2010-11 District News

DMS StuCo Day

By Clay Dollar
STUCO DAY at DMS was a huge success and a lot of fun. Students end the year with a bang by teaming up with classmates for competition in different events. This year the teams competed in Volleyball and Killerball. The winning team of the volleyball bracket was "Who Dat Chicks". The winner of the killerball bracket was "Young Guns II".

The final was game of killerball was the grand championship. It was an unbelievable game with it coming down to onw player from each team facing off. In the end Kayla West won the championship by catching a thrown ball from mid air while holding one to throw. "Who Dat Chicks" came away as the winner of STUCO DAY 2011!!

>>>Photos by Debbie English

Memorial Day

By Carole Anderson
DHS EAST Lab helped the local American Legion chapter honor our veterans for Memorial Day. Students placed over 250 flags on graves in the DeWitt Cemetery and Cedarcrest.  The students felt that recognizing our vets was an honor and experienced the admiration that is due to our Veterans on Memorial Day.

DVDs for Sale

DHS EAST Lab has prepared videos of the following events of the 2010-11 school year. Drop off or mail your payment to DeWitt High School, attention Carole Anderson.

Homecoming 2010 - $10
Senior Class Day, Senior Goodbyes, & Graduation - $15

Cover Design

Artwork by 10th grade student Lauren Johnson was chosen as the cover design for the 2011 DeWitt High School graduation section of the DeWitt Era Enterprise. Great job, Lauren!

Smile, Metric Style!

Students in Mrs. Dollar's class participated in an activity called Smile, Metric Style. Students measured each other's smiles in centimeters, then they converted centimeter measurements to millimeters. All students' measurements were then combined and one large smile was drawn on the board. Students seemed to enjoy this activity and were great participants.

>>>Photos by Brandi Dollar

DHS Underclassmen Awards

>>>Award Photos

HOBY

The Hugh O'Brian Youth Leadership (HOBY) was founded by Hugh O'Brian in 1958. That year, Mr. O'Brian had the unique opportunity to spend nine inspirational days with the great humanitarian, Dr. Albert Schweitzer at his clinic in Africa. There, Dr. Schweitzer impressed upon him that "the most important thing in education is to teach young people to think for themselves." That thought became the cornerstone for the Hugh O'Brian Youth Leadership, which Mr. O'Brian founded two weeks after his return to Los Angeles.

Since then, HOBY has carried out its mission "to seek out, recognize and develop leadership potential commencing with high school sophomores, and to encourage and prepare the next generation of civic and corporate leadership for America's future."  This year, Kiley Anderson, was chosen as the representative for DeWitt High School.

“I experienced one of the most eventful weekends of my life,” Kiley stated.

The weekend seminar had speakers from the Walmart Corporation and other local businesses.  The participants volunteered at a Half-A-Marathon Run and made friends from over 170 schools from around the state.  From motivational chants to promoting civic pride, Kiley said the experience was a chance in a life time.

Miss Arkansas County Rice

Emily Patterson, a freshman at DHS, was crowned Miss Arkansas County Rice 2011, with her Harvest Bounty casserole dish. Emily created her dish to be easy to make with ingredients most people already have. She also wanted the dish to be easy to make with different ingredients for variation. See below for a link to her recipe.

Miss Arkansas County Rice is sponsored by the Prairie Gems EHC of the Arkansas County Cooperative Extension Service who also serve as judges for the competition. Emily will compete in the state competition in November and spend the next few months promoting rice in Arkansas County. Congratulations!

>>>Harvest Bounty Casserole

Body Walk

Students at DeWitt Elementary School enjoyed Body Walk, an exciting educational exhibit about learning to be smart from the inside out sponsored by the University of Arkansas, Division of Agriculture, Cooperative Extension Service. It's a great opportunity for students to learn about the importance of making healthy food choices and being physically active and an exciting tour of the human body featuring engaging experimental educational activities. For more information, visit their website: www.uofabodywalk.org

>>>Photos by Dana Horton

Art Winners

Five art students from DeWitt High School are winners in the 2011 AAE Eastern Regional Youth Art Show and Competition. A reception honoring the students and art instructors was held on Thursday, April 21, at the Fine Arts Center on the campus of EACC in Forrest City.

Winning students from DeWitt High School are: Chelsee Brinton, "Best of Show" in 12th grade; Nikayla Hughes, "Best of Show" in 10th grade; Marleigh Murphy, 1st Place in 10-12 grade division; Kristin Bradley, 1st Place in 7-9 grade division; Morgan Vaughan, Honorable Mention in 7-9 grade division. The Best of Show pieces by Brinton and Hughes will represent the Eastern Region at the State AAE Youth Art Show in Little Rock in May. Ms. Hollye Jackson is the art teacher at DHS.

Click the images below to see a larger version.

Chelsee Brinton 12th Grade Best of Show

Nikayla Hughes 10th Grade Best of Show

Marleigh Murphy 1st Place 10-12 Grade Division

Kristin Bradley 1st Place 7-9 Grade Division

Morgan Vaughan Honorable Mention 7-9 Grade Division

Vegas, Baby!

It's a time-honored tradition: the annual Junior-Senior Banquet at DeWitt High School. This year DHS students and faculty and guests were transported to the bright lights of Las Vegas on April 9. The theme was carried out to the max with larger than life playing cards, Sophomore Servers dressed as casino dealers, and a beautiful skyline mural of the city prepared by DHS art teacher Hollye Jackson and her students.

Junior sponsors, Carole Anderson and Hollye Jackson, coordinated the enthusiastic efforts of many students to transform the DHS cafeteria for the event. A delicious meal of pork loin and trimmings was prepared by Junior parents with entertainment provided by Sophomore Servers and the DHS Winter Guard. To punctuate the evening, an appearance was even made on stage by "Elvis" complete with sequined and caped costume.

Following the banquet DHS students and their guests returned to "Vegas" to dance the night away at the prom. Banquet and prom are spring traditions in DeWitt, and this year they were done Vegas style!

>>>Photos by LeeAnn Morgan

Benchmark Week

The ACTAAP Augmented Benchmark Exams will be given to students in grades 3 - 8 during the week of April 11 - 15. Students and faculty have been preparing all year long for this important week.

DeWitt Middle School had a fun field day Friday, April 8, with a Burn The Benchmark Day! They had special speakers to speak to the children, watched the movie Radio, had hot dogs for lunch, and games for the afternoon. A special surprise of the day was a fireman who came to help them burn the Benchmark, former dean of students and coach, Matt Barnes.

>>>Photos by Debbie English

Burn The Benchmark!

A "Burn the Benchmark" fish fry was held for the parents and staff of DMS Monday, March 28th.  Principal Julie Blevins thanked everyone for coming and Science teacher Mrs. Linda Gunnell and Social Studies teacher Mr. Clay Dollar talked about how important it is for all parents to help students understand the importance of the Benchmark test.

>>>Photos by Debbie English

Catapult!

Students in Mrs. Dot Hubsch's Physics class at DHS worked as teams to build catapults, a device used to throw or hurl a projectile a great distance without the aid of explosive devices. The word "catapult" comes from the two Greek words "kata" (downward) and "pultos" (a small circular battle shield). Katapultos was then taken to mean "shield piercer". Catapults were invented by the ancient Greeks. [Source: Wikipedia, April 2011].

Thirteen teams built machines with such names as Cool Whip, King of Fling, The Natapult, and Balloonanator. Each machine launched water balloons in a series of three trials with each result measured and recorded. The greatest distance of 161'5" was achieved by Chunky Monkey built by Caty Bussey, Kalen Cummings, and Hunter James.

Click here for complete results.

>>>Photos by Amy Holbert

Science Experiments

Students in Mrs. Linda Gunnell's sixth grade Science classes recently explored suspensions by playing with a cornstarch and water mixture. It was a fun but messy way to learn about suspensions!

>>>Photos by Debbie English

Athletic Recognition Banquets

By Melissa Patterson
The DeWitt Athletic Booster Club announces that it will hold it's annual Senior Athletic Recognition Banquet on Monday, May 16th at 6:30 in the DHS Cafeteria and the Junior Athletic Recognition Banquet will be on Monday, May 9th at 7:00 in the DHS Cafeteria. (Note that the Junior banquet will be held before the Senior.) Questions? Contact any of the following: Scott Patterson, President; Randy VanCamp, Vice-President; Linda Gunnell, Secretary.

>>>DeWitt Athletic Booster Club Page

Cook's Lake

By Leasa Smith
DMS & DHS T-Labs recently went on a field trip to Cook’s Lake. Students got to view all the exhibits that were on display in the classroom. Mrs. Tana also taught them how to identify poisonous and non-poisonous snakes. She showed them many replicas of various snakes. Students learned about the water cycle.

Mrs. Tana had a very interesting hands-on activity to teach how water is recycled in the atmosphere. Students pretended to be water droplets and went outside to roll dice to see where they would go next. They had nine different stations where they could go (lakes, oceans, glaciers, ground water, plants, animals, soil, river and clouds). They learned that sometimes water stays in the same place and sometimes it is recycled and goes somewhere else. Students then came back to the classroom and made colorful bead bracelets of the different places they had been while being a water droplet.

Students enjoyed a picnic of sandwiches, chips, drinks and a dessert. Thanks Ms. Deborah Woods and Ms Debbie Childers. After lunch, students were instructed how to build a bird house. Students really had a great time building. As far as we know, everyone still has all their fingers. Everyone came home with a bird house just right for the Eastern Bluebird. One student commented that all her bird needed in his house was a flat screen TV. Also thanks to Mr. Darrell Smith for being a parent volunteer. He was very helpful and enjoyed the trip almost as much as the kids.

>>>Photos by Leasa Smith

Memorial Scholarships

The Jacob Coleman Memorial Scholarship is now available for all athletes that are seniors.  Pick up applications in Mrs. Patterson's room.  Applications are due on April 15th; turn in to Mrs. Patterson.

The Jordan Murphy Memorial Scholarship is available to senior girls. Click below for an application or pick one up in Mrs. Purdy's office. Applications must be turned in to Mrs. Purdy by April 20th.

>>>Jordan Murphy Memorial Scholarship Application

2011-12 Cheerleaders

DHS Cheerleaders: Meg Boyd, Kristin Bradley, Bethany Clawson, Hannah Corley, Christen Earhart, Bethani Hoelzeman, Taylor Irons, Fran Jennings, Sara Jennings, Kara Jones, Reagan Lane, Emily Patterson, Kahlan Philipp, Ragan Snyder, Janie Thompson, Darby Wallace, Makala White, Brittany Williams and Mascot, Mahalie Philipp.

DJH Cheerleaders: Victoria Adams, Sydnee Battle, Hannah Bishop, Lexi Brown, Kristen Cazer, Carlee Cox, Anna Cunningham, Drew Dillion, Shelby Gifford, Abby Hoelzeman, Taylor Hornbeck, Rylee Knoll, Kyla Patterson, Riley Poor, Otara Mason, Tessah West.

Congratulations, girls!

Miss DeWitt Pageant

Congratulations to Miss DeWitt 2011, Taylor Counce! Taylor was crowned March 16th in the annual Miss DeWitt Pageant sponsored by DHS Student Council. Fran Jennings was named 1st runner-up and Kalen Cummings was named 2nd runner-up. Madison Meins and Madison Briggs were also selected as top five finalists.

>>>Photos by LeeAnn Morgan

FBLA Week, March 14 - 18

DHS FBLA is sponsoring a week full of fun activities to raise funds for March of Dimes and Arkansas Children's Hospital. Everyone is invited to the gym on Thursday to watch "Bottle Bowling" and "Bikin' for Babies" for only $.25!

• "Who's Your Baby?" Vote for the cutest teacher baby picture by donating money. The winning teacher must dress like a baby!
• "Bottle Bowling" FBLA members sign up to see if you can roll a strike! $1.00 for 3 rolls. Time TBA Thursday in the gym.
• "Bikin' for Babies" FBLA members sign up to race tricycles, $1.00 per race. Time TBA Thursday in the gym.
• "What's That Smell?" Random FBLA member names will be called to see how good their sniffers are! Cafeteria during both lunches.
• "Bottle Drinking Babes" Random FBLA member names will be called to see who can drink like a tyke! Cafeteria during both lunches.
• "FBLA Shirt Day" FBLA members wear your FBLA shirts on Friday, March 18.
• "Hat Day" DHS students, pay $1.00, get a sticker, and wear a hat on Friday, March 18.

Youth Art Month

by Hollye Jackson
March is Youth Art Month! Youth Art Month is a month of promoting art and art education in the United States. It is observed in March, with thousands of American schools participating, often with the involvement of local art museums and civic organizations.

Youth Art Month was founded by the Crayon, Water Color & Craft Institute, Inc. in cooperation with the National Art Education Association in 1961, and was initially called Children's Art Month. Its goal was to "emphasize the value of participating in art for all children." It was renamed Youth Art Month in 1969, to include secondary school students. So support your local school art programs and encourage the young artists in your school, family, and community!

Please visit the Artsonia link below to see this year's gallery of student work from DeWitt High school.

>>>DeWitt High School art at Artsonia.com

Trans Lab Bowling Trip

Students in Mrs. Emerson's Transition Lab at DMS and in Mrs. Horton's Transition Lab at DHS enjoyed a trip to Rice Bowling Center recently. Some pretty impressive scores were made! Enjoy photos by Mrs. Susan Horton.

>>>Bowling Trip Photos

LR Marathon

Mrs. Lindsay Beaton, Mrs. Lori Wilson and DeWitt Elementary students and their families participated in the Little Rock Marathon Saturday, March 5, by running the last mile of the race. Enjoy photos by Mrs. Pat Rawls.

>>>Marathon Photos

Cheerleader Tryouts

Cheerleader tryouts will be held Friday, March 18, 2011. Girls who wish to try out for DJH or DHS cheerleader must have signed up in the DMS or DHS office by 3:00 p.m. on Friday, February 25, 2011.

The forms listed below, along with a photocopy of insurance card, must be turned in no later than 6:00 p.m. on Wednesday, March 9, 2011, to Mrs. Lindsay Robinson Beaton, for junior high, or Mrs. Traci Boyd Davis, for senior high. A parent/candidate meeting will be held Wednesday, March 9, at 5:00 p.m. in the DeWitt Elementary Cafeteria.

Tryout Information
Teacher Recommendation Form
Physical Form

Educator of the Year

by Jordon Hoelzeman
The Educator of the Year award came as a happy surprise to recipient, Mrs. Jo Ann Cox. It was a solid “affirmative” to her choice to become a teacher. There are many career paths she could have chosen, but teaching allows her to prepare teenagers for the real world which is a top priority for her. “Reading and writing will become a large part of their professional lives,” she says.

She asserts, “The award puts pressure on me to improve further.” For her, education has always been about the kids and doing her best to provide them with a quality education; furthermore, she feels she must continue to improve upon the English 11 End of Course test scores which have haunted her for the past two school years. The school is currently on academic probation, and last year’s scores set the district back on the right path. Although she cannot know why she was nominated, she believes the scores were a major factor in the process.

“Teaching is never a singular effort,” says Mrs. Cox. Although she is very flattered for the award, she wanted to make sure that credit was given to all of those involved in the district’s education. She especially would like to thank Mr. Weaver, her fellow English teachers and, above all else, her English students. Without them the award would not have been possible.

DeWitt School District should be proud of its many quality candidates for this award. Cox won the award, but thanks to her and the rest of the teaching community the real winners are the students. During the interview she was asked, “Is there anything, not asked, which you would like to add to this discussion?” “Yes,” she said, “It is not our job as teachers to give students the answers, but to give students the ability to find the answers.” This mentality has earned Jo Ann Cox the title, Educator of the Year.

FBLA Winners

DHS students attended and competed in the District III FBLA Spring Conference held January 26, in Pine Bluff. We're very proud of the following winners who will be representing our school at the State FBLA Conference in Little Rock in April.

1st Place, Business Procedures - Alyssa Rieves
1st Place, Desktop Publishing - Madison Briggs & Leslie Jones
1st Place, Digital Video - Kiley Anderson, Rustin Holbert, & Suzanna Rieves
1st Place, Impromptu Speaking - Fran Jennings
2nd Place, Economics - Lydia Davis
5th Place, Cyber Security - Jacob Sullivan
5th Place, Health Care Administration - Kaylee Johnson
5th Place, Introduction to Technology Concepts - Kristin Bradley
7th Place, Word Processing I - Emily Patterson

Happy Valentine's Day!

Love is in the air! Students and staff across the district enjoyed giving and receiving gifts of love on Valentine's Day, Monday. DHS Spanish students created Happy Valentine's Day cards in Spanish and members of Student Council sold fresh carnations and lip suckers. Mrs. Padgett's library looked like a florist!
(Click the images for a larger version.)

Reformation

By Sherry Allen
The eighth grade social studies classes recently concluded a study of the Reformation. At the end of the study, Pastor Chad Philipp, pastor of St. Paul Lutheran Church and St. Luke's Lutheran Church visited the classroom and spoke about Martin Luther and the Reformation. He told the history of Luther's life and the events leading to the Ninety-Five Thesis. He also told the students about the changes to Christianity brought about by the Reformation. He showed the students Bibles that were written in Hebrew and Greek. At the end of his session, students had the opportunity to ask questions. The information he shared was very informative and reinforced what students had learned about the Reformation.

>>>Photos by Debbie English

FCCLA Top Seller

by Mary Ann DuMond
The DHS Family, Career, and Community Leaders of America held a fundraiser this year. They raised money for a digital camera and printer/copier, for club T-shirts, and registration to the District IV meeting in Pine Bluff.

The top seller this year was a senior. She received $2.00 for every item she sold. Congratulations!

All Region Band

By Nia Rieves
DeWitt Middle and High School band members attended All Region weekend in Benton January 21-22. The band students were selected during all region tryouts held earlier in the month in Benton. Students had less than 24 hours to practice their all region concert music with their new band members and directors. Each all region band had approximately 120 band members representing the region 5 district of Arkansas.

Kalen Cummings qualified to try out for All State band later this month and Suzanna Rieves performed a clarinet solo during the performance. Junior high all region members are First Band: Hunter Hill, Anna Cunningham, and Rachel Sloate; Second Band: Taylor Roush and Jordan Davis. Senior high all region members are First Band: Kalen Cummings; Second Band: Jake Orlicek, Bethani Hoelzeman, and Suzanna Rieves.

Kindergarten Carolers

DES Kindergarten students sang carols for residents of nursing homes in DeWitt before going home for the Christmas holiday.

>>>Enjoy photos by Mrs. Pat Rawls

Art Selected for Governor's
Mansion Exhibit

A work of art by a DHS senior has been chosen to be displayed at the Arkansas Governor's Mansion from October-December 2011, as part of the Arkansas Governor's Mansion Young Arkansas Artist Exhibit.

Forty pieces of work were selected for the exhibit from over 365 student submissions from across the state. A reception to recognize and honor winning students and art teachers will be held Jan. 23 at the Arkansas Governor's Mansion. Congratulations!

DMS Pottery

DMS 7th and 8th graders got the opportunity to create bowls on the pottery wheel...just in time for Christmas! Mr. James Guest is the art teacher at DeWitt Middle School.

>>Enjoy the pottery by 7th and 8th graders.

DMS Art Supply List
6th - 8th Grade, Second Semester
1 Small Supply Box
1 Big Eraser Pencils
2 Black Sharpie Markers (fine point only, not ultra fine)
1 Box of Crayola Markers
1 Box of Crayola Colored Pencils

Welcome Back!

The second semester of this school year has officially begun and no one is more excited about the fact that it is 2011 than the Class of 2011!

Seniors kicked off the first day of their last semester of high school by gathering for juice and donuts in the cafeteria. With their class song playing in the background they listened to information about scholarship deadlines and updates, ACT test dates, reminders about dues and class T-shirts, and more from class sponsors and counselor. DHS alumni Tucker Travis and Alexis AufderHeide also dropped by to share their insight into what life is really like after high school!

The Class of 2011 will graduate May 20, 2011...and it will be here before we know it!

GES Students Give Back

Students in Gillett Elementary collected baby items for Dana's House. Guidance lessons for November and December encouraged students to "give back" and be willing to help others.  Students filled two giant tubs with many useful things that will help the babies. 

GES Loose Change War

Students in Gillett Elementary participated in a "Loose Change War." Students participated by grade and understood there would not be a prize for the winning class. Instead, the winning class would get to select where the money would be used.

Students raised $885.92 with the 3rd grade raising the most. The class all agreed that they would like to split the money among the choices. The money bought a giant Christmas light for the City of Gillett in honor of GES, gave a donation to the Gillett Community Christmas tree, sponsored two students in Uganda in the "Change for Life Project" and gave the remaining balance to the Gillett-Tichnor Community Angel Tree Project.

This activity was part of the students' guidance lessons for November-December as students were encouraged to "make a difference" in their communities.

Saying Goodbye to Coach Barnes

Students and staff at DeWitt Middle School said farewell to Coach Matt Barnes, Dean of Students at DMS with a Going Away/Christmas Party in the library recently. A book with pictures of all the teachers and students and Dragons from everyone telling him how much he will be missed was presented to him.

Coach Barnes has been with the Arkansas National Guard for a number of years and is leaving DMS to join the ANG full time and will soon be deployed to Afghanistan.

>>Party photos by Mrs. Debbie English.

Doll Collection

The Gillett ABC Preschool walked to the home of Ms. Bonnie Wilbank’s to see a collection of over 100 dolls. Ms. Bonnie read the children The Animals of Christmas while they enjoyed hot apple cider and homemade cookies.

>>>Enjoy photos by Ms. Danielle Phillips.

DHS Door Decorating Contest

The annual and traditional door decorating contest sponsored by DHS Student Council was held this week. Congratulation to the winner, Mrs. Susan Horton's class (shown)! There was a tie for runner-up between Mrs. Caldwell's class and Mrs. Bradley's class.

DHS Student Council wishes to thank PCC for judging the contest and everyone who participated. The halls of DHS are very festive...Merry Christmas!

>>Enjoy the photos.

DES Students Study Native Americans

Mrs. Dana Horton's third grade class and Mrs. Vanessa White's fourth grade class recently learned about Native Americans.

>>Enjoy the photos.

Peace Poster Contest Winners

The 7th and 8th grade art students at DeWitt Middle school participated in the 2010-2011 Annual Peace Poster Contest sponsored by the DeWitt Lions Club.  This year's theme was "Vision of Peace."  Through this art contest, students had the opportunity to express what peace means to them.

This year's winners are 1st place - Caleb Price, 2nd place -Tyler Corley, 3rd place - Austin Thomas, and Honorable Mention - Gabby Morgan. Mr. James Guest is the art teacher at DeWitt Middle School. Click the images for a larger version.

1st - Caleb Price	2nd - Tyler Corley
3rd - Austin Thomas	HM - Gabby Morgan

All American Cheerleaders

Two DeWitt cheerleaders represented our school in parades over the Thanksgiving holiday. Kristin Bradley, DJH cheerleader, performed in the 61st H-E-B Holiday Parade on Thanksgiving Day in Houston, Texas, one of the oldest Thanksgiving Day parades in the country. Kaylee Johnson, DHS cheerleader, performed in the 84th Annual Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade in New York City, New York, a Thanksgiving Day tradition for millions across the nation.

All American cheerleaders were selected via tryout based on the superior cheerleading or dance skills they showed at camp last summer. The Varsity All American program is celebrating its 24th year of choosing camp standouts.

Random Acts of Kindness

The DHS Art Club is on a mission...to promote Random Acts of Kindess! A bulletin board near the sophomore hall has been designated for students to post 'random acts of kindness' on colored paper hearts. These may be acts of kindness a student has done for someone else, something that they have observed, or unexpected kindness that they have received.

The Art Club encourages everyone to get in on the act; a Random Act of Kindess might be something as simple as a smile and friendly greeting to another person, or something larger like raking leaves for someone or inviting someone over for a meal. Start practicing Random Acts of Kindness today, and it may help to make someone's day better, including yours!

Piñatas in Spanish Classes

The Spanish I classes of Señora Counce recently made piñatas as part of their study of the Spanish culture. Many spent hours in the process. They started with a balloon, torn newspaper strips, dipped them into wheat paste or watered-down glue, and covered the balloon. The piñata was sealed and decorated in creative ways.

Most people have played "Hit the Piñata" at a birthday party. The history of the piñata is actually interesting. They may have first been discovered by Marco Polo on one of this trips to China. When the piñata was carried to Europe in the 14th century, it was used in religious ceremonies. Piñatas resembled clay containers for water. The Spaniards added ribbons, tinsel, and fringegd paper to cover the pot.

Spanish missionaries to North America in the 16th century used the piñata to teach religious lessons. The most traditional style piñata has the seven points representing the seven deadly sins of greed, gluttony, sloth, pride, envy, wrath, and lust. The blindfolded participant represents a force fighting against those evils. He uses the stick of virtue to break the piñata. The candies and fuits that may be inside represent the rewards for being faithful. Today, most piñatas are used at festivities for pure fun.

Travel Destination Class Trip

Students in the DHS Distance Learning Travel Destination class began with a class project of planning a trip somewhere in Arkansas. The project was worth 200 points. The students voted on which trip to take and the most votes went to the zoo trip. Schools attending were DeWitt, Lake Hamilton, Gurdon, and Junction City. The group toured the zoo and then treated themselves to lunch at the Olive Garden.

Veterans Day

Mrs. Dana Horton's class celebrated Veterans Day with a special visit from Mrs. Horton's dad, Louis DuMond, U.S. Navy veteran.

>>Photos by Mrs. Dana Horton

Special Olympics Bowling

Students from Mrs. Emerson's and Mrs. Horton's Transition Labs at DMS and DHS participated in the Special Olympics Bowling tournament, in Pine Bluff, November 12.

>>>Photos by Mrs. Leasa Smith

Stroke Awareness

Students from DHS Student Council and FBLA recently participated in the AR Saves National Institute of Health Stroke Champions training session at DeWitt Hospital October 27. The program, part of the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke's "Know Stroke, Know the Signs, Act in Time" campaign, is designed to educate the public about the risk factors, signs and symptoms of stroke, as well as early activation of the emergency medical system to access care.

>>>Photos.

Students joined the main program at University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences along with 21 other public education locations around the state of Arkansas via live video conference. Ms. Karen Campbell, RN, ER Director, AR Saves nurse, of DeWitt Hospital facilitated the program for the students, their sponsor, and Pastor Chad Philipp. DHNH treated the attendees to breakfast goodies and a delicious lunch! DeWitt Hospital has a stroke specialist on call 24/7 via the UAMS video conferencing system and their trained staff is ready to provide excellent care.

Just remember, FAST...

For more information, please visit the following websites:

T-Lab Fishfry & Dance

DMS & DHS T-Labs attended a fish fry and dance at Doughboy.

>>Enjoy photos by Mrs. Leasa Smith

Day of the Dead

DHS Art Classes
by Ms. Hollye Jackson
In the spirit of the Mexican "Las Dias de Los Muertos" or "Day of the Dead", which falls on November 2, the Art I classes at DHS decorated skull-shaped sugar cookies as a cross curriculm activity (Art, Spanish, World History, and Family and Consumer Science).

The holiday focuses on gatherings of family and friends to pray for and remember friends and family members who have died. Art students decorated skull-shaped cookies in place of the sugar skulls traditionally decorated for this holiday. Food safe paint was used to paint designs, and some students added glittery sprinkles. After everyone displayed their decorated cookies for the entire class to see, they got to eat their cookie creations...the best part!

The Day of the Dead is a time of celebration, remembering and honoring loved ones who are no longer living.

>>Enjoy the photos by Ms. Hollye Jackson

DHS Spanish Classes
by Senora Paula Counce
In observance of the Dia de los Muertos holiday, the Spanish I classes learned about the November 2 holiday celebrated in Mexico, Latin America, Spain, and parts of the U.S. with large Hispanic populations. Students set up an "ofrenda" or altar with a photo of a deceased grandfather, examples of the foods, books, and the empty pack of cigarettes he enjoyed. Several students brought plenty of delicious "pan de muertos" or bread of the dead for all to enjoy. Some also played the Mexican balero game and tested their skills at landing the skull on the top of the stick. Very few were successful.

Dia de los Muertos is a good example of a holiday that honors the dead and blends the Catholic traditions of All Souls Day with the much older traditions of the Aztec Indians. Do not be surprised to see crosses and skulls or skeletons on the same altar.

>>Enjoy the photos by Senora Paula Counce

Ghost Out Day

Members of DHS Students Against Destructive Decisions participated in Ghost Out Day on October 29.

>>Ghost Out Day Photos and Details.

DMS Historical Halloween
& Costume Contest

Students at DeWitt Middle School dressed the part of historical characters on the 2nd Annual Historical Halloween Day, October 28. DMS Student Council hosted a Halloween Costume Contest at DeWitt Middle School on Friday, October 29.

>>Historical Halloween photos.
>>Costume Contest photos

Football Photos

by Mrs. LeeAnn Morgan

Peace Poster Contest

The 7th and 8th grade art students at DeWitt Middle school are participating in the 2010-2011 Annual Peace Poster Contest, sponsored by the DeWitt Lions Club.  This year's theme is "Vision of Peace."  Through this art contest, students have the opportunity to express what peace means to them. Please click below for more information or contact James Guest, DMS Art Teacher.

>>Peace Poster Contest Information

DMS Spirit Week

The Junior Dragons closed out the 2010 football season with a victory against Dumas, 30-0 on Thursday, October 21. DMS students showed their spirit all week with dress-up days, a special pep assembly, and recognition of 9th grade athletes.

>>Spirit Week Photos by Mrs. Debbie English

DMS T-Lab

Mrs. Emerson's students recently prepared a delicious luncheon for members of the DeWitt Middle School faculty and enjoyed a trip with DHS students to the Pumpkin Patch in Grady, Arkansas.

Hunter Education

Students at DeWitt Middle School recently learned about hunting and gun safety.

>>Photos

Senior Technology Seminar

Seniors at DHS are helping design pages for the website.

>>Click here for more information.

Artsonia Finalist

Great News!  Miranda1751, from Ms. Hollye Jackson's class at DeWitt High School, has been selected as a finalist for "Artist of the Week" award for the 10th-12th age group for the week of October 18, 2010.

DHS Cross Country Team

The DHS Cross Country Team recently competed in Heber Springs. Congratulations to DHS Freshman Randi Hestir who placed 4th overall!

DHS Golf Teams

Congratulations to Lauren Johnson for making 4A All-State Golf!

And congratulations to the DHS Boys and Girls Golf Teams! They are the new 8 4A Conference Champions!

Layton McCullars and Lauren Johnson are medalists and Katie Koen is a runner-up medalist. The golf teams are under the direction of Coach Jeff Rader.

>>Photos.

Homecoming 2010

>>Photos
>>Program designed by Rustin Holbert

Mrs. Dana Horton's Class
Super Bubble Experiment
& Video on Today's THV

>>Super Bubble Experiment Slideshow Link

>>Mrs. Horton's 3rd Grade Class Schoolcast on Channel 11

Punt, Pass & Kick!

It's time again for the 2nd Annual DeWitt NFL Punt, Pass & Kick Competition. The event will be held Monday, September 20 at Dragon Stadium. Punt, Pass & Kick is open to girls and boys in the DeWitt School District who were born from 1995-2003 and there is no cost to enter. Registration information is available in the office at each school or contact Mrs. Lindsay Beaton at DES, 870-946-4651.

Mrs. Dana's Class

Mrs. Dana Horton's class kicked off the new school year with an experiment. Enjoy photos from the first day of school, too!

>>First Day Photos
>>Oil Spill Experiment

Mrs. Emerson's Class

Enjoy these photos by Mrs. Leasa Smith of Mrs. Emerson's class at DMS.

>>Photos

Back to School

Back to school, August 19! These seniors are excited about this, their last year at DHS. Best wishes for a great year to everyone at DeWitt School District.

>>First Day Photos by Mrs. LeeAnn Morgan