bleiler, 26, will have to share with 20-year-old Hannah Teter, who has so many medals she's got more bling than a hip-hop artist.

Get a Red Bull. Get comfortable. Get Savage.

-- Chris Harris

X games schedule

Friday

• 8:30 to 10:30 p.m. on ESPN HD: Snowmobile SnoCross Round 1, Women's Snowboard SuperPipe Final, Ski Big Air Final

Saturday

• 2 to 5 p.m. on ABC HD: Snowboarder X Finals, Snowboard SlopeStyle Finals, Snowmobile SnoCross Round 2
• 8 to 10 p.m. on ESPN HD: Snowboard SuperPipe Men's Elimination, Snowmobile SnoCross Final, Snowboard Big Air Final

Sunday

• 1 to 5 p.m. on ESPN HD: Skier X Finals, Snowmobile Freestyle Elimination, Ski SlopeStyle Elimination & Final, Mono Skier X Final
• 8 to 10 p.m. on ESPN HD: Snowmobile Freestyle Final, Snowboard SuperPipe Men's Final

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neXt up

FRIDAY

• Extreme Trivia: Jackson Sports Grill, 8:30 p.m.
• New movies:

"Rambo": R, Cape West Cine

"Untraceable": R, Cape West Cine

"How She Move": PG-13, Cape West Cine

"Atonement": R, Town Plaza Cinema

"There Will be Blood": R, Town Plaza Cinema

SATURDAY

• Guest lecture, "Life in Cape Girardeau before TVs" by Barbara Rust: Broadway Books and Roasting Co., 10 a.m.

SUNDAY

• "Exhibiting Excellence" High School Art Exhibition: opening reception, Crisp Museum, River Campus, 2 to 4 p.m.

NEXT WEEK

• Games

"Pursuit Force: Extreme Justice Hands-On": PSP, Tuesday

• CDs

The Mars Volta, "The Bedlam In Goliath"

-- From staff reports

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Who's neXt

HONORS

• Mary Kay Nations and Brian Buchheit of Perryville, Mo., made the 4.0 dean's list at the University of Central Missouri for the fall 2007 semester. Rachael Rushin of Jackson and Chris Fischer of Perryville made the 3.5 to 3.99 dean's list.
• Sara Cook of Cape Girardeau made the dean's list at William Woods University for the 2007 fall term.
• Rachel Filbeck of Cape Girardeau made the dean's list at Harding University last semester.
• Angela Laxton and Christy Laxton of Scott City made the dean's list at Central Methodist University last semester.

SCHOLARSHIPS

Betty Buhs

• Kathryn Rupke of Jackson and Louise Ivers of Cape Girardeau have been awarded a Missouri Leadership Award to attend Southeast Missouri State University next school year. Leslie Booher of Jackson and Kody Campbell of Oran, Mo., have been awarded Governor's Scholarships. Darcie Rangel, Rachel Baker and Chelsea Kaminskey of Jackson; Betty Buhs of Cape Girardeau and Sarah Keys of Chaffee, Mo, have been awarded a Missouri Assessment Program Scholarship. Whitney West of Jackson has been awarded a Community College Scholarship and a Phi Theta Kappa Scholarship.
• Anne Wilson, of Salem, Va., a Central High School graduate, was awarded a scholarship from the Cape Girardeau PEO Chapter LY to complete a master's degree from Virginia Tech.

SCHOOL NEWS

• Jefferson School was awarded a grant for the "Reading is Grand" program from the Kage chapter of the Missouri Foundation for Family and Community Education. The program sends books and writing materials home on a rotating basis.
• Kelly FCCLA and the yearbook staff hosted a dance Jan. 12. Dustin LeGrand and Kathryn Mainord were crowned king and queen.
• Scott County Women in Agriculture is offering a $500 scholarship to a 2008 high school graduate who is involved in farming or agribusiness in Scott City. The application deadline is April 1. Applications are available from high school counselors, at the Scott County Soil & Water Service Office at 6458 Highway 77 in Benton, or at www.scottcountymo.com.
• Starting Feb. 4, booths will be available for rent for Three Rivers Community College's Merchants Showcase, April 25 and 26 at the Bess Center. Call 573-840-9636 for more information.
• Immaculate Conception School will hold preschool and kindergarten registration at 8 a.m. Wednesday. Parents should bring their child's birth certificate, Social Security card, baptismal certificate if available, immunization records, physical examination records (presented by the first day of school attendance) and registration fee. Registration fees are $200 for kindergarten and $40 for preschool. For more information, call the school office at 243-5013.

-- From staff reports