D'Ann Fimple has been teaching for 28 years. She is a graduate of Benton High School and got her teaching degree from Henderson State University. She began her teaching career in Bauxite, Arkansas, teaching fifth grade. She then began teaching Kindergarten in El Dorado, Arkansas. She continued teaching Kindergarten in Fort Smith Public Schools and Farmington Public Schools before moving to Conway and teaching Pre-Kindergarten for the last three years at Sallie Cone Preschool in the Conway Public School District.

For 25 years, Angela Blue has worked at Ida Burns Elementary School as a 2nd grade teacher.

She is a 1991 graduate of Central High School in the Helena-West Helena School District and a National Achievement Scholarship winner. The veteran educator graduated from the University of Central Arkansas in 1996 with a BSE in Elementary Education and obtained her MSE in Reading in 2007. In 2007-08, she earned recognition from the Oklahoma-Arkansas Section of the Mathematical Association of America and was awarded the Arkansas Elementary School Teacher of the Year Award. During the summer of 2017, she worked with 2nd graders in the Ready Readers summer program at Trinity Worship Center and Church Fellowship. Blue is a member of the National Education Association and International Literacy Association.

Throughout her early childhood, her parents nurtured a love of learning, and Blue dreamed of becoming a teacher. As a child, she practiced at home by teaching her younger siblings after watching her teachers at school. In junior high she became uncertain about her future professional goals. However, it was during her junior high and high school years that Blue began to seriously consider the teaching profession. She would gain experience first hand by assisting early elementary teachers during two summer school sessions. She worked as a student helper to veteran teachers and got her first real experience of working in a classroom with small groups of students. Blue enjoys spending time with her family, baking, reading, and seeing former students again.

Michelle Kingsbury graduated in 2009 with a degree in Elementary Education from the University of Central Arkansas. In 2015, she obtained a Masters Degree from Henderson State University. She went on to add an English as a Second Language endorsement and a Dyslexia Endorsement to her teaching license. Michelle has been teaching for 13 years. She started her teaching career in Searcy, Arkansas and has spent the last 8 years at Woodrow Cummins in Conway, Arkansas. Michelle continues to find ways to improve her teaching skills by attending online webinars and researching new practices. Michelle strives to make her classroom a positive and loving environment for all students.

Ashley Dean is a 1:15 teacher at Theodore Jones Elementary. This is her second year in the Conway school district and her sixteenth year in education. Ashley holds a bachelor’s degree in Early Childhood Education, a master’s degree in Special Education Instructional Specialist, as well as a Graduate Certificate in Building Level Administration and a Graduate Certificate in District Level Administration Special Education Director from Arkansas State University. Ashley has worked in a variety of educational settings throughout her career. She has taught in the general education classroom and the special education classroom. She has also been a Dyslexia Coordinator and a Behavior Support Specialist.

Ashley has worked with students, parents, teachers and administrators in various districts through classroom consultation and presenting professional development on a variety of topics in the area of behavior. Ashley’s main goals as an educator are to foster independence and equip her students from an early age with the knowledge, skills and confidence needed for a successful future.

Ashley Silliman is the counselor at Carolyn Lewis Elementary. She graduated from Conway High School, received her bachelor’s degree at the University of Central Arkansas, and her master’s degree at the University of North Texas.

Mrs. Silliman has been involved in education and mental health services for 19 years. She began her teaching career as a high school English teacher in Dallas, Texas. Upon earning her Master’s degree in Counseling, she became a middle school counselor in Fort Worth, Texas. Her transition back to Arkansas began as a counselor at Bridgeway Psychiatric Hospital and she began her tenure with Conway Public Schools in 2011 when she was hired as an elementary school counselor. Mrs. Silliman is currently completing a program that will license her to have an Educational Specialist degree in Clinical Mental Health from Harding University. She is also currently in the process of obtaining her license as a professional counselor, more commonly referred to as a LPC.

Ashley and her husband, Clint, have been married for 11 years and have two children; Pearce and Campbell. They enjoy spending time together as a family traveling the world and spending as much time outdoors as possible.

Porscha Albert recognizes the potential in every child. She has dedicated herself to becoming a life-long learner. She wants to instill this same desire in her students. She promotes equity in her classroom, while holding students to high expectations. She has a true passion for working with some of the most struggling readers. She is privileged and honored to accept this challenge each day.

Porscha earned a Bachelor’s of Science in Education degree (2006) and a Masters’ Degree in Reading (2008) from the University of Central Arkansas. She received her ESL Endorsement from Henderson State University (2012). She achieved National Board Certification in 2013. She earned her Dyslexia Therapist Certification (2016) from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock. Porscha has taught in public education for 16 years. She began her teaching career as a kindergarten teacher in the North Little Rock School District. Five years later, she transitioned into the role of a Reading Recovery teacher. She taught in this position until she gained employment in the Conway School District, as a literacy intervention teacher. She became a teacher because she enjoys serving and helping others reach their full potential.

She is involved in the Early Childhood Ministry at her church, where she serves two and three year olds on Sunday mornings and Wednesday evenings. Teaching is challenging but also rewarding. Porscha has great hope that equipping her students with the knowledge and skills they need will help them succeed in whatever they choose to pursue in life.

Leah Pierce is a life-long learner who respects and values the diverse backgrounds and learning styles of her students. She loves teaching math and science to elementary-age children and majored in Early Childhood Education at the University of Arkansas, where she also earned her Master of Arts in Teaching degree.

Mrs. Pierce began her career in Springdale, AR teaching fourth grade for six years, four of those being departmentalized as a math, science, and literacy teacher. She was then hired by the Conway School District as her school’s sole fourth grade math teacher. To improve her ability to reach all learners, she earned her ESL Licensure Endorsement in 2007 and implemented those strategies in her everyday classroom. In 2010-2011, she also completed several middle level math and science education courses to improve her practice of teaching in a departmentalized setting. She has served as a mentor teacher for education majors, presented new technology to staff, participated in math pacing for the district, served on the Behavior Committee at her school as well as the district’s Five Year Planning Committee.

Leah takes her job beyond teaching math and science. In 2014, she co-founded the Ellen Smith Running Club, open to all third and fourth grade students at her school. The goal of this club is to promote fitness and fun and give students an avenue of experiencing success outside of the classroom. Mrs. Pierce has organized and successfully directed six end-of-school 5K events for these runners, all free of charge.

Mrs. Haley Ward is a 25-year-old Special Education teacher at Jim Stone Elementary School. She graduated from UCA with a BSE in K-12 Special Education in December of 2019. Mrs. Ward worked as a long-term substitute teacher at Conway High School in the 1:10 self-contained classroom during the spring semester of 2020. The next school year, she was hired to be the 1:15 3^rd and 4^th grade teacher at Jim Stone Elementary. 

Mrs. Ward was nominated and voted Teacher of the Year for Jim Stone Elementary for the 2022-2023 school year. Mrs. Ward did not originally plan to study special education in college. Shortly after starting college, she was not able to ignore her passion for working with students with disabilities. Mrs. Ward's brother was diagnosed with Autism at a young age, and she saw his struggles growing up. Her mission while teaching is to give her students confidence in their abilities. During college, she volunteered with various community programs, her favorite being the Special Olympics. This also inspired Mrs. Ward's hot chocolate philanthropy project, which she started at Jim Stone, along with her Lil' Caring Cats club. When she is not at school, Mrs. Ward enjoys spending time with family and friends. Her hobbies include: cooking, going to the gym, shopping, and watching movies. 

Mrs. Williams is a 25-year-old wife, mother of two and Special Education teacher at Marguerite Vann Elementary School. She graduated from UCA with a BSE in K-12 Special Education in December of 2019. Upon graduation, Mrs. Williams was hired as a Special Education teacher for Ida Burns and Theodore Jones Elementary Schools. The next school year, she held the same position for Theodore Jones and Marguerite Vann Elementary Schools. In 2021, she became the teacher for the 1:10 self-contained classroom.

Mrs. Williams was nominated and voted Teacher of the Year for Marguerite Van Elementary for the 2022-2023 school year. Mrs. Williams has always had a passion for working with children with disabilities. Her mother was an Occupational Therapist at a developmental preschool which Morgan attended until she went to elementary school. Going to preschool alongside children with disabilities gave her the desire to help others succeed. During high school, she volunteered at A-Camp, which is a camp for children with Autism. She also worked in the developmental pre-school at Pediatrics Plus in college. When she is not at school, Mrs. Williams enjoys spending time with her family. During the summers, she works at Bath and Bodyworks. Her hobbies include: hand embroidery, listening to podcasts, photography and going to the gym.

Hailey Carr fell in love with the city of Conway, Arkansas after becoming deeply rooted in the community while attending college at the University of Central Arkansas. Working at a preschool helped her find her passion and talent for teaching children. Carr graduated from the University of Central Arkansas with her degree in Elementary Education in 2017. She landed her dream job of teaching 6th grade math in Conway at Simon Middle School in August of 2017. Carr taught math for two years before teaching 6th grade social studies for three years. She is also the assistant coach for 7th grade girls volleyball, basketball, and track.

Carr enjoys using her creativity and passion for travel to bring lessons to life for her students. She incorporates her musical talents, video editing skills, and travel documents to engage her students in their learning. Carr has written, sang, and recorded educational songs with her sister for her students. She has also created several educational video documentaries from her travel experiences that she shares with her students about the places they study. Not only does she strive to make learning fun, but she also works to build social and emotional skills while teaching the curriculum. Carr values and fosters a respect for diversity in her classroom. She strives to create a positive learning environment, in which all students feel safe and a sense of belonging.

Mechelle Dunlap is a special education teacher in the Conway Public School District. She is certified as a Special Education Instructional Specialist for pre-kindergarten through twelfth grade. She is also certified as a reading specialist for pre-kindergarten through twelfth grade.

Mrs. Dunlap graduated with a BSE in Special Education Mildly Handicapped in December of 2001. She graduated with an MSE in Reading Specialist in 2008. In 2009, she completed the English as a Second Language Graduate Academy. Mrs. Dunlap has taught in the Conway Public School district for nineteen years, with one year teaching outside of the district in Pulaski County Special School District. She has served as a resource, inclusion, intervention, and indirect teacher during her career.

She has spent the last thirteen years teaching in resource, inclusion, intervention, and indirect settings to fifth through seventh graders. During this time, she attended professional conferences through the Council for Exceptional Children. She attended required professional development as well as additional professional development and training in a variety of areas. She has been trained in two Orton-Gillingham methods to better enable her to serve her students with dyslexia.

Mrs. Dunlap believes that all children can learn and deserve to be given the opportunity to learn. Teaching special education gives her the opportunity to work with students who have either fallen behind their peers or who are struggling to maintain performance at grade level. In her spare time, Mrs. Dunlap enjoys reading and traveling with her husband and four children.

Brenda Smith started her professional career as a teacher during the summer when she was in college. She worked for Arkansas Teacher Retirement for a year. After graduating, she started working for the Mayflower School District as a self-contained/resource/inclusion teacher for 13 years. She left Mayflower for the Conway School District and worked at Simon Intermediate School for four years as a 5th grade special education/reading inclusion teacher. When the district rezoned, Mrs. Smith moved to Carl Stuart Middle School where she is currently teaching resource/inclusion reading and math for grades 5th - 7th. During her time between Simon and Carl Stuart, she completed her Master's Degree as a Special Education Instructional Specialist.

Mrs. Deanna Robbins is the 2023 Bob and Betty Courtway Middle School Teacher of the Year, where she has served as the 6th and 7th grade school counselor since 2020.

Mrs. Robbins graduated from The University of Arkansas at Little Rock with a Bachelor of Arts in Interdisciplinary Studies in 2012, and a Master of Science in School Counseling from The University of Central Arkansas in 2019. Before being hired by Conway Public Schools, Mrs. Robbins spent her first year in education piloting a revamped alternative learning program for a local public high school. In that year, the program had an 80% success rate (student graduation) and was recognized by the Arkansas Association of Alternative Educators at the State Capital.

At Courtway, Mrs. Robbins serves on the Positivity Posse and Leadership Team. She facilitates the distribution of weekly food bags to students and families in need. She has organized holiday food and gift distributions each year for over 30 families through the generous support of community sponsors. Mrs. Robbins is also completing her first year on the Arch Ford Novice Teacher Mentoring Advisory Committee, whose job is to inform the mentoring program in an effort to retain new educators for the field. Mrs. Robbins considers developing relationships as the key to building and maintaining a safe, successful, and productive learning environment. She believes that encouraging students to find the positive things in life, in spite of hard times, cultivates the resilience necessary to be successful.

Brick Cullum is a social studies teacher at Conway High School. He began his career there in 2018 after graduating summa cum laude from the University of Central Arkansas. Mr. Cullum has taught a variety of courses and is excited about thinking of new ways to engage learners. He believes the more meaningful students think lessons are, the better their growth will be.

Throughout his four years as an educator, Cullum has taken on a variety of responsibilities. He is the high school and Arkansas state Beta sponsor. Brick has worked to facilitate thousands of hours of community service and various state initiatives. Mr. Cullum is perhaps most proud of his work supporting CPSD's core value related to diversity, as “value and respect diversity” is dear to his heart. In 2021, Mr. Cullum worked with his African American History classes to launch the CHS Black History Museum: A Year of Triumph. The website was featured in multiple news outlets and helped foster celebrations throughout the district. This project was the eventual basis for the launch of “Mirrors,” the CHS diversity quarterly. Launching in October 2021, “Mirrors” features student content that celebrates every unique person in the district and allows them to “see themselves” for possibly the first time. Mr. Cullum’s goal was to create a living, breathing platform whereby students could take ownership of valuable conversations. As of April 2022, the four published volumes of student content have been viewed over 13,000 times in over a dozen countries.