Magnolia School District

MAGGIE GRACE CASSIDY AWARDED ARKANSAS GOVERNOR’S DISTINQUISHED SCHOLARSHIP Magnolia High School senior, Maggie Grace Cassidy has been awarded the 2021 Governor’s Distinguished Scholarship. Maggie Grace is the daughter of Tommie and Mitch Cassidy. Students meeting the minimum eligibility criteria are eligible to be named Governor’s Distinguished Scholars. The student must earn either a 32 composite score on a single ACT or 1410 combined math and critical reasoning score on a single SAT and either a 3.50 academic grade point average or be selected as a National Achievement Finalist or National Merit Finalist. Financial need of the student is not a factor in the award of the scholarship; therefore, no financial information is required. The Governor’s Distinguished Scholarship pays up to $10,000 per year for tuition, mandatory fees, room and board. The scholarship is disbursed by the institution the student is attending and apportioned according to that institution’s academic terms. The student must be enrolled in at least 15 semester credit hours (12 semester credit hours the fall term of the freshman year) to receive funds for that term.

MHS Students Host EAST Night Out

MHS STUDENTS ATTEND EAST CONFERECE 2021 Each spring, more than 3,500 students, teachers, parents, and community and business leaders attend the largest EAST event of the year, EAST Conference. This year’s theme, Homecoming, is about celebrating 25 years of students from various talents coming together to network with other students, share stories and ideas, and showcase projects that inspire change within their communities. Due to Covid-19 guidelines, this year’s conference was held virtually. Brister Baptist Church was gracious enough to allow the students to use their fellowship hall to set up their conference booth and provided wi-fi for the team to attend classes/sessions virtually.

PITTMAN SELECTED MHS TEACHER OF THE YEAR Magnolia High School Spanish instructor, Mercedes Pittman, was selected as the campus 2021 Teacher of the Year. As a young woman born in Chillán, Chile, Mercedes Pittman learned to value education and to this day considers it a privilege. In 1991, with limited English language skills, family friends offered to sponsor her, and Mercedes came to the United States on an adventure that would last a lifetime. Early on, Mercedes sat in classes at Southern Arkansas University just to become a better English speaker. She also worked as a Certified Nurse Assistant at Magnolia Hospital while volunteering in the Magnolia Hispanic community to translate for medical and legal appointments. Through determination and hard work, she later entered Southern Arkansas University on an academic scholarship, eventually graduating with a Spanish major and Social Work minor. She later went through the naturalization process and became a citizen of the United States. Mercedes taught in El Dorado and Camden before coming to Magnolia High School in 2006. She continues to tutor university and high school students in Spanish and helps Hispanic parents who cannot speak English in school-related meetings. At Magnolia High School, Mercedes teaches with passion and loves students as her own, even those who are not in her classes. She tries to motivate students to take advantage of every opportunity to learn things and better themselves. Mercedes frequently says, “Kick-it baby,” and the phrase has become a school-wide euphemism for “do your best!” She shares the culture of Chile and the Spanish-speaking countries of the world in a way she hopes fosters understanding and tolerance of diversity. Mercedes serves as the MHS Foreign Language Department Chair and is an active fan of school sports. She is the Panther Band “mom” to hundreds of musicians and can be seen at every football game, both home and away, holding instruments or pinning up girls’ hair. She also sponsors a student-led Christian group, Chosen Generation Youth Fellowship. Mercedes meets with the group twice a week after school to prepare music and messages for their meetings on Wednesdays at 7:15 a.m. Mercedes is married to Jay Pittman, and together they have two grown children. Both children are graduates of Magnolia High School. Their son Jay has a PhD in biochemistry and molecular biophysics, and their daughter Pristine is currently in medical school. Mercedes is a long-time member of the First Baptist Church of Magnolia and serves as a choir member. She is also a member of the Arkansas Foreign Language Teacher’s Association. In her spare time, Mercedes enjoys cooking, singing, entertaining, and ping-pong.

WALKER PRE-K CENTER SELECTS CYNTHIA CATER AS TEACHER OF THE YEAR Cynthia Cater was recently selected as the Walker Pre-K Center’s 2021 Teacher of the Year. Cynthia is originally from Cotton Valley, Louisiana and graduated high school from there in 1975. She then attended Louisiana Tech and McNeese State University and received her degree in Elementary Education. Her first teaching job was in Vinton, Louisiana. After a few years teaching there, she decided to start a family and be a stay at home mom. She did this for eleven years until all of her children were in school. During that time, Cynthia returned to school to work on her Early Childhood certification. Upon completion of her certification, she began teaching pre-kindergarten students in Springhill, Louisiana. After working twenty years in Springhill, she decided to retire because she and her husband had adopted a baby. After six years of retirement, with some substitute teaching, she felt the pull to go back into education. Cynthia states, “It’s very hard for a teacher’s heart to truly retire. The opportunity to come back and teach at Walker Pre-Kindergarten Center was an answered prayer and an awesome blessing. I truly love to come to work every day. This is my second year teaching at Walker and I can say that the staff here is second to none. I am blessed!” Cynthia is married to Doug Cater and together they have seven children and seven grandchildren. She and her family live in Shongaloo where she enjoys country living and having plenty of room for the grands to play and explore. She attends New Sarepta Baptist Church where she teaches two and three year-old children and sings in the choir.

CENTRAL ELEMENTARY SELECTS GINGER PAYNE AS TEACHER OF THE YEAR Central Elementary School teacher, Ginger Payne, was recently selected as the campus 2021 Teacher of the Year. She is a 1981 graduate of Emerson High School and a 1990 graduate of Southern Arkansas University with a BSE degree in Elementary Education followed by a MEd Reading Specialist degree in 1995. Ginger has spent her entire 30-year career teaching in Magnolia School District. In 1991, she began teaching Title 1 Math at Central with one section of seventh grade math at the Junior High. The next year, she moved to fourth grade, where she has taught since 1992. She has served as grade-level chair and fourth grade literacy chair. Over the years, Ginger has mentored more than a dozen SAU student teachers serving as their supervising classroom teacher. She is proud that many of them are now colleagues successfully teaching in the Magnolia School District. Ginger is also a member of the Arkansas Education Association and the National Education Association. She currently serves on the sick-leave bank committee for Central. Ginger has been married to her husband, Barry, for thirty-nine years. They have two daughters, Brittany Ayers and Bethany Ashford. Brittany is married to Mark Ayers and works for Dr. Daniel Beene as a dental assistant. Bethany is married to Michael Ashford and works in the engineering department at JCM Industries in Texarkana. Barry and Ginger have just recently become “Pops and Gigi” to their two grandchildren, MaKinlie and Grayson. The Paynes are members of Antioch Church of Christ in Shongaloo, Louisiana. Ginger thinks fourth grade is the best grade to teach because 9- and 10-year-olds have a great sense of humor and love to learn. Apart from teaching, Ginger enjoys cooking, gardening, and decorating at home. She always looks forward to her two annual shopping trips to First Monday Trade Days in Canton, Texas, and her yearly beach trips with the girls.

Next in the series of videos for Magnolia READS is Jessica Weldon Waller, a 2006 graduate of Magnolia High School. Jessica, owner of Southern Roots Hair Salon in Emerson shares her journey to becoming a stylist, cosmetologist, and owner of her business. Click the link below to view Jessica’s story. https://youtu.be/1Ms4Qb8PX24

Magnolia School District will host its annual District-wide art show in the Panther Arena May 5-8. This year’s theme is “An Appetite for ART” and the community is cordially invited to attend the exhibition. Art will be included from all district campuses. You do not want to miss it! Come and support the visual arts of Magnolia School District! Students will be visiting May 5-6 during school hours. The art show will be open to the public May 5 and May 6 from 3:30-5 pm, May 7 from 10 am-5 PM, and May 8 from 10 am-2 pm. This year, 2021 Magnolia District Art Show T-shirts will also be sold. Money raised from the T-shirt sales will help support the art students and will go towards the cost of putting on this year’s art show. Anyone wishing to order a T-shirt should print and fill out the order form, then turn it in to a campus art teacher along with cash or check. All orders need to be turned in by April 21. Checks should be made out to Magnolia Art Club. Click below for a T-shirt order form https://5il.co/rfqk

In the book Billy Sure Kid Entrepreneur, the main character is a twelve-year-old boy who is an inventor and CEO of his own business. Tatum Carter, a sixth grader at Magnolia Middle School, is also twelve years old and began her business, Tatum’s Tasty Treats, in the spring of 2020. Click on the link below to watch Tatum share her adventures as a baker and business owner. https://youtu.be/-mF5mmBq1dc

TALLEY CHOSEN AS EAST SIDE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL’S TEACHER OF THE YEAR East Side Elementary School teacher, Jessica Talley, was recently selected as the campus 2021 Teacher of the Year. Talley is a 2003 graduate of Magnolia High School and a 2007 graduate of Southern Arkansas University with a degree in Early Childhood Education. Jessica has taught in the Magnolia School District for 14 years. She began her career teaching first grade, taught 10 years in second, and has been the technology lab teacher for the past three years. Talley represents East Side as an ambassador for many educational technology platforms and early coding robots. She has also transformed her old second grade classroom into a Makerspace using East Side’s technology. Her students have learned how to make green screen videos, do stop motion animation, and create posters and cards using educational photo collage apps. She loves helping her K-2 students find new ways to use technology besides just gaming and hopes that some of the projects she has done with them will spark further curiosity as they grow up in this digital age. Talley is married to Zachary Talley and has three children: Brin, age 10; Sebastian, 5; and Barrett, 1. She enjoys decorating, watching movies and doing crafts with her children, and cheering on the Muleriders with her family.

ZACKERY RECEIVES SAU TRACK SCHOLARSHIP Magnolia High School senior, Jakamron Zackery, recently signed a letter of intent from the Southern Arkansas University track program and will be throwing the shot and discus for the Muleriders next school year. Jakamron has earned many accolades while competing for the MHS Panther track team. In 2019, he placed second in the discus at the 4A State Track Meet and placed seventh in the Meet of Champs. During the 2020 season, he placed first in the discus at the SAU Relays, Hog Relays, and Wolf Relays and placed third in the shot put at the Hog Relays. Jakamron was also a member of the 2020 4A state champion team. This year, Jakamron has placed first in the discus at the Hog Relays, Wolf Relays, Oil Belt Relays, and Panther Relays. At the Oil Belt Relays, Jakamron set a personal record in the discus with a throw of 160’ 6”. He also placed second in the shot put at the Oil Belt Relays and Panther Relays and placed third at the Hog Relays.

Kory Waller, a 1994 Magnolia High School graduate and owner of Waller Wealth Management, talks about his path to becoming a business owner and entrepreneur. Click the link below to view Kory's video. https://youtu.be/OO6oa7nHUAg

HEATHER CREECH SELECTED AS MMS TEACHER OF THE YEAR Magnolia Middle School English teacher, Heather Creech, was recently selected as the campus 2021 Teacher of the Year. Heather still resides in her hometown, where she graduated in 1993 from Stamps High School. She received her Bachelors of Arts degree in English and certification in secondary education from Southern Arkansas University. After earning her degree from SAU, Heather began her teaching career at Lafayette County High School; during her time there she taught 10th, 11th, and 12th grade English; AP Language and Composition; Creative Writing; and Mythology. Since joining the faculty of Magnolia School District in 2018, she has taught 8th grade English – both regular and Pre-AP. This year, she is serving as the MMS English department chair. Heather has been married to her husband, Ronnie, for eighteen years. They have four children: Amber and Cory, both in the work force; Nate, a junior Meteorological Science student at the University of Missouri; and Peyton, a junior at Magnolia High School. They are also blessed to be “Heddie and Poppie” to two grandchildren, Rayney and Dakota. She is an active member of Stamps Landmark Missionary Baptist Church, where she serves as music director and church clerk. In addition to teaching English to her students here in the U.S., she enjoys getting up each day before coming to campus and teaching English as a second language to students in China, who range in age from five to fifteen. Outside of teaching, she enjoys cheering Peyton on at Panther football games, reading, singing, cooking, and spending time with her family.

Shermar Easter, a 2019 Magnolia High School graduate and owner of Hot Shots Magnolia Delivery Service, talks about his journey as a business owner and entrepreneur. Click the link below to view Shermar's interview! https://youtu.be/bzG8wMAyNQM

MHS PLANS COVID-19 VACCINE CLINIC Magnolia High School is planning a COVID-19 vaccine clinic for eligible students at Magnolia High School on April 8, 2021 beginning at 9:00 a.m. in Panther Arena. Students must be 16 or older by April 8, 2021 to receive the vaccine. Eligible students will receive DOSE 1 of the Pfizer vaccine. The second dose will be given at the appropriate time in a future clinic. Consent forms will be sent home with students and must be completed (front and back) and signed by a parent or guardian. The completed forms must be returned to the campus nurse by Wednesday, April 7, 2021. Forms are also available at the high school front office and on the district website. For questions, please call 870 901-2547.

Magnolia READS Kick-off On Monday, April 5, students at East Side and Central Elementary Schools will once again embark on a special project, an all-school book club and financial literacy project. For the past three years, this enterprise has been called One District, One Book. The theme for this year’s event is Magnolia READS. The acronym READS stands for Reading Empowers All District Students. While students at the elementary schools will read the book, middle and high school students will also be involved in this project. Each kindergarten through fifth grade family will receive a copy of the same book—Billy Sure, Kid Entrepreneur by Luke Sharpe. Families are encouraged to make time to participate in this fun and worthwhile family activity. Reading aloud at home with your children is a valuable experience that better prepares your child to be an effective reader. For the second year, Farmers Bank & Trust Co. is collaborating with the District on the Magnolia READS project. Farmers purchased the book Billy Sure Kid Entrepreneur for all the students and staff in grades K-5. Economics Arkansas also partnered in the project. They helped supply the students and staff with resources to use while reading Billy Sure. Angie Saldana, a senior at Magnolia High School, designed the Magnolia READS logo. Angie is a student in Advanced Placement 2D Art. She is the daughter of Irma and Damian Saldana. The District extends our deepest appreciation to Farmers Bank & Trust for the donation to purchase the Magnolia READS books and materials, Economics Arkansas for supplying the supplemental resources, and Angie Saldana for designing the Magnolia READS logo.

MALONE SELECTED AS SHAPE ARKANSAS ELEMENTARY TEACHER OF THE YEAR The Arkansas Society of Health and Physical Education (SHAPE) recently selected East Side Elementary School’s Shelly Malone as the 2020-2021 SHAPE Arkansas Elementary Teacher of the Year. This award recognizes PE teachers who promote and support quality physical education in Arkansas and a physical education curriculum that supports the highest quality for excellence in teaching. Award winners demonstrate high moral character and personal integrity who by their leadership and industry have made outstanding and noteworthy contributions to the advancement of teaching health, dance, or physical education in the state. This award qualifies Coach Malone to enter the SHAPE America Southern District Teacher of the Year competition. SHAPE Arkansas is an affiliation of the national organization, Society of Health and Physical Education (SHAPE) America. Coach Malone serves as the K-2 PE/Health teacher at East Side Elementary School and the head tennis coach at Magnolia High School. Shelly was nominated by the South Central Service Cooperative in Camden.

Mr. Ward introduces the 2021 Magnolia READS financial literacy project. https://youtu.be/CbRQ7f-bOrs

All power back on. All campuses will be open. We apologize for inconvenience.

All power back on. All campuses will be open. We apologize for inconvenience.