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Chelsea Jennings Named Arkansas Secondary Assistant Principal of the Year
Chelsea Jennings Named Arkansas Secondary Assistant Principal of the Year
Chelsea Jennings of Lakeside Junior High has been named Arkansas Secondary School Assistant Principal of the Year by the Arkansas Association of Educational Administrators.
In her fifth year as assistant principal at Lakeside Junior High, Jennings taught two years at J.O. Kelly Middle School and six years at Springdale High School before becoming a district TOSA (teacher on special assignment.
“I was surprised, excited and a little shell shocked when I found out,” said Jennings, a University of Central Arkansas graduate. “I am proud to represent Lakeside, the Springdale School District and the state of Arkansas, especially considering there are so many great educators in our state.
“This award is the result of a strong collaborative culture at Lakeside. Our principal, Dr. Michael Shepherd, has been a mentor to me, and our faculty members are amazing. They are not afraid to take risks.”
Shepherd said, “Chelsea has all the ideals of leadership. She is an outstanding leader, colleague and friend.”
Springdale District Superintendent Dr. Jared Cleveland added, “We are very proud of Chelsea. We are excited she is in Springdale and for the work she does every day. Her character shines through in everything she does.”
Dr. Mike Hernandez, Executive Director – Elect of the AAEA, presented the award in the Lakeside cafeteria in front of members of the school’s faculty and district administrators. He explained, “The award is given annually to a secondary level assistant principal who has succeeded in providing high-quality learning opportunities for students and has been acknowledged by peers for exemplary contribution to the profession.”
Jennings is the fifth honoree from Lakeside during 2020. Joel Lookadoo is the current Arkansas Teacher of the Year, Lauren Willis is the Arkansas Junior High Counselor of the Year, Brian Johnson is the Arkansas Junior High Library Media Specialist of the Year and Rachel Cornett is the Junior High Regional Choir Director of the Year.
The whole district working for the whole child is another reason Springdale Public Schools are #THEChoice.
Rachel Cornett Named Arkansas Choir Directors Association Regional Junior High Director of the Year
Rachel Cornett Named Arkansas Choir Directors Association Regional Junior High Director of the Year
Rachel Cornett of Lakeside has been named the Arkansas Choir Directors Association Regional Junior High Choir Director of the Year. Congratulations!
Honored staff members help make Springdale Public Schools #THEChoice.
Lauren Willis Named Regional Junior High School Counselor of the Year
Lauren Willis Named Regional Junior High School Counselor of the Year
Lakeside Junior High counselor Lauren Willis has been named Arkansas School Counselor Association Northwest Arkansas Regional Junior High School Counselor of the Year.
Willis has been a counselor at Lakeside since the school opened seven years ago. She is in her eighth year in the district.
“I split time at the Archer Center, George Junior High and Hellstern Middle School my first year in Springdale,” Willis said. “Then Michael Shepherd (Lakeside principal) took a gamble on a one-year counselor and hired me when the school opened. I owe him a lot. He gave me the opportunity to create a counseling center program to benefit students on the east side of Springdale.”
A graduate of the University of Arkansas with a degree in finance, Willis took an unusual path to her counseling career. Shortly after finishing her undergraduate work at the UA, she moved to Denver, Colorado to sell real estate.
“I had lived in Fayetteville since birth and I wanted to have some life experiences,” Willis explained. “I moved to Denver and only knew one person there. There were times when I felt alone and wondered what I was doing but overall it was a great experience. I got to travel a lot and saved enough money to pay for my graduate education.”
Before leaving for Denver, Willis worked on a Big Red Bucket Food Drive involving Jefferson Elementary in Fayetteville. Even though she wanted to get away for a while, it was working with the non-profit that allowed her to discover her passion.
“While working on that food drive I realized what I wanted to do,” Willis said. “I wanted to help kids who need it the most.”
She returned to Northwest Arkansas and earned her counseling degree from the UA. She knew she wanted to work in Springdale and was happy to secure her first position before moving to Lakeside. She said she couldn’t be happier.
“I love being able to advocate for students who don’t yet know they have a voice in this world,” said Willis. “I love the junior high age. Every day is different and that is exciting. Springdale is the only district among the big four (Bentonville, Rogers, Fayetteville and Springdale) that still combines eighth and ninth graders.
“I have worked to get Lakeside eighth graders the opportunity to earn credits toward graduation before they get into the ninth grade. The courses are in art, family consumer science, computer business applications and foreign languages. That has been very rewarding.”
Willis’ rewarding work has led to the reward of being Regional Junior High Counselor of the Year. State honors will be announced in the spring. Willis, along with all the counselors in the district, are another reason Springdale Public Schools are #THEChoice.
Brian Johnson Named Arkansas Library Media Specialist of the Year
Brian Johnson Named Arkansas Library Media Specialist of the Year
During the spring semester Brian Johnson of Lakeside Junior High was named Arkansas Library Media Specialist of the Year! Congratulations! #THEChoice
The ordinary job for a Library Media Specialist is to help students find articles to read and use as research. However, Lakeside Junior High’s Library Media Specialist isn’t ordinary. Brian Johnson, who has worked at Lakeside since its opening recently authored an article that was published in the national journal, “School Library Connection.”
Johnson’s article, “Green Screen Dream: Taking Your Curriculum Videos to a Whole New Level” outlines how technology can enhance the learning of students and how Lakeside is doing just that.
“It is a very big honor,” said Johnson. “It is very exciting. We have a faculty that when there is a new idea out there, they are open to it.”
Johnson has spent his career teaching across the nation including in Chicago, Montana and North Carolina. While his title says Library Media Specialist, Brian considers himself a teacher first.
“If I was going to write my title I would write teacher in really big letters and librarian in small letters,” said Johnson.
Johnson co-teaches with many Lakeside administrators and relishes the opportunity to help teachers think outside of the box and find new and exciting ways to help students learn.
“I think my favorite thing is the faculty members really include the library in their plans,” said Johnson. “The teachers are always coming by and saying hey can you show me how to do this?” I love working with them. They are really open to new ideas and like trying things in different ways. We all work together well and work to help our kids achieve. We really go the extra mile for our kids.”
Johnson considers himself a connector and a collaborator and one of his recent examples of connection was utilizing Google Hangout to bring together a Lakeside class with a class from Argentina.
“I am a person of possibility and our teachers and students meet with classes around the world regularly over Google hangout”, said Johnson. “I can’t fly the kids to Argentina but I can connect them with their peers and give them that experience.”
Brian has enjoyed his time at Lakeside and in Springdale Schools and appreciates the dedication of the district to always have the students’ best interest in mind.
“We think outside the box and we keep in mind what is best for kids and provide those opportunities even if it not always what has been done,” said Johnson.”
Teachers like Mr. Johnson who love their job and strive every day to enhance the students of Springdale Schools learning is just another reason why Springdale Schools is #THEChoice.
Joel Lookadoo Named Arkansas Teacher of the Year
Joel Lookadoo Named Arkansas Teacher of the Year
Joel Lookadoo, a first year math and science instructional facilitator at the Don Tyson School of Innovation after serving as a ninth grade algebra instructor for six years at Lakeside Junior High School, has been named Arkansas Teacher of the Year.
Lookadoo is the first Springdale teacher to be named state Teacher of the Year since Justin Minkel, who teaches at Jones Elementary, was named in 2007. Charlie Rossetti, who taught at Springdale High School at the time, was Arkansas Teacher of the Year in 1998. In fact, since 1959 only five teachers from the four large districts in Northwest Arkansas have been named Arkansas Teacher of the Year and Springdale has had three of them.
Johnny Key, Arkansas Commissioner of Education, presented Lookadoo with the award at an assembly in the Hartzell Jones Gymnasium at Lakeside Junior High. State legislators, state board members, Springdale School Board members, district administrators and others from around the district joined Lakeside’s staff and student body to witness the presentation.
“It was a total surprise,” said Lookadoo. “I didn’t know until I had been in the gym for a few minutes and noticed the people sitting to my left. Then I saw members of my family. I was shocked. There are so many great teachers in Arkansas, including many in Springdale, that it is a big surprise for me to win.
“Individual awards represent a great team and Lakeside has a great team from Dr. (Michael) Shepherd (principal) to the assistant principals, Kelly Koons and Chelsey Jennings, to all the teachers. They push and encourage each other to surround the students with everything it takes to be successful. It was fantastic to work at Lakeside. I am honored and grateful to represent our district and our state. I appreciate the opportunity.”
Key said, “To become Arkansas Teacher of the Year, educators must go through an extensive process that requires them to demonstrate why they should receive this extremely high honor. Joel definitely met the criteria. He serves as a model of exemplary teaching. I look forward to working with him during his tenure as Teacher of the Year.”
Lookadoo will complete the academic year at the DTSOI. Beginning July 1 he will travel around the state, sharing innovative ideas with teachers in other districts.
“For Joel the work is all about the students and the relationships that need to be built and supported so that each student can learn at the highest level,” said Springdale Superintendent Dr. Jim Rollins. “Relationships buoy success in the classroom and are long lasting as Joel continues to support his students through high school, college, career and throughout life.
“Joel has been a model of teaching excellence through his work with fellow teachers, staff training in PLCs and through his personal modeling of excellence at all levels. He is a treasure. All of us who are privileged to work with him are much better as a result of that experience.”
Minkel added, “This will be a great experience for Joel. The greatest aspect is the network of thoughtful teachers from around the state and nation that he will build. It is exciting to be part of a group that makes things better in our classrooms, in the state and in the nation.
“Springdale is such a great district. We get great support here. Joel will come back to the district with some new perspectives that will benefit us all.”
In an Arkansas Department of Education release, Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson said, “When describing excellent educators the words dedicated, committed and passionate come to mind. These words definitely describe Joel Lookadoo. Not only does Mr. Lookadoo set high academic expectations for his students, he also values the importance of empowering them to take ownership of their learning. I congratulate him on achieving this special recognition.”
A graduate of the University of Central Arkansas with a Bachelor of Science in Secondary Mathematics Education, Lookadoo earned a Master of Science in Education in Educational Leadership from Arkansas State University. Joel Lookadoo is a perfect example of why Springdale Public Schools are #THEChoice.
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