WINTER 2018
FROM THE SUPERINTENDENT Dear Parents and Community, It was an exciting winter semester in the Arkadelphia Public Schools. In addition to the Badger Pride Marching Band reclaiming the 3A State Championship title, our Badger football team defeated the Warren Lumberjacks 28-27 in the 4A State Championship game, securing the first state championship football title for the Arkadelphia Badgers in 30 years. We are proud of these students, athletes and coaches for all of their hard work and dedication to their team. Our students and staff are gearing up for the ACT Aspire assessment that will be administered across Arkansas this spring. Our instructional team has been preparing for the testing period, and we look forward to reviewing the data that will come from this assessment. For more information, please contact your child’s principal or counselor. Our building projects continue to move forward with the planning and design of our two new schools. Our team of professionals are wrapping up the dirt work for the new Goza Middle School, and the project is estimated to take 17 months until completion. As we work up to the completion date of Goza, the design and planning process for the new Peake Elementary School is underway. Finally, we anticipate a busy spring semester full of activities and learning that showcase our talented students. I encourage you to make time to be a part of as much as possible. Our young people are the pride of our community, and we encourage you to be involved in these special moments. You’ll be glad you did. Go Badgers! Sincerely,
Dr. Donnie Whitten Superintendent
Mr. Randy Turner serves as the Board of Education President. Turner was first elected to the Board of Education in 2005. He served for six years, including his presidential term from 2007 to 2009. After taking a few years off, Turner was reelected to the Board in 2013 and resumed the role of President in 2016. Born and raised in Arkadelphia, Ark., Turner is a 1971 graduate of Arkadelphia High School. He received his bachelor’s degree in accounting from Ouachita Baptist University and is a certified public accountant. Turner and his wife, Glenetta, have two children and three grandchildren. Dr. Kenneth Harris, Jr. is the vice president of the Board of Education. Harris began serving on the Board in 1983. Harris graduated from Calhoun County High School in Thornton, Ark. He received his bachelor’s degree in elementary education from Arkansas Agricultural, Mechanical and Normal (AM&N) College (now called the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff). Harris later earned a master’s degree in curriculum and instruction at Henderson State University and his Doctorate in Education in curriculum and instruction from East Texas State University. Harris is a retired Henderson State University education professor. His wife, Pamala, and daughter are both educators.
Ms. Karrie Goodman was elected to the Board of Education in 2012 and currently serves as the secretary. Goodman is from Stilwell, Kansas. She graduated from Blue Valley High School and received a degree in Business Education from Henderson State University. Goodman is a juvenile officer for Clark County. She and her husband, David, have two children.
Ms. Paulette Blacknall, a life-long resident of Clark County, was appointed to serve on the Board of Education in February 2018. Blacknall received a Bachelor of Science in education from Ouachita Baptist University. She obtained a master’s degree in special education and her Building Level Administrator endorsement from Henderson State University. Blacknall taught public school for 24 years, then served as the Director of Education Renewal Zone at Henderson State University for 11 years before retiring in June 2016. Dr. Casey Motl began serving on the Board of Education in 2013. He grew up in Bryan, Texas and graduated from Bryan High School in 1989. Motl received his undergraduate degree in history from Texas A&M University in College Station, a master’s degree in history from the University of North Texas, and a Ph.D. in history from Texas A&M University. Motl currently works as an associate professor of history at Ouachita Baptist University. His wife, Lori, is the Director of Admissions Counseling at OBU. The two have three children enrolled in the Arkadelphia School District. Dr. Jeff Root was born in Hot Springs, Ark. but grew up in Arkadelphia. Root graduated from Arkadelphia High School in 1979 and earned his bachelor’s degree in communications from Ouachita Baptist University. He received a master’s degree in history from the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville and a doctorate in mass communications/higher education from Oklahoma State University. Root and his wife, Deborah, both work at Ouachita Baptist University. Ms. Gina White became a Board of Education member in 2015. White is a native of Arkadelphia and graduated from Arkadelphia High School. She attended Henderson State University, where she received a degree in business administration. White also holds a degree from the University of Little Rock Bowen School of Law. She is married to Rob White and has one daughter enrolled in the Arkadelphia Public School District.
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 Randy Turner, President Dr. Kenneth G. Harris, Jr., Vice President Karrie Goodman, Secretary Paulette Blacknall Dr. Casey Motl Dr. Jeff Root Gina White
Goza Middle School Groundbreaking Ceremony
The Arkadelphia Public School District held a Groundbreaking Ceremony to celebrate the start of construction of the new Goza Middle School on Thursday, December 14, on the current campus of Arkadelphia High School. “This is an historic and wonderful day for Arkadelphia Public Schools,” Superintendent Dr. Donnie Whitten said. “We have worked diligently to get to this point, and we are excited to start the construction process.” The Arkadelphia Board of Education approved the final construction bids during the November Board meeting. The guaranteed maximum price for the new Goza Middle School building is set at $15.3 million, and the construction of the 83,793 square foot school building is projected to take 17 months until completion. “Nabholz Construction Services is excited to serve as the construction manager and general contractor for Arkadelphia Public Schools on the new Goza Middle School,” Senior Project Manager Mark Seiter said. “This is our first project for Arkadelphia Schools, and we look forward to a successful project.” Some of the features of the new facility include ground and basement-level classrooms, stairwells and an elevator, administration area, health center, media center, computer labs, art center, work force career center, science labs, a complete kitchen, serving and dining area, a gymnasium with locker rooms, a band instrument room, and a development lab. “The current Goza Middle School was erected in 1956,” Whitten said. “The new school will be essential in providing our students with a modernized environment that will enhance their learning opportunity as we push for excellence in the classroom.”
Cone Foundation
The Arkadelphia High School CONE Foundation awarded 20 grants to various non-profit organizations for their proposed projects in Clark County at its annual awards ceremony. The CONE Foundation, made up of 17 Gifted and Talented seniors at Arkadelphia High School, received over 24 proposals requesting almost $25,000.00. The 2017 selected recipients at the December 4, 2017 ceremony were: Educational Grants Badger Scholar - Miss Rebecca Alexander Central Primary - Mrs. Charlotte Dewitt Peake Elementary - Mrs. Tina Calhoon APSD Early Learning Programs - Mrs. Tasha Hines APSD Food Pantry - Ms. Paula Keeling Peake Elementary - Mrs. Mona Jackson AHS Football Program - Mr. Ben Chandler APSD ALE Program - Laurel Cannon
The CONE Foundation is a mini-foundation of the Ross Foundation that provides money for worthy and needy nonprofit organizations in Clark County. Gifted and Talented students in the 12th grade at Arkadelphia High School have been raising money since their junior year. This money is matched by the Ross Foundation giving the CONE Foundation $10,000.00 to be given back in grants to non-profit groups in the community which exhibit in their grant applications a significant need.
Community Grants Lighthouse Ministry - Mrs. Debbie Files Clark County Humane Society - Ms. Amanda Malcom Pregnancy Resource Center of Southwest Arkansas - Mrs.Beverly Hankins CASA - Ms. Sherry Bailey Arkadelphia Junior Auxilary - Mrs. Jessica Wright OBU Department of Kinesiology - Mrs. Amber Chelette Healthier Clark County Coalition - Gizelle Oliver Percy & Donna Malone Child Safety Center - Mrs.Deborah Sesser CALL of Clark County - Mrs. Sarah Teed Humane Society - Dr. Virginia Anderson OBU Ben Elrod Center - Mrs. Elizabeth Kelly
YAC Student Initiated Grants AHS JROTC - Mr. Chase Goodson Goza Youth Act Council - Christy Smith, Sponsor
The senior students making up the CONE Foundation are: Elizabeth Adair, Kennedy Brunson, Mollie Daniell, Parker Davis, Fateemah Faiq, Allie Harris, Jordan Jarboe, Trent Keeling, Blanton Matthews, Ryan Motl, Jenna Purifoy, Clayton Robbins, Taylor Savage, Harrison Shuffield, Ashlyn Taylor, and Haley Zeiler. The Cone Foundation Sponsor is Ms. Nancy Mortensen.
Winter Musicals
Peake Rosenwald Peake Rosenwald hosted its annual Winter Musical and Awards Program on Dec. 14.
Perritt Primary School The kindergarten classes of Ms. Bright, Ms. Garner, Ms. Gierth, and Ms. Tuttle performed “The Littlest Christmas Tree” on Dec. 7 under the direction of Mrs. Misha Parker and Ms. Courtney Collins.
Central Primary School
Central Primary School’s 2nd graders performed their music program, “A Penguin Christmas”, under the direction of Mrs. Pamala Harris on Dec. 14.
Peake Elementary School
The New Edition Choir, C.S. Dancers, and the home room classes of Clark, Jackson, and Wright presented “Broadway Santa� on Dec. 14 at Peake Elementary School under the direction of Mrs. Laura Cornelius.
Sounds of the Season
The Perritt Nickelodeon Choir, Central Singing Bears, Peake New Edition Choir, Goza Middle School Choir, and Arkadelphia Singers performed in the Sounds of the Season at the State Capitol this December. These students did an outstanding job representing the Arkadelphia community and our school district. Photos taken by Arkansas Secretary of State
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Arkadelphia Badgers - 2017 4A State Champions To say it was a banner year for the Badger football team would be cliche, but it would also be accurate. For the first time since 1987, the Arkadelphia Badgers won a state championship in football, this time defeating the Warren Lumberjacks 28-27 at War Memorial Stadium for the 4A State Championship. In front of what was described by some state media in attendance as the largest crowd of any team in any of the six state championship games in 2017, the Badgers won a game that won’t soon be forgotten. The Badgers took a 28-27 lead with just over 3 minutes left in the fourth quarter on an 81-yard touchdown pass from sophomore quarterback Cannon Turner to senior tight end Alec Lewis. Needing to stop the Lumberjacks and their sensational sophomore Treylon Burks, the Badgers got just enough stops on the game’s final drive to secure the win. Senior cornerback Dillion Scott, who had earlier blocked a Warren extra point, made an open-field solo tackle of the Warren star with under 10 seconds left in the game at the Badger eight yard line. As Warren snapped the ball with under five seconds left, a fan walked onto the field from the Warren side of the stadium causing a delay in the game. After security removed the fan from the field, the officials decided the Lumberjacks were assessed a penalty and nine seconds were added to the clock. Needing to make a stop to earn the win, Scott and the Badger defense came up with one last stop as Scott intercepted a Lumberjack pass in the end zone to seal the win. The Badgers would line up in the history formation and the celebration began among the sea of Badger blue and red on the east side of War Memorial Stadium. The season ended with a trophy, but it wasn’t just a solid week 15 that cemented 2017 as one of the best in Badger football history. Beginning the season with three straight shutout victories, the Badgers earned some notoriety around the state and continued the march to the playoffs during the 4A-7 portion of the schedule. Arkadelphia ended the conference slate with a 6-1 record and a 9-1 overall record. After earning a first-round home game, the Badgers advanced to the second round by the oddest of ways as Helena-West Helena Central High School withdrew from the playoffs after suffering a bus wreck on the way to Arkadelphia for the first-round game. Week two of the playoffs saw the Badgers travel to top-seeded and undefeated Southside Batesville for the first road trip of the playoffs. The Badgers dispatched the Southerners 42-8, sending the Badgers to Thanksgiving week still playing football for the third time in the last four seasons. The Badgers hosted the Ashdown Panthers in front of a huge crowd at AllCare Field at Badger Stadium on the Friday after Thanksgiving. The Badgers put together a solid effort against the Panthers, jumping out quickly and never looking back on their way to a 59-7 win over the conference foe. The win over Ashdown set up a rematch with Pea Ridge, which sent the Badgers home in 2016 winning a close first-round playoff match between the two schools. The Badgers avenged that loss and earned their first trip to a state championship game in 30 years with a big 51-26 win over the Blackhawks at Blackhawk Stadium.
2017 Badger Football 4A State Champions 14-1 overall record Regular Season Scores Arkadelphia 29, Stuttgart 0 Arkadelphia 56, Sheridan 0 Arkadelphia 49, Hot Springs 0 Arkadelphia 34, Nashville 24 Robinson 21, Arkadelphia 17 Arkadelphia 70, Fountain Lake 7 Arkadelphia 45, Mena 6 Arkadelphia 44, Ashdown 26 Arkadelphia 35, Bauxite 0 Arkadelphia 66, Malvern 6
Playoff Scores Championship game: Arkadelphia 28 Warren 27 Semifinals: Arkadelphia 51 Pea Ridge 26 Quarterfinals: Arkadelphia 59 Ashdown 7 Second Round: Arkadelphia 42 Southside Batesville 8 First Round: Arkadelphia 2 Helena-West Helena Central 0
Head Coach J.R. Eldridge Farm Bureau Insurance/Hooten’s Arkansas Football 4A Coach of the Year Little Rock Touchdown Club 4A Coach of the Year All-Arkansas Preps Selections (selected by Arkansas Democrat-Gazette): 1st team defense: Junior CB Victor Tademy 2nd team defense: Senior LB Josh Burnham 2nd team Special teams: Junior P/K Gabe Goodman Top Sophomore team: QB Cannon Turner and LB Kyren Harrison 4A State Championship game MVP: Sophomore QB Cannon Turner 4A All-State: Sophomore LB Kyren Harrison; Junior RB Zion Hatley
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Great Kindness Challenge Week
KINDNESS MATTERS! Perritt Primary School, Central Primary School, Peake Elementary School, and Goza Middle School celebrated the Great Kindness Challenge Week during the winter semester. The Great Kindness Challenge Week is a movement presented by Kids for Peace, a nonprofit global organization, that is dedicated to encouraging acts of kindness on school campuses nationwide. Students are given a checklist of 50 kind acts and challenged to complete the list within the week. In addition to performing their acts of kindness, students celebrate Great Kindness Challenge Week by dressing up and participating in assemblies. The dress up days this year included “Kindness Ties Us Together” (students wear a tie), “Don’t Hide from Kindness” (students dress in camouflage), “Kindness Never Gets Old” (students dress as an old person), “Yee-Haw for Kindness” (students dress in western wear), and “Spirit of Kindness” (students wear their school or Badger shirt). As a part of the week, our schools participated in Kind Coins for Hurricane Relief. Students were challenged to bring in coins throughout the week to donate to building playgrounds for hurricane-affected states in order to bring joy to children who lost their possessions in the natural disaster.
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Buddy Bench In honor of the Great Kindness Challenge, the Kiwanis Club of Clark County donated a Buddy Bench to Perritt Primary School and Central Primary School. The goal of the buddy is to foster new friendships and make sure every student has someone to play with during recess. If someone does not have a friend to play with, then they will go over and sit down. A buddy will notice and go over and invite them to play.
National Geographic Bee Peake Elementary School held its 2018 National Geographic Bee on Jan. 25. We would like to congratulate the following students: National Geographic Bee Winner: Bryce Top Three: Bryce, Kyle, and Carson Top 10: Christian, Maddox, Alexy, Lauren, Emma, Jace, Mahala, Carson, Bryce, and Kyle
Congressman Bruce Westerman We appreciate Congressman Bruce Westerman for coming and visiting with Arkadelphia High School's pre-engineering students on Feb. 20. Students were able to demonstrate several of their current projects, including their work on the FANUC robotic arm.
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CyberPatriot X Competition Three AHS teams competed in the State Round of the CyberPatriot X Competition. AHS participated in the competition’s highest tier, the Platinum Tier. There are three total tiers in the competition: Platinum, Gold, and Silver. During the State Round, the teams worked on a Cisco Networking Challenge Quiz, Packet Tracer Exercise, and three images. They had six hours to complete the challenge. The Male JROTC team earned 3rd Place in the Platinum Tier, and the Female JROTC team earned 2nd Place in the Gold Tier.
School Spelling Bee Perritt Primary School Congratulations to the 2018 Perritt Primary School Spelling Bee winners! 1st place, Kingston 2nd place, Benjamin 3rd place, Levi
Central Primary School Congratulations to the 2018 Central Primary School spelling bee winners! 2nd grade:
3rd grade:
1st place, Sheena 2nd place, Jayla 3rd place, Blayze
1st place, Spencer 2nd place, Emberli 3rd place, Brylon
Peake Elementary School Congratulations to the 2018 Peake Elementary School spelling bee winners! 4th grade:
5th grade:
1st place, Emilie 2nd place, Porter 3rd place, Ellie
1st place, Jared 2nd place, Bryce 3rd place, Halle
Backpack Program Alumacraft presented 1309 pounds of food to Arkadelphia Public Schools on Thursday, February 1, as a part of Patterson Federal Credit Union’s Project CARE Food Drive. Holly Berry, Randy Weaver, Josh McMahan, Jesse Ingersoll, and Alan Bosley of Alumacraft delivered the food by boat to Perritt Primary School, Central Primary School, Peake Elementary School, and Goza Middle School. Alumacraft is the first community food drive for 2018. In January of 2017, Alumacraft hosted the first business food drive for Project CARE and brought in 664 pounds of food. This year, their goal was to exceed the amount of food brought in during their initial food drive. After a friendly competition within their departments, Alumnacraft surpassed their goal, and the alweld department led the team with 854 pounds. For their efforts with Project CARE, Patterson Federal Credit Union recently won the CUNA Dora Maxwell Social Responsibility Award. According to CUNA’s website, “Dora Maxwell was an early credit union pioneer, and was one of the original signers of CUNA’s constitutions at Estes Park in Colorado. She worked as an organizer for the movement’s trade association and held numerous volunteer positions at the local and national level. In addition to organizing hundreds of credit unions, she developed volunteer organizer clubs and worked with organizations on behalf of the poor.” The CUNA Dora Maxwell Social Responsibility Award is given to a credit union for involvement in an external service project that benefits and strengthens its community. Patterson was selected as the first place winner for credit unions under $50 million in assets nationwide.
Perritt Primary School Chili Supper
Perritt Primary School hosted its annual Chili Supper on Monday, February 5. This is a special tradition at Perritt, dating back to 1984. By purchasing a $5 ticket, you received a bowl of chili, cheese, crackers, a yummy cinnamon roll, and a drink. All proceeds went to purchasing technology for Perritt students and teachers. This year, in addition to the Nickelodeon Choir putting on a spectacular performance, Perritt added a silent and live art auction to the event. Each piece of art work was sold in a silent auction, except for one. Perritt administrators, students, teachers, and staff all contributed their fingerprint on one canvas to form the shape of the state of Arkansas. A heart indicated the city of Arkadelphia. This unique piece was sold in a live auction during the Chili Supper. Perritt Primary School appreciates the overwhelming support from the sponsors, volunteers, and those who purchased Chili Supper tickets and art pieces.
King of Hearts
Congratulations to students selected for the King of Hearts Homecoming Court: DeMarco Britton Jack Burnham Josh Burnham Kristopher Hall Lemarkus Hearn Jordan Jarboe Kanovus Leeper Logan Lucas John Michael McCollett Taylor Savage Dillon Scott Harrison Shuffield Gage Yelverton Kristopher Hall was crowned the 2018 King of Hearts by Homecoming Queen Khennedy Brunson and Maid of Honor Mollie Daniell.
FBLA Spring Conference The District IV FBLA Spring Conference was held on Wednesday, February 7 on the campus of the University of Arkansas at Hope. Congratulations to the following students that placed and are headed to the State FBLA Conference to be held in Little Rock on April 9-10: Kylee Overturf - 1st place Insurance & Risk Management Sumner Huerkamp - 1st place Accounting II McKinley Green - 1st place Intro to FBLA Madison Green & Allie Harris - 1st place E-Business Fateemah Faiq - 1st place Business Communication Caroline Derby - 1st place Public Speaking Faith Ochello - 2nd place Business Calculations Keaton Goodrum - 2nd place Publication Design Khennedy Brunson - 3rd place Impromptu Speaking Carson Harris - 4th place Cyber Security Maegan Cooper - 6th place Intro to Information Technology
FANUC Certification Program Arkadelphia High School is proud to announce that Bud McMillion has obtained his certification to teach students material handling using FANUC robotic arms. FANUC is a global leader in factory automation solutions. Students completing the FANUC Certification program at Arkadelphia High School will be certified to operate FANUC Robots in the workplace. Local businesses the utilize FANUC robots include Danfoss and Allcare.
Jump Rope for Heart Central Primary School held its Jump Rope for Heart Assembly on Feb. 14. Central’s second and third grade students raised $3,299 for the American Heart Association. Their original goal for Jump Rope for Heart was to raise $2,500. Since they surpassed this goal, Coach Ellison and Mrs. Prince had to eat a cricket. Out of the total sum, Mrs. Harris’ class raised the most money at $533. For raising the highest class amount, Coach Ellison let their class make him into an ice cream sundae!