Robert W. Plaster Center for Student Success Celebrated With Ribbon Cutting

Robert W. Plaster Center for Student Success Celebrated With Ribbon Cutting, Tours and Student Stories

LEBANON, Mo. — Lebanon R-III School District students, educators, community partners and state and local leaders gathered Tuesday to celebrate the Robert W. Plaster Center for Student Success, highlighting not only the new facility but the opportunities already being created for students throughout the district.

The event included remarks from school, community and state leaders, an official ribbon cutting with the Lebanon Area Chamber of Commerce, tours of the center and a student panel where several students shared their experiences with extended learning programs.

The center serves students from early childhood through high school and brings together programs including the Schools of Discovery, GO CAPS and specialized career-connected learning spaces. Partnerships with local businesses, health care providers, higher education and other organizations give students opportunities to connect classroom learning with possible careers.

Community Support Brings the Vision Together

Lebanon R-III Board of Education President Mary Russell said the facility is the result of support from many different parts of the community.

Russell thanked the Plaster family for the donation that helped launch the project and recognized voters for their support of Prop 4 in 2024, which freed up bond funding that could be used to help complete the space.

She also emphasized that the facility itself is only part of what makes the programs successful.

“The people who really make the magic happen are our educators and teachers and staff here today, the ones who pour into our students each day and inspire them to learn new things, try out new equipment, and launch into the real world with internships and job shadowing and life lessons in their field of interest right here in Lebanon,” Russell said.

She also thanked local businesses for providing learning opportunities that extend beyond the classroom.

Giving Students a Chance to Explore Their Futures

Lebanon High School Principal Dr. Kati O’Quinn focused on what those opportunities mean for students as they begin making decisions about life after high school.

“This building is about much more than walls, classrooms and equipment,” O’Quinn said. “It’s about opportunity.”

Through programs such as GO CAPS and the Schools of Discovery, students can explore careers while they are still in high school, work on real-world problems and develop skills they will need after graduation.

O’Quinn said those experiences are valuable even when students discover that a career they were considering isn’t right for them.

“When I think about this facility, I don’t simply see a new space for students to learn or a new campus,” O’Quinn said. “I see a place where students can discover who they are, what they’re capable of, and where they might go next.”

A Student’s Experience

Lebanon High School senior Erica Brown provided a firsthand example of that process.

Brown began in the Schools of Discovery during her sophomore year when the program was known as the Business Academy. Although she didn’t plan to pursue a business career, she said the program helped her strengthen her communication, collaboration, leadership and time-management skills.

She later entered the Medicine and Healthcare strand of GO CAPS, where she participated in job shadowing and worked with community partners.

For her Capstone project, Brown and fellow Lebanon senior Kylee Carlson worked to connect people in need with dental care and follow-up services.

Those experiences also helped Brown decide what she wants to do after graduation.

“Throughout my shadowing program, I have fallen in love with critical care,” Brown said. “I now know that I am going to earn my Bachelor of Science in Nursing and continue doing what I love: helping people.”

Missouri Education Commissioner Praises Lebanon’s Approach

Missouri Interim Commissioner of Education Dr. Stacey Preis also attended the celebration after touring Lebanon R-III schools.

Preis said she was impressed not only by the classrooms and technology but by the way students were actively involved in their own learning.

“This is the kind of model that we want to hold up for other people to say, ‘That’s how you do it,’” Preis said.

She encouraged students using the center to ask questions, try new things and pay attention to both what interests them and what doesn’t as they make decisions about their futures.

A Yellowjacket Comes Home

State Representative Melissa Schmidt brought a personal perspective to the celebration as a Lebanon graduate, former district staff member and parent of Lebanon graduates.

Schmidt recalled attending Donnelly Elementary, Hillcrest Elementary and the former junior high before raising two Yellowjackets of her own in the community.

“The walk down memory lane and the dropping of a few names really isn’t about my journey alone,” Schmidt said. “It’s about a journey that represents every child and every family in this district.”

She said the district has continued to grow and create new opportunities as the world students are preparing to enter has changed.

“My hope is that many students will be able to tell their journey through Lebanon Public Schools just like I did today,” Schmidt said.

Partnerships Make the Center Possible

Superintendent Dr. David Schmitz recognized the numerous people and organizations that helped make the center possible, including the family of Robert W. Plaster, community businesses, health care organizations, Ozarks Technical Community College, the City of Lebanon and other public and private partners.

The facility includes opportunities for students ranging from early childhood through high school, with career-focused and hands-on learning designed to connect education with the needs of students and the community.

Chamber Ribbon Cutting, Tours and Student Panel

Following the speakers, the Lebanon Area Chamber of Commerce joined district officials, students and community members for the official ribbon cutting of the Robert W. Plaster Center for Student Success. The Chamber was represented at the celebration by Executive Director Ashley Mahan, who was also recognized during the program among the community partners supporting the district.

Guests then toured the facility, seeing GO CAPS learning spaces, Schools of Discovery classrooms, specialized learning areas and other hands-on and career-connected spaces.

The event continued with a student panel where several students discussed their own experiences with extended learning. Their stories gave those attending a look at how the programs are being used and how experiences outside a traditional classroom are helping students explore careers and make decisions about their futures.

Dr. Nathan Wilkerson, Lebanon R-III Director of Secondary Education, said that exploration is at the heart of the center.

“We hope that kids are able to discover their passions and interests here and truly be able to explore, discover and pursue those as they make their way forward,” Wilkerson said.

He said discovering what a student doesn’t want to pursue can be just as valuable, allowing them to change direction before spending thousands of dollars pursuing the wrong path after high school.

For Wilkerson, the center ultimately represents the combination of school and community resources for the benefit of students.

“This place, in a nutshell, is just about coming together as a community, bringing resources to our students and making sure that as they walk across that stage, without a doubt, they are prepared for their futures and not our pasts.”

With the ribbon officially cut, the Robert W. Plaster Center for Student Success now begins its next chapter, not as a finished project, but as a place where generations of Lebanon students will have the opportunity to discover their interests, gain real-world experience and leave school better prepared for whatever comes next.