Magnolia School District

JESSICA ARYEE ACCEPTS POSITION AS NEW MHS PRINCIPAL Magnolia School District Superintendent, John Ward, announced on Monday that Jessica Aryee has accepted the position as the new high school principal at Magnolia. Mrs. Aryee has a clear vision for leadership, focus on academic improvement, and behavioral expectations for the high school. The District looks forward to seeing the high school grow into a cohesive group working together to provide our students with the rigorous academic background needed to be successful beyond graduation. Jessica Aryee has served as the assistant principal at Magnolia High School for the past six years. She is an El Dorado native who graduated from El Dorado High School in 1994. She attended the University of Arkansas in Little Rock where she received a BSE Degree in Elementary Education. She began her teaching career in Little Rock before moving back to El Dorado in 2003. In addition to serving as an assistant principal, she served as a literacy teacher and an instructional facilitator. She holds post-secondary degrees in Curriculum and Instruction and both Building and District Level Administration. Jessica is excited about the opportunity to lead Magnolia High School and become a part of the Magnolia community.

Due to circumstances beyond our control, the Heart bus is not running on Friday 5/27.

Magnolia Panthers take Shooting Sports Junior Division South Regional Tournament - Receives Donation from Magnolia Junior Charity League The Magnolia Panthers Junior Team 1 recently competed in the South Region Junior Division tournament at the Arkansas Game and Fish Foundation Jacksonville Shooting Sports Complex. The team won the event by hitting 111 clays out of 125 attempts. This was a total team effort as members Ike Ainsworth, Hastin Delaney, Wyatt Ainsworth and Kaden Williams all posted scores of 23. Team captain, John Colquitt, held down the anchor position with a score of 19. Second- and third-place teams were so closely matched it came down to a tiebreaker to determine their finishing order. Texarkana Razorback Trap Team Red Squad and Nashville Scrapper Junior 1 both broke 104 clays out of a possible 125, but Texarkana who won the tiebreaker. “The competition can be that tight,” Jimmy Self, Arkansas Youth Shooting Sports Program coordinator for the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission, said. “We also had another tie for seventh and eighth place in which all five shooters posted identical scores, in that case it comes down to the captain of each team’s score.” Magnolia is one of the top 16 West Region Junior teams to advance to the AYSSP State Championship. The event will be held June 3, where the team will compete against the best shooters from the other three regions. To aid in the costs that Magnolia Trap teams have during the year, the Magnolia Junior Charity League recently made a $1,500 donation to trap coach, Daniel Davis. Much of the money will be used to purchase matching shirts for team to wear at the state competition and provide meals for the team.

DEVONTA WALKER SIGNS WITH SAU Magnolia High School senior, Devonta Walker, recently signed a letter of intent to play basketball for Southern Arkansas University. During his senior year for the Magnolia Panthers, Devonta averaged 11.1 points and 6.5 rebounds per game. He also shot 45% from the 3-point line. Devonta was a two time All-Conference selection and was named to the 2022 4A All-State Tournament team. He will begin his career with the SAU Muleriders in the 2022 fall semester.

MHS ALL SPORTS AWARDS CEREMONY The Magnolia High School Athletic Department held its annual All Sports Awards ceremony on Monday, May 16, 2022 in the Performing Arts Center. Athletic director, Dyun Long, first recognized members of the Magnolia School Board and building administrators for their support of the MHS athletic program. Coach Long then recognized the coaching staff from each sport. Coaches then in turn introduced the athletes from each sport that were present at the event. Special acknowledgements were given to senior athletes and awards were given to the outstanding athletes from each sport. The concluding portion of the ceremony was the presentation of the Outstanding Male and Female Athlete Award. The MHS 2022 Outstanding Male Athlete was awarded to De’Raylen Williams and Satiya Rone was named the MHS 2022 Outstanding Female.

DARRELL JONES JR. RECIEVES SAU CHEER SCHOLARSHIP Magnolia High School senior, Darrell Jones, Jr., recently signed a letter of intent with the Southern Arkansas University cheer team. During his career with the MHS cheer team, Darrell was two-year letterman and a two year All-American cheerleader. He will join the SAU Mulerider Cheer team in the 2022 fall semester.

Parents of Future Panther Band Members Tuesday, May 17 is the day to purchase or rent your child's instrument! You may also purchase in advance any other supplies your child will need for band. Drop by the MHS Band Hall any time between 3:30 p.m. and 6:00 p.m. to speak to representatives from Cooper Music.

JANAYI BAKER AND ADRIAN WALKER SIGN LETTERS OF INTENT Magnolia High School senior, Janayi Baker, recently signed her national letter of intent to play basketball for National Park College in Hot Springs. During her senior season for the Lady Panthers, she led the team in assists with five per game, while averaging six points per game. Janayi was also a 4A Region 8 all-conference selection this season. Janayi will play for the NPC Nighthawks this upcoming fall semester. The Nighthawks women's basketball team competes as a Division II program within the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) Region 2. Senior guard, Adrian Walker, recently signed a letter of intent to play basketball for the SAU Tech Rockets. During his senior season with the MHS Panthers, Adrian averaged10.1 points per game, had a 3-point field goal average of 40%, and shot 72% from the free throw line. He was also named 4A Region 8 all-conference two times in his career. Adrian played on teams that won three conference championships, three regional championships, two state championships, and had a career record of 78-1. He will play for the SAU Tech Rockets next fall semester. SAU Tech plays in the National Junior College Athletic Association Region 2 Division II.

STUDENT MEDICATION PICKUP Parents of students with medications stored in the school nurse's office are reminded that those medications should be picked up no later than the last day of the school year, May 27. Any medications left in the nurse's office after May 27 will be disposed of by the school nurse in accordance with current laws and rules.

Medicaid Update Arkansas Campaign Medicaid clients are asked to update their contact information with DHS. For more information click here: https://5il.co/1ajo6

Today marks the conclusion of this year’s Magnolia READS event. In the final video, Mrs. Rader and Mrs. Waters share the activities and projects their campuses participated in during the financial literacy project. Mr. Ward joins them in expressing appreciation to the partners and community members who participated in Magnolia READS. Click the link below to view the video. https://youtu.be/qnL6BrDRFw8

MAGNOLIA MIDDLE SCHOOL BAND CONCERT

MHS STUDENTS RECEIVE CHAD TURNER SHELTER INSURANCE FOUNDATION SCHOLARSHIP Three Magnolia High School seniors recently received a $1500 scholarship sponsored by the Chad Turner Shelter Insurance Foundation. Allie Cranston, Riley Hall, and Rushang Patel were chosen from a committee of local high school officials and community leaders. The scholarship is based on scholastic achievements and community activities.

As the Magnolia READS financial literacy project ends, Lionel Davis, a senior at MHS in the Work-based Learning class, shares what he has learned as an intern working multiple jobs this year. Click the link below to hear Lionel’s journey as a student intern and what he has learned about financial literacy and being an employee at a young age. https://youtu.be/Ji9eAHO6yZ4

NATIONAL SCHOOL NURSE DAY The Magnolia School District celebrates National School Nurse Day as we acknowledge the accomplishments of our school nurses and their efforts to meet the needs of our students by improving the delivery of healthcare on each campus. We appreciate our school nurses, who contribute to our local community by helping students, stay healthy, in school, and ready to learn, and keeping parents and guardians at work. The Magnolia School District school nurses are: • Laura Neill – Magnolia High School – Freshman Academy • Amber Colvin – Magnolia High School • Kenice Hayes – Magnolia Middle School • Melissa Miller – Central Elementary School • Alesha Miller - East Side Elementary School • Kristie Wood – Kindergarten at East Side Elementary School • Brandy Triplet – Walker Pre-Kindergarten Center

Today’s Magnolia READS video comes from Jason Ray, a 1997 Magnolia High School graduate and Commercial Loan Officer at Farmers Bank and Trust. Jason talks about working at the Boys and Girls Club during his teen years and what he learned about managing finances and developing a strong work ethic. Click the link below to hear Jason’s journey from a Boys and Girls Club employee to current member of the Club’s Board of Directors. https://youtu.be/s6RqOva12kY

Magnolia High School Named Jostens 2022 National Yearbook Program of Excellence ------------------------------------------------------- Magnolia High School program recognized for dynamic and engaging yearbook. Jostens, the leading producer of yearbooks and student-created content, today announced that Magnolia High School’s yearbook program has achieved the Jostens 2022 National Yearbook Program of Excellence award at the Bronze Level. The National Yearbook Program of Excellence recognizes engaging yearbooks that reflect a broad representation of the student body while helping students develop 21st century skills such as communication, collaboration, and information and communication technologies (ICT) literacy. The Magnolia High School award-winning yearbook program is led under the direction of Rachel Fish, Magnolia High School yearbook adviser. “This year was a great first year for me as a new advisor. I had a great staff who really stepped up and made this book a reality. My editors, Abby Poindexter and Aaliyah Willingham, blew me away with their knowledge and willingness to help me with anything and everything. My business manager, Samantha Wilson, was a beast at selling ads, taking great photographs of everything, and creating pages from scratch. My design artist, Monet Coppersmith, created several custom drawings specifically for the yearbook and that makes it a unique one-of-a-kind book especially since we may never have that again. I was truly blessed with a phenomenal staff this year and I will miss them greatly next year.” --Rachel Fish The award was presented to the Magnolia High School yearbook program for achieving defined criteria in between one and three of the following categories: creating an inclusive yearbook, generating school engagement, and successfully managing the yearbook creation process. “Jostens is proud to recognize those individuals who have created an exceptional yearbook for their school and community,” said Tammy Whitaker, Jostens VP and COO Yearbook Division. “These schools did an exceptional job on multiple levels, despite the challenges presented by this school year. Yearbooks are a critical part of capturing and telling a school’s story, and Jostens is dedicated to supporting yearbook staff members as they do their important work.” Founded in 1897, Jostens has produced school yearbooks for over 60 years. Jostens is a trusted partner in the academic and achievement channel, providing products, programs and services that help its customers celebrate moments that matter. Founded in 1897 and based in Minneapolis, MN, Jostens is a subsidiary of Platinum Equity and can be found online at www.jostens.com.

MAGNOLIA PUBLIC SCHOOLS FOUNDATION AWARDS SCHOLARSHIPS The Magnolia Public School Foundation (MPSF) recently awarded scholarships to three Magnolia High School seniors. Emily Brigham, Jasmine Fuller, and Kailee King were each awarded $1,000. All three are currently planning to attend Southern Arkansas University. The Foundation was founded four years ago for two purposes: to provide grants to teachers for enriching the classroom experience for their students with opportunities above the basic experience and to provide scholarship assistance to qualifying high school seniors. In the past three years, MPSF has been able to fund twelve scholarships to students and seven grants to teachers. Magnolia Public School alumni and patrons are encouraged to participate in these awards. If you would like more information about participation, you may call Jennifer Hubbard 870-904-2018/870-234-6356. You may also mail contributions to Magnolia Public School Foundation, P.O. Box 177, Magnolia, AR 71754. All donations are tax deductible.

SCHOOL BOARD RECOGNIZES RETIRING MEMBERS The Magnolia School Board recognized two retiring members during their regular board meeting on May 9. Board president, Mike Waters, presented plaques to Lynsandra Curry and William Watson in appreciation of their service to the Magnolia School District. Lynsandra Curry served on the board for seven years, while William Watson served twenty-six years. For the last several years, William also served in the role as vice-president of the board.

*** Time Correction*** MHS COLORGUARD MEETING MHS Band will have a mandatory meeting for any student wishing to join colorguard on Tuesday, May 10. The meeting will begin at 6:30 pm in the MHS Band Hall. PARENTS MUST ATTEND THIS MEETING.