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STUDENT SPEAKERS. Tu Nguyen, left, a junior at Fort Smith Southside High School, won the $1,000 first place award among 19 students in the 2021 ASBA Student Essay/Speaking contest. Students were asked to write an essay and deliver a short, recorded speech on the topic, “Individual rights vs. the common good: What is the proper balance?” Katie Prejean, middle, a junior from Joe T. Robinson High School in the Pulaski County Special School District, placed second and was awarded $750. Celia Mayfield, right, a senior at Jonesboro High School, was third and won $500. The three spoke at the ASBA Annual Conference.

smiling, telling the truth, and having a thick skin.

Chapman told the story of Anna, who as a young student couldn’t sit still, scored poorly on tests and was considered to have below-average intelligence. However, she worked hard and managed to get into college, where she scored a grade point average of 1.0 her first semester but then flourished, graduated with honors, and later became a self-made millionaire and a best-selling writer. At the closing of her remarks, Chapman revealed that Anna is her first name.

“We’ve got to understand that one test does not define a person’s entire academic or educational career, that several tests may not define some people’s academic careers, and when they’re not a fish, we don’t need to ask them to swim in water. … But when they are a fish, we need to provide the water for them to swim in and become adapted to,” she said.

In a general session, Tim Brown and Dr. Regina Owens with Solution Tree, a company that provides professional development services, described the advantages of professional learning communities. That’s a process where teachers collaboratively work, continuously improve and hold themselves accountable.

“A characteristic of a professional learning community is this constant dis-

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MORE EXHIBITORS. Pictured are more of the exhibitors at the ASBA Annual Conference. Top right, Mike Elliott with Homeland Safety Systems, center, and Shannon Reiland and Patrick White with Homeland speak to a conference attendee, left. Second row left, Elisabeth Bates with Entegrity chats with Hoxie School Board member Jeff Worlow. Middle right, Russell Fason, left, Kate Dimitrova and John Langham with WER Architects/Planners visit with a conference-goer. Third row left, Larry Perkin with Hight Jackson Architects speaks with Bentonville Superintendent Dr. Debbie Jones. Third row right, Baldwin & Shell’s Drew Westlake, left, and Michael Hansberry visit with conference-goers. Bottom left, Matt Poe, left, and Chris Lankford with modus studio visit with Bill Jackson, a member of the Searcy County School Board. Bottom right, Leigh Ann Showalter with C.R. Crawford visits with Valley View School Board member Richard Rogers.