EDUCATION NEWS
Arkansas High School freshman Ethan Miller has been selected as concert master for the Texarkana Youth Symphony Orchestra. He was chosen for the spot after trying out in front of the conductor, Steve Bennett, who also conducts Texarkana Independent School District’s orchestra.
As concert master, Ethan will lead TYSO practices and performance. The first concert will be held Dec. 8 at the Perot Theatre.
Ethan has taken private lessons since he was 4 years old.
His mother, Kim Miller, thanked the district for its band program.
“Ethan receiving concert master is a huge thank you to Ms. Finley and the Texarkana, Arkansas, School District for creating and focusing on the strings department,” she said.
Award-winning social skills educator Brooks Gibbs visited students in the Texarkana, Arkansas, School District on Tuesday. He is a popular youth speaker who’s presented 2,500 speeches to audiences across the nation.
During Gibbs’ visit, he taught students two basic principles as approaches to aggression: Don’t get upset (emotional resilience), and treat them like a friend (the Golden Rule).
“People really cannot hurt your feelings and no one can make you angry,” Gibbs said. “You control your feelings and what you believe about yourself. You have the ability to choose your reaction to what someone says about you.” His high-energy presentation left students excited and encouraged to face challenges and adversity that they might encounter.
Gibbs’ viral videos have been translated into 20 languages and amassed more than 200 million views. He specializes in teaching youth how to be emotionally resilient and inspires them to live by the Golden Rule. Gibbs said his presentation is different from those of most anti-bullying educators. Instead of simply teaching everyone to be nice, he teaches students how to respond to children who are not nice.