Monroe City School District

MS Final Score! #MCPRIDE

MCHS WINTER CONCERT 2024 Thank you students and directors!!

MS Game Day! South Shelby MS Tournament #MCPRIDE

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.

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.

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)

MU PreETS visited MCHS today. Students learned how to appropriately fold silverware.

Final Score! 12/2/24 #MCPRIDE

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.

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.

Your 2024-25 Monroe City R-1 Basketball Tournament Teams GO PANTHERS!

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

1955 was a historic year for the nation. Things were changing. Just a year after Brown vs. Board of Education was set into motion to allow desegregation of schools, Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat to a white man on a Birmingham, Ala., bus. For the first time, Monroe City boys’ team had a black basketball player, Donald L. Scott. 1955 was historic locally, too, for Monroe City sports. Holy Rosary School’s new gymnasium, known as the “Holy Dome,” opened for the 1955-56 season. The Father Connolly Gymnasium was the place where much of Monroe City’s rich basketball history was made. Attached are some photos of some Holy Dome players including the 1926 Holy Rosary girls that earned the MC trophy for the second time in the first two years of the tournament.