Monticello School District- "Believing, Achieving, Succeeding"
MONTICELLO SCHOOL DISTRICT MISSION STATEMENT
It is the mission of the Monticello School District to create a safe and secure environment that fully supports all students as learners, all staff as professionals, and all parents, patrons, and community members as vital parts in establishing and promoting education as a life-long learning process.
Vision: Fostering A Community of Lifetime Learners
Sandra Lanehart, Superintendent
935 Scogin Drive, Monticello AR 71655
870-367-4000
Gifted & Talented students in grades 7-12 recently had the opportunity to attend a lecture by guest speakers Patty Opitz and Laura Hendrix of the Polk, Stanley Wilcox Architectural Firm in Little Rock.
Trey Knight, Peter Simon, Rohan Patel, Brooks Harvey, Chaya Reed, Amauri Huskey, Jackson Boren, Beth Bragg, Aislin Fradsham, Cameron Armbrust, Caiden Kilburn, David Jordan, Zeke Babst, Matilda Henris, Erin Claire West, Cameron Teague, Lilli Orrell, and Joselyn Camarena.
Congratulations to Monticello HS Band student, Karson Grant, on earning a spot in the 2020 Arkansas All State Band for the 2nd year in a row. Karson is the Symphonic Band (2nd band) 1st chair alto clarinet. She was the 3rd best alto clarinetist in all of Arkansas!
Monticello School District joins districts across the state to celebrate School Board Member Recognition Month in January. More than 1500 Arkansas school board members are being honored for their service and dedication to public education.
“Our board members assume a crucial role in representing our students and advocating for public education,” said Mrs. Sandra Lanehart. “We are very proud of our members, and Arkansas School Board Recognition Month is a great time to recognize them and celebrate their accomplishments.”
The members serving on the MONTICELLO SCHOOL BOARD are:
Mr. Thomas W. Maxwell-3 year of service
Mr. Keith Wells, Vice President-10 years of service
Mr. John McClendon- 6 years of service
Mr. Curt Preston, President- 9 years of service
Dr. Michael Fakouri- 8 years of service
Monticello is proud to announce that two of its board members were recognized by the Arkansas School Board Association for outstanding Boardsmanship:
Mr. Keith Wells was awarded the Pinnacle Award for achieving 200 professional development hours, and Mr. Curt Present was awarded the Master Board Member Award for achieving at least 50 hours of professional development.
As publicly elected school leaders, Arkansas school board members set policy for their respective districts. Under state law, they are empowered to hire and evaluate the superintendent, oversee district finances, approve the budget, and determine the vision and mission of the district. School boards must also approve the curriculum and ensure the district maintains adequate facilities for teaching and learning.
In addition to their board duties, state law requires Arkansas school board members to earn a minimum of six hours of professional development each year in areas related to their role and responsibilities.
On behalf of the educators and students of this District, we wish to honor these five men for their devotion and care and concern for each student in the Monticello School District. We appreciate their dedication to the District as they tirelessly work to produce the best education for the children of this District.
The Monticello High School Forensics and Debate team traveled to Conway for the first competition of 2020. The Conway Classy Classic was held at Conway High School January 17th and 18th. The team returned to Monticello with qualifiers for the Arkansas State Tournament of Champions to be held in April. The team returned with First, Third, and Fifth place in Dramatic Interpretation, Second place in Original Oratory, First place in Program of Oral Interpretation, and Seventh place in Poetry Interpretation. The team also returned with Third place and Third Speaker in Lincoln Douglas Debate. The team will travel again in February to Searcy.
The Monticello Jr. Quiz Bowl team placed 3rd in the Arkansas Governor’s Quiz Bowl Regional 4A tournament on January 17. Members are L to R:
Trey Knight (7th), Zeke Babst (7th), Beth Bragg (9th-Scorekeeper), Sabina Day (9th-Captain), and Matilda Henris (8th). Babst was named MVP with an average of 130 points per game. Coach is Haley Greer.
Five 5th grade GT students were selected to represent MSD at the Paper Roller Coaster Challenge at the Southeast Co-op on November 21. These students worked in teams with other GT students from around the area to design and build roller coasters (using only cardstock and tape) that could safely carry a marble through a fast or prolonged thrill ride. The competition provided a rigorous test of students' creative problem-solving, engineering, and collaboration skills. Congratulations to Lucas, whose team won the prize for Most Creative Use of Materials. Monticello GT students in grades 3-6 will continue roller-coaster building activities after the Christmas Break.
The following Gifted & Talented students from Monticello High School attended the Fall Young Voters Workshop, hosted by the Secretary of State, on October 24, 2019:
L to R: Sydney Fallon, Trae Milburn, Lily Garza, Kenny Bragg, Mahogany Warren, Sabina Day, Molly Regalado, Trinity Graham, GT Coordinator Haley Greer.
Students at 56 US schools to create ornaments for National Christmas Tree celebration in Washington, D.C.
Paul Morigi for the National Park Foundation
Monticello High School will represent the state of Arkansas.
56 trees surround the National Christmas Tree in President’s Park each year. The trees are decorated with ornaments created by students in each state, territory and the District of Columbia.
WASHINGTON – At 56 schools across the country, students are creating one-of-a-kind ornaments for the 2019 National Christmas Tree display on the Ellipse in President’s Park. These handcrafted ornaments will adorn 56 smaller trees that surround the National Christmas Tree. The 56 trees represent each U.S. state, territory and the District of Columbia as part of the America Celebrates display. “I never would have imagined I could actually create an ornament for the National Christmas Tree display that represents my entire state!” Kayden Moore, a seventh grade student at Harlem Middle School in Loves Park, Illinois said. “It is an honor that students from our small city were chosen for this once in a lifetime event!” From state flowers to notable landmarks, students across the country are creating ornaments that celebrate their state, district or territory. Learn about last year’s student artists and ornaments. “Everyone has a home but not everyone has the honor of representing their home in Washington, D.C.,” Danica Lambert, a seventh grader at St. James–St. John School in New Bedford, Massachusetts said. “My heart is filled with love and joy to be able to represent my home of Massachusetts.” Through a partnership with the National Park Service, the U.S. Department of Education worked with state art and education agencies to identify elementary, middle and high schools whose students would create the ornaments for the America Celebrates display. Over 1,500 students will participate in this year’s project. The project is funded by the National Park Foundation. "I am happy that other people get to see our work!" Brian Hunter, a sixth grade student at Marvin M. Sedway Middle School in North Las Vegas, Nevada, said. "I want to show everyone that we can do it!" The America Celebrates display is one of the highlights of the National Christmas Tree experience, which will begin on Thursday, Dec. 5 with the 97th Annual National Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony
Congratulations! MONTICELLO ELEMENTARY and MONTICELLO INTERMEDIATE have been recognized by the Office for Education Policy (OEP) at the University of Arkansas as schools where students demonstrated high growth on the ACT Aspire!
Monticello School District excels academically on state mandated assessments. On October 9, 2019, the Arkansas Department of Education’s Division of Elementary and Secondary Education released the 2019 Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) School Index and Accountability At-A-Glance reports.
Both Monticello High School and Monticello Middle School received a B rating placing them in a very elite group of high achieving schools.
The Monticello Chess Club competed in a local tournament at the Southeast Co-op on Saturday, September 28.
Club members are: (front row) David Jordan (7th grade), Matilda Henris (8th grade), Arlene Thompson (11th grade), (back row) Lucas Babst (11th grade), Kenny Bragg (12th grade), Hayden Turner (10th grade). Matilda took second place and David earned first place in the Jr. High division. Kenny placed third in the Sr. High division.
The Monticello Jr. Quiz Bowl team competed in a local tournament hosted by the Southeast Educational Co-op on Tuesday, January 14, 2020. Members are L to R: Trey Knight (7th), Sabina Day (9th), Zeke Babst (7th), Matilda Henris (8th), Cameron Armbrust (7th), and Beth Bragg (9th) as scorekeeper. Haley Greer is the coach. The team will travel to Crossett Friday, January 17, to compete in the 4A regional tournament.
Congratulations to MSD Hot Rodders of Tomorrow team. Good luck at the national competition.
