24 Mar 2012 'Dance with the Stars'

The Choosing to Excel “Dance with the Stars and Conway’s Got Talent” annual fundraising event was held recently at the James H. Clark Auditorium.

The event raised $37,000 for the program with more than 500 in attendance.

The evening featured two rounds of competition – dance and talent. 

First place dance contest winners were Lenedra Franklin, a sixth grade literacy instructor at Ruth Doyle Intermediate, and Harvell Howard, who works in minority affairs at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock. Runner-up was Lashanta Johnson, girls basketball coach at Carl Stuart Middle School, and Synthn Johnson, a senior at Conway High School and a junior leader with Choosing to Excel.

For the talent competition, the winner was “The Lunchroom Ladies” from Julia Lee Moore Elementary School. Runner-up was Woody Cummins and the staff from Woodrow Cummins Elementary School.

In the audience dance competition, the winner was Denise Bradley, also a basketball coach at Carl Stuart, and Vernon James, who works with the construction management team at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock. Runner-up was Lenedra Franklin and Harvell Howard. The audience chose “The Lunchroom Ladies” for their first place talent competition winners and Theodore Jones as runner-up. 

Thelma Moton is the executive director of Choosing to Excel. For more information on the program, call 501.505.8590 or visit c2e.com.