Mcmanus Finding Her Place

Newcomer Enjoys Senior Year At Farmington

Editor’s Note — This is Part 2 of a two-part series. FARMINGTON — When Brittany McManus came from Millport, Ala., a small town that borders Mississippi, to Farmington for her senior year, she wasn’t a stranger for long.

There were no horror stories of bullying or an erosion of self-confidence or poor choices leading to trouble because a kid desperately wanted to fit in. On the contrary, things seemed to flow in the right direction. Getting involved in Cardinal athletics played a major role in helping the teenager transition into her senior year at a new school in a new state. McManus went out for volleyball last fall and was embraced by the team.

“They welcomed me just like I’d

been here since McManus said.

McManus enjoys volleyball and her senior year was enhanced by coaches Jessica McCollough and Diandra Bennett and the Lady Cardinals, who quickly made McManus feel like she belonged.

“There’s not just one moment that sticks out, the whole season was really memorable,” McManus said, adding, “It was one of the best years I’ve had. I enjoyed a lot of it.”

When the family relocated to Northwest Arkansas, McManus said the only people they knew were her mom’s best friend and her family, who live here. “We had to adjust everything, we had get to know some people,” McManus said.

She thinks her parents, Jeremy and Amy McManus, adjusted fairly well along with her younger brother, Hunter, who will be a sophomore next year.

Millport has a square area of less than 5.5 miles according to the U.S Census Bureau with a population of 1,160 in the year 2000. The size of Farmington and surrounding metropolitan area was bigger and they had to get acquainted with various roads.

“It took us about six months to figure out where everything was,” McManus said, adding, “We’re still learning the area. We’re still adjusting even after a year.”

At Farmington High School,

I was born,” McManus really liked the physics class taught by Michael Jackson and found the A. P. government class taught by Wayne Jenkins, interesting.

“I’d say physics was probably my favorite class because we got to do ‘hands-on’ stuff and build rockets,” McManus said.

The courses weren’t a lot different from what McManus was accustomed to but the class sizes were bigger.

“I didn’t know anyone so I had to get used to knowing everyone,” McManus said, adding, “I had classes with different people instead of the same people all the time, I had to adjust to that, too.”

In the spring, McManus went out for softball. She said playing for coaches, Randy Osnes and Steve Morgan, as part of the Farmington girls team has been a real good experience. She said although the coaches expected the players to work hard — that influence paid off with a good season which culminated with an appearance in the state quarterfinals of the 4A softball tournament.

McManus said the greatest thing about Farmington High School is everyone is “really nice.”

“There’s really not as much drama as where I come from,” McManus said.

“The teachers really try to get to know you and try to help you a lot more than what I’m used to,” McManus said.

“The teachers try to have that relationship with the students and I really like that a lot,” McManus said.

McManus didn’t know much about the various clubs that exist as part of the Farmington school but found a lot of people she could talk to in joining a club she was familiar with in the Fellowship of Christian Athletes.

She ended up joining the PingPong club, which she said made the day easier. “You got to relieve some stress by playing pingpong,” McManus said.

McManus is grateful to her parents, teachers, coaches and teammates, who have helped her adjust.

“My teammates welcomed me and made me feel part of the team right off the bat and I want to thank them for it,” McManus said.

“It was good, it was a lot of fun,” McManus said, adding she is proud of the softball team and all of the hard work they put into making a run into the state tournament.

Amy McManus said she and Jeremy are extremely proud of Brittany, who graduated from Farmington High on May 17.

“We thank God we were given opportunity to raise such a wonderful and devoted young lady,” Amy McManus said.