****Continuation of Recessed LRSD April 24th Board Meeting - Thursday, May 1, 2025 - 5:30 PM; 810 W. Markham, LRSD Boardroom
Agenda: https://lrsd.diligent.community/Portal/ - under "Recent Meetings" - April 24
Watch Live: www.lrsdlive.com
🎉🏅 Congratulations to the 22 students from Little Rock Southwest High School who have earned the Arkansas Seal of Biliteracy! They demonstrated proficiency in both English and Spanish. 🌎✨ The Seal of Biliteracy, first adopted in California in 2011, is now recognized nationwide. We are so proud of our students for achieving this important milestone!
🏈💙 Big dreams do come true! Fulbright Elementary 4th graders got a surprise visit from Jackson Woodard, who was just drafted by the Seattle Seahawks! Jackson was once a 4th grade student of Fulbright teacher Mrs. Jennifer Dilday, and during that time, he wrote a paper about wanting to play in the NFL. Yesterday, he returned to share his story and inspire the next generation—proof that with hard work and determination, dreams can become reality! 🌟
🏆 Little Rock Central’s own Coach Shawna Shannon has been named the 2025 7A High School Quiz Bowl Coach of the Year! 🐯🎉 Recognized by peers and honored on PBS, she’s making LRSD proud. Way to go, Coach Shannon!
🎉 Congratulations to our amazing Little Rock School District honorees recognized at the Oscar Washington Jr. Educational Fund Gala! We are so proud of Allison Burgess of Parkview Arts/Science Magnet High School, and Cohen Hughes and Sydney Arrieta of Little Rock Southwest High School for their incredible achievements and bright futures ahead! 🌟 Special congratulations go to Ms. Felicia Hayes for her outstanding leadership and dedication to education!
🌏✨ Gibbs Magnet School recently hosted 17 students from Tennoji High School in Osaka, Japan, for a day of cultural exchange and global connection! From a welcome by our 1st graders to origami, songs, and shared classroom experiences, it was an unforgettable celebration of learning and friendship. Big thanks to our generous sponsors who helped make it all happen! 💙
📚✨ Huge thanks to Rep. Denise Ennett for honoring LRSD librarians at last night's board meeting! A special shoutout to Ms. Linda Neal, our incredible head librarian and president of the Arkansas Association of Instructional Media, for her leadership and dedication to our schools. 💙📖
Check this out! 🎉 A group of our amazing students from Mabelvale Middle School has earned a spot to represent Arkansas at the National History Day Competition this June at the University of Maryland! 📚 These students have worked tirelessly for months, showcasing exceptional research, historical insight, and presentation skills. This opportunity is more than just a competition—it’s a life-changing experience that empowers our scholars to shine on a national stage. ✨
AP Exams will take place May 5th - May 16th. This year, 16 of the exams will be digital exams. All students will take their AP Exams on school-issued computers. We ask that students arrive at least 30 minutes prior to the exam's scheduled start time. If you have any questions about AP exams, please reach out to your AP teacher or your building AP Coordinator. FOR AP EXAM PRACTICE, LOG IN TO AP CLASSROOM AND VIEW THE AP DAILY VIDEOS, QUIZZES, AND TAKE THE PRACTICE TEST AVAILABLE. If you have an extenuating circumstance and you are unable to come to the building on your exam day, you need to contact the AP Coordinator and the front office.
🎉 Congratulations to Ms. Erica Moore, Lead Senior School Counselor at Little Rock Central High School, for being named ASCA's High School Counselor of the Year! 🌟 With 20 years of service, she’s helped boost graduation rates and reduce behavioral interventions through targeted engagement activities with students. 💛🖤 We’re proud to see her leadership honored—and excited that she’s now in the running to become the State Counselor of the Year! 🏆
🎉 Congratulations to Derrick Collier, a student at Little Rock Southwest High School, who has been named the GOLD winner of the Little Rock NAACP ACT-SO competition! 🏅🎹 His powerful and skillful performance of a contemporary piano solo earned him this top honor. This July, Derrick will head to Charlotte, NC, to compete at the NAACP ACT-SO National Finals. 👏 Let’s cheer on Derrick as he takes his talents to the national stage!
🐜🦋🍯 Ants, caterpillars, butterflies, and bees… OH MY! Pre-K3 students at Rockefeller just wrapped up their bug-tastic unit in the most delicious way! 🐞✨ To celebrate all they’ve learned, students and their families created edible insects for snack time—fun, tasty, and educational! 🐝💛
🎉 Congratulations to Central High’s Ava Kate White! She has been selected as Arkansas’s representative for the Al Neuharth Free Spirit and Journalism Conference in Washington, D.C.! While there, she’ll spend five days connecting with top journalists, exploring the city, and diving into the future of journalism — plus she gets a $1,000 college scholarship! This is a huge honor, and we’re excited to see Ava Kate shine on the national stage!
🎓 Get a Head Start on College — While You're Still in High School! Did you know the Little Rock School District offers Concurrent Credit opportunities for high school students? That means you can earn college credit NOW, saving time and money on your college journey. 📚 Thanks to our amazing partnerships with local colleges and universities, LRSD students can take advanced courses that count for BOTH high school and college credit. Talk to your school counselor today to learn more!
Huge congratulations to Pinnacle View Middle School students Jake Hu, Krish Karkera, Jazmine Khan, and Anay Pandit! 🎉 These outstanding students have been named National Junior Honor Society Outstanding Achievement Award recipients, earning national recognition for their commitment to Scholarship, Service, Leadership, Character, and Citizenship. Only 500 students across the country received this honor—and four are from PVMS! 💙 Each student will receive $500 in a 529 college savings account to support their academic future. We couldn’t be prouder! 🌟
🎨 The Little Rock School District is proud to recognize the incredible achievements of Hall-West High School of Innovation students at the Arkansas Young Artists Association State Show, where they competed against hundreds of talented students from across the state. Community members are invited to view these award-winning works at the Hall-West Spring Art Show on May 1st. Don’t miss the chance to celebrate our student artists!
🎺 A huge congratulations to the Little Rock Southwest High School “Smoove Groove” Jazz Ensemble for earning Superior Ratings (First Division) at the Arkansas Jazz Education State Jazz Festival at UCA! 🏆 Special shoutout to Cohen Hughes and Derrick Collier, Jr., for being named Most Outstanding Soloists within the group! 🌟
Congratulations to the Little Rock School District students who earned top honors in this year’s Ralph D. Vines II Public Speaking Contest, standing out among dozens of participants across the region. A special thanks to the Winthrop P. Rockefeller Foundation for donating the top prizes each year - $1,500 for a female/male grand prize winner. Founded by Ralph D. Vines II, who overcame a speech impediment to champion strong communication skills, the contest encourages young people to build confidence through public speaking. Even if they do not place, each contestant takes home a cash prize of at least $50. More about the contest: ralphvinesendowment.com.
🎉 Celebrating Growth Across LRSD! We’re proud to recognize seven LRSD schools that improved their letter grade from the previous year! Congratulations to: Baseline, Chicot Elementary and Early Childhood Center, Fulbright Elementary, McDermott Elementary, Wakefield Elementary, Watson Elementary, and Williams Magnet. Many of these schools serve communities with higher economic needs and English Language Learner students, making their achievements even more inspiring. 💙
AP Exams will take place May 5th - May 16th. This year, 16 of the exams will be digital exams. All students will take their AP Exams on school-issued computers. We ask that students arrive at least 30 minutes prior to the exam's scheduled start time. If you have any questions about AP exams, please reach out to your AP teacher or your building AP Coordinator. FOR AP EXAM PRACTICE, LOG IN TO AP CLASSROOM AND VIEW THE AP DAILY VIDEOS AND TAKE THE PRACTICE TEST AVAILABLE. If you have an extenuating circumstance and you are unable to come to the building on your exam day, you need to contact the AP Coordinator and the front office.