Local Digest

SouthArk to host youth manufacturing camp

EL DORADO — Young Manufacturers Academy, for students who will enter grades seven through nine in the fall, will be held July 31 through Aug. 4 at South Arkansas Community College on the East Campus.

Students will learn about modern manufacturing processes. Each camp day is 8:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Lunch and snacks will be provided. While the camp is free, spaces are limited.

Contact Sally Ruff at seruff@southark.edu for more information.

SouthArk students place at national conference

ANAHEIM, Ca. — Eight of the 24 students from South Arkansas Community College in El Dorado who qualified and competed at the 2017 Phi Beta Lambda National Leadership Conference here last month received national awards.

Jessica Honeycutt of El Dorado received first place in administrative technology. The team of Adriana Serrano and Marcus Ford, both of El Dorado, placed first in community service projects (based on the SouthArk PBL Career Closet, which provides professional business attire free of charge for students to use on job interviews).

Amairany Santana of Hermitage placed seventh in computer applications. Matthew Roomsburg of El Dorado was fifth in computer concepts and in the top 15 in the help desk category. Carlitha Wafer of Magnolia was fifth in local chapter business reporting. Darrell Davis of El Dorado placed third in mobile

application development. Jacob Wallace of Crossett placed fifth in networking concepts and finished in the top 15 in network design.

SouthArk PBL students received special recognition for completing the PBL Chapter Challenge. Wafer was recognized as PBL Who’s Who and Donna Hendricks was recognized as Arkansas’ Outstanding Adviser for 2017.

In addition to competitions, students participated in interactive workshops, visited an exhibit hall and heard from motivational keynotes on a broad range of business topics. More than 2,000 students from two- and four-year colleges throughout the United States were on hand. Advisers who accompanied the students were Hendricks, Michael Roberts, Jim Roomsburg and Roslyn Turner.

“Being part of PBL provides students with endless opportunities to develop academically, professionally and socially,” Hendricks said. “Participation rewards students by improving their self-esteem, social skills and academic performance, and serves as a career-building tool.”

Top winners at PBL state leadership conferences receive eligibility to compete for national awards at the National Leadership Conference.