Article by Ruby Medders
On September 9, 2026, BMS’s very own art teacher, Mrs. Moore, was featured in a local news story on KARK.
When the news of Dolly Parton’s death reached the ears of Mrs. Moore, she knew that she needed to create a memorial to display at Benton Middle School. Students and teachers got to participate in creating a butterfly in memory of Dolly and her legacy. Each butterfly came together to create a beautiful portrait of the Queen of Country Music.
The project caught the attention of KARK who wanted to feature this work of art in a local news story. Mrs. Moore was able to do an interview with Blake DeJarnatt and share the inspiration behind this memorial and what it meant to her and her students.
Benton Middle School teaches the idea of “Pursuit of Excellence through Education” to students everyday, but this is a true real life example of this idea in action. This memorial is so much more than art work; it represents creativity, collaboration, and community coming together to make something beautiful. Mrs. Moore took something that she was passionate about and ran with it. She worked hard, used the skills she had, collaborated with students and teachers, and created something that she and all of BMS can be proud of.
We are so proud of our panthers! Mrs. Moore’s work reminds us of the excellence that isn’t always taught in a textbook or classroom assignment. Sometimes it is found in tragedy and a community coming together.