On Monday evening, the Eureka Springs School Board heard from Facilities Director Mike Dwyer, but before he spoke, Supt. Bryan Pruitt complimented Dwyer on his annual preparation of the master plan. Pruitt said many districts have to hire someone to prepare the state-mandated plan, but Dwyer saves the district a considerable expense by compiling that report in-house. “Mike does a great job on our master plan each year,” Pruitt said.
Pruitt also explained that other districts use the master plan as a schedule to seek matching funds from the state. The Eureka Springs District will not receive those matching funds because of the relative prosperity of the district. “This does not get us any matching funds, but the state still wants to know our plans,” he said.
Dwyer listed some of the major accomplishments of the past year, including extensive renovation at the elementary school. The greenhouse construction is complete, and the outdoor classroom should be done by the end of the school year.
The paving and drainage project at the high school passed a good test with heavy recent rains, and the district is getting closer to a possible grant to build a storm shelter, Dwyer said. The district would have some expense in such a facility, but Dwyer said the cost “would be minimal compared to what we receive.”
Sports and safety talked up
Excavation of the infield area of the track will provide a place for a soccer field, and field events for track meets will move to another area. More parking will be added, and Dwyer said the parking area may accommodate as many as 50 cars while maintaining a buffer zone between the parking area and nearby residences.
Other pending plans call for demolishing a storage shed and building a new one. The elementary parking lot “is always on our mind,” Dwyer said, as he described the need to provide a gentler grade to handle the growing demands for parking.
Van Pelt baseball field remains an important asset. “We want to keep that established and looking very good, even though we don’t have a lot of games out there,” Dwyer said.
“District safety is our top concern,” Dwyer concluded, adding that new safety committee has “opened a lot of eyes and brought a lot of ideas we could have missed.”
The board approved the facilities plan.
Principals proud of what’s happening
The principals’ reports from all three schools touched upon settling back in to work following the two-week break. Speaking for the high school, counselor Rachal Hyatt said the school population stands at 191, with 56 of those students in grade nine.
The Reality Check Inc., that teaches self-respect and other personal skills for all high school students. Hyatt said she sat in with a class of juniors. “It was amazing,” she said. “They were so in tune with this woman,” referring to RCI facilitator Wenona Benbrook.
An upcoming practical education program will help acquaint students with life skills, such as changing a tire, using a credit card, or obtaining insurance.
Students in grades 11 and 12 will start a program for ACT preparation beginning in February.
- Elementary School resource teacher Kristen Jewell discussed the Practical Academic Community Education program. The PACE program helps students excel in and out of school, Jewell said. “It’s working well with the older kids especially,” she said.
Students in grades three and four will take the ACT Aspire tests, and the staff will plan interventions after the scores come back.
- Middle School Principal Cindy Holt said her students are also preparing for the ACT Aspire testing in April. Students in grades seven and eight met with representatives from the University of Arkansas. “This gets them thinking in more adult ways about their futures,” Holt said. The program includes “lots of benefits,” including some free testing.