Scholarship, essay writing topics
The Ivy Center for Education will host a Scholarship and Essay Writing Workshop from 6-7 p.m. Tuesday at the Pine Bluff/Jefferson County main library, 600 S. Main St.
The presenter will be Kendria Jones, a certified Advanced Placement English Language Arts teacher at Pine Bluff Junior High School.
Interested 7-12th graders are encouraged to attend and bring paper, pencil/pen and or computer. Those who cannot attend in person may join virtually using Zoom ID: 856 8296 4187 and Passcode: 351061.
For more details, students or parents may email to Ivy President Mattie Collins at mattie1908@gmail.com or follow the Ivy Center for Education on social media or ivycenterforeducation.com.
Independent reporting for Pine Bluff & Jefferson County since 1879.
NAACP extends ACT-SO deadline
The Afro-Academic, Cultural, Technology and Scientific Olympics (ACT-SO) Program has extended its deadline for accepting competition applications to Jan. 20, according to a news release.
The ACT-SO Program is part of the Pine Bluff Branch of the NAACP. It is an academic Olympics program designed to support the academic achievements of African-American high school students.
The competition categories locally and nationally include visual arts, performing arts, humanities, STEM, business and culinary arts.
Monetary prizes are awarded for Bronze, Silver and Gold winners in local competitions. Gold winners will receive an invitation and an all-expenses paid trip to compete at the National ACT-SO Competition in Las Vegas, N.V. Winners at the national competition will win thousands of dollars in prize awards.
For applications visit https://files.constantcontact.com/585454b8001/6760b297-e94b-41ed-a416-d00943196add.pdf?rdr=true.
Completed forms should be emailed to mizmaryann@gmail.com or in submitted in person at Indigo Blue Coffeehouse, 212 W. Barraque St. in Pine Bluff. Details: Chairman Maryann Lee, (870) 718-5330.
Crop insurance workshops set
The Cooperative Extension Service has updated the agends for the four workshops addressing federal crop insurance in January and February.
The workshops will be held Jan. 19 in Batesville, Jan. 22 in Pine Bluff, Jan. 30 in Forrest City and Feb. 20 in Monticello. The workshops are free to attend.
The first three workshops will run from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. The final workshop will run from 3-7 p.m. Each workshop includes lunch or dinner.
Agendas are available at https://www.uaex.uada.edu/media-resources/news/2023/december/Federal%20Crop%20Insurance%20Workshop%20Agenda%20-%20FINAL.pdf.
Interested parties can register at https://uada.formstack.com/forms/federal_crop.
Hunter Biram, agricultural economist for the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture, said the workshops will provide attendees with detailed information of many aspects of crop insurance programs.
“Participants can expect to receive information from agricultural economics faculty and USDA-RMA Navigators covering a wide array of federal crop insurance topics,” Biram said. “Presentations will be given that describe how to apply for crop insurance with a local crop insurance agent and describe various products such as pasture insurance, whole-farm insurance, and yield and revenue insurance.
The workshops are supported by funding from USDA-NIFA, the Southern Risk Management Education Center, and the Fryar Price Risk Management Center of Excellence, Biram said.
ADE to conditionally OK funds
To ensure qualified Arkansas students don’t experience a notification delay regarding scholarships, the Arkansas Department of Education’s Division of Higher Education will conditionally approve state scholarships while the federal government addresses problems associated with the 2024-2025 Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) form.
The federal government released the 2024-2025 FAFSA form on Dec. 31, however, the release resulted in challenges and issues for Arkansas students and their families. Problems stem from the limited and intermittent windows of time available for students to access their application, as well as multiple technical issues that occurred during students’ attempts to complete the form. Additionally, state financial aid programs have been affected procedurally by the delay in receiving FAFSA information.
The deadline to apply for the Governor’s Distinguished Scholarship remains March 1, and July 1 is the deadline for the other state scholarships. Because of issues with the federal FAFSA application, students conditionally approved have until Aug. 1 to complete the FAFSA portion to finalize the award. Details: https://sams.adhe.edu/.