Monticello Live

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The after school gardeners harvested some sweet potatoes from the garden this past week before the frost.

The kids are from left to right – Kenny Bragg, Olivia and Maddie Tumlinson.

The MHS Forensic Team travelled to Russellville to compete at the Russellville High School Cyclone Forensic Tournament. The team returned with several awards including a 1st place sweepstakes award. Twenty-seven students competed in 10 individual events and one group event. The team earned 3rd place in readers theatre group event with their interpretation of 13 Reasons Why, a novel by Jay Asher.

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CONGRATULATIONS! to MHS Choral Director Mrs. Bennie Vincent for being selected by her colleagues as the 2012-2013 Southeast Region “Director of the Year.”

During the past two years of teaching at Monticello Middle School, Mrs. Vincent’s choirs received Superior Division I Ratings in performance and sight reading at Choral Performance Assessments (CPA). She is in her first year as the Monticello Sr. High Choral Director.

The MHS Delegation to the 2012 Arkansas Student Congress earned 7th place overall. Daniel Wigley, Hannah James and Jacob Chisom earned 5th place in their House of Representatives. Earning excellent awards were Elizabeth Wilson (committee, caucus), Erin Campbell (caucus, floor debate), Daniel Wigley (caucus, floor debate), Hannah James (floor debate), Alex Jones (floor debate), and Jacob Chisom (committee, parliamentary procedures). Daniel Wigley and Hannah James earned superior awards in committee; Hannah and Jacob Chisom earned superior awards during the party caucus session.

Picture: Front row – Hannah James, Alex Jones, Elizabeth Wilson
Back row – Erin Campbell, Jacob Chisom, Daniel Wigley

Jordan Socia & Karlie Fowler

The Capital One Bowl halftime show is pleased to announce the recent All American selection of Karlie Fowler & Jordan Socia, Monticello High School majorettes, to the official Capital One Bowl halftime performance cast.

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The MHS forensics team earned a First Place Sweepstakes Award at their first tournament of the year which was held at Little Rock Central. Seven powerful performers brought home the awards: Rebecca Stephenson earned 1st place in Dramatic Interpretation, 1st place in Prose Interpretation, and 2nd place in Poetry Interp.

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The Monticello School District will report its progress in completion of compliance with the Standards for Accreditation of Arkansas Public Schools at the public meeting on Tuesday, October 23rd at 7:00 p.m. in the Monticello Middle School Auditorium. All parents and the community are invited and encouraged to attend.

The MHS Class of 1992 enjoyed last week’s Homecoming Game with a 20 year class reunion.

Before the Monticello Jr. Billie football game against Hamburg, Thursday night, Monsanto presented a $10,000 grant to the Monticello School District that was awarded through America’s Famers Grow Rural Education.

The Monticello School District received nominations from farmers Joe Noland and Jeff Felts. The grants totaled 176 across 39 states that totaled $2.3 million for the selected districts. In Ark. 58 school districts received nominations from 303 farmers and five districts including Monticello received the grants.

The program allows farmers to nominate their school district for the award who then must apply. The grant serves the purpose of enhancing math and science based education and will allow for expansion of the school district’s learning garden program to reach 6th through 8th graders, which will allow them to “learn the principles of science through hands-on activities.”

The Monticello school board accepted a CPR training unit donated by Ryburn Motor Company. The unit will help to train coaches and staff of the schools to further help to keep kids safe. The unit, which is junior life sized, tells with signals when the trainee applies the right pressure in the proper location and when the trainee breaths correctly into the unit’s mouth.

Ryburn also donate a unit to Drew Central School at their board meeting, recently, shown here with Superintendent Mike Johnston and Rita Venable.

Article by Caleb Burger

Monticello School District’s board members met August 21 to discuss a variety of topics regarding the district’s three branches.

The Monticello High School Principle Jim Lucas presented the district data analysis on the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) Flexibility. According to the Department of Education, this act provides “flexibility regarding requirements of the No Child Left Behind Act in 2001in exchange for state-developed plans to improve educational outcomes for all students, close achievement gaps, increase equity and improve the quality of instruction.”

Article by Caleb Burger

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 MIS 3RD GRADE SUPPLY LIST

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MIS 4TH GRADE SUPPLY LIST

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 MIS 5TH GRADE SUPPLY LIST

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Monticello Elementary is seeing record numbers with its upcoming Kindergarten class for the 2012-2013 school year. According to Principal Tish Thomas, the numbers rose from 170 students last year, to 223 for this year.

The large increase of students led to two major issues for the school: too few teachers and not enough classrooms.

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After  13 years principal Kenny Pennington is leaving MHS.

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With all 5 zone positions on both Monticello and Drew Central’s school boards up for re-election, due to the recent re-districting, here is the list of candidates filing, as the deadline passed, Tuesday at noon.

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Amy James, a recent graduate of Monticello High School, is one of 72 outstanding students chosen for the 2012 class of Honors College Fellows at the University of Arkansas. James plans to be a pre-med major in the J. William Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences.

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New Drew Central School Board Districts

New Monticello School District Boundaries

Enlarged Map of City Area, Monticello District

Re-disticting of school board boundaries is required, due to the 2010 census, just like it was for the city council and quorum court.

All school board seats in both districts are up for re-election in the upcoming September 18 election.

Today, at noon, was the deadline to file as a candidate for any of the 5 seats, on both Monticello and Drew Central’s school board. (more…)

According to AshleyCountyLedger.com, the Crossett School Board has named a former Monticello assistant superintendent  as the interim Crossett superintendent.

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Monticello School’s Personnel Policy Committee President Dupree Kelly addressed the Monticello School Board, Tuesday,  on recommendations made to increase stipends for certain staff members.

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The Monticello City Council voted unanimously to grant Monticello School’s Superintendent Bobby Harper’s request for $25,000 of additional funding towards the boot camp program, which is a punitive program for students that serves as an alternative for expulsion.

Superintendent Harper told the Council that when the program began it was a joint effort between the County, City, Drew Central School District, and Monticello School District. The County quickly withdrew from helping with funding, and now Drew Central District has had to withdraw as well due to their fiscal distress status. This leaves only Monticello District and the City left to provide money to keep the program going.

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2012 MHS Graduation – Processional from MonticelloLive on Vimeo.

2012 MHS Graduation – Jr. & Sr. Choir from MonticelloLive on Vimeo.

2012 MHS Graduation – Welcome & Addresses from MonticelloLive on Vimeo.

2012 MHS Graduation – Presentation of Diplomas from MonticelloLive on Vimeo.

Senator Pryor congratulates Kim Wilson, a visual art teacher at Monticello High School, on being chosen as Arkansas’s Teacher of the Year.

Wilson is Arkansas’s nominee for National Teacher of the Year and will spend the 2012-2013 school year working at the Department of Education as a special advisor.

On December 2, Governor Beebe came to Monticello to present Kimberly Wilson, visual art teacher at MHS the award for being Arkansas’Teacher of the Year.

“You aren’t much of a person if you can’t understand the finer things in life… you’ve done that with our kids… you deserve Teacher of the Year,” Governor Beebe told Mrs. Wilson.

After hugging her children and her husband, accepting her roses and her large check to represent her financial award of $15,000 (from the Walton Family Foundation) Mrs. Wilson said, “I want to thank you… thank you. It humbles me.” “First, I’m privileged to be part of a fantastic school district.” “The other half… here’s what makes the difference… it’s your [students’] effort that makes it all work.”

Mrs. Wilson then said to the 4th and 5th grade students present, “You made me a great teacher; you made this possible.”

In closing Mrs. Wilson said, “Thank you to my family, my 2 children are here. They spend a lot of hours in the classroom.” “I could not do it if I did not have a fantastic, loving, supporting husband.” “I would like to thank my Principals..” She went on to describe how they never tell her no when she comes to them with her “crazy” ideas.

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Kimberly Kaye Wilson – One Monticello Life

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Kathy Smith of the Walton Family Foundation spoke to MIS and MHS students, and guests, at a “surprise” meeting this morning. She said, “We have some very exciting news today that we’ve been keeping secret.”

Smith spoke about how most adults with careers will always point back to a teacher that helped guide them in that direction.

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Taylor Eubanks, a 2009 graduate of Monticello High School and former captain of the MHS cheerleaders performed with the Dallas Cowboys cheerleaders recently in a halftime performance at Cowboys Stadium in Arlington Texas.

Taylor is a Junior Theater Arts major at UT-Arlington, and also head cheerleading coach for a local gym in the Dallas area.

Taylor is the 21 year old daughter of Von and Terri Eubanks.

Four teachers from around the state were named finalists for the 2012 Teacher of the Year Award, by the state Department of Education, including a Monticello High School teacher.

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Former Monticello Schools choir director, Michael Binns. Sr, passed away Sunday, at 4:38 pm.

Binns was convicted  by a Drew County Circuit Court jury on July 14 on 2 counts of 2nd degree sexual assault,  Binns was hospitalized at Baptist Health Center in Little Rock on Wednesday, July 20, before returning to the Drew County Detention Facility on Thursday, July 21, and being transferred to the Arkansas Dept. of Corrections on Friday, July 22.

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