To inspire elementary students to think about how agriculture affects their lives, Van Buren County Farm Bureau sponsored a coloring book contest for students in grades kindergarten through 2nd grade . Students in all three county elementary schools competed.  The winning art work went to three students from Shirley Elementary.  First place and $20 was given to Coral Delapaz a kindergarten student of Mrs. Lisa Jones. Second place and $15 was given to Garin Gardner a second grade student of Mrs. Seaton.  Third place and $10 was given to Trinity Beck a second grade student of Mrs. Tarte.

Marissa Lamb, a 2nd grade student of Wendy Gross of South Side and Elora O’Neal , a second grade student of Mrs. Evans of Cowsert Elementary in Clinton  received honorable mention for their art work .

Shirley High School bottom picture:

Left to right: Tatiana Borecky, (VBC Farm BureauWomen’s Committee)Cindy Wilson, Mikhaila Jones, (Shirley High instructor) Marilyn Pond, Brittany Scott, (Thriftway owner) Steve Bone  and Shayla Gray.

Clinton High School top picture: Front row Left to right: Kayla Hasman, Samantha Edwards, Brittany Toney & Krystal Bragalone

Back row Left to right: Faye Bone, Steve Bone (Thriftway owner), Becky Wood ( Clinton High instructor), and Cindi Pace ( VBC Farm Bureau Women’s Committee)

                   Students budget for Thanksgiving meal

Local high school students participated in a menu shopping contest Wednesday at Thriftway.  They learned a great deal about buying foods packed with nutrition while staying on a budget.  All teams will keep their $25 worth of groceries and the 1st place winner  will receive an additional $25 cash prize. 

VBC Farm Bureau Women’s Committee invited Family and Consumer Science teachers in our county high schools to participate in a competitive economic and nutrition lesson for their students. 

Thriftway  owner, Steve Bone and his mother Faye Bone welcomed the young shoppers Wednesday morning. 

  The objective of the competition was to see which team could best plan a holiday meal for a family of four.  The constraints were a budget of $25, as well as, the meal had to be nutritious and packed with flavor and “eye appeal”. All teams came in under  budget.      Yet all teams had to revise their original menu and shopping list to accommodate the price fluctuation of grocery items.  One team originally planned to have roast turkey and instead had roasted hen. The competing teams  are pictured above.   The winning team will be announced in the upcoming weekly paper.

 The Arkansas Farm Bureau annual  food cost survey around the state ( prices for the meal ranged from a high of $46.19 in Fayetteville, to $35.21 in Clinton—with the average being $40.75). Food  in Arkansas is more affordable than elsewhere (national  comparison). (The national average price to prepare the meal was $42.91 – down 4% from last year).

American farmers & ranchers are the most efficient in the world and  do what they can to hold down production costs.  Arkansas farmers have had a difficult time harvesting this year’s crops due to persistent rainfall.

We are the voice of farmers .  We are a nonprofit, advocacy organization for agriculture.

The West Side Title 1 and Parent Involvement Programs will hold a public meeting in the school library on December 7 at 3:30 p.m.

Everyone is invited to attend.

Our Fairfield Bay Volunteers drove to the PetSmart Adoption weekend in Conway with three dogs. Left to right are Jack with who-knows-what-mix Spaz, Kim with Weimaraner-mix Holly, and Pat with Shepherd-mix Conley. They sported bright yellow “Adopt Me” bandanas, embroidered by Shelter friend Anne. A second set of volunteers, Angela and Garry, took two dogs down on Sunday but it is becoming ever more difficult to adopt out the big ones. We are really lucky to have such good friends and are grateful for all their effort and help.

The Sealpoint kittens Dolly and Polly we took down were adopted right away, and we were able to leave Simon and Juno in the roomy PetSmart cages where they have a good chance of being adopted soon. So far this year, PetSmart found homes for close to 160 of our cats and kittens. How grateful are we for that!

It’s hard to believe that this is already the fifth year that I am wishing you a most

Happy Thanksgiving from all of us who care so deeply about and for Fairfield Bay’s lost and abandoned critters. We are open on this special holiday of plenty! So why not share some of it with your four-legged friends at the Animal Shelter.

The sixth grade students have been discussing Newton’s Laws of Motion and forces.  They conducted an experiment to test some of the concepts that they have covered.  Each student was allowed to build a stomp rocket using a two liter plastic bottle, a 12 inch piece of pvc pipe, and a two foot piece of plastic tubing.  They were then instructed to construct a rocket using construction paper for the body of the rocket and cardstock for the fins.

Each student tested their rocket with no fins, 2 fins, and 3 fins and recorded the distance that the rocket traveled each time it was launched.

After completing the data sheet each student was allowed to decide on a modification that they would like to try with their rocket to see if it would increase their distance when launched.  The students had a great time and reinforced what they had learned in the classroom about motion and forces.

Since the accident the choir kids have had this concert in the planning. It has given them a sense of worth to do something positive. They love Tiffany and Mom so much and knew what both of them would have wanted them to do...keep singing!

The proceeds from the concert will go toward Tiffany’s burial expenses with the remaining funds to go toward the Tiffany Nance Scholarship Fund. The scholarship will be awarded in the year 2012, which is the year Tiffany would have graduated.

We are really hoping that the kids have a good turnout. This is the first concert they’ve had to do without Mom’s direction and they are very nervous.

Nov. 19, 6:30 p.m. at Clinton Auditorium. $5 for adults and $3 students.

Shirley High School Honor Roll for the first nine weeks includes:

All A’s

Seventh Grade—Lauren Ernst, Emily Hutchison, Haley Lewis

Eighth Grade—Nikki Owen

Ninth Grade—Briana Considine

Tenth Grade—Cory Ward

Eleventh Grade—Danielle Berry, Ashley Bless, Taylor Burgess,

Twelfth Grade—Jennifer Wagner

Shirley Alternative Learning Center—Eric Ekhoff

All A’s and B’s

Seventh Grade—Colten Armstrong, Crystal Bles, Madison Jones, Seth Linn, Jaile Litaker, Sarah Sherwood

Eighth Grade—Sidney Burgess, Allison Ferrell, Ayrien Johnson

Ninth Grade—Logan Bray, Brittany Scott, Will Stewart, Justice Waldman,

Tenth Grade—Alex Johnson, Raelyn Mings,

Eleventh Grade—Marialena Akins, Katie Considine, Amanda Johnson

Twelfth Grade-Charity Branscum, Wade Lucas, Amber Pulley, Sarah Reynolds, Jaime Shawl, Courtney Tarver, Sarah Vinson, Megan Phillips

Shirley Alternative Learning Center—Brandon Phillips, Trent Bigelow, Jessica Crow, Gary Ford, Megan Gonzales, Jake Howard, Stephen Jones, Ashley Pruitt, Ethan Rhoads, Daniel Robinson, Josh Tomagos

We had 4 tables for bridge on Thursday.  Winners were:  1st - Hope Godffrey, 2nd - Margaret Wurtz - 3rd - Dick Sandquist, 4th - Lorraine Gillette, low - Roy Schneider.  IRV provided great snacks, great big cookies!!!!  Mark your calendars, NO bridge the week of Thanksgiving

Adrianna Morrisette from Leslie, Arkansas is no stranger to Fresh Air Gallery or Clinton.  You’ve seen her works, but she is exhibiting masks as well as functional pottery in this exhibit.  She’ll have angels made from slabs, large coiled vessels and back by popular demand- her traditional black geometric decorated pottery.

Tom and Sage Holland from Meadow Creek are bead makers.   The Holland’s have been making beads since the late 1980’s-close to 45 years. They’ve exhibited in the Toyota Museum in Japan, the Denmark Glass Museum, the Rockwell Museum in Corning New York, and more. Considered to be among the country’s glass bead making pioneers, they are included in many magazine articles and books including, “History of Beads,” by Lois Sherr Dubin.

Phillip Walrod from Stone County will be showing his new salt-print photographs.  His impressive body of work has captured sports, races, family portraits and landscapes.  Taking risks by climbing and hanging from places the non-adventurous would not go, always learning through discovery, Walrod’s photographs will share with you the breathtaking beauty of Arkansas.

Bill Ward from Bee Branch is a seasoned writer and photographer who has captured through a camera lens, moments of joy, wonder, and amazement of nature and appreciation of life.  Many of his subjects are, “Hill folk.” Bill is the author of the table top book, "Conway; As it Was… As It Is.”

 Pemaquid is by Bill Ward.

Chandelier is by Ed Pennebaker

Potter is by Joe Bruhin

470. ABSOS is by Phillip Walrod

sc3blossom is by Ed Penneb.

We invite everyone to meet this impressive, creative, wonderful group of artists from 6-8 p.m., Friday, November 20th at Fresh Air Art Gallery, 358 Main Street, Clinton, Arkansas.  The reception is free.  The exhibit will be up through mid-March.  A documentary “The Eloquent Nude” about the photographer Edward Weston and his love & model Charis Wilson will be shown at 8 p.m.  Refreshments and music will be provided.  For further information call Carol Corning at 501-745-2266 or visit www.freshairyoga.org.

by Ingeborg Hollwoeger

On Monday, Nov. 26 Shirley Schools got their flu shots! It was no fun for the kids. Principal, Cindy Coleman held Megan Cullum as she got her’s. Afterwards Indian Rock Villages Activity Director, Pam Cullum gave each child a chocolate chip cookie to make them forget their shots! I sure wish I would of gotten a cookie after all of my vaccine shots.

Nov. 11 - Hamburger on bun, Lettuce/tomato/onion,

Nov. 12 - Baked Chicken Breast, Green peas, Creamed carrots, Wheat bread, Eggnog pound cake.

Nov. 13 - Fried catfish, Pinto beans, Coleslaw & Red onion, Hushpuppies, Fruit cocktail.

Nov. 17 - Chicken Strips, Macaroni & cheese, Green peas, Wheat bread, Peaches-whip topping.

The Van Buren County TEA (Together Enhancing Awareness) Coalition has just concluded the Slick Tracy Home Team Program (part of a larger project called Project Northland) in Van Buren County Schools. 

Project Northland is a community-wide effort to prevent or reduce alcohol use among young teenagers and reduce the number of alcohol-related problems of teens.  The University of Minnesota developed the program, and the Van Buren County School and the Van Buren County TEA Coalition are implementing it. 

Slick Tracy is a comic strip character who teaches kids the truth about alcohol and serves as a positive role model.  Since the program began in September, 6th graders have been reading and discussing Slick Tracy materials and conducting their own alcohol-related research.  They created colorful posters for display at their school during Red Ribbon Week.

Some posters showed healthy ways for teens to have fun that don’t involve alcohol, while other posters depicted the effects of chronic alcohol use on parts of the body.  Some students conducted surveys on attitudes about drinking and driving.

The Slick Tracy Home Team Program, which consisted of four activity books for parents and students to complete at home, provided 6th graders and their parents a format to discuss alcohol-related issues.  Topics covered in the books included how parents could talk about alcohol with their children, facts and myths about alcohol, alcohol advertising, parents as role models, peer pressure, consequences of drinking, and setting up family rules around alcohol use.

The 6th graders will continue to participate in Project Northland in the 7th and 8th grades.  In 7th grade, these students will build and practice skills to help them resist pressure to use alcohol and will discover many positive alternatives to alcohol use.  As 8th graders, they will address other alcohol-related issues, such as drinking and driving.

For more information about Project Northland, contact Carol Deckelman at  carol.deckelman@myozarkhealth.com or (501) 745-7004.

Jessica Crabtree, a local resident of Van Buren County, was surprised to find that she had earned the ninth highest GED score in the state in the calendar year of 2008. Arkansas GED Testing Centers tested 7,947 examinees. 

The Arkansas GED Testing Service in Little Rock, the agency responsible for training GED examiners, maintaining test security, monitoring testing programs, and notifying examinees of their GED scores, honored the top twenty-five scorers in the state with an award ceremony at the State Capitol in April 2009.

Staff at the North Central Career Center Adult Education, Clinton Campus, was pleased to have one of their students earn this high honor. Mr. James Kirkendoll, Miss Crabtree’s instructor, and Mrs. Peggy Adams, NCCC Adult Education’s Chief Examiner, attended the awards ceremony in support of Jessica’s achievement.

In an interview, Miss Crabtree stated that the main reason for earning her GED credential was that after some research, she found that the GED diploma is the most widely accepted and respected accreditation for homeschoolers. Jessica had finished her transcript for her home-school course curricula and wanted something to supplement it for future records. “With this arrangement,” she said, “I was able to focus on my career right away.”

Her mother said that Jessica has always studied hard and done well. Not only is Jessica a good student, she also is an exceptional artist. Miss Crabtree has a gallery of original pastel paintings of Native American portraits and wildlife.

For more information on earning your GED credential (Arkansas High School Diploma) call 501-745-6554 in the Van Buren County area and 870-447-6111 in the Searcy County area.

We call her Sweater-Girl since she came in wearing a sweater. A mature Spaniel-mix, it was immediately obvious to us that she has had puppies; maybe fairly recently. While her disposition is quiet and sweet, she does have what’s known as a “cherry eye.” This condition is not uncommon in Spaniels but nevertheless needs to be surgically remedied. We are still hoping that she has not been abandoned, but got loose and that her owners will come for her and give her the proper medical attention she deserves.

You no longer have to wonder about tiny Oreo. He went to his new home in Batesville. Already, we received a glowing e-mail with a “lap-picture” in which he actually smirks contentedly.

Fall, coming upon us so early and wet this year, once again brings its challenges for our Shelter staff, with our critters adding their own. We had separated long-time playmates Puddin and Puffin since one had an upset tummy. Suddenly, “my” sweet grey Puffin came up with a limping front paw. As we fussed over him Puddin, in her own cage, started limping. There was no visible injury or swelling on either kitten’s leg. What was going on? Later, they were both fine. Were these attention getters? We still can’t figure it out, but are glad all is well again. One thing is certain: There is never a dull moment at the Shelter.

Nov. 4 - Italian Spaghetti/Meat Sauce, Corn, Green salad, French bread, Bread pudding.

Nov. 5 - Breaded Pork chopette, Scalloped corn & broccoli, Green beans, Wheat bread, Chocolate pudding pie.

Nov. 6 - Pork BBQ on bun, Coleslaw, Baked peans, Hot winter fruit.

Nov. 10 - Meatballs & gravy, Mashed potatoes, Broccoli, Wheat roll, Strawberry Pop cake.

Nov. 11 - Hamburger on bun, Lettuce/tomato/onion.

Indian Rock Village residents win again! George Elliott’s latch hook rug entitled “Morning Glory” won first place at the Van Buren County Fair and the North Central Arkansas District Fair.

Lois Valbracht’s sweet potato plant won first place at the Van Buren County Fair.

Congratulations to you both.