LITTLE ROCK—The Girls Learning About Math and Science conference recently was recognized in the 93^rd General Assembly of the Arkansas House of Representatives for its 10th anniversary.

Known as GLAMS, the day conference for eighth-grade girls in south Arkansas connects the young students with female professionals in science, technology, engineering and math careers. The purpose of the conference is to provide a model and guideline for the girls to pursue careers in those fields themselves.

The event is a joint effort of South Arkansas Community College and the El Dorado Education Foundation, as well as a host of financial backers and volunteers.

A group of GLAMS Committee members attended the House assembly as Speaker Matthew Shepherd of El Dorado and Rep. Sonia Barker of Smackover presented the resolution, which received a unanimous vote of approval from House representatives.

Since the first conference in 2011, the number of girls’ attending the event has steadily climbed, hitting more than 275 eighth graders from seven south Arkansas counties at the latest conference. Former GLAMS participants even have returned to take part in the event as speakers and volunteers. 

Last year was to have served as the event’s 10th anniversary; however, the global pandemic forced the committee to pause the conference. Due to social-distancing guidelines set forth by the CDC, the event will be held remotely this year, but will include all eighth- and ninth-grade girls in participating school districts—a total of about 1,200 students and 100 teachers. They will receive GLAMS promotional giveaways as well as information about female STEM professionals in areas such as veterinary medicine, engineering and forestry.

Community supporters include Entergy, Aerojet Rocketdyne, Albemarle, Arkansas State Game and Fish Commission, Camp Fire El Dorado, DelekUS, the El Dorado-Union County Chamber of Commerce, Lanxess, Lockheed Martin, Main Street El Dorado, Mayor Veronica Smith-Creer, the Medical Center of South Arkansas, the Murphy Arts District, Pafford Air One, ProMed Ambulance, South Arkansas Medical Associates, South Point Medical, First Financial Bank and Lawrence and Paul Waschka. Martha McCarty Wells of Dallas is the event’s sponsor.

For more information about the annual event, visit the website at southark.edu/glams. A 10th-anniversary video is available for viewing on the college’s YouTube Channel at youtube.com/southarkcc .

Intercollegiate athletics at South Arkansas Community College has taken another leap forward with this week’s hiring of the first head coaches for the school’s new diamond-sport programs.

The college has announced that current El Dorado High School head baseball coach Cannon Lester and Jackson (Tennessee) State Community College assistant softball coach Bethany Barcroft have been selected to helm the Stars baseball and softball teams, respectively.

“What an exciting day in the history of athletics at SouthArk,” president Dr. Bentley Wallace said. “We are so pleased to introduce these two energetic young coaches, who bring to the college wonderful experience and enthusiasm. We can’t wait for everyone to meet our new coaches, and to see the Stars that they will put on the field.”

Athletic director Dr. Derek Moore spoke highly of the hires, as well as the opportunities that await future student-athletes at SouthArk.

“Coach Lester, as the current Wildcat head coach, is a known commodity locally. He has built a strong program at EHS, and we fully anticipate that he will do the same here,” Moore said. “And his previous collegiate experience is particularly impressive.”

Lester, an El Dorado native, has been the head Wildcat since 2017, after a successful stint as the head coach at Columbia Christian School. He was an assistant at Southern Arkansas University in 2011-’14, where he coached hitters and infielders. During his time he had 10 first-team All-Great American Conference position players, and the Muleriders won the GAC Tournament three times.

He is a 2011 graduate of SAU with a bachelor’s degree in physical education, wellness and leisure. As a college player, he was a two-time All-American and All-Region performer—including the 2010 All-Region Golden Glove—and was three-time All-GAC. He holds 10 different records at SAU and three in the Gulf South Conference. After college, he signed a free agent contract to play Major League Baseball. He went on to compete in the independent Frontier League, where he was the 2012 championship series Most Valuable Player.

“I’m excited to be able to build a program from the ground up,” Lester said. “I want to thank Dr. Moore and Dr. Wallace for believing in me and appointing me the first coach at SouthArk. I plan on hitting the ground running in recruiting, as student athletes are excited to be a Star.”

Barcroft has been at Jackson State since last fall, and pulls double duty as a private softball instructor.

“We expect her zeal to be infectious,” Moore said. “She has a wealth of experience in mentoring young softball players, and will make an immediate impact when recruiting prospective student athletes.”

Barcroft is a 2019 graduate of Hiwassee College in Madisonville, Tennessee, where she was a team captain as a utility player for the Tigers. She worked as a graduate assistant at Bryan College in Dayton, Tennessee before moving on to her current position at Jackson State.

“I am looking forward to moving to El Dorado to start the softball program at SouthArk. I am thrilled to watch the growth of this program over the coming years,” she said. “The goal for this coming year is to build a program that competes hard on the softball field, and in the classroom.”

The college greenlit these two new programs, which will compete in NJCAA Region 2, last month. Open tryouts will be scheduled for both programs soon. More information can be found at southarkstars.com.

Cannon Lester

Bethany Barcroft

Five students have accepted Student Ambassador Scholarships to attend South Arkansas Community College this fall.

Student Ambassadors assist with college student recruitment, marketing and public relations in varying capacities, including hosting campus visits by prospective students, assisting with college fairs and preview days and providing customer service at public-facing college events.

They are selected following a screening process and interviews with a committee. They receive full-tuition scholarships for the year in which they are chosen.

The ambassadors for the 2021-2022 academic year are:

• Carley Dugal, a senior at West Side Christian School and the daughter of Trent and Amy Dugal of Strong. She is a member of the Student Council and the praise band.
• Bekah Frisby Rice of Crossett, a general studies major at South Arkansas Community College and the wife of Chase Rice. She is a 2020 graduate of Crossett High School.
• Kendall McClendon, a senior at Taylor High School and the daughter of Brian and Dena McClendon of Stamps. She is president of Family, Career and Community Leaders of America; social media coordinator of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes; reporter of the Junior Rotarians; and captain of the volleyball, basketball and softball teams. She also is a member of the Student Council and the Honor Roll, and was Miss Taylor High School.
• Daliyah Reynolds of Strong, a nursing major at South Arkansas Community College and the daughter of Connie Hankton and Robert Reynolds. She is a 2020 graduate of Strong High School.
• Tori McDiarmid, a homeschool senior and the daughter of Brent and Ruby McDiarmid of El Dorado. She is a member of the National Honor Society, Future Business Leaders of America, Camp Fire and Talent on Parade. She also is a member of the cross-country team and All-Conference swim team at El Dorado High School.

Carly Dugal

Bekah Frisby Rice

Kendall McClendon

Daliyah Reynolds

Tori McDiarmid

South Arkansas Community College students recently competed in the 2021 Arkansas SkillsUSA Championships, and took home a number of awards.

The competition was held remotely through submitted online video due to the pandemic.

First-place winners were Roger Whitcher (automotive service technology), Anna Sanders (health occupations professional portfolio) and Evan Pietranski (pipe welding).

Second-place awards went to Corey Pate (automotive service technology); the team of Austin Dumas, Kadedra Henry and Kinsley Dumas (crime scene investigation); and Jake Mattox (pipe welding).

Third-place finishers were Nick Patterson (automotive service technology), Kade Newton (criminal justice) and Preston Oliver (pipe welding).