Results are finally official!
Several of our Izard County FFA teams recently competed at the Arkansas FFA Eastern District Career Development Events (CDEs) held at Arkansas State University. These events provide students with the opportunity to apply what they’ve learned in the classroom through hands-on competitions that strengthen technical skills, critical thinking, teamwork, and real-world career readiness in agriculture.
Our students have been working diligently for months preparing for these contests—studying, practicing, and sharpening their skills. Their dedication and commitment to excellence truly showed, and we are incredibly proud of the effort each of them has put in this year.
We had the following teams represent Izard County:
Farm Business Management
Danielle Hollingsworth, Tinlee Gilbreath, Mackenzie Stillman, & Destiny Wisecarver
Forestry
Brooks Wheat, Kane Johnson, Gage Nielsen, Benton Owens, & Trinnity Tillery
Horse Evaluation
Macy Brantley, Kacee Morehead, Chloe West, Tiffany Monk, & Jacee Morehead
Livestock Evaluation
Maddie Tanner, Whitley Smith, Akynna Nielsen, Abby Drolinger, & Landon Gross
Milk Quality & Products
Carsen Cooper, Bobby Tate, Trenton Gilbreath, Corbin Smith, Addie Tanner, & Erick Canelo
Poultry Evaluation
Keylon Gross, Payson Speake, Emery Howard, Lily Carpenter, & Maya Vargara
We are excited to announce that five of these teams have qualified to advance to the State CDE competition in April! This is a huge accomplishment and a testament to the countless hours of preparation these students have invested.
A special congratulations goes to Keylon Gross, who earned 7th High Individual in Poultry, and Jacee Morehead, who placed 8th High Individual in Horse Evaluation. Outstanding work!
We are incredibly proud of all of our students who competed. Their hard work, teamwork, and determination continue to represent Izard County FFA and our school with excellence.
Next stop: State! 🌟🐾
Several of our Izard County FFA teams recently competed at the Arkansas FFA Eastern District Career Development Events (CDEs) held at Arkansas State University. These events provide students with the opportunity to apply what they’ve learned in the classroom through hands-on competitions that strengthen technical skills, critical thinking, teamwork, and real-world career readiness in agriculture.
Our students have been working diligently for months preparing for these contests—studying, practicing, and sharpening their skills. Their dedication and commitment to excellence truly showed, and we are incredibly proud of the effort each of them has put in this year.
We had the following teams represent Izard County:
Farm Business Management
Danielle Hollingsworth, Tinlee Gilbreath, Mackenzie Stillman, & Destiny Wisecarver
Forestry
Brooks Wheat, Kane Johnson, Gage Nielsen, Benton Owens, & Trinnity Tillery
Horse Evaluation
Macy Brantley, Kacee Morehead, Chloe West, Tiffany Monk, & Jacee Morehead
Livestock Evaluation
Maddie Tanner, Whitley Smith, Akynna Nielsen, Abby Drolinger, & Landon Gross
Milk Quality & Products
Carsen Cooper, Bobby Tate, Trenton Gilbreath, Corbin Smith, Addie Tanner, & Erick Canelo
Poultry Evaluation
Keylon Gross, Payson Speake, Emery Howard, Lily Carpenter, & Maya Vargara
We are excited to announce that five of these teams have qualified to advance to the State CDE competition in April! This is a huge accomplishment and a testament to the countless hours of preparation these students have invested.
A special congratulations goes to Keylon Gross, who earned 7th High Individual in Poultry, and Jacee Morehead, who placed 8th High Individual in Horse Evaluation. Outstanding work!
We are incredibly proud of all of our students who competed. Their hard work, teamwork, and determination continue to represent Izard County FFA and our school with excellence.
Next stop: State! 🌟🐾
No Junior High Softball tonight!
#EASTcon26 has announced the second round of finalists, and we have two more students to congratulate - Akynna Nielsen and Shay Quillman! Their final placing will be announced later this month and we can hardly wait. Good luck, ladies!
🏀 IT’S GAMEDAY, COUGAR NATION!
We couldn’t be more proud of this team and the way they’ve battled all season to earn their spot!
Let’s wish these guys the best of luck as they take the court and represent Cougar Nation. Play hard, stay focused, and leave it all on the floor!
Good luck, Cougars — we’re behind you all the way! 🐾
TICKETS: https://gofan.co/app/school/AR18670
LIVESTREAM: CentralSportsNetwork.org/watch
We couldn’t be more proud of this team and the way they’ve battled all season to earn their spot!
Let’s wish these guys the best of luck as they take the court and represent Cougar Nation. Play hard, stay focused, and leave it all on the floor!
Good luck, Cougars — we’re behind you all the way! 🐾
TICKETS: https://gofan.co/app/school/AR18670
LIVESTREAM: CentralSportsNetwork.org/watch
#EASTcon26 has announced the first round of finalists, one being Payson Speake from Izard County STEM School!
Read more about Payson's project on our student-made EAST website:
https://sites.google.com/iccougars.org/cougarinnovation/tightline?authuser=0
Good luck, Payson! We look forward to hearing the final results later this month and will be cheering you on the entire way!
Faith Wisecarver received her official certificate from the Arkansas Activites Association for earning All-State honors at this year's state bowling tournament. Pictured with Faith is IC bowling coach, Manda Jackson. Congratulations!
Reminder: Any time school is dismissed early - the after school program is canceled.
With that being said, there is NO After-School Program on Thursday, March 5th! School will be dismissed at 1:00.
The rescheduled date for the Talent Show is Thursday, March 12 @ 6:30 following parent teacher conferences! $1 admission
🏀 STATE TOURNAMENT WEEK – Schedule Updates 🏀
It’s State Tournament Week for our Basketball Cougars, and we couldn’t be more excited! With that comes a few changes to other athletic schedules. Please see the updates below:
📌 Schedule Changes:
❌ Senior High Softball (Thursday) – Canceled
❌ All Senior High Baseball games this week – Canceled
❌ Junior High Baseball (Thursday) - Canceled
❌ PeeWee Basketball (Monday) – Canceled
As always, we’ll continue to keep you updated with any future changes or rescheduling information.
Thank you for your flexibility and support — now let’s rally behind our Cougars as they compete at STATE!
Go Cougars! 🐾
It’s State Tournament Week for our Basketball Cougars, and we couldn’t be more excited! With that comes a few changes to other athletic schedules. Please see the updates below:
📌 Schedule Changes:
❌ Senior High Softball (Thursday) – Canceled
❌ All Senior High Baseball games this week – Canceled
❌ Junior High Baseball (Thursday) - Canceled
❌ PeeWee Basketball (Monday) – Canceled
As always, we’ll continue to keep you updated with any future changes or rescheduling information.
Thank you for your flexibility and support — now let’s rally behind our Cougars as they compete at STATE!
Go Cougars! 🐾
🏀 2A-2 Regional All-Tournament Team 🏀
Congratulations to Hadleigh Herron, Benaiah Spray, Sabastion Robbins, and Kade Yancey on being selected to the 2026 2A-2 Regional All-Tournament Team!
These student-athletes represented Cougar Nation with toughness and determination throughout the tournament. Their grit on the court is a direct reflection of the hard work, discipline, and commitment they’ve shown all season long.
We are incredibly proud of the way they competed and the leadership they displayed both this past week and all season long.
The future is bright for Cougar Basketball — and it’s because of players like these.
Keep working, Cougars! 🐾
Congratulations to Hadleigh Herron, Benaiah Spray, Sabastion Robbins, and Kade Yancey on being selected to the 2026 2A-2 Regional All-Tournament Team!
These student-athletes represented Cougar Nation with toughness and determination throughout the tournament. Their grit on the court is a direct reflection of the hard work, discipline, and commitment they’ve shown all season long.
We are incredibly proud of the way they competed and the leadership they displayed both this past week and all season long.
The future is bright for Cougar Basketball — and it’s because of players like these.
Keep working, Cougars! 🐾
Our Cougar Chess Team competed today in the Regional Chess Championship in Eureka Springs — and they represented Izard County STEM school well!
Team members:
♟️ Joey Conway
♟️ Jacob Smallwood
♟️ Tyler Anderson
♟️ Tristan Walker
♟️ Andrew Stapleton
♟️ Ella McCandlis
♟️ Jetta Gaskins
A special congratulations to Joey Conway and Tristan Walker, who were the high point winners for the Cougars! 👏
With our Cougars going to the STATE tournament next week, we've had to make some changes to the athletic schedules.
⚾ Baseball Update
All Senior High baseball games scheduled for next week have been canceled.
🏀 Peewee Basketball Update
The Peewee basketball games scheduled for Monday, March 2 vs. Norfork have been canceled.
If and when we receive updates regarding other sports or possible reschedule dates, we will share that information as soon as we can.
Let’s rally behind our team as they represent us at STATE!
Go Cougars! 🐾
⚾ Baseball Update
All Senior High baseball games scheduled for next week have been canceled.
🏀 Peewee Basketball Update
The Peewee basketball games scheduled for Monday, March 2 vs. Norfork have been canceled.
If and when we receive updates regarding other sports or possible reschedule dates, we will share that information as soon as we can.
Let’s rally behind our team as they represent us at STATE!
Go Cougars! 🐾
We are excited to be the recipient of a $30,000 Joint Use Agreement grant! This will be a partnership between the city of Franklin and Izard County STEM School to rehab a walking trail and pond on the elementary campus. Once completed, these ammenities will be open to the public during specified hours.
The Division of Elementary and Secondary Education explains that the grant application is competitive, and being awarded the grant helps a school form an ongoing partnership with one or more entities, organizations, or cities to share indoor or outdoor spaces to meet shared goals and community needs.
Congrats to grant writers Courtney Selph, Louise Williams (Mayor of Franklin), and Eve Hatman!
🐾 Cougar Pride Alert! 🐾
We are SO proud of our 5th and 6th grade Cougars for their hard work and determination on the Atlas Winter Interim! 🎉
Today we celebrated students who earned awards for:
✅ Big growth from the beginning of the year
✅ Top scores that show strong mastery
✅ Consistency and effort that never quit
These results didn’t happen by accident—our Cougars have been putting in the work day after day: practicing skills, learning from feedback, setting goals, and pushing themselves even when it’s tough. That’s what growth looks like.
Families—thank you for supporting your students and cheering them on. Cougars, keep chasing progress. We’re proud of you! 🖤
Awards:
3rd Place Growth - Esther Pratt; Kay Stephens; Jagger Roberts; Grant Raines; Gracyn Phillips; Lucille Van Cleave (not pictured).
2nd Place Growth - William Flynn; Kay Stephens; Aron Murphy; Alyssa Cohn; Samaria Jefferson; Hunter Lawson; Bryson Riggs; Arlo Hatman (not pictured).
1st Place Growth - Aron Murphy; Dakota Stone; Kaylynn Hill; Owen Walker; Hunter Woods; Devin Raith.
Highest Overall Score - Gwendola Kafton; Braxton Toth; William Flynn; Devin Raith; Grant Raines; Avery Treat; Katana Boles; Lucille Van Cleave (not pictured).
We are SO proud of our 5th and 6th grade Cougars for their hard work and determination on the Atlas Winter Interim! 🎉
Today we celebrated students who earned awards for:
✅ Big growth from the beginning of the year
✅ Top scores that show strong mastery
✅ Consistency and effort that never quit
These results didn’t happen by accident—our Cougars have been putting in the work day after day: practicing skills, learning from feedback, setting goals, and pushing themselves even when it’s tough. That’s what growth looks like.
Families—thank you for supporting your students and cheering them on. Cougars, keep chasing progress. We’re proud of you! 🖤
Awards:
3rd Place Growth - Esther Pratt; Kay Stephens; Jagger Roberts; Grant Raines; Gracyn Phillips; Lucille Van Cleave (not pictured).
2nd Place Growth - William Flynn; Kay Stephens; Aron Murphy; Alyssa Cohn; Samaria Jefferson; Hunter Lawson; Bryson Riggs; Arlo Hatman (not pictured).
1st Place Growth - Aron Murphy; Dakota Stone; Kaylynn Hill; Owen Walker; Hunter Woods; Devin Raith.
Highest Overall Score - Gwendola Kafton; Braxton Toth; William Flynn; Devin Raith; Grant Raines; Avery Treat; Katana Boles; Lucille Van Cleave (not pictured).
🚨 Schedule Update 🚨
We’ve got a change to the Junior High Softball schedule for this week!
At this time, the games have not been rescheduled, but they could be made up at a later date. As If/when we have updated information, we’ll be sure to share it.
Stay tuned, and thank you for your flexibility and support! 🥎
We’ve got a change to the Junior High Softball schedule for this week!
At this time, the games have not been rescheduled, but they could be made up at a later date. As If/when we have updated information, we’ll be sure to share it.
Stay tuned, and thank you for your flexibility and support! 🥎
Parents/guardians of current IC 11th and 12th grade students are encouraged to attend an informational meeting with Ozarka College on March 4 at 10:55 AM. Please enter through the high school office, then you will be directed to the designated meeting area.
Whether your student is interested in Ozarka, or undecided of their future plans, we look forward to sharing helpful information with you!
Plant Science has been working on a fun floral design project! 🌲
Students gathered fresh greenery from around campus and then let their creativity fly as they designed and assembled their own evergreen wreaths. From selecting the right materials to shaping and securing their designs, each step gave them valuable experience in floral arrangement and design principles.
This is what real-world, hands-on learning looks like — applying classroom knowledge in a practical way, building job-ready skills, and creating something meaningful they can proudly take home. 🌿✨
We love seeing learning come to life!
Students gathered fresh greenery from around campus and then let their creativity fly as they designed and assembled their own evergreen wreaths. From selecting the right materials to shaping and securing their designs, each step gave them valuable experience in floral arrangement and design principles.
This is what real-world, hands-on learning looks like — applying classroom knowledge in a practical way, building job-ready skills, and creating something meaningful they can proudly take home. 🌿✨
We love seeing learning come to life!
We are excited to share that Izard County STEM Preschool has been selected as the recipient of the TJ Maxx Rural Child Care Network Grant! This $3,000 quality enhancement grant will be used to purchase instructional materials and supplies for the infant and toddler rooms.
TJ Maxx began partnering with Save the Children in 1984 and has been a long-time supporter of literacy efforts in the U.S. They are proud to support programs that help children and their caregivers in rural America.
Congratulations to IC preschool director Samantha Johnson for receiving this grant, and to all of the teachers who will be able to use these resources to continue serving every child, every day, whatever it takes!
Mark your calendar and make plans to support the seniors at their March 18 fundraiser! Cash or check only - debit cards will not be accepted at this event.
We caught some freshmen reading… and we LOVE to see it! 📚✨
Reading truly is one of the biggest keys to success. The more students read, the stronger their vocabulary becomes. Stronger vocabulary leads to better writing. Better writing leads to clearer thinking. And clearer thinking leads to confidence in the classroom and beyond.
Reading builds critical thinking skills, strengthens focus, improves comprehension across all subjects, and even increases empathy as students step into different perspectives and experiences. It’s not just an English skill — it’s a life skill.
We are proud of these freshmen for diving in and putting in the work this 9 weeks! 📖💪
Stay tuned to see what they’re reading and the creative projects they’ll be using to wrap up the quarter… you won’t want to miss it! 👀✨
Reading truly is one of the biggest keys to success. The more students read, the stronger their vocabulary becomes. Stronger vocabulary leads to better writing. Better writing leads to clearer thinking. And clearer thinking leads to confidence in the classroom and beyond.
Reading builds critical thinking skills, strengthens focus, improves comprehension across all subjects, and even increases empathy as students step into different perspectives and experiences. It’s not just an English skill — it’s a life skill.
We are proud of these freshmen for diving in and putting in the work this 9 weeks! 📖💪
Stay tuned to see what they’re reading and the creative projects they’ll be using to wrap up the quarter… you won’t want to miss it! 👀✨
