Theaters showing students' creation
A 30-second public service announcement created by two students at Little Rock's Pinnacle View Middle School to promote computer science education began running Friday night in Arkansas movie theaters.
The promotion will run for about two weeks, Anthony Owen, the state's director of computer science education, said last week.
Emma Brown and Michelle Gong, who are participants in the Environmental and Spatial Technology course at Pinnacle View, won the 2017 Computer Science for Arkansas Public Service Announcement Competition with their entry, which was later professionally produced.
The contest for students in sixth through 12th grades was a joint effort of the Arkansas Educational Television Network, the Arkansas Department of Education and the Women's Foundation of Arkansas, as well as AT&T, in an effort to encourage girls in particular to pursue the study of computer science.
Education group selects president
Suzanne "Lynn" Bullard has been selected as the new president of Arkansas Advanced Initiative for Math and Science, Jerry Adams, chairman of the organization's board of directors, announced.
Bullard's appointment is effective Jan. 1. She will replace Ken James, who has served in the role for the past four years and is retiring from the organization.
The organization works to increase the number of students enrolled in Advanced Placement math, science, and English courses and to increase the number of students producing scores of 3 or better on Advanced Placement math, science, and English examinations.
Bullard has served as the organization's program manager since 2013. She previously held educational leadership positions in the Sheridan, North Little Rock, and Bryant school districts.
'Egg shed' essay wins state contest
Grace Turner, a senior at the Arkansas Virtual Academy, is the winner of the Clinton Foundation's annual "Ideas Matter" scholarship essay contest.
Turner's essay proposed improving childhood health and malnutrition by promoting school-run "egg sheds," a system "in which all the eggs needed by the people of a community are produced locally."
The contest is meant to encourage Arkansas high school students to turn their good ideas into action to confront some of today's most pressing challenges. The winner of the essay contest receives a $2,500 college scholarship.
Juniors and seniors are invited to submit a minimum 500-word essay addressing one of four themes: increasing opportunity for girls and women, improving childhood health, creating economic opportunity and growth, or helping communities address race relations. Students are directed to define a challenge, propose an idea to alleviate that challenge, and develop a strategy for putting that idea into action.
The panel of judges this year also selected two runners-up: Trenton Tardiff, a senior at Cotter High School, and Kedran Young, a junior at Benton High School. Both essays addressed improving childhood health.
Learning initiative enters fourth year
The Arkansas Declaration of Learning initiative, which has benefited more than 6,000 students to date, has begun its fourth year.
The Arkansas Department of Education is partnering with the Butler Center for Arkansas Studies, the Clinton Foundation, Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, the William J. Clinton Presidential Library and the U.S. Department of State's Diplomatic Reception Rooms to bring the national program to the state.
In the past three years, the partners collaborated with more than 80 Arkansas school librarians and teachers in grades seven through 12. Educators developed and taught lesson plans and civic engagement projects using historic art and objects from the collections of the national and state partners.
Applications for participating in the latest program are due Feb. 16, 2018. Travel stipends will be provided to the selected participants as well as professional development credit.
Metro on 12/17/2017