Nettleton High School | Delta Digital News Service

SBC Champs Back on Track

Posted on December 1, 2018 by davismarvin10

by Marvin Davis
Delta Digital News Service

JONESBORO — The reigning Sun Belt Conference champions get ready to take the track and prepare for the upcoming 2018-2019 season, led by several returning All-Conference runners.

The Red Wolves are hungry and ready to attack on the track this upcoming season. With some key athletes returning, they look to be in good shape.

Head coach Jim Patchell said, “There is no relaxing; we enjoy what we do. We work hard, but it is harder to repeat then it is to win.”

The team’s goals haven’t changed. The Red Wolves plan on winning another championship and being a consistent top 25 team.

Jonesboro native Nick Hilson (photo by Marvin Davis)

“I don’t expect any falloff this year,” junior sprinter Nick Hilson said. “We may have lost a lot of key runners from last year that gave us a lot of points, but with the freshmen class we have coming in, I have no doubt that we will can expect great things.”

The former Nettleton High standout earned second team All-Conference honors in the spring. He will be running the 110-meter hurdles, 200-meter hurdles, 1×400-meter relay and 4×400-meter relay this season.

No one expects anything to be given to them.

La’Carol Baynes (photo by Marvin Davis)

“I expect to get out what I put in,” senior hurdler La’Carol Patricia Ann Baynes said. “This year I’m putting in more work than I have these past years. With that I hope to set the hurdle record and win a ring. The (women’s) team is capable of a lot if we put in the work so I hope to set a standard that will encourage the team. I know not every race will be the best but I expect every race and every practice to be full effort.”

The two-year member of the women’s track and field team said A-State’s program is the best she has been a part of. She participates in the 400-meter hurdles, 400-meter dash and the 4×400 meter relay. Baynes said the intensity has picked up in practice.

“We found out what we are capable of, the areas needing work and we have to execute a new plan,” she said. “If it was more relaxed we wouldn’t see improvement … can’t become stagnant or comfortable.”

Junior runner Kden Johnson agreed the track program is a great experience.

“Last year we all were all hitting on all cylinders,” Johnson said. “It was a great atmosphere at practice. We pushed each other and held each person accountable in order to reach our goal, which was winning a conference championship. This group is young, but the sky is the limit for us.”

Johnson said Patchell tells the team, “It’s not how you start, it’s how you finish.” He said the coach also sends motivational text messages to team members throughout the year so they will stay focused and hungry.

The quest to repeat starts at 2 p.m., Dec. 2 during the “Kickoff Klassic” at the First National Bank Arena.

NEARK Schools Prepare for Solar Eclipse

Posted on August 18, 2017 by Tucker Crain

by Tucker Crain
Delta Digital News Service

JONESBORO – Northeast Arkansas high schools are taking the necessary precautions in preparation for viewing the solar eclipse on Monday, Aug. 21.

The eclipse, which is predicted to take place around 1 p.m., will be visible in the United States from coast-to-coast for the first time since 1918. This brings a new challenge to the school districts, which have not faced the prospect of viewing a potentially hazardous eclipse in recent memory.

The Valley View School District opted out of allowing the students to view the eclipse altogether. Select schools in the Jonesboro, Nettleton, Westside and Ridgefield Christian districts are allowing students to view the eclipse.

“No one will be outside watching the eclipse. Our district made the decision to stay inside and watch a livestream instead,” said David Goodin, Valley View High School principal. “We were worried about the glasses. They’re supposed to be one-size-fits-all, but maybe they don’t fit some students. Younger students may not use the glasses properly, or someone might take their glasses off and get hurt.”

Valley View decided to stream the eclipse instead of going outside to watch even after consent forms were sent home with students. Glasses purchased for the event will go unused.

“Our older students may be checked out by their parents to watch the eclipse with their own approved glasses, and that’s fine. This decision is really just for the general welfare of our student body,” Goodin said.

At Jonesboro Public Schools, all students will be supplied with glasses and allowed to watch the eclipse with an approved consent form.

“We purchased approved solar eclipse glasses for all the students and faculty in the Jonesboro Public Schools district, except for our kindergarten and pre-K students,” Carol Neves, Jonesboro Public School District’s Science, Technology, Engineering and Math specialist. “Every student has a permission slip to get signed by a parent or guardian to be able to watch it. If they don’t get it signed, we’ll still be streaming the event inside our buildings.”

Jonesboro Public Schools is the only district allowing all of its students to watch the solar eclipse. Nettleton, Westside and Ridgefield Christian are only allowing older students to watch, though “older” is different at every district.

“Our eighth-grade through 12th-grade students can view the eclipse. We have contacted local eye doctors and developed a safety plan for what type of glasses to use,” said Michael Graham, Westside High School principal. “We’re conducting a safety briefing before the event. We’ve had some concerns, but our consultations with the local specialists made us feel like students will be safe to watch.”

Ridgefield Christian will also allow seventh-grade students to watch.

“Our secondary students will be invited to view the event. Our glasses will be provided free of charge, but the students must have their consent form approved by a parent or guardian. All our younger students will watch a stream online,” said academic adviser Veronica Reeves.

While other schools secured enough glasses for all students to view the eclipse, the Nettleton School District only secured enough for certain classes.

“All of our science classes will be viewing the eclipse, and we’re trying to find enough glasses to get the entire school out there,” said Brian Carter, Nettleton High School principal. “The ninth through 12th-grade students who are in a science class during the eclipse will be able to go outside and watch it if they have their consent form signed by a parent or guardian.”

The path of the solar eclipse will show between 75-90 percent totality in Jonesboro and the surrounding areas. The totality in each area lasts around 2 minutes and should not be looked at without using approved glasses.