Ouachita River School District

AHS Students Earn Ag Certification Acorn High School Animal Science students recently completed the Beef Quality Assurance Certification for Cow/Calf Operations. Certifications are important components in Arkansas Career and Technical Education programs and prepare students for career opportunities in high school and for postsecondary. James Pennington is the Acorn High School Agri Teacher and FFA Advisor. Congratulations, AHS Ag Students! Photo, l to r: Harlei McCourtney, Sarah Sullivan, Jordyn Prewett, Shay Allen, Payton Davis, Bella Tedder, Nicholas McCourtney, Colton Cox, and Coy Brumbelow. Not pictured: Sean Rios and Trinity Staggs #orsdlifeprep 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!

Acorn Baseball and Softball games today at Magazine have been pushed back to 4:30 today.

Congratulations to Oden High School’s Elliannna Johnson, who is one of four high school juniors from across the country to earn one of the first class of 2023 $40,000 BigFuture Scholarships! Ellianna earned a chance for the $40,000 scholarship by completing at least one of the key steps to plan, prepare and pay for college through BigFuture, the College Board’s free online guide that helps students plan for life after high school. Ellianna is a Junior at Oden High School. Ellianna is interested in pursuing art or music after high school. Ellianna has played the flute for about ten years and the clarinet for about 3 years. Ellianna also enjoys game design and traditional art. Ellianna is the daughter of James and Sarah Johnson of Oden, Arkansas. We are proud of you Ellianna! 🐺🧡🖤

UARM EOC Program Hosts Postsecondary Workshop for AHS Seniors In October 2021, the UA Rich Mountain TRiO Educational Opportunity Center conducted a workshop for Acorn High School seniors to be better prepared for life after high school. The EOC staff facilitated a workshop to assist students with obtaining their FAFSA ID, coordinating filing for financial aid (FAFSA), Arkansas state scholarships’ application process and the postsecondary admissions process. Braxton Kyle was the random drawing winner of the Apple Airpods for completing the UARM Educational Opportunity Center preliminary application process and obtaining required signatures. Congratulations to Braxton and thank you to UA Rich Mountain EOC Staff Elizabeth Davis, Kayla Davis, and Amanda Holliday for assisting AHS students be prepared for life! #orsdlifeprep 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!

Tickets are now being sold at the Acorn High School Office! $7 In Advance $10 at the door Concessions will be available. Proceeds to benefit Acorn Athletes. 479-394-5544

AHS COMPETES in 6th ANNUAL UARM SCIENCE FAIR On Friday, April 1st, Acorn High School students competed in the 6th Annual UARM Science Fair on the UA Rich Mountain campus in Mena. Acorn students in grades 7th & 8th won 1st, 2nd and 3rd place in the middle school division. AHS students in grade 9 competed against college level students and showed exceptional skills in each area of science represented. AHS Science Teacher Jennifer Nance facilitated the student registration process for science fair projects entered in the event. Participating in this event showed perseverance and personal responsibility, as well as scientific thinking and skill. Students preparing for the event devoted both in and out of classroom time and experience to their projects. They developed a science question, tested and evaluated results on their own, made valuable conclusions and criticisms, and increased their understanding of the subject studied. Each student explained their project to a panel of judges and were recognized and awarded accordingly. Winners from the event included: 1st Place: $200 & trophy - Eilam Holland and Regan Larucci 2nd Place: $100 - Tazanna Haggard 3rd Place: $50 in gift cards- Reily Crabtree and Cadence Onstott “A very special thank you to UARM Science Club for hosting this important and special event. Dr. G, Dr. Nath, Abigail Nance and London Copelin we appreciate the opportunity to grow and learn in the development of our character and scientific minds”, stated AHS Science Instructor Jennifer Nance. Congratulations to Acorn students participating in the science fair! #orsdlifeprep

Oden parents* Children’s book author Eddie Bowman known as Chester Drawers will be visiting Ode Maddox Elementary, Thursday April 7th. Students will be able to purchase bookmarks and books. Flyers were sent home with students today listing prices. 📚

Ouachita River School District - Spring 2022 ACT ASPIRE Testing Schedule

Oden’s Kindergarten class is enjoying working with their counting collection during math.

Acorn High School Senior Spotlight - Damian Bohlman Congratulations and our best to you! Proud of you, Damian! Acorn High School Graduation Thursday, May 19, 2022 7:00 PM Acorn Gymnasium #orsdlifeprep

Be Pro Be Proud brings Mobile Workshop to Ouachita River School District – Acorn & Oden campuses The Be Pro Be Proud Mobile Workshop will visit Acorn High School on Wednesday, April 6th and Oden High School on Thursday, April 7th beginning at 9:00 am – 3:00 pm. The Arkansas State Chamber and its public and private partners launched Be Pro Be Proud in 2016 to address an expanding skills gap in professional trades across the state. Arkansas’s future will depend on changing the perception of these career options and efforts highlighting the many opportunities available within these sectors. “Since launching Be Pro Be Proud in 2016, Arkansas has been leading the nation in supporting skilled trade and professions allowing us to better compete in the global marketplace,” said the Hon. Asa Hutchinson, Governor of Arkansas. “I encourage everyone to be a part of the Be Pro Be Proud movement. It shows that we are serious about educating parents and young people about these career paths that are essential to our state’s economic growth.” The 12 in-demand professions that continue to be represented include truck driver; diesel tech; locomotive engineer; welder; machinist; computer numerical control (CNC) operator; tool and die maker; computer programmer; computer-aided design and computer-aided manufacturing (CAD/CAM) drafter; heating, ventilation, air conditioning and refrigeration (HVACR) tech; plumber; electrician and carpenter. “This is an exciting opportunity for our stakeholders. Ouachita River School District high schools are proud to be a collaborative partner in this movement to host the Be Pro Be Proud Mobile Workshops on each of our high school campuses –Acorn in Polk County and Oden in Montgomery County. Our students gain valuable information and experience relevant to careers and professions represented in the simulations. The information and experiences will help them to be better equipped in making decisions that impact their future career plans”, stated Jerry Strasner, ORSD Superintendent. Ouachita River School District – preparing students for life! #orsdlifeprep For more information visit, please visit BeProBeProud.org or call 501-372-2222.

2022-2023 AHS Cheer Squad

AES would like to announce our March Students of the Month Kindergarten: Katie Norris & Breanna Bard 1st Grade: Daniel Woody, Skylar Pippen & Joey Foster 2nd Grade: Keaton Birtcher & Jazlynn Lyle 3rd Grade: Zoe Profrock & Emma Duvall 4th Grade: Annabelle Sprague & Joshua Groce 5th Grade: Savannah Christian & Tucker Garner 6th Grade: Ashlin Ford & Owen Manley Thank you to our Student of the Month Sponsors, Simple Simon's Pizza of Mena, Laark Enterprises Inc. & Goss Electronics

The deadline for the school choice application process is May 1, 2022. The steps to complete the process include: 1 - Complete the Application for School Choice Transfer - click on application link: https://core-docs.s3.amazonaws.com/documents/asset/uploaded_file/628686/School_Choice.pdf Download application OR pick up an application at a campus location: ORSD - Acorn Schools (Polk County) 143 Polk 96 Mena, AR 71953 (479) 394-5544 ORSD - Oden Schools (Montgomery County) 135 School Drive Oden, AR 71961 (870) 326-4311 2 - On or before the May 1, 2022 deadline, submit the completed application. Applications may be delivered or mailed to one of the campus locations listed in Step 1 or the Ouachita River School District Administration Office: Ouachita River School District 143 Polk 96 Mena, AR 71953 3 - Upon approval of the initial application, a renewal application each year is not required for consecutive annual enrollment in Ouachita River School District. If you have questions or need assistance, we are here to help! Contact: Raychel Hill, ORSD School Choice Coordinator at (479) 394-5544, x. 207 or rhill@orsd.k12.ar.us

Acorn Campus Reminder: Spring Pictures and class group pictures are tomorrow Friday April 1. All grades from Pre-K to 12 will have group pictures taken, so Seniors do need to be there before noon. We will start at 8 am with Pre-K and continue up through the grades ending when we finish with 12th grade. Looking forward to seeing all the smiling faces!

Acorn FCCLA attended the Arkansas FCCLA State Conference on March 29-30. Arkansas FCCLA State President & Acorn FCCLA member, Kenzie Daniels and the State Officer team put on an amazing conference. She will complete her term as president on May 1st. Kenzie’s National Officer candidacy was announced by the state on Wednesday. She will compete at San Diego in June for a National FCCLA Officer position. Colten Quebedeaux and Emma Arnold competed in Star Events while at the conference. Colten earned a gold medal in his event, Job Interview. Emma earned a silver medal in her event, Career Investigation. Acorn FCCLA won a Gold Star Chapter award for their overall work this year in the areas of community service, chapter growth, Star Events, and meeting attendance. They were also awarded a Platinum Chapter Award for their work on the state project. Congratulations to all members on a job well done!

GOOD MORNING!!!! If you ordered Geraniums from the Acorn Athletic Boosters, they will be arriving tomorrow morning. If you can stop by the office after 10:00 AM and before 3:15 PM to pay and pickup that would be great. We have more to sell, if you did not pre-order!!! They are 12 inch Deco pots with 3 plants in each pot. They sell for $25 each. Please make checks payable to Acorn Athletic Booster. As always, thank you all for your continued support of our student athletes!!!

Acorn High School Senior Spotlight - Emily Blair Congratulations and our best to you! Proud of you, Emily! Acorn High School Graduation Thursday, May 19, 2022 7:00 PM Acorn Gymnasium #orsdlifeprep

Good morning Acorn parents: All buses were able to unload at the storm shelter this morning. All is well at the school. Thank You!!!

Spring Pictures for Acorn students will be taken this Friday, April 1. An order envelope has been passed out to all Pre-K through 6th grade students. Order forms for 7-12th grade students may be picked up in the High School Library or outside the High School Office. If you have any questions, please contact Glynda Pearce: 479-234-0614 (text), 479-394-5544 ext. 106, or gpearce@orsd.k12.ar.us