Nevada County Picayune and Gurdon Times Newspaper Archive

Escalante Is Honored

The Arkansas Activities Association, in conjunction with State Farm Insurance of Arkansas, has announced that Brandi Escalante of Gurdon High School has been named runner- up for Arkansas' Scholar Athlete.

A personal interview for each of the five finalists, chosen from a field of candidates from all of Arkansas's school districts, was conducted at North Little Rock Riverfront Hilton Inn on April 27, followed by a luncheon.

Escalante's parents and principal were guests at the luncheon, where the Arkansas state winner was announced and plaques were presented.

The other four finalists represented Bentonville, Hampton, Rogers and Van Buren schools.

Escalante was selected because of her demonstration of the three A's active involvement in school and community activities; adaptability to meet challenging situations with courage, perseverance and commitment; and an attitude of cooperation, dependability and application of interpersonal skills.

Escalante is a junior at Gurdon High School, where she is an All- Region band member, an All-District basketball player, member of the tennis and track teams, junior class officer, member of the Student Council, plays AAU basketball with the Little Rock Kamikaze 16U team, works as a peer tutor, volunteers time with widowed senior adults and maintains a 4.0 grade point average.