With snow sputtering outside, the Eureka Springs School Board met Monday evening, and the board heard about statewide recognition for the district.
High School Principal David Gilmore said Eureka Springs High School was one of two schools recognized as “a school on the move.” The school has seen significant improvement in test scores, and a high level of community service also was a factor in the award. Gilmore said Eureka Springs students perform about four times as much community service as other schools. The high school will receive a grant of $10,500 for its placement in the top 10 percent of growth in the state.
Gilmore said the high school now has 220 students, and they have been active in a variety of areas. The mountain-bike team finished fourth overall at state, and the schools placing ahead were larger schools like Bentonville and Fayetteville.
Principal Clare Haozous said the elementary school was honored for improving weighted achievement scores by more than 14 percent. The school will receive recognition funding in the amount of $9,550. Only five elementary schools and two high schools were selected. Supt. Bryan Pruitt explained that a committee of teachers, parents, and students will decide how to spend that money.
Haozous also explained other developments at the elementary school. “The Scottie Parent Group is back in action,” she said, crediting Mandy Elsey and Carrie Freeman for recruiting parents and establishing a board. The SPG will host Rudolph’s Reading Night on Dec. 6.
The Carroll County Community Foundation has given the school a grant to purchase xylophones. Haozous said recent parent conferences went very well, and parents enjoyed the student-led format. Students have been busy with field trips, and Red Ribbon Week gave the Scotties some encouragement to make good choices. The 3rd grade Hedgehoppers performed at the 75th anniversary of the Ozark Folk Festival, as they have done for many years.
Middle School Principal Caen Dowell said the school hosted its first 6th grade dance since Covid. He also described assembling a threat assessment team, with groups in each building looking for students who might need intervention to keep crisis situations from escalating into a safety threat.
In basketball, the boys’ and girls’ teams had both won six games in a row before losing to Berryville, a higher-division school. Students in the Future Farmers of America cooked and served a breakfast for veterans, and Future Business Leaders of America students have assembled 25 Thanksgiving gift baskets, an annual tradition for the group.
The board approved holiday bonuses of $2,500 for licensed staff and $1,500 for classified staff. The bonuses were endorsed by the Personnel Policy Committee.