FALL 2015
FROM THE SUPERINTENDENT Dear Parents and Community, The first nine weeks of the 2015-16 school year is in the books, and our schools and district are making great strides by working together. We appreciate our parents for attending parent-teacher conferences and all your efforts to support our schools and students. These conferences allow our teachers and parents to strengthen the home-to-school partnership, and allow for better communication, planning and reflection. The research is clear when it comes to parent involvement – our students achieve at higher levels when their parents are involved and supportive of the educational process. Thank you, parents and teachers! We would also like to thank our community and parents for your recent support in the millage election. These results were a reflection of the hard work and commitment of our board of education, administrative team, teachers, staff members, and our supportive parents and business community. We look forward to sharing our progress over the next weeks and months as we continue planning for “Our Kids, Our Future”. Finally, we hope you’ve had a chance to visit our campuses and attend some of the first rate activities and events that showcase our talented students. From our elementary musicals to our many extracurricular and athletic events at Goza and AHS – our students are the pride of Arkadelphia! Come out and support them in their quest for quality and excellence. You’ll be glad you did!
Dates to Remember ARKADELPHIA PUBLIC SCHOOLS 2015-16 SCHOOL CALENDAR
APS Superintendent Dr. Donnie Whitten APS Communications Dept. Hanna Dean, Director Arkadelphia Public Schools Voice is a publication of the Arkadelphia Public Schools Communications Department. Questions regarding this publication may be directed to: E-mail - hanna.dean@ arkadelphiaschools.org Phone - (870) 246-5564 x1214 Mail - Arkadelphia Public Schools attn: Dept. of Comm. 235 N. 11th St. Arkadelphia, AR 71923
Arkadelphia Public Schools Board of Education Dr. Jeff Root, President Dr. Kenneth G. Harris, Jr., Vice President Karrie Goodman, Secretary Gina White
Go Badgers!
Billy Groom Randy Turner
Yours truly,
Donnie Whitten, Ed.D. Superintendent
Dr. Casey Motl
Badger Spirit!
#BadgerPride
Tennis The AHS Badger and Lady Badger tennis teams wrapped up the 2015 season in the 4A-7 District tennis tournament at Fountain Lake in early October. The Lady Badgers got one point in girls’ doubles play from Erica Dixon and Colleen Lloyd with a first-round win. Singles’ play is where the Lady Badgers collected the other seven points as seniors Rebecca Fellers and Katy Dickerson won their first two matches and faced each other in the semis. Fellers ended up finishing second in the girls’ singles bracket while Dickerson finished third place, qualifying both of them for the 4A State tournament. As a team, the Lady Badgers finished in a tie for conference runner-up. On the boys’ side, senior David Lloyd collected five points for the Badgers as he also qualified for the 4A State tournament. Lloyd advanced to the semifinals, where he lost a heart-breaker in a third set tie-break. Lloyd qualified for state by winning the consolation match in another third set tie-break match. Seniors Dickerson, Fellers and Lloyd were AHS’s representatives to the 4A State Tennis tournament hosted by Jonesboro-Westside on October 19-20. Senior Johnathan Miles wrapped up his career as a four-year letter winner and Brock Huerkamp and Erica Dixon were the other two seniors on the AHS tennis team in 2015. Any students interested in participating on the AHS tennis team during the fall 2016 season can contact the AHS athletic department at 870-246-7373 or chris.babb@arkadelphiaschools.org
Golf Two individual qualifiers to the 4A State golf tournament highlighted the 2015 AHS Badger and Lady Badger golf season under head coach Steve Patterson. Seniors Andrea Brown and Tyler Freeman represented AHS in their respective 4A State Championships. Brown and Freeman both qualified for the state championship with their performances at Diamondhead in the 4A-7 District tournament by finishing as one of the top two individuals outside of the teams that qualified. Brown competed wrapped up her career with a good outing at the girls’ state championship at the Country Club of Arkansas in Maumelle on September 21. Freeman competed in the 4A boys’ championships on October 6 at Cooper’s Hawk Golf Course in Melbourne and finished 14th out of 72 golfers with a 10 over par 82. As a team, the Badgers won their season-opening match and saw younger golfers progress throughout the season. “I was extremely proud of Andrea and Tyler for qualifying for the state tournament and was proud of their performances at the state championship,” said Patterson. “We will lose 5 seniors from these two teams, but we had some of our younger golfers show promise for the future and that makes the future look bright. We’re always looking for more players, so interested students can contact me at the high school about how to be a member of the Badger golf team.”
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New Faculty ing homes, in home therapy) # of Years Teaching: 14 Family: Single/no children Hobbies: Reading, traveling, swimming, spending time with my 1 1/2 year old nephew Favorite aspect of teaching: I love the look of accomplishment and pride on a students face when they have learned a new skill. I also enjoy the community of support from teachers and staff at the school. Favorite aspect of Arkadelphia: I love being near family and friends. I like going to DeGray Lake and getting Pumpkin Spice Lattes at JavaPrimo.
Benjamin Chandler
Erin Anders
Hometown: Roswell, Georgia Teaching: Kindergarten Perritt Primary Education: BS in Early childhood and reading education from Valdosta State university in Valdosta, Georgia Experience: 2 years in kindergarten, 4 years in 1st, and 1 year in 5th grade # of Years Teaching: entering my 8th year Family: huband is Paige Anders who coaches football at OBU, 6 year old son Beau, and 1 year old son Jake Hobbies: being with my family, traveling, shopping, watching football Favorite aspect of teaching: Seeing little ones change and learn so much!! Favorite aspect of Arkadelphia: We are new here and we are loving how welcomed we have felt! We love spending our time at OBU practices and games and have really enjoyed the few months that we have been in Arkadelphia.
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LaKesha Berry
Hometown: Rison, AR Teaching: Goza Middle School Information and Communications Technology Education: BSE from HSU # of Years Teaching: 16 years Hope School District, Hope, AR Family: love spending time with my 3 year old niece, sister teaches in the district also Favorite aspect of teaching: opportunity to make a difference in young lives Favorite aspect of Arkadelphia: friendly people, close to home
Bonny Burnett
Hometown: Arkadelphia Teaching: Perritt Primary/Speech Pathology (Therapy) Education: OBU: Bachelors and UAMS: Masters Experience: Private Company: Delta Rehab (schools, rehab facilities, nurs-
Hometown: Rocklin, CA Teaching: AHS/11th Grade American History Education: B.A. In History- HSU ’12, M.S. In Sports Admin- HSU ‘14 Experience: 1 year (Fordyce) # of Years Teaching: 1 Family: Nikki (Wife), Maddox (9), Malia (7), Cash (3) Hobbies: Burning Leaves, Reading, Watching great movies Favorite aspect of teaching: Getting to get to know the students and make a difference in their life. I also love that I get the opportunity to teach such an important subject to them and show them the importance of what has happened in the past. Favorite aspect of Arkadelphia: That HSU is winning overall in the Battle of the Ravine, GO REDDIES!!
Hanna Dean
Hometown: Hot Springs, AR Position: Director of Communications Education: BA in Mass Communications and Speech Communications Hobbies: Photography, hiking, traveling, spending time with my family,
watching baseball Favorite aspect of Arkadelphia: This is my fifth year in Arkadelphia, and it has become home to me so easily. The community here is so strong and makes you feel welcome.
Favorite aspect about Arkadelphia: It’s my home and I’ve been here my whole life. It means a lot to be able to give back to my former school district and community!
Adrienne Doles
Hometown: Burleson, Tx Teaching: Kindergarten Education: BA in Early Childhood Education from Ouachita Baptist University Experience: 3 years in Kindergarten at Rogers Public Schools # of Years Teaching: 4 Family: Husband, Austin A. King Hobbies: Traveling, running, reading Favorite aspect of teaching: I am passionate about helping all of my students succeed to the best of their abilities. I love watching students grow and feel the sense of pride, accomplishment, and self-worth that
Hometown: Benton, AR Teaching: AHS Algebra 2 and Algebra 3 Education: BS Biology from UALR # of Years Teaching: 4 Family: Husband, Josh Doles Daughter, AlainaGrace Doles 7 Son, Austin Kirk Doles 18 months Hobbies: Cooking, Fabric crafts, Reading, Fishing, Camping Favorite aspect of teaching: Influencing young people.
Garrett Garner
Hometown: Arkadelphia Teaching: Health/PE (AHS/ Goza) Education: Henderson state university Experience: First year of teaching and coaching Family: Fiancé (Taylor) and two girls Heidi (6) and Hallie (2) Hobbies: Enjoy fishing and going to every Razorback event that I can. Favorite aspect of teaching: I enjoy teaching because I’m one of the select few in this world that get to influence young people every day. I get to encourage them to be great at anything they do and sometimes a student can go far and beyond their own expectations just by a kind word and positive encouragement.
Jillian King
comes with learning and experiencing new things. Favorite aspect of Arkadelphia: My husband and I are excited to return to the place where we both went to school and where he grew up. We have just built our first home here and love how much this community has already made us feel like we are right where we need to be. Arkadelphia is a great place to call home!’
Natalie Leamons
Hometown: Gurdon, Ark. Teaching: Goza Middle School, 8th grade Pre-AP Literacy Education: Bachelor of Science in Education- Middle Level from Henderson State University Experience: Malvern High School and Malvern’s Wilson Intermediate School # of Years Teaching: 3
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Family: Husband, Luke Leamons, and 9 month old son, Wallace “Wally” Leamons Hobbies: Sewing, crafts, reading Favorite aspect of teaching: Helping students realize their potential, inspiring them, and making learning fun Favorite aspect of Arkadelphia: Small town feel, my church family, access to rivers, the lake, bike trails and walking trails, and mostly the sense of community and support from all the events during the year such as festivals downtown, Battle of the Ravine, Meet the Badgers, the County Fair, Junior Auxiliary events, the farmer’s market, Arktoberfest, etc.
Casey Moreland
Hometown: Glen Rose Teaching: Health/P.E. at Goza Education: BSE Henderson State Experience: 3 years of teaching Family: Wife - Danielle, two girls Adalee (3) Paisilee (2) Hobbies: Hunting, fishing, football Favorite aspect of teaching: Watching kids grow Favorite aspect of Arkadelphia: The people, the school, the football, and Lake DeGray
Don Nesbitt
Hometown: Mena, AR Teaching: Spanish 1 and Spanish 3 Education: BA in Spanish at the University of Arkansas Experience: Translation as a liaison between the US and Puerto Rico. # of Years Teaching: 1.5 years Family: Wife and two children Hobbies: Soccer, Football, Baseball, Basketball, and (watching) Professional Hockey Favorite aspect of teaching: Making connections with the students. Favorite aspect of Arkadelphia: It is a friendly town.
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Maria Pinkerton
Hometown: Bryant, Arkansas Teaching: Choir Director at Goza and AHS Education: Bachelor of Music from Henderson State University Experience: First year teacher # of years: 0 Family: I have a precious puppy named Gizmo. Hobbies: Bowling, Mini-Golf, and playing with my puppy. Favorite Aspect of Teaching: Seeing the students grow to become successful in an area. Favorite Aspect of Arkadelphia: It’s small enough to know everyone, but just big enough also.
Sandi Elizabeth Tuttle
Hometown: Dierks, Arkansas Teaching: Perritt Primary/Kindergarten Education: Bachelor of Science from Arkansas Tech University Experience: Gifted And Talented K-12 - 1 year; First Grade - 6 years; Kindergarten - 7 years # of Years Teaching: 14 years Family: Husband - Tim, Daughter - Savannah, 20 years old; junior at Arkansas Tech University; son, Riley - 4th grade
Hobbies: hiking, kayaking, crafting Favorite aspect of teaching: making a positive difference in little lives Favorite aspect of Arkadelphia: strong sense of community
Kyla Williams
Hometown: Arkadelphia Teaching: 3rd grade/Central Primary Education: B.S.E at Henderson State University. Currently working on my masters of Educational Leadership; also at HSU. Experience: This is my second year of teaching. I taught kindergarten prior to teaching 3rd grade. # of Years Teaching: 2 Family: My husband’s name is Kirdaro Williams. We have three children. TaKylia Crawford 10, Tre Williams 4 and Ky Williams 2. Hobbies: I love to bowl and watch movies! This is my first year to bowl through an actual bowling league. Favorite aspect of teaching: My favorite aspect of teaching is maximizing my students’ opportunities to become successful citizens. Favorite aspect of Arkadelphia: There is no place like home; Arkadelphia is a very nurturing, positive and inviting community!
AHS receives Computer Science Grant from ADE Arkadelphia High School is pleased to offer AP Computer Science to all interested students for the first time this school year. On April 21, the Arkansas Department of Education announced that a Computer Science Grant of up to $20,000 would be offered to all schools that applied by the June 20 deadline. “This stems from Governor Hutchinson’s initiative and his push for Computer Science within the state,” Computer Science Coordinator Anthony Owen said. “He set aside $5 million for us to use to help spearhead this intiative across the state.” In order to receive the grant, applying schools must have agreed to offer face-to-face teaching in one of the following four courses: Essentials of Computer Programming, Computer Science and Mathematics, IB Computer Science or AP Computer Science. One of these courses must be instated within the 2015-2016 or 2016-2017 school year to remain eligible. Arkadelphia Public Schools applied for the Computer Science Grant at the end of May. In response to the submission, Superintendent Donnie Whitten, Grant Coordinator Nancy Mortensen and AP Computer Science Instructor Clair Mays received a confirmation email that Arkadelphia High School had been approved. The Arkansas Department of Education awarded a total of $15,376.96 to Arkadelphia High School in order to fund books and resources, equipment for classrooms, the proper technology and supplies, and transportation and hotel rooms for camps and competitions. “Arkadelphia Public Schools is pleased to be one of the initial grant recipients of the Computer Science initiative in Arkansas,” said Dr. Donnie Whitten, Arkadelphia superintendent. “We look forward to continuing this partnership with the state and providing a high-quality experience to our students.” Mays attended the AP Summer Institute at UALR for AP Computer Science training in the summer and began to get the course materials ready for the 2015-2016 school year with the aid of Dr. Jeff Matocha, a Computer Science professor from Ouachita Baptist University. Dr. Matocha received news about Arkadelphia’s pursuance of ADE’s Computer Science Grant and made contact with Mays with intentions of helping Arkadelphia get the program started. ““So when I heard that the governor was making this mandatory for all the schools, I started contacting Mr. McMillion and he hooked me up with Mrs. Mays,” Matocha said. “I was interested in helping, because I’ve seen how sometimes these programs don’t have much support.” The course currently has 10 students enrolled and will continue to grow. “So far it has gone really well,” Senior Ryan Sheets said. “We have had Dr. Matocha here helping us a lot. He kind of guides us the same way that he guides his college students, so I feel like we are getting more of a next-level grasp than what most high school students would.”
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Queen and Alexander Represent AHS at ECET2 On July 15, Rebecca Alexander and Sean Queen arrived in Seattle, Wash. after being invited to attend the Elevating and Celebrating Effective Teaching and Teachers conference (ECET2) for their leadership and success in teaching. The ECET2 conference celebrates the profession of teaching and brings educators from across the United States together to collaborate, learn, develop new strategies and discusses any challenges they face. ECET2 is funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and covered all travel, hotel and food expenses for the 450 teachers invited. “It did feel like something too good to be true,” Alexander said. “Who pays for just some person in Arkansas to fly out to Seattle.” Alexander has been teaching science courses at Arkadelphia High School for the past six years. Queen is on his fifth year at AHS teaching freshman and sophomore English. Queen and Alexander “hit the ground running” upon their arrival in Seattle, starting each day at 7:00 a.m. and lasting until 9:00 p.m. During the first night, the two attended a welcoming reception at the Seattle Aquarium, where they could freely mingle with teachers from various states and explore the exhibits. Over the course of the three days, Queen and Alexander participated in three breakout sessions. They also were actively involved in “colleague circles”, which allowed them to discuss with other teachers any practices and problems they were facing and collaborate on the best way to solve the issues. “That was probably my favorite part,” Queen said. “Getting to talk to teachers from all over the country. I made a friend from Chicago. We talked to people from Montana and just all over.” There were several guest speakers throughout the weekend, including teachers with inspiring stories to share and staff members from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. During the morning session on Thursday, the teachers received a surprise visit from Melinda Gates. Gates’ discussion about teachers being leaders in the classroom and the reason as to why the Gates Foundation supports education left the audience feeling confident and empowered. “It was really cool to hear her talk about her campaign for education and how important and how valuable they feel it is,” Alexander said. “That was really nice.” ECET2 offers a $5,000 to $30,000 grant opportunity for interested teachers that would like to host their own regional conventions in hopes of expanding and connecting more educators across the United States. The grant can be offered in two ways, financial support and assistance in planning the convention. If an applicant meets the grant requirements, he must organize the event to achieve the desired outcomes of the ECET2, which is for teachers to grow, collaborate and lead. Queen and Alexander began discussing the possibility of pursuing the grant opportunity and hosting their own regional ECET2 convention immediately after the convening in Seattle. “At one of the breakout sessions I went to, they talked us through the process, and we met with other teachers who had actually put one on in their state,” Alexander said. “So, I’ve got a long list of things that they said was helpful. We’ve already had conversations on the way back about presenting it at these conferences in the near future, too, so hopefully that will happen.”
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Peake will “Never Forget” September 11, 2001 “I was teaching a group of 10th graders geometry in McNeil, Arkansas. The school was extremely old and didn’t have TVs in the classroom. A student from the computer class across the hall ran into my room telling my class ‘We’ve been bombed.’ My students and I watched videos streaming through the news pages throughout the day. Needless to say, learning how to prove theorems was put on the back burner that day. That night, I held my children a little closer, said a longer prayer, and made sure my flag was waving proudly on my front porch!” -Tori Rocole, 5th Grade Math Teacher On September 11th, Peake Elementary students honored the heroes in their lives. Active and inactive servicemen, as well as first responders, attended “Breakfast for Heroes”, followed by a reader’s theater of “Lady Liberty”. “Our servicemen/women and first responders put their lives on the line every day,” Rocole said. “Peake wanted to show our appreciation for all they do to ensure our country and community continue to be the best nation in the world. Our Breakfast for Heroes was a way to say ‘Thank you’ on the National Day of Remembrance.” The students were able to visit with their heroes, enjoy donuts and escort them to the auditorium for the reader’s theater production performed by Ms. Boyette’s and Ms. Calhoon’s classes. In their production of “Lady Liberty”, the class recapped the events of September 11th, stating that they would “never forget”. “I was thrilled to see so many heroes in our crowd,” Ms. Boyette said. “We were able to pay tribute for all the sacrifices they made/make for us. It was just one small token of our appreciation!” The production sparked a lot of questions and conversations among the students at Peake. Teachers were able to teach the students not only about the devastating attacks, but also about how we were brought together as a country to help and support one another. Students were reminded how important it is to thank our soldiers and servicemen for their dedication to our country. “The attacks on 9/11 had a profound impact on America,” Boyette said. “The events that occurred on that day in 2001, still influence us a as society, politically and personally. It is important for students to understand the impact those events had on everyone in America. It is also a wonderful opportunity to teach them about citizenship.”
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Grandparents’ Day 2015 “It’s is so heartwarming to be included in our granddaughters activities and this was extra special because we had both our granddaughters at the same school. The decorations were so festive and there was even the photo op to make more memories with them. They were so proud to show us the papers they had written about us, and their faces glowed when we read the essay with them. I guess the most special feeling was to look at that swarm of children coming down the hall and spy our special girls the same time they saw us. To see their faces break into smiles when we connected was the best feeling a grandparent could have. Thank you Central Elementary!”
-Marsha Haltom
Grandmother of Georgia Kate Stockton and Maggie Grace Phillips
“We all know grandparents whose values transcend passing fads and pressures, and who possess the wisdom of distilled pain and joy,” said President Jimmy Carter, who designated the first Grandparents’ Day in 1979. “Because they are usually free to love and guide and befriend the young without having to take daily responsibility for them, they can often reach out past pride and fear of failure and close the space between generations.” National Grandparents’ Day is special to Arkadelphia Public Schools. Not only are our grandparents in the hearts of our students, but they are also the heart of our community. In the month of September, Central Primary, Perritt Primary and Peake Rosenwald invited the grandparents of each student to celebrate the impact they have had on our students’ lives. Peake Rosenwald celebrated the holiday in the morning before school at “Donuts with Grandparents”. The special guests were able to come in, grab a donut and juice, sit among other students, and spend time with their grandchildren. On Friday, Central Primary invited grandparents to join its students for lunch. The cafeteria was decorated with a “Western” theme in mind, and the walls were covered with letters the students had written to their grandparents. Each class had a designated time, and grandparents waited for their grandchildren in the hallway. As classes dismissed for lunch, the students scattered to find their grandparent(s). When a student would finally locate his visitor, his eyes got a little bigger and a little brighter. Perritt Primary also participated in a morning celebration with “Goodies for GrandPERRITTS” the following Monday. Each table in the cafeteria was covered in bright-yellow covers with beautiful pink flowers at the center. There were muffins and beverages available to all the participating grandparents. Among each of these three celebrations, there was one thing that they had in common: the sense of pride among the students as they strolled through the cafeteria holding their grandparents’ hand and introducing them to their friends and classmates.
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Arkadelphia community helps pass APS Millage
The Arkadelphia Public School District wants to thank the Arkadelphia community for their participation and support in the “Our Kids, Our Future” campaign and the millage election on September 15. Early voting results showed 548 votes “For” and 415 votes “Against”. For absentee votes only, there were 15 votes “For” and 14 “Against”. Election day votes resulted in 1,102 votes “For” and 834 votes “Against”. The millage increase will provide funds for the construction of a new elementary school for grades 2-5 and a new middle school for grades 6-8. The tax increase will also provide competitive salaries for faculty and staff and support any renovations that meet the district’s needs. “I believe the vote in favor of new schools and competitive salaries was a major step forward for our community,” said Dr. Jeff Root, president of the Board of Education. “I have never been more proud to be a graduate of the Arkadelphia public
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schools. I interpret the heavy turnout and the positive vote as recognition that our teachers, staff and administrators push for excellence in and out of the classroom. The millage increase will allow us to match that effort with first-rate facilities, as well as salaries designed to attract and keep accomplished educators.” The approximate cost for the two new buildings is $20 million. The school district is expecting the State to provide $8 million in partnership funds. The new elementary school will be located at the current site of Peake Elementary. The middle school will be constructed on the current Arkadelphia High School campus. The new school buildings will reduce the number of campuses from five to three, making transportation for buses and parents more efficient and improving safety measures. The district’s push for the millage was a result of the current aging facilities. Arkadelphia High
School was constructed over 40 years ago in 1972 and is the newest school building. Central Primary was rebuilt in 1944, after the original building burned in February, 1943. Goza Middle School was erected in 1956. Peake and Perritt were both constructed in 1960. The Arkadelphia Board of Education voted unanimously in June, 2015 to seek the public’s support for the millage increase, which came as a result from a community survey given in April. The majority of survey respondents recognized new school facilities and competitive salaries as one of Arkadelphia’s opportunities for growth and indicated both interest and support for the millage increase. Arkadelphia’s current millage rate is 38.90. The increase will add 5.75 mills, which will place Arkadelphia’s new millage rate at 44.65.
Louisa E. Perritt Day
On November 1, 1983, a group of fourth grade Gifted and Talented students from Louisa Perritt Elementary began researching Louisa Eliza Perritt, the woman whom their school was named after. The students gathered information about Miss Perritt through interviewing those that knew her and researching old newspapers, county records and school board files. Based off the information they found, Miss Perritt was a Clark County public health nurse for 26 years. She was from Carroll county, Tenn. and moved to Arkansas in 1889. School board records say that Miss Perritt sold the land on which her home stood to the school in 1959. The land was 15 acres, and she sold it to the district for $15,000. After three months of researching, the group of Gifted and Talented students presented all of the information they had gathered. The mayor of Arkadelphia, Stell Callaway, proclaimed January 31 to be Louisa E. Perritt Day in 1984. Each year, Perritt Primary celebrates Miss Perritt with a program that is open to the public. This year, the Louisa E. Perritt Day program was held in the multi-purpose room of Perritt Primary on September 24. Programs were given to the audience members with the itinerary and six students’ depictions of Miss Perritt. A table was set up on stage and displayed Miss Perritt’s photograph, tea set, and handbells. The program was led by Perritt’s Early Act Student Council. President Addyson Caldwell opened the program with the welcoming statement. After giving the statement, Caldwell joined Vice President Cohen Cannon, Secretary Amiya Merida and Treasurer Brylen Hendrix as they led the primary students in reciting the Bucket Fillers’ Pledge. Ms. Syler’s class performed a rap, “L-O-U-I-S-A”, for the audience. The rap performed was an acronym of Louisa Perritt’s name. Each student held up a letter to Perritt’s name and sang a phrase to the song. After this performance, Cannon introduced the Mayor James Calhoun to the audience. Mayor Calhoun read the proclamation and addressed the special day, and Ms. Hendrix’s class led the Louisa E. Perritt song. To end the program, Ms. King, a kindergarten teacher at Perritt, modeled Miss Perritt’s white tea dress, and Principal Callie Hunley gave the closing remarks.
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AHS Band Earns Overall Outstanding 4A-5A Award The Arkadelphia High School Badger Pride Marching Band competed in the 2015 Arkansas Showcase of Bands at War Memorial Stadium on October 10. Their “Superhero” performance earned them 11 awards, including the Brandon Award for Overall Outstanding Band in Class 4A-5A. Head Band Director Jim Lloyd and Assistant Band Directors Aaron Seel and Whitney Smith started preparing for the “Superhero” performance last October during the previous marching season. “The three of us, Mr. Seel does all the percussion stuff and Mrs. Smith does all the color guard stuff, are a team,” said Lloyd. “We sit down, and sometimes we will throw out six or eight ideas for a show concept. We will talk about it with each other and say ‘go home and think about it and come back’. This one went on pretty easy.” The band started summer rehearsals on July 26. For two weeks, they practiced in the stadium from 8:00 a.m. to 11:30 p.m. and returned after lunch from 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. They rehearse each day during class, and during the school year, the public is invited to come watch their Tuesday night rehearsals during marching season in the stadium from 6:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Lloyd explained the three major movements in the show, other than the very end when the band hits the Batman verses Superman symbols. At the end of the opener, the band forms the bat signal to the music from the original 1989 Batman movie by Danny Elfman. The second movement is from the Metropolis Symphony by Michael Daugherty called “Lex”. Seel took the violin solo from this movement and transcribed it specifically for the band’s percussion, which Lloyd described as the “hardest part”, but “very effective”. Red Cape Tango is the last major movement, which is also from Michael Daugherty’s Metropolis Symphony. This movement is about the death of Superman. The Showcase of Bands began at 9:00 a.m. with 2A and 3A band performances in the morning. 4A and 5A bands were judged separately and performed in the afternoon after 2A and 3A awards were given. The Badger Pride Marching Band participated as a 5A band and was placed among the 20 bands in the 4A and 5A classification. “We just wanted to do what we always do which is our very best,” Lloyd said. “I felt good about how the kids have prepared, especially over the past two weeks. We really, really worked hard over the past two weeks.” After their performance, they were able to see all of their hard work pay off. The awards that the Badger Pride Marching Band received at the 2015 Arkansas Showcase of Bands are as follows: Division 1 Drum Major, Division 1 Percussion, Division 1 Colorguard, Division 1 Band, Outstanding Soloists in Class 5A (Rebecca Fellers and Mollie Daniell), Outstanding Percussion Class 5A, Outstanding General Effect Class 5A, Outstanding Marching Class 5A, Outstanding Music Class 5A, Outstanding Band Class 5A, and The Brandon Award for Overall Outstanding Band in Class 4A-5A. “It was a good feeling,” said Lloyd. “Mostly, I was just happy for the kids. I think a lot of their joy didn’t come from just the awards. It came from the crowd reaction to the big hits in the show. And this was an audience that was full of band students and band parents that was full of other competing bands. And they bought into it, and they were cheering. So that was a great feeling for our kids.” The Badger Pride Marching Band will play in the Bandmaster’s Championship at the Liberty Bowl in Memphis on October 24. The following Tuesday, October 27, the band will perform in the Region Band Marching Contest. The last competition will be on October 31 at the Championship at the Rock Marching Contest, which is the prelims and finals competition. We would love for you and your family to come out and support the Badger Pride Marching Band!
Goza Goes GREEN!
The Arkadelphia Public School District is continuing to become more involved with the City of Arkadelphia through the act of recycling. Last year, Peake Elementary and Arkadelphia High School contacted Sanitation Department Superintendent Aaron Bopp to begin recycling on each campus. The City of Arkadelphia delivered 20 recycling totes to Peake and 100 to AHS. This year, Bopp contacted Assistant Principal Jimmy King in hopes to get Goza Middle School involved. King directed Bopp to Christy Smith, the Goza Youth Act sponsor, and plans were made for the delivery of 36 recycle bins. “We are hoping that by promoting recycling, we will have a healthier community in the future,” Smith said. “Recycling will hopefully reduce greenhouse gases which will improve our air and water quality.” There will be one recycle bin placed in each classroom at Goza, along with three larger bins in the student center. Students will empty the classroom bins in the student center, and the City of Arkadelphia will come every Tuesday morning to clean out the bins. “Teaching kids about being responsible for their future, whether it be to save trees and help clean the environment or seeing cost savings on future trash bills, is an important role for the City of Arkadelphia as well as the school district,” Bopp said. “We as the City want to have a sustainable future, in order for that to happen we must teach who will be leading in the future… which are the students of today.”
A Successful Back to School Party for Central
Thanks to Parents and Teachers Helping Students (PATHS), Central was able to celebrate the start of the 2015-2016 school year with a pool party! The parent group sponsored the back to school party for all Central students at the Arkadelphia Aquatic Park on September 10. The party for second grade was from 6 to 7:00 p.m., and the third grade party was from 7 to 8:00 p.m. The students waited for the signal and swam for the full hour among friends and family. When it was time to be dismissed, they were greeted at the exit with a popsicle given to them by the parent group and faculty.
Perritt Primary Loves Fall Traditions!
AHS Homecoming 2015
Congratulations to Homecoming Queen Anaya Hunter, Maid of Honor Morgan Stinson, and the 2015 Homecoming Court: Madison House, Rebecca Fellers, Vicki Lewis, Mady Bray, Tyra Adams, Maddy Durrett, Tori Jones, Lauren Cook, Addy Goodman, Kaylee Davidson, and Autumn Blankenship.
Fall Musicals
“E-I-E-I Oops!” was performed at Perritt
Primary on Thursday, Oct. 15. by the 1st grade classes of Ms. Adkins, Ms. French, Ms. McMillion and Ms. Thomas.
Patriotic Phantasy was performed at Peake
Elementary on Thursday, Oct. 15 by the homeroom classes of Ms. Carter, Ms. Helms and Ms. Rocole.