Another semester is in session of Little Rock Family's School Crossings. Catch up with what's been happening at these public, private and parochial schools.

• During National Literacy Month in September, Pediatrics Plus in Little Rock had a special visitor: First Lady of Arkansas Ginger Beebe read “Winston the Book Wolf” to a group of preschoolers.
• In October, 31 students from Forest Heights Middle School sponsored a walk-a-thon to raise money for breast cancer awareness and research, and were able to present a $1,000 check to Susan G. Komen Foundation Events Director Jessie Gillham. Students also learned about breast cancer during a lesson taught by Dr. Anne-Marie Maddox, an oncologist at UAMS.
• In November, the kids at William Jefferson Clinton Elementary donated enough food to supply more than 300 fellow classmates and their families with ingredients for a full Thanksgiving meal. Fifth grader Syann Tenpenny collected 1,914 canned goods all by herself—for two weeks, the 10-year-old stood outside of grocery stores and asked for donations from shoppers!
• Students at Maumelle Middle School will be spending lots of time learning outdoors this spring. With help from a few parents, members of the National Junior Honor Society built an outdoor classroom complete with a white board and picnic tables. With the nearby protected wetland area in mind, the group also built and hung bat and bird houses in nearby trees, painted colorful “toad abodes” to draw lizards, frogs and other species to the area, hung nesting materials in trees for birds and filled feeders with bird food. The project was made possible by a grant from the Arkansas Game and Fish commission; Home Depot donated several large trees.
• Arkansas Ballet’s Julianne Zilahy taught a master class to students at Mann Arts and Science Magnet Middle School in November. The class was in preparation for the launch of a new pilot program, “Studio to Stage,” which will introduce students to dance as a career, an art form and a past time.
• Congratulations to All Children’s Academy! The private school was accepted as an associate member of the Arkansas Nonpublic School Accrediting Association in June of 2013. The non-traditional school provides a therapeutically-enhanced education to students who struggle with learning and language disorders, such as Dyslexia, ADHD and more.
• Little Rock Preparatory Academy partnered with designer, author, TV personality and lifestyle expert P. Allen Smith to kick off a new program called Kids Plant-It Earth, which will teach children about gardening and the origin of their food. The monthly activity guide from Smith is designed to inspire elementary students’ natural curiosity about the environment, and to enrich math, science, art and social studies lessons.
• North Little Rock’s Immaculate Conception School is taking a step into the future with its recent technology advancements. In addition to mounting projectors on each classroom ceiling over the summer, the school introduced 40 iPads this fall. Using the tablets, teachers are supplementing regular classroom materials with interactive apps and creative activities.
• The Anthony School debuted a new science lab this school year. The 1,365 square-foot space is equipped with multi-functional tables that can be used for general science, biology, chemistry, physics and earth sciences, a Smart Board with wireless capabilities, and cabinets stocked with safety equipment.
• Junior Achievement of Arkansas and IberiaBank hosted the Second Annual JA in a Day event at Franklin Elementary School in October. Volunteers delivered an entire Junior Achievement program—teaching financial literacy, entrepreneurship and work readiness—to 275 children in one school day.
• Daisy Bates Elementary School’s third grade students have been learning the game of golf in a partnership with The First Tee of Central Arkansas. In addition to working on their putting, kids will also learn the game’s core values of responsibility, sportsmanship, perseverance, confidence, judgment, honesty, respect, courtesy and integrity.
• The LISA Academy North Jaguar FRC Robotics Team is ready to rumble…with robots, that is. In August, the high school students traveled to Baton Rouge to compete in the Red Stick Rumble off-season robotics competition, and returned home with a first place trophy.
• Little Rock’s Catholic High School for Boys’ Capital Campaign—it’s first since the school was constructed more than 50 years ago—gained a $10 million donation in October from a group of contributors, including Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones and 1967 alumnus John York, who is now a San Francisco 49ers chairman. The funds from the Capital Campaign are being used for school enhancements and renovations, including updates to the cafeteria and gymnasium. A new athletic field was unveiled at the beginning of the school year and dedicated to long-time football coach and athletic director Roy Davis.
• The Parkview Arts & Science Magnet High School returned to the New York in October to participate in the Empire Mock Trial Invitational. The school has been the only Arkansas school at the international tournament for the past three years. Way to go, Parkview!

Does your child’s school have some cool news? Send your school’s fundraising accomplishments, unique education programs, student volunteer efforts, teacher accolades and more to BNeel@ABPG.com, and you just might see your school recognized in our next installment of School Crossings.