Today we celebrated Alternative Education Day. Representatives from Cardinal Academy attended Alternative Education Leadership Day at the Arkansas State Capitol. Shaina Lane was honored as one of only 12 Diamond Award recipients in the entire state. This award recognizes students who demonstrate excellence while overcoming adversity.
Cardinal Academy was also recognized for its achievements in ELA testing and student growth. Congratulations to Shaina and the entire Cardinal Academy team for representing Farmington so well at the Capitol today! #ESED
Mrs. Burgess has her art room students at Farmington Middle School designing candy-inspired sneakers! We can’t wait to see these colorful, imaginative creations. #ESED
Cardinal Nation — THANK YOU. ❤️🖤
Last week, Farmington was proud to host the 2026 5A State Basketball Tournament at Cardinal Arena. Over five incredible (and grueling) days, we hosted 29 games and welcomed more than 15,000 fans through our doors. It was an amazing showcase for our school and community.
We are especially proud of our teams. Our Senior Girls won three games and are headed to the State Finals this Saturday, and our Senior Boys battled to two big wins before finishing their season in the State Semifinals. What a week for Cardinal basketball! 🏀
Events of this size only happen because of the people behind the scenes. Thank you to:
• Our administrators who helped with security checks and kept order during extremely large crowds.
• Our cleaning staff, who somehow reset the arena for the next crowd in just a few hours.
• Our coaches who stepped in to help manage parking and any other duties that were assigned to them.
• Our gate workers who welcomed every guest with professionalism and hospitality.
• The Farmington Police Department for helping ensure a safe environment for everyone.
Thank you to Nancy Woodward, Stephanie Earnheart, and Kathy Simmons for keeping our concessions stocked and individuals scheduled to work.
A huge thank you to our incredible community volunteers, including Jeff Oxford, Rich and Carol Bunsgaard, Jay Moore, and all the other community members and parents who volunteered their time throughout the week.
A special thank you to Craig Depew, Isaac Frost, and Dylan Connely for serving as our public address announcers, keeping the energy high and helping create an exciting game atmosphere for teams and fans throughout the tournament. 🎤
Special appreciation goes to Paige Thompson and Kristen Bates, who ran the hospitality room and served over 500 people per day with a smile. Their work and time were unmatched. Anyone who has hosted a tournament knows the hospitality room is the true litmus test of a great event — and they made ours a smash success. 👏
We are also grateful for the support of our tournament sponsors:
Arvest Bank, Coryell Roofing, Karnes Logistics, Big O Tires, Pagnozzi Charities, Simple Simon’s Pizza, 7 Brew, Griggs Covington Shelter Insurance, and Zack Prothro Farm Bureau Insurance.
Thank you to our technology department, Brian Dean and Jarod Morrison, for preparing everything in advance and being on hand all week to solve any issues that popped up.
This was the third state tournament hosted at Cardinal Arena, and moments like this remind us why it was built. A special thank you to Bryan Law, Brad Blew, and our Board of Education for having the foresight years ago to build a venue capable of bringing events like this to Farmington.
Hosting tournaments like this showcases what makes our community special.
Thank you, Farmington, for showing up and showing out. ❤️🖤
Coach Thompson
Congratulations to the Sr. High Quiz Bowl Team for competing in the Regional Quiz Bowl Tournament in Alma on Saturday! They played games other high school teams and finished 4th place overall. Each game was neck-and-neck, with the highest difference of score being only 15 points (one question is typically worth 10 points). Members of the team include team captain Bryce Scott, Gretchen Harp, Kara Lynn Jansson, and Brayden Hughs. #ESED
