Hot Springs School District

At the Hot Springs Intermediate School, a special club is changing perspectives for 6th grade girls by way of a dedicated study in leadership and community service through the practice of good etiquette. The P.I.N.K. club, which stands for “Proud, Intelligent, and Noble Kids,” is led by 6th grade teacher Mrs. Wilda Hughley. Members, reserved only for 6th grade girls, meet twice each month after school for one-hour meetings and meet for service projects. One meeting is dedicated to coordinating service projects in the community. The other meeting is set aside for a guest speaker and rotating lesson theme. The club provides a foundation in a girls-only setting for friendship, manners, discipline, gratitude, confidence and work ethic.

The 35-student Gardner Sound Choir delivered holiday cheer via music and hand-written cards last week to residents of the Lake Hamilton Rehab. Gardner Music Teacher Mrs. Paula Bettis organized the visit as a stop on their way to perform at the Arkansas State Capitol. Students chose favorite songs including “All I Want for Christmas is my Two Front Teeth” for the appreciative crowd who - to the surprise of students - sang along with them. Mrs. Bettis worked with other Gardner teachers to include handwritten Christmas cards from multiple classrooms. Students delivered cards in hopes of also bringing comfort and holiday spirit to residents that could not watch the performance.

Last week, the HSSD hosted three spelling bees across the district for 1st - 8th grade students. HSSD Gifted and Talented Coordinator Mrs. Laura West coordinated the spelling bees, which are exciting competitions for students to improve their general spelling, vocabulary and language skills in a fun competition with their peers. First place winners Collin Mason, Aniyah Burgess and Warren Hedrick will advance to the Garland County Spelling Bee, to be held in January, 2019. HSSD Spelling Bees are held in coordination with official rules and scripts from the Scripps National Spelling Bee so that they are uniform with those hosted across the U.S. Thank you to all competitors and judges!

The HSWCHS NJROTC (Navy Junior Reserves Officer Training Corps) unit is the oldest NJROTC program in the state of Arkansas, established in March of 1969. NJROTC serves as a character and leadership development program nationwide for high school students. New instructors to Hot Springs include Lieutenant Commander Sean Garrett and Senior Chief David Patti, both of whom bring distinguished Navy careers with them to the classroom. Their focus is on building disciplined, service-minded students, who are prepared for leadership and careers in whatever fields they choose. Currently, 115 HSWCHS students are part of the program. The HSWCHS NJROTC Color Guard is requested to events across the community and central Arkansas area. In competitions, our teams were also among finalists last year in physical fitness and air rifle meets.