A student leaps into a hug with Jefferson Elementary Principal Leigh Ragsdale between classes Friday, Jan. 18, 2019. In her first year at Jefferson, Ragsdale and her staff are using S.T.E.A.M. curriculum, mindfulness meditation techniques and positive affirmation (including lots of hugs) to improve student outcomes at what has for years been among the school district's most underperforming schools.

Sweethearts embrace by the bank of the Mississippi River in heavy snow as dusk falls over downtown Cape Girardeau Saturday, Jan. 19, 2019. The couple, who later said they came to the riverfront to be alone and enjoy the snow, declined to provide their names for publication.

A mural depicting Missouri-born baseball player and broadcaster Joe Garagiola is seen on the Cape Girardeau river wall between passing train cars Tuesday, Jan. 8, 2019.

Having procured several signatures, T.J. Merriman, 3, smiles as St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Alex Reyes offers him a fist-bump during the Cardinals Caravan at the Osage Center in Cape Girardeau Monday, Jan. 21, 2019.

Southeast Missouri State University's Alex Caldwell (0) finds the basket over Murray State's Ja Morant (12) during the third quarter of a game at the Show Me Center Saturday, Jan. 12, 2019. The Redhawks lost to Murray State 67-85.

Artist Jessica Lambert poses for a portrait in the printmaking studio at the Southeast Missouri State University River Campus Jan. 26, 2019. While it's typical for artists to draw on personal experiences for inspiration, Lambert goes further than many, adopting a sort of radical transparency about her own experiences regarding the themes that lay at the heart of her work such as feminism, sensory processing disorders and reproductive health; going so far as to incorporate actual surgical photos of her own uterus in one piece from her portfolio. Such an approach to art, she said, has helped her personally come to terms with difficult experiences.

Artist Jessica Lambert displays part of a printmaking project in which she used repeated images of a vaginal speculum on rolls of paper over 100 feet long in the printmaking studio at the Southeast Missouri State University River Campus. Lambert said she chose the image of the vaginal speculum since nearly all post-pubescent women have some level of personal familiarity with the tool. Considering how much of her work draws directly from intensely personal experiences like difficult surgeries, Lambert aimed to evoke the viewers' own experiences, thereby drawing them in on an emotional level.

By combining two-dimensional imagery in a three-dimensional installation and then staging a performance in the space, Lambert said part of her goal with the piece was to provide a more comprehensive experience for viewers; to give them a variety of ways to interface with the concepts explored by the piece.

Artist Jessica Lambert touches a piece of art from her portfolio depicting her hands framing her navel and one of four small surgical scars in the printmaking studio at the Southeast Missouri State University River Campus.

Head coach Chad Allen, far right, of Dexter, angrily defends his players after Saxony Lutheran head coach Sam Sides (not pictured) accused them of playing "dirty" as the game became increasingly physical in the fourth quarter at Saxony Lutheran Monday, Jan. 28, 2019. At this point in the game, Saxony Lutheran had pulled to within 4 points, but Dexter would go on to win 63-59.

Notre Dame's Julia Williams (4) finds an opening in the paint during the Bulldogs' game against the Jackson Indians at Notre Dame Thursday Jan. 17, 2019. The Indians won 44-42.

Volunteer Lily Harper high-kicks along to the pep band's rendition of Taylor Swift's "Shake It Off" while ostensibly mopping sweat off the gym floor during a timeout in the 4th quarter of a game between the Southeast Missouri State University Redhawks and the Austin Peay Governors at the Show Me Center Thursday, Jan. 10, 2019.

The Delta Bobcat, having swiped Aliya Callaway's hat, teases the Delta student before a basketball game at Delta High School Tuesday, Jan. 8, 2019.

A young boy is seen in the window of his guardian's truck as it cuts across a portion of grass to bypass a long line in the parking lot of Hawkins Junior High as parents collect students after a bomb threat made against the nearby high school on social media prompted an evacuation in Jackson Friday, Jan. 11, 2018. 

A Missouri State Highway Patrolman directs traffic outside the main entrance of Hawkins Junior High after a bomb threat made against the nearby high school on social media prompted an evacuation Friday, Jan. 11, 2018. 

Parents walk toward the main entrance of Hawkins Junior High to collect students after a bomb threat made against the nearby high school on social media prompted an evacuation Friday, Jan. 11, 2018. Jackson Superintendent John Link later said that many parents were already considering the possibility of having to retrieve their students on account of inclement weather, which helped evacuation efforts.

Students linger on the lawn of Hawkins Junior High during an evacuation prompted by a bomb threat made against the nearby high school on social media prompted an evacuation in Jackson Friday, Jan. 11, 2018. 

A man escorts a young student away from Hawkins Junior High as parents collect students from the school after a bomb threat made against the nearby high school on social media prompted an evacuation in Jackson Friday, Jan. 11, 2018. 

Jackson R-II School District Superintendent John Link, left, describes the day's events during a news conference at the school district offices after a bomb threat made against Jackson High School on social media prompted an evacuation Friday, Jan. 11, 2018. After cooperating with state and local authorities, no bomb was found and a student was identified as the suspect who made the threat.