Magnolia School District

The final student entrepreneur video for Magnolia READS comes from Maggie McDonald, a sophomore at Magnolia High School. Maggie shares her journey to becoming the owner of M² Genetics and Testing. Click the link below to hear Maggie’s story of becoming a business owner at the age of fifteen. https://youtu.be/08mADMPXGuU

The Magnolia School District appreciates Farmers Bank and Trust for being a partner for the second year in the Magnolia READS project. Jason Ray, a 1997 graduate of Magnolia High School and Vice President of Commercial Lending at Farmers Bank and Trust, shares his thoughts on the importance of Magnolia READS and students learning financial literacy at a young age. Click the link below to watch Jason’s video. https://youtu.be/VW7q1GLIA10

The Magnolia School District appreciates Marsha Masters, the Associate Director of Economics Arkansas, for sending a video sharing her thoughts on the Magnolia READS financial literacy project. Economics Arkansas is one of the sponsors of Magnolia READS. Click below to hear Marsha Masters. https://youtu.be/2Jda5LCiIEM

MHS INTERNSHIP PROGRAM BANQUET Magnolia High School’s Internship Program held its annual Employer Appreciation Banquet at the Magnolia High School Auxiliary Gym on April 6. Students in the program worked together to show each employer how grateful they are to work with such inspiring individuals. The theme for the evening was A Night in Paris! The Internship students were responsible for planning and implementing every step of the banquet. The guest speaker for the evening was Mr. Darnell Ford, Magnolia High School. Mr. Ford shared encouraging thoughts with the students. Presiding over the program were Internship president, Keshunti Brantley; vice-president, Makayla Bradford; secretary, Chloe Lambert; treasurer, A.J. Williams; reporter, Mynasia Crockett; and historian, Denasia Hardin. Students, Doria Beasley with the MHS OWLS Program, Keshunti Brantley with Magnolia School District Registrars office, Zoie Dixon with Story’s on the Square, Imanol Guzman with Dairy Queen, and Megan Reyome who works for MHS – Art Department spoke on their positive experiences with the program. Magnolia High School Principal, Chris Carter challenged the seniors to strive for greatness. Students and businesses participating in the 2020-2021 Internship Program are Doria Beasley, OWLS, Magnolia High School; Keshunti Brantley, MSD Registrar, India Burton, Taco Bell; A’Darius Franks, Kindergarten Food Service; Imanol Guzman, Dairy Queen, Ja”shaun Hartsfield, MHS Food Service; Dennis Jones, City of Magnolia; Emma Rich, Magnolia Veterinary Services; A.J. Williams, Magnolia Middle School; Qua’najah Willis, MHS Media Center; Marley Bismark, Kindergarten; Makayla Bradford, MHS Band; Demarian Carter, Mac’s Fresh Market; Mynasia Crockett, Eastside; Zoie Dixon, Story’s on the Square, Patrick Graham, Graham Law Firm; Denasia Hardin, Wee Care; Chloee Lambert, Chicken Express; Todd Metcalf, Brookshire’s; Dallas Nalls, Brookshire’s; Cammie Neill, Dairy Treet; Megan Reyome, MHS Art Department; and Tyrese Wilson, KFC. During the school year, Internship students worked 12,534 hours and earned $122,422. Any employer interested in employing a part-time worker for the 2021-2022 school year is encouraged to call Internship Coordinator, Jodi Waters at 901-2542 to arrange for interviews with prospective students.

2021 GOVERNOR’S SCHOLASTIC HONORS DAY Magnolia High School seniors, Sierra Putney and Angie Saldana were recently recognized as 2021 Governor’s Scholastic Honors students. The girls both have the same grade point average, which ranks them as the top two students in the MHS senior class. Due to the Covid-19 pandemic and the Arkansas Department of Health (ADH) Directive on Indoor Venues, the Arkansas Division of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) announced on behalf of Governor Asa Hutchinson and First Lady Susan Hutchinson that the 2021 Governor's Scholastic Honors Day would be celebrated virtually this year. Governor Hutchinson expressed his admiration of the achievements Arkansas’ most outstanding high school seniors have made, especially during these trying times. The Governor's Scholastic Honors Day is an annual event that highlights academic achievement throughout the state.

Ayana Patel: Junior Division Arkansas Soybean Science Challenge Winner Magnolia Middle School (MMS) student, Ayana Patel, was notified on March 5 that she was selected as the Junior Division Research winner of the Arkansas Soybean Science Challenge. The sixth-grade student had spent months developing her local science fair project, GOT OXYGEN? In this plant-based experiment, Ayana wanted to see which type of leaf released the most oxygen in 2 hours. The judges of the science fair were so impressed with Ayana’s work that they recommended it be entered into the Soybean Science Challenge. The Challenge is directed by the University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture Research and Extension in connection with the Arkansas Soybean Promotion Board. Ayana soon heard that she had been chosen as the Junior Division Research winner and would receive a box of gifts and a 200-dollar cash prize upon the completion of a soybean course though the college. Ayana did complete the course, which covered all things soybeans and included many sections and exams. Ayana’s MMS science teacher, Ryland Ochs, was also recognized with a Junior Division Teacher Mentor Award. Ayana is the daughter of Hetal and Kal Patel. The Soybean Challenge is a farmer-funded, statewide, high school education program that seeks to increase student knowledge about the value of Arkansas soybeans to the Arkansas economy, to the labor force, and ultimately to feed and fuel the world. The Challenge has reached thousands of students and teachers through real-time and on-line education, in-service training, Virtual Field Trips, classroom lab instruction, Arkansas-based educational publications, mentoring, and awards for independent student research.

Tristan Malone, a senior at Magnolia High School, opened his business, Sub-Zero New Orleans Style Shaved Ice, at the end of his freshman year. Using the advice provided from his business-owner dad, and the skills he learned in his eighth grade Career Development class, Tristan set out to be a business owner at the age of fifteen. In his video, Tristan shares what he has learned on his path to being an entrepreneur. Click the link below to hear Tristan’s story. https://youtu.be/9a71qLm1pI4

Panther Plaza, Magnolia High School’s Panther merchandise store, opened in October 2018. In today’s Magnolia READS video, MHS teacher, Wendy Love, and students in her Marketing and Small Business Operations classes share the history behind Panther Plaza, the hands-on knowledge, experience, and certification gained by being a student working in the store, and the daily process of maintaining a successful business. Click the link below to hear about Panther Plaza’s journey to being a campus business. https://youtu.be/lImChyXQdEY

MHS HONORS STUDENTS WITH ADVANCED PLACEMENT RECEPTION Magnolia High School hosted an Advanced Placement (AP) Reception April 16 in the Magnolia High Cafeteria and honored a number of students for their academic accomplishments. The awards included cash, yard signs, honor cords, and medals. Farmers Bank and Trust, who provided cake for the attendees, sponsored the event. Magnolia High principal Chris Carter announced this year’s awards recipients. In May 2020, 151 students who were enrolled in AP courses took 227 AP exams. From that test administration, 49 students, some of whom graduated last spring, passed 64 tests. AP tests are scored 1-5 and all scores of 3, 4, or 5 are considered passing. At the banquet, students who passed an AP exam last May were awarded a $100 cash incentive for each passing score and a yard sign that reads, “An MHS AP Scholar Lives Here.” The checks and signs went to Cage Arnold, Eli Barnett, Maggie Cassidy, Lindsey Cornwell, Peyton Creech, Leila Dadgar, Chris Dai, Olivia Ferguson, Ethan Franks, Troi Kacsir, Emily Kelley, Cade Key, Kade Kuykendall, Tristan Malone, Hallie May, Seth McKamie, Thomas McWilliams, Emmi Miller, Heather Millican, Sierra Putney, Megan Reyome, Jadelyn Snider, Clara Souter, Reagan Sweeney, Samuel Trout, Rachel Ward, Zaria Whitaker, Elizabeth Wilson, and George Wilson. Students who passed AP tests but graduated in May are also getting the cash incentives. They are Azaria Broomfield, Gabrielle Bulliard, Elizabeth Burgess, Lauren Chambliss, Joseph Goza, Megan Green, Haley Huffman, Haley Johnson, Hunter McLaughlin, Bethany Morgan, Raegan Nix, Adam Pieratt, Terrianna Robinson, Jordan Sigala, Victoria West, Parker Williams, Amy Wooldridge, Abigail Young, Kateijah Young, and Kevin Zhao. Students who have passed multiple tests are designated for higher honors by College Board, the governing organization for Advanced Placement nationwide. AP Scholar status is granted by College Board to students who pass three or more AP exams. These students were presented black and silver cords to wear at graduation: Leila Dadgar and Emmi Miller. Others named AP Scholars were members of the Class of 2020: Elizabeth Burgess, Megan Green, Haley Johnson, Jordan Sigala, Amy Woolridge, and Abigail Young. AP Scholar with Honor status is granted to students who pass four or more AP exams with an average score of at least 3.25 on all AP exams taken. The student who achieved this status – Sierra Putney – was presented with an engraved medal to wear at graduation. ¬ AP Scholar with Distinction status is granted by College Board to students who pass at least five AP exams and earn an average score of at least 3.5 on all AP exams. The 2020 graduates who earned this status are Gabrielle Bulliard, Adam Pieratt, Parker Williams, and Kevin Zhao. Also recognized at the event were the AP and Pre-AP teachers: Amanda McMahan, Katherine Long, Melanie Ladner, Laurie Hicks, Hunter Fowler, Melissa Chandler, Shauna Jackson, Kaci Myers, Julie Carter, Katie Herren, Connie Hinton, and Morgan Smith.

The next video in the Magnolia READS series comes from Randy Reed, a 1976 graduate of Magnolia High School. Randy, the owner of R.L. Reed Funeral Home, shares the career experiences that led him to becoming a business owner in 2016 after working in the funeral home business for thirty-six years. Click the link below to watch Randy’s video. https://youtu.be/0cBtbGRCtcY

To Parents/Guardians: There will be a COVID-19 vaccine clinic for eligible students at Magnolia High School on April 29th beginning at 9:00 a.m. in Panther Arena. Eligible students will receive Dose 1 of the Pfizer vaccine. Students must be 16 or older by April 29th to receive the vaccine. Students who received Dose 1 on April 8th will receive Dose 2 at this time. The consent form (front and back) must be completed and signed by a parent or guardian and returned to the campus nurse by Monday, April 26th. Consent forms are required for Dose 1 and Dose 2. Forms are also available at the high school front office and on the district website. For your convenience, click the following link to download a PDF of the consent form so you can print it off, sign, and turn in: https://core-docs.s3.amazonaws.com/documents/asset/uploaded_file/1218099/MRMC_-_COVID-19_Vaccine_Consent_for_Public_-_Generic-_ENGLISH.pdf If you have any questions, please call 870 901-2547.

Billy Sure Kid Entrepreneur is a twelve-year-old inventor and CEO of his own business. In today's video for Magnolia READS, Magnolia High School senior, Tanner Neilsen, shares how he began his landscaping and lawn care business at nine years old and what he has learned from running his own business. Click the link below to view Tanner’s video. https://youtu.be/wdBNPg4L_rI

Just as it takes a village to help Billy Sure run his business, it also takes a village to run Panthers’ Pet Spa, the newly established grooming business at Magnolia High School. Mrs. Elam, MHS agriculture teacher, and students in her Advanced Animal Science and Agriculture Business classes talk about the hands-on experience they are getting in what it takes to start a business, market a business, and keep the business running smoothly and successfully. Click the link below to hear about Panthers’ Pet Spa. https://youtu.be/x3YNYFBZ1BY

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