LRSD Spotlight

Several LRSD Schools were recently awarded cash prizes by the Midwest Diary Council for increasing participation in the ‘Breakfast in the Classroom’ program.  Woodruff Elementary was honored as a Silver Level Winner and the recipient of a $1,000 prize while Honor Roll Level Winners: Geyer Springs Elementary, Rockefeller Elementary, Wakefield Elementary and Stephens Elementary were awarded $250 each.  LRSD Nutrition Services Director Lilly Bouie was presented with the awards during the Arkansas Department of Education Child Nutrition Conference in Little Rock earlier this month.

Schools in Arkansas were challenged to feed more children by implementing alternative service methods to increase breakfast participation through a partnership with First Lady Ginger Beebe’s “No Kid Hungry” Campaign, Arkansas Hunger Relief Alliance, Share Our Strength, Arkansas Department of Education, Arkansas Association of Educational Administrators, and Midwest Dairy Council.  Research indicates that students who participate in school breakfast programs demonstrate academic gains and improved behavior; have fewer nurse visits and attend classes more regularly.

Dairy farmers have invested $5,000 in breakfast rewards this year and more than $106,500 in the state since June, 2011 through Fuel Up to Play 60.  A large portion of the Fuel Up to Play 60 funds are being used to expand in-school breakfast programs to feed more children.  “As dairy farmers, we have always cared about our legacy and the importance of passing on a better future to the next generation, and we have been dedicated to child nutrition through our investment in National Dairy Council for more than 95 years,” said dairy farmer John Howerton from Berryville, Arkansas. For the 2012-13 school year, Midwest Dairy Council will be rewarding $30,000 for schools with the largest increases in breakfast participation by implementing an alternative breakfast program by January 31, 2013.

More than 70,000 schools are involved in Fuel Up to Play 60 nationwide - an in-school nutrition and physical activity program developed by the National Dairy Council, Midwest Dairy Council and the National Football League (NFL), in collaboration with the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA).

Carol Burke Fleming, MS/CCC-SLP, has been recognized as a Fellow of the American Speech Language Hearing Association (ASHA). This recognition is one of the highest honors the Association can bestow; it puts Fleming among the top .02% in her profession. In fact, she is one of only 14 Arkansans to receive this recognition. Her areas of distinction were:  clinical service in the area of Speech Language Pathology, service to ASHA, and service to and leadership positions in state Speech-Language- Hearing Associations. She is also a valued member of several local and national associations.

Since joining LRSD in 1999 Fleming has continually gone above and beyond the call of duty. As a dedicated clinician at Pulaski Heights Middle School, Fleming is a valuable asset to faculty, students and parents.  Her colleagues say  she is always willing to go the extra mile to assure that a student has been thoroughly and properly assessed. Plus, she is described as fully engaged at Pulaski Heights Middle School in service and as a leader. 

Fleming will be formally recognized with a presentation at an awards ceremony on Friday, November 16, 2012, at the ASHA Convention in Atlanta, GA. Please join us in congratulating her for this recognition and her daily dedication to creating excellence in the Little Rock School District.

Melanie Kiker won the Coaching Excellence Award at National Science Olympiad tournament on May 19, 2012 in Orlando, Florida. The award was open to the thousands of Science Olympiad Coaches from around the nation. She won an expense-paid trip to the Science Olympiad Summer Institute in Phoenix, Arizona.

Melanie has been teaching in the Little Rock School District for six years and has been at her alma mater, Little Rock Central High School, for three years. She currently teaches Physical Science and Pre-AP Biology and, interestingly, her classroom is situated between two of the science teachers she had when she attended Central.

Way to go, Melanie! We are proud of your commitment to excellence!

LRSD salutes its valedictorians, salutatorians and honor graduates at Central, Fair, Hall, McClellan and Parkview high schools for their outstanding academic achievement.

Join us in recognizing Whitney Gao and Liang Zhang from Central, Chelsea Gillespie from Fair, Cheyanne Hampton from Hall, Tevin Wilbourn from McClellan and Seok Lee from Parkview, who earned the distinction of valedictorian. Valedictorian status is determined by the senior with the highest overall grade point average.

We are equally proud of salutatorians Aaron Yin, Central; Andrew Culberson, Fair; Jyssica Simmons, Hall; Jessica Green, McClellan; and Robert Rogers, Parkview. Graduates with the second highest overall grade point are designated as salutatorians.

Click here for a complete list of honor graduates from all five high schools. Honor graduates are those who complete at least eight Pre-Advanced Placement, Advanced Placement, and/or International Baccalaureate courses over a four-year period and graduate with an overall average of 3.5 or greater.

Congratulations to all of the graduates!

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