Tag Archives: Jonesboro High School

NEARK Helped by Recent Grads

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by Ali Lara
Delta Digital News Service

JONESBORO, Ark. — The College of Education & Behavioral Sciences’ interconnection with the Northeast Arkansas community benefits education majors, NEA school districts and Arkansas State University.

Makenzi Davis graduated in December with a bachelor’s degree in physical education. A-State awarded her the Chancellor’s Scholar at the College of Education & Behavioral Sciences Convocation of Scholars Ceremony.

She was also one of the first students at the college to be accepted into the new Aspiring Teacher Program. The program allows students who make a high enough score on their exam to waive their year of residency and become full-time teachers immediately.

“Before, I was just a college kid who stuck to their inner circle and this really stretched me as a person. It’s made me a lot more connections than what I had before I got here,” Davis said.

Davis now teaches physical education at the Nettleton Intermediate School and serves as the junior high girls’ head basketball coach. She said this position has made her feel a lot closer to the NEA community.

Lacy Baker, the Nettleton School District Assistant Superintendent of Curriculum and Assessment, has been involved in the district’s hiring process for many years. She said at least half of the Nettleton School District teaching staff working there currently has some sort of certification degree from A-State.

The school district also takes in as many A-State residency placements as possible. For the 2026 fall semester, the district had 27 placement requests and she predicts they’ll be able to take in all of them.

“Anything we can do here at Nettleton to reinforce what A-State is doing there and, of course, keep up our numbers of teachers,” Baker said.

Baker said she’s a big fan of the Aspiring Teacher Program because it’s good for the students. It gives college students early access to teacher benefits and salary. She said A-State graduates come to the workplace very well prepared.

“Arkansas State is doing beautifully by preparing their students. I think it’s such a wonderful opportunity for student that are already ready to go ahead and go on into that third year,” Baker said.

Baker said student-athlete visits, professor presentations and staff meetings are some other ways A-State stays involved in the Nettleton School District.

Valarie Hilson, an assistant professor and program coordinator of Physical Education Teacher Education at A-State, said the Aspiring Teacher Program strengthens collaboration with the NEA school districts.

Faculty from Community Care & Miracle Kids volunteer at the Area Seven Special Olympics Track Meet, held April 10 at Jonesboro High School. Photo courtesy of Special Olympics Arkansas Area Seven
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Hilson, who coaches the Special Olympics of Arkansas and serves as the Area Seven training director, has served as a Special Olympics coach for over 20 years. An A-State colleague introduced her to the nonprofit organization. The organization hosts regular sporting events across the state.

Jonesboro High School hosted the last event April 10, which included 565 athletes ranging in ages from 2 to 60 participating. The Nettleton High School track team, local businesses and A-State faculty and students were all involved in the event.

The commitment to helping one another succeed is vital in maintaining the relationship between the education majors, NEA school districts and A-State.

Jonesboro Storm Past West Memphis in Senior Night Blowout

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Story, photos, and video by DDNS Reporter Allie Carson.

Senior running back TJ Brown breaks the tackle of a West Memphis defender to gain extra yards on his carry. While Brown got hurt during the game, he was back out on the next Jonesboro drive. Photo by Allie Carson.

The Jonesboro Golden Hurricane beat the West Memphis Blue Devils 56-25 in their final regular season game to secure a playoff spot.

The Blue Devils didn’t win a single game their entire season, on a 13-game losing streak stemming all the way back to the end of last season while the Golden Hurricane is 5-5 overall and 4-3 in conference, 4th overall in 6A, sending them to the playoffs. 

“We’ll see where we fall for the playoffs. Hopefully we’re at home. If not, we’ll be road warriors, and we’ll get ready to go play whoever we play,” Jonesboro coach Tyler George said.

Jonesboro started with the ball on their own 48 and within 30 seconds of the game, the Golden Hurricane scored their first of many touchdowns after senior running back TJ Brown ran it 37 yards to the end zone.

On the Blue Devils’ kickoff return, the special teams unit put the offense on the Jonesboro 41 after catching it on their own 35. A play later, West Memphis wide receiver Kevius Woods runs it in for a touchdown after a 41 yard pass play. 

While Jonesboro made their extra point on their touchdown, West Memphis did not, keeping the Golden Hurricane in the lead 7-6.

Jonesboro would end up in a 4th and 13 situation at the West Memphis 42 after a snap that quarterback Asa Myers would have to fall on. The Golden Hurricane, however, would fire a deep pass down field to wide receiver Kam Davis for another Jonesboro touchdown. 

Junior wide receiver, Kam Davis, takes the ball downfield past the West Memphis 20 to the end zone to score. Photo by Allie Carson.

West Memphis would end up in a 4th and 8 situation on their next drive and they assumed they could do the same thing that Jonesboro did: Get a first down. Instead, Blue Devils’ quarterback Andrew Clay’s throw is intercepted by senior defensive back Randy Eusebio. 

While Brown would get his Golden Hurricane team to their own 20 yard line after a 22 yard rush, he would get injured on the play and taken out of the game.

Jonesboro would have to punt but West Memphis bobbles the catch and it’s recovered by senior defensive back Jaylen Alexander on the Blue Devils’ 32 yard line. 

Brown was back in the game and picked up a first down for Jonesboro to get into the red zone and then some. Davis would score another touchdown on the night soon after to extend their lead in the first quarter. 

West Memphis would score a touchdown at the start of the second quarter but miss their two point conversion, Jonesboro staying in the lead 21-12. 

Jonesboro would score on a quarterback keeper on the next drive with a made kick. 

During West Memphis’ next drive, Clay would drop the football and it’d be scooped up by senior cornerback Jaques Jordan and taken 56 yards for a touchdown.

Two bad snaps in a row on the Blue Devils’ next drive would be the curse for this West Memphis team as a snap goes over the head of Clay. Jonesboro would scoop it up and score after a 43 yard bouncing football carry. 

42-12 would be the score with 5:16 until halftime. 

However, the Golden Hurricane isn’t done as on their own 33 yard line, Myers sends a short pass to Davis and he has the room to go. Davis, on 3rd and long, scores a 64-yard touchdown for Jonesboro’s senior night.

“He’s a player. We’re going to get him the ball as much as we can, because he’s going to win those one on one matchups. So that was really good for him to see again. Him getting back healthy,” George said. 

Myers was taken out of the game and quarterback Aiden Grimes was put in. With 1:18 remaining in the half, Grimes threw an interception. West Memphis cornerback Martavious Sanders intercepted the pass at their own 35 yard line and made it to the Jonesboro 5 yard line before being brought down. 

West Memphis quarterback Micha Ingle threw to wide open running back Demetrius Craft for a touchdown and to be sent to half 49-18 Jonesboro.

Myers is put back in the game and throws a touchdown to Jordan, his second of the game from a 5-yard pass play. 

West Memphis would score with 9:20 to go in the fourth quarter, third strings in for both teams, as the player who scored wasn’t even on the roster and the Blue Devils had their third quarterback, Keaton Troxler,  in to play.

With the mercy rule in effect, the clock would keep running and the third strings would keep playing until the clock hit zero on Jonesboro senior night, the Golden Hurricane winning 56-25. 

“We lost last year’s senior night, so to be able to win this one in the fashion that we did is big for those guys,” George said. “This is the first class that I’ve had as a head coach of 10th, 11th, and 12th grade. Told them they mean so much to me, personally, and to this program. We still have a lot of work to do, but they have definitely played a huge part in helping with it.”

Tablets provide JHS students with next level experiences

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By Krishnan Collins
Delta Digital News Service

JONESBORO – The Foundation for Jonesboro Public Schools awarded a Jonesboro High School art teacher $1,000 so he could provide drawing tablets for his class and expand the abilities of his students. 

David Leggett used the money he received from a grant to purchase Huion 610pro tablets for his digital art media class. Although the tablets are a staple of the digital art media class, Leggett said other art classes should eventually be able to use them. 

After applying for a grant from the foundation, Leggett did not find out he won until foundation members visited his class during a school day. The awarding of the money surprised the art teacher. Members of the foundation walked through the halls of JHS ringing a cowbell as they approached his door. 

   “They don’t tell you you’re awarded,” Leggett said. “You submit your thing and then you wait. If you’re lucky enough to hear the cowbell come to your door, then you’re like OK. I didn’t realize it until they opened the door. It was right outside the door, I was like, that noise seems to be getting louder. Then it dawned on me, it clicked. I might’ve won. I can be excited now.”

   Leggett bought 17 tablets with the grant money and the tablets helped students achieve goals they might not have been able to achieve in the past. 

   “It helps a lot of the kids,” Leggett said. “A lot of kids feel like they can’t draw. So, they get into the computer side of it and know they can undo stuff and redo. They feel like they have a little bit more control over their media.”

   In classes like digital art media, students now approach projects with more confidence. 

   “In the digital classes, if I was to set a piece of paper in front of them and say we’re going to draw a face, a lot of the kids would say I can’t do that,” Leggett said. “So what we’re doing right now is practicing on using the tools and then we’re learning how to trace the face and the contours of the face.”

   Maddy Grubb, a junior at JHS, said she never really used a lot of technology in her art classes in the past and the tablets were her first experience with high-tech equipment when it comes to art. She noted how the tablets changed the game in her art classes recently. 

   “I feel like it definitely makes it easier for us,” Grubb said about the tablets. “When we have to use computers in our art class, it’s a little bit harder. It’s not as accessible as when you can use a tablet. The tablets definitely make it easier for us to draw and trace for our art projects.” 

   Grubb said she was nervous at first using technology to create art, but in the end, she realized how helpful the tablets were to use. 

   “I was a little nervous because I wasn’t really sure what it was going to be about,” Grubb said. “But it’s actually a lot easier than you think. You just plug it up to the computer and press a couple buttons. It’s very easy.”

  Another student, Brian Holmes, held more experience with high tech art equipment. The JHS sophomore used other tablets in the past and commented on why tablets are so important for art students. 

   “Being able to undo and redo and free transform objects is really helpful,” Holmes said. “So I don’t have to manually go back and erase it.”

   Holmes used a variety of tablets in the past and mentioned some of the advantages of the Huion tablets in Leggett’s art class.

  “The hot keys are really simple and the pressure sensitivity is pretty good too,” Holmes said. “Overall it’s just a really nice, simple tablet.”
   JHS offers a variety of different art classes and both Grubb and Holmes acknowledged the focus on technology at JHS. The technology helps improve the classroom. 

   “The classes do care about the quality of the classes and what they give out,” Holmes said. “They know that higher quality things can help students produce higher quality work.”

   The impact of the tablets on students shows in the classroom. Leggett noted how the tablets help create art in ways that just takes a lot of pressure away from his students. 

   “I do think it will actually help them in observation,” Leggett said. “(It will help them) in drawing something that they can always go back and undo a line and redo a line. They can do this much easier when they have a tablet in front of them by pushing a button. There are so many options they can do. Their anxiety is so much lower.”

  Even with the success of the tablets in the classroom so far, Leggett still looked into the future and saw more ways to improve his classroom. 

   “Anytime I can get money for my kids, I’m definitely going to try and do that,” Leggett said. “I was not able to provide a classroom set of tablets this year. We got 17 with the money we got. I would love to be able to have a class set of 30. I would love to go back and just keep getting tablets or really anything.”

   Leggett applied for a foundation grant for the first time when he applied for the tablet money. He noted how the foundation’s impact really matters.

   “I think it’s great,” Leggett said. “We’re given a budget. We have 1,500 kids. We try our best and buy everything we can. When we needed to get something like those tablets, I was able to write that grant. They were able to get me the grant money to do that. (It’s great) to see the kids working with these things and just my overall excitement for being able to provide these for the kids.”

   Leggett’s passion for teaching showed when he talked about the impact of the grant. It is clear JHS and the district as a whole has an organization on its side ready to chip in when needed most.

   “They’ve provided grant, after grant, after grant,” Leggett said. It’s been great, that’s what we’re here for, we’re here to provide for the students.”

Editor’s Note: Art teacher David Leggett looks at a Huion 610Pro tablet. Leggett purchased the tablets for his class with money he received from a Foundation for Jonesboro Public Schools grant.  

Confronting Arkansas’ Opioid Crisis

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Opioid Crisis

The Multimedia Reporting course (Spring 2017) investigated the Opioid Crisis in the Delta:

  • Destini Lattimore examines how regional rehabilitation centers help those with dependency.
  • Meagen Matuszyk details the Jonesboro Police Department’s response to the issue.
  • Madison Gomez examines three high schools’ efforts to confront the issue.
  • Seth Cleveland examines how pharmacists are approaching the issue.
  • Jama Domerese discusses the politics behind the issue.

Banner made by adapting frankieleon’s “pop life” [CC BY-SA 2.0]

High Schools Tackle Opioid Problem

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by Madison Gomez
Delta Digital News Service

Opioid Crisis

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JONESBORO — Opioid use and addiction have become a crisis in the United States, but area high schools are working to help raise awareness and promote prevention.

High school students often encounter opioids, mainly through prescription medicine found in relatives’ cabinets.

“Probably one of the things that we struggle with most here at the high school would be pills, such as something you are going to find in your grandmother’s cabinet or your parents’ cabinet,” said Michelle Crain, assistant principal at Valley View High School.

A study of prescription opioid use among high school seniors found nearly one out of four high school seniors had exposure to prescription opioids.

Valley View High School works with an organization, Out of the Dark, which helps raise awareness of drug and alcohol abuse and awareness for teenagers. The community volunteer movement is located on East Mathews Avenue. This organization, and others like it, can be helpful in awareness and prevention. These clubs can help students band together while promoting safe habits.

“We have one of the most marvelous programs here,” Crain said. “We probably run right now around 85 – 95 in this club. I strongly feel that that sort of thing, sort of club, where like-minded individuals could come together is probably the best thing for teenagers.”

Valley View isn’t the only high school addressing the opioid problem and raising awareness. Jonesboro High School also is raising awareness and prevention amongst its students.

“I know that the school is very proactive now at trying to prevent drugs from coming into the school,” JHS school resource officer Brian Sawyer said, “and they deal with it if the drugs do come into school.”

If a student is found in possession of illegal substances — such as opioids — they are not only brought to the school’s resource officer, but also dealt a punishment through the school.

“If you are caught with any prescription that could be considered a drug of abuse … then we investigate that,” Westside High School principal Michael Graham said. “And if you have possession of it or distribute it or are under the influence of that while at school, then the policy says that the principal shall make a recommendation to the superintendent that the student be suspended for 10 days and recommend to be expelled from school.”

High schools use locker searches or backpack searches to help locate and deter drugs and other illegal substances from being in the high school. Jonesboro High School has an “open-door” policy with the K-9 unit that allows the police dogs to sweep parking lots and classrooms.

High schools are also attempting to tackle the problem outside of school by providing after-school programs and activities for students.

Parents and guardians are also encouraged to take action in prevention by locking up and keeping track of prescription medications for themselves and the teenager. Sawyer said parents must take steps to ensure their children do not abuse or sell household medications.

Students’ Sweat Equity Benefits City, Habitat

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by Austin Hayslip
Courtesy of A-State Department of Media

After a year working with Habitat for Humanity, Jonesboro High School students are getting their hands dirty. ASU TV’s Austin Hayslip reports.

“I loved it, I love the whole idea of working with your classmates to work for a common goal, and that being building a house for a Jonesboro citizen,” said high school student Mark Havdala.

High school students are building houses, not completely on their own, but with the help of Habitat for Humanity.

Habitat has been working with the Jonesboro School District for over a year now. It is a cause Jonesboro High School student Mark Havdala said is worth donating time to.

“You are working, it is a visible and legitimate donation of your time and you actually see what you doing be put to work and the best part is an actual Jonesboro citizen will actually get that house,” he said.

Jonesboro Habitat for Humanity Executive Director Michael Sullivan said it doesn’t begin or end with a house. The students play a vital role in the organization.

“They volunteer, they educate, they fundraise and they advocate on behalf of Habitat for Humanity,” he said.

Students who spent months putting together floor plans will begin putting up walls in the coming weeks.

The house being built now is the first that the Jonesboro School District has helped with.

Assistant Superintendent Sue Castleberry said the school district is including almost every campus, giving each student an opportunity to help.

“Our news crews from math and science will come do some video work, so almost every campus will take some of the things,” she said. “The woodwork things, we’ll take that back to the art teachers at the elementary to paint.”

Castleberry said the students are actually teaching her things as well.

“Last year the students taught me how to know how to measure and actually cut siding,” she said.

Habitat for Humanity and JPS have created a relationship that’s benefiting the entire community.

Habitat For Humanity Reaches Jonesboro

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By Jobari Williams
Delta Digital News Service

JONESBORO, Ark- Jonesboro community collaborates, as Habitat For Humanity reaches Jonesboro. Jonesboro High School, Arkansas State University and the communit…

Source: Habitat For Humanity Reaches Jonesboro