Pulaski Heights Elementary students in kindergarten through fifth grade raised over $14,000 at the school’s inaugural “Joggin’ for the Garden” jog-a-thon in the fall. The proceeds from the active fundraiser will help finance an outdoor classroom to enhance the students’ learning experiences in the garden. See scenes from the fundraiser in the gallery above.

City Of Little Rock Awarded $100,000 Cities Of Service Grant To Expand ‘Love Your School’ Childhood Obesity Intervention Initiative

From 2013-2015, Little Rock will be adding programs and services to its Love Your School portfolio, in order to engage students, school staff, parents, caregivers and the nearby community in increased access to healthy living opportunities.

The grant will provide 14 VISTA (Volunteers in Service to America/Domestic Peace Corps) volunteers, who will be assigned to the eight Love Your School partner elementary schools to build and manage 300 new school-based gardens; oversee student walking programs; assist with staging Cooking Matters/Shopping Matters classes for parents of students enrolled in the partner schools; schedule free after-school, in-school Zumba classes for approximately 400 members of the teaching staff; manage in-school nutrition curriculum supports; oversee in-the-classroom container gardens for pre-K through 5th grade students; and, build neighborhood capacity to support eight new student-led Farmers Markets located on partner school sites in fall 2013.

Happy birthday to Forest Park Elementary School!

Teachers, students and alumni celebrated the school’s milestone 100th anniversary in October.

Let’s Hear It for the Teachers

Barbara Hall, a fourth grade teacher at Pulaski Heights Elementary School, will be awarded by the ING Unsung Heroes program in 2013. Plus, kindergarten instructor Alexia Weimer of the Marion School District was named Arkansas Teacher of the Year in the fall of 2012.

Passing Notes

• ROTC teams from Catholic High School for Boys and Mount Saint Mary Academy both claimed top titles at the 2012 National High School Physical Fitness Championships.
• The National Center for Educational Achievement (NCEA), a department of ACT, Inc., recognized Williams Magnet Elementary School as a 2012 NCEA Higher Performing School in the areas of Math and Literacy.
• The U.S. Secretary of Education Arnie Duncan recognized Forest Park Elementary and Little Rock Christian Academy as 2012 National Blue Ribbon Schools for exemplary high performance.  They were among 269 schools chosen nation-wide.
• The Thea Foundation—along with sponsors Kent and Laurie Mosley, Gannett Foundation, Herron Horton Architects, Russell Chevrolet-Honda, Whit Davis Lumber, and Crain Automotive donated $6,000 through Thea’s Art Closet matching grant program—bestowed high-quality art supplies to central Arkansas schools—Amboy Elementary, Gibbs Elementary, Jacksonville Middle School, Parkview High School.
• The North Little Rock Wildcats were the champions of Joe Johnson’s Jammin’ for Jackets Basketball Tournament in December 2012. Proceeds from the event benefit the nonprofit, Letter Jackets for Athletes, which over the years has presented more than 5,000 letter jackets to Little Rock and North Little Rock student athletes.
• Good news for Conway families with preschoolers: The Conway Area Chamber of Commerce has committed $50,000 to help develop a Pre-K program that prepares children for kindergarten, gets parents involved in education and provides quality instruction. The funds will support a local nonprofit, Lifelong Learners, which started working with four pilot sites in the fall of 2012, affecting more than 270 preschool children in the area.

Does your child's school have some cool news?
Send your school's fundraising accomplishments, unique classroom initiatives, teacher accolades and more to HBennett@ABPG.com or BTidwell@ABPG.com. You just might see your school's efforts recognized in the end-of-school-year installment of School Crossings.