River Valley notebook

Organization honors

elementary teacher

The Arkansas PTA has named Cavanaugh Elementary School fifth-grade teacher Crissy Pierce as the 2020 Arkansas PTA Teacher of the Year.

She learned about her award at a surprise announcement at her school on Thursday.

"Crissy Pierce is a gifted, well-rounded professional," said the Cavanaugh Elementary School PTA nomination. "Athletic, humorous, and knowledgeable, she captivates the attention of her students and peers. Caring, committed, and concerned, Mrs. Pierce is admired and loved by her students, parents, and colleagues because of her fervent 'Success for All' advocacy. Once a student has had Crissy Pierce as a teacher, they have her as a friend, support and cheerleader for life."

At Cavanaugh, which is in the Fort Smith School District, Pierce is the K-Kids Club sponsor for the school, initiating and leading the school in community support and giving, including coin and food drives for local charities, donations for the local animal shelter and volunteering with the Salvation Army Red Kettle Drive. The K-Kids Club is a partnership with the Fort Smith-area chapter of the Commissary Kiwanis Club.

Pierce also serves on the Cavanaugh PTA Board as the Box Top Chair, encouraging students and families to submit their Box Tops for Education to assist with school funding.

Convention center

to host city board

The next two regularly scheduled meetings of the Fort Smith Board of Directors will be held at the Fort Smith Convention Center.

The meetings will be at 55 S. Seventh St., Exhibit Hall A1 and A2. They will begin at 6 p.m. on June 2 and June 16. City directors have been meeting at the larger facility to give people more room while practicing 6-foot social distancing to help slow the spread of the coronavirus, which causes the covid-19 infection.

Agenda information is available from either the city clerk's office at (479) 784-2208 or the city's website at www.fortsmithar.gov.

Two UAFS students

picked for program

Two students from the University of Arkansas at Fort Smith have been selected to participate in the Summer Research Scholars Program June 8-July 31 at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center in Memphis.

The students are Bobbi Evans, a junior chemistry major from Dallas, and Zane Neal, a junior chemistry major with a concentration in biochemistry from Fort Smith.

They were selected based on letters of recommendation from college professors and a Personal Statement of Purpose, in addition to official transcripts.

The eight-week paid internship matches students with University of Tennessee faculty to enhance their skills in biomedical information retrieval. Student researchers participate in workshops on scientific presentation and abstract writing while strengthening communication skills in biomedical sciences. The research opportunities include fields such as biomedical engineering, epidemiology, health outcomes and policy research, integrated biomedical sciences, nursing science, and pharmaceutical sciences.

Evans plans to attend graduate school and pursue a doctorate in organic/medicinal chemistry. Neal also plans to attend graduate school, pursuing a doctorate in the interface of chemical biology or biomedical science.

State Desk on 05/25/2020

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