Mrs. Hailey Carr:
Hailey Carr fell in love with the city of Conway, Arkansas, while attending the University of Central Arkansas. Getting a job at a preschool her sophomore year helped her find her passion and talent for teaching children. She changed her major to Elementary Education, and never looked back. After graduating Summa Cum Laude in May of 2017 with her Bachelor of Science degree in Elementary Education, Carr landed her dream job of teaching 6th grade in Conway at Simon Middle School. Carr taught two years of 6th grade math and just finished her third year of teaching 6th grade social studies at Simon. She is also the assistant coach for 7th grade girls volleyball, basketball, and track. Hailey Carr was just honored as the 2022-2023 Conway Public School’s District Teacher of the Year.
When asked about her time at the University of Central Arkansas, here is what she had to say: “The education program at UCA does a fantastic job in equipping future teachers. Although the program is challenging and rigorous, every project and assignment served a purpose in preparing me for becoming a classroom teacher. While you can never fully be prepared for all that being a teacher entails, I feel that UCA did the best possible job, and I am so thankful and proud to have received my degree from there. Learning and implementing the science of reading as an intern helped prepare me to better understand and implement the statewide Reading Initiative for Student Excellence. The courses I took helped equip me to navigate and implement different resources and technologies in my classroom and to lead other teachers in this area as well. My professors and supervisors encouraged me to use my creativity when creating lessons as an intern. I created a few different educational songs for my classes as an intern, and went on to create educational songs that go along with the social studies curriculum I teach now. I have written songs for the Mesopotamia, Egypt, and China units for my social studies class. I carry all that I learned through UCA’s education program with me as a teacher, and I credit my well-rounded education at UCA for helping me to achieve success I never imagined possible as a 5th year teacher.”
Mrs. Sara Jones:
Mrs. Sara Jones, current principal at Mt. Saint Mary Academy in Little Rock, was recently named the academy's first Head of School. Mrs. Jones is a 2013 UCA MAT graduate and 2015 Leadership Studies graduate (Education Specialist).
As Head of School, Mrs. Jones will work with three boards of directors connected to the school. She will also be responsible for the effective day-to-day management of the school, for ensuring the provision of academic leadership and strategic vision, for maintaining a financially sustainable organization, and for upholding the quality of the overall student experience (Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette).
Dr. Vincent Price:
Dr. Vincent Price hails from Vicksburg, MS, and brings with him a truck-load of energy, innovation, and reflection. With his English Education background, he has spent years teaching on the high school level and training on the college level. Vincent earned his doctorate in Teacher Education from the University of Tennessee, during which time he began his academic editing business and took up tap dancing. Through his YouTube channel, Dr. Price Teaches, he combines his love of classroom teaching with tap, and creating insightful yet entertaining videos. Vincent's research focuses on the teaching of African-American literature in English classrooms. He looks forward to furthering that research at UCA.
Mrs. Sunny Styles-Foster
Mrs. Sunny Styles-Foster (MAT Program Coordinator) has been accepted as a participant in the inaugural Association of Teacher Educators (ATE) Inquiry Initiative. The Inquiry Initiative is a first-of-its-kind three-year collaborative inquiry for professional educators (scholars and practitioners), from multiple settings, with varying inquiry and pedagogical expertise, and a wide range of demographic profiles. Participants will be intentionally grouped across institutions, roles, and inquiry/practice traditions to collectively examine a common focus:
As a participant in the ATE Inquiry Initiative, Mrs. Styles-Foster will help lead the investigation into this critical question and drive greater impact in our profession through publication opportunities, media outlets, research briefs, conference presentations, and more.
