Following are news brief items from the Fort Smith metro.
Innovation Lab
The Fort Smith Boys & Girls Clubs[1] (FSBGC) recently opened a technology-filled Innovation Lab at its Stephens Unit at 3101 N. Sixth St. The lab was made possible by a $25,000 grant from Cox Communications, according to the FSBGC.
Also supporting the lab is ABB, with funds also coming from a Community Development Block Grant.
The Cox Innovation Lab in Fort Smith provides new and innovative technology and support to help bridge the digital divide that exists for many young people, FSBGC noted in a press release. It will give the children attending the club the chance to explore their interest in STEM while providing those without a computer or internet access a way to get connected and manage through distance learning. It includes laptop computers, furniture, 3D printers, Wifi and internet services provided by Cox.
Top Squadron
The 184th Attack Squadron, based at Ebbing Air National Guard Base in Fort Smith, was recently awarded the 2024 RPA – remotely piloted aircraft – Squadron of the Year Award at the Air & Space Force Association conference.
The U.S. Air Force squadron received the General Atomics RPA Trophy for 2024 at the conference. According to information from the 188th Wing[2], the 184th was selected among all U.S. Air Force units, including active duty, guard and reserve units.
Achievements by the 184th included completing 314 combat sorties, recording 5,972 ISR (intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance) hours supporting three named operations, being part of an historic presidential-directed overwatch for humanitarian aid airdrops, leading the Air Force in non-traditional defensive counter-air and C-sUAS MQ-9 missions, and executing 66% of all such missions.
“These extraordinary efforts reflect the squadron’s unmatched combat capability and its leadership in advancing RPA operations for the future fight,” noted the 188th report.
An “A” for Haas Hall
The Haas Hall Academy in Fort Smith[3], located on the 4th floor of the Arkansas Colleges of Health Education Research Institute building, was the only secondary school – grades 7-12 – to receive an “A” letter grade from the Arkansas Department of Education.
Haas Hall in Fort Smith opened in the fall of 2023 and graduated its first senior class in the spring of 2025. The school has about 95 students, with a full-time faculty to scholar ratio of less than 1:10. The school was recognized by the Arkansas Department of Education for Top 5% Performance in 2024, one of 50 in the state and the only one in the area achieving this category.
During 2024−2025, the Fort Smith campus’s average ACT Score was 27 (87th percentile nationally, with one score of 35/36) and its average SAT score was 1360 (91st percentile nationally, top possible score of 1600).
Haas Hall was founded in 2004 in Northwest Arkansas and also has schools in Bentonville, Fayetteville, Rogers and Springdale.
“Our curriculum is geared toward scholars seeking to focus in science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics,” according to Haas Hall. “Our philosophy is to prepare our scholars now for the rigorous mathematics and science content they will be exposed to in college.”
Girl Scouts Leader
Angela Tilley, a longtime educator in the Fort Smith area and now a wellness program and community outreach coordinator for the Arkansas Colleges of Health Education, has been reappointed to serve a second three-year term on the Girl Scouts-Diamonds[4] Board of Directors.
Girl Scouts – Diamonds of Arkansas, Oklahoma and Texas serves more than 4,000 girls and more than 2,000 volunteers. The council encompasses all counties in Arkansas except Crittenden, includes Adair, LeFlore, and Sequoyah counties in Oklahoma as well as Bowie and Cass counties in Texas and is a United Way partner agency.
Tilley has served as CEO of United Way of Fort Smith and vice president of Zonta International, Fort Smith. She resides in Fort Smith and will represent the Midwest region.
“We are honored to welcome such an exceptional group of leaders to our Board of Directors,” said Channing Barker, incoming board chair. “Each of these individuals brings invaluable expertise and a unique perspective that will strengthen our organization and help us reach even more girls with life-changing opportunities.”
Board members include Kristin Aschoff, Margaret Bell Hughes, Robert Clayton, Cheryl Deen, Nancy Eberlein, Catherine Garner, Karen Lewis, Tracy Long, Dale Murphy, Debbie Partee, Deanna Ray, Debbie Robinson, Vinima Shekhar, and Angela Shirey.
“They believe in a future where every girl is confident, knows her worth, and has the skills to thrive and together, we can make that vision a reality,” said Mary Grace Herrington, president and CEO of Girl Scouts-Diamonds.
Related
References
- ^ Fort Smith Boys & Girls Clubs (www.fsbgc.org)
- ^ 188th Wing (www.188wg.ang.af.mil)
- ^ Haas Hall Academy in Fort Smith (haashall.org)
- ^ Girl Scouts-Diamonds (www.girlscoutsdiamonds.org)