Nevada County Picayune and Gurdon Times Newspaper Archive

Board recognizes FFA students for activities at state fair

Members of the Prescott Future Farmers of America were recognized for the work they did at the Arkansas State Fair in October.

Three students, Nick Johnson, Ashley Jackson and Amber Picket, were given certificates of recognition for having the first place FFA barnyard/feed store at the fair. They accepted the certificate for the Prescott High School chapter. Johnson took first place as the top hand at the state fair as well.

Johnson told the Prescott School Board, at its November 16 meeting, the FFA members worked with different types of animals, making sure the feed and hay was distributed accordingly to the other barns where it was needed. Johnson was presented a certificate of recognition for his individual efforts.

From there the meeting was simply reports from the other campuses.

David Maxwell, assistant principal at McRae Middle School, presented the progress and activity report, along with the report for MMS. He said two students have been moved to the alternative learning environment (ALE) at Hope and have shown improvement. These students, he added, could possibly be back on the Prescott campus when school starts in August when they've caught up with their class.

Tutoring has began at MMS, he said, and there's been good attendance for the fifth and sixth grades. However, only a few students have shown up for tutoring from the eighth grade. "They need to be encouraged to come."

The tutoring sessions are for the students, he said. High school students work with teachers to help tutor the middle school students. The tutoring, he added, will help when test time comes around.

Agnes Morrow gave the report for the Prescott District Education Association. She thanked the Board for supporting teachers and staff and allowing them to attend the Arkansas Education Association (AEA) Convention in Little Rock recently.

The convention, she said, gave those who attended new inspiration to be positive as they work with the students on a daily basis.

The week of Nov. 15-19 was American Education Week, and the district had several activities. The theme was "Celebrating the American Dream".

Teachers were presented with an apple from Superintendent Hyacinth Deon, and a community coffee was held Tuesday at the Family and Consumer Science building, with students in the Pro Start Program providing the treats. Pro Start is sponsored by the National Restaurant Association and teaches students about the food service industry.

A day was also set aside for educational support professionals, which includes secretaries, para-educators, computer lab technicians, resource officers, the nurse, cafeteria staff and bus drivers.

The PDEA also elected a new slate of officers for the Personnel Policy Committee. The new members are: from PHS  John Williams and Brian Nivens; from MMS  Tammy Phillips and Kris Tippit; and from Prescott Elementary School  Tonda Pennington and Donna Marlar.

The PDEA is working on a grant from the AEA. Should the grant be approved, the funds will be used to support "Read Across America Week" in the district.

Tutoring is also in full swing at PES for the third and fourth grades. The students being tutored have met three times, with 23-24 in attendance each time. Janet Gordon, PES principal, said the goal is to have 30 students in the tutoring session each time.

Math Night Madness was being held the same time as the Board meeting. During this event, parents and teachers worked to make math games for the students. The game can be used at home to help children practice math skills and have fun. Some of the games are: Spin to Win; Tick Tac Toe Addition; Multiplication Baseball; and Broken Calculator.

A Christmas party is being planned for the PES faculty and staff at Western Sizzlin on Dec. 13. Door prizes will be awarded and those who attend will play Dirty Santa.

Deon told the Board the district got a grant for $60,000 from the Department of Information Services (DIS) for an extra distance learning lab in the new complex. The matching funds for the grant, she said, came from the Arkansas Chamber of Commerce.

This will put two distance learning labs in the new complex, so personnel development can be done while classes are being held.