InOurSchools

Vision 2017
Area schools ‘Aspire’ to greatness
In Our Schools
Technology and the ACT Aspire
During the 2015-2016 school year, the Arkansas State Board of Education adopted the ACT
Aspire, a computer-based standardized test, to assess third through 10th grade students in English, reading, writing, math and science.
Union County school districts have upgraded their technology to accom- modate students in preparations for the state-mandated exam. Upgrades range from increasing the number of Chromebooks in each school building to increasing the district’s bandwidth, or internet speed.
Regardless of what test the state educa- tion board requires, Smackover-Norphlet School District superintendent Dave Wilcox said that teachers are commit- ted to providing quality education to all Buckaroos.
“For several years, teacher and dis- trict administrators have been providing opportunities to expand student access to technology with an one-to-two ration for iPads for kindergarten through second grade students, one-to-one Chromebook access for third through eighth grades and a variety of technology devices at the high school,” Wilcox said.
Like the Smackover-Norphlet district, the Parkers Chapel School District and others participated in Aspire interim testing that assesses students every nine-weeks peri- od in tested areas. Parkers Chapel High School Principal Seth Williams said that teachers use data from those assessments to modify instruction and meet their stu- dents’ needs.
Teachers continue to teach according to the Arkansas Curriculum Frameworks while prepping students for the test and with that in mind, school improvement specialists work with them to supplement in-class instruction. Strong-Huttig School District Superintendent Jeff Alphin said that he hopes to see “positive results” this year.
“We also purchased remediation and enrichment programs from Edmentum for all classes,” Alphin said. “Gardner Strong Elementary is offering after school tutor- ing two days a week until the ACT Aspire testing. Strong High School is tutoring three days a week during students’ elec- tive classes for five weeks.”
The Junction City School District doesn’t have school improvement spe- cialists and opted to rely heavily on lead- ership teams, or Professional Learning Communities, composed of teachers from each grade level and subject. The teams’ roles include analyzing data, determining instructional gaps and students would learn more through “targeted instruction,” Superintendent Robby Lowe said.
“Through shared leadership, the district has implemented programs like ‘6 + 1 Traits of Writing,” Junction City Elementary School Principal Teresa Matochik said.
Construction and Improvements
While some schools have closed out construction projects, others are bracing themselves for a cosmetic makeover or expansion.
According to previous News-Times reports, the Parkers Chapel School District’s ongoing construction includes an upgraded softball field, new senior walk, covered drop-off area and privacy fencing.
The Smackover-Norphlet School District upgraded two sporting facilities and opened its school based health center last fall. As part of its 10-year facilities plan, the district will begin a $600,000 roofing project on its Smackover campus- es, Wilcox said.
“In collaboration with the City of Smackover and Mayor Bobby Neal, the Smackover baseball field received a major upgrade this school year ... Over 90 per- cent of this project was funded by the City of Smackover,” Wilcox said. “The School Based Health Center provides medical, dental and mental health services to all students within the district who have been enrolled by their parent or guardian.”
Wilcox said that the district received a $30,000 Partnership Grant in collabora- tion with the local government to resur- face the tennis courts.
“The tennis courts were used by both the girls and boys tennis teams. The girls’ tennis team won the Conference Girls Overall Team Championship for the first time in school tennis history,” he said.
Junction City also finished construction on a sporting facility last year — it’s 36,000 square foot gymnasium that can hold up to 1,800 people. Though the district doesn’t have any major construction planned for the 2017-2018 year, it does plan to pave the gym parking lot, the superintendent said.
“To go along with the six dressing rooms, officials’ lounge and spacious lobby, the gym also has a dual purpose cheerleader practice area and hospitality room. The restroom and concessions are also dual purpose, serving both football and basket- ball games,” Lowe said.
“In the future the district plans to build or renovate facilities for physical educa- tion, art and music. Over the summer of 2017, plans are in place to do some renova- tion to the four-six elementary building,” he said.
Brittany Williams/News-Times
Celebration: The Junction City Lady Dragons, school board members, administrators and coaches celebrate opening the dis- trict’s new gymnasium during a ribbon cutting in November.
The Dragons’ other major construc- tion project was on its Special Programs Building, another multipurpose space that houses departments like speech and occu- pational therapy, special education and special programs.
Junction City High School Principal Joy Mason said, “The district also dedi- cated space for an Alternative Learning Environment which is fully stocked with the technology necessary to allow inde- pendent study, grade recovery and a safe space for students who need an environ- ment that suits varied learning styles.”
The Strong-Huttig School District will clean and re-purpose space it has to make improvements on its campuses, Alphin said.
“We are considering moving some por- table buildings that were formerly used for classrooms to other areas of the (high school) campus for storage or meeting rooms,” Alphin said.
“The Gardner Strong campus will be reorganizing to get maximum benefit for our students. The high school auditorium is being refurbished with new lighting and seating. Our maintenance and transporta- tion workers will service all our buses and the buildings will be cleaned and prepared for students returning in August.”
South Arkansas Community College will break ground on its Advanced Manufacturing Training Center soon, mar- keting and communications coordinator Heath Waldrop said.
“Funding for the Advanced Manufacturing Training Center, a new facility to be constructed on the col- lege’s East Campus, was secured in 2016 ... Steered by area industry need, this build- ing will have training space for advanced welding, process technology, industrial technology and rail-car and tanker load- ing,” Waldrop said.
Career and Technical Education
Last year, SouthArk was chosen for the Arkansas Department of Higher Education’s “Closing the Gap 2020,” a col- lege and career readiness pilot program that placed four career coaches in the county’s public school districts.
“They help students in grades seven through 12 prepare for college acceptance, including applying for student financial aid, taking college entrance exams, learn- ing study skills and visiting college cam- puses,” Waldrop said.
Strong High School, that teaches Bulldogs in grades seven-12, has already seen success from the program, Alphin said.
“We appreciate the partnership that allows us to collaborate with the college for our career counselor, Hannah Smith. She has 70 percent of our seniors accepted and on track to attend college after gradu- ation,” he said.
In addition to the opportunity to earn a high school diploma, many schools offer opportunities to earn industry certifica- tions.
Strong High School’s digital communi- cations program is being replaced with a management program, the district super- intendent said.
“This program addresses skills that our students will need to obtain jobs or con- tinue their education in Union County instead of being forced to move to gain employment. We are considering adding a hospitality and tourism program of study for the 2017-2018 school year,” Alphin said.
SouthArk is leading the way with the inception of its certified kitchen cook pro- gram, a 10-week non-credit certification program that teaches a range of culinary and hospitality skills like customer ser- vice, recipe development and sanitation, Waldrop said.
“Completion provides a nationally recognized credential by the American Hotel and Lodging Educational Institute,” SouthArk’s communications coordinator said.
This school year, Smackover High School started a new career and tech- nical education program backed by U.S. Congressman Bruce Westerman and Senator John Boozman.
“This program was funded by a $77,000 New Program Start Up Grant from the Arkansas Department of Career Education,” Wilcox said. “The final course which will be implemented in 2018-2019 is computer integrated manufactur- ing. Students completing these cours- es will be eligible to take industry cer- tification exams to become a certified autodesk inventer user and a National Manufacturing Badge.”
The Junction City School District part- nered with local industry to get a $10,650 Career and Technical Education Grant to buy new computers, career education soft- ware and to send students to participating business to job shadow, Mason said.
“As part of our Career and Technical Education Department many of our stu- dents will graduate with proficiency cer- tificates, ranging from Microsoft Office to welding, thereby making them more employable after graduation.
"We have three full-time CTE pro- grams: Business and Career, Family and Consumer and Agriculture Science,” the Junction City High School principal said.
The Smackover-Norphlet School District has an agreement with SouthArk to allow juniors and seniors to earn a technical cer- tificate by graduation, Wilcox said.
“Transportation and books are provided by the district. The district pays up to $75 per concurrent course taken by a stu- dent with the student responsible for the remaining $75 per course.
"All courses are transferable to any high- er institution in Arkansas toward an asso- ciate or bachelor’s degree,” the district superintendent said.
STEM
There has been a statewide emphasis on science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) education, led by Governor Asa Hutchinson.
To entice high school students, Hutchinson’s ArFuture Grant would pay tuition and fees for two years if an Arkansas high school graduate attends an in-state institution and studies in a “high demand field” like computer engineering.
“This plan will not only increase access to post-secondary education by removing the financial hurdles that keep many from enrolling, but it will also incentivize our students to better themselves by provid- ing an opportunity to climb the economic ladder, while serving their communities,” Hutchinson said.
In response to local industries’ demand for a skilled workforce, SouthArk’s cer- tified production technician program is designed to make students ready for jobs in the manufacturing sector.
“The intensive eight-week course fol- lows guidelines set by the Manufacturing
Skills Standards Council and is taught using a hybrid classroom and Internet- based e-learning experience. Completion of the course earns a student a nationally recognized certified production techni- cian credential,” Waldrop said.
Investing in STEM education is a top pri- ority for the Junction City School District, Lowe said.
“We plan to add some robotics in 2017- 2018 along with reconfiguring some of our science labs to accommodate more STEM work,” Mason said.
Smackover High School’s engineering program caters to students who wish to go to work with a certification or continue their education toward a technical certifi- cate, associate or bachelors degree upon graduation.
Norphlet Middle School students take two STEM classes each school year and the district has expanded the middle school’s program, Wilcox said.
“New courses for the 2016-2017 school year were Flight and Space and the Science of Technology. The STEM program will expand next year with two final cours- es: Medical Detectives and Computer Science,” the Smackover-Norphlet district superintendent said. “These courses are designed to help all students improve problem solving, mathematics and engi- neering skills while exposing students to a variety of STEM jobs available in our local community.”
Program Expansions
In addition to continuing to emphasis STEM education and continuing its col- lege fashioned “Flex Modular” scheduling, Parkers Chapel High School will offer specialized education for junior or seniors starting in the 2017-2018, the principal said.
“Students will have the option to take part in one of three academies: Academy of Humanities, STEM Academy and Academy for Global Leadership,” Williams said. “Students participating in an acade- my will have to complete certain course requirements, complete an internship and capstone project. After successfully com- pleting all of the requirements for an acad- emy, students will receive special academy designation on their diploma.”
This school year, Smackover-Norphlet’s agriculture program expanded to Norphlet Middle School, the district superintendent said.
“Seventh and eight grade students were able to take a year-long agriculture class which also included hunter education. A second year long class will be offered next year which will also include boater edu- cation,” Wilcox said. “Students enrolled in agriculture classes are also eligible to participate in FFA and show animals at local, regional and state fairs.”
Wilcox said that he wants to update the band hall and vocal music room at Smackover High School, which would expand the high school’s music program.
“The district hired a new band director, Tracy Walker, at the beginning of the 2016-2017 school year. Walker has already begun to grow and expand the current instrumental music program,” he said.
"His students are performing extremely well in competition ... The district would like to capitalize on his momentum by upgrading the facilities used for his pro- gram,” he said.