Monticello Live

Beginning January 20, 2012 through February 17, 2012, Drew County residents may apply for the Drew County Single Parent Scholarship by submitting an application on line. The website address: www.ASPSF.org may be accessed to complete the application process.

All required documents maybe uploaded or mailed. If the documents are mailed. The information must be postmarked by February 17th.

For additional information, applicants may contact board member Brenda Jacobs- 723-0105, Faye Branch- 723-2753 or Lou Lambert- 723-4590.

Who will be The Biggest Loser 2012? Will the team from Drew Central beat the team from Monticello by losing the most weight? While the outcome of the competition is unclear, what IS clear is that every staff member who participates in The Biggest Loser 2012 will come out a winner by beginning the year focused on a healthier lifestyle.

The eight-week competition begins on Tuesday, January 17th and will end on Tuesday, March 13th. Participants will be weighed every two weeks during the competition and averages will be taken to determine which team, Monticello or Drew Central, is ahead. Individual prizes will also be awarded to the persons who lose the greatest percentage of body weight and the greatest number of pounds overall.

Laura Fawcett, the Coordinated School Health Director at Drew Central, was instrumental in issuing the challenge to Monticello and getting the competition started. “We are excited about The Biggest Loser 2012 and wish all participants the best of luck. It is our hope that members of the community will see what we are doing and be inspired to start their own Biggest Loser competition” stated Ms. Fawcett. More information and progress reports will soon follow! GO TEAM DREW CENTRAL and GO TEAM MONTICELLO!!!

Arkansas Tech University has announced its Dean’s List for undergraduate students on the main campus in Russellville for the fall 2011 semester. A student must achieve a 3.5 grade point average or higher and complete at least 12 semester hours to be named to the Dean’s List.

Monticello residents that have made the Fall 2011 Arkansas Tech University Dean’s List with a 4.0 grade point average: Cody Tafte Bailey, Zachary Christopher Crossett, Melissa Gail Weih

Several Drew County students have been named to the Fall semester Dean’s List at South Arkansas Community College. To be eligible, a student must have a grade-point average of at least 3.0 and be classified as full-time.

Included are:

From Monticello, Lisa Flemister, Ishshah Molina, Sandy Sanders, Ashley Thomas and Lillian Thompson.

From Wilmar, Cynthia Stanley, Melanie Williams and Chad Reynolds.

Lt. to Rt. Joy Graham Gamma Beta President, Ashley Gonzalez Drew Central teacher, Eva Arrington grant chair(not pictured Katie Williams)

The Gamma Beta Chapter of Delta Kappa Gamma awarded two $400 grants to Ashley Gonzalez a Drew Central Middle School teacher and Katie Williams a Monticello Intermediate teacher.

Delta Kappa Gamma is a professional organization of women educators. The grants are awarded each year to support teachers in buying materials for their classrooms.

Star City High School art teacher Roger Darren High receives the 2011 Arkansas Education Association Local Newsletter Award from AEA Vice President Brenda Robinson during an awards presentation at the AEA Representative Assembly on Friday, November 4 at the Doubletree Hotel in Little Rock.

Monticello resident Roger Darren High, art teacher for Star City High School, was recognized as the 2011 winner of the Arkansas Education Association Local Newsletter Award during an awards presentation at the AEA Representative Assembly on Friday, November 4 at the Doubletree Hotel in Little Rock.

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Application for The Delta Kappa Gamma Society International Gamma Beta Chapter Grant.

Delta Kappa Gamma is an International Society of Women in Education.

The Gamma Beta Chapter Grant is open to any first year teacher, teacher changing subject area or MAT teacher in the Drew Central School District and Monticello School District.

The recipients will receive $400.00 which may be used for teaching materials.

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High and his sixth grade students at the Delta Rivers Nature Center in Pine Bluff.

When Monticello resident Roger Darren High joined the Dermott School District faculty in 2005, one of his top priorities was to provide the students of the district with the opportunity to continue their learning outside of the classroom through educational field trips. (more…)

Head of the Class Tribute to Mothers from MonticelloLive on Vimeo.

The University of Arkansas at Monticello has awarded a Weevil Excellence Scholarship to Reshanae Laquanda Crift of Monticello, AR, according to Mary Whiting, director of admissions at UAM.

The Weevil Excellence Scholarship includes partial tuition and is awarded for a maximum of eight semesters, excluding summer terms.

Reshanae Crift is the daughter of Renee Hicks of Monticello. Her high school activities include track and field, Beta Club secretary, National Honor Society, Spanish Club, Teachers of Tomorrow, Renaissance Team, Speech and Drama club, Vice president of 2011 Senior Class and Arkansas Scholars graduate. She is also a participant on the Speech and Drama Club National Forensics League.

Students from the Monticello OEC competed in the Arkansas SkillsUSA Competition held in Hot Springs on April 18-20, 2011. The students were accompanied by OEC instructors Becky Flemister, Darrell McDaniel, David Mills, and Ricky Kulbeth. Winners were:

Heath Swain – 1st place – Precision Machining Technology

Andrew Johns – 3rd place – CNC Milling Technology

Dillon Rabb – 3rd place – Carpentry

Heath will represent the OEC at the National SkillsUSA Competition in Kansas City, MO in June.

The Arkansas Early Childhood Commission and Division of Child Care and Early Education recently announced that Sherrie Gillespie of Monticello is an Outstanding Early Childhood Professional for 2010. Mrs. Gillespie and her husband, Shay are the owners of Head of the Class Childcare and Learning Center. The center is located in Monticello, and is in its 13th year of operation. (more…)

MonticelloLive on Vimeo.

MonticelloLive on Vimeo.

The old Monticello W. C. Whaley elemtary school has been torn down, and removal is nearing completion.  The building has been unused for several years, and had been heavily vandalized.

The removal is being done by A.C.E.S. of Malvern.

The Weyerhaeuser Company Foundation honored 20 Arkansas educators at an awards luncheon on January 24 in Little Rock. The winning teachers received $500 mini grant awards for creative ideas they will bring to life in the classroom. The 10 elementary and 10 secondary teachers in Arkansas public schools claimed a total of $10,000 in mini-grants. The Arkansas Community Foundation administers the program. Included in this year’s winners was Dennis Thurman of Monticello’s Drew Central High School.
“These teachers’ imaginations are apparent even with the project titles. Oh, It’s Just Water under the Bridge and Growing Is Knowing are just two of many,” said Kathy Stacey, Weyerhaeuser public affairs manager. “‘When these projects hit the classrooms, it will make it more fun for the students to learn math, science and the environment. That’s what it’s all about.”

African-American alumni of the University of Arkansas at Monticello and Phi Beta Sigma fraternity have created an endowment campaign to honor Shay Gillespie of Monticello, a pioneering leader for African-American students at UAM.

The group plans to raise $15,000 to endow the Shay Gillespie Phi Beta Sigma Leadership Scholarship. Income generated from the endowment will fund scholarships for full-time undergraduate students. Scholarship recipients must maintain a 2.5 grade point average, show leadership, and be an active member of Phi Beta Sigma fraternity, Zeta Phi Beta sorority, or an organization directly associated with Phi Beta Sigma. Recipients will be recommended by the UAM African-American Alumni Association and selected by the UAM Scholarship Committee.

Gillespie is a 1978 UAM graduate who serves as a pastor, youth counselor, church youth leader, and motivational speaker. He and his wife, Sherry, are the owners of “Head of the Class,” a Monticello childcare and learning center.
Gillespie recently authored a book entitled …a Little Child Shall Lead Them, which he describes as a common sense guide to child rearing.

The Gillespie Scholarship is the third endowment created or initiated by the African-American Alumni Association. The group previously endowed the Classie Jones-Green African-American Alumni Scholarship and is involved in an active endowment campaign for the Al Peer Kappa Alpha Psi Scholarship.

Pictured: Classie Jones-Green (first row, right) presents the first check to create an endowment campaign for the Shay Gillespie Phi Beta Sigma Leadership Scholarship. Pictured from left are (first row) Shay Gillespie, UAM Chancellor Jack Lassiter, Classie Jones-Green, (second row, from left) UAM students Christean Bell, a member of Zeta Phi Beta sorority; Phil Dyer, Billy Huggins, and Joe Jordan, all members of Phi Beta Sigma fraternity.