Logan Misenheimer is our April Extra Mile Award recipient! Logan is a teacher at Sugar Creek Arts Academy and was nominated for this award by Sugar Creek dad Brandon Baer.
Brandon wrote that while his son Danny was in Logan's classroom last year, she still goes out of her way to ensure Danny is doing well and enjoying a great year.
Dad shared Logan has salvaged many tough days and encouraged Danny about school and learning!
Danny attended the Bentonville Schools' Board of Education Meeting, dressed in his finest, to co-present this award with his dad. The tears flowed and the smiles were plentiful as we celebrated Logan and the compassion, commitment and grace she brings to Bentonville Schools! #whereexcellencelives
The one and only Kenny Belaey put on a clinic recently for students at Apple Glen Elementary and Washington Junior High School! Kenny is a Trial Bike World Champion, an avid mountain biker and the founder of Bentonville Bike Fest. He's kind enough to share his skills with our students when he's not in the saddle traveling the globe! #whereexcellencelives
No such thing as a heavy lift for the Bentonville West High School powerlifting teams! The men's team just won its second consecutive state championship, the ladies won their first state championship and Head Coach William LaValle was named Arkansas Coach of the Year!
Powerlifting combines three exercises: squat, bench press and deadlift. Athletes get three attempts for each lift to total the most weight possible.
Congratulations, ladies and gentlemen! #whereexcellencelives
Elena Moore is our March Extra Mile Award recipient. She is a kindergarten teacher at Osage Creek Elementary School and was nominated by an Osage mom.
In her nomination, the mom shared that she recently gave birth to a new baby who had to spend a month in the NICU. Life was crazy during that time as family members took turns caring for their kindergartener so mom could be at the hospital with her new son.
She wrote, “Ms. Moore reassured me that my older child was in good hands at school, and she would help her stay on track.”
But Elena felt inclined to do more. Knowing that an extended stint in the NICU would mean added financial pressure, Elena bought a few Christmas gifts for the older child, her kindergarten student.
Elena found a Barbie set, a Disney character, board game and kinetic sand that she knew her student would love, but she says it’s the student who is the actual gift.
“This student comes to school every day ready to learn with a positive attitude. I’m so happy to have her in my class this year,” Elena told us.
Thank you, Elena, for going the Extra Mile in all you do! #whereexcellencelives
Every National Merit Semifinalist from our district is officially a National Merit Finalist! Bentonville Schools boasts more finalists than any school district in Arkansas. These high school seniors are among the most academically disciplined in the nation! Congratulations to them, their families and their teachers. #whereexcellencelives
Our professional drivers are unsung heroes. These men and women transport some 14,000 students every day! No way could we make it without them! This is bus driver appreciation week...if you have a moment, write a note of gratitude for your bus driver! #whereexcellencelives
Today was a big one for 11 Ignitecaps students who are doing the work to become certified doulas! The students in our Ignite medical strand spoke with media today about the program which is possible thanks to a partnership with the UAMS Institute for Community Health Innovation.
These young women are learning how to monitor high blood pressure, how to articulate a birth plan and, most importantly, how to advocate for an expectant mother.
Arkansas has one of the highest maternal mortality rates in the nation, and it's well documented that doulas help expectant mothers not only survive childbirth but thrive in the weeks following.
Many thanks to the team at Mercy Hospital Northwest Arkansas for hosting today's news conference. #whereexcellencebegins
The Bentonville High School swim and dive teams are your Arkansas State Champions! This is an incredible seven consecutive championships for the ladies and a three-peat for the men! The teams are led by first year coach Lyndsay Watts. #whereexcellencelives
Nothing scary about these lil' monsters! Kindergarten students at Centerton Gamble Elementary School had the best time partnering with family and consumer science students at Bentonville West High School. The high school students helped their younger friends design a lovable monster on paper. The older students then recreated the monsters using felt and hand-sewing techniques they learned in class. In total, they sewed 139 monsters to gift to the kindergarteners.
Jennifer Howard, the teacher at West, said the project created a special bond between the two groups and brought total joy to her class! #whereexcellencelives
Did you know Bentonville Schools offers a free family resource called Qustodio that helps protect your students online? Qustodio generates emailed reports to your inbox so you can manage and safeguard your child's internet activity while using a district-issued device. Learn more and sign up for your account at https://bentonvillek12.onlinesafetyhub.io/
Bentonville High School Senior Owen Kelley is the Gatorade Cross Country Runner of the Year in Arkansas! Just this past weekend, Owen set a new state record in the 3200 meters with a time of 8 minutes and 59 seconds, running the first mile in an astounding 4 minutes and 28 seconds! After graduation, Owen will run at Ole Miss Statistics and study statistics. His lifelong running goal is to run for the United States in the Olympic games. #whereexcellencelives
It's cold today, but plan on warm hugs and handshakes this Saturday when we host our annual career fair! This friendly environment is perfect for exploring career opportunities with Bentonville Schools. If you're interested in a career in education, facilities maintenance, food service, ESL, transportation or administration, we invite you to join us! Bring your resume and be ready to interview on-site! #whereexcellencelives
We can't love this enough! Third graders in our gifted and talented program recently spent time with residents at Village on the Park. Our students have been studying principles of probability and designed board games to incorporate their lessons. They taught these sweet seniors how to play their games, read together and laughed a lot.
We're grateful for an older generation that welcomes our students into their lives and so willingly shares their wisdom! #whereexcellencelives
Our annual Educators' Career Fair is almost here! Get your resume ready and make plans to join us! #whereexcellencelives
It was a Starry Starry Night for Sugar Creek Elementary kiddos recently! The parent student dance was the first of its kind at their elementary hosted by the school's PTO. Students dressed up, ate and danced the early evening away at the beautiful Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art. #whereexcellencelives
Level up mindset! Congratulations to our seniors from Bentonville West High School and Bentonville High School who are committed! These student-athletes are taking their game to the collegiate ranks! We can't wait to see them run it back! #whereexcellencelives
Executive Chef David Thornton made scones today with students in Ms. Megan Irish's Intro to Culinary class at Washington Junior High School. Chef Dave works with Bentonville students to teach measurements, nutrition and some delicious recipes for the holidays or every day dining! He's sharing his scone recipe here with all of us! #whereexcellencelives
Congratulations to Bentonville West High School senior Ronak Pai! Congressman Steve Womack honored Ronak with the 2024 Congressional App Challenge Award. The nationwide coding competition for middle and high school students encourages young people to chase their STEM dreams to improve our world! Ronak created an app called Veteran Connect. It's one-stop shopping for essential health services for our nation's veterans, saving them time and streamlining their medical options.
Congratulations, Ronak! #whereexcellencelives
It's the 2025 Lunar New Year! Students from Bentonville High School and Bentonville West High School recently hosted a Year of the Snake Celebration at the Bentonville Public Library for the community. Our students helped kiddos make paper dragons, snakes and taught Chinese calligraphy "福“. The ribbon dragon dance and traditional paper cutting were also a big draw at this beautiful celebration. Students in our Chinese Club and classes are led by teacher Qiuye Ma. #whereexcellencelives
Sonya Wilson is a bus trainer and driver in Bentonville Schools. She’s known for decorating her bus for every holiday: Valentine’s Day, Christmas, St. Patrick’s Day–all of them. But, when Halloween came this past fall, her kids said, “Miss Sonya, you barely decorated.” They had no idea–no idea that Sonya was struggling to put one foot in front of the other after her 22-year-old son, Jayzek, was killed in a car accident only months earlier.
Despite her profound pain, Sonya kept going and kept driving. She drove every morning and afternoon and took on the field trips as they presented. That’s when she met Erin Rankin, a teacher at Apple Glen Elementary. Erin and her students were traveling on Sonya’s bus for a field trip, and she noted the joy Sonya exuded.
In her nomination, Erin wrote, “Sonya decorated her bus on the inside and outside, and it’s MAGICAL. She played Christmas carols like ‘Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer’ that my students sang along with.”
She added, “I think it’s special that Sonya cares so much about her bus riders that she would create an environment for them to enjoy going to and from school.”
In this life, no one emerges unscathed, but Sonya says joy isn’t contingent upon circumstances. She says it’s a choice. She chooses joy in honor of her son and practices joy for her littlest children.
We asked Sonya what she loves about her job. She said simply, “Everything.”
Congratulations, Sonya!
If you'd like to nominate a Bentonville Schools' employee for going the Extra Mile, do so at https://tinyurl.com/4fazcd8x #whereexcellencelives
