Episode Details

Happy Friday!

The last Friday of the fall semester is here!

At Mena Public Schools, we continue to reflect on our mission to inspire and support every student and staff member as we close out a successful first semester. This week, we take a moment to share an important message about perspective—how it shapes our work, our impact, and the challenges we face together. As we update our performance targets for the year thus far, we remain committed to achieving excellence and fostering a culture of growth and collaboration. We also want to thank everyone for the incredible work they have done this week, from students putting their best foot forward to staff and parents supporting their efforts every step of the way. Together, we are making a difference in the lives of our Bearcats!

Attendance Comparisons

Last week, we wrote some details related to our attendance numbers and pointed out that the elementaries are lagging. But this week we will do a comparison to last year, which puts our elementary student attendance in a better light.

This year’s attendance data reveals a positive trend, with most schools and grades showing improved attendance rates compared to 2024. Our elementary schools are leading the way with significant reductions in absences, while Mena High School also saw notable progress, especially in the lower grades. However, areas like Mena Middle School’s Grade 7 and Mena High School’s Grade 12 highlight opportunities for targeted improvement. These results reflect the success of our ongoing efforts to engage students and families while emphasizing the importance of consistent attendance. For a deeper dive into the numbers and analysis, view the full report here. The data for the report may be viewed here.

Perspective Is All You Need

It is Christmas movie season now, and I have started watching my favorites. It’s a Wonderful Life is at the top of my list, and I recently watched it and caught a meaningful part of the movie that I had not thought much about before. It was the scene near the end when George kissed the newel post of his staircase before running up the stairs to his children. Throughout the movie, the newel post irritated George as it reminded him of how far from perfect his life was, but when you think about why he kissed it, you cannot help but think about our jobs as educators.

The newel post in It’s a Wonderful Life serves as a perfect metaphor for the hard work we do as educators. In the movie, George Bailey’s daily frustration with the wobbly post symbolizes the little irritations of life that come with a deep commitment to something greater—be it family, community, or, for us, the struggles of working in education. George’s constant battle with the post mirrors our struggles as teachers and leaders: the endless lesson planning, the repetitive questions, the late-night grading, challenging students, and the seemingly never-ending to-do list. Like George, we sometimes feel exasperated, wondering if all this effort makes a difference.

But the brilliance of the newel post—like the essence of teaching—is revealed when life’s context changes. When George is given the chance to see a world without his sacrifices, he realizes the profound impact of his work, messy and frustrating as it may be. He returns to his life not wishing for perfection but loving the imperfections, including the wobbly post because they are tied to the beauty and meaning of his life.

As educators, the