FEBRUARY 2022

Congratulations to the El Dorado School District Honorees of the Month from El Dorado High School and Murmil Education Center.

El Dorado High School Student of the Month: Brooke McCoy.

Brooke McCoy is the daughter of the late Donna McCoy (former Librarian at Barton).  She is a senior at EHS, is the president of the Student Council, a member of the NHS, BETA club, state champion (2-time) golf team, and an honor maid on the sweetheart court. Brooke is a  Big supporter of WIldcat sports as a proud member of the 12th man and the 6th man. Brooke has straight A’s for her ENTIRE career at EHS with a 4.47 GPA.  From August of 2021 to January or 2022 she was accepted into an internship program through Vanderbilt University, with a graduate researcher.  They studied vaccine design and as a final project designed their own vaccine delivery system. Brooke has also been accepted to Vanderbilt and will start there in August. 

Teachers said: Brooke McCoy is such an incredibly strong and kind young woman! I know she has a bright future!

Brooke McCoy is one of the brightest students I've ever taught, as well as one of the most kind.  She just has a sweet spirit about her, reminding me very much of her mother.  Brooke is eager to learn and asks questions to be sure she fully understands the concepts being presented.  I feel blessed to have been a part of her math education for three years.

Brooke is an amazing young lady inside and out.  She has faced a lot of obstacles in recent years and she has shown tremendous resilience and fortitude.  She is always willing to help others and has a positive attitude at all times.   

Mrs. Hill said:  It’s hard for me to believe the little girl running around the library at Barton after school just a few years ago is about to graduate high school!  She has grown into such a beautiful young lady, with a peaceful and kind soul.  Smart, friendly, kind, determined, and just a little mischievous are words that barely scratch the surface of the amazing human she is. She has the maturity and grace about her that few 18-year-olds have.  Brooke also has a curiosity about the world around her and has participated in many interesting activities over the years from showing animals, to cheerleading, to golf and using her spare time to intern with Vanderbilt. She wants to work on research for breast cancer in the future and is putting all the plans in place to be able to do that. We will miss seeing Brooke’s beautiful smile at EHS but we can’t wait to watch her excel and soar at Vanderbilt!  EHS is very happy that Brooke McCoy was chosen student of the month. 

Brooke McCoy

El Dorado High School Classified Employee of the Month (EHS Cafeteria): Rhonda Brown

Mrs. Rhonda Brown joined the El Dorado School District in 2001.  She is married to Billy Brown, has 2 children and 5 grandchildren.  Ms. Rhonda likes to cook, craft, and have fun!

One co-worker said she greets each student that comes by her with a smile.  Anytime I see her she always has a smile on her face. She always asks about our family and it's good to catch up. She's a joy to work with.

Mrs. Hill said:  Ms. Rhonda is a HUGE part of the happy and successful atmosphere in the EHS cafeteria.  She has a great big smile that she willingly shares with our students and staff daily.  She is an amazing cook!  Many times over the last 3 years I have asked, “who made this delicious meal today?” and the answer will be MS. RHONDA!!!  Most recently I asked about the chicken pot pie that was to die for and---I should have known-- Ms. Rhonda made it!  She takes pride in providing tasty and quality meals to our students and providing a happy experience as we all proceed through the cafeteria on a daily basis.   EHS is very happy that Mrs. Rhonda Brown was selected classified employee of the month. 

Rhonda Brown

El Dorado High School Classified Employee of the Month (Main Office): Diana Carden

Mrs. Carden is an EHS graduate and started working in the El Dorado School district full-time in 2001 as Attendance Clerk at Barton Jr. High School. In 2006 she started working at El Dorado High School as Attendance Clerk/Diploma Secretary. Prior to 2001, Mrs. Carden worked part-time for Dr. Fouse at Central Office. She lives in Smackover and is married to Robert Carden and has 2 children and 2 grandchildren. Her hobbies include shopping, gardening, and reading. Her favorite pastime is going to the lake and playing with her grandchildren as much as possible.

Mrs. Carden’s coworkers said:  Diana Cardin is the backbone of our school! Her sweet spirit brightens everyone's day.

When my four children passed through EHS, Mrs. Cardin was always such a sweet and friendly voice on the phone.  On the occasion that I needed to check them out or get a message to them, she made the process pleasant and easy.

Mrs. Carden is such a bright and cheery face to see each morning as we come into the building.

Mrs. Hill said:  Mrs. Carden runs a tight ship at the front desk.  She handles many tasks all at the same time from checking students in and out, answering the phone, and responding to the needs of teachers..sometimes all at the same time, and never seems flustered.  Her daily duties are continual…she is never able to take a breath!  Yet, she is always smiling and welcomes all tasks.  I’ve known Diana since high school and she has always been kind and friendly to all.  She is just who we need greeting all who enter the front doors of EHS. I really don’t know what we would do without her!  EHS is delighted that Diana Carden was selected classified employee of the month.  

Diana Carden

El Dorado High School Teacher of the Month:  Joseph Clark

Mr. Clark graduated from Henderson State University. He did his student teaching at Barton and EHS in the fall of 2019 and was hired to teach English at EHS in January of 2020.  He is currently teaching junior English and AP Language Arts.

His co-workers said: Joe Clark is truly a leader on our team and always puts his students first.

Joe Clark, your smile is infectious as is the joy that you bring to the EHS campus. You got out of your way to speak and include every person that you come into contact with here. Thank you for being YOU!!!! ~

Joe is a wonderful teacher that has a great rapport with his students

The Literacy Facilitator, Brady McDuffie said: Mr. Clark is a truly gifted teacher.  He is naturally self-reflective and intuitive when it comes to creating, executing, and adjusting lessons in order to maximize student learning.  His students know that he has high expectations of them as learners and as people.  I feel truly blessed to be working with him as he inspires me to better my own craft every day.

Mrs. Hill said: Joseph Clark is one of the few teachers that I’ve gotten to see from their student teaching days forward.  It’s rare to see a student-teacher and think, “he has that it factor” but I said that about Mr. Clark.  That has been proven true as he has grown to be an outstanding teacher in a very short amount of time.  He knows his content and makes connections that are relevant to his students’ lives.  He has a great rapport with students and his class has a purposeful, but fun atmosphere.  There is always lively discussion about the topic of the day in Mr. Clark’s classroom. He has quirky finger snaps, and sayings and the kids know exactly what he wants from them with those “cues”.  Someone observing Mr. Clark’s class would never know that he has less than 3 years of experience unless they were told because his classroom experience is that of a seasoned teacher. Mr. Clark has the respect of the Language Arts department as they chose him to represent them on the EHS Guiding Coalition.  His input into the meetings is always insightful.  He truly cares about his students, co-workers, and school and it shows.  Joseph Clark is a vital member of the EHS staff and we are all thrilled he was chosen Teacher of the Month. 

Joseph Clark

Murmil Education Center Teacher of the Month: Anne Burgess 

Mrs. Anne Burgess currently holds a BBA in Accounting from Southern Arkansas University.  Mrs. Burgess has (36) additional grad hours and is expected to graduate in May 2022 with a Master’s Degree in Special Education.

Mrs. Burgess has (28) years of teaching experience and previously spent 9 ½ years in the El Dorado School District.  This is her second year working for Arch Ford Education Service Cooperative.  

Mrs. Burgess is currently the Day Treatment Specialist/Teacher at Murmil Education Center for K-12 students, where she is a rare jewel.  Ms. Porchia, Principal at Murmil states that “Mrs. Burgess’s uncanny ability to develop authentic rapport and reach students where they are is priceless and hard to find in the field of education.  She is the ultimate team player and goes above and beyond in order to get the best out of her students. We are fortunate to have her.”

Anne Burgess