The April meeting of the Rapides Parish School Board opened with recognition of student groups and teams from across the district who have recently earned honors in academics, leadership, and competition.

Keep Alexandria Beautiful, an affiliate of Keep Louisiana Beautiful, partnered with RPSB, CleanAlex, Keep Louisiana Beautiful, and the Coca-Cola Company on a “Team Up to Clean Up” poster contest for K–8 students focused on community cleanup and beautification. District officials recognized winning entries from several schools.

The Arthur F. Smith robotics team made history at the VEX IQ State Championship, finishing first overall in qualification matches and earning both the Teamwork Champion Award and the Excellence Award, the highest honor in VEX IQ competition. Their performance secured a spot at the VEX IQ World Championship in St. Louis, Missouri, where they will compete against top teams from around the world.

The Tioga Archery Team was also recognized for a series of championship performances, including first-place finishes in high school team competition at the South Louisiana State Qualifier, the State 3D Tournament in both 2025 and 2026, and the State Bullseye Tournament. The team will advance to the Eastern National Tournament in Louisville, Kentucky, this summer.

Special recognition was given to Tayler M. of Glenmora High School for her leadership on and off campus.

Cheer teams from Tioga High School and Pineville High School were also acknowledged after weather conditions from Winter Storm Fern prevented travel to a national competition in Dallas, Texas. Despite competing virtually, the teams earned multiple NCA National Championship titles in their divisions.