School year gets off to good start

The first week of classes went smoothly for Carroll County schools.

According to superintendents at Berryville, Green Forest and Eureka Springs, the new school year has gotten off to a positive note.

“We had a great first week of school,” Berryville Superintendent Owen Powell said on Monday, Aug. 18. “Everything went smooth and we just had a great start to the school year.”

Other than typical first week issues that arise, Berryville had nothing come up during week one out of the ordinary, Powell said.

“The only thing I could probably complain about is just the heat,” Powell said. “I think everybody is ready for a cooldown. But, other than just trying to battle the heat a little it’s just really been a good start to the year.”

Temperatures nearing triple digits have forced the district to make some changes with outside activities such as recess and football practices, Powell said, adding that the Bobcats have been practicing early in the mornings to avoid the hottest part of the day.

“Probably one of the biggest struggles is like loading buses and things like that,” he said. “That takes a little bit of time, and in the afternoon, you’re out there and that’s probably the hottest part of the day, and you’re making sure everybody’s getting on the right bus,” Powell said. “It takes a bit to get out there with the heat.

“We just want to make sure that the kids are getting plenty of water throughout the day, especially at recess time. We keep a close eye on them.”

Enrollment numbers so far are hovering around 1,700 students, Powell said.

“It looks like right now we’re going to be right around that 1,700 mark, and that’s right about where we finished last school year with,” he said. “So, the numbers should be pretty close to what they were last year.”

A week into the school year, students’ attitudes have been positive so far, Powell said.

“There’s been a lot of smiles,” he said. “That first week everybody’s always excited to start the new school year. Almost all of our students are in a new grade, and we’ve got students in different buildings, different campuses.

“I think it’s exciting for everybody to get the school year started.”

GREEN FOREST

Superintendent David Gilmore said the first four days of the new school year at Green Forest went as well as any beginning of school has gone in his career.

“You know, the first day is always difficult making sure all the students, especially the younger children, get on a bus, and it went real smooth this year,” he said. “All of the teachers who I spoke to said they had a great first week back. Everything was really smooth and I think we just had a really great week.

“It was just a very smooth first week, one of the smoothest I’ve ever encountered. There’s always going to be a few little hiccups, but I thought it went pretty smooth.”

Echoing Powell, Gilmore said hydration has been stressed for students with the sweltering temperatures that welcomed everyone back to campus.

“You’ve just got to make sure everyone stays really hydrated, and we probably kept recess down just a little bit shorter, bring the students back inside, let them have a break,” he said.

Enrollment numbers for the first week have hovered around 1,350, Gilmore said.

“We have a few high school students that we’re still looking for, and principals are calling them, so we’ve got about 20 to 25 that haven’t shown up yet that are on our rosters,” he said. “The middle school numbers look really strong. We’ve had a few kids that haven’t shown up yet, and sometimes we see kids come in a little bit late after Labor Day, things like that, where we get a better idea of what our head count is going to be.”

Gilmore said the annual “Meet the Tigers” event to end the first week of classes had a good turnout, as did a recent “Back to School Bash” where members of the community were able to get initial details about a millage increase proposal to fund a new school for students in grades 7-12.

“We had a ton of people show up at that event,” Gilmore said. “We had different events, such as some free shoes to give away, we had people doing haircuts, backpacks and school supplies, sign up for youth football, things like that. Numbers were tremendous.

“We had handouts about the millage and people were really receptive of a new high school. A lot of them graduated school in Green Forest and they know that the facility is getting older, and those people are very supportive about building a new facility for the future of the school.”

A community forum will be held at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 26, at the high school library for residents to ask questions about the millage proposal, the superintendent said.

“We want to open it up for the community to come in if they have any questions, suggestions, things like that,” Gilmore said. “We want to be there to answer questions, and we want to show them the high school and show them the deficiencies that we’re dealing with and why we want to move forward with this.”

EUREKA SPRINGS

Eureka Springs Superintendent Bryan Pruitt reported that the district had 588 students in attendance on the first day of classes held Wednesday, Aug. 13.

“We welcomed our students back to class, and it’s been a great day, minus a few mishaps that we figured would happen,” Pruitt said by email on the first day of classes.

The elementary school had 190 students, including 40 in kindergarten. The district’s pre-K had 23 students, which isn’t counted in official enrollment numbers.

Eureka Springs Middle School started the year with 193 students, including 19 who are new to the district, Pruitt said, adding that the high school began the year with 205 in attendance.