LRSD Spotlight

Congratulations to Liz Lucker, Family & Consumer Sciences teacher at Hall High School, who was named the American Red Cross 2011 Sponsor of the Year. Ms. Lucker has sponsored Hall's FCCLA Red Cross Blood Drive for the past eight years, and this year students far surpassed the previous record of donations by more than 50 pints, bringing the record to 154 pints.

Additionally, Hall seniors Valencia Piggee (FCCLA president) and Brienna Haynes each received a $250 scholarship from the American Red Cross of Greater Arkansas for their exemplary ongoing work to benefit others. One of their many accomplishments while students at Hall was improving the FCCLA-sponsored blood drives.

Congratulations to Ericka McCarroll, principal at Bale Elementary, who recently earned her doctorate. The district offers Dr. McCarroll its heartfelt congratulations for her hard-earned accomplishment.

Students from Miriam Mehyou's French classes at Hall High School recently traveled to Harding University in Searcy to compete in the Arkansas Foreign Language Teachers Association's annual State Foreign Language Festival for World Language Students. Congratulations to the following students who were recognized in their competition categories:

Christian Michael: 1st place in Vocabulary Bee, Advanced Level; 1st place in Extemporaneous Speaking; and 2nd place in Extemporaneous Reading.

Sheridan McKisick: 2nd place in Extemporaneous Speaking; 3rd place in Extemporaneous Reading; and Distinguished in Poetry Recitation, all in Advanced Level.

Katelyn Weber and Camisha Wicks: Distinguished in Extemporaneous Reading, French Level II.

Zowie White: Distinguished in Poetry Recitation, French Level I.

Jamena Cash and Jyssica Simmons also represented Hall by participating in the festival.

The Arkansas Association of Instructional Media (AAIM) recently honored Claudia Smith, Library Media Specialist at Dunbar Magnet Middle School, with its “School Library Media Specialist of the Year” award. This award is presented to an AAIM member who has attained excellence in the library/media field through service to students, teachers and community at the K-12 levels.

Ms. Smith’s “Millionaire Book Club” promotes literacy and encourages reading for Dunbar students. She also achieved National Board Certification status last fall. Ms. Smith, pictured with her award, received the award at the AAIM luncheon on April 4.
 
The Arkansas Association of Instructional Media is a group of professional educators dedicated to the improvement of education through the use of technology and media.

Kay Jones from Carver Magnet Elementary and Matthew Diffey from Roberts Elementary were selected to attend the Mickelson ExxonMobil Teacher Academy (MEMTA) at the Liberty Science Center in Jersey City, New Jersey, this July. Attendance at MEMTA is awarded to teachers who work with 3rd-5th grade students. Two hundred teachers were chosen out of nearly 2,000 that applied. MEMTA uses research-based strategies to help teachers develop a deeper understanding of math and science concepts and how they can be integrated throughout the curriculum.