| Changes in PV Elementary Campus Administration
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At the conclusion of the 2018-2019 school year, after 28 years of service at CAC's Pleasant Valley campus, elementary campus principal Mrs. Shelia Cruce will take on a central administrative role as the Special Assistant to the President for Early Childhood and Elementary School Programs. Mrs. Jamie Custer, current CAC Pleasant Valley 5th grade teacher, will become the new Pleasant Valley Elementary campus principal.
As the Special Assistant to the President for Early Childhood and Elementary School programs, Mrs. Cruce’s focus will be on the cross-campus alignment of key curricular, instructional, assessment, school mission and supporting policies. Cruce, who was instrumental in the creation of CAC PV’s PreK4 program and taught for 10 years before becoming principal, has a self-proclaimed passion for Early Childhood curriculum and is excited to work with the principals and faculty to enhance and unify both elementary campuses.
Click Here to read the full article on our website.
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Q&A with Senior Master Taekwondo Instructor Senior Master Tammy Lamberson, a seventh-degree black belt, has been involved in Taekwondo for 47 years. Beginning in 2001, she began teaching Taekwondo classes at CAC’s Pleasant Valley Elementary campus. Over the past 18 years, she has taught hundreds of CAC students not only how to kick and punch, but how to live with courtesy, integrity, perseverance, self-control and an indomitable spirit. We sat down with Master Tammy to find out more about her Taekwondo journey.
Master Tammy, when did you first get involved in the Martial Arts and Taekwondo specifically?
I was 12 years old and I told my parents that I wanted to take karate. The TV series Kung Fu had just come out, so that definitely sparked my interest. They told me I needed to think about it and that I could do ballet or dance or gymnastics. I didn’t want to do any of those – I wanted to do karate. So my mom told me to come back in one week and we would talk about it. One week later I came back and told her that I still wanted to do it. My mom – I think she was trying to see if I was serious about it – told me I needed to make all of the appointments and set everything up. That Monday I called her at work and said, “We have an appointment at 4:30 at the karate school.”
I had just started the 7th grade and I was little – probably 4’10” and weighed 60 pounds. I loved it from the first class I took. I started going to class, then I would get there at 4 o’clock in the afternoon to not leave until 9 o’clock at night. I started helping to teach class when I was a blue belt, and still 12 years old. By the time I was 13 I already knew what I was going to grow up and do.
That’s pretty incredible. What a blessing to have that experience so young! What inspired you to open your own studio and begin a career in instructing?
A lot of people go through their whole life without really knowing their purpose, but it’s always been very clear to me that this is where God wants me. He wants me teaching kids and adults.
I opened my first Taekwondo school in Benton, Arkansas, when I was 17 years old. I was still a senior in high school, so I would get out of school, go straight to Benton and teach my classes from 4:00 – 9:00 p.m. Leave there, come home and try to figure out how to get homework done.
I just loved it from the moment I walked on the floor and started learning how to kick and punch. It came really easily for me – I have a God-given, natural athletic ability and I worked really hard at it. Then, I had knee surgery and became a Christian when I was 19 and I began to understand that it wasn’t easy for some people. That’s when I learned how to modify my teaching and how to make it as easy as possible for someone to learn it the correct way. That way if they ever need to use it to protect themselves, they’ll be able to do it.
Click Here to read the full interview on our website.
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| February 1, 2019. In honor of Black History Month, Mrs. Noble and the History Club officers created this banner to hang in the atrium. Throughout the Secondary Campus hallways, the History Club also posted photos of iconic black Americans accompanied by short biographies and lists of their accomplishments.
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| “The first day I got here I was terrified because I literally didn't know anyone from CAC. But as soon as I walked in the doors into the auditorium a group of five girls came up to me and asked me my name and let me sit beside them... It was just amazing. I was really scared because I thought no one was going to talk to me, but a lot of people embraced me."
Olivia Dodson,
Class of 2018
Click Here to view the full video on our Instagram page.
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Internet Safety It is part of our mission as a school to partner with parents to provide factual, educational content about issues that affect our students in and out of the classroom. On Monday, February 25, CAC will be hosting an Internet Safety Parent Night. Guest speaker Genevie Strickland will join us from the Morgan Nick Foundation, an organization that focuses on keeping children safe through intervention, education, and legislation. Ms. Strickland will cover topics such as internet safety, Arkansas law, risky behaviors, grooming, inappropriate content, cyberbullying, TMI, runaways, sexting, sex trafficking, and reporting. We encourage all parents and adults to attend the evening presentation (but please keep in mind that some material may be inappropriate for young children).
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Congratulations to the Mustang swim team on their 3rd place finish at the District Meet! At the State Meet, Claire Hyatt placed 1st in the 50 Free with a time of 24.22. Claire also placed 1st and set a new state record in the 100 Back with a time of 58.23! Congratulations to each athlete! We are proud of your hard work!
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