text:
BCAIT necesitaba un nuevo diseño de impreso o envases y lanzó un concurso de diseño en 99designs.
Un ganador ha sido elegido entre 4 diseños de 3 diseñadores freelance.
Business Computing Australia - HCQ magazine 1
BCA: Business Computing Australia is an Australian IT company. We are an incredibly professional company specialising in the pro-active IT support of Small and Medium Businesses. We believe strongly in excellent process, procedure and a consistent corporate image.
We are the receipient of the 2008 Microsoft Small Business Partner of the year for Australia.
We have been servicing IT systems in the Real Estate market for over 20 years.
We have been awarded the preferred supplier status of IT systems to a major global real estate franchise company - Harcourts.
The Harcourts Real Estate franchise owners.
They are people who generally do not value the need for effective IT systems, but are the first to scream when they don't work!
So we need to give them a reason for calling and engaging BCA's IT support services.
-Produce 2x A4 pages of advertising which demonstrates BCA professionalism and why we are the best choice for all their IT support. You can be creative and use some of the content or ideas below. At the end of the day we want the target market to say, "BCA, will you please manage my IT systems, you are obviously the best in the game"
-Include our contact details.
-Preview the online magazine as an exmple of other advertisments and what we are seeking; http://www.harcourts.net/QLDsuppliersGuide/#/1/
-review our brochures (attached) & website for more info about BCA;
= BCA-TSA Overview.pdf
= BCA brochure - Intro New Business 1.docx
= http://www.businesscomputing.com.au
-Use any of the attached logo files.
-It is mandatory to use the following attached images
MS Small Business Specialist logo-colour-rgb.jpg
-We need to make a compelling message of why these Real Estate companies should leverage BCA. Therefore the message must be clear, simple, concise and professional looking. Nothing to wordy.
Use the attached BCA.docx file for our contact info and some marketing messages/ideas.
Email me if you need anything explained = email@example.com


text:
The administration and Board of Education of the Rogers Public Schools commend these groups and individuals for their superior achievement:
Rogers Teachers/Staff of the Year
Many staff members throughout the district were honored for their exemplary work this year. The Teachers of the Year include:
Beth Horton (BV)
Rebecca Neal (JD)
Traci McGraw (ES)
Donna James (GF)
Olga Munoz (BG & District)
Sue Jordan (GH)
Halley Parsons (RJ)
Kathy Hansen (LW)
Kara Davis (JM)
Linda Weaver (NS)
Trisha Grayson (OW)
Jessika Haubner (RG)
Joy Jeffery (FT)
Jennifer Osburn (ET)
Susan Bush (WS)
Sherry Bray (EW)
Don Mallow (BK)
Adam Bumsted (GL & District)
Kathy Wright (OD)
TJ Moss (HHS & District)
Jamie McDowell (NTH)
Jenny Walker (RHS)
Doug Lawyer (NX)
Melinda Singleton (Pre-K)
In addition, congratulations to Bonnie Ramsey (LW), the Secretary of the Year, and
Bobby Dotson (NS), the Paraprofessional of the Year.
Arkansas Governors School
Sixteen Rogers students have been selected to attend Arkansas Governors School hosted at Hendrix College in the summer of 2014. Those selected to attend are Alvaro Aldana (Math), Christina Aronowitz (Drama), Sophie Crafton (Math), Wendy Garduno (Social Science), Lee Kendall (Math), Garrett Lampson (Natural Science), Sean Madson (Social Science), Savannah McCauley (Social Science), Davie Orellana (Social Science), Alisha Sahu (Math), Jessamy Samuels ( English/Language Arts), Mounika Seevam (Natural Science), Braelyn Smith (Math), Hannah Smith (Visual Arts), Sophia Storkov (Social Science), and Isabelle Wise (English/Language Arts). Selection for Governor's School is based on a combination of ability and interest and is highly competitive. The six-week intensive program is in its 35th year. More information about the program--including past curriculum, speakers, and films--may be found on the AGS web site at:http://www.hendrix.edu/ags/.
Duke Talent Identification Program - State Recognition
Based on their high ACT scores, 19 Rogers 7th graders were recognized for their exceptional academic ability by the Duke Talent Identification Program. Congratulations to Lucas Bharara, Siddhi Bhat, Alisha Chatlani, Emma Dennis, Dean Priest, Alexander Shepard, Lauren West, Audrey Wilson, Dane Arbuckle, Emma Arterbury, Petra Culbertson, Jacob Early, Juliana Shaw, Nathan Skinner, Luke Smith, Seth Johnson, Allison Leonard, Lilli Martin, and Sidney Smith.
President's Volunteer Service Award
Arllyn Hernandez (HHS)
ACTM State Math Competition
Rogers students took some of the top honors in the state math competition. HHS' Emily Low placed 2nd in Statistics, HHS' Mounika Seeram 3rd in Statistics, RHS' Tiffany Tang 1st in Calculus, & Kirksey's Sai Sirigineedi 2nd in Algebra I.
DECA Receives Top Honors at State
The RHS DECA Club recently received two of the highest national DECA achievement awards at the State DECA Leadership and Competitive Events Conference in Springdale. Chapter awards received were the Promotional Campaign and Community Service awards. In addition, RHS DECA received recognition for having led all state DECA chapters in money raised for charities. Many RHS DECA students were winners in various competitive events:
1st Place - Kassandra Salazar/Gabby Molina (Buying and Merchandising)
1st Place - Chandler Kern/Bobby Louree (Marketing Communications)
1st Place - Taylor Atwell (Apparel and Accessories Marketing)
1st Place - Carter Forbis (Automotive Services Marketing)
1st Place - Alisha Sahu (Business Finance)
1st Place - Riley McGill (Business Services Marketing)
1st Place - Xavier Ryan (Human Resources Management)
1st Place - Addie Barczewski (Marketing Management)
1st Place - Garrett Kelly (Retail Merchandising)
2nd Place - Erick Aguilar (Restaurant & Food Service Management)
2nd Place - Alex McClung (Retail Merchandising)
2nd Place - Harrison Heffley/Michael Krupka (Hospitality Services)
2nd Place - Bryce Bray/Jacob Bray (Sports & Entertainment Team Event)
2nd Place - Max Harrell (Business Finance)
2nd Place - Adam Breach ( Food Marketing)
2nd Place - Daniel Kinzer (Sports & Entertainment Individual Series)
3rd Place - Juliana Martins (Hotel and Lodging Management)
Finalist - Molly Strickland/Carolina French (Travel & Tourism)
Finalist - Nolan Farnan (Hotel and Lodging Management)
Finalist - Billy Treacy (Quick Serve Restaurant Management)
Finalist - Chandler Little/AnneDee Rylee (Sports & Entertainment Team Event)
Arkansas Skills USA State Competition
Cesar Barragan Job Demonstration
Francisco Magana Job Interview
Bryanna Weathers State Officer Team
Janet Perea State Courtesy Corp Team
Jesse Barrientos State Courtesy Corp Team
State Runner Up
John Shoffner Technical (Engineering) Drafting
Third Place Winner
Edgar Mora Architectural Drafting
Logan Gall Automotive Collision Repair 4th place
Josh Pratt Diesel Equipment Tech 5th place
David Kassing Automotive service 13th place
Miguel Lopez Automotive service 17th place
Dakota Ellington CNC Turning Gold
Preston Jones CNC Turning Silver
Thomas Kirkpatrick CNC Milling Bronze
Chris Wilsley CNC Milling Gold
Chris Beard Job Interview Silver
Karina Garcia Technical Computer Applications 6th
Estefany Soto Technical Computer Applications 7th
Brandy Hernandez Technical Computer Applications 9th
1st Place - Arkansas Federation of Garden Clubs' Cedar Waxwing Bird Poster Competition
Valerie Brandon -third grader at Eastside Elementary
Top-scoring Rogers Students in the 2014 Regional Math Contest
Algebra I
2nd place overall Swetha Sirigineedi BK
Top 10 Chance McCrary GL
Sailesh Sirigineedi BK
Top 25 Layne Hutchins GL Sylvia Reyes HHS
Seth Stanley GL Shelby Thompson HHS
Jin McBride GL Gabriel Clements EW
Jacob Jones GL Payton Smith EW
William Alpizar GL Evan Adrian BK
Brook Menke GL Gabs Lampson BK
Shelby Cook GL Jaden Uecker BK
Spencer Eiserman BK
Top 10 Dustin Kenny HHS
Morgan Dunn HHS
Top 25 Virginia Paschal RHS
Algebra II
Top 10 Michael Zheng RHS
Top 25 Emery Brock RHS
Jamod Elsma RHS
Imani Gosserand RHS
Carter Hanson RHS
Top 10 Sidney Wilson RHS
Braelyn Smith RHS
London Eoff HHS
Top 25 Krupali Gandhi RHS
George Hill HHS
Guadalupe Garduno HHS
Bailey Brya HHS
1st Place Overall Tiffany Tang RHS
Top 10 Rachel Holmes RHS
Top 25 Noah Heffron HHS
Elvaro Aldana RHS
1st Place Overall Emily Low HHS
2nd Place Overall Alisha Sahu RHS
Top 10 Gram Booth RHS
Mounika Seeram HHS
Top 25 Robert Herbert HHS
Anh Nguyen HHS
Jonathan Runsick HHS
Mailyn Pharr HHS
Joseph Warren HHS
Acadia Kimball
National Merit Finalists
Five Rogers students ranked among the top-scoring students in the country on the PSAT. They are RHSstudents Alex Brown, Olivia Paschal and Tori Metheny and HHS students Christine Townsley and Arron Fox.
Quiz Bowl Regional Competition
1st Place - Oakdale Middle School (6th grade team/elementary division)
1st Place - Kirksey Middle School (7th & 8th grade team)
Benton County Spelling Bee Winner
Meera Arunkumar
Arkansas Stock Market Game
1st Place - Sydney Funcannon and Jayce Smith (LMS) beat out 1,198 other teams and increased their virtual portfolio by $20,000 in 11 weeks to become the state Stock Market Game winners.
MLK Young Dreamer Award
Diana Romero (EMS)
Patriot Pen Writing Contest
1st Place - Keana Malone (OMS)
3rd Place - Nikolaus Finney (OMS)
2nd Place in Stamp Out Smoking Sketch Contest
Out of 3,000 entries from 62 Arkansas schools, KMS student Serena Puang won 2nd place in the Stamp Out Smoking Sketch Contest for the Arkansas Department of Health. She received a mini iPad along with the recognition.
Arkansas Foreign Language Teachers Association State Language Competition
Esmeralda Almaras - 1st place in Vocabulary / 3rd place in Reading
Alejandra Ruiz - 2nd place in Reading
Team award: Margarita Aldape, Bethany Arnold, Spencer Eiserman, Andrew Elkins, and Jacqueline Rico - 2nd place in the Spanish Cultural Bowl
Andrew Elkins took the National Spanish Examination and received the Silver Medal for 85th place (94th percentile). Savvana Coggins, Chloe Howard and Abigail Womack received honorable mention (above the 50th percentile).
State Champion Girls Tennis Team
Rogers High School
State Champion Runner-up Girls Tennis Team
Rogers Heritage High School
State Champion Boys Cross Country Team
Rogers High School
State Champion Runner-up Girls Cross Country Team
Rogers Heritage High School
University of Central Missouri Hall of Wrestling Legends Inductee
Coach Ken Simmons
Arkansas VFW State Elementary Teacher of the Year
Amy Smallwood
National Merit Semifinalists
RHS students Alex Brown, Olivia Paschal and Tori Metheny and HHS students Christine Townsley and Arron Fox are among the top-scoring students in the nation on the PSAT.
Arkansas High School Assistant Principal of the Year
Lance Arbuckle
Diamond School to Watch
Kirksey Middle School, the first school ever to receive this distinction in Arkansas, has been designated for the third time as a national model in academic excellence, developmental responsiveness, organization, and social equity.
NCEA High Performing Schools
Six schools – Bonnie Grimes, Eastside, Grace Hill, Lowell, Old Wire and Russell Jones - were selected as high performing schools by the National Center for Educational Achievement for their high Benchmark scores.
Outstanding Educational Performance Recognition
Bonnie Grimes, Russell Jones, Eastside, Grace Hill, Lowell and Bellview elementaries have been recognized for their outstanding educational performance by the University of Arkansas Office of Educational Policy.
Best of the Best
Bellview Elementary has also been voted the Best of the Best of the area elementary schools by the readers of the Northwest Arkansas newspapers.
National Blue Ribbon School
Russell D. Jones Elementary
Whiz Kids Compete for State Title
Austin Cooper (Rogers Heritage High School) and Jesse Hollan (Rogers High School) have won the right to compete in the "Hands-On" Ford/AAA Students Auto Skills National Quality Care Challenge.
ACTM Regional Math Contest Winners
Michael Zheng- 1st Place - Algebra I test
Top 25: Imani Gosserand, Eli Fulfer, and Tyler Stamps
Regional Science Fair Winners
Sanket Srivastava-7th grader- 1st in Computer Science and an invitation to advance in the Broadcom Maters
Sidra Nadeem- 6th grader- 1st in Physics
Iris Feltner- 6th grader- 1st in Environmental Management
Daniel Fuentes- 6th grader- 2nd in Mathematics
Kaitlyn Hooper- 6th grade- 2nd in Energy and Transportation
Delaney Van Wilpe- 6th grader- 2nd in Engineering Materials and BioEngineering
Lizette Perez- 6th grader- 2nd in Environmental Science
Rolando Simental- 6th grader- 3rd in Animal Science
Emily Soden- 6th grader- 3rd in Engineering Materials and BioEngineering
Emily Almaraz-6th grader- 3rd in Energy and Transportatioin
Hannah Shipman- 6th grader- 3rd in Environmental Science
Faith Dye- 6th grader- 3rd in Microbiology
Hope McMillan- 6th grader- 3rd in Cellular and Molecular Biology
Cole Thomas- 6th grader- 3rd in Earth and Space Science
Seth Johnson- 6th grader- Honorable Mention in Electrical Engineering
Kendall Sandovall- 6th grader- Honorable Mention in Environmental Science
Cody Beeson- 6th grader- Honorable Mention in Mathematics
Allison Leonard- 6th grader- Honorable Mention in Animial Science
Kylie Keller- 6th grader- Honorable Mention in BioChemisty
Lucas Jones-6th grader- Honorable Mention in BioChemisty
Emily Mitchell- 6th grader- Honorable Mention in Earth and Space Science
Lacy Hazelbaker- 6th grader- Honorable Menton in Environmental Management
Annaleise Gates- 6th grader- Honorable Mention in Medicine and Health
2013 Honorees at Mercy's "Day of the Child" Celebration
Cate Casey, Mario Galindo, Alicia Santillan, and Traci Sickels.
State Odyssey of the Mind Competition Winners & World Finals Competitors
Northside- 1st Place and special award for their exceptional creativity
Kirksey-1st Place
Rogers High Mounties Girl's Tennis
2012 State Champions
Rogers High Wrestling
State Runner-Up
Rogers High Baseball
State Runner-Up
Rogers High Softball
State Runner-Up
Rogers Boys Golf
4th Place
Rogers Girl's Cross Country
3rd Place
Rogers Girls Bowling
4th Place
Rogers Cheer
3rd Place
Rogers Boy's Track and Field
4th Place
Heritage War Eagles Boy's Indoor Track
2013 State Champions
Heritage War Eagles Boy's Track and Field
2013 State Champions
Arkansas Gatorade Cross Country Runner of the Year
Maggie Montoya
Rogers High School Boys Cross Country
2012 Runner-Up State Champions
Rogers Heritage High Girls Cross Country
2012 State Champions
State Sportsmanship Award
Heritage High School
2012-2013 Individual All-State Recognition
Trevor Barton, All State Golf
Tiffany Tang, All State Tennis
Katherine Tang, All State Tennis
Haeleigh Long, All State Tennis
Maggie Montoya, All State Cross Country
Lauren Harrell, All State Cross Country
Austin Salazar, All State Cross Country
Taylor Bryant, All State Cross Country
Ian Smith, All State Cross Country
Andrew Simpson, All State Cross Country
Bryce Bray, All State Football
Nick Wary, All State Football
Justin Moore, All State Wrestling
Nick Mulcahy, All State Wrestling
Raul Rodriguez, All State Wrestling
Madison Montgomery, All State Wrestling
Heath Henman, All State Wrestling
Edwin Santos, All State Wrestling
Gio Soto, All State Wrestling
Josue Oscoy, All State Wrestling
Haley Williams, All State Bowling
Taylor Strickland, All State Basketball
Austin Griffin, All State Baseball
Chandler Little, All State Softball
McKinzie James, All State Soccer
Maggie Montoya, All State Track
Chase Lamers, All State Track
Brandon Workman, All State Track
Alye Darter, All State Tennis
Ellen Lundy, All State Tennis
Kaylee Hamilton, All State Tennis
Hannah Owen, All State Cross Counrty
Kesley Brown, All State Cross Country
Deirdre Sheets, All State Cross Country
Forrest Johnson, All STate Football
Josh Qualls, All State Football
Carly Holland, All State Swimming
Colton Holland, All State Swimming
Logan Evans, All State Wrestling
Colton Stewart, All State Wrestling
Kendra Mortimeyer, All State Bowling
Sara Jo Archer, All State Dance
Katie Christian, All State Dance
Ashley Ward, All State Basketball
Brittany Ward, All State Basketball
Lindsay Glynn, All State Softball
Brian Banuelos, All State Soccer
Ellen Lundy, All State Soccer
Hannah Owen, All State Track
Deirdre Sheets, All State Track
Deion Jones, All State Track
Alex Miles, All State Track
Forrest Johnson, All State Track
Daniel Spickes, All State Track
Joey Saucier, All State Track
In 2012-2013, Rogers Public Schools had 24 athletes sign letters of intent to play at the college level.
State Academic Champions Award from the Arkansas Activities Association for Highest GPA
Rogers High School Boys Basketball
Arkansas Track and Field Hall of Fame Inductee
Coach Carlton Efurd
Outstanding Young University of Arkansas Alumni Award
Jessica Sliger
Arkansas Democrat-Gazette's All Arkansas Boys Track Coach of the Year
Coach Jay Miles
District Paraprofessional of the Year
Gary Halford
District Secretary of the Year
Karla Kilgore
Rogers Teacher of the Year for High School Level
Martin Svoboda
Rogers Middle School Teacher of the Year
Kaye Chiles
Rogers Elementary Teacher of the Year
Amy Glenn
National Merit Semifinalists/Finalists
Meredith Breach, Kassidy Joyner, Megan Seiler, and Jason Townsley
Administrator of the Year - Arkansas Association of Curriculum and Instruction
Dr. Virginia Abernathy
National CERTIPORT Winner
Noah Heffron, Rogers Heritage High School
National Blue Ribbon School
Bellview Elementary
U.S. News & World Report Top 1,000 High Schools in America
Rogers High School and Rogers Heritage High School
Arkansas Activities Association's 7A Sportsmanship Award
Rogers Heritage High School
Rogers Educators of the Year
The Rogers-Lowell Chamber of Commerce has been honoring teachers for the past 30 years. Each school nominates a teacher and the chamber's education committee selects three standout teachers as Educators of the Year. The committee added an award this year to honor a Principal of the Year. The 2011-12 recipients are:
Paul Wilson - Rogers Heritage High School
Susan Tillery - Oakdale Middle School
Diane Wooters - Northside Elementary
Nancy Swearingen - Principal of the Year
State Girls Tennis Champions
Rogers Heritage High School and Rogers High School (tied for first)
State Girls Bowling Champions
Rogers High School
State Girls Cross Country Champions
Rogers High School
2nd in State Girls Cross Country
Rogers Heritage High School
National Speech & Debate Tournament Qualifier
Dylan Parker
Ford/AAA Auto Skills National Competitors
Dakota Phillips and Shevin Brace
Arkansans for Gifted and Talented Education's Educator Award
Beth Carnes
2nd in State Boys Baseball
Rogers Heritage High School
National Merit Finalists
Jacob Bushnell and Jacob Stautzenberger
Odyssey of the Mind World Finalists
Northside Elementary and Tillery Elementary
Arkansas Green Schools Challenge
Northside Elementary - Third Place
Duke Talent Identification Program Recognition
Eleven Rogers Public Schools seventh-grade students have been recognized for state honors by the Duke Talent Identification Program for their exceptionally high scores on the ACT or SAT college entrance exams. Congratulations to Casey Aiello, Imani Gosserand, Mackenzie Harrell, Jackson Muller, Jack Vaughan, Michael Zheng, Morgan Dunn, Elaina Barczewski, Claudia Holmer, Joshua Balderas and Laurel Emerson!
DECA International Career and Development Conference Honors
Meredith Breach - National 1st Place winner in food marketing
Katie Humphries and Kaitlin Rhodes - National Finalists in business law and ethics
Arkansas High School Principal of the Year
Robert Moore
Arkansas Governor's School
Sixteen students from the Rogers School District were selected to attend the 2012 Arkansas Governor's School. One student was selected as an alternate. The students from Rogers Heritage High School include Kassidy Joyner-Natural Science, Kena Hernandez – Social Science, Pratheepa Ravikumar – Natural Science, and Annie Alvarez - Math (alternate). Rogers High School students include Megan McPherson – Social Studies, Anusha Majagi – Natural Science, Amanda Ayers – English/Language Arts,(second row) Chandler Buckingham – English/Language Arts, Moriah Golden - Math, Torin Opstedahl – Visual Arts, Morgan Steiner – Social Studies, (third row) Nathan Aronowitz – Instrumental Music, Abigail Strickland- Social Studies, Charity Smith- Visual Arts, (back row) Nicholas Wise –English/Language Arts, Bryan Kinzer-Social Studies, and Prudhvi Boyapalli-Math.
Selection for Governor's School is based on a combination of ability and interest and is highly competitive. The four-week intensive program allows students to delve deeper into science, social studies, music and English with some of the brightest students in the state. This program has been offered in Arkansas for 32 years
Arkansas High School Assistant Principal of the Year
Karen Highfill
14 New National Board Certified Teachers
Congratulations to our staff members who have had been recognized with national board certification by the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards. These outstanding teachers include Christy Eilskov (OW), Deb Walter (BK), Trudy Edgeworth (BK), Melissa Artman (BK), Jenny Humble (GH), Jeanne Trueg (GH), Anne Bray (EW), Rhonda Lichliter (RHS), Cindy Bender (GL), Tamara Dunn (GL), Carrie Shieldnight (Pre-K), Dana Bing (BG), Marti Thiessen (HHS) and Ashley Bloch (HHS). They join 71 other Rogers teachers who have distinguished themselves with this high level credential.
National Merit Semifinalists
Jacob Bushnell, Trevor Metheny, and Jacob Stautzenberger
National Merit Commended Students
Josh Anderson and Hilary Zedlitz
Thea Foundation's 2012 Performing Arts Scholarship Competition Winners
Dominic Smith - 6th Place, Grace Dyer - Honorable Mention
Arkansas Activity Association's Active Scholar Award (graduates/athletes ranking in the top 10% of their class)
Trevor Beutler, Makaya Buckner, Meaghan Charles, Madison Cunningham, Jessica Depew, Jordan Finn, Rachel Madryga, Dalton Main, Meenakshi Manvazhahan, William Melendez, Elizabeth Sandoval, Kristen Schatzman, Ashley Schimmel, Kanon Steen, Alyson Tyler, Nicholas Webster, Julie Whitlow, Erin Wood, Blake Woodson, Chloe Zedlitz, and Sherry Zhang
Arkanasas Teacher of the Year Finalist
Matt Garrett
Líderes de Corazon: Public Service Award
Assoc. of Latino Professionals in Finance & Accounting (ALPFA)
Robert Moore, RHS principal, was honored asa leader whose career embodies the highest principles of public service leadership - integrity, compassion, vision, and courage.
Héroes de Corazón: Primary and Secondary Education Award (ALPFA)
RHS teacher Jessica Sliger was honored by the Association of Latino Professionals in Finance & Accounting for her guidance, influence, patience, and teaching in the Hispanic/Latino community.
Outstanding Educational Performance Awards
University of Arkansas's Office of Education Policy selected several Rogers schools for Outstanding Educational Performance Awards based on their high achievement on state Benchmark exams. In the top 20 schools in the state for the percent proficient or advanced were Eastside Elementary (literacy) andKirksey Middle School (math and literacy). Among the top 20 "beating the odds" schools in both math and literacy Benchmark achievement were Eastside Elementary, Grace Hill Elementary, and Oakdale Middle School as well as Bonnie Grimes Elementary (literacy).
Teacher of the Year - Global Association of Teachers of Economics
Amy Smallwood of Grace Hill Elementary has been selected as the Teacher of the Year (middle level) by the Global Association of Teachers of Economics. She will be honored at a conference in Chicago this October.
Reagan Excellence in Education Award
Kelly Pearce, special-education teacher at Kirksey Middle School, was honored by the Arkansas Support Network with the Reagan Excellence in Education Award. This award is in honor of the Reagan sisters, Mary Sue and Betty Lynn Reagan, who taught for many years in Rogers.
Gatorade Arkansas Girls Track & Field Athlete of the Year
Maggie Montoya
NWA Media Big Six Baseball Coach of the Year
Keith Kilgore
7A West Baseball Coach of the Year
Keith Kilgore
Arkansas Governor's School
This year, 22 students from the Rogers School District have been selected to attend the 2011 Arkansas Governor's School. Two students have been selected as alternates. The students from Rogers Heritage High School include Whitney Gall, Rachel Madryga, Hilary Zedlitz, Sonny Huynh, Meena Manavazhahan, William Melendez, Manoj Seeram, Dominic Smith, and Trevor Beutler. Rogers High School students include Nancy Aguilar, Morena Valdizon, Stephany Rodriquez, Sarah Walla, Mabel Serrano, Ashley Jones, Mailee Vang, Michael Moore, Kyle Osmon (alternate), Katie Thompson, Nicole Schwarz, Royal Brock, Trevor Metheny, Brandon Cox and Gus Stuppy (alternate).
Outstanding School Award
Bonnie Grimes Elementary recently rose above other finalists and was selected for the Outstanding School/Student Organization Award at Walmart's Celebration of Community. This award is for cultivating an inclusive environment that embraces diversity and serves as role model for the region.
NCEA Higher Performing Schools
Four schools in the Rogers School District have been selected by the National Center for Educational Achievement (NCEA) as Higher Performing Schools. Their successes will be used to help other schools improve their student achievement. The schools honored are:
· Bellview Elementary – Science
· Eastside Elementary – Mathematics
· Grace Hill Elementary – Mathematics
· Old Wire Road Elementary – Literacy and Mathematics
The National Center for Educational Achievement, a department of ACT, Inc., identified schools in Arkansas and other states that have consistently outperformed schools with similar student populations over a three-year period (2008-2011).
Duke Talent Identification Program Recognition
Fifteen Rogers Public Schools seventh-grade students have been recognized for state or national honors by the Duke Talent Identification Program for their exceptionally high scores on the ACT or SAT college entrance exams. Grand recognition at the national level for academic ability was given to Sidney Wilson, Emily Walla and Hannah Robbins. State recognition was given to Alexander Davidson, Margaret Donnell, Jarrod Eisma, Grant Larkin, Tony Roller, Jake Gilbert, Allison Miller, Olivia Chambers, Emily Johnson, Melissa Pointer, Joseph Sultemeier, and Jennifer Mejia.
State Elementary Counselor of the Year
Tonya Madsen
Donald R. Rye Humanitarian and Caring Person of the Year (Arkansas Counseling Association)
Linda Haley
National Distinguished Title I School
Eastside Elementary
National Merit Finalists
Caraline J. Duprey, Andrew K. Johnson, Michael Kinzer, Sarah J. Lind, Padmavathy Manavazhahan, Jillian N. Schmidt, and Brent A. Ward
State Middle School Assistant Principal of the Year
Jeff Wasem
Counselor of the Year - Northwest Region
Tonya Madsen
2010 NCEA Higher Performing Schools
Grace Hill Elementary and Bellview Elementary were recognized by the National Center for Educational Achievement (NCEA), a department of ACT, for consistently outperforming their peers that serve similar student populations and for bringing more students to college and career readiness than expected.
State DECA Award Winners
The RHS DECA Club for marketing students received "Diamond" status (the highest recognition) at the State DECA Leadership Conference in Little Rock for significant increased membership and successfully completing several projects and activities during the fall semester. In addition, many RHS DECA students were winners in various competitive events:
1st Place - Michael Kinzer/Silas Heffley (Business Law & Ethics)
1st Place - Bronson Carpenter (Automotive Services Marketing)
1st Place - Sam Reiff (Business Services Marketing)
1st Place - Phillip Freeman (Restaurant & Food Service Marketing)
1st Place - Fisher Martin (Sports & Entertainment Marketing)
1st Place - Michael Kinzer/Trent Lamers/Silas Heffley/Jes Sanders ( DECA Quiz Bowl)
1st Place - Jacob Sederholm (Principles of Finance)
2nd Place - Matt Bell & Jes Sanders ( Financial Services)
2nd Place - Brooke Atwell (Business Services Marketing)
2nd Place - Trent Lamers (Marketing Management)
2nd Place - Heather Frische (Principles of Marketing)
3rd Place - Brett Elam (Automotive Services Marketing)
Honorable Mention - Kelsey Brodie/Olivia Reid (Sports & Entertainment)
Honorable Mention - Colton Cappetta (Hotel & Lodging Mgmt)
Honorable Mention - Patrick Necessary (Sports & Entertainment Marketing)
Best of the Best Public Schools Finalists (nominated by Arkansas Democrat-Gazette Readers)
Rogers High School and Elmwood Middle Schools
Best of the Best Teachers (nominated by Arkansas Democrat-Gazette Readers)
John Raybourn
Mary Bryant
State All-Star Cheer Team Assistant Coach
Jeannie Wilson
State Champions
RHS Girls Cross Country Team
Wal-Mart Martin Luther King, Jr., Essay Contest Winner
Jennifer Andrews
Arkansas Music Educators Association's Administrator of the Year
Rhonda Gentry
Advanced Placement Scholars
At Rogers Heritage High School, two students qualified for AP National Scholar Awards by earning an average grade of at least 4 on all AP Exams taken, and scores of 4 or higher on eight or more of these exams. These students are (James) Alex March and Ashleigh Alecusan.
Seventeen Heritage students qualified for the AP Scholar with Distinction Award by earning an average grade of at least 3.5 on all AP Exams taken, and grades of 3 or higher on five or more of these exams. They are Ashleigh Alecusan, James Britton, Helen Burrell, Gabriela Caceres, Mark Hardiman, Ryan Hollis, Kelly Hudnall, Andrew Johnson, Brett Lester, McKenzie Macy, Padmavathy Manavazhahan, (James) Alex March, Philip Reynolds, Jillian Schmidt, Jessica Torres, Laura Townzen, and Alicia Troby.
Sixteen Heritage students qualified for the AP Scholar with Honor Award by earning an average grade of at least 3.25 on all AP Exams taken, and grades of 3 or higher on four or more of these exams. These students are Daniel Albarran, Jared Berkshire, Caraline Duprey, Jennifer Goodwin, Jane Incao, Nicholas Jordan, Sarah Lind, Mary McNulty, Anna Nguyen, Brittany Perkins, Jessica Priest, Amanda Ritter, Joshua Ross, Zoe Taylor, and Jessica Ugalde.
Fifty-one Heritage students qualified for the AP Scholar Award by completing three or more AP Exams with grades of 3 or higher. The AP Scholars are Savana Allen, Alec Amos, Lawrence Benzmiller, Cody Besett, Bethany Bishop, Rachel Casey, Nicole Cobb, Audrey Dunn, Charles Endsley, Shannon Evans, Benjamin Faircloth, Brooke Franklin, Phillip Gabler, Morganne Garcia, Evan Giesen, Jared Gilstrap, Samuel Gutierrez, Charles Ham, Burgandy Hart, Hannah Hickman, Haley Hollis, Meredith Johnson, Rachel Kathman, Ricki Kimball, William Lawrence, Hayden Lovelace, Serena Martin, Caitlin McAfee, Natalie McFarland, Nathan McFarland, Joshua Mead, Danny Mora, Sandy Moran, Miriam Ortega, Meagan Overbey, Emily Pappas, James Parker, Jennifer Parks, and Caitlin Rasche.
At Rogers High School, three students qualified as an AP National Scholar after earning a grade of 4 or higher on a 5-point scale on eight or more AP Exams. These students are: James Kelly, Tracer Moore and Grace Weiderhaft.
Twenty-four RHS students qualified for the AP Scholar with Distinction Award by earning an average grade of at least 3.5 on all AP Exams taken, and grades of 3 or higher on five or more of these exams. These students are: Matthew Bell, David Bushnell, Casey Caton, Jeffrey Eisma, Jeremiah Fleeman, James Kelly, Michael Kinzer, Zachary Lane, Whitney Masters, Kelton McFarlane, Tracer Moore, Samuel Reiff, Anna Salomaa, Jes Sanders, Jackson Schmandt, Alex Schroeder, Christopher Sonntag, Daniel Sultemeier, Megan Wary, Matthew Weeden, Grace Weiderhaft, John Whitmore, Matthew Williams, and Mitchell Yost.
Fifteen RHS students qualified for the AP Scholar with Honor Award by earning an average grade of at least 3.25 on all AP Exams taken, and grades of 3 or higher on four or more of these exams. These students are: Brooke Atwell, Natalie Breach, William Brothers, John Doss, Jennifer Doty, Emily Farnan, Ivan Figueroa, Lauryn Harris, William Heffley, Lauren Husband, Maxwell Muirhead, Thomas Mulcahy, Jennifer Para, Jamie Porche, and Karson Walker.
Thirty-five RHS students qualified for the AP Scholar Award by completing three or more AP Exams with grades of 3 or higher. These students are: Nathan Allred, Aubrey Barton, Bronson Carpenter, Johanna Casey, Trenton Clinton, Sarah Conley, Penelope Davis, Shaynce Day, Mayra Delgado, Matthew Denefe, Robert Dorch, Kaitlyn Dye, Catherine Eaton, Phillip Freeman, Medeline Fusillo, Denise Garcia, Jacob Grelle, Slade Hames, Hayley Hill, Mallory Hudson, Katie Kusiciel, Michelle Mayne-Nicholls, Hannah Moore, Ashlyn Palmer, Juan Perea, Joseph Richardson, Maitri Shah, Emily Simpson, Jeffrey Smith, Kaitlin Smith, Kinzey Traphagan, Carolina Valdizon, Logan Wilson, Jenny Yarbrough and Brent Young.
Outstanding Education Performance Award Winners in Arkansas
New Nationally Board Certified Teachers
Jennifer Bradshaw, Ileanna Davis, Jenny Mathews, Karen Butler, Teri McClain, Cathy Dunlap, Rodney Fulton, Maria Hillyer, Audrea Myers, Jennifer Osburn, Christine Pinkley, Kathleen Hansen, Cathy Julius, Jennifer Geiskieng, Kelly Buckley, Gina Kell, Amanda Wray, Elleen Hutcheson, and Terri Villines have all met the rigorous standards for national board certification. The Rogers School District now has 72 teachers certified by the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards.
Regional Dance Competition Winners
Rogers High School Dance Team - 1st Place in Jazz, 2nd Place in Hip Hop, and Showmanship Award-winner
State Tennis Champion
Tiffany Tang
State Tennis Runner-up Champions
RHS Girls' Tennis Team
National Merit Semifinalists
Caraline J. Duprey, Andrew K. Johnson, Michael Kinzer, Sarah J. Lind, Padmavathy Manavazhahan, Anna M. Nguyen, Jillian N. Schmidt, and Brent A. Ward
National Hispanic Recognition Program Honoree
Danny Mora
National Achievement Scholarship Program Honoree
Oscar Bowdry
State Wrestling Champions
Rogers Heritage High School
National Hip Hop Champions - Stage One Production's National Competition
Rogers Heritage High School Hip Hop Team 7A Baseball Conference Champions
Rogers Heritage High School
7A Conference Wrestling Champions
Rogers Heritage High School
State Individual Wrestling Champions
Paxon Fowler, Casey Dye, Ty Roderique, and Brad Ball
7A Conference Boys'Golf Champions
Rogers High School
7A Conference Boys' Cross Country Champions
Rogers High School
Just for the Kids High Performing Schools
Six elementary schools - Bellview, Eastside, Garfield, Grimes, Lowell, and Reagan - in the Rogers School District have been selected by the National Center for Educational Achievement (NCEA) as Just for the Kids Higher Performing Schools in Arkansas. Their successes will be used to help other schools improve their student achievement.
National Merit Finalists
From among 1.5 million juniors taking the PSAT and SAT in 22,000 high schools, seven students in the Rogers School District have achieved the prestigious distinction of being National Merit Finalists this year. The students at Rogers Heritage High School are Ashleigh Alecusan, Mark Hardiman and Alex March. At Rogers High School, the National Merit Finalists are Tracer Moore, Anna Salomaa, Christopher Sonntag and Grace Weiderhaft. These students represent less than one percent of U.S. high school seniors and are among the highest scoring 1,300 students in the nation.
Morning News Golfer of the Year
Slade Hames
Outstanding Educational Performance Awards
Bellview Elementary is among the top 20 elementary schools in student achievement on the state Benchmark math and literacy exams. Bellview ranks No. 4 in the state and outscored every other elementary school in Northwest Arkansas.
Elza Tucker Elementary is among the Top 20 Most Improved Arkansas Elementary Schools in Benchmark Mathematics Achievement (increasing achievement from 77% proficient or advanced in 2008 to 91% in 2009)
Northwest Arkansas Art Exhibition Winners
Kindergarten First Place - Estafania Benitez, First Grade 3rd Place - Cesar Trujillo, Second Grade 2nd Place - Anna Kieffer, 4th Grade First Place - Estevan Albarron and 3rd Place - Carla Perez
Arkansas Association of School Personnel Administrators' Administrator of the Year
Dr. Jane Webb
HHS Chorus:
Durgan Maxey – Tenor I
Erin Anders – Soprano I
RHS Chorus:
John Doss – Tenor II
Blake Calhoun – Tenor II
HHS Band:
Tausha Laakman – Bass Clarinet
Armando Gutierrez – Trumpet
Tyler Moncrief – Trumpet
Michael Burner – Trombone
Jackie Seres – Baritone Saxophone
Durgen Maxey - Percussion
RHS Band:
Sarah Walla – Bb Clarinet
Nicole Schwarz – Bb Clarinet
Jen Para – Bb Clarinet
HHS Jazz Band:
Armando Gutierrez – Trumpet
RHS Jazz Band:
Jamie Kelly – Piano
Penn Wenzler – Tenor Saxophone
HHS Orchestra:
Savannah Adams – Violin
Laura Townzen – Violin
Rihanna Wilson – Violin
Sarah Lind – Violin
Anthony Verge - Viola
RHS Orchestra:
Robert Dorch – Violin
Nick Brothers – Violin
Alejandra Lopez – Violin
Chris Sonntag – Violin
Tyler Button – Viola
Mitchell Yost – Viola
Ashlyn Palmer – Cello
Willa Thomason – Cello
Zach Hill – Bass
Zac Lane – Bass
Kirby Richardson - Bass
Rogers High School All-State Athletes
D.J. Smart - Football
Megan Pederson - Volleyball
Maggie Montoya- Cross Country
Jordan James - Cross Country
Martin Resendiz - Cross Country
Luis Valenzuela - Wrestling
Jake Humphries - Wrestling
Josh Anderson -Basketball
Morgan Hook - Basketball
Jazmin Coultas - Basketball
Zac Lane - Track
Chris Quesada - Baseball
Marshall Krupka - Baseball
Michelle Mayne-Nichols - Soccer
Kelly White - Soccer
Danny Saldana - Soccer
Spencer Dunlop - Soccer
Juan Hernandez - Soccer
Cesar Merlos - Soccer
Rogers Heritage High School All-State Athletes
Grant Driver - Football
Travis Entwisle - Football
Allen Winslow - Football
Oscar Orrala - Cross Country
Dani David - Cross Country
Jim Parker - Swimming
Kirstie Hamilton - Cheer
Caitlin McAfee - Dance
Paxon Fowler - Wrestling, State Champion
Cole Bundy - Wrestling
Jared Arthur - Wrestling
Casey Dye - Wrestling, State Champion
Ty Roderique, Wrestling, State Champion, MVP
Brad Ball - Wrestling, State Champion
Connor Bolton - Wrestling
Buckey Willett - Wrestling
Dalton Scales - Wrestling
Peter Ramirez - Wrestling
Tyler Coleman - Wrestling
Brittany McClain - Track
Zac Stewart - Baseball All-Tournament Team
Spanky Purdy - Baseball
Hunter Wood - Baseball
Ashlye Pool - Softball
Kinsey Morris - Soccer
Liza Eppley - Soccer
Ruben Arrue - Soccer
State Gatorade Basketball Player of the Year
Morgan Hook
State Boys Basketball Runner-up Champions
Rogers High School
State Boys Indoor Track Champions
Rogers High School
State Runner-up Wrestling Champions
Rogers Heritage High School
Individual State Wrestling Champions for their weight classes
Paxon Fowler and Jared Arthur
State Boys Cross Country Champions
Rogers High School
State Girls Runner-up Cross Country Champions
Rogers High School
State Gatorade Runner of the Year
Cameron Efurd
New National Board Certified Teachers
Darek Bunch, Kim Staab, Kim Shepard, Jane Keith, Heather Grosze, Kelly Wilson, Jean Breedlove, Sheila Day, Jim Brown and Ryan Finley
Arkansas Music Education Association's Administrator of the Year
Mary Elmore
Dance Educator of the Year
Jim Brown
Economics Arkansas Award-winning Teachers
Jenny Humble, Amy Smallwood, Rhonda Kobylinski, & Susan Lushbaugh
Advanced Placement Scholars
** Daniel Dutcher qualified as a National Scholar after earning a grade of 4 or higher on a 5-point scale on eight or more AP Exams.
** Nineteen students qualified for the AP Scholar with Distinction Award by earning an average grade of at least 3.5 on all AP Exams taken, and grades of 3 or higher on five or more of these exams. These students are Chelsea Anderson, Nicholas Crump, Cody Dillen, Daniel Dutcher, Keely Dye, Alex Dyer, Margaret Elenbarger, Adam Johnson, Kelsi Johnson, Jael Kimball, Melanie Kyles, Dustin Rapier, Catherine Schwader, Lauren Shassere, Cameron Smith, Stephen Turner, Laura Weiderhaft, Edward Wheeley, and Seth White.
** Twenty-one students qualified for the AP Scholar with Honor Award by earning an average grade of at least 3.25 on all AP Exams taken, and grades of 3 or higher on four or more of these exams. These students are Brynn Alford, Heather Allen, Jessica Archer, Tory Cottingham, Ryan Gardner, Theresa Higson, Derek Jackson, McKenzie Keller, Jill Kinslow, Hannah Lane, Taylor Lowery, Craig Mallory, John Martin, Sean Mellon, Aaron Miller, Leigha Mozzoni, Samuel Murphy, Emily Noble, Jonathan Redman, Luke Smith and Sarah Weeden.
** Fifty-seven RHS students qualified for the AP Scholar Award by completing three or more AP Exams with grades of 3 or higher. The AP Scholars are Casey Aaron, Alexander Alecusan, Natale Ammons, Emma Belnap, Libby Black, Kayla Brown, Kathryn Cario, Jennifer Cole, Courtney Edwards, Cameron Elder, Dianne Eppley, Trevor Evans, Caleb Ford, Paige Ford, Justin Goodwin, Jared Hall, Jessica Heiden, Emily Hile, Charley Jenkins, Kristin Jeter, Britton Jones, Stephen Liguori, Brittany Lyon, Kendall Madson, Brandon Martin, Edmond McGehee, Rebecca Moye, Noel Noriega, Alexandra Olinger, Taralynn Overkleeft, Charlie Phan, Colleen Poplawski, Jakob Post, Amanda Quinn, Heather Rasnick, Anne Rohr, Jessamyn Rongey, Forrest Roth, Ashley Russell, Shelby Sagely, Madison Schaugaard, Kylee Sherman, Emily Sis, Charles Skinner, Haleigh Smith, Karem Sonora, Gabriel Soto, Harrison Stanfill, Julianne Stoltman, Heather Stout, Kendal Strong, Ashton Tate, Sierra Warner, Taylor Wood, Peggy Worthen, Amy Wright, and Julie Youngs.
Runner-up State Champions
Rogers High School Girls Golf Team
HP Scholastic Junior All-American
Haley Sanders
Dale Bumpers Marching Invitational
First Division Band - Heritage High School
First Division Percussion - Heritage High School
First Division Drum Majors-Heritage High School
Second Division - HHS Color Guard
Best Overall Percussion -Heritage High School
First Place Overall- Heritage High School
Wal-Mart Teachers of the Year
Dana Nance, Angela Nebling, Monique Gray, Frankie Howe & Jennifer Gieskieng
Herb Salinger Personnel Administrator of the Year
Dr. Jane Webb
First Place Editorial Writing in Arkansas Press Women Competition
Madison Schaugaard
Rogers Teachers of the Year
Missy Samples, Kristy Weathers, Teri Villines and Dale Marlow
Rogers Staff of the Year
Bus Driver - Thelma Aguirre, Transportation Support Person- Bobby Bolin, Transportation Rookie- James Grotts, After-school Care Team- Eastside Elementary, Paraprofessional- Kathy Collins, Secretary-Tammy Bryan
State Track Coach of the Year
Jay Miles
Arkansas High School Decathlon Winner
Michael Tibbs
NASA Messenger Educator Fellow
Donna James
State Recognition in the Duke Talent Identification Program
Sofia Belnap, Anusha Majagi, Amanda Mifflin, Pratheepa Ravikumar, Catherine Tutt, Ty Galyean, Preston Mauldin, Megan McPherson, Molly Stehben, and Amber Ward
State Girls Indoor Track Champions
Rogers High School
State Boys Indoor Track Champions
Rogers High School
Waterford National Best Practice Site
Frank Tillery Elementary
Ark. Recycling Coalition Community Involvement Award-winner
Grace Hill Elementary
Arkansans for Gifted and Talented Education Curriculum Award-winner
Rogers Public Schools
Arkansas Scholastic Press Association Award-winners
Newspaper Editors of the Year (Div. I) - Madison Schaugaard and Andrea Rader
Yearbook Business Manager of the Year- Traci Huffman (2nd Place)
Ashley Rosenbaum- 1st Place Interviewing-Reporting
Kelly Dennis- 1st Place Yearbook Theme Development
Kelsi Johnson- 2nd Place Music Review
Melissa Neago- 2nd Place Student Life Copy
Sarah Garratt- 2nd Place People Copy
Kayla Tynes- 2nd Place Sports Layout
Taylor Lowery- 2nd Place Computer-generated Yearbook Theme Development
Julie Youngs- 3rd Place Cartooning
Arkansas Press Women Association Award-winners
Madison Schaugaard- 1st Place Editorial
Andrea Rader- 2nd Place Editorial
Andrea Rader- 2nd Place Page Layout
Kelsi Johnson- 3rd Place Review Writing
Matt Phillips- 3rd Place Sports Writing
Alicia Lovett- 3rd Place News Writing
Ashley Russell & Rosalyn Ziemba- Honorable Mention News Writing
Administrator of the Year (Arkansas Scholastic Press Association)
Jim Johnson
Skills USA State Award-winners
Zac Corwin- CNC Milling Gold Award
Tom Jordan- Precision Tooling Gold Award
Kelby Winberry - Chapter Display Gold Award
Sam Stevens- Chapter Display Gold Award
Ford/AAA Automotive Service Competition
Bryan Zebley and Byron Herrera (Third Place in state)
President of the Ark. Assoc. of Marketing Education Teachers
Jeff Shaw
O Ambassador
Lacie Green
National Academies' Teacher Advisory Council Member
Steve Long
National Diamond Level Achievement Award-winner
RHS DECA Club
Arkansas Outstanding DECA Chapter Advisor
Jeff Shaw
State FBLA Award-winners
Aaron Miller- 1st Place Internet Application Programming*
Matt Hackmann- 2nd Place Help Desk*
Bo McGuire & Alex Tabor- 2nd Place Network Design*
Azeneth Tijerina & April Johnson-2nd Place Business Presentation*
Anthony Lee-3rd Place Desktop Application Programming
Thomas Bedward- 4th Place Client Service
Ethan Charles & Joshua Austin- 5th Place Management Decision Making
Christy Gill & Alan Sanchez- 5th Place Business Ethics
Kelly Johnson- 5th Place Marketing
New National Board Certified Teachers
Twelve Rogers teachers have earned the outstanding distinction of national board certification this year from the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards. National board certification is the highest credential in the profession of teaching.
The twelve Rogers teachers are Jennifer Artman-Evers, a sixth-grade English teacher at Kirksey Middle School; LaDonna Ball, a 10th-grade English teacher at the Sophomore Campus; Chris Cantwell, a physical education teacher at Eastside Elementary; Cindy Ford, the RHS media specialist and director of libraries and Extended Day School; Kim Fulton, the media specialist at Jones Elementary; Shirley Gregory, a fourth- and fifth-grade teacher at Jones Elementary; Della Hutcheson, a second- and third-grade Sheltered English Immersion teacher at Eastside Elementary; Maud King, a business teacher at Rogers High School; Margaret Lamp, a first-grade teacher at Westside Elementary; Colleen McClain, a third-grade teacher at Mathias Elementary; Brenda Walkenbach, an RHS counselor; and Diane Wooters, a third-grade teacher at Mathias Elementary.
National Merit Finalists
Daniel Dutcher and Jael Kimball
All State Orchestra
Jayne Burdick, Kevin Cayanan, Brandon Martin, Cheyenne McCoy, Miguel Olivares, and Cameron Styles
All-State Band
Casey Thompson, Anna Marlow, Margret Elenbarger, Cathrine Schwader, Andy Rowan, Drew Gillespie, Wes Gillman and Tyler Avery
All-State Choir
Kendal Strong and Amanda Quinn
Bessie B. Moore Arkansas Award for Excellence in Teaching
Jenny Humble
Polly M. Jackson Master Economics Teacher (highest honor in economics education in the state)
Heather Grosze and Amy Smallwood
Arkansas Association of School Business Officials - Region 3 Official of the Year
Kathy Hanlon - District Treasurer
Arkansas Council of Teachers of Mathematics- Teacher of the Year
Will Riley
Southern Interscholastic Press Association All-Southern Publication
2007 Mountie Spectrum
2007 Southern Media Showcase Award-winners
1st Place Best Overall Newspaper- Mountie Spectrum
3rd Place Sweepstakes Award- Mountie Spectrum
1st Place Page Design- Brian Washburn
2nd Place Column- Brian Washburn
3rd Place Column- Lindsay MacAskie
Honorable Mention Feature Writing- Lukas Wigington
Honorable Mention Feature Writing- Rodrigo Calderon
Hero of the Heart Award Winner
Dr. Toni Thorn
State Golf Champions
Rogers High School Boys Golf Team
State Boys Cross Country Champions
Rogers High School
State Girls Cross Country Champions
Rogers High School
Ranked No. 2 in the South, No. 20 in Nation
Rogers High School Boys Cross Country Team
National Merit Semifinalists
Daniel Dutcher, Jael Kimball, and Aaron Miller
Ayn Rand Institute Fountainhead Essay Contest Semi-finalist
Forrest Roth, an RHS senior, was named as a semi-finalist in a national essay contest with more than 6,500 entries.
National Dance Alliance Award-winners
The RHS JV Pom squad earned the Spirit Stick Award for their sincere spirit and enthusiasm at their UALR summer camp. They were also awarded a NDA National Championship Bid for exemplifying the best overall skill and dance technique. In addition, the squad earned the Team Dance Circle of Winners Gold Plaque for superb technique, showmanship, precision and memory.
National Cheerleaders Association Award-winners
RHS JV Cheerleaders won the Spirit Stick Award for their special spirit and enthusiasm at their UALR summer camp. They also were awarded the NCA National Championship Bid for exemplifying the best technical skills and cheerleading technique at the camp. The squad also earned the Most Improved Trophy for consistently improving throughout the camp.
Newsweek's 1,200 Best High Schools in America
Rogers High School (# 892)
SchoolMatch "What Parents Want" Award
Rogers Public Schools
Named Among Top 10 Bus Maintenance Teams in North America by School Bus Fleet Magazine
Rogers Public Schools
State Champions- Boys Track
Rogers High School
National French Exam - 1st in Arkansas and 2nd in the Nation
Ivan Sanchez
Arkansas Governor's School
Daniel Dutcher and Heather Stout
"Best in Class" Award - American Classics Music Festival (Dallas, TX)
Rogers High School Orchestra
Arkansas Middle School Assistant Principal of the Year
David Smith
State Skills USA Competition Winners
Drafting- Skills USA Quiz Bowl
David Fryauf, Craig Stevens, Corey Simons, Tyler Robertson, and Alex Rook
American Statesman Award- Corey Simons
CNC MILLING-1st Patrick Murphy, 2nd Anthony Shook
CNC Turning -1st Daniel Zeleya
OSHA portfolio -1st Zac Corwin
Skills USA Automotive- 1st Clifford Weatherbee
National Multilevel School Counselor of the Year
Dr. Toni Thorn
National P.E. Teacher of the Year
Deb Walter
High-scoring Rogers 7th graders in the Duke Talent Identification Program
Grand Recognition-Sarah Walla, State Recognition- Erin Anders, Josh Anderson, Drake Breshears, Brandi Brewer, Elise Coffelt, Alex Cox, Elizabeth Hefley, Connor Jerow, James Jordan, Thomas Johnson, Lillian Landis
Jacob Messer, Morgan Mitchell, Stephanie Murray, Bailey Pace, Madison Poole, Mary Thompson
and Sydney Walsh
State FBLA Conference Competition Winners
Amber Conner--1st Place--Accounting II
Cody Dillon--2nd Place--Java Programming
Devin Haughey--4th Place--Network Design
Nathan Lebert--4th Place--Network Design
Charlie Phan--4th Place--Network Design
Travis Rose--1st Place--Visual Basic Programming
Andrea Samuel--Electronic Career Portfolio--1st
Arkansas' First Diamond School to Watch
Kirksey Middle School
All State Orchestra
Melissa George, Miles Bowlin, Andrea Samuel, Michele Sheperd, Cameron Styles, Jon George, Cheyenne McCoy and Brandon Martin
All State Choir
Dustin Rapier and Jonathon Chavez
DECA Diamond Award
Rogers High School DECA Club
State Outstanding DECA Chapter Advisor
Jeff Shaw
High School P.E. Teacher of the Year (Southern District)
Deb Walter
All State Band
Katie Smith, Margaret Elenbarger, Tyler Avery, Wes Gillman, Sam Sparks, Andy Rowan, Ashley Burks and James Whitmore (1st alternate French horn).
First Place in Geometry - University of Arkansas Regional Math Competition
Rachel Torralbus
Region I Arkansas School Band and Orchestra Association Concert and Sightreading Assessment
Rogers High School Band -Superior First Division
All State Basketball
Katie Fehlig, Jonathan Moore and Kyle Moix
All Conference Basketball
Jonathan Moore, Kyle Moix, Aaron Hawley, Katie Fehlig, Amanda Gibbons, as well as Chelsea Anderson and Brittany Coleman (Honorable Mention)
National Merit Finalists
Natassia Taylor, Travis Rose, Kyle Moix, Robert March and Anna Alderson
Northwest Arkansas Regional Art Competition Winners
1st Place for Second Grade -Juliett Calderon, 1st Place for Fourth Grade - Russton Johnson, 1st Place for Fifth Grade-Courtney Farnsworth, Second Place for Third Grade-McKenzie McCarty, Second Place for 4th Grade - Nicholas Robinson, Third Place for Kindergarten - Anna Randels, Third Place for First Grade - Geddon Kennedey, and Third Place for Fourth Grade -Holly Rodgers.
New Nationally Board Certified Teachers
Kim Arnold, Angie Ellington, and Mindy Noble
All State Cross Country
Aaron Hamilton, Eric Molina, Taylor Surly, Forrest Roth, Cameron Efurd, Jordan Falls, Natalia Guerrero, Rachel Conley, Courtney Efurd, and Ellen Heimback
All State Golf
Hunter Mobley and C.J. Bobbitt
All State Indoor Track
Courtney Efurd, Taylor Surly, Cameron Efurd, Jordan Falls, Raymond Martinez, and Ben Peterson
Knowledge Master Open Competition - 1st in Arkansas; 14th in the World
Oakdale Jr. High Quiz Bowl Team
State Farm 7A Coach of the Year
Ronnie Peacock
State Farm 7A Offensive Player of the Year
Cody Kirby
Arkansas Gatorade State Player of the Year
Lee Ziemba
State Boys Cross Country Champions
Rogers High School
State Girls Cross Country Runner-up Champions
Rogers High School
State Girls Volleyball Runner-up Champions
Rogers High School
Southern Media Showcase Winners
Newspaper Div.-Column: 1st place Celeste Lander; Feature Writing- 2nd place Jessica Cearley, Honorable Mention Lindsay McAskie; Sports Writing - 2nd place Brian Washburn; Page One Design - 1st place The Mountie Spectrum; Best Overall Newspaper - 1st place The Mountie Spectrum; Sweepstakes - 2nd place Rogers High School
AAAAAAA Conference Champions
Rogers High School Football Team
All State Football
David DeYoung, Taylor Gleghorn, Cody Kirby, Chad Peachey, Derek Smith, and Lee Ziemba
All Conference Football
Jake Byrne, Jared Carmichael, Dustin Chase, Blake Driver, Jayson Hawthorne, Matt Huffmaster, Reid Ivie, Kyle Montgomery, Brian Oller, Bobby Pennington, and Derek Sherry
Arkansas Multi-Level Counselor of the Year
Toni Thorn
Superior Ratings at Regional Marching Band Contest
Rogers High School
Elmwood Jr. High School
Oakdale Jr. High School
First school in Arkansas to receive Achievement Award from the Arkansas Institute for Performance Excellence
Rogers High School
University of Memphis Programming Challenge 2007 Best of Show-Cody Dillen, Devin Haughey, Alex Tabor, Charlie Phan and Spencer Morgan
1st Place Technical Merit - David WRight, Chris Melendez and John Martin
3rd Place Technical Merit - Cody Brown, Wes Jackson, Garrett Helmick, and James Coker
2nd Place Overall-Evan Zey, Anthony Lee, and Ashton Tate
National Marketing Education Honor Claire Flores, Jared Sederholm and Jordan Turley
National Society of High School Scholars
Luke McKay Smith
Ford/AAA "Hands On" Contest -Third Place and $16,000 in Automotive Scholarships
Nic Foster and Trevor Latham
A National Honor Roll's Outstanding American Teacher 2005/2006
Diana Eikenberry
Columbia Scholastic Press Association Gold Medalist
Mountie Spectrum
National Merit Semifinalists
Natassia Taylor, Nathaniel Smith, Travis Rose, Kyle Moix, Robert March and Anna Anderson
First School in State to Earn Quality Performance Award - Achievement Level
Rogers High School
American Press Women's Association- 2nd in the Nation for Review Writing
Celeste Landers
Gold Award for Educational Achievement from the Southern Regional Educational Board
Rogers High School
State Outstanding Mock Trial Teacher/Coach
Brenda Patton
Arkansas Foreign Language Teachers Association Friends of Foreign Language Award
Linda Dodd
Rogers-Lowell Chamber of Commerce Teachers of the Year
Susan Harp, Lucy Minardi, Marla Annen, Perry Escalante, and Cindy Caudle
National Gold Award Winner - Scholastic Art and Writing Awards
Melody Hill
Regional Gold Key Award Winners - Scholastic Art and Writing Awards
Melody Hill and Hannah Wood
Newsweek's 1,000 Best High Schools in America
Rogers High School (771)
All-Star Girls Basketball Team Coach
Preston Early
All-Arkansas Publications
RHS Mountaineer yearbook
RHS Mountie Spectrum newspaper
Arkansas (Div. I) Newspaper Editors of the Year
Sara Ellenberger and Amber Hall
President's Youth Environmental Award for 2005-06 (Region 6)
Millie Hogue
State Optimist Oratorical Contest Winners
Abby Rose (1st place) and T.J. Stallbaumer (2nd)
First Arkansas School to Receive NCA's Highest Level of Accreditation
Rogers High School
Ark. Assoc. of Middle Level Education- Team that Makes a Difference State Winner
Lingle Team 7D
National French Exam Top Scorer for Arkansas and 4th in the Nation
Melanie Kyles
University of Arkansas Graduate Student of the Year
Laura Quillen
Wal-Mart Teachers of the Year
Christi Eilskov, Andra Drake, Kim Boyd, and Theresa Goade
FBLA State Conference Winners
Entrepreneurship Team-1st Place: Caitlin Murphy, Blair Larson & Robert March
2nd Place: Jordan Difani
3rd Place: Emerging Business Issues Team: John Roller & Gary Phair
Business Ethics Team-3rd Place: Cassandra Arnhart & Cristina Mayne-Nicholls
JAVA Programming-5th Place: Stephen Ehret
Banking and Financial Systems-5th Place: Clayton Clay
Who's Who in Arkansas FBLA
Caitlin Murphy
All-State Golf
Celeste Bobbitt
All-State Basketball
Kane Moix and Kristen Barbee
All-State Cross Country
Aaron Hamilton, Eric Molina, Kevin Holland, Cameron Efurd, Forrest Roth, Courtney Efurd, Ellen Heimbach, Olivia Haughey, Alyvia Rogers, and Danielle Cummins
University of Memphis Programming Challenge
Overall Winner
Beginner 1st Place: Cody Cox, David Deyoung, Aaron Hill, Cassie Lane, and Andrea Samuel
Beginner 2nd Place: Cody Dillen, Devin Haughey, Nathan Lebert, and Charlie Phan
Advanced 2nd Place: Andrew Johncox, Zach Jordan, Brett Shook, and James Whitmore
Advanced 3rd Place: Eric Casson, Daniel Garcia, Patrick Grant, and Kayla Schmit
User Interface & Playability Awards
Advanced 2nd Place: Andrew Johncox, Zach Jordan, Brett Shook, and James Whitmore
Originality & Creativity Awards
Beginner 2nd Place: Cody Cox, David Deyoung, Aaron Hill, Cassie Lane, and Andrea Samuel
Beginner 3rd Place: Wes Jackson, Mitch Lee, Spencer Morgan, and Lee Swagerty
Advanced 1st Place: Andrew Johncox, Zach Jordan, Brett Shook, and James Whitmore
Technical Merit (Coding and System Design)
Beginner 1st Place: Cody Dillen, Devin Haughey, Nathan Lebert, and Charlie Phan
Advanced 2nd Place: Andrew Johncox, Zach Jordan, Brett Shook, and James Whitmore
Presentation Quality
Beginner 1st Place: Cody Dillen, Devin Haughey, Nathan Lebert, and Charlie Phan
Beginner 2nd Place: Cody Cox, David Deyoung, Aaron Hill, Cassie Lane, and Andrea Samuel
Advanced 2nd Place: Eric Casson, Daniel Garcia, Patrick Grant, and Kayla Schmit
Advanced 3rd Place: Andrew Johncox, Zach Jordan, Brett Shook, and James Whitmore
Beginner 1st Place: Brandon Bright, Cody Brown, Nathan Edwards, and Alex Tabor
Beginner 3rd Place: Tyler Bishop, Matthew Huffmaster, Katie Smith, and Nathaniel Smith
Advanced 1st Place: Eric Casson, Daniel Garcia, Patrick Grant, and Kayla Schmit
Advanced 2nd Place: Andrew Johncox, Zach Jordan, Brett Shook, and James Whitmore
Beginner 1st Place: Cody Cox, David Deyoung, Aaron Hill, Cassie Lane, and Andrea Samuel
Beginner 2nd Place: Cody Dillen, Devin Haughey, Nathan Lebert, and Charlie Phan
Advanced 2nd Place: Eric Casson, Daniel Garcia, Patrick Grant, and Kayla Schmit
All-State Swimming
Nick Carter, Andy Denefe, Christopher Hogg, and Ben Noetzel
Arkansas DECA Outstanding New Chapter Advisor
Jeff Shaw
DECA State Competition Award-Winners
1st Place for a Creative Marketing Project: Hope Staten, Rachelle Richardson, and Erin Standridge
1st Place in the Marketing Management Series: Kolten Carpenter
1st Place for an Advertising Campaign: Rochelle Renteria
1st Place in Fashion Merchandisng Promotion Plan: Claire Flores
2nd Place in the Retail Merchandisng Series: Jennifer Post
2nd Place in Quiz Bowl: Liz Trujillo, John Raines, Dylan Jacobi, and Jade Morgan
2nd Place for Resturant and Food Servicer Management: Dylan Jacobi
3rd Place for - Financial Management: Jade Morgan, and Zack Olson
National Merit Finalists
Andrew Avery, Aaron Belknap, April Burns and Karl Sonntag
Arkansas Middle School Assistant Principal of the Year
Rhonda Gentry-Lingle Middle School
All-State Choir
Layken Koenning, Antony Floyd and Lukas Wigington
All-State Orchestra
Melissa George, Brittani Smith, Angela Bass, Sara Bloomingkemper, Chad Sherman, Josh Hadsell, Karl Sonntag, Cameron Mussar and Kevin Cayanan
All-State Band
Allison Rasche, Kendal Griffith, Jan Seres, Tyler Avery, and Andy Rowan
Future Business Leaders of America District Conference Winners
1st Place: Joe Stenson--Network Technology Foundations
1st Place: Stephen Ehret--Flash
2nd Place: Andrea Samuel--Graphic Communications
2nd Place: Lauren Bright--Multimedia Concepts I
2nd Place: Nathaniel Smith--Flash
3rd Place: Jordan Difani--Multimedia Concepts I
3rd Place: Jordan Difani--Multimedia Concepts II
3rd Place: Michael Ferrell--Graphic Communications
3rd Place: Michael Ferrell--Network Technology Foundations
4th Place: Matthew Heisserer--Television Production
4th Place: Matthew Huffmaster--Network Technology Foundations
5th Place: Andrea Samuel--Multimedia Concepts I
5th Place: Gary Phair--Enterprise Management
6th Place: Nathaniel Smith--Network Technology Foundations
8th Place: Jubal Lindsey--Enterprise Management
9th Place: Neda Bowren--Multimedia Concepts I
HTML Open Event: Katie Smith-2nd, Joe Stenson-4th, Michael Ferrell-7th, Tyler Bishop-8th, and Matthew Huffmaster-9th.
2005 National Board Certification (the highest teaching credential)
Tara Trammell
(Tara joins 15 other Rogers teachers who have earned this prestigious distinction after going through a rigorous evaluation process.)
Arkansas School Boards Association Board of Directors-Secretary and future president (2009)
Cathy Allen
Pinnacle Board Member Award
Cathy Allen
All-State Football
Kipp Allen
Lee Ziemba
All-Conference Football
Levi Andrews, Zach Caton, Tyler Entwisle, Judd Galbraith, and Van Nguyen
All-State Volleyball
Ashley Fejleh
Regional Quiz Bowl Champions
Kirksey Middle School
State Champions
RHS Girls Cross Country Team
State Champions
RHS Boys Cross Country Team
State Secondary Assistant Principal of the Year
Matt Saferite-Rogers High School
State Secondary P.E. Teacher of the Year
Deb Walters-Crossroads
Principal of the Year-Arkansas Congressional Zone 5
Cathy Ramsey-Reagan Elementary
State Middle School English Teacher of the Year
Margaret Lockhart-Lingle Middle School
State Elementary Counselor of the Year
Lynn Marzoni-Lowell Elementary
AP Scholar with Distinction Award Winners
Blaine Allgood, Johnny Barham, Kyle Blair, Zachary Caton, John Colburn, Zachary Curtis, Meghan Gray, Kendal Griffiths, Brandon Jarnagan, Madeline Jones, Rachel Lauderdale, Katherine Mahon, Paul Oldham, Sarah Rhoads, and Alexander Schwyhart
AP Scholar with Honor Award Winners
Andrew Avery, Aaron Belknap, Kristopher Burns, Austin Dunn, Melissa Hoffman, Leslie Jennings, Zachary Jordan, Caitlin Murphy, Buster Neece, Christine Schwader, Eric Washburn, and Matthew Youngblood
AP Scholar Award Winners
Hannah Acord, Jared Alford, Brandon Ballard, Jessica Berens, Sara Brand, April Burns, Curtis Campbell, Anthony Caton, Katelyn Clark, Alexander Cole, Danielle Cummins, Emily Curtis, Sara Elenbarger, Holly Fisher, Jeremy Glass, Jennifer Goodwin, Andrew Gravit, Alan Hearth, Rachel Hodgin, Andrew Hoyt, Kevin Jensen, Andrew Johncox, Kasey Kindy, Celeste Lander, Ashlee Macy, Mary March, Emily Marshall, Tamarah McGaughey, Devin Moore, Mary Morrison, Sara Overton, Kevie Rapier, Garrett Sanders, Patricia Scott, Kaley Sherar, Chad Sherman, Karl Sonntag, and Damaris Sonora
National Academies Advisory Council
Steve Long-Associate Member
Jeff Belk-Director-at-Large
Who's Who Among American Teachers
Carla Nelson, Gina Horton, Donna Bolin, Anne Saullo, Missy Wright, Barry Knight, Liz Harter and Lesley Donaldson
National Merit Semifinalists
Andrew Avery, Aaron Belknap, April Burns, Andrew Gravit, Karl Sonntag and Joseph Gurel
Bessie B. Moore Excellence in Teaching Economics Awards
Amy Smallwood (Intermediate and Middle Level State Winner)
Leslie Donaldson (Intermediate and Middle Level Finalist)
National FBLA Conference Winners
Alex Schwyhart- 8th in the Nation in Economics
Caitlin Murphy-9th in the Nation in Marketing
Recognized for outstanding national test scores by the Duke University Talent Identification Program
Ashleigh Alecusan (grand recognition), Marni Bayles, Rachel Casey, Shanyce Day, Jennifer Goodwin, Sarah Heimbach, James Kelly, Hayden Lovelace, McKenzie Macy, Tracer Moore, DeeAnn Norman, Joshua Ross and Daniel Sultmeier.
Pride of Rogers Award
Cathy Allen
Arts with Education Teacher Award from the Walton Arts Center
Pat Lane
Who's Who Among American Teachers
Gina Horton
Claes Nobel Educator of Distinction
Brenda Patton
Rogers-Lowell Chamber of Commerce Teachers of the Year
Brenda Brannan, Vicki Wagner, Margaret Lockhart, Jane Baldridge, and Fran Williams
Wal-Mart Teachers of the Year
Sarah Miller, Steve Dirks, Judy Ranalli, Suzanne Hinkle, Doug Blevins, and Jodie McIntyre
School Bus Driver of the Year
Victoria Hillian
Transportation Support Person of the Year
Mike McClure
2004-2005 Teachers of Excellence
Sukey Dake, Kim Hamilton, Mary Frances Shinall, Jo Stevens, Vickie Wagner, Laura Quillen, Brenda Brannan, Angela Nebling, Jo Ann Williams, Lucy Minardi, Jennifer Kirkland, Anne Saullo, April Lane, Andrew Schmidt, Carolyn Scott, Brenda Harrison, Regina Jones, John Jones, Patricia Lane, Patty Thomas, Angie Ellington, Tara Trammell, Jodie McIntyre, Karen Brashears, Janet Stennett, Heather Whillock, Margaret Lockhart, Martha Mayes, Kim Shepard, Chrissie Doyle, and Larry Chalmers
Outstanding Master's Student in Special Education
Faith Schoonmaker
Outstanding Doctoral Student in the University of Arkansas Department of Curriculum and Instruction
Tina Howlett
2005 University of Memphis Programming Challenge Award-winners (open to all high schools in Arkansas, Tennessee and Mississippi)
Best of Show Program: Tyler Bishop, David Fryauf, Katie Smith and James Whitmore
User Interface and Playability Awards: 1st place- Patrick Grant, Darren Cawley, Zachary Olson and Stephen Ehret, 2nd Place-Patrick Grant, Darren Cawley, Zachary Olson and Stephen Ehret; 3rd Place-Brett Shook, Zach Jordan, Kayla Schmit, Michael Ferrell and Buddy Widdick.
Originality and Creativity Awards: Overall-Tyler Bishop, David Fryauf, Katie Smith and James Whitmore; 1st Place-Tyler Bishop, David Fryauf, Katie Smith and James Whitmore; 2nd place- Brett Shook, Zach Jordan, Kayla Schmit, Michael Ferrell and Buddy Widdick.
Technical Merit (Coding and System Design): 1st Place-Brett Shook, Zach Jordan, Kayla Schmit, Michael Ferrell and Buddy Widdick; 3rd Place-Patrick Grant, Darren Cawley, Zachary Olson and Stephen Ehret.
Presentation Quality: 2nd Place-Tyler Bishop, David Fryauf, Katie Smith and James Whitmore; 3rd Place-Brett Shook, Zach Jordan, Kayla Schmit, Michael Ferrell and Buddy Widdick.
Teamwork: Overall- Tyler Bishop, David Fryauf, Katie Smith and James Whitmore; 1st Place- Tyler Bishop, David Fryauf, Katie Smith and James Whitmore; 3rd Place-Brett Shook, Zach Jordan, Kayla Schmit, Michael Ferrell and Buddy Widdick
Outstanding School in Physical Activity and Nutrition-Northwest Region
Kirksey Middle School
Elected President of the Arkansas Young Democrats
Josh Blevins, RHS Class of 2002
Arkansas Council on Economic Education Stock Market Game Winners
Sara Sears and Chad Miller-1st Place Senior High Division/West Region
Charlene Hagan, advisor
All-State Softball
Hannah Cicioni
All-Conference Softball
Whitney Phillips
Hannah Becton
All-Star Soccer Team Members
Carlos Barragan
Ashley Badeen
Brittany Coursey
State Soccer All-Tournament Teams
Juan Sanchez, Sam Bolton, Brittany Coursey, Alyvia Rogers, and Dana Sutherland. Tournament MVP: Ashley Badeen.
All-State Soccer
Ashley Badeen, Brittany Coursey, Alyvia Rogers, Danny Haynel, and Zack McGee
All-Conference (AAAAA West)
Ashley Badeen, Brittany Coursey, Early Villegas, Alyvia Rogers, Sam Bolton, Asia Rogers, Yacube Chetlou, Felix Sponagl, Austin Styles, and Julio Benitez
2005 NWACC ESL Field Day Award-winners
Culture Bowl: 1st-Oakdale Jr. High, 2nd-English Academy
Spelling Bee Winner-Vanessa Sanchez
Speech: 1st-Gregorio Ramos, 2nd-Vanessa Sanchez, 3rd-Marvin Solis
Poetry: 1st-Sarai Rico, 2nd- Oscar Padilla, 2nd-Ana Smith, 3rd-Cindy DelaTorre
Poster: 1st place-English Academy
ESL Spirit Award-English Academy
All-State Baseball
Matt Wolfe
All-Conference Baseball
Johnny Brewer, Lance Ferguson, Chase Marler, and Blake Shuett. Honorable Mention: Daniel Golden, Van Nguyen, and Cody Kirby
All-State Baseball Tournament Team Member
Lance Ferguson
All-Star Soccer Team (Girls West) Assistant Coach
Jeff Barker
Silver Award Winners in the National Scholastic Art and Writing Awards Contest
Amber Hall
Holly Fisher
Odyssey of the Mind World Competitors
Bellview Elementary-"Laughathon"
Eastside Elementary-"Get the Message"
National Conservation Award in Education
Jeff Belk, RHS Outdoor Education teacher
State Speech Co-Champion Teams
Jim Pappas, Michelle Shepherd, Graham Scott and Jaime Grant
State Speech Contest Winner
Stephanie McKenna - Original Oratory
Fleet Reserve 10th Grade Essay Contest Winners
Theme: What Freedom Means to Me
Shanda Beitz, 1st place
David Long, 2nd place
Christopher Edens, 3rd place
Selected for the Bringing China to Arkansas Program
Kristie Daut, Lisa Mills and Kathleen Blankenship
Lifetime of Dedication Service Award from the Arkansas Foreign Language Teachers Association
Tom and Jeanette Arnhart
Jim Friesen Youth Excellence Awards
Ever Ramirez-RHS
Stephen Flickinger-Oakdale
Joseph Tilman-Elmwood
All-Arkansas from the Arkansas Scholastic Press Association
Mountie Spectrum Newspaper
Mountaineer Yearbook
Newspaper Co-Editors of the Year-ASPA
Holly Fisher and Buster Neece
ASPA Writer of the Year-Honorable Mention
Christine Schwader
National Council of Teachers of English Achievement Award in Writing
Michelle Betnar
Optimist Club Speech Contest Winners
Jozi Parson, 2nd place in Girls Division
Anna Marlow, 3rd place in Girls Division
Brian Carrena, 2nd place in Boys Division
John Rex Spivey, 3rd place in Boys Division
State ACLU Bill of Rights Essay Contest-2nd place
Lena Murfin
State Thespian Winners
Celeste Landers (1st place-Costume Design), Megan Graham (Excellent rating-One Act), Zach Curtis (3rd place-Solo Musical), Matt Stevens and Zach Curtis (2nd place-Duet Musical), Josh Hogg and Aeryn Arrowsmith (1st place-Troupe Commercial), Bentley Mehn, Justin Weatherford and Craig Galloway (1st place-T-Shirt Design for Guys and Dolls). All honors cast members included Aaron Carter, Ray Lisi, Alex Cole, Amelia Johnson and Christy Young.
State Mock Trial Champions (2 years in a row)
RHS Mock Trial Team- David Estudiante, Jennifer Goodwin, Benton Brown, Amanda Dunavan, Megan Schrader, Grant DuBois, Megan Hayes and Steven Mincke. Sponsor: Brenda Patton.
All-State Basketball-AAAAA
Kane Moix - Rogers High School Boys Team
Julie Bielawski-Rogers High School Girls Team
All-Conference Basketball-AAAAA West
Kristen Barbee-RHS Girls Team
National Hoop Shoot Contender
Nancy Diaz -Tucker School
Arkansas Foreign Language Competition-Region #3 Winners
April Burns (1st place-French III/Advanced Vocabulary Bee), Sandra Garcia (3rd place-French III/Advanced Vocabulary Bee), Sarah Wilcox (2nd place overall- French Art), Oakdale Marionette Performance (1st place-French Talent), Jonathan Chavez (2nd place-French Talent), Sunny Applegate (3rd place-French Talent), Oakdale Dance Performance (3rd place-Spanish Talent), Melissa George (3rd Place-French Vocabulary I), Yesica Soto (2nd place-French Vocabulary II), and Maria Cruz Raygoza (2nd place-French Vocabulary II).
First-Place Winners, Stanford University National Debate Invitational
Benton Brown and Megan Schrader
Cast in 25th Anniversary Tour of "Cats" as Pounciful/Understudy to Mistoffelees
Zach Denison, Class of 2000
Governor's Council Fitness Leadership Award
Kirksey Middle School
Selected for National Council on Economic Education Study Tour of Transitional Economies
Lisa Cress and Amy Smallwood
National Merit Finalists
Katie Mahon and Buster Neece
All-Southern ranking from the Southern Interscholastic Press Association.
Mountie Spectrum
Arkansas Geographic Bee Semifinalist
Alex March
2004 Gatorade Arkansas Girls Soccer Player of the Year
Samantha Bolton
Sweepstakes Award-Arkansas School Band and Orchestra Association
Elmwood Junior High Band
Best Team Award - ACTELA Language Arts Festival
Lingle Middle School took First Place in Dramatic Reading, Poetry, and Usage and Mechanics, Second in Dramatic Reading and Vocabulary, and Third in Grammar at the statewide competition. Team members included Ashley Randels, Grarreth Wilson, David Matz, Collin Roberts, Audrey Ford, Lina Tran, Paige Quinlin, Ali Taylor, Chelsea Gatlin, Deanne Norman, Chelsey Shone and Tami Griffith.
All-State Choir
Katie Langum, Davinia Casey, Ashley Macy, Brandon Jarnagan, Justin Hasse, David Dotson, Tanner Pitman, Josh Hogg, Aeryn Arrowsmith, Lukas Wigginton, Antony Floyd and Layken Koenning
All-State Band
James Whitmore, Jan Seres, Kaley Sherar, Allison Rasche, and Kendal Griffiths
All-State Orchestra
Melissa George, Sara Bloomingkemper, Angela Bass, Andrea Samuels, Chad Sherman, Josh Hadsell, Karl Sonntag, Jesse Lane, Miles Bowlin, and John Roberts
Arkansas School Business Official of the Year
David Cauldwell
Southwest Sectional Coach of the Year
Jeff Barker, RHS Girls Soccer Coach
Arkansas Middle School P.E. Teacher of the Year
Jim Yurwitz- Kirksey Middle School
National AP Scholars
Cole Bockenfeld, Sebastian Castro, Andrew Cloud, and Brian Kyles
AP Scholars with Distinction Award
Cole Bockenfeld, Drew Bockenfeld, Sebastian Castro, Andrew Cloud, Johnathon Goodwin, Gabriel Granderson, Trent Jauch, Brian Kyles, Andrew Lewis, Tammy Lippert, Renee Lizcano, Michelle Parks, Jacob Rubow, Christine Snyder, Kelsey Steele and William Watts
AP Scholars with Honor
Eric Anderson, Kristopher Burns, Zachary Curtis, Mary Daniel, Lindsey Fields, Jennifer Heisserer, Andrea Huffmaster, Jennifer Monick, Buster Neece, and Alexander Schwyhart
AP Scholars
Johnny Barham, Kyle Blair, Rachelle Carter, John Colburn, Alexander Cole, Alexandra Dunlop, Shawn Foust, Antoinette Grajeda, Katherine Howard, Brandon Jarnagan, Madeline Jones, Mary March, Matthew Mayes, Tamarah McGaughey, Kimberly Mills, Phuong Nguyen, Matthew Noetzel, Suzanne Ownbey, Michael Rasche, Sarah Rhoads, Kathryn Rohr, Brigitte Shook, Seaghan Smith, Rebecca Strain, Jaime Turner, and Thomas Walsh
State Chess Champions (third year in a row)
Oakdale Junior High Chess Club
All-State Football
Cade Caton
Football AAAAA West Conference Honors
Jake Curtis, Lee Ziemba, Johnny Brewer and Tyler Brown
2005 Independence Bowl High School All-American Game
Trey Becton
West All-Star Football Team
Johnny Brewer
Cade Caton
Creative Communication's Writing Achievement Award
Grace Hill Elementary
Arkansas Delegate to William Randolph Hearst Foundation United States Senate Youth Program
Alexander Schwyhart
Teachers Recognized with National Board Certification in 2004
Margaret Lockhart (Lingle), Susan Henderson (Jones), and Brenda Jarman (Eastside)
Boys Cross Country State Champions
Rogers High School
Girls Cross Country State Champion Runner Up
Rogers High School
National Merit Semifinalists
Katie Mahon and Buster Neece
National Women's Press Association- First Place Winner for Reviews
Holly Fisher
Bessie B. Moore Award Winners for Innovative Economics Lessons
Gayla Ramthun, Lesley K. Donaldson, Catherine Dunlap, and Amy Smallwood
Gold Medalist Yearbook, Columbia Scholastic Press Association
2003-2004 Honors
Outstanding Master's Student in the Educational Administration Department at UA
Patricia Todd
Outstanding Master's Student in the Educational Technology Department at UA
Melody Vaughn
Polly M. Jackson Master Economics Teachers in Arkansas Award
Dr. Tom Woodruff
Outdoor Educator of the Year
Jeff Belk
State Champions
RHS Mock Trial Team
Outstanding Scholar Athletes of the Year
Brandon Feagans and Jonas Dunnaway
Board Member of National Science Teachers Association
Steve Long
Benton County Spelling Bee Winner
Daniel Sultemeier
Shannon Wright Award Winner for State's Outstanding Middle School
Lingle Middle School
2003-2004 National Merit Finalists
Andrew Cloud, Michelle Parks and Sebastian Castro
Rogers Leads State with Number of New Nationally Certified Teachers
Mary Jo Barnes, Louann Barnett, Hannah Shepard, Ellen Taylor and Gail Undernehr
All-State Orchestra Members
Sara Bloomingkemper, Bethany Brownell, Sebastian Castro, Josh Hadsell, Andrea Huffmaster, Garrett Jones, Rachel Lauderdale and Nik Smyth.
All-State Band Members
Gabriel Granderson, Garrett Jones, Josh Jones, Amy Morrow, Brett Nebling, Corey Puett, and Allison Rasche.
Boys Cross Country Coach of the Year
Carlton Efurd
Assistant Baseball Coach of the Year in 5-state region
Matt Melson
Regional Baseball Coach of the Year
Tom Woodruff
State Champions
RHS Boys Cross Country Team
State Champions
RHS Girls Cross Country Team
College Board Scholars
Renee Lizcano and Sebastian Castro
NASDAQ National Teaching Award Finalist
Tom Woodruff
Bessie B. Moore Award Winners for Innovative Economics Lessons
Tom Woodruff, Cindy Caudle, Cindy Ford, Penny Sims, Phil Young, Lesley Donaldson, Amy Smallwood, Angela Miller, April Lane, Rodney Fulton and Nikki Johnston
2003 National Merit Semifinalists
Sebastian Castro, Andrew Cloud, Brett Nebling and Michelle Parks
Heroes of the Heart Award Winners
Bob Newman, an RHS migrant tutor, and Jeanette Arnhart, an Oakdale Spanish teacher, won a �Heroes of the Heart� humanitarian award from Wal-Mart and the League of United Latin American Citizens for their contributions to the Hispanic community.
Arkansas Quality Award
Rogers High School has been honored for achieving the second level of the Arkansas Quality Award this year. This highly respected set of awards in the business community honors companies and organizations which have implemented a quality management system. The awards system is used by businesses, government agencies, schools and a variety of other groups to improve quality, productivity and financial effectiveness.
First Place Winner , Tulsa State Fair Parade - Jr. High Division
Elmwood Junior High Band
Wal-Mart State Teacher of the Year
Tom Woodruff
2002-2003 Awards
Cross Country Coach of the Year
Carlton Efurd (RHS)
Conference Champions
RHS Boys' Tennis Team
Coach: Mike Bush
Outstanding Arkansas Scholar Athlete of the Year
Ben Campbell
2nd Place in State Tournament
RHS Girls' Soccer Team
Coach: Jeff Barker
Assistant Coaches: EJaye Barnardo, Debbie Badeen
7th graders recognized in the Duke University Talent Identification Program
Kirksey: Jordan McCleland, Matthew Nagy, Nyssa Trivett, Seth White
Lingle: Nicholas Carter, Cody Dillen, Margaret Elenbarger, Charley Jenkins, Alexandra Olinger, Charlie Phan, Kimberly Tuggle
Conference Champions
Elmwood Girls' Track Team
Coach: Craig White
State Math Award Winners
Brian Kyles: 1st Place Regional pre-calculus, 2nd Place State
Gabriel Granderson: 2nd Place Regional Pre-calculus
Suzanne Ownbey 1st Place Regional Algebra II
Jessica Berens: Honorable Mention Regional Algebra II, Honorable Mention State Algebra II
Johnny Barham: Honorable Mention Regional Algebra II
Art students whose works were selected for display at the Arts Center of the Ozarks or U of A
Kirksey: Shawn Burk, Manuel Caro, Matt Fream, Josh Peek, Mario Reveles, Nathan Spears, Edwin Tobar, Rodolfo Vazquez
Lingle: Tanya Abarca, Johana Galvan, Katie Gravelle, Kristin Gregory, Jeremy Griffith, Paul Herrera, Jesse Holaday, Brittany Kennedy, Josh Kifani, Jill Kinslow, Kim Nguyen, Miriam Pina, Ana Sandoval, Ashton Tate
Early Literacy Learning in Arkansas (ELLA) awards
Julie Favorite (Lowell), Carol Hartman (Reagan), Karen Johnson (Tillery), Pam Kachenchai (Northside), Debbie More (Reagan), Angie Penquite (Jones), Sarah Pohlman (Eastside), Sherrie Ragland (Lowell), Beverly Rose (Eastside), Tisha Sill (Mathias), Jerri Cooper (Reagan), Theresa Mitchell (Tillery), Olga Munoz (Tillery)
Distributive Education Clubs of America (DECA) state awards
1st Place-Learn and Earn Research Project-Mitch Dinowitz and Lee Freyaldenhoven
1st Place-DECA Quiz Bowl-Ashley Kelley, Jessica Beal, Daniela Herrera, and Lee Freyaldenhoven
1st Place-Business Services-Rachel Tarvin
2nd Place Scrapbook-Chapter Event
2nd Place-Retail Management-Management Level-Jennifer Dozier
4th Place Full Service Restaurant Management-Tonya Johnson
4th Place Food Marketing-Associate Level- Nena Munson
Rogers High School DECA won the top award for donating the most money for MDA. Students sell shamrocks and all the money is donated to MDA which serves as a community service.
Patriotic speech contest winners
Michael Burner - "Give Me Liberty or Give Me Death" (Patrick Henry)
Haley Hollis - "What Is Your Fourth of July To Me" (Fredrick Douglas)
Ashleigh Alecusan - "Inaugrual Address" (John F. Kennedy)
Mollie Ann Kuth - "Let America Be America Again" (Langston Hughes)
Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA) state awards
Alex Shipman, Rachel Tarvin, Jennifer Heisserer
30 years as an FBLA advisor
Kay Cole, RHS
One of 9 national winners of a scholarship awarded by the French Embassy for summer study in France
Brad Gilmer, Oakdale
State winner of the Marty Deweese scholarship for professional development in foreign language
Rebecca Gilmer, RHS
Journalism Awards (all at RHS)
Cheryl White - Arkansas Broadcast Journalist of the Year
Libby Bridges & Yvette Scorse - Ark Newspaper Editors of the Year
Joel Echogoyen - 1st place in cartooning (Arkansas Press Women)
Yvette Scorse - 2nd place, writer of the year
Anjulie Bobo & Jennifer Lee - 3rd place, designer of the year (yearbook)
All-Arkansas designation - RHS newspaper and yearbook
U of A Health/PE (HKRD) Student of the Year
Kathy Caton (Oakdale)
Odyssey of the Mind Teams that Qualified for State/World Competition
OM State/World
Grace Hill - Fooled Ya!.
Coach: Donna Sparks
Team members: Allen Whitlow, Durgan Maxey, Kevin Baughman, Shanyce Day, Jori Johnson, Tyler Moncrief, and Chelsea Depner
OM State/World
Westside - Put a Spin On It.
Coach: Kay Weiderhaft
Team members: Hunter Cochran, Jamie Porche, Tiffany Brzozkiewicz, Tyler Button, GianCarlo Devich, and Gracie Weiderhaft.
OM State/World
Westside - The Know It Alls.
Coach: Jeanette Enzor
Team members: Alex Gravelle, Maggie Kell, Daniel Sultemeier, Katie Flanagin, Gabriel Fountain, and Cameron Elder.
OM State/World
Lingle - The Know It All.
Coaches: Beth Carnes and JoAnna Young
Team members: Heather Rowlett, Nick Crump, Kylee Hansen, Skye Roberson, Kayla Goodwin, Ashley Russell, and Adam Johnson.
(Note: This team qualified for the World Championships in Ames, IA.)
OM State/World
Lingle - Put A Spin On It.
Coaches: LeeAnn Walker and Kay Weiderhaft
Team members: Taylor Lowery, Devin Haughey, Rachel Walker, Cody Dillen, Margaret Elenbarger, Laura Weiderhaft, and Jordan Jones.
OM State/World
Lingle - Odd Pod Structure.
Coaches: Stan Peterson and Kathryn Sparks
Team members: S. Samuel Sparks, Kayla Brown, Amilya Echols, Ben Peterson, Matt Alderson, Libby Black, and Chelsey Shone.
(Note: This team qualified for the World Championships in Ames, IA.)
OM State/World
Lingle - Fooled Ya!.
Coach: Kathy Johnson
Team members: Nicholas Lewis, Kelsi Johnson, Meredith Johnson, Stephen Turner, Noel Noriega, Tyler Finley, and Kara Nardoni.
OM State/World
Oakdale - Put a Spin On It.
Coaches: Martha Mayes, Jeanette Arnhart, and Lara McElderry
Team members: Anna Alderson, Joe Stenson, Brittani Smith, Robert March, Cassandra Arnhart, Rachel Whitsell, and Aaron Oldham.
(Note: This team qualified for the World Championships in Ames, IA.)
OM State/World
Oakdale - The Know It All. Division III
Coaches: Martha Mayes, Jeanette Arnhart, and Lara McElderry
Team members: Katie Moore, Celeste Lander, Amber Lamberth, Christa Heruochon, and Dustin Bladwin.
FBLA Students who Qualified for National Competition in Dallas, Texas
Rachel Tarvin, Accounting I, Jennifer Heisserer, Banking & Financial Systems, Alex Shipman, Programming: Visual BASIC.
In addition, the RHS FBLA chapter was identified as a Gold Seal Chapter - one of the top 15 chapters in the state
(Advisors: Kaye Cole, Diana Eikenberry, Maud King, and Heather Batie
Mock Trial Team (2nd Place in State Competition)
Daniel J. Moser, Tammy Lippert, Christine Snyder, Rachel Osborn, Katie Howard, Matt Offenbacker, Lindsey Fields, and Benton Brown
Advisor: Brenda Patton
(Note: Mrs. Patton is one of only 30 educators in the country accepted to participate in the Supreme Court Summer Institute)
Academic Competition in Education (ACE) Team (2nd Place)
Kent Miller, Thomas Henry, Achal Patel, Brian Kyles, Michael Cornett, Khoi Vo, Eric Torres, Chris Edwards, and Kyle Woodson
Advisor: Jared Patton
Forensics Honors at State Competition
Danny Moser and Jonathan Goodwin, 4th place varsity debate
Tammy Lippert and Megan Gray, 3rd place novice debate
Danny Moser, 1st place varsity debater (fifth consecutive year for an RHS student)
Chrisie Allen, 2nd place solo acting
Advisor: Don Dancer
State Computer Programming Contest
Austin Bray and Brady Craig, 2nd place
Advisor: Mark Smittle
RHS Inductees Into the National Journalism Honor Roll of the National Scholastic Press Association
Libby Bridges, James Miller, Yvette Scorse, and Cheryl White
Bentonville Kiwanis Club's Jim Friesen Award
Tiffany King, Oakdale
2002-2003 International Reading Association Exemplary Reading Program Award
Kirksey Middle School
RHS students named to the All-Region Band
Andra Arnhart, Johnny Barham, Kris Burns, Amber Frick, Gabriel Granderson, Phillip Haughey, Joshua Jones, Mallory McCormick, Rebekah McMillian, Amy Morrow, Brett Nebling, Corey Puett, Michael Rasche, Christine Schwader, Kaley Sherar, Summer Treadway, Crystal Turensky, Romana Warren, C.J. Weatherford
Columbia Scholastic Press Association Crown Award
Diana Kolman (sponsor) & Mountie Spectrum Staff
Westside teachers selected by the Arkansas Department of Education to conduct in-service training for other teachers in the state
Fredericka Dilmore, Linda Haney, & Nancy Pinkerton
Awarded a $733,000 Teacher
Advancement Program (TAP) grant
Russell Jones Elementary Faculty and Administration
Participation in the Principal Institute sponsored by the Arkansas Leadership Academy
Rogers Principals
National Merit Scholarship Finalists
Libby Bridges & Valerie Kyles, RHS Seniors
2003 Regional Chess Tournament Champions
Oakdale Junior High Students Zack Olson, Randy Evans, Chris Rameriz, Callen Jenson, Jacob Dufour, Josh Arnoldus, Josh Sutton, Joseph Sebolt
National Economic Education Semi-Finalist
Linda Haley, Crossroads Counselor
Rachel Osborn, a senior at RHS, has been selected as one of two Arkansas delegates to the US Senate Youth Program.
Over 60% of the 254 Advanced Placement exams taken by Rogers students last spring received scores that will qualify students for college credit at most colleges in the country. The following students were also recognized for particular honors by the College Board, which conducts the Advanced Placement Program:
AP Scholar with Distinction: Amanda Grinter
AP Scholar with Honor: Joshua Blevins, Richard Bobo, James Olander, Joan Youngblood
AP Scholar: Christopher Dufford, Farrah Fan, Valerie Kyles, Emily Largent, Sarah Marlow, Emily Plummer, Ashley Turensky, Christopher Weber
All-Region Jazz Band
RHS Students Summer Treadway, Garrett Jones, Jon Best,
Sean Fraser, Cody Yancey, Brandon Bieland, Cave Bumstead,
Michael Shaw, Brett Nebling, Corey Puett, & C. J. Weatherford
Regional Champions
Kirksey MS Quiz Bowl Team
All-State Volleyball Team
Sam Rogoff & Janelle Williams, RHS Seniors
Second Team All USA Teacher Team (USA Today, October 17, 2002)
Beth Carnes, Gwen Knight, & Mary Niles -- Lingle MS teachers
2002 Arkansas MS Principal of the Year, 2002 National Distinguished Principal
Roger Hill, Kirksey MS Principal
Shannon Wright Award - outstanding middle school in Arkansas, 2001-02
Kirksey Middle School
2002-03 Arkansas Elementary Physical Education Teacher of the Year
Jim Brown, Mathias Elementary Teacher
2002-03 Arkansas Business Education Teacher of the Year
Kay Cole, Rogers HS Teacher
First- and second-place winners in the Arkansas Economic Education competition, 2002
Linda Haley (Crossroads) & Allyson Byford (Lowell)
State middle school counselor of the year, 2002
Susan Monson, Kirksey MS Counselor
Second Place, "I Make a Difference" Teacher of the Year Award (only Arkansas winner), 2002
Lou Ann Barnett, Tillery Elementary Teacher
National Merit Scholarship Semi-finalists
Libby Bridges, Stephen Compston, & Valerie Kyles
Rogers HS Cross Country Teams
Boys: 2002 State Champions
All-State runners: Luis Flores, Caleb Gordan, Stephan Mueller, Michael McCullough, Zach Hines
Rogers HS Cross Country Teams
Girls: 2002 State Runner-up
All-State runners: Staci Papageorge, Andrea Peerson
Superior ratings at the Regional Marching Contest, 2002
Bands from Rogers HS, Elmwood JH, & Oakdale JH

subset: commoncrawl


text:
U.S. law enforcement role in Mexico drug war surges
MEXICO CITY (AP) - Arturo Beltran-Leyva, a notoriously cruel cartel boss and one of Mexico's most wanted criminals, threw a riotous Christmas party two years ago with Grammy-winning musicians, prostitutes, and lavish food and drinks.
U.S. law enforcement agents in Mexico, electronically spying on Beltran-Leyva, relayed detailed information to U.S.-trained Mexican Navy Special Forces, who crashed the fiesta. After a 90-minute shootout, the cartel leader fled with a gut wound.
U.S. detectives next electronically tracked Beltran-Leyva, 48, to a posh apartment in nearby Cuernavaca. With their help, 200 Mexican Special Forces rolled in on tanks and rappelled from helicopters. The next morning, photos of Beltran-Leyva's bloody body, plastered with bank notes, were splashed across Mexican front pages.
At the time, it was considered a rare success in U.S.-Mexico law enforcement cooperation. Now, unprecedented numbers of U.S. law enforcement agents work in Mexico, and high-profile arrests occur monthly. U.S. drones spy on cartel hideouts, while U.S. tracking beacons pinpoint suspect's cars and phones.
"Yes, we're tracking vehicles, yes, we're tracking people," says Brad Barker, president of HALO Corporation, a private security firm that, among other things, helps rescue kidnapped people in Mexico. "There's been a huge spike in agents down there."
The bilateral cooperation is touching off Mexican sensitivities about sovereignty, while stoking U.S. debate about the wisdom of inserting American operatives so deep into the fight. More than 35,000 people have been killed in drug trafficking violence since President Felipe Calderon launched a crackdown four years ago, and the killing of a U.S. agent last month prompted the U.S. Congress to schedule hearings into the role of American personnel.
The U.S. agents generally provide intelligence and training, while Mexicans do the hands-on work. Neither side will say exactly how many agents are in Mexico, citing security concerns, but the Associated Press was able to identify several hundred using the Freedom of Information Act, federal budget requests, government audits, Congressional testimony and agency accountability reports.
The Drug Enforcement Administration has the largest U.S. presence in the drug war, with more than 60 agents in Mexico. Then there are 40 Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents, 20 Marshal Service deputies, 18 Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives agents, and dozens more working for the FBI, Citizen and Immigration Service, Customs and Border Protection, Secret Service, Coast Guard and Transportation Safety Agency.
The State Department's Narcotics Affairs Section staff alone jumped from 19 to 69 in the past three years, according to the U.S. Government Accountability Office.
There are so many State Department narcotics personnel that they took up two entire floors of the U.S. Embassy in Mexico City before moving into a new building with their Mexican counterparts. This is the second so-called fusion center the two countries share in Mexico now.
The U.S. has spent $364 million of the $1.5 billion promised for Mexico since 2008 under the Merida Initiative, a U.S.-Central American joint anti-crime effort, and Mexico will spend about $10.7 billion on public security this year.
Despite close law enforcement collaboration, Mexican officials often play down U.S. involvement to avoid rubbing nationalist raw spots. The sensitivities were evident Wednesday in the angry reaction of Mexican lawmakers to news that U.S. Customs and Border Protection has been operating Predator drones in Mexico for the past two years, while the U.S. military's Global Hawk drone began flying south of the border in March. They said they were not informed by Mexico's National Security Council, which had invited the spy planes in.
Earlier this month, members of Mexico's Congress were infuriated to learn that U.S. agents had allowed hundreds, possibly thousands, of guns to be smuggled into Mexico in undercover operations aimed at busting cartel bosses. Mexico's Attorney General has launched an investigation.
If U.S. agents in Mexico worked on the operation, that "would force us to restate many issues in the relationship," warned Jorge Alberto Lara Rivera, Deputy Attorney General for International Affairs.
Joint enforcement is also controversial north of the border. Notable arrests and seizures were made last year, yet overall, success is less obvious than the dangers. Calls for congressional hearings were prompted by the murder of ICE Agent Jaime Zapata in a highway ambush that also wounded his colleague, Victor Avila. It came less than a year after the murder of three people connected to the U.S. Consulate General in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico.
Republican Rep. Michael McCaul of Texas, who chairs the Homeland Security Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee, demanded to know what plan the U.S. had in mind for fighting the cartels. Justice Department spokeswoman Laura Sweeney declined to disclose specific actions but confirmed that cooperation has intensified and includes sharing information, gathering evidence, extraditing fugitives in both directions, tracing weapons used in crimes, and training prosecutors, investigators and police.
All U.S. agents living and working in Mexico get diplomatic status and are banned from carrying weapons. "They do not kick doors down or accompany guys who kick doors down and make arrests," said a senior US Embassy official, speaking to the AP on condition of anonymity citing security concerns.
Instead, they track beacons secretly attached to cars, they trace cell phone calls, they read e-mails and texts. Using images from drones, they study behavioral patterns of border incursions and follow smuggling routes. And they process massive amounts of data about dealers, enforcers, money launderers and bosses.
Some tracking devices are slapped on cars and phones in the U.S., with judicial permission, before the equipment heads south. Technology ignores borders and continues to show the location of suspects in Mexico.
Samuel Gonzalez, Mexico's former top anti-drug prosecutor, said U.S. agents, who typically require judicial authority to eavesdrop in the U.S., are not restricted by those laws in Mexico, provided they are not on U.S. territory and those they are bugging are not American.
"Simply put, they can hear all the conversations they want without respecting the privacy of individuals, as long as they are not (listening to) Americans," Gonzalez said.
The U.S. has also sent eight helicopters and 78 drug sniffing dogs, as well as 318 polygraph units to screen Mexico's law enforcement applicants for corruption. U.S. agents taught their counterparts to use the machinery.
U.S. experts also have taught hundreds of attorneys to argue in open courtrooms, judges to hear cases, and more than 6,700 soldiers and police to use proper interrogation techniques and technology.
At the same time, more Mexican agents work with the FBI, DEA and other agencies in the U.S. And in an unusual move, the ATF recently invited Mexican investigators to attend a U.S. interrogation of suspected gun traffickers.
U.S. and Mexican law enforcement officials claimed some important achievements last year:
- 14 cartel leaders on the most-wanted list were arrested or killed in Mexico, the most in a given year.
- Cocaine seizures dropped from 20 metric tons in 2009 to 9.4 metric tons because of better monitoring of Mexican seas and airspace, largely assisted by US agents, the State Department says.
- Mexico extradited 94 suspected criminals to the U.S., compared with just 12 a decade ago.
- From September 2009 to July 2010, Mexican judges convicted 37 individuals of money-laundering, up from 17 between 2004 to 2007.
And yet, killings jumped to a record high last year and more heroin and marijuana are being produced in Mexico and smuggled into the U.S. Pressure in Mexico is squeezing the drug trade into Central America, where three times more cocaine is confiscated each year than in Mexico. Meanwhile, U.S. law enforcement manages to stop just a small fraction of the guns, bullets and cash heading south.
"We are aware that we are going through a very difficult time on security issues," Calderon said at a meeting where the government presented a new data system to track drug-related crimes.
More than 61 Mexican law enforcement agents vetted and trained by U.S. partners were killed in Mexico between 2007 and 2009, according to a U.S. State Department cable revealed by the WikiLeaks website. But the U.S. Embassy official said he believed it was because they were in uniform and engaged in a risky fight against organized crime, rather than because of their affiliation with Americans.
As for the Beltran-Levya cartel, the operation against its boss hardly put the family out of business; it is blamed for hundreds of killings last year. But the pressure is constant. Beltran-Levya's brother, who succeeded him, was arrested, and now police say the last brother, Hector, is in charge.
The U.S. State Department is offering $5 million for information leading to Hector Beltran-Leyva's arrest. And U.S. agents on the ground in Mexico are hard at work to figure out exactly where he is.