Saving lives and making the holidays feel special aren’t part of any job description at Bentonville Schools.

And yet, school employees did that and more this year. Employees who go above and beyond their regular duties are recognized with the district’s Extra Mile Award.

The award is given most months, with nominations submitted by parents or fellow staff members. Honorees are formally recognized by the school board and celebrated by the district.

Here are the staff members who were recognized in 2025:

Bus driver Sonya Wilson was recognized in January for bringing joy to her students by decorating for the holidays. 

Emily Rankin, an Apple Glen teacher, submitted the award nomination after Wilson drove her kids on a field trip last winter. 

Rankin said her mouth “just dropped open” when she saw how the bus was decorated for the Christmas season. 

Character cutouts from How the Grinch Stole Christmas. Christmas lights. A personalized ornament for her regular riders.

Wilson decorates for other holidays like Valentine’s Day and St. Patrick’s Day as well. 

Read more.

A sibling of one of Elena Moore’s students was born prematurely a few months before Christmas time and spent about a month in the NICU.

The Osage Creek Elementary kindergarten teacher reassured the student’s mother that the child “was in good hands at school, and she would help her stay on track,” according to the award nomination.

But Moore, sensitive to the financial challenges of an extended hospital stay, didn’t stop there. She also, on her own dime, gifted the student a Barbie set, a Disney character toy, a board game and kinetic sand.

Read more.

Logan Misenheimer, an alternative learning teacher at Sugar Creek Elementary, was nominated for the Extra Mile Award by a father of a former student. 

He wrote that, despite no longer having the student in her class, she “continues to go out of her way to check” on his son. 

The student, who is autistic, sometimes has tough days at school, but Misenheimer has been able to salvage those days. His feelings about school have improved as a result, the father wrote. 

Read more.

When a first grader at Willowbrook Elementary received a new diagnosis of Type 1 diabetes, the student’s family was uneasy about sending her back to school.

To put them at ease, school nurse Brittany Bates reached out to peers and researched the condition, going above and beyond to ensure everyone felt comfortable, leading the parents to nominate her for the award. 

“Without Nurse Brittany’s efforts and my confidence in her, I likely would have stopped working,” the student’s mother wrote.

Read more.

Soma Majumdar, an instructional assistant at Apple Glen Elementary School, was recognized for saving a student’s life. She was in the lunchroom when she noticed a second grader struggling to breathe. 

Reacting quickly, she successfully performed the Heimlich maneuver. Emily Trolinger, a teacher at Apple Glen, nominated her for the Extra Mile Award.

“I nominated Soma for her act of courage and quick thinking. One of our students began to choke during lunch, which was a terrifying situation. Without hesitation, Soma sprung into action, performed the Heimlich maneuver and saved that student’s life,” Trolinger said at the June school board meeting. 

“I feel so grateful and honored to receive this recognition, especially being nominated by Ms. Trolinger, who herself is an inspiration not only for me, but other staff in Apple Glen,” Majumdar said.

Majumdar said she is thankful to be a part of Apple Glen as both a staff member and a parent.

“Apple Glen is kind of a second home for me because my youngest is a rising third grader over there, but also because I have an awesome team,” she said.

Read more.

Melanie Woody is an AP Psychology teacher at Bentonville High School who has taught and cared for hundreds of students during her 17 years working in the district.

It was that special touch that led a parent to nominate her for the award. In the nomination, a parent of one of her students shared that Woody took her daughter under her wing and consistently showed up in ways that went well beyond academics.

Whether it was getting the student to practice on time or making sure she truly understood the material, the student’s mother said she paid attention to the whole student, not just the classroom work.

Read more.

Curiosity and creativity are built into Milana Hainline’s lessons in her third-grade classroom at Cooper Elementary.

This school year, she brought “The Lion King” to life on stage and followed it with a science unit focused on plant growth in space. As part of that unit, Hainline arranged for her students to learn directly from Emily Calandrelli, a science educator and TV presenter who has traveled to space.

In the award nomination, district leaders noted Hainline’s ability to create a classroom that is both fun and inclusive.

“Milana works to create a classroom setting that is fun but also inclusive of all her students. She cares about her kids, and it shows in her work each day,” wrote Lisa St John, executive director of elementary education. 

Read more.

Alyssa Cordell, a first-year teacher at Lincoln Junior High, has already earned a reputation for her commitment to preparing students for life beyond the classroom.

She helped with the district’s first-ever Elev8 career fair event for junior high students. 

As part of her business courses, she teaches students skills like applying for a job, how to maintain professional relationships and to think creatively to solve problems, according to her nomination.  

Read more.

For about 20 years, Holly Treat and Tony Cherico have led a class called Outdoor Pursuits at Bentonville High School.

In the course, students learn how to fly fish, kayak, trap shoot and rock climb, among other outdoor activities. 

The course requires organizing more than a dozen field trips each year, working with partners like the Bella Vista Fly Tiers Club and Arkansas Game and Fish and managing the large amount of equipment needed for the outdoor adventures.

“We look at the end of the semester, and we’re like ‘oh my.’ There’s a lot that goes into the time and planning,” Treat said while accepting the award. 

But when they hear their students talk about their experiences, “it just melts our hearts, and we’re like, ‘Okay, we’re going to keep doing this.” 

Read more.