PANGBURN, Ark. (KTHV) – Carol Yarrington is a woman with ambition! She has spent the past seven years getting her Bachelor’s degree and Master’s degree in special education all so she can be a voice for children with special needs.

Yarrington felt the calling to be someone that special needs children could rely on after she witnessed her own son, who has autism, go through school. As the years went by, she noticed that some special education teachers didn’t seem to care or did not have the appropriate training. Even if it was just in one child’s life, she was determined to make a difference.

As parents, we all have that desire to get our kids the best education possible. For parents of children with special needs, that desire can turn to frustration. Yarrington is making a difference in the lives of her students every day, but it's the journey that led her to them, that makes her extra special. She teaches students with special needs at Heber Springs Elementary.

CABOT, Ark. (CAPAA) – The award winning young artists of the Central Arkansas Performing Arts Academy present the Tony Award winning musical, “In the Heights”. This is the first time this modern musical has ever been presented in Arkansas. The show opens February 7 and runs through February 9, 2014.

Danelle Hoffer, Executive Director of CAPAA, said “This musical is an important accomplishment for our young performers. “In The Heights” is an artistically challenging, uplifting and beautifully written story about life in Washington Heights in New York City. We are proud to present our amazing work to the arts community and showcase our up and coming actors and their efforts.

In the Heights is a musical with music and lyrics by Lin-Manuel Miranda and a book by Quiara Alegría Hudes. The story is set over the course of three days, involving an ensemble cast of characters in the largely Dominican-American neighborhood of Washington Heights in New York City.