The Dream Team Mentoring Program at Forest Heights Middle School has really taken off this year. With the assistance of VIPS, the Forest Heights counselors have assigned nearly 100 students, mostly sixth graders, to mentors from the community. In addition to weekly sessions where mentors come into the classroom and work with the students, the school sponsored a Christmas Tea where mentors and students decorated and exchanged Christmas ornaments. They also scheduled a field trip to Professor Bowl. Mentors and students bowled a game, eat pizza, and worked on setting academic and behavioral goals. The Forest Heights students are thrilled with the extra support. And the Forest Heights staff are thrilled to have so many community volunteers in their school each day.
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As the Minority AP Program Coordinator, LeQuieta Grayson, a counselor at Central High School, provides peer-tutoring and study skill sessions for students taking Pre-AP and AP courses to provide additional support for students in these classes.
When asked about the MAP program and its sponsor Ms. Grayson, Nancy Keyes, Guidance Counselor Department Chair said, “We are so fortunate to have LeQuieta on our team. She has a special bond with her students, and likes to tell them that what she tells them is “REAL” --meaning everything she does for them will help them in the real world. Her students really appreciate her efforts. The Little Rock School District set forth a goal to encourage and enroll more African American Students in Pre-AP and AP classes. Mrs. Grayson immediately took on the task of making sure more African American students enrolled in those classes and succeeded in them. She implemented the after-school tutoring program called MAP. She stays late every Thursday and enlists teachers, students and parents to help with tutoring. It is a remarkable program. The program was begun for minority students, but true to form, Mrs. Grayson would never leave anyone out! The program is open to any student who has just one pre-AP or AP class. The tutors get as much out of the lessons as those being tutored. There is
a wonderful camaraderie in the group that is fostered by the ever-enthusiastic LeQuieta Grayson.”
Mrs. Grayson takes great pride in getting to know her students and their parents. She really enjoys getting the whole picture by meeting the parents and learning their backgrounds. She is one of those people ‘who goes the extra mile’ to complete a task. The Counselors agree that they would have a very hard time making it each year without Ms. Grayson’s ideas for improvement and her dedication to excellence. The Guidance Department’s theme for Central this year is “LRCHS --Building a better world.” Mrs. Grayson makes the guidance office a better place every day.
LeQuieta Grayson has a B.A. degree in Sociology and a M.Ed. in secondary school counseling. She was recently received her National Board Certification in Counseling. Her background includes three years as a social studies teacher, three years as an Upward Bound Counselor where she designed and implemented curriculum to meet identified needs, and two years as the director of the Upward Bound Program, where she hired, supervised and trained all staff, in addition to many other duties. LeQuieta has been a high school guidance counselor for seven years. She is a member of AEA, NEA and the counseling organization, SACAC. Mrs. Grayson is a pro-active leader for Girl Scouts of America, holds an office in her sorority and is a contributing and active leader in her church. Her enthusiasm for progress and change is contagious.
One of the most poignant stories that exemplifies the dedication of McClellan’s counselors is the significant increase in our scholarship funds in one school year with a relatively small graduating class. It took the concerted efforts of all three counselors led by Wanda Keith, Head Counselor. The 2008-2009 graduating class, with 130 graduates, received only $343,000.00 in scholarship funds. However, with the diligent efforts of the Counseling Department, Wanda Keith, Carol Heavin, and Jacqueline O’Connor, this scenario was not the case with last year’s graduating class in 2009-2010. These counselors made it their professional challenge to increase their scholarships. They held meetings every PLC day with the seniors to teach them how to apply for scholarships. Beginning in August, the counselors researched and compiled monthly lists of scholarship opportunities for students. They created a “how-to” information packet for each senior. They worked with their individual students to encourage them to apply for as many scholarships as they could. With all of this effort, on graduation night, when Ms. Keith made the announcement of the total scholarship funds received by the 135 graduates of 2009-2010, a hush fell and she announced that they had received a grand total of $1,066,000.00 in scholarship funds. All of the officials on the podium jumped to their feet and hugged and applauded. The students jumped to their feet applauding and smiling. And, the entire arena exploded in thunderous applause which seemed to echo all evening.
In one year, the amount of scholarship funds (for approximately the same number of graduates) increased from $343,000.00 to $1,066,000.00. Out of the 135 graduates of the class of 2009-2010, 111 of them received scholarships, which is 82% of the class. Out of all of the schools in the District, McClellan had the highest percentage of students receiving scholarships.
The counselors are continuing their efforts this year and hope to increase the funds again.
McClellan students and staff are proud of the commitment and dedication that these counselors, Wanda Keith, Carol Heavin, and Jacqueline O’Connor bring to their students every day. It is a pleasure to be able to highlight this outstanding accomplishment.
Clarksville, Ark.-Some sports enthusiasts might believe the University of the Ozarks took a chance when it hired a 26-year-old who had never been a college head coach to direct its men’s basketball program back in 1990.
But that move paid off as Johnny Johnson became the winningest coach in program history (173) and produced a coaching career full of accomplishments. The ultimate accolade will come this Saturday, February 12, when he will be inducted into the University of the Ozarks Sports Hall of Fame.
Johnson was easily the youngest coach in the Arkansas Intercollegiate Conference at the time of his hiring, and one of the youngest in college basketball. He competed with veteran coaches twice his age in the AIC. But all Johnson did was take Ozarks to two AIC Tournament Championships, two NAIA National Tournaments and one AIC championship during his 11 seasons. He earned three Coach of the Year awards during his tenure.
“I was by far the youngest coach in the AIC,” said Johnson, now the Athletics Director of the Little Rock School District. “I might have been one of the youngest head coaches in the country. I was still young enough to relate to the players, but at the same time demanding enough to make sure they obtained a degree.”? His youthful looks didn’t stop him from establishing a winning tradition. The Eagles won 20-plus games three times and five of his teams finished first or second in the conference.
“I think by the third year we felt like we could compete night in and night out,” said Johnson. “The 1992-93 team could have had a couple of kids average 25 points a game, but winning was more important to them. They wanted to achieve things as a team. We were fortunate to sign Stephen Kennedy and some other good players on that team. We plugged in key guys to go along with a strong nucleus.” ? Johnson’s 1992-93 team captured the AIC title, won the AIC Tournament and advanced to the second round of the NAIA National Tournament. That team also created a memorable moment for Johnson and his staff.? “Probably the most memorable game at Ozarks was the District 17 (AIC) Tournament win in 1993 against Arkansas Tech in Russellville,” said Johnson. “There was a huge crowd there and a lot of people from Clarksville. We won by over 20 points. It was a culmination of a three year process. We then went on to beat a top seed at the national tournament.”? Ozarks celebrated its regular season AIC championship in Monticello that year.? “We played at UA-Monticello on a Thursday night,” said Johnson. “We knew if we beat Monticello and Ouachita Baptist beat Arkansas Tech we would be champions. About four or five minutes left in the game, I found out that Ouachita had beaten Tech. With about 45 seconds left and a ten point lead, I told our players and we had a celebration at Monticello. It was fun to see the group we inherited later be AIC champions. That will always be a special group.”? Johnson feels indebted to the school that gave him the opportunity to be a head coach at such a young age.
“Ozarks was one of the few schools that would have highered a 26-year-old head coach,” he said. “I will always be indebted to the college for giving me the opportunity. The college and the community embraced me and my family. It will always be a special place. I still tell people Ozarks is one of the best kept secrets in Arkansas. We had a lot of fun being around the people on campus and around the community.”
His enthusiasm won over the entire Clarksville community. Community members relished the opportunity to beat bigger schools than Ozarks.? “I liked the perception we had,” said Johnson. “We were the smallest school in the league. Everyone considered us the underdog. The community and the campus enjoyed taking the floor with a bigger school like Tech or University of Central Arkansas and win. That was a source of pride for them.”
Since becoming the Athletic Director for the Little Rock School District, Johnson has overseen many new projects and orchestrated several new endeavors. He hosted the Hooten's Football Classice at Quigely Stadium in 2001 and arranged for the first high school basketball games to be played at the former Alltel Arena in 2002. The new gym at Hall, the new field house at Parkview, the new baseball field at Central, the new softball field at Fair, the new baseball facility at Kanis Park, and the new turf at Quigely-Cox Stadium are projects Johnson has overseen in his tenure as AD at LRSD.
Johnson and his wife, Robin, are the parents of Drake (15) and Bryce (12). Johnson is a 1984 graduate of University of Arkansas.
Vicki Gonterman, International Studies Specialist at Gibbs Magnet Elementary, was recently published in the Arkansas Department of Education's journal The Beacon. In her article, Gonterman reflects on the importance of teaching peace to students, even at the youngest of ages. Click here to view her article.