Ouachita River School District

Just a friendly reminder! Monday, March 10, 2025 is an ORSD Make-Up day for the second inclement weather day school was closed in January 2025. School will be in regular session on March 10th from 7:45 AM – 4:13 PM for Acorn and Oden campuses and will count in attendance. Thank you! Respectfully, Jerrall Strasner, ORSD Superintendent William Edwards II, ORSD Assistant Superintendent

Softball season is officially here! The Senior Lady Tigers are set to hit the road for their season opener as they take on the Hackett Hornets on Monday, March 10, at 4:30 PM. Prepare for an exciting matchup as the Lady Tigers step onto the field, looking to start their season strong!

The Acorn Senior Archery Team is gearing up for a high-stakes showdown at the Hot Springs Convention Center as they compete for the state title! The Tigers will take to the range on Saturday, March 8th at 12:30 PM, aiming for victory and the opportunity to advance to nationals. It's a pivotal moment for the team—don't miss the action!

AHS Students Named Finalists in Innovation Competition Three senior EAST II and III students—Amy May, Christian Christiana, and Gabriel Lickly—have been named finalists in the prestigious Make48 Innovation Experience EAST competition, a high-stakes event designed to challenge young minds in product development and problem-solving. The EAST Initiative partnered with Make48, a nationally recognized invention competition televised on PBS, to bring a high school version of the challenge to students. In this competition, student teams will work through ideation, research, and prototyping to create an innovative product. Each team will tackle a real-world challenge provided by a Make48 business partner, offering a unique opportunity to develop solutions for actual business problems. May, Christiana, and Lickly applied in late November and were selected among the top 32 teams to advance to the second round. In January, they received their challenge: to develop a product that addresses a common issue faced by zoos. Their innovation was required to not only solve a problem but also enhance the visitor experience or improve zoo operations. Their ingenuity and dedication paid off. On February 27, the team was announced as one of the competition’s top five finalists. They will now compete in the final round on March 19 at the Hot Springs Convention Center, where they will present their prototype on the main stage at the EAST Conference. Representatives from the Little Rock Zoo, as well as judges from Make48 and the EAST Initiative, will evaluate their project. As the students prepare to showcase their ideas at the conference, their journey stands as a testament to creativity, teamwork, and the power of innovation. A huge shout out to Makaila Goodner, AHS Computer Science and Business Teacher, EAST Facilitator, and FBLA Advisor for her role in assisting students with such awesome projects and experiences that benefit our community, region, and state! Congratulations, Christian, Amy, Gabriel and Mrs. Goodner! We are proud of you! #orsdlifeprep #AHStigersSERVE Ouachita River School District Through a safe, caring, and serving environment, students learn, grow, excel, and succeed...this is our mission in preparing students for LIFE!

It’s Game Day, Tiger Fans! The wait is over! Your Acorn Tigers are ready to shake off the dust and kick off their season opener against the Mt. Ida Lions. Join us today at 4:30 PM at the American Legion Field and be part of the action! Come out, cheer loud, and support the Tigers as they take the field for an exciting start to the season!

Congratulations to Chisum Myers for receiving 2nd place-Male Archer at the State Qualifying Archery Tournament! We are proud of you, Chisum!

Watch your Lady Acorn Tigers play EPC tonight @ 7:00 PM on AAAScoreboard!!!!!! https://www.ahsaa.org/broadcasts

The Acorn Senior Girls are set to face off against East Poinsett County tonight at 7 PM in the 2A State Tournament at Cedar Ridge High School! 🏀🔥 Come out and show your support for the Lady Tigers as they look to make a run for the title! If you can't make it in person, don’t worry – you can stream the game live and catch all the action from home. Let’s go Lady Tigers! 💪 #SupportLocal #LadyTigers #2AStateTournament

GAME DAY The Acorn Lady Tigers are heading to Cedar Ridge to compete in the 2A State Tournament! They will face off against the East Poinsett County Lady Warriors on Wednesday at 7:00 PM. Come out and support your local Lady Tigers as they look to advance in the tournament! If you can’t make it in person, be sure to tune in online and show your support by cheering them on from home! Let them know you're watching!

ATTENTION: ORSD Students, Parents, Staff and Community IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT – School Make-Up Days Just a reminder! The following school make-up days are scheduled for the school closings on January 10th and February 18, 2025: Monday, March 10, 2025 (make-up day for January 10th) Monday, April 14, 2025 (make-up day for February 18th) School will be in regular session on the make-up days – 7:45 AM – 4:13 PM on the ORSD - Acorn and Oden campuses. If you have questions, please contact your child’s building office. Respectfully, Jerrall Strasner, ORSD Superintendent William Edwards, II, ORSD Assistant Superintendent

Acorn Students Place in Top 3 for Polk County Spelling Bee On February 26th, Acorn Elementary and Middle School students competed in the Polk County Spelling Bee hosted by Ouachita River School District in the Acorn Elementary School Auditorium. The following students placed in the top 3 of the competition: 6th Grade: Lily Arender - 2nd place 7th Grade: Mia Jones - 3rd place The following students competed in preliminary round to participate in the competition: 1st Grade Evelyn Leonhart Benaiah Johnson Kynlee McCormick-Alt 2nd Grade David Tipton Avery Beaty Mary Nichols-Alt 3rd Grade Canyon Davis Aleya Stearman Tanner Davis-Alt 4th Grade Abi Wagner Emma Hargis Shane Sager-Alt 5th Grade Brydon Cearley Ava Wells Kylee Horn-Alt 6th Grade Raj Dandikar Lily Arender Adi Vann-Alt 7th Grade Mia Jones Isaac Johnson Congratulations to the Acorn students who participated and placed in the top 3 this year! We are proud of you! Thank you to the staff and parents who helped students prepare for the competition and to Union Bank for sponsoring this annual event for Polk County schools! #orsdlifeprep #AEStigersSERVE #AHStigersSERVE Ouachita River School District Through a safe, caring, and serving environment, students learn, grow, excel, and succeed...this is our mission in preparing students for LIFE!

A BIG Thank you to everyone that donated to our Acorn Lady Tigers!!! They will travel to Cedar Ridge and play in the first round of the 2A State Tournament, tomorrow @ 7:00 PM.

📚✨ Shoutout to Our Amazing 1st Grade Battle of the Books Teams! ✨📚 Today, a fantastic group of our 1st-grade students represented our school at the Battle of the Books competition at DMESC in Gilham, AR! They worked hard, showed incredible teamwork, and demonstrated a love for reading that makes us so proud! ❤️📖 While they didn’t take home the win, they gained valuable experience, had tons of fun, and showed what true dedication looks like! 🎉👏 Way to go, readers! We are so proud of you! 🏅📚 #aestigersserve #AESreaders

Baseball Season Opener: Acorn Tigers vs. Mt. Ida Lions! Get ready, Tiger fans! Opening Day is here, and the Acorn Tigers are set to take on the Mt. Ida Lions this Thursday, March 6, at 4:30 PM at the American Legion Field in Acorn. Come out and enjoy the thrill of the game—the crack of the bat, the precision of great fielding, and the excitement of a brand-new season. Let’s fill the stands and cheer on our Tigers as they take the field! ⚾🐯

The Acorn Lady Tigers are heading to Cedar Ridge to compete in the 2A State Tournament! They will face off against the Lady East Poinsett County Warriors on Wednesday at 7:00 PM. Come out and support your local Lady Tigers as they look to advance in the tournament! If you can’t make it in person, be sure to tune in online and show your support by cheering them on from home! Let them know you're watching!

Acorn Elementary Grades 3-6 will take ATLAS Interim tests this week, Tuesday-Friday! Please help your child do his/her best on these tests by being at school on time each day, getting plenty of rest, and eating a good breakfast at home or at school. These tests will be used to measure our students growth so far this year and identify standards and skills our teachers need to focus on to help our students prepare for the ATLAS summatives in May. Thank you for your support in helping your child learn and grow!

AHS Students Selected for RYLA Acorn High School students, Sophomore Andrea Wagner and Junior Zane Newton have been selected by the Rotary Club of Polk County/Mena to attend the 2025 RYLA Camp. The camp hosted and organized by Rotary District #6170 to be held April 10 - 13, 2025 at the Arkansas 4-H Vines Center in Ferndale, Arkansas. Rotary Youth Leadership Awards (RYLA) is an intensive leadership experience organized by Rotary clubs and districts where youth develop skills as a leader through a host of fun, engaging experiences and making connections with peers and leaders. Thank you to the Polk County/Mena Rotary Club and Rotary District #6170 for this amazing opportunity for students to experience and to develop leadership skills. Congratulations, Andrea and Zane! We are proud of you! #orsdlifeprep #AHStigersSERVE Ouachita River School District Through a safe, caring, and serving environment, students learn, grow, excel, and succeed...this is our mission in preparing students for LIFE!

📚✨ Get Ready for a Magical Adventure! ✨📚 Acorn Elementary School is excited to celebrate Read Across America from March 4-7 with a week full of fun and engaging activities! 🎉 Read Across America is a nationwide event that encourages a lifelong love of reading, and this year, our theme is "Magical Adventures." 🧙‍♂️📖 From creative dress-up days to exciting reading challenges, students will embark on a journey through the magic of books! With the hopes of embarking on a lifelong love of reading!! Join us as we celebrate the joy of reading with fun-filled activities that inspire imagination and a love for stories. 📅 Tuesday, March 4 – Pajama Day 💤 Get cozy and snuggle up with a good book—wear your favorite pajamas! 📅 Wednesday, March 5 – Wacky Wednesday 🤪 Let’s get silly! Wear mismatched clothes, crazy hairstyles, and anything wacky! 📅 Thursday, March 6 – Color War 🎨 It’s a grade-level showdown! Each grade will wear a different color—let’s see who stands out the most! 📅 Friday, March 7 – Step into a Story 📖✨ Dress up as your favorite book character and bring your story to life! Let the magic of reading shine! Get ready for a week full of fun, imagination, and a love for reading! We can’t wait to see everyone’s creativity! 📚💫

AHS Coach Ledbetter Named 2A-1 Conference Coach of the Year Acorn High School JR and SR Girls Basketball Coach Chris Ledbetter was voted 2A-1 Conference Girls Coach of the Year. Coach Ledbetter celebrates an impressive season for both junior and senior high girls basketball this year! Acorn Junior Girls Basketball Team were District Champions and Senior Girls Basketball Team were District Champions, UNDEFEATED Conference Champions, Regional Tournament Runner-Up and headed to play in the 2A State Tournament in the State Tournament this week! Congratulations, Coach Ledbetter! We are proud of you! #orsdlifeprep #AHStigersSERVE

Acorn Lady Tigers Regional Tournament Runner-Up On Saturday, March 1st in the 2A-1 Regional Tournament, the Acorn Lady Tigers played a very close game to the Mountainburg Lady Dragons and fell four points shy for a final score of 44 to 40. The Acorn Lady Tigers were named 2A-1 Regional Tournament runner-up. “Not the outcome we wanted but still proud of our team. Regional runner-up is not what we wanted but will keep fighting. Congratulations to a good Mountainburg team. On to state next week in Cedar Ridge”, remarked Coach Chris Ledbetter after the game Saturday. Acorn Lady Tigers seniors include: Chanity Hall, Sydney Holliday, Rebecca Moore and Jordan Wagner. The Acorn Lady Tigers punched their ticket to the 2A State Tournament in round one of the regional tournament and will play in game 4 in round 1 on Wednesday, March 5th, 7:00 PM vs East Poinsett County at Cedar Ridge High School Gymnasium. Coach Ledbetter rallied the team and the Acorn fans, “Let's go back to work and make some noise next week! Go Tigers!” Let’s make every effort to support the Acorn Lady Tigers and coaches headed to state! The games and scores can be viewed on Arkansas Activities Association website at www.AAAscoreboard.com YouTube Channel via subscription: https://www.youtube.com/@ArkActAssn Congratulations, Acorn Lady Tigers, Coach Ledbetter, Assistant Coach James Spradlin and Coach Ricky Dollar! We are proud of you and cheer you on to STATE! #orsdlifeprep #AHStigersSERVE