District to feature young performers
Artistry in the Rock, the Little Rock School District's annual showcase of student talent in the performing and visual arts, will be Monday through Thursday at the Metroplex Event Center, 10800 Colonel Glenn Road.
The free event that is open to the public includes performances and displays by elementary, middle and high school students from throughout the district.
The art gallery will be open daily from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Live student performances -- choirs, bands, orchestras and dance ensembles -- begin daily at 9:30 a.m. and change every 20 to 30 minutes until about noon.
The showcase event concludes with an evening program and awards presentation by Superintendent Mike Poore at 6 p.m. Thursday.
Voices Without Borders, an elementary honor ensemble of students from Chicot, Forest Heights STEM Academy, Gibbs, Meadowcliff and Washington elementary schools, will perform that night, as will the All City Sixth Grade Choir, the All-City Middle School Band and the All-City High School Band.
Ozark boy hailed for elephant idea
Ben Radke, 12, of Ozark is the winner of an all-expense paid trip for three to Abu Camp in the Okavango Delta, Botswana, for his "Elephant Pride and Bus Rides" entry in a national Every Elephant Counts Contest.
National Wildlife Federation and Paul G. Allen's Vulcan Productions asked students ages 9 to 18 to develop ways to promote the conservation of African elephants in light of the reported loss of 25,000 to 30,000 elephants a year, leading to a 30 percent loss of the African savanna elephant population in less than seven years.
Radke's idea called for publicizing information about elephants on the minibuses that are commonly used by Botswanans for transportation.
"If we put pictures of elephants, and facts about them, that would reinforce pride in how amazing African elephants truly are," Radke was quoted as saying in the announcement of the award.
National Wildlife Federation and Arkansas Wildlife Federation staff members surprised Ben in his sixth grade social studies class at Ozark Middle School to announce his award.
Reception honors certified teachers
The 202 Arkansas teachers who recently joined the ranks of the educators to earn certification from the National Board of Professional Teaching Standards were celebrated Thursday at a reception in their honor hosted by the Arkansas Department of Education in Little Rock.
Arkansas now has more than 2,500 National Board Certified Teachers, a designation that takes up to three years of study and practice by a teacher.
Teachers who achieve the designation, which is good for 10 years, are eligible for state-paid stipends and sometimes stipends paid by their district employers.
Facilities official takes home award
Terry Granderson, assistant director of the Arkansas Division of Public School Academic Facilities and Transportation, was presented last week with the Pat Cochrane Memorial Award, which is given to those who exhibit leadership skills, passion and a vision for America's facilities for students from kindergarten through 12th grade.
The National School Plant Managers Association gives the award.
Granderson was recognized for a body of work that includes the development of the state's Academic Facilities Partnership Program and the Arkansas School Facilities Manual.
Lee Prevost, chief strategy officer and co-founder of SchoolDude, a company that provides a digital management system for building maintenance, told the Arkansas Board of Education that Granderson's efforts over time have helped the state save "hundreds of millions of dollars" through the protection of building assets.
Metro on 03/10/2018