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North Central Missouri College Foundation announces the 2023 Distinguished Alumni Class: Joyce (Benson) Cutsinger, Ronald (Mitch) Dougan, Pam (Craig) Johnston, and Anthony (Tony) Wayne Ralston. Honorees will be recognized at the Pirates Ball on March 23, 2024, at the Ketcham Community Center on the North Central Missouri College campus. All four recipients, native to Trenton and graduates of Trenton High School, attended North Central Missouri College (NCMC), formerly known as Trenton Junior College (TJC).

A reception for the distinguished alumni class of 2023 will start at 5:30 p.m. in the Jeanette Hoffman Robison Auditorium, followed by a plated meal by Great Western Dining at 6 p.m., a reverse raffle, and a program featuring the four distinguished alumni and the vocal talents of Ben & Lauren Johnson. Tickets are $50 per person, with tables of six available for $300, including one reverse raffle ticket. Additional reverse raffle tickets can be purchased on the evening of the event.

Joyce Cutsinger

Joyce (Benson) Cutsinger attended Trenton Grade School, Middle School, and College in the same building. She married Ralph Cutsinger on January 22, 1971, and pursued her nursing degrees at NCMC, earning her PN in 1980 and her ADN (RN) in 1982. Working through nursing school at Sunnyview Nursing Home, she advanced to Charge Nurse and House Supervisor Part-Time. In 1989, Joyce began a 23-year career at NCMC, transitioning from Nursing Department instructor to Allied Health Coordinator until her retirement in 2012. Throughout her tenure, she received the Governor’s Excellence in Teaching Award in 2002 and 2008. Joyce and her family have remained active supporters of NCMC Athletics, hosting team meals and gatherings annually. Joyce enjoys sewing, making baskets, and caring for family and friends. She and Ralph were nearly married for 50 years when Ralph passed away in 2020. Their children and grandchildren continue the family’s strong connection to NCMC.

Mitch Dougan

Ronald (Mitch) Dougan completed his A.S. in Retail Business Management at NCMC in 1982, following his graduation from Trenton High School in 1980. After marrying Donna (Reich) Dougan in August 1985, he began his career with Americo Insurance Company, contributing significantly to its growth over 37 ½ years. Mitch has played a pivotal role in Americo’s expansion and consolidation efforts, working from his home in Trenton as the Director of Policy Administration Systems. His community involvement includes the NCMC Holiday Hoops Committee, the NCMC Athletics Booster Club, and various local organizations, showcasing his dedication to service.

Pam Johnston

Pam (Craig) Johnston, after earning her AA degree from NCMC, pursued further education at Truman State University and Northwest Missouri State University, focusing on education and reading. Her teaching career spans several decades, including roles at Spickard Elementary School and Trenton R-9, before returning to NCMC to teach Reading and Writing Improvement. Pam’s involvement with the Prairie Land Writing Project and her commitment to local history and community service highlights her dedication to Trenton and its residents.

Tony Ralston

Anthony (Tony) Wayne Ralston returned to NCMC after serving in the Air Force, becoming the first in his family to graduate from college. His career has been marked by service in firefighting and the Missouri Air National Guard, as well as significant contributions to local VFW Post 919. Tony’s commitment to community service, especially in firefighting and veterans’ affairs, underscores his dedication to Trenton.

For Pirates Ball ticket information or reservations, contact the NCMC Foundation & Alumni Association at 660-357-6415 or via email at [email protected].

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Originally Appeared Here

Editor’s Note

An incorrect quote was removed from this article after publishing. 

JEFFERSON CITY — A day dedicated to celebrating 158 years as an institution was overshadowed by continued protests regarding the death of former Lincoln University administrator Dr. Antoinette “Bonnie” Candia-Bailey.

The LU Board of Curators met Thursday afternoon for an open session meeting.

Before the meeting, LU’s Founders’ Day Convocation took place celebrating the university’s founding by the 62nd and 65th United States Colored Infantries in January 1866.

At the celebration, student protesters held signs saying, “Break the Silence,” “Karma is a Beast and It Never Expires,” and “Justice 4 Bonnie.”

Students left the celebration as Dr. Ivory Toldson, the keynote speaker and NAACP director for education innovation and research, began to speak. 

Students told KOMU 8 that they are disappointed in the lack of sympathy and feel that the university has let bullying go without repercussion in the past.

“This is not the first time that a faculty or staff member has been bullied. I as a student have been bullied myself,” Falon Ensley, former president of LU’s Student Government Association (SGA) said.

President Dr. John B. Moseley was placed on paid administrative leave Jan. 12 after facing calls for removal following Candia-Bailey’s death by suicide. 

Students said they believe the Board of Curators, who Moseley reported to, knew about the situation and did not do enough before or after Candia-Bailey’s death.

Before she died, Candia-Bailey allegedly sent an email to Moseley, alumni and other faculty, that included accusations against Moseley of bullying and harassment.

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The Board of Curators have since hired an outside law firm to lead a review of the allegations. Board President Victor Pasley told meeting attendees that the results of that review will be available in the next few weeks.

As for where the university can go from here, students said it starts with a change of leadership.

“Strong leaders that we don’t have,” Ensley said.

“We want to be involved with who is coming in, conduct interviews and get to know them and know what their intentions are to making improvements to our student body,” current student Tyree Stovall said.

“We also want to know, are you on our side, to advocate for us, are you going to leave when things get tough,” Kenlyn Washington, current SGA president said.

Protesters later made their way back to Scruggs University Center, where the Board of Curators’ open session took place.

At the session, acting President Dr. Stevie Lawrence told the students that he understands their concerns and is looking forward to working with them to address conflict within the university.

The meeting was mostly cordial. Students asked Lawrence and Curators for a list of actions going forward:

• Meetings with the SGA once a month,
• Student involvement in the hiring of faculty and staff,
• Action to address student housing on campus.

Lawrence told students he looked forward to working with them in the future.

Originally Appeared Here

Jefferson City —

According to Apartments.com, rent has increased by 2.6% in the past year, making the average rent in Columbia $960 per month for a one-bedroom apartment.

However, it could be more depending on the area. Conrad Hake, the Program Director for Love Columbia, a local housing nonprofit, said the number of vacancies in the city is increasing rental prices.

“Simple supply and demand in economics is a big factor,” Hake added, “Our vacancy rate in Columbia, as of the 2020 census, was 5%. So that means there are fewer properties available for people to rent.”

Hake explained that fewer listings in mid-Missouri allow prices to increase, allowing landlords to request double the deposits from renters and require renters to have a higher credit score than usual.

Jane Williams, Love Columbia co-founder, said, “We’re seeing as high as 650, which is often even higher than what a bank would require for giving a loan.”

A housing study in 2022 from RKG associates indicated a vacancy rate of around 5% in Jefferson City, with 24% of all vacancies being unavailable for rent.

Paul Prevo, the owner of Market Ready Reality, said the aftermath of the 2019 tornado that swept through the city plays a major role in Jefferson City’s vacancy rate.

“I’ve seen some issues with Jefferson City not being able to resell some of the properties that require extreme remodeling to come back into compliance with code to be remodeled, rehabbed, and re-rented,” stated Prevo.

Property managers in Columbia also point to the increase in insurance costs, utilities, and maintenance as the main reasons many residents spend more than 30% of their income on rent, which is the suggested maximum one should spend on housing.

Hake stated, “The latest census data shows 50% of renters or homeowners in Columbia were paying over 30 percent of their income in rent. So that’s a pretty high number, and we’ve only seen that increase as rent increases.”

According to Prevo, COVID-19 played a key role in the post-pandemic increase in rental prices, since many landlords lost money during that time. Prevo explained, “When you figure that if you have a $500,000 mortgage on a duplex or triplex, that extra 2% a year, again 2% from the following year, really starts to add up in property taxes, which increase by 10 to 12 to 14% a year. All that enters into increasing rent to cover your cost. You may charge 20% more rent than you did three years ago, but you make less on the property.”

Despite a potential slowdown in rent increases in 2024, residents will continue to pay more in rent.

“You’re still going to see an increase in maintenance costs, utilities, the ability to build affordable apartments, and all that’s going to enter in. There are also things the city council is looking at implementing that are phenomenal in theory but will probably also have an impact on rental prices.”

We will have more details on what city leaders are doing to combat the housing crisis on Thursday, February 8th only on KRCG 13 live at 10 pm.

Originally Appeared Here

JEFFERSON CITY — There is not a statistically significant effect on both academic achievement or growth when schools meet one less day per week, a group of researchers told the Missouri State Board of Education Tuesday. 

The study surveyed all districts across the state that, as of the 2021-2022 school year, participated in a four-day school week, compared to the typical five-day school week.

The first was the Lathrop R-II School District which decided to move to the four-day model in 2011. Now, according to the group’s findings, 168 school districts across the state have a four-day school week.

Most of the districts participating represent rural communities. This means that though 21% of the state’s school districts participated in the alternate model, only 3% of students across the state experienced the change. 

According to the study, 57% of schools currently running a four-day model switched after the pandemic. Those that switched post-pandemic were more likely to be from more populated towns.

However, researchers said regardless of rural or urban, pre- or post-pandemic, the data’s change was too negligible to consider.

“Today’s results were pretty standard of what we’ve seen in prior research in other states,” Commissioner of Education Margie Vandeven said following the presentation.

Vandeven pointed out that though the data doesn’t show any negatives to switching, there aren’t any positives either. 

“We’re at a time right now where we’re really trying to advance opportunities for students,” Vandeven said. “What I would still like to talk about is, how do we provide more instructional time for students. How are we finding interventions that are actually improving outcomes for students.”

Since the data focused on purely quantitative numbers, board members were curious about how the four-day model affects data not expressed by numbers, such as student and teacher sentiment to the extra day off.

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“Is it impacting attendance? Is it making sure that they’re getting the best teachers in front of them in the classroom?” Vandever asked. “There are a number of factors.”

For most of the school districts that made the switch, however, it’s not always about the students.

“Every time I’ve talked to these school districts about this, it’s about our teacher shortage,” Vandever said.

Van-Far R1 Superintendent John Fortney agrees, and said rural school districts are hurting from a shortage of teachers and yearly staff turnover.

“Trying to be cooperative with surrounding school districts, that was a big lead,” Fortney said. “Being able to say, ‘Hey we may not be able to pay you as much as surrounding districts, but we can provide you an extra day.'”

Van-Far began the modified schedule in 2020. Since then, Fortney said it’s become engrained in the district’s culture.

“You mention going back to a five-day work schedule in my district, and you’re going to have more people hurling expletives at you than not,” Fortney said. “Most of our folks are like, ‘I couldn’t even imagine it.'”

To make use of its day off, Fortney said Van-Far started “Monday Academy,” a weekly, optional morning session for students to come into school to receive help from teachers. 

“We’re communicating with the families that their child would benefit from coming in on the Monday,” Forteny said. “They’ll get between one to three hours of additional tutoring.”

Fortney said that’s just one of many ways to use the day off. He hopes the district will eventually expand the use of the extra day past morning tutoring. 

“I think in the long run, that additional day has made us more efficient, and given us more opportunities,” Fortney said. “There’s a lot of great possibilities if we’re able to stick with it.”  

Originally Appeared Here

Tolton boys basketball got to work early and never looked back, winning 80-60 against Hazelwood Central at the Mid-Missouri Invitational in Harrisburg on Saturday.

The Trailblazers displayed a balanced scoring attack, featuring five double-digit scorers, led by junior guard Exavier Wilson’s 18 points.

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Originally Appeared Here

After an agreement was reached Wednesday between Denali Wastewater Solutions and the Department of Natural Resources over disposal of meatpacking sludge, advocates in Missouri say their fight continues.

The agreement gives Denali seven days to begin the process of draining three waste lagoons in McDonald, Newton, and Macon counties in Missouri. This agreement comes two months after the DNR ordered Denali to cease spreading waste from slaughterhouses as fertilizer.

Residents have brought attention to their concerns about the lagoons and land application practices. Following the announcement of the agreement, advocates were quick to stand their ground.

Vallerie Steele, a member of Newton County group S.L.U.D.G.E, said in an email Thursday, “Denali is not agreeing to never spread in Missouri again, and MoDNR isn’t saying that they have to stop forever. … Nothing else changed here. Our fight is far from over.”

The group previously filed a lawsuit against the DNR to force Denali to cease operations in the area after 6,000 gallons of slaughterhouse waste spilled into a field. Residents have complained about odors from Denali’s operations, saying that the smell is so bad it prevents them from being able to go outside. Residents have also expressed concerns about the cleanliness of the water in the area as well as the material’s impact on local wildlife.

North of Columbia, Randolph County citizens also fought Denali’s attempt to use a local waste basin. A local group called C.R.A.P filed a lawsuit against the DNR. A judge’s ruling prevents the DNR from granting permits to Denali without court permission.

Denali released a statement regarding this week’s agreement stating, “Under this plan, Denali will also continue to seek ways to ensure the beneficial use of this resource.” The company calls itself “the nation’s leading full-service organic recycling company.”

Denali’s statement said the decision by the DNR will be costly and will impact Missouri farmers and food manufacturers.

Denali is required to drain the lagoons at a minimum rate of 150,000 gallons per week. Denali is also required to pay a fine of nearly $22,000.

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Heather Peters, DNR Water Pollution Control Branch Chief, said in an email that Denali could store or apply wastewater in Missouri in the future. However, Denali would have to go through the permit process, which currently is on hold due to litigation.

“Future storage and land application of these materials would require a permit, which, if considered, would include a robust stakeholder process, public hearings, and invite input and public involvement on any permit decision or draft permit language to ensure adequate protections, conditions, and limitations,” Peters wrote.

Meanwhile, in the legislature, several bills regarding the issue are making progress. One bill, originally introduced by Rep. Dirk Deaton, R-Noel, would create new regulations and testing for waste sludge under the Missouri Clean Water Act.

A similar bill currently in the Missouri Senate is set to hit the floor within the next few weeks. Senate Bill 908, introduced by Sen. Jill Carter, R-Granby, would create more guidelines on testing.

Even with the recent Denali announcement, Rep. Deaton said the bills will continue to move forward.

According to a Facebook post by S.L.U.D.G.E, Deaton and Carter will be present to talk about the bills at a fundraiser on Feb. 24 at East Newton High School in Granby, Missouri. The group is holding an event to share information on the topic and raise money for the lawsuit.

Steele said that despite the recent agreement, the fundraiser and lawsuit will go on.

“We aren’t letting MoDNR off the hook that easy.”

Athena Fosler-Brazil contributed to this story.

Originally Appeared Here

COLUMBIA — The first week of roll cart distribution is finished, and everything so far is going to plan.

Columbia Utilities spokesperson Matt Nestor said the distributor started dropping off roll carts on Thursday to customers with Tuesday trash pickup days. 

“We’ll probably get through Tuesday routes sometime early to mid next week,” Nestor said.

The distribution vendor, Rehrig Pacific, dropped off more than 1,000 roll carts on Friday. In total, Rehrig has dropped off just under 9,000 roll carts since the distribution process started Monday.

Roll carts are being dropped off where they are expected to be placed on pickup day. The city has asked that residents place roll carts with the wheels against the curb on the side of the road. Nestor says although these carts are on the road, they shouldn’t be a problem to drivers.

“You have to deal with them the same way you deal with anything along the side of the roads, as long as you’re paying attention, it shouldn’t be a problem,” Nestor said.

For one Columbia resident, she is simply grateful that roll carts are coming to the city. 

“It’s about time Columbia joins the modern world,” Kathy Barreto said.

Barreto, a resident of Spring Valley Road, said she spent 39 years away from Columbia after growing up here and came back in 2010. She spent time in Kansas City, Topeka, Kansas, and even Puerto Rico. She says everywhere she lived outside of Columbia, there has been roll carts.

“My son lived in Hawaii and even they had a roll cart system,” Barreto said.

Barreto said she hopes the city will now try other methods of waste pickup.

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“Now the city needs to establish recycling and composting systems,” Barreto said.

In March, the Columbia City Council approved ordinance amendments that will allow Solid Waste Utility to transition to the use of roll carts for automated refuse collection.

Some of the rules with carts includes the following:

• Hazardous waste, electronics, ash and coal can’t go into the roll cart
• There needs to be 3 feet between roll carts, 8 feet from other objects, and 15 feet of vertical clearance
• Roll carts must be closed when being picked up 

Roll carts will continue to be dropped off over the next three weeks. Nestor said residents need to keep in mind that roll cart trash pickup starts March 4.

“Until March 4, there will not be any collection of these roll carts, so please do not expect them to be dumped,” Nestor said

Nestor said the city’s next focus is making sure Columbia Utility crews are properly trained on the automated trucks that will pick up the roll carts. 

The Columbia City Council will also hear a first reading Monday of a new amendment proposed for roll cart storage. Some customers expressed confusion on where to store their carts. The amendment is as follows: 

“Except on the scheduled day of collection, it shall be unlawful to place or store refuse and recycling or refuse and recycling roll carts at any location on the premises which is not immediately adjacent to the residential structure.”

The picture above shows a map of trash pickup days. Anyone with questions is invited to go to CoMo.gov or call 573-874-CITY.

Originally Appeared Here

COLUMBIA — Columbia School Board members are set to review, and possibly vote, on new rule changes to how the public can participate at board meetings on Monday. 

The board’s Policy Committee, which has been working on the proposed changes since October, will consider recommending new guidelines for how the public can speak at board meetings and put issues in front of the board.

Board member Paul Harper , the committee’s chairperson, said the proposals are designed to make the rules easier to understand, allow for more public comment, and ensure compliance with state law. The committee started to reform the policy after a request from CPS administration 

“We’re trying to be more explicit in how we’re doing things,” Harper said. “And we’re trying to make the language more user friendly.”

One proposal would create a standard four-hour deadline to sign up to speak at a meeting. As of now, the deadline to sign up is 2 p.m. on the day of a meeting. Board meetings are scheduled to start 6:30 p.m., so this proposal would give people and extra 30 minutes to sign up. 

The board allows 30 minutes for public comment. There is a three-minute limit for speakers, but as many people can speak as time allows. 

Harper said the goal of the proposal is to give staff enough time to prepare before the start of a board meeting. 

“It’s not just public comment because we get a lot of emails, a lot of comments, related to our agendas outside of that public comment period,” Harper said.

Harper acknowledged the board has been criticized for staying silent during public comment sessions. He said board members can’t talk about issues not on the agenda because of Missouri’s Sunshine Law. 

A Sunshine Law handbook developed by the Missouri Attorney General’s office explains the guidelines regulating what board members can discuss:

“Topics about which members of the public did not receive at least 24 hours’ notice should not be discussed during the meeting, unless it is impossible or impractical to provide 24 hours’ notice, in which case the reason for not providing 24 hours’ notice must be noted in the minutes,” the handbook said.

“I’ve heard a lot of people don’t like the fact that we sort of sit there and don’t ask questions, don’t do those things,” Harper said. “Well, the reason for that is the Sunshine Law.”

The committee also wants to expand what topics are given priority during public comment. Comments related to ‘action items’ will be, “permitted the first opportunity to speak,” according to current district policy. Action items are issues the board will vote on, according to Harper. The new rule expands priority to speakers who want to address other items on the agenda, not just action items.

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Another proposal would change the board’s meeting conduct policies. It would prevent public comment on, “matters that are unrelated to district business.” Harper said that the goal is to prevent off-topic discussion on issues like Columbia City Council. 

PROPOSED CHANGES TO AGENDA ITEMS

The committee will also discuss new rules to add an agenda item. Once a proposal is accepted, it will be placed on the agenda along with the resident’s name. Speakers will have a five-minute limit to present an agenda item, unless the board gives the speaker more time. Only previously authorized speakers will be allowed to present. 

It would also allow board members to ask speakers questions and seek information from the superintendent on the subject. The proposal would prevent speakers from using an agenda item to “avoid compliance” with the district’s grievance policies. 

In 2022, the Missouri state legislature passed a law which allows school boards to adopt a uniform policy that regulates how agenda items are added. The law creates a lengthy process which requires residents to complete multiple steps before they can get an agenda item before the board. 

Only residents of the school district can propose an agenda item, and the issue must be, “directly related to the governance or operation of the school district,” according to the law. 

But first, a resident must try to resolve their issue in a meeting with the district superintendent, or a superintendent’s designee. The superintendent is required to meet with a resident within 20 business days of their request. 

If the resident is unsatisfied with the meeting, they can submit a written request to place an item on the boards agenda. State law allows school boards to reject an agenda item if it has heard an, “identical or substantially similar issue in the previous three calendar months or if the resident has previously violated district rules regarding conduct at meetings or on school property.”

CPS policy allows the board to block similar or identical agenda items, only if “the resident has previously violated the district’s rule regarding conduct at meetings or on school property.”

The CPS policy committee is proposing to merge those rules together. It would allow the board to block an agenda item if it is similar to one heard in the last three months, or if the person violated CPS’ meeting conduct policy. This would put CPS in line with other Missouri schools, including the Jefferson City School District.

Harper said the policy committee will vote Monday to put these proposals before the entire board for a first reading. This would allow 30 days for the public to comment before the board votes. 

The committee will meet at 4:30 p.m. Monday at the Aslin Administration Building’s board room, 1818 West Worley Street, Columbia. 

Originally Appeared Here

COLUMBIA – Columbia Public Schools (CPS) hired more than 20 new teachers Saturday with on-the-spot job offers in a new push to outcompete other schools in a tight labor market. 

It was the district’s largest recruiting event of the year, according to Michelle Holz, the district’s chief human resources officer. Half of the new hires are elementary school teachers and the other half are middle school and high school teachers. More hires will come next week, Holz said.

“We have to be more aggressive,” Holz said. “We have to, like I said, offer candidates’ positions right away otherwise we’ll lose them to other districts.”

This is the first time CPS extended on-the-spot job offers at its recruiting fair, according to Holz. The district is trying to fill vacancies and stay on top of projected openings next school year. 

The district also hosted a new job fair. Candidates could speak with CPS principals, teachers, and staff who set up tables with free candy, pens, and stickers. Principals could pull aside candidates for interviews and extend a job offer, Holz said. More than 80 people attended the fair, and the district would “love” to hire “at least half of those”, Holz said.

Hiring – and holding onto teachers – has been a struggle for Missouri schools. 44% of newly-hired teachers leave in their first three years in the classroom and approximately 54% leave within the initial five years, according to a report from the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education.

Missouri ranks 50th  in the nation for average starting teacher pay, according to a 2023 report from the Missouri National Education Association. Only 43 of Missouri’s 518 school districts offered a starting salary of $40,000 or more for the 2021-22 school year.  

Starting teacher pay is $40,900 at CPS, according to district spokesperson Michelle Baumstark. That’s slightly higher than other mid-Missouri school districts. 

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Starting Teacher Pay in mid-Missouri 

Earlier this month, the Columbia Public Schools Board of Education voted to make salary increases a priority for its 2024-25 budget. CPS started this school year with every teacher position filled, Baumstark told KOMU 8 in an email.

“As with any employer, we have ebbs and flows when it comes to consistently maintaining a 100% fill-rate throughout the course of a school year,” Baumstark said.

About 200 employees leave or retire from CPS every year, according to Baumstark, and the district works to fill those positions as quickly as possible. Overall, the district’s biggest issue is hiring support staff like classroom aides and custodial staff, Baumstark said.

On Jan. 11, CPS board members reviewed a report on the district’s hiring and retention plan. CPS has more than 70 support staff vacancies, according to the report. here are 52 positions open full time and 24 part time.

Saturday’s job fair was only for teachers. The district plans to hold a virtual hiring event in the spring. Ultimately, the goal is to provide students with the best possible education, Holz said. CPS hopes to snatch up quality teachers before other districts can hire them. 

“We provide them with an offer so that they can’t leave here [the job fair] not being a CPS employee,” Holz said. 

Originally Appeared Here

Jefferson City —

Sound baths are taking mid-Missouri by storm, and it’s believed to create frequencies and vibrations that interact with a person’s body.

Brenda Jungmeyer, a wellness instructor, said, “The future of medicine is frequencies, and we’re seeing that more and more in how this frequency can lower your blood pressure and be used for chemotherapy patients to help bring their pain level down.”

Jungmeyer uses sound to take participants on a journey in a low-lit room with yoga mats, pillows, and blankets as she creates frequency vibration with bowls, gongs, and other instruments like the thunder drum to benefit the mind and body.

“It just gives out a nice thunder vibration, and that’s just to help open any blockages and kind of shake us up a little bit to open us up,” explained Jungmeyer.

Sound bathing is an ancient practice that can be traced to Native Americans and ancient cultures from across the globe.

Still, more people in mid-Missouri are beginning to open their minds to trying different holistic approaches, such as sound baths to combat stress, anxiety, and other illnesses.

“There are zero side effects of a sound bath, and for somebody to be able to get that relaxed state and that calmness, and it comes through or they sleep better for a week. It’s just intrinsic value you can get from all these,” said Jungmeyer.

Sabine Shamet, a Jefferson City resident has first-hand experience with the positive influence sound bathing has on mood.

She participated in Jungmeyer’s class for the first time as a recommendation from her daughter and said, “I’m kind of a hectic person, sometimes it’s hard for me to stay focused or to feel grounded, and I’m always like, ‘Let’s do this, this, and this, another point on my list.’ Now I feel very calm, very chill, go with the flow, and don’t do all this hectic stuff all the time. I’m so relaxed.”

According to research published by the National Library of Medicine, listening to the high-intensity, low-frequency combination of bowls, gongs, and bells in a sound meditation could induce a deep relaxation response and better well-being.

“There have been 400 and some published journals about sound and the effects of sound and what it does to your mind and what it does to your body,” said Jungmeyer.

One study published by the National Institutes of Health used sound bowls for emotional healing with high-risk youth. The authors reported that this healing method may be a catalyst for emotional and psychological healing in counseling sessions.

Jungmeyer believes more studies will continue to be published about the power of frequencies and how different sounds work on different areas of your body and encourage people to participate in holistic healing.

“Everything in the universe, including our body, is frequencies. So, if you have an area in your body and your organs’ frequencies are slow and sluggish, you have a blockage, and we can bring the frequency back up to normal where it should be,” explained Jungemeyer.

Jungmeyer said sound baths offer a therapeutic experience and an opportunity to connect to a deeper sense of self.

For more information on sound bathing and a class schedule, visit www.facebook.com

Originally Appeared Here