Arkadelphia Public Schools

The weather cleared in time for a fantastic start to the Ken Duke Badger Classic this morning at DeGray Golf Course! With a full tournament including current and past Arkadelphia students, the event raised support for the Badger Golf and Basketball teams. ⛳️🏀 Coach Garrett Garner and his team organized a great event highlighted by AHS alumnus and Professional Golfer Ken Duke in attendance! Thank you to all of our generous sponsors and the Badger Foundation. It’s a great day to be a Badger! 💙❤️ #BadgerPride #OnceABadgerAlwaysABadger

Arkadelphia Faculty Graduate Spotlight! Goza Middle School Sixth Grade Teacher Jalisa Bowers completed her Master of Arts in Teaching this spring at Henderson State University. We are so glad to have Jalisa on the Goza team! Jalisa also serves as the Jazzler Dance team sponsor. Congratulations, Ms. Bowers, on your outstanding accomplishments! #BadgerPride

We are excited to announce that Goza Middle School has earned the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission's School of Conservation Leadership designation for the 24-25 school year! Goza completed all parts of the application process successfully, attaining the top level in 9 of the 11 categories of the AGFC School of Conservation Leadership - Rubric. Mary Beth Hatch, AGFC Chief of Education, commended Goza for investing time and effort to truly engage students school-wide in conservation and outdoor recreation experiences and learning. Goza plans to continue collaborating with the AGFC on future opportunities. A delegation from Goza will be recognized at the AGFC July Commission meeting in Little Rock at the AGFC Headquarters next month. Goza Middle School Teacher Michael Ankton is a member of the Arkansas Game & Fish Commission Teacher Leader Council. He has been a vital part in inspiring the Goza students and staff to come together and earn this designation. Congratulations Goza! #BadgerPride

Enrollment for 2025-26 is open! If you have a child who will be a new K-12 Student in the Arkadelphia Public School District this August, we ask that you complete the Online New Student Enrollment form. This does includes Kindergarten Students who have not already enrolled through PowerSchool! Enrolling early gets your child assigned to their teacher. It also provides contact information so that your family can directly receive important information regarding events such as Open House. To enroll online visit www.arkadelphiaschools.org/2025-26newstudentenrollment #BadgerPride

On May 9th, Peake Elementary School fourth-grade teacher Amber Burton received her Master of Arts in Teaching Degree from Henderson State University. Amber is an Arkadelphia High School alumnus. She has served as a paraprofessional and joined the teaching staff in the fall of 2023. Once a Badger, always a Badger! Congratulations!

Our AHS Science Teaching team spent last week at the Safer Science Summit held here in Arkadelphia. The event was led by The Laboratory Safety Institute (LSI). They were part of an energized team of educators tackling real-world safety challenges: identifying gaps, co-creating solutions, and building systems that last and become part of the culture. Goza and AHS Instructional Facilitators Della Miller and Jill Hardin took part in facilitating the work done on their campuses. Some great work being done! #BadgerPride

The summer 2025 Arkadelphia Faculty Graduate spotlight is on Lady Badger Basketball and Cross Country Coach Jonathan Klein. In December 2024, Coach Klein earned his Master of Science in Sports Management from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock with a 3.85 GPA. Great job, Coach! Congratulations! #BadgerPride

Let’s end this week sharing about the amazing job that two FBLA National Leadership Conference qualifying teams did presenting their projects to the Arkadelphia School Board in May. The Digital Video Production team of Caiden Dickerson and Trace Young delivered their video and the process they went through to complete the production. Brylee Russey and Jadyn Thompson presented their Local Chapter Annual Business Report project, which highlights the outstanding accomplishments of the AHS FBLA Chapter over the past year. Their presentations demonstrated the hard work they are putting into not only qualifying but also having a successful outcome at the National Leadership Conference, which is at the end of this month. #BadgerPride

Our Faculty Graduate Spotlight today is on our Peake Elementary School Nurse Spenser O’Brien! Nurse Spenser completed her Master of Science in Nursing in May 2024 from Henderson State University. Congratulations! We are so grateful to have you as part of our Badger team! #BadgerPride

The Arkadelphia Public Schools Administrative Team held their annual retreat last weekend to Set Sail for Success—an inspiring theme! Our team is already hard at work preparing for the 2025-2026 school year. During a break, they enjoyed a scenic tour of Lake DeGray, learned a bit of history, and even spotted a bald eagle! Special thanks to Dawson Co-op Director Darin Beckwith and Communications Specialist Katie Brown for spending time with our leadership group. #BadgerPride

AHS Junior Clark Wingfield received a Badger Pride Award at the May School Board meeting! Legacy on Pine Street, part of Clark’s AP Art Portfolio, was selected for display at the Arkansas Governor’s Mansion during the month of April. Clark’s piece was one of only 60 chosen from 300 student entries statewide, which were based on Arkansas History for the Governor’s Young Artist Competition. Students were honored at an Awards Reception/Recognition ceremony at the Governor’s Mansion in May. Clark’s piece is a scale model of a home that has been in his family for generations and now houses the family’s insurance business. His art teacher, Candace Eriksson, shared that Clark has a special talent for creating detailed scale model art. Congratulations, Clark! #BadgerPride

This summer, we want to shine a spotlight on our 2025 Arkadelphia Faculty Graduates. The Spotlight today is on Goza Social Studies Teacher Michael Ankton. Mr. Ankton graduated in May from Henderson State University with his Building Level, Master of Science in Educational Leadership. Mr. Ankton was also recently reappointed to the Arkansas Game & Fish Commission Teacher Leader Council for the 2025-26 school year. He serves as the Clark County Justice of the Peace for District 2. Congratulations to Mr. Ankton on your outstanding accomplishments! #BadgerPride

📣 Badger Pride Spotlight! Nicole McGough was honored with a Badger Pride Award at the May School Board meeting! She was nominated by Peake Counselor De'Shae Craig for her outstanding dedication and the exceptional support she provides to our school community. Nicole has led the Acorn Project, which facilitates the funds and manpower to have food ready to send home each weekend for students who need it. Her efforts are making a lasting impact, and we are incredibly grateful for the time, energy, and care she pours into this initiative. Thank you, Nicole, for all you have done! We are grateful to you and all those who have helped feed students. 💙 #BadgerPride

We hope your summer is starting well. We are sharing our 2025-26 School Calendar once again as you make plans for the next few months. Here is the link to the PDF versions: www.arkadelphiaschools.org/documents/state-required-documents/calendars/2025-2026-apsd-academic-calendar/774797 #BadgerPride

The AHS Band Program was presented a Badger Pride Award at the May Board of Education meeting. They were recognized for earning top honors in their classification at ASBOA State Concert Assessment with the 1st Division Wind Ensemble and the Honor Ensemble--High Points. Representing the band at the meeting were Head Band Director Larry Brown, Assistant Band Director Ondrea Green, along with students David Garrett, Ezra Campbell, Amelia Price, and Hayden Darby. Congratulations, Arkadelphia Band on an outstanding year! #BadgerPride

We have exciting things to share about Ms. Sharon Ford, 2024-25 Goza Paraprofessional. Jodie Daniell nominated Ms. Ford for a Badger Pride Award in May. Ms. Daniell shared that the students Ms. Ford has worked with this year made great strides in reading, spelling, and comprehension. She works to make sure they complete their lessons and reminds them to work hard in the classroom as well. Sharon Ford earned her Bachelor of Science in Education K-12, Cum Laude, from Henderson State University in December 2024 . We are thrilled to announce that Ms. Ford will be joining the faculty at Peake Elementary School as a Special Education teacher in August. We are so blessed to have Sharon Ford in the Badger Family. Congratulations! #BadgerPride

This is a reminder that FREE meals begin tomorrow for children up to 18 years old in the Peake Elementary and Goza Middle School Cafeterias. Breakfast is served 8:00 a.m. until 9:00 a.m. Lunch is served 11:30 a.m. until 12:30 p.m. Thank you.

The BX3 Team at AHS was recognized at the May School Board meeting. The team members are Sarah Brawley, Tiffany Edwards, Garrett Garner, Jill Hardin, Shalonda McCoy-Johnson, and Elizabeth Morris. AHS was accepted into the Arkansas Behavior Support Specialist BX3 Project Cohort in 2023-2024. The BX3 team started this year off by working with AHS faculty and students to communicate student behavior expectations within school common areas. At the end of the year, the team identified tardies as a significant issue. They initiated a challenge to the students, promising a reward to the winning grade level. The freshmen won the competition and earned a “DONUT be Late” celebration with games, food, music, and some line dancing. Thank you team for your work this year! #BadgerPride

The Arkadelphia Public School District offices and buildings will observe summer hours until the week of August 4th. This means that office hours are extended on Monday through Thursday starting this week. All offices are closed on Friday. Offices will also be closed on July 4th for the Independence Day holiday. #BadgerPride

Reading Teacher Joan Crowder was recognized with a Badger Pride this month. This year, Joan has worked with students at AHS and Goza. She was nominated by Jodie Daniell, who shares, “She has helped me with dyslexia screenings and testing on both campuses. Her students have made so much progress this year. I love hearing them say, ‘I can read and spell so much better, now!’” So proud of our students and their hard work to get to this point. We appreciate Ms. Crowder’s dedication to making sure students are getting what they need to be successful! #BadgerPride