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
This is the team that gets its done! January is National School Board Member Appreciation Month, and these seven are the best! Many thanks to these men and women for their commitment to the students, teachers and staff of Bentonville Schools! #whereexcellencelives Pictured L to R: Joel Dunning, Kelly Carlson, Jennifer Faddis, Willie Cowgur, Jeremy Farmer, Tatum Aicklen & Becky Guthrie
It's not too late to register for the Parent's Night Out hosted by the Benton County Sheriff's Office. Cyber detectives will share critically important information about online safety concerns and how to better keep your child safe. #whereexcellencelives
Today we honor the life, legacy and the infinite wisdom of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. #whereexcellencelives
Kindergarten pre-registration begins on Monday! More info here on our homepage. #whereexcellencelives
Bentonville West sophomore Cami Gonzalez is a national champion! Cami was recently named the Junior National Pickleball Champion in California.
Before learning pickleball last year, Cami was a West varsity tennis team member. Her new sport has allowed her to travel the nation. She hopes to pursue pickleball at the collegiate level after graduation. #whereexcellencelives
There she is! Bentonville High School senior Peyton Bolling is Miss America's Teen! Peyton was crowned over the weekend, and life has been a blur since then! She’s the first ever Miss America’s Teen from our great state! Peyton will enjoy this next year representing Bentonville and America while preparing for college. She intends to study political science and communications after high school. #whereexcellencelives
The United States Senate Youth Program selects two high school students from each state every year to participate in its highly competitive program. This year, one of Arkansas' delegates and the first alternate are from Bentonville High School! We're thrilled for Prerana Kodakandla and Manvitha Narasimhan.
Prerana will receive a $10,000 college scholarship to pursue history and political science coursework. She will also represent our state this spring in Washington, D.C.
Manvitha will step in should one of the delegates not to be able to participate.
The U.S. Senate created the United States Senate Youth Program in 1962 to allow young people with demonstrated leadership abilities to better understand America’s political processes and strengthen their commitment to careers in public service.
Pictured L to R: Manvitha Narasimhan & Prerana Kodakandla #whereexcellencelives
Congratulations to the Bentonville High School varsity cheer team! They are once again your Arkansas State Champions! These student-athletes are coached by Tracy Kaufman and Stephanie McDowell. #whereexcellencelives
