Students and teachers returned to school January 6, 2020, and hit the ground running. Awards ceremonies have been held for all three schools to celebrate student achievement for the second nine weeks and the first semester, athletic events and practices are continuing, and students and teachers alike are getting back in the school routine. 2020 promises to be a good year for the Jessieville School District. We are continuing our focus on reading, writing, and discussing in the classrooms, teachers are being strategic in meeting students' academic needs in preparation for testing later in the spring, and schedules for the 2020-2021 school year are being discussed.

January also brings cold and flu season. Please remind your students to wash their hands frequently and keep them at home if they have a fever or are vomiting. Attendance is VERY important, but we don't expect students to attend if they are contagious.

Best wishes to all of our students and their families throughout the new year!

Melissa G. Speers, Ed.S.

Jessieville School District

Superintendent

The Jessieville community roared from the stands of the Sports Arena on the night of January 10th when senior Trey Perkins entered the game against Christian Ministries and scored 6 points. Charlie Davis, Trey's teammate and best friend, stated, "It was an emotional night not just for our team, but for the whole community, including CMA players. They were clapping for Trey, too. Everyone wanted to see him score."

Charlie also mentioned that Trey can often be seen at the Rec Center in Hot Springs Village practicing his shooting and dribbling skills, demonstrating his passion for the game. Off the court, Charlie and Trey are lunch buddies at school and have also participated in a variety of other extracurricular activities together.

For more details about Trey's big moment and other notable plays during the Lions' game against CMA, please see this article from The Sentinel Record:

As announced at Monday's board meeting, George Denger, Mrs. Shaw's Kindergarten student, is our elementary student of the month! Karston Criswell is our middle school student of the month, and Rachelle Adcock is high school student of the month. Representing the certified staff for January is Mrs. Randi Graves. Cardella Spruell is the bus driver recognized for the quarter, and middle school English teacher Gretchen Boyes was named middle school teacher of the month. Congratulations to everyone for working hard and demonstrating a positive attitude!

The Varsity Cheerleaders placed 3rd place in the 3A division of the State Game Day Competition at the Convention Center in Hot Springs in December. Over twenty-five other teams from 1A, 2A, and 3A schools competed. This was Jessieville's second year to compete in the Game Day Division. Jillian Robertson, pictured below, also made All-State Cheer Squad for 2019- 2020.

When asked about this year's squad, Coach Horton remarked, "These girls have started a strong foundation for competitive cheer at our school, and I look forward to what the future holds for us." Congratulations, girls!

Jessieville had its annual spelling bee at the beginning of the month. Winners for elementary included first grader Timbreann Harbin, second grader Micah Layfield, third grader Jacob Hickox, fourth grader Noah Grise, and fifth grader Thomas Sinclair. Overall elementary winners were Thomas Sinclair (winner), Micah Layfield (second place), and Jacob Hickox (third place). These three students competed in the Garland County Bee on January 9 at Gospel Light.

The top 3 middle school spellers for Jessieville were Breya Raney (winner), Blake Goings (second place), and Serena Benson (third place), who also moved on to represent Jessieville Middle School at the Garland County Spelling Bee.

Thomas Sinclair was the overall winner of Garland County Bee (see the article from The Sentinel Record below for more details).

On Wednesday, December 4, FCCLA sponsor Shelia Churchill took a group of high school students to Henderson State University to compete in District 6 STAR Events. (STAR is an acronym for "Students Taking Action with Recognition," and is a series of competitive events in the areas of individual projects, leadership, and career preparation.)

Jakiarah Hickey, Emily Hemund, Rebekah George, Megan Brown, and Carrie Biggerstaff will all advance to the State STAR Events that will be held March 3 at Hot Springs Convention Center. Mrs. Churchill remarked, "Please congratulate these students when you see them. I'm proud to be a Jessieville teacher and a Lion."

To learn more about this organization, please visit https://fcclainc.org/

During the first few weeks back from Christmas break, students in grades K-12 were recognized at separate assemblies for their academic achievements during the second quarter. Family members and Jessieville staff applauded as teachers presented a variety of awards ranging from Accelerated Reader to Honor Roll to Terrific Kid certificates. As our school mission statement says, "We will produce confident 21st century global citizens through high quality instruction and an involved community." Awards ceremonies help us acheive this goal by focusing on instruction and encouraging families to support their students' learning. Thank you to all of the families and community members who came to cheer for the students.

In addition to celebrating academics, Jessieville recognized its fall sport athletes on January 9 in the safe room. Athletes from cross country, volleyball, football, tennis, and golf received plaques for All Conference and All State, and certificates for Letterman awards. At the ceremony, coaches recapped their seasons, talked about key players and topics like overcoming adversity and the importance of team work.

Spring sports teams (basketball, cheer, bowling, baseball, softball, and Special Olympics) will receive their awards in May.

On January 10th and 11th, three Jessieville band students performed in the Region II Honor Bands at Lake Hamilton High School. The bands consisted of the top performers from the region and were conducted by two of the top clinicians in the state. Jessieville freshman Megan Brown sat in the first band, first chair flute position; freshman Danielle Glomski sat in the first band, eighth chair clarinet position; and 8th grader Samantha Greer sat in the second band eighth chair clarinet position. Well done, ladies!

Be sure to keep an eye on our district's website for important updates between now and the next edition of Lion's Pride! Thank you for continuing to support Jessieville School District and our students.

The Lion's Pride Newsletter is brought to you by Ashley Layfield,

Jessieville School District Public Relations Coordinator.

Office: 501-984-4226

Email: ashley.layfield@jsdlions.net