EDUCATION NEWS
GRADUATIONS
Southern Arkansas University recently held summer commencement ceremonies. Area students receiving degrees include: Ashdown, Ark.—Taylor Labit
‘De Queen, Ark.—Amanda Atkins
Buckner, Ark.—Megan Bevins
Foreman, Ark.—Traci Gauldin
Hope, Ark.—Holli Boyett
Lewisville, Ark.—Valerie Johnson
Nashville, Ark.—Susan Dean
Texarkana, Ark.—Jason Atkinson, Dalton Crabtree
Texarkana, Texas—Katherine Deese,
Katherine Kowzic, Christopher Paul Ozan, Ark.—Audra Griffin
HONORS
Anne Formby, math department chair and teacher at Arkansas
High School, was recently named an Arkansas
Teacher of the Year
Regional Finalist by the
Arkansas Department of
Education. She is one of fourteen finalists recently recognized by Gov.
Asa Hutchinson and ADE
Commissioner Johnny Key at a ceremony at the Arkansas State Capitol. She will receive a $1,000 cash award.
Formby graduated from Arkansas High in 1984, earned a bachelor of science degree in mathematics from the University of Notre Dame in 1988 and a master of science degree in mathematics education from Henderson State University.
Marilyn French recently received the Lifetime
Razorback Award from the Texarkana Arkansas
School District. The award is given annually to a
Razorback who exemplifies the true Razorback spirit through dedication, lifetime support and unwavering service to the district.
Prior to the mandatory school integration in 1969, French attended Booker T. Washington High School. During her time there, she was a majorette in the band and played the clarinet. She joined the Razorback family during her sophomore year in 1970 and graduated in 1973. In 1976, she received a bachelor of science degree in English and counseling from East Texas State University. She later graduated from University of Houston–Clear Lake with a master of education degree in personnel guidance and counseling.
Twenty-one of her 36 years in education were spent in TASD. She returned to Texarkana in 1994 and worked as a counselor for all grade levels in the district.
She married T.W. French in 1976. They have a daughter Tiffany, and two sons, Trey and Tony. All three are graduates of Arkansas High School. She has one grandson, Zaylon, who is 12.
French takes pride in participating in the mission’s ministry at Lonoke Baptist Church where she has served for 35 years. “Receiving the Lifetime Razorback Award is surreal,” she said. “I volunteer and help out in the community because it is something I love to do, never expecting anything in return. “I feel extremely grateful and I feel blessed to have shared this honor with family and friends.”
In addition to volunteering at her church, she enjoys supporting the Texarkana Literacy Council, Classroom Teachers Association, National Education Association, Arkansas School Counselor’s Association, All God’s Children Collectors Club, Phi Delta Kappa Teacher Sorority, Texas A&M Commerce Alumni Association and the Panhellenic Council.
SCHOLARSHIPS
Mil-Way Federal Credit Union recently awarded four Donald G. Smith Scholarships in the amount of $1000 each to local undergraduate college students. Scholarship recipients include:
Jillian Cheney, the daughter of David and Shanna Cheney of Texarkana, Texas and a 2017 top 10 graduate of Texas High School. She is attending King’s College in New York City and plans to either work as a journalist after graduation or attend graduate school to study journalism or law.
Mary Cook, the daughter of Kerry and Jolane Cook of Texarkana, Ark. and a 2017 Arkansas High School top 10 graduate. Cook intends to pursue a degree in business management from Hendrix College in Conway, Ark. and plans to attend graduate school.
Carson Jones, the son of Dwayne and Rhonda Jones of Texarkana, Texas. is a top 10 graduate of Texas High School. He is attending Texas Christian University and plans to pursue a degree in business and attend graduate school.
Jessie Owens is a graduate of Liberty-Eylau High School. She is currently a junior at Texas A&M University-Texarkana, pursuing a degree in biology and plans to become a dermatologist. She has shadowed several physicians and plans to apply for medical school.
The scholarship was created in 1996 to honor retired Mil-Way FCU president, Donald G. Smith, and are awarded annually in July. Recipients must be a member of Mil-Way FCU and be enrolled as a full time undergraduate college student.
Two area students recently received $2,000 Law Enforcement Education Program scholarships.
Amanda Condon is pursuing a bachelor’s degree in emergency administration management from the University of Arkansas at Hope-Texarkana and plans to seek a degree in public administration.
She has an associate’s degree in general studies from the University of Arkansas at HopeTexarkana; American Red Cross certifications in: CPR, Basic Life Skills, Shelter Fundamentals and Disaster Responder; and studied at FEMA Independent Study Institute. “My career goals include working at both the local and state levels of government in emergency management in preparation to pursue a career with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA),” Condon wrote in her scholarship application letter.
An American Red Cross and Domestic Violence, Inc. volunteer, she interned at the Office of Emergency Management in Miller County, Ark. The Phi Theta Kappa Honors Society vice president and Texarkana Ambassadors Student council president founded the first Nontraditional Student Alliance in Texarkana. Condon is also a member of the Pearson Student Advisory Board and Domestic Violence Prevention Advocacy group and a Student Academic Mentor. She received volunteer awards from Arkansas Single Parent Scholarship Fund Student Alliance and the Association for Nontraditional Students in Higher Education. She founded a social media scholarship assistance resource. “I saw the unmet need where campus financial aid offices are limiting vital information to students about financial aid outside of FASFA,” she wrote.
Nautika Harris, a graduate of Arkansas High School, plans to pursue a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice from Southern Arkansas University.
“I’m very interested in becoming a homicide detective and I have been a member of Skills USA to compete in criminal justice,” Harris wrote in her scholarship application letter.
In high school, she took criminal justice classes and was a member of the women’s basketball team, was the vice president of the Skills USA team, secretary of the Distributive Education Clubs of America (DECA) and was a member of Future Business Leaders of America.
Harris volunteered with Special Olympics and the Randy Sams Homeless Shelter. She also worked as a secretary for Texas Housing Authority.
“I have known Nautika for a few years and her leadership skills, integrity, independence and perseverance was noticed right away,” wrote LaRhonda Hamilton, former criminal justice instructor at Arkansas High School. “She not only possesses the gifts of a leader, she also has the drive and determination to accomplish her goals. Nautika is very wise and considers all possibilities before making decisions. This is a unique trait, especially for a high school student.”