By DAVID NICHOL
T-H Staff Writer
Children in the Forrest City School District are identified for the Gifted and Talented program beginning in the fourth grade. However, the actual preparation of the program starts as early as pre-kindgergarten.
"We're one of the few districts in the state that serves students in pre-K through third grade, who are not identified (for Gifted and Talented)," said Marna Gardner, Gifted and Talented coordinator for the district.
"When you are identifying kids, there are certain things you want to look for -- higher order thinking skills and creativity. And if they haven't had any exposure to that before the fourth grade, then you don't have a large group of students to look at."
With the help of three grants from the Education Foundation, the younger kids are getting that exposure. Teachers trained in gifted education visit classrooms on a regular basis, with special programs to get those young minds to working in new ways.
Beginning with 4-year olds, there is a program called BLAST, for Beginning Learning Activities to Stimulate Thinking.
"We go into the classroom every other week and do an activity that is closely related to critical thinking," said Gardner.
This carries over into kindergarten, and SMILES, or Successful Minds will Increase Learning for Every Student.
"Whatever we start developing in pre-K, we continue developing," said Gardner. "Logic, analogy, problem solving."
Grades one and two also have their acronym, STARS, or Successful Teaching Activities to Reach Students. In this program, students who have met objectives receive stars.
"We've found that the regular classroom teachers really get involved. Some develop a whole wall, place each child's picture and each star that child has earned, or a graph," said Gardner.
In third grade, the program is called TARGET, or Teaching Activities Requiring Groups to Enhance Thinking.
"In addition to going in every week, we came up with a series of activities we thought would help promote thinking, which we call the Brain Power Packet," she said.
In fact, every regular classroom teacher from kindergarten through third grade has their own Brain Power Pack.
Gardner said the activities in the pack are not meant to replace regular teaching.
"Sometimes you're going to have a child who want a little bit more, needs a little bit more," she said.
Students are actually identified for the G/T program in the fourth grade.
"The state Department of Education says we have to look at three areas -- above average intellectual ability, task commitment and creativity," Gardner said.
The identified students are pulled from their regular classrooms and receive 180 minutes a week of enrichment form a teacher trained in gifted education. This program goes through grade 12.
The G/T program as a debate team, and there are plans to start chess and a debate team. Funding for the AEGIS (Academic Enrichment for Gifted in Summer) program has been lost, but Garner said it is hoped that the economy will improve and funding will be restored.
There is one new program, called Math Counts.
"It's taught by Rudy Beede, who I think just wrote the book on math," said Gardner. "It challenges those students. It is a program founded by the Society of Professional Engineers. Students in grades seven and eight are exposed to algebra, geometry, trigonometry, lots of higher order thinking. It's really been a challenge to them. They have that in addition to their regular math classes. These are exceptional math students who really need that challenge."
The Math Counts program may be expanded in the future.
"We're always trying to do more each year," said Gardner. "We follow that expression, 'Good, better, best -- never let it rest.' Each year we try to add something new, some way of providing enrichment."
By KENDALL OWENS
T-H Staff Writer
As the Labor Day weekend quickly approaches, area law enforcement agencies are gearing up for a crash crackdown.
According to a press release from the Forrest City Police Department, the FCPD in conjunction with agencies throughout Arkansas, Texas, Louisiana, Oklahoma and New Mexico, will work with Operation Blue TALON 4, in an effort to enforce seat belt and child safety laws as well as drinking and driving and aggressive driving laws.
"Our officers and more than 75,000 other law enforcement officers will be patrolling and ticketing drivers who ignore traffic laws for failing to use seat belts and drinking and driving," McNeary said.
According to McNeary, the crackdown will begin on Friday, Aug. 30, at 6 p.m. and run until midnight, Monday, Sept. 2.
"Local municipalities and state police officers will be working together through this to try to make the streets safer for motorists, especially during a busy holiday season. We'll have increased patrols out and we'll also have some mobile sobriety checkpoints set up to check drivers," McNeary said.
A full roster of Arkansas State Troopers from D will also be out in force this weekend and according to Lt. Tommy Wicker, special efforts will be taken to ensure that travel on Interstate 40 construction zones is safe. The holiday period for the ASP will mirror that of the Forrest City Police Department, beginning at 6 p.m. Friday and ending at midnight on Monday.
"We will be continuing in our TOPPS effort to enforce safety belt usage, but we will also be concentrating on keeping the construction zones safe. There won't be any leave allowed in the Troop, so we will be out there. We're going to handle this as we do with any increased travel weekend around a holiday," Wicker said.
According to Wicker, sobriety checkpoints will be in place throughout the troop's eight county area. Troop D consists of Crittenden, Cross, Lee, Monroe, Phillips, Prairie, St. Francis and Woodruff counties.
Work has begun on a new car wash, according to Chester Crossen, Forrest City code enforcement officer.
The Splash Car Wash will be located on North Washington south of KFC.
In addition, work has begun on the new facility for Counseling Services of Eastern Arkansas, also on Highway 1 North.
Several people were sentenced to time in the Arkansas Department of Corrections Wednesday.
David Lee Watkins, 29, with addresses in both Forrest City and Colt, was given two concurrent five year sentences for possession of drug paraphernalia, possession of a controlled substance with intent to deliver and manufacture of a controlled substance.
Rodney Green, 19, of 122. S. Division, Forrest City, was given five years in prison, with five years suspended after release and credit for time served, for delivery of a controlled substance.
David Like, 26, of Heber Springs, was sentenced to two, 10 year sentences, to be served consecutively, for manufacture of a controlled substance, possession of a controlled substance with intent to deliver and arson.