Schools have more students and are building forward

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The Eureka Springs School District presented its annual report Monday night at the regular meeting of the school board, and administrators discussed accomplishments of the past year and plans for the future.

Supt. Bryan Pruitt welcomed the public and explained that the state requires this report each October. He said the student body has grown to 650 students, with slightly more boys than girls. The number of students receiving free or reduced-price lunches stands at 57 percent, and Pruitt said many students in upper grades are eligible, but parents do not always complete the paperwork. Districts with more than 70 percent eligibility receive additional funds.

Pruitt then discussed paving a parking lot by the high school that has provided better parking and has helped with drainage. The elementary school had some upgrades over the summer, and the outdoor classroom is 75 percent complete.

The district has purchased a new bus and a new tractor, and Pruitt noted that those attending the meeting had driven over a freshly graveled driveway that the tractor made possible. All students now have Chromebooks, and high school students may take them home. The district has also purchased $20,000 in new band instruments.

The near future includes plans to level the interior of the track, to provide a regulation soccer field. That project will also include a new parking area and another area to hold field events during track meets.

The elementary school will see another round of renovation, and the district may be within a year of receiving a grant from the Federal Emergency Management Agency to construct an emergency shelter.

The elementary kitchen currently serves both the elementary and middle schools, and Pruitt explained that the district cannot remodel the elementary kitchen without completely gutting it and starting over because of current building codes. Ideally, he said he would like to see a new kitchen to serve those two schools.

Eureka Springs is one of five districts in the state chosen to participate in Project Aware, which trains all staff in mental health and first aid.

Principal reports are all sterling

Elementary Principal Clare Lesieur began by announcing “significant growth” in scores on standardized tests. The school is in its second year with the American Reading Company, and she said that program has helped to create “a culture of reading.” The math curriculum, Eureka Math, is in its fourth year at the school, and students have shown steady improvement.

Chromebooks in the classroom have provided “a giant leap” for students, Lesieur said. Students now begin learning keyboarding in kindergarten. She also discussed the positive effects of the recent remodeling. The school has made major strides with chronic absenteeism, although that will continue to be a concern.

Stand up and work

In the middle school, Principal Cindy Holt said the Eureka Math program has also helped students and is aligned from kindergarten through eighth grade. Like the elementary school, the middle school has also seen good results from their reading curriculum through the American Reading Company. Holt mentioned the additional training teachers receive from that company saying, “We’re getting great support.” She also mentioned that Chromebooks have helped students become more proficient with technology, and the school has some stand-up desks, which give students the opportunity to move around while working.  

Improvement in test scores all the way around

In the high school, Principal David Gilmore said the student body has grown to 200. “One of our main goals is to look more at individual students,” he said. In some cases, that may require more remediation. Gilmore said the high school offers “a good balance of college and career options.”

Students can choose from six Advanced Placement courses and can also receive career training through the Connect Four program. Gilmore said he would like to see more education targeted at preparation for the “real world.” For instance, later in the year, students will take home the baby simulators the district has purchased, to give them a sense of the round-the-clock responsibility of taking care of a baby.

The Gifted and Talented program includes 49 students, mostly in the upper grades. Special Education numbers have grown from 78 last year to 95.

Counselor Rachal Hyatt reported on testing for the district. She began with the news that the school has improved its ranking, from 48 to 27 out of 245 school districts in the state. (The Haas Hall campuses in Bentonville and Fayetteville lead the list. Berryville ranks at 129, and Green Forest at 175.)

Hyatt then looked at testing data in more detail, showing improvements from grade-to-grade. In the middle school, students were above state averages in every subject, in every grade. The high school students were also ahead in almost every category. Students taking AP courses outscored other students across the state in tests for language, literacy, U.S. history, calculus, statistics, and biology.