BE COMMITTED
One of the guiding principles of THE BENTON WAY is to BE COMMITTED. Today, we honored Mr. Donnie Burks for this accomplishment. Mr. Burks is a 1967 graduate of Benton High School, a 1974 graduate of Ouachita Baptist University, and a 1976 graduate of Hendrix College. Mr. Burks is known in Benton for being the creator of "Benton Panther Flashbacks" on the Panther Football radio broadcasts for many years. Mr. Burks was instrumental in establishing the Benton Athletic Memorial Museum and has demonstrated COMMITMENT by serving on this project for 30 years. Today we honor Mr. Burks for his COMMITMENT to Benton High School and the city of Benton.

BE THE LIGHT
Today, we recognized Mrs. Kelli Winters as our latest alumnus for representing The Benton Way by “Being the Light” in our community. Mrs. Winters is a 1989 BHS graduate. She has been a shining light in our community her entire life. She has served through too many organizations to list individually, but a few include the Saline County Boys and Girls Club, Special Olympics, Benton Chamber of Commerce, and Benton Junior Auxiliary. Mrs. Winters graduated from BHS in 1989 as Co-Valedictorian. She graduated from the University of Arkansas with a bachelor of science and went on to complete a masters of science in physical therapy from the University of Central Arkansas in 1995. Her husband, Rob, and daughters, Lindsey and Lily, are also proud graduates of BHS. We are thankful for Mrs. Winters and her willingness to “Be the Light” to BHS and the city of Benton

BE PROUD
Coach Fite is a 1961 graduate of Benton High School and he represents everything it means to Be Proud to be a Panther! He spent over 40 years coaching high school football both in Arkansas and Texas. He has been the head coach of Benton, Bryant, Bauxite, and Harmony Grove. He served as an assistant coach at Benton under 3 different head coaches and was the head coach here for 14 years. It is impossible to put into words how much Coach Fite is loved and respected by the Benton community. He is the one who coined the phrase, “It is a great day to be a fighting Panther!” We were super proud to welcome Coach Fite back to BHS to accept the Outstanding Alumni Award of The Benton Way - Be Proud!

BE THE DIFFERENCE
Mrs. Lane is a 1987 graduate of Benton High School, a 2002 graduate of Henderson State University. She and her husband, Josh, are co-owners of ACDI and have chosen to locate their business in Benton where Mrs. Lane makes a difference in the lives of many people on a daily basis. Mrs. Lane is one of the leading volunteers at Bright Futures and supports many community activities like The Boys and Girls club of Saline County, The Call of Saline County and many more. Mrs. Lane has made and continues to make a huge difference in the lives of so many. We honor Mrs. Lane for BEING THE DIFFERENCE to Benton High School and the city of Benton.

BE A LEADER
Mrs. Sue Schultz is a 1976 graduate of Benton High School and a 1980 and 1983 graduate of Ouachita Baptist University where she earned her BSE and MSE in education. Mrs. Schultz was an active educator for 40 years. She was best known in our community as the Benton Middle School principal for 16 years. She has received numerous awards at the local, state, and national level that honored her leadership abilities. She is best known for her daily message to students, "Make it a great day or not. The choice is yours!" We honor Mrs. Sue Schultz for BEING A LEADER to many generations of students in the Benton School District.

BE THE BEST
Our BE THE BEST honorees for The Benton Way are members of the Everett and Hendrix families. We thank these outstanding Benton High School graduates for being a great example of hard work, excellence, and generosity. Members who are BHS alumni are as follows:
Dwight Everett - Class of 1970
Susie Everett - Class of 1974
David Hendrix - Class of 1980
Dana Hendrix - Class of 1981
Douglas Hendrix - Class of 1982
Brandon Hudspeth - Class of 1999
Christa Hudspeth - Class of 1999
Chad Hendrix - Class of 2000
Anna Hendrix - Class of 2002
David Hendrix - Class of 2005
Dexter Hendrix - Class of 2006
Jaymie Hendrix - Class of 2008
Dawn Roberts - Class of 2010
JD Roberts - Class of 2010
Danielle Mitchell - Class of 2010
Matt Mitchell - Class of 2013
Kate Davidson - Class of 2007
Landon Parker - Class of 2009
Kylie Parker - Class of 2009
Emily Bradford - Class of 2012