FBLA Students visit residents at The Plaza

Several of Goza's FBLA students made a trip to The Plaza at Twin Rivers to visit with residents there and hand out some sweet treats and Valentine's Day cards. Zoey Windham, Katie Clark, Holden Craig, Izzy Morris, Ben Taylor, Gaven Jones, Jadyn Thompson, Spirit Golden, Sophia Clark, Sydney Greer, and Carsyn Vaughn all agreed it was an enjoyable time and a pleasure to visit with the residents. Holden and Sydney even helped one lady tune her guitar! We are proud of our students for livening up this special day for them.

PATHS comes through with fun snacks for teachers and staff

Goza Middle Schools' parent group, PATHS (Parents and Teachers Helping Students) has done it again! The create-a-snack and water bar were a huge hit with our teachers.

The staff got to dig in and create their own snack bag by combining from a variety of treats. Cheerios, popcorn, M&Ms, pretzels, nuts, raisins, and more were spread out on a table in the Teachers' Lounge. It was a great way to refresh and replenish with the short window of time teachers had to prepare for Parent-Teacher Conferences on February 13 and 15.

We are so grateful to have a wonderful group of parents who care about the faculty, staff, and students here at GMS.

FBLA scores BIG at competition

We'd like to congratulate two of our Goza Greats - Ms. Jequetta Berry and Ms. Lakesha Berry! This dynamic duo serves as our FBLA sponsors. These ladies utilize W.I.N. time to create WINNERS, and that is what they did! Our students competed at the FBLA Middle Level District Conference at the University of Arkansas Hope-Texarkana in Hope, and placed in 25 of 32 competitions, including the largest chapter membership! Congratulations to our sponsors and students for a job well done.

Ms. L. Berry teaches keyboarding, and Ms. J. Berry is our career educator. We are all so thrilled to have these two on our staff!

1st-place winners

Ben Taylor - 1 minute timing

Sheena Molinari - 3 minute timing

Brett Boyette & Chase Conroy - Business Graphics

M'Kyah Waters - Business Letters

Ja'Darius Staggers --Business Reports

Jack Copeland - Exploring Computer Science

Abigail Crocker - Interpersonal Communication

Hayden Jones - Keyboarding Applications

Nevaeh Marlow - Proofreading

Graham Thompson - Spreadsheet

Sanai Hunter - Tables

Largest Chapter - 63 members

2nd-place winners

Izzy Morris - FBLA Concepts

Spirit Golden - FBLA Mission & Pledge

Leyah Seals - Intro to Parliamentary Procedures

Chloe Gray - Public Speaking

Kaden Samuels & Ben Taylor - Business Ethics

3rd-place winners

Xy'Asia Harper - Career Research

Jadyn Thompson - Elevator Speech

Anakaye Wilson - Learning Strategies

Lydia Copeland - Running an Effective Meeting

Lydia Copeland - Talent Show

4th-place winners

Chestin Mitchell & Gaven Jones - Talent Show

5th-place winners

Katie Clark - Leadership

Anthony Hill - Proofreading

A special congratulations to our 7th grader, Benjamin Zhao, far right. He placed 2nd in the Clark County Spelling Bee, which took place Friday, February 9, in Gurdon.

Quiz Bowl team places second in Regionals

The Arkadelphia 7th and 8th-grade Quiz Bowl team finished 2nd Place at Saturday’s 4A Southwest Regional Tournament! They finished behind the first-place Arkadelphia 9th Graders and ahead of third-place finishers, Fountain Lake.

Members of the team from Goza Middle School are Warren Klein, Kingston Dixon, Jadyn Thompson, Hayden Darby, Annabelle Klein, Eric Barranco, Kerry Miller, Jack Copeland, Kaden Samuels, David Garrett, Benjamin Zhao, and Peter Harrell. Kaden and David both qualified for Quiz Bowl All-Stars. They are coached by Mrs. Misti Dixon, our GT coordinator.

The Goza Quiz Bowl Team competed in the state competition on Saturday, February 17.

Congratulations to our incredibly gifted team!

Celebrating our caring counselor, Mrs. Tuggle

National School Counseling Week was February 5-9, and we celebrated Goza's own caring counselor, Mrs. Dana Tuggle.

We are so thankful for all she does for our students and our staff. She was treated to lunch from Patterson Federal Credit Union, and they also sent her flowers, to which Mrs. Tuggle says she's very thankful for both. Patterson partners with Mrs. Tuggle in helping to collect donations for the weekly food bag program.

We appreciate you Mrs. Tuggle and Patterson Federal Credit Union for always taking care of our schools.

Goza celebrates Black History Month

Goza's First Annual Black History Celebration kicked off Thursday, February 22, in the Arkadelphia High School Gym. Our Keynote Speaker was Mar'Tavius Proctor, a University of Arkansas-Pine Bluff Graduate, and candidate for the Pine Bluff City Council at 21 years old.

The Henderson State University Historically Black Fraternity and Sororities also attended and performed. Alpha Kappa Alpha, Alpha Phi Alpha, Zeta Phi Beta, Kappa Alpha Psi, and Omega Psi Phi were in attendance. The students decided the winner of a step and stroll contest by cheering on the group they liked the most - Omega Psi Phi was the winner, and received a $100 check! They also LOVED it! Mr. Michael Ankton even got in there for some step and stroll! DJ Last Minute (TJ Nelson) Beats and Tunes provided the music.

Goza Student Council members introduced some of our guests, and presented some with thank-you gifts.

We thank Patterson Federal Credit Union, Clark County NAACP, Greater Pleasant Hill Missionary Baptist Church, Chicken Express, and Arkadelphia UPS for their generous donations for making this event possible.

Thank you to Mr. Ankton for coordinating this assembly for our students and staff!

Teachers — Ms. Lakesha Berry, from left, Ms. Beverly Meeks, and Ms. Della Miller were honored at the Black History Assembly with t-shirts representing their sororities. Ms. Berry and Ms. Miller are members of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., and Ms. Meeks was in Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc.

Students view exhibit of African American Legislators

Goza Social Studies teacher Mrs. Meridith Armstrong reserved a traveling exhibit from the Arkansas State Archives of the Arkansas African American Legislators for all students to view for Black History Month.

The Arkansas African American Legislators, from 1868-1893, tells the story of the 86 African Americans who served in the Arkansas General Assembly in the 19th Century. After the Civil War, Arkansas adopted a new constitution in 1868, and its provisions included the right to vote and hold public office for black males. African American lawyers, merchants, ministers, educators, farmers, and other professionals served in the Arkansas General Assembly.

Photographs of 46 of the 86 legislators are an integral part of the display. Also featured is a complete listing of the legislators and a short history of post-Civil War and election law “reforms” that effectively ended African Americans' election to legislative positions until the 1970s.

Goza cheer tryouts happening in March for 2024-2025

Goza Middle School cheerleader tryouts for 6th, 7th, and 8th-graders will be from 4:30-7:30 p.m., Thursday, March 14 in the GMS gymnasium. Tryout packets may be picked up in the Goza office.

There will be a mandatory Parent Meeting at 5:30 p.m., Thursday, March 7, in the GMS cafeteria. Tryout practices will be in the Goza gym from 4-5:30 p.m., Friday, March 8, Monday, March 11, and Tuesday, March 12. Mock tryouts are from 4-5:30 p.m., Wednesday, March 13, in the Goza gym.

For more information, contact Jayden Colbert at jayden.colbert@arkadelphiaschools.org

Color — Creating the bulletin board with a giant coloring poster in the 8th-grade hallway is an opportunity to empower our students to take ownership of their environment and express themselves creatively. By providing a space for them to decompress and engage in a calming activity, we are fostering a nurturing and inclusive atmosphere within the school. Encouraging self-expression and creativity can enhance one's sense of belonging and well-being, while also promoting a positive approach to managing stress and emotions. This initiative can help instill a sense of pride and community, inspiring students to engage with their surroundings in a positive and meaningful way by allowing our Goza Greats to make their mark. Nevaeh West loves to stop by and color because it calms her down.

7th graders visit museums in Little Rock

Principal Mrs. Tisha Hunter helps a student form a clay vessel.

Goza’s 7th-grade students made a two-part field trip to the Arkansas Heritage Museum and the Old State House Museum in Little Rock February 28.

At the Arkansas Heritage Museum, students learned about the lives of pioneers in Arkansas, and participated in the Hidden Histories Tour at the museum.

They sang songs that enslaved African Americans sang, and played musical instruments that they played.

They also learned about how antique printing presses were operated.

Students assessed printed sales records of pre-Civil War era times, and then evaluated how advertisements for people and things were similar during times of slavery.

Students listened to slave narratives and viewed the kinds of clothing that enslaved people would have worn.

At the Old State House Museum, students learned about early Native Americans in Arkansas. Students were taught how to create clay vessels as a replica.