Nevada County Picayune and Gurdon Times Newspaper Archive

Prescott board hears tournament talk

Tournament talk dominated the Prescott School Board meeting on January 21.

Prescott Athletic Director David Maxwell told the board Prescott received 12 of 19 first place votes for the AAA state basketball tournament this year. The tourney will involve 32 teams and be held March 4-8 at the Prescott Sports Arena.

Bill Cossey will be the tournament director, with Prescott High School Principal Carroll Purtle the tourney manager. Maxwell will handle all other duties.

Play will start at 1 p.m. daily.

Maxwell said this is an opportunity to showcase the facilities and staff to the state.

The Wolves, he said, are 5-6 overall and 3-4 in league play. However, he isn't worried about the team as it should start playing better with more practice and playing time.

He expects the boys team to be ready when the district tourney rolls around. The district tilt will be held in De Queen Feb. 17-22, with the regional tourney at Fountain Lake Feb. 24-March 1.

The Wolverettes, he said, have a 10-5 record this season and are 3-4 on conference play.

Spring events have started, but will suffer because of the state tourney, Maxwell said. Some schedules will be shortened, as will all practice times.

Prescott coaches will be meeting with other schools in the league to discuss the track schedule for the spring. The Wolves, he said, will try to attend meets close to home.

The study hall effort has been going well, though one athlete wound up being ineligible because of grades.

Maxwell said about 60 freshmen wound up in study hall, which will help them in the long run. The problem, though, is there are a lot of possible athletes not attending study halls.

The board was told how the Curley Wolf football team was recognized with more awards for its 11-3 season and making it to the semifinals in the state playoffs.

Joe Steuart was named defensive player of the year in Southwest Arkansas, while Zach Martin was the offensive player of the year. Jason Butler was named to the All-Area team covering Northeast Texas and Southwest Arkansas. R.J. Vanhook was named to the All-Area team as well.

First year head coach Greg Smith was named the Southwest Arkansas Coach of the Year.

Baseball practice is underway, with the first game scheduled for February 18. This year the Wolves will play more games at home than on the road.

Softball will begin on March 10, he said. This year, though, there will be no district tournament for softball teams in the 7AAA. Instead, there will be a double round robin tourney, giving teams an extra week to play.

Other conferences have tried this in the past, he said, but have returned to the district tourney format.

Willie Wilson, dean of students, said there are still problems with students not taking advantage of the tutoring opportunities in the Algebra courses, especially in Algebra A&B.

These courses are required for students to graduate from PHS.

Wilson said there are some eighth grade students in Algebra I who are making use of the tutoring programs, but those who actually need tutoring aren't responding.

Parents have been contacted, and the students have been told they have to pass these courses in order to graduate. However, he said, nothing has helped.

Purtle, he said, has instituted a program of due process for the ALE students. Under this program, students breaking the rules are warned the first time, with the second offense netting five-day suspension. Strike three means the student will be returned to regular classes.

Most students in ALE, Purtle said, aren't there for discipline reasons, but because they're behind and are trying to earn their General Equivalency Degree (GED). The problem students are sent to Garland at Hope.

Some students have been recommended for Garland, Wilson said, as the Prescott ALE is not set up for punitive actions, but to allow students to catch up.

One basketball player, he said, lost his eligibility for failing Algebra A. This student didn't take advantage of the tutoring programs.

The Accelerated Reader program, Wilson said, had 300 children read books in the first semester, which is a record.

Discipline referrals for freshman, he said, are down from earlier in the year. He attributed this to anger management courses some students had to take. Those who didn't respond to the anger management courses wound up being suspended.

The PHS Student Council, he said, is working to get an ice cream machine. Students have been involved in helping choose the lunch menu with the meals falling within the nutrition guidelines required.

This, he said, gives the students a feeling of being part of the process.

A resolution praising the 2002 Curley Wolf football team was read by Vice President Kay Hendrix.

The resolution lauded the Wolves for continuing the winning tradition and bringing honor to the school, community and families of the players with their sportsmanship, character and conduct providing excellent examples for younger classmates.

The Wolves were 7AAA District Champions and posted three post-season wins as they made it to the semifinals.

James Cannon, agri teacher, was honored as Arkansas's Outstanding Agri Teacher by the Nevada County Farm Bureau and the Arkansas Farm Bureau. Cannon placed second in the national agri teacher contest.