March
March 13th, 2024
Counselors from across the state were recognized by Governor Sanders in honor of National School Counseling Week for the hard work Arkansas Counselors do for the students and families in our state.
(Left-Right). Emily Drum, counselor intern; Emmie Foster, NE Region President; Laquietta Stewart, Past President; Jennifer Lyle, President-Elect; Governor Sarah Sanders; Kelli Dockery, ArSCA President; Robin Sparks, Sponsorship; Dr. Debra Myton, Advocacy; Angelia Millard, DEI
Our Stage, Our Story
Come celebrate “Our Stage, Our Story” as you network with peers and gain knowledge and skills at this year’s ArSCA/DESE conference, June 24 - 26, 2024, in Hot Springs. This year’s keynote speakers will be educator, advocate, and “change agent,” Kanesha Adams and award winning rapper, educator, activist, business owner and world-renowned keynote speaker, Dee-1. This year’s conference will offer at least 18 hours of professional development. Registration and hotel information can be found using the following links:
Kanesha Adams, Sharing the Stage Monday, June 24, 2024
Kanesha Adams is a Ph.D. student in the Educational Leadership department at the University of Alabama. She is an educator, advocate, and “change agent.” She currently serves as the CEO and Founder of Bearapy Bookshelf, which is an edtech company she created to teach students the importance of storytelling and
creativity by creating strong foundations, stable families, and secure futures. Bearapy is an acronym for Books, Bears, and Therapy. Through this work, in 2022 her team published over 15 children's books promoting the importance of social resilience including the recent publishing of Vanessa Simmons and 2022 Miss Arkansas, Ebony Mitchell, stuffed over 2,000 bears, traveled over 10,000 miles and provided access to virtual self-care
resources to over 2,000 children. In addition to this work, she serves as an adjunct faculty member with the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff and a family engagement consultant with organizations across the state of Arkansas.
Kanesha received her undergraduate degree from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock, an MS in Educational Psychology from Oklahoma State University, and an M.ED. in Educational Leadership from the University of Arkansas.
Kanesha resides in Pine Bluff, Arkansas with her husband, Nicholas Adams who is also an educator. She spends the majority of her time with her God-Given Best Friend, 4-year-old Kelahni.
Dee-1, Sharing the Stage, Tuesday, June 25, 2024
Award winning Rapper. Educator. Activist. Business owner. World-renowned keynote speaker. National Social Emotional Learning Consultant. Nasir Jones Hip Hop Fellow at Harvard University. Tufts University Professor. The name is Dee-1.
He is the Billboard Top 10 charting, game-changing MC with a persona to match his penmanship. Dee-1 has transitioned from being a middle school math teacher in Louisiana to a hip-hop heavyweight with much more to still accomplish. He has released a total of 21 projects thus far in his career. His recent album “UNO” debuted at #4 in the world on the Apple Music/iTunes Hip-Hop Charts, 100% independent. From nationwide “knowledge for college” financial literacy tours, to numerous
corporate partnerships, Dee-1 message of positivity and hope is embraced by the multitudes. Dee-1’s music is part of a bigger lifestyle movement called Mission Vision, which centers
around three core principles: Be Real. Be Righteous. Be Relevant. In 2020, Dee received the prestigious NAACP “Power of Influence Award,” highlighting his community activism and commitment to inspiring the youth. In 2021, he was nominated for an Emmy Award for his work on “The Manhattan Project,” but he lost to Michelle Obama. Later that year, Dee was also appointed to the “Louisiana Council for the Success of Black Men and Boys” by Louisiana
Governor John Bel Edwards, making him the first rapper in Louisiana history to become a governor’s appointee.
Dee-1 says, “I make music to provide the soundtrack to someone’s life who is trying to maximize their potential and walk in their purpose. It’s non-fiction, it’s authentic, it’s lyrical, and it’s relatable.”
From the ArSCA President
Peace and blessings, everybody! The theme of this newsletter is “Serve All Students,” and I share this quote that causes me to reflect on how we, as school counselors, serve our students, families and staff every day: “Start where you are. Distant fields always look greener, but opportunity lies right where you are. Take advantage of every opportunity of service” (Robert Collier).
As school counselors, we have a duty to serve the needs of our students. The ArSCA Summer Counselors Conference, June 24–26, 2024, is an excellent opportunity to earn necessary professional development on topics that will help you as you work with your students in the upcoming year. Session topics range from trauma-informed procedures/practices, Counselors 4 Computing, strategies for helping students solve big issues, and practical lessons you can incorporate into your curriculum. Local and state vendors and exhibitors will be available to visit with and network a plethora of resources, and great freebies to take home.
The keynote speakers that will be sharing the stage to tell their stories are Kanesha Barnes and Dee-1. We are so excited to have them share their experiences and help us, as school counselors, tell our stories. Learn more and register – I look forward to seeing you at the conference in Hot Spring this June!
Contact Kelli Dockery, ArSCA president, at president@arschoolcounselor.org
ArSCA Central
We will have many open Board positions for the upcoming year.
COYs:
Elementary Level
Adrienne Hawkins
Chicot Elementary-Little Rock School District
Middle Level
Jennifer Lee
Mayflower Middle School-Mayflower School District
High School Level
Bethany Webb
Quitman High School - Quitman School District
Central Region President: central@arschoolcounselor.org
ArSCA North Central
Congratulations to North Central Region COY's
Elementary COY-Regina Forehand, West Magnet Elementary School, BATESVILLE SCHOOL DISTRICTMiddle School COY - Laura Rhein, Harrison Middle School, HARRISON SCHOOL DISTRICT
High School COY - Kim Ragsdale, Salem High School, SALEM SCHOOL DISTRICT
North Central Counselors be watching your emails about a Spring Meeting. This is a great opportunity for all counselors in our region to collaborate and fellowship.
Northcentral Regional President: northcentral@arschoolcounselor.org
ArSCA Northeast
The Northeast Region held their second annual "Winter Mixer" at Lemonade House Grille-Jonesboro on February 23, 2024. Trivia was hosted by our very own Karen Herrell, School Counselor at Fox Meadow School of Creative Media (Nettleton).
The Northeast Region announced their school counselors of the year. Elementary Winner, Logan Mason-McRae Elementary-Searcy School District, Mid-Level Winner, Lindsey Kelley-Douglas MacArthur Junior High-Jonesboro School District, and Secondary Winner, Laquietta Stewart-The Academies at Jonesboro High School-Jonesboro School District.
Preparation for our summer workshop is underway. Our workshop will be held on June 20, 2024 in Jonesboro. More details to come
Northeast Regional President: northeast@arschoolcounselor.org
Northwest ArSCA
Elementary: Gina Little- Springdale Pre-K, Springdale
Middle/Jr. High: Cherri Byford- Darby Middle School, Fort Smith
Secondary: Jeni Kirkendall- Farmington High School, Farmington
Northwest Regional President: northwest@arschoolcounselor.org
Southeast ArSCA
Elementary Bernie Roberts
Middle Level Kanechia Seargent
High School Jeanette Dejesus
Southeast Regional President: southeast@arschoolcounselor.org
Southwest ArSCA
Southwest Regional President: southwest@arschoolcounselor.org
Arkansas School Counselor of the Year- Pam Parkman
2023 Arkansas School Counselor of the Year, Pamela Parkman, attended the National School Counselor Association SCOY celebration in Washington, D.C. in January. She was joined by ArSCA Past-President, Allison Spraggins, and supportive friends for this exciting occasion. While in the nation’s capital, Parkman and Spraggins had the opportunity to meet with Secretary of Education, Cardonas, and Deputy Secretary, Marten, as well as participate in round table discussions surrounding current education issues with members of the US Department of Education.
ArSCA Connects: Learn and Share Webinar Registration
Arkansas School Counselor Association is hosting a series of informative virtual meetings for school counselors. Each meeting will provide information to assist school counselors working with students, parents and staff, followed by a question and discussion session. This is an excellent opportunity to network with other school counselors across the state. A zoom meeting link will be provided to those registered. Registration cost is free to members and non-members.
Watch the ArSCA Listserv for dates and times.
Counselor Featured on National Conference Tracker Webinar
On February 20th, our own Tahnee Bowen was featured on a National Conference Tracker Webinar in a User Spotlight segment talking about how our ArSCA organization utilizes Conference Tracker. Tahnee has been at the forefront of learning and helping to develop Conference Tracker for use here in Arkansas and nationally. Thank you Tahnee for all the hard work you have done and continue to do with Conference Tracker and for our ArSCA organization.
Former Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson talks with Dr. Phil about Arkansas School Counselors
At the end of February, Dr. Phil released a special on school shooters on TBN called: School Shooters: How to Stop the Madness Former Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson discussed a focus to address the mental health issues by investing in school counselors as part of the safety measures for schools.
DESE: School Counseling
The Division fo Elementary & Secondary Education has a host of resources and information for school counselors located on their School Counseling page.
For more information, please contact:
Rodney Ford, Program Advisor
Division of Elementary and Secondary Education
Four Capitol Mall, Mail Slot 13
Little Rock, AR 72201
Phone: 501-682-5144
Email: Rodney.B.Ford@ade.arkansas.gov
ARSCA Membership
Arkansas School Counselor Association (ArSCA) supports school counselors’ efforts to help students focus on academic, personal/social and career development so they achieve success in school and are prepared to lead fulfilling lives as responsible members of society. Membership in the state and national associations is highly recommended. ArSCA adheres to the Code of Ethics and policy statements of the American School Counseling Association (ASCA). Who We Are
We have six regions across our state. Here is a list of our ArSCA Board of Directors.
Become a Member Here This link is for membership and for conference attendance both, but you can still be a member if you are not attending the conference.
TasselTIME- Free Counselor Membership
TasselTIME is a comprehensive website designed by a former school counselor for school counselors. TasselTIME has been provided to Arkansas School Counselors for free for 21 years. TasselTIME is available to purchase for school use for the entire district. Many districts in Arkansas are using TasselTIME. Find out more by going to www.tasseltime.com
Sign-up for your free counselor membership here.
Currently, members are getting prepared for the Fiscal Session, which convenes April 10, 2024, as joint budget meetings will begin March 6, 2024, and run for a couple weeks. I am not anticipating any school counselor specific issues arising in the Fiscal Session. Teacher retirement bills will be monitored closely, and any concerns will be forwarded to the ArSCA board.
The preferential primary and non-partisan election is March 5th followed by general primary election will be held April 2, 2024. The Arkansas Senate has 1 member not seeking re-election and the House of Representatives has 12 members not seeking re-election.
ArSCA/DESE Conference Location Survey
Please provide input about the future location of the ArSCA Conference by participating in this survey: ArSCA/DESE Conference Location Survey