Pocahontas Junior High

That’s a wrap on the 2025–2026 school year! ☀️🎉

Thank you to our students, staff, and families for a year filled with hard work, growth, memories, and accomplishments. We hope everyone has a safe, fun, and well-deserved summer break!

Enjoy your summer, Redskins! ❤️🤍

Pocahontas School District will be offering FREE breakfast and lunch for children ages 0-18 beginning May 27 through June 19! ☀️🍎 Meals will be served Monday-Friday at the M.D. Williams Cafeteria: 🥞 Breakfast: 7:00 a.m. - 9:00 a.m. 🍔 Lunch: 11:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. Please note: Meals must be consumed in the cafeteria. We’re proud to continue serving our students and community throughout the summer! Be sure to check out the attached menu for meal options.

Coach Herring’s classes recently welcomed a visitor from the nature center for a fun hands-on project! Students created fish habitats that will be placed in the nature center’s pond. Thank you to the nature center for providing this great learning opportunity for our students!

Join us today as we celebrate and honor our retiring employees for their years of dedication, hard work, and impact on Pocahontas School District. ❤️

We are proud to recognize students who were recently honored and presented at the Board of Education meeting! Our FFA students were recognized for their hard work and accomplishments, while EAST students showcased an incredible communication board they designed and printed in partnership with our SPED department. These projects and achievements are a great example of students using leadership, creativity, and collaboration to make a meaningful impact in our schools and community. Great things are happening at Pocahontas!

As we wrap up another great school year, we want to remind our families of a few important dates:

Last Day of School: Friday, May 22
First Day of School for Students (2026-2027): Wednesday, August 12

We’re looking forward to finishing the year strong and hope everyone enjoys a safe, fun, and well-deserved summer break. Thank you for another wonderful year at Pocahontas School District!

Please be reminded that all student medications must be picked up from your child’s school building no later than 3:30 p.m. on Friday, May 22.

Any medications not picked up by this deadline will be destroyed.

If you have questions, please contact your child’s school office or nurse. Thank you for your attention to this important reminder.

The Redskins Shooting Team competed this weekend at the Arkansas Youth Shooting Sports (YSS) Eastern Regional held at the Arkansas Game and Fish Shooting Sports Complex in Jacksonville, AR.

This tournament featured teams from all classifications across eastern Arkansas, competing for a chance to advance to the State Shoot.

Our Sr. High Red Team qualified for the State Shoot, placing 16th out of 98 squads with a team score of 220. Top shooters were Wade Zitzelberger, Kipton Jansen, and Abe Hibbard, each scoring 46/50, placing them in the top 17% of 423 senior shooters. Peyton Amos followed closely with a 45/50.

Our Jr. High team had 3 squads compete, with the Jr. Red Team advancing to State after placing 12th out of 80 squads. Top shooters were Jackson Vanwinkle, whose 23/25 placed him in the top 7% of 354 junior shooters, and Abel Johnson and August French, whose 21/25 placed them in the top 20%.

PJHS will host the Spring Semester Awards Assembly on Tuesday, May 19, 2026, in the PJHS Gymnasium as we celebrate the accomplishments of our students this semester! 📍 PJHS Gymnasium 7th Grade — 8:30 AM 8th Grade — 9:15 AM 9th Grade — 10:00 AM We look forward to recognizing the hard work, growth, and success of our students! ❤️🤍

The Pocahontas Shooting Team recently traveled to Corning to compete in the Black River Trap Club YSS Tournament.

Our Junior High squad brought home 3rd place overall, with August French shooting a perfect 25/25 in the seeding round.

Our Senior High squad earned 2nd place overall, led by Kipton Jansen, who recorded 75 straight targets, finishing the day with an impressive 121/125 and earning the Champion of Champions award.

We also had many students record their personal best scores throughout the day. It was a great day to be a Redskin!

Ms. Bodenhamer’s classes recently welcomed several special visitors for hands-on learning experiences! April Duff, Randolph County Deputy Clerk and Election Coordinator, spoke with students about elections and local government. Jimmy Downs shared Mexican-American War reenactment items and historical insight, while Dr. Brent Miller from the Department of Education taught classes throughout the day about the Mexican-American War. We appreciate each of them for investing their time in our students!

The Pocahontas Football staff will host a parent meeting on May 19 at 6:00 p.m. in the Pocahontas High School cafeteria for all students entering 7th–12th grade football. Important information regarding the upcoming season will be discussed, and all players and parents are encouraged to attend. ❤️🏈🤍

PJHS students who scored a Level 4 on their ATLAS test recently celebrated their hard work with a trip to Hijinx! 🎉

Parent & Guardian Survey – Early Release Wednesdays Our district is asking for your input to help us better plan for Early Release Wednesdays for the upcoming school year. Please take a few minutes to complete this short survey. Your feedback is extremely important and will help us make decisions that best support students, families, and staff. 👉 Survey link: https://forms.gle/icJfRH5gBy1YMDjR6 Thank you for supporting our students!

The Junior High National Honor Society recently welcomed new inductees while celebrating the continued dedication of our returning members. We are proud of these students for their commitment to scholarship, leadership, service, and character. Congratulations to all members on this outstanding achievement!

We are requesting community input regarding Early Release Wednesdays. Please take a few moments to complete the following form: 👉 https://forms.gle/yJbm7To3zD543RMdA Your feedback is valuable and will assist us to better meet the needs of our students, families, and staff. We appreciate your time and continued support of our schools.

📚 PJHS Families — Please review these two important upcoming events!

✅ Spring Semester Test Schedule
Semester testing will take place May 20–22. Please see the attached schedule for testing days and times. Students eligible for semester test exemptions will be notified ahead of time.

🏆 PJHS Spring Semester Awards Assembly
Tuesday, May 19, 2026 • PJHS Gymnasium

7th Grade — 8:30 AM
8th Grade — 9:15 AM
9th Grade — 10:00 AM

We look forward to celebrating the accomplishments of our students!

The Pocahontas Trap Team traveled to the Jonesboro Shooting Complex this week to compete in a YSS-format tournament.

We had two Senior High teams competing. The Red Team placed 9th out of 25 teams and advanced to bracket play, where they were eliminated in the first round. The White Team competed well but did not place in the top 16 to advance.

Our Junior High teams also had a strong showing. The Red Team placed 9th out of 19 teams and advanced to bracket play, falling in the first round. The White Team placed 16th out of 19 and also made it to bracket play.

We are proud of the effort from all of our shooters and look forward to competing this Saturday in Corning!

Friendly reminder: The PJHS National Junior Honor Society Induction Ceremony will be held tomorrow, Thursday, May 7 at 9:00 AM in the Junior High Cafeteria. We are excited to celebrate our new and returning members and recognize their hard work and achievements. Congratulations to all of our honorees!