Conway notebook
Foundation awards grants to teachers
The Conway Public Schools Foundation has awarded teachers $18,811 in grants for the 2020-21 school year.
More than 5,700 students, along with 35 teachers throughout the district, will be affected, said spokesperson Drew Spurgers.
Some grants are being used to engage students through technology. Digital cameras and tripods were bought for teachers to use to create quality video lessons. Special learners will benefit from iPads bought for them to use in the classroom and at home.
Other grants will support schoolwide activities that also will allow participation by families at home. The grant provided students with a copy of a book, “One School, One Book;” it’s about engaging students and their families.
“I cannot tell you how excited I was for my students when we received the news that we were a grant recipient,” said Anita Reynolds, gifted-and-talented teacher at Ida Burns Elementary.
A grant funded “Care Closets,” which will be available at every middle school throughout the district. They will give students access to personal hygiene care that may be limited at home because of families being affected by covid-19.
“The 10th-grade English team was so thrilled to hear that we were recipients of a $750 grant from the Conway Public Schools Foundation,” said grant recipient, Lauren Spiridigliozzi, advanced-placement English teacher at Conway High School. “Because of this money, we will be able to provide our students with an online ACT prep program that finds individual weaknesses and helps them improve their overall scores.”
Officers installed by Kiwanis Club
Brett McDaniel of Conway was recently named president of the Kiwanis Club of Conway, succeeding Amanda Horton.
Horton will continue to serve on the club board for the next year.
Also installed were president-elect Jessica Faulkner; vice president, Patrick Lewis; treasurers, Ryan Creswell and Erick Peebles; and secretary, Kathy Turner.
The club also named Turner the Kiwanian of the Year.
The following will serve on the board of directors: Jack Bell, David Derosa, Charles Finkenbinder, Mary Lackie, Charles Lemley, Anne Mann, Richard Plotkin, Scott Sanson, Phillip Shell, Jimmy Toal, Richard Hammond and Jim Wiltgen.
Theater livestream set for ‘The Rivals’
The University of Central Arkansas theater program will stream a performance of Richard Brinsley Sheridan’s “The Rivals” at 7:30 p.m. Thursday and Friday and at 2 p.m. Saturday on UCA Theater’s Twitch and YouTube Channels.
This is the program’s first livestream production.
Instead of building actual scenery for the shows, the director and production team had to make 12 actors in various locations seem like they’re in the same space.
“The obvious challenge is not actually being in the same room as your scene partner,” said UCA senior Blake Johnson, who plays Capt. Jack Absolute. “It’s definitely an exercise in imagination when you don’t have someone right in front of you to react to. I have found that it isn’t all that different acting wise.”
“The Rivals” is a comedy of manners centered on the complicated relationship of Lydia Languish and Absolute and set in Bath, England, during the 18th century.
“Our students and theater program have overcome tremendous challenges to bring theater to the people in the middle of a pandemic,” said technical director Jamie Bray. “It has been stressful and difficult at times, but the end product is something we are all very proud of.”
Individuals can watch the performances at: www. twitch.tv/uca_theatre and https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCcOCbPdzYwrH9NHIKtZSQHg.
Master gardener awards bestowed
Faulkner County Master Gardeners named Debbie Guthrie as the Faulkner County Master Gardener of the Year, the group announced recently.
Dee Dee Allen and Doug Harris were named Faulkner County Master Gardener Rookie of the Year.
The Faulkner County Museum was named the Faulkner County Master Gardener Project of the Year.
County Judge Jim Baker and Haynes Ace Hardware were recognized as the Faulkner County Friend of Master Gardener.
Two of the nominees were named State Master Gardener Award winners at a videoconferenced awards ceremony held by the University of Arkansas Cooperative Extension Service. The state awards were presented to Baker and The Grapevine, named Newsletter of the Year.
Faulkner County Master Gardeners has more than 200 members working on 40 projects plus educational events for the community. Locations include library branches, the Legacy Gardens, the Teaching Garden, Faulkner County Courthouse, Faulkner County Museum and Faulkner County Extension Office.
NYC artist Louden to lecture at UCA
The University of Central Arkansas College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences will host New Yorkbased artist Sharon Louden as an artist-in-residence Monday through Thursday.
Louden — whose “Suffrage Rugs” were unveiled last week in UCA’s Alumni Circle as part of the Suffrage Centennial celebration — will host several events during her residency.
From 2-2:50 p.m. Monday, Louden will host a question and answer session with students via Zoom.
From 7-8 p.m. Thursday, Louden will host a public lecture and question and answer session about her book, “Living and Sustaining a Creative Life,” via Zoom with ID number 912 8800 2964 and passcode 080425. The lecture will also be livestreamed at facebook.com/cahssuca.
Louden is a contemporary artist; educator; advocate; editor of the “Living and Sustaining a Creative Life” series of books; and the artistic director of the Chautauqua Visual Arts at Chautauqua Institution. Her work appears in major public and private collections, including the Whitney Museum of Art and Yale University Art Gallery.