Poplar Bluff High School senior Damaireus Winters, who plans to attend Three Rivers College, has been awarded the annual Kyle Curtis Dicken Memorial Scholarship, estimated at a value of $500, designated for a music student.
A bass trombone player for four years with the Sho-Me Band, Damaireus has served as a drum major during his senior year, before which he was a low-brass section leader. As a member of the Studio Jazz Band, he qualified for All-District and tried out for All-State, according to Band Director Stephen Winters. “He really enjoys music,” the instructor said. “He’s a helper.”
Damaireus credited the band for enabling him to find his voice. He noted in his scholarship essay that he has assisted more than 50 classmates in improving their mental health, sometimes staying up late or getting up early in order to listen, from the vantage point of his leadership position over the past two years.
“Poplar Bluff High School Sho-Me Band is not just a sport or an activity, Sho-Me Band is a family to me,” Damaireus wrote. “…When I joined Sho-Me Band, I met multiple people in the band who helped me and made my life easier, and I appreciate them every day."
The memorial scholarship is named after the late Kyle Dicken, who would have been a member of the PBHS Class of 2014, and planned to pursue music in college. Contributions to the local music scholarship fund may be made via the Community Foundation of the Ozarks, 425 E. Trafficway, Springfield, MO 65806. For more information, call 417-864-6199.
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Cutline: Damaireus Winters is presented the Kyle Dicken Memorial Scholarship by instructor Stephen Winters and Wanda Dicken on Tuesday, April 25, at PBHS.