School Counts! graduates recognized

MORRILTON — Sixtyeight Conway County high school seniors were honored April 20 at a ceremony as School Counts! graduates for 2017.

School Counts! establishes a set of criteria for students in their four years of high school that values the importance of education and, when successfully completed by a student, equips the student for postsecondary and career learning. Students honored have had 95 percent attendance since ninth grade, made no grade lower than a C, completed high school in four consecutive years and completed more credits than the state of Arkansas requires.

Students who meet all the criteria are eligible for financial benefits from the University of Arkansas Community College at Morrilton. Trey Mallett, a graduate of Morrilton High School and the University of Central Arkansas, was the guest speaker in a ceremony at Morrilton High School’s H.B. White Auditorium. Mallett is creative-service producer at KARK in Little Rock. He spoke to the students about finding their own path wherever that path may lead.

“You have to walk the path yourself. No one will take a single step for you,” Mallett said. “There will be people cheering you on, giving encouragement, but no one will walk the path for you.”

He added that we all need a dream, but dreams require a plan.

After the program, a reception was given in the students’ honor. School Counts! is a partnership between the business community, the county’s K-12 schools and UACCM. The goal of the School Counts! Initiative is to enhance the community’s economicdevelopment efforts by emphasizing the value of education and the importance of a highly qualified workforce. School Counts! is sponsored in part by the Conway County Legal Beverage Association and the Conway County Community Foundation.