By Lana Clifton

With the assistance of Flex 360, a website design company out of Little Rock, the communications department of the Bryant School District will soon launch a new version of the district website. On Monday, July 19, Communications Director Jessica Bollen addressed the school board at its regular monthly meeting to go over some of the features of the new site.

BENTON — The return to school is fast approaching and it's time for school-age children to get immunized. Eydie Abercrombie, administrator for Saline County local health unit of the Arkansas Department of Health, reminds residents to remember that adults need vaccinations, too.

The Bryant High School Varsity Dance team will host a golf tournament on Tuesday, Aug. 3, at Hurricane Golf Club with proceeds going to help pay for the team’s trip to the National Dance competition in Orlando, Fla., in February.

The tournament is a four-person scramble over 18 holes with a shotgun start at 1 p.m. Registration will begin and lunch will be provided at noon.

By Lana Clifton

Change is coming to the Bryant High School campus. In fact, the changes began during the last school year. Students changed where they parked and some classes were moved. The changes are needed to ready the campus for construction of a new high school building and enhancements to existing buildings.

Over the summer, the Bryant School Board has received updates from the architects and construction crews so they can approve different aspects of the project. Partly due to the time involved in reviewing all the information involved and partly due to a desire to keep the project moving, the board has held work sessions to make some of the decisions necessary rather than wait for regular monthly meetings. On July 6, the board met for such a work session and approved several work packages to move the project forward.

FAYETTEVILLE– Ben Lagrone from Bryant, a graduating senior at the University of Arkansas, was among more than 80 students recognized for their leadership roles in campus activities during their time as students on the Fayetteville campus.

The students attended the annual Graduating Student Leaders breakfast, presented by the Division of Student Affairs.

Lagrone received a medallion to wear during commencement ceremonies in recognition of his outstanding contributions to campus life.

Lagrone graduated with a degree in history from the J. William Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences. He is the son of Jim and Becky Lagrone and a graduate of Bryant High School.

By Lana Clifton

Dr. Richard Abernathy attended his last Bryant school board meeting as superintendent on Monday, June 21.

The board held a reception honoring Abernathy at the Bryant Middle School gym prior to the meeting. At the reception, the members of the board presented Abernathy with a plaque thanking him for his seven years of service to the district. Abernathy also received a basketball and plaque from the Boys and Girls Club of Bryant.

During the meeting, Abernathy thanked board members for the reception and said his years at Bryant had been good ones.

“We have had some really good times, and there have been some stressful times,” said Abernathy. “But overall, hopefully, I am leaving the District a little better than I found it.”

Abernathy went on to praise the District for hiring good people including Randy Rutherford, the new superintendent. Abernathy said he believes Rutherford will “keep moving the District forward.”

Many a young girl has written it at the end of a secret note passed surreptitiously in class or, more recently, in a text to a friend:

BFF.

There was a time when that was code. Almost everyone knows what it means now:

Best Friends Forever.

By Martin Couch

On Monday night, the Bryant City Planning Commission voted unanimously to go ahead with landscaping plans at Bryant High School.Specifically voted on was the construction of an additional parking area on 4th Street in what is now the gravel area across the street from the main entrance to the high school.

The Bryant varsity dance team includes, front row, Erica Reeves, Mariah McElroy, Amy Whitt, Samantha Sanders, Paige Farnam; middle, Olivia Lovell, Brooke Kenney, Morganne Gillespie, Shelby Ellison, Aaryn Murdock, Mary Catherine Huffman; back row, Lauren Hall, Kelsey Rivers, Meredith Herring, Shelby Arnoldy, Bailey Gartrell, Shelby Gartrell,Ariane Arroyo, Aubrey Crockett, Haley Blumfelder, Carly Damboise, Coach Laura Wooten

 The Bryant varsity dance team competed at the Universal Dance Association Camp in Jonesboro June 3-6. They received first place awards in Home Routine, ribbon count, most Drill Down ribbons, Super Spirit Stick as well as the daily Spirit Stick honor, and a special Leadership award given to one team in the entire camp. This award is voted on by the other participating teams.