Episode Details

Happy Friday!

Thank you for all you have done this week! Week 24 encapsulates a week filled with remarkable achievements across our school community, from the collective pride in our Special Olympics heroes and the recognition of our innovative Alternative Education program to the joyous celebration of a dedicated volunteer's 90th birthday and the steadfast journey of our bus drivers ensuring every student’s safe passage. Also, we can now retrieve data from COGNOS again, so our performance targets have been updated.

Special Olympics

This week, our Special Olympics athletes showcased their incredible talents, determination, and sportsmanship in a series of inspiring competitions. Their hard work and dedication were truly a sight to behold, bringing immense pride to our Bearcat family. It is a testament to their spirit and the unwavering support of their teachers and volunteers that these events were not just competitions, but celebrations of ability, courage, and community. We extend our heartfelt thanks to every educator and volunteer who organized and supported these games. Your commitment to creating inclusive, empowering experiences for all our athletes does not go unnoticed. Together, you have made this week not just successful, but memorable for every participant and spectator. Thank you for your dedication, and enthusiasm, and for championing the spirit of inclusivity and excellence in our Special Olympics athletes.

AE Showcase

On Wednesday, February 13th, the Arkansas Association of Alternative Educators held its annual Alternative Education Leadership Day at the state capitol building in Little Rock. This year, Mena School District was presented with the Highest Achievement Award for the Math ACT Aspire Scores in the district AE program. Every year our district AE program serves 75-100 students in kindergarten through 12th grade. The AE program is a Tier 3 intervention program that offers smaller class sizes and an environment that works to eliminate traditional barriers to learning for students experiencing academic and social challenges. Students in our AE programs work hard on academics every day while also learning to serve their community and engage in activities that help them find their own strengths. Oftentimes the struggles that students face cause them to have difficulty focusing in traditional classrooms, learning how to manage their time, controlling their emotions, and attending school consistently. Alternative education staff provides intervention services that still meet the student’s academic needs but also include social-emotional learning, behavior intervention services, career counseling, and service learning. For the last several years, our program has been seen as a model program in the state and has graduates who are working, in college, and living healthy productive lives in the community. We congratulate the students in the program as well as the staff. Director Celeste Ashcraft has an excellent team that includes Chantel Barrett and Lori Glover working with Little Cats K-5 at Holly Harshman, Lynn Ashley leads the Middle School program with support from Scott Wright and Tanner Womack, and Mandy Jakobitz, Ryan Luttmer, Aaron O'Brien, and Dianne Hunter have the largest program in the district at high school. Shanda Craig assists Ms. Ashcraft as well as working as a behavior interventionist along with Ashlyn Watts. Thank you all for the work that you do with students. 

Love the Bus Month

February is Love the Bus month, a special time dedicated to recognizing the invaluable role that school buses, and more importantly, their drivers, play in ensuring the safe transportation of students to and from school. This month, we celebrate the dedic