These 5th-grade students took a day away from school to teach the first-grade classes about building terrariums. They made connections from what they have learned in class to the first-grade lessons in CKLA to the Earth's layers and plants' needs inside terrariums. They were picked due to their interest and understanding of Earth's Systems when we completed the unit inside our classroom. These students put their skills to work and practiced even more important life skills like oral communication. They completed the presentation for 6 classrooms flawlessly, asking for volunteers and helping the students complete each step of the lesson. This experience opened the door for collaboration between the community and the different schools. These students were presented with a Badger Pride Award in an assembly last Friday. Those students are, Wyatt Boyer, CaCee Williams, Georgia Neal, Alivia Smith, Amoni Horton, Bryce Cupp, and Aiden Riddle. Their teacher is Ms. Ashley Whittle.

We are proud to announce that Goza Middle School is in the process of applying to become an Arkansas Game & Fish Commission School of Conservation Leadership, a prestigious designation that would extend from 2025 to 2028.

This opportunity represents more than just a title — it’s a schoolwide movement to integrate environmental education, hands-on learning, and student leadership into our campus culture. By becoming a School of Conservation Leadership, we’re creating a long-term vision that not only enhances academic instruction, but also deepens our connections with each other, our students, and the community we serve.

To lead this work, we formed a dedicated Conservation Education Committee, made up of teachers from every grade level:

• Michael Ankton – 7th Grade

• Maci Burris – 8th Grade

• Anita Malcom – 6th Grade

• Ashley Whittle – 5th Grade

This team has worked diligently behind the scenes to build our application and bring conservation-based learning to life at Goza. And thanks to the energy and collaboration across our campus, we’ve already accomplished so much:

• Coach Jordan is now certified to teach archery, which will be introduced in PE.

• Four Goza teachers are certified to teach fishing, opening doors for outdoor learning and lifelong skills.

• We’re partnering with the City of Arkadelphia to host a Community Fishing Derby this summer.

• We’ve hosted three expert-led lectures from the Arkansas Game & Fish Commission Game Warden, the National Park Service, and the Clark County Extension Office — all to expand student awareness of local ecosystems and conservation careers.

• Multiple campus-based conservation projects are set to launch in the coming weeks that will transform our grounds into living labs for exploration and stewardship.

This work also beautifully supports our Capturing Kids’ Hearts (CKH) goals. By engaging students in hands-on, purpose-driven activities, we are strengthening relationships, responsibility, and real-world relevance — the heart of CKH. Students feel seen, valued, and inspired to lead.

So today, we’re asking for your continued support, encouragement, and enthusiasm. Whether it’s helping implement a campus project, connecting your content to outdoor learning, or simply celebrating what we’re building — your involvement matters.

This is not just a program — it’s a movement.
A movement that will prepare our students to lead, to protect, and to grow.
And it starts right here, at Goza.

Mrs. Meridith Armstrong, 8th-grade social studies teacher, arranged for the traveling exhibit "The Great War: World War I" from the Arkansas State Archives, for their study of a unit on WWI. Additionally, she secured the “A Soldier's Haversack: The American Doughboy” traveling loan box from the MacArthur Museum of Arkansas Military History. As part of this educational experience, the 8th graders read a primary source book about the Christmas Truce of 1914. Students had the opportunity to examine a World War I uniform, a meal kit, and other related artifacts.

Furthermore, Mrs. Armstrong facilitated a presentation by a living history character, Ms. Heather Zbinden, portraying a Salvation Army Lassie. She shared women's crucial role during World War I, detailing how they served alongside soldiers in the trenches, providing moral support and performing tasks such as making donuts (often in their helmets) to uplift the troops.

Ice Cream... it's in the bag!

No, seriously, the 6th-grade students at Goza Middle School made Ice Cream in a bag!

Mrs. Misty Smith, Goza's 6th-grade science teacher, partnered with Dr. Angela Douglass of OBU and her college students taking Natural Science for Elementary/ Middle School Teachers this week to explore this phenomenon.

Have you ever really thought about what you need to make ice cream? Some milk/ heavy cream, sugar, vanilla flavoring, ice cubes, baggies, and then of course, don't forget the salt! YES, salt! That is the game changer. Salt lowers the freezing point of ice. During the experiment, students discovered that HEAT was being transferred during the bag shaking. HEAT was transferred from the liquid cream mixture to the ice, which caused the ice to melt and the cream to get colder. The more you shake, the more the cream changes into ice cream.

The 6th graders definitely had to work for that dessert, and they all agree... science has never tasted so GOOD!