When Eureka Springs School Board met Monday night, they heard a presentation from Chief Juvenile Officer Suzanne Villines.
Villines was introduced by Middle School Principal Caen Dowell, who spoke of the support the district receives from her office. Villines said she is visiting all the county’s school boards to keep them informed of programs. An alternative school in Berryville provides an avenue to reach students who have been suspended from their schools. That program is open four days a week, from 8 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.
Villines explained that the alternative school setting serves an ever-changing set of students. She said the program is seeing an increasing number of behavioral problems.
Juvenile probation includes different levels of involvement. Diversion attempts come first, with efforts to head off potential problems. If diversion fails, the next step would be Families in Need of Services. Some juveniles end up facing criminal charges for adult crimes, and Villines said relatively few of Carroll County’s youth end up in this category.
Villines mentioned the problems associated with truancy. She also discussed a conference, scheduled for October, to outline the threats to young people from cannabis, which has become available in increasingly strong concentrations.
4th graders write for, and read to, shelter dogs
Elementary Principal Clare Haozous said student testing had just been completed, with testing extended to lower grades this year. “The students worked really hard,” she said. With “a busy nine days left,” Haozous listed some field trips and other activities scheduled for the end of the school year.
Students in grade four will visit the Good Shepherd Humane Society, and they wrote their own stories to read to the dogs. Haozous said she enjoyed reading the stories, many of which included the theme of “a sad and lonely dog finding a forever home.”
Elementary students will have a field day on Monday, May 19, with a bounce house and other activities. Haozous explained that the school will not hold an on-campus summer school program. Instead, summer school students will receive workbooks, and they will be eligible for prizes if they complete the workbooks.
Dowell said the middle school has completed state testing, and he expects to see improvements in scores. Dowell also displayed a “stop the bleed” kit the school received under a grant. Staff will be trained in the use of this first-aid asset.
Graduation is Saturday
High School graduation is set for Saturday, and Principal Jacob Hayward said a breakfast this week will honor those receiving scholarships. “Our students have received a lot of money,” he said, as he described the school’s “academic excellence.”
In other business:
- Cheyenne Fortson, FFA advisor and agriculture teacher, gave a presentation describing the Eureka Springs Member-Parent Banquet, held on May 8 at the High School cafeteria. Fortson said the program is growing.
- Last month, the board approved a new salary schedule for certified staff. This week, the board approved a raise of just over three percent for them.
- The district must create school improvement plans each year. Supt. Bryan Pruitt explained that a team develops goals, and the state approves those plans. The SIPs will be posted on the district’s web page after approval. “We want to keep up the good things we’re doing,” Pruitt said.
- The board reappointed Pruitt as the school district’s representative to an 18-school educational co-operative. The appointment must be renewed every two years.