Area school among EAST recipients
The EAST Initiative announced the first four schools that will receive startup funding through a grant from the Department of Secondary Education/Arkansas Department of Education for new EAST programs in the 2024-2025 school year.
Recipients include a local school, according to a news release.
Funding will cover technology needed to install a full EAST classroom environment, and professional development that is required in the EAST curriculum.
“Investing in new programs goes beyond a simple financial investment for schools and districts,” EAST Director of New Program Growth Tami Baker said. “Supporting the expansion of EAST programs is an investment in our communities, in Arkansas, and in our future leaders.”
Independent reporting for Pine Bluff & Jefferson County since 1879.
Recipients include:
Friendship Aspire Academy – Southeast Prep (Pine Bluff);
Brookland Middle School;
University Heights School of Medical Arts (Jonesboro);
Mayflower High School.
EAST Chief Executive Officer Matt Dozier said the organization’s classroom curriculum encourages students to think critically about problems they see beyond classroom walls. Arkansas schools considering implementation of EAST in the next school year should complete the form found at https://news.eastlink.me/nextstep.
Local schools among LeARner cohort
Forward Arkansas announced the schools selected for the inaugural LeARner Collective cohort. The collective is an opportunity for teams of teachers, principals and staff from schools across Arkansas to work together to develop innovative and practical solutions to address their specific needs and challenges, according to a news release.
The first cohort of The LeARner Collective, supported by the Walton Family Foundation, will kick off in late January. Teams will receive tailored support as they develop creative, equitable and student-centered solutions that improve conditions for learning success.
Participating schools will each receive a $5,000 grant to support their work through the program. The first group has 20 schools, including several from Jefferson County.
Schools are:
James Matthews Elementary School, Pine Bluff;
Explore Academy, Pine Bluff;
Friendship Aspire Academy, Downtown Pine Bluff;
Oakwood Preschool, AR River Education Service Cooperative, Pine Bluff;
Pine Bluff Junior High Academy, Pine Bluff;
Southwood Elementary School, Pine Bluff;
Taylor Elementary School, White Hall;
White Hall High School, White Hall;
Ardis Ann Middle School, Bentonville;
Gentry Middle School, Gentry;
Gentry Primary School, Gentry;
Grimsley Junior High School, Bentonville;
Jerry “Pop” Williams Elementary School, Farmington;
Lowell Elementary School, Rogers;
Marvell-Elaine Elementary School, Marvell-Elaine;
Marvell-Elaine High School, Marvell-Elaine;
Northside Elementary School, Rogers;
Pea Ridge Intermediate School, Pea Ridge;
Pea Ridge Primary School, Pea Ridge;
Randall G. Lynch Middle School, Farmington.
Details: forwardarkansas.org.
Feral hogs on agenda for Tri-State forum
Feral hog management, H2A guest farm worker updates and electronic grading are among the items on the agenda for the 2024 Tri-State Soybean forum as it rotates to Louisiana on Jan. 5.
The 68th annual event will be held at the new Black Bear Convention Center, 231 Black Bear Drive in the northeastern Louisiana town of Delhi. The event opens at 7:30 a.m. with registration and ends with lunch at 12:15 p.m. There’s no cost to attend and registration will be on-site.
“Feral hogs and laws regarding guest farm workers are among the issues that cause sleepless nights for soybean farmers in Arkansas, Louisiana and Mississippi,” said Jeremy Ross, extension soybean agronomist for the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture. “We designed this annual forum to deliver information that can help our farmers work through these difficult issues.”
This year’s agenda:
7:30 a.m. Registration;
8 a.m. Welcome, LSU AgCenter Center;
8:15 a.m. H2A worker program update — Brian; Breaux, commodity and public policy managing director, Louisiana Farm Bureau;
8:45 a.m. Heat stress and irrigation timing during extreme conditions — Trent Irby, extension professor-soybeans, Mississippi State University;
9:15 a.m. United Soybean Board and Louisiana Feed Grains update;
9:45 a.m. Electronic grading — Kevin Hoffseth, assistant professor-biological and agricultural engineer, LSU AgCenter;
10:15 a.m. Break — view exhibits;
10:30 a.m. State specialist updates:
David Mosley, assistant professor/soybean specialist, LSU AgCenter;
Jeremy Ross, professor and soybean extension agronomist, University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture;
Trent Irby, extension professor-soybeans, Mississippi State University;
11: a.m. Solar Panels: Questions to ask before you sign — Rusty Rumley, senior staff attorney;
National Agricultural Law Center, U of A System Division of Agriculture;
11:30 a.m. Feral hog control bait: Where are we and how long before it is available? — Glen Gentry, resident director, Bob R. Jones — Idlewild Research Center, LSU AgCenter;
Noon Presentation of scholarships and special recognition for services to the soybean industry;
12:15 p.m. Lunch.
Details: R.L. Frazier, LSU AgCenter, (318) 574-2465 or (318) 267-6714.
Area Agency tells menu
Area Agency on Aging of Southeast Arkansas is serving lunches from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. weekdays at the senior centers. Here’s next week’s menu:
Dec. 25 — Closed for Christmas.
Dec. 26 — Closed for Christmas.
Dec. 27 — Chili cheese coney dog, coleslaw with grated carrots, fruit, and milk.
Dec. 28 — Loaded baked potato with meat, cheese and vegetables, roasted brussels sprouts, fruit, and milk.
Dec. 29 — Meatloaf, mashed potatoes, mixed vegetables, pears, and milk.
Details: Strachota Senior Citizens Center, (870) 543-6323.