When the teachers and staff at Ida Burns Elementary school chose their 2011-2012 Teacher of the Year, the winner wasn’t, well…a teacher.

Donna Wilchie, Ida Burns’ Teacher of the Year has been the school’s counselor for almost a decade. Before she was a counselor, Wilchie taught third grade in Conway for five years. “I get to learn with all of the kids in the school now. I don’t have my own ‘babies,’ but I get to know more kids and their families as the counselor,” Wilchie says.

Wilchie quietly supports the students of Ida Burns, though her fellow staff members are anything but quiet about their support for her. Because she isn’t a day-to-day classroom teacher, Wilchie wasn’t eligible for the district-wide Teacher of the Year award. But Principal Cindy Thacker thinks Wilchie deserves the honor anyway: “She is such an asset to our school, and to each of the students. Mrs. Wilchie never asks for recognition for the hard work she does to better our students’ lives, but our faculty wanted to recognize and thank her for that service,” Thacker says.

Wilchie coordinates several behind-the-scenes programs for the elementary students, including an initiative through the Arkansas Rice Depot that provides 65-75 children at Ida Burns with a food sack to take home over the weekend.

Over the summer, Wilchie applied for and was granted funds from the USDA and DHHS for a Summer Feeding Program. “Monday through Friday, we provide a well-balanced lunchtime meal and a snack at three different locations for 150-160 kids in Conway,” Wilchie says. Wilchie, who has her Master’s degree in school counseling, is also active in the Pine Street Community Development Center, which provided over 800 backpacks for children in Faulkner County last year.

It’s not hard to see why Wilchie’s fellow educators voted her as Teacher of the Year. As for Wilchie, she says simply: “I love getting to know the kids at Ida Burn, and being able to see good in their lives.”

Golf & Good Music

  • Independent Living Services will host the 7th Annual Golf Ball Drop on Thu., Sept. 6 at Centennial Valley Country Club’s driving range. The fun begins at 5:30 p.m. with hamburgers and hot dogs followed by family activities. At 6:30 p.m., a hot air balloon will drop the donated golf balls over the range. The donor of the ball that lands closest to the hole wins the grand prize of $2,012. Admission to the Golf Ball Drop is free for everyone, and balls are available for purchase through donations online at IndLiving.org, or in person at 65 East Robbins in Conway. Independent Living Services assists over 250 people with developmental and intellectual disabilities who live in central Arkansas.
  • The fourth annual Fore!!! Charity Golf Tournament is set for 11 a.m. Sept. 10 at Centennial Valley Country Club. New to the charity tournament for 2012 is the Ultimate Putting Challenge. Entry fee is $100 per golfer, and all proceeds this year will go to Community Connections, a nonprofit organization in Conway that specializes in organizing sporting events for children with special needs. Visit TheForeCharity.org for more information and to register for the tournament.
  • Central Baptist Church is hosting an evening with the Conway Christian School Choir and legendary Christian singer/songwriter Sandi Patty at 7 p.m. Sept. 20. Tickets are available at ConwayChristianEvents.com for $20 each.
  • The Conway Symphony Orchestra kicks off the 2012 school year with a free concert in Simon Park on Sept. 21. The CSO will perform Beethoven’s Fifth, pieces from Bernstein’s West Side Story, and Bizet’s opera Carmen. Learn more at ConwaySymphony.org.
  • The Hendrix College choir, wind ensemble and chamber orchestra provides the perfect accompaniment to usher in the autumn season. The free Fall Family Weekend Concert, sponsored by the Hendrix Department of Music, will begin at 10 a.m. Sept. 29 in the Staples Auditorium.
  • The Conway Alliance for the Arts presents the weeklong ArtsFest, Sept. 21-29. ArtsFest features over fifty free arts and culture events around Conway. Stay updated by visiting ArtsFestConway.com or their Facebook page at Facebook.com/ConwayArtsFest.