MCHS WINTER CONCERT 2024
Thank you students and directors!!
MS Game Day!
South Shelby MS Tournament
#MCPRIDE
in 1998, the Lady Panthers reached new heights, winning all three major tournaments, claiming both the conference and district titles, and advancing to the Final Four. In a thrilling semifinal, they defeated John Burroughs 57-48, and then triumphed over Skyline 51-45 to secure the state championship.
Members of this outstanding team were (front row) Alicia Murphy Jepsen, Brooke Ludwig, Dewella Holliday Shuck, Carrie Chinn DeGrave and
Desiree Hays Mudd; (middle row) Kelsey Thompson, Megan Shoemaker Thomas, Heather Minter, Amanda Foster Spalding, Jessica Moss Graf, Jaymee Wisdom Quinn and Amelia Gander Gerke; (back row) Coach Amy Dyer, Erica Dean Elston, Nancy Yates Barcus, Nicole Bichsel, Manager Craig Zeiger and Coach Bob Plourde.
(Front row) Deidra Shoemate McKay, Dewella Holliday Shuck, Erica Drebes Barnes, Shayla Adams Roop, Alicia Murphy Jepsen, Jessica Gass Hess and Claire McClintic Owen; (middle row) Kelsey Kendrick, Amelia Gander Gerke, Megan Shoemaker Thomas, Jaymee Wisdom Quinn, Kelsey Thompson Lyskowski, Ashley Hays Moore and Craig Zeiger; (back) Coach Bob Plourde, Amber Yager Hays, Nancy Quinn Shively, Melanie Shoemaker Ruiz and Coach Amy Dyer.
Led by seven seniors — Dewella Holliday Shuck, Amelia Gander Gerke, Alicia Murphy Jepsen, Megan Shoemaker Thomas, Jaymee Wisdom Quinn, Jessica Gass Hess, and Amber Yager Hays — the Lady Panthers were fired up for their state run in 2000. In a memorable pep rally, Coach Plourde and Coach Amy Dyer made a grand entrance on a Harley Davidson motorcycle, setting the tone for a successful postseason.
The team began their state tournament journey with a 67-53 win over St. Pius X, followed by a 59-44 victory over John Burroughs — their third straight win against them in as many years. John Burroughs’ coach joked afterward that he wished Monroe City were located in Illinois. Coach Plourde, in his own post-game interview, noted that each year brings a new hand of cards, but that season he felt he had been “dealt a royal flush.” The team ended the year with a remarkable 30-2 record.
Coach Bob Plourde was a fixture in the gym from 1987 to 2000, mentoring countless athletes and leading his teams to remarkable success. In his first year, he guided the team to the state tournament and earned a third-place finish in 1988, setting the stage for an impressive coaching career. That first year the team went 28-4 and won the Monroe City Tournament as well as the District Tournament. They defeated Brentwood in Regionals and then Clark County after that to take them to the State Tournament. In the semifinal game, they were defeated by Holden, but they bounced back the next day to beat Hartville 64-40 and claim third place.
Front row - Pam Spalding Robson, Angie Robinson, Cindy DeLaporte Abell, Becky Kendrick; (middle row) Cathy Thompson Roberts, Sharryl Bode, Regina Gottman, Heather O'Bryan Helsel: (back row) Coach Bob Plourde, Tracy Rothweiler Shively, Amber Johnson Elliott, Teresa Jackson Williams, Angie Reed, Shawna McManigle Hornback, Amy Hays Hadfield and Brenda Fallon.
MU PreETS visited MCHS today. Students learned how to appropriately fold silverware.
Final Score!
12/2/24
#MCPRIDE
Your 2024-25 Monroe City R-1 Basketball Tournament Teams GO PANTHERS!
The champions of champions.
Monroe City girls went to state three years in a row. They were state champions in 1998, third place in 1999, and state champions in 2000.
2000 State Champions (front row) Manager Deidra Shoemate McKay, Dewella Holliday Shuck, Erica Drebes Barnes, Shayla Adams Roop, Alicia Murphy Jepsen, Jessica Gass Hess and Manager Claire McClintic Owen; (middle row) Manager Kelsey Kendrick, Amelia Gander, Megan Shoemaker Thomas, Jaymee Wisdom Quinn, Kelsey Thompson, Ashley Hays Moore and Manager Craig Zeiger; (back row) Coach Bob Plourde, Amber Yager Hays, Nancy Quinn Shively, Melanie Shoemaker Ruiz and Coach Amy Dyer.
The 100th Monroe City Basketball Tournament Committee providing many of the social media posts includes two members of the MHS Class of 1973-Linda Whelan Geist and Joyce Gares Adams. The two also started college at the University of Missouri at Columbia that same fall; living on separate floors of Gillett Hall on campus. In high school, Joyce played basketball for the Lady Panthers and was the 1973 Basketball Homecoming Queen. Linda was editor of the Panther Growl student newspaper, and used those skills as founder and former owner of The Lake Gazette. She now writes for MU Extension.
Behind the scenes, J.R. Chisham provided valuable research for many of the social media posts you see. Part of the celebrated 1961 team, Chisham went on to serve his country in the U.S. Army from 1966-1968 with a one-year tour in Vietnam where he served as a combat photographer. A faithful MHS sports fan, he also has been a long-time scorekeeper and referee.
Few families can put their claim to Monroe City Basketball Tournament fame more than the “Jackson 5.”
Each child of the late Mike and Judy Jackson played for MHS all four years. Their success stories on and off the court are impressive.
“We all appreciate our humble, close-knit upbringing and the lifelong connections made in Monroe City and the surrounding areas through the many sports we played. The Monroe City Tournament was always such a fun experience,” says Norma Jackson, the youngest of the Fab Five. “Our parents were our biggest cheerleaders in all that we did and we are forever grateful. Their champion spirits drove us all to be the parents we are today!”
Mike Jackson, 1986 grad, was a 6-foot guard on the Panthers team that took third place in state competition, He went on to play college ball at Central Methodist University and Central Missouri State University. He is a certified orthotist at HiTek in Columbia. (An orthotist is a healthcare professional who specializes in designing, fitting and customizing braces and splints for patients in need of support or stabilization of specific body parts due to injury, disease or disability.)
Deanna Jackson Brown, a 1987 grad, was a 5-11 forward and center. She was a member of the 1986-1987 team that placed second in the state finals. She played college basketball at Southeast Missouri state University, graduated from Culver Stockton College, holds a MBA and is an engineering manager. She lives in LaGrange, Georgia.
Teresa Jackson Williams, a 1989 graduate, was a 6-1 forward. She played on the 1986-1987 team that took second in the state. She also was a member of the 1987-1988 team that was a third-place finisher in state. She holds the scoring record for Monroe City girls’ basketball. She played college basketball for the University of Nevada at Las Vegas, where she graduated in 1993. She lives in Suwannee, Georgia. She is vice president and a portfolio management officer at Bank of America.
Tommy Jackson, a 1990 graduate, was a 6-4 forward, who went on to play football and baseball at William Jewell University and Central Missouri State University. He died in December 2002.
Norma Jackson, a 1991 graduate, was a 5-6 forward. She earned an undergraduate degree from the University of Missouri at Columbia. She holds dual masters degrees from Webster University in St. Louis and went on to receive a law degree from MU. She lives in Chesterfield.
She is Chief Diversity & Attorney Development Officer at Thompson Coburn.
Michael (team photo), Deana (posting up), Teresa (shooting), Tommy (head shot), Norma (head shot)
MS Final Score
#MCPRIDE
100th Monroe City Tournament
Celebration Nights!
#MCPRIDE
1967 was the second time that a boys’ and a girls’ team from the same school won the MHS Tournament championship. Again, it was Monroe City, which won it for the first time in 1962.
These athletes played before the 1968 forming of the Monroe City Sheltered Workshop and the 1976 groundbreaking for the Monroe City Manor Care Center.
1966 also was a historic year for the MHS tournament. Holy Rosary School decided to close its high school. During the school’s 65 years, 680 students had received diplomas. Holy Rosary High School’s closing meant that MHS and Holy Rosary athletes would come together on the court.
The year 1965 marked a turning point in American history. In Selma, Alabama, Martin Luther King Jr. led civil rights demonstrators on a march pushing the passage of the Voting Rights Act of 1965. In Vietnam, the war escalated, as President Johnson instituted continuous air strikes. Many of the young men of the 1960s would leave Monroe City to serve in the military during the Vietnam War.
Game Day!
#MCPRIDE
MS Girls & Boys
Game Day!
@ South Shelby Tournament (HS Gym)
#MCPRIDE
Marjorie Lee Smith O’Donel is one of MHS’ oldest living female players. Born in June of 1932, Marge played basketball her junior and senior years of high school and graduated in 1950.
In the 1948-1949 season, Marge’s team had a perfect tournament record.
One of Marge’s great joys now is watching her great-granddaughter, Aiyana Addison, an eighth grader, play this year for the Monroe City Middle School. A great-grandson, Aidan Addison, also graduates from MHS this year.
The love of basketball is tradition in Marge’s family. Her mother, Cora Harris Smith, graduated in 1930 and played for MHS (as shown in the tournament book photo here). Her mother stayed at Manona Sherman’s boarding house so she could attend school at MHS and play ball. Margie’s daughter, Toni Addison, was a cheerleader and 1977 MHS graduate.
Marge came to Monroe City her freshman year from Pee Dee School. Her dad, Cecil, farmed at Clapper and seven of the 11 living children, 1 was stillborn, were born in the three-room house there. They then moved to the Pee Dee community where her dad farmed and had a sawmill. REA didn’t run electricity to their house until she was in high school but her mother did have a gas-powered washing machine.
The girls’ team held their team practices during the hour-long lunch break. Boys practiced after school. Marge had relatives that lived in Monroe City, so she stayed with them on game nights. Her uncle, Jess, owned the blacksmith shop and she had another aunt who lived in town. There were no buses to transport them to the games so parents and coaches did most of the transportation. Only the “first team of 12” traveled – no cheerleaders or managers. Their coach, Mr. Gottman, also was their superintendent.
Marge and her late husband, Harold, owned the Monroe Dairy where players, their families and fans often gathered for burgers, fries and shakes before and after games. Pinball machines and the jukebox entertained many a MC athlete. The dairy was a stopping off point after games for students who didn’t have a car. They would call their parents from the dairy’s payphone and wait for a ride home. The dairy was at the corner of South Main and East Dover Street.
The restaurant opened at 6 a.m. and would close at 10 p.m. to midnight - “whenever people quit coming in,” says Marge. “That place would be packed after ball games.” As part of their business, they delivered milk to Monroe City homes three mornings a week.
The O’Donels bought the dairy in 1966 from Lester and Beverly Greeves and sold it to Jim and Connie Bower in 1976. At that time, they began buying school buses.
Marge and Harold were avid MHS sports supporters and operated the school bus line for many years, taking players to and from games.
Marge drove buses for about 30 years also with three routes sometimes. She drove before and after school and drove half-day kindergarteners home. She and Harold also transported Holy Rosary athletes to games.
1954-55 girls’ co-captain Carroll Gosney Hood was a sharpshooter for the MHS Lady Panthers. In a news account of Monroe City defeating Paris, Hood racked up 31 points. In another newspaper article, it shows she sunk 44 of Monroe City’s total 49 points in “a brilliant individual performance” in a game with LaPlata.
Carroll worked for Strothers Jewelry in Monroe City after graduation in 1955. She also worked for Mel’s Variety Store until she took time off to raise her two children, Kathryn Lynell O’Bryan and Kelly (Ron) Williams.
She began working at the Monroe City Public Library in 1963 and became head librarian beginning in 1966. She was only the third librarian in the library since it opened in 1918 and she served in that post for 50 years, retiring in 2016. Her husband, Weldon, is a retired mechanic and has kept many a car in Monroe City running through the years.
Others on her team coached by Goldie Burkhart and Robbie Harris were Wilma Sullivan Kastner, Shirley Woolfolk, Barbara Massey, Carol Darling, Phylliss Welch, Ruth Eaton Tadlock, Alice Jo Harper, and Doris Murray Farrell.
See this link for a nice piece about Carroll’s retirement: https://khqa.com/news/local/a-tale-of-50-years-a-tri-state-librarians-story.
On a side note, Carroll and Weldon’s great-grandson celebrated his first win as a high school basketball coach at Mark Twain High this past week.
Coach Kaelin Kendrick O’Bryan’s team took a 49-46 win over Paris Tuesday night.
