School year off to good start in Green Forest, Gilmore says

The first couple of weeks of school as a superintendent has gone smoothly for Green Forest’s David Gilmore.

“It’s going great,” said Gilmore, who started his first school year leading the Green Forest School District when classes got underway, Tuesday, Aug. 13. “I’ve heard a lot of people talking positively. The teachers have said everything’s been pretty smooth for the most part. You’re always going to have a couple of hiccups when you bring that many people to work together … but I think everyone’s doing an amazing job.

“The teachers are responding well, all the staff is responding well.”

The district saw quite a bit change in leadership heading into the school year. Along with Gilmore replacing longtime superintendent Matt Summers, three of the four schools have new faces as principal.

High school principal Tim Booth retired after last school year and was replaced by Adam Wade, who previously led the middle school. Cody Curtis, a teacher and coach for 10 years in Berryville, was hired to replace Wade at the middle school (grades 6-8) while longtime elementary principal Danette Chaney now leads the intermediate school campus (grades 4-5) after Chandra Anderson resigned to become a principal in Morrilton.

Heather Ogden, who is in her second year over the elementary school, is the only returning principal.

“We have a lot of change at Green Forest this year,” Gilmore said. “Every building except for elementary has a new administrator. But, you know, the teachers and staff are responding well and are doing a great job.”

Gilmore said he’s enjoyed the first two weeks of having students on campus. As a superintendent instead of a principal, he can visit with students of all ages throughout the day.

“I’m still on a learning curve, but I have the support of the other superintendents in the county and in our co-op region,” he said. “I also have a mentor superintendent, which is mandatory for any new superintendent or any new principal.

“I’m very happy with the way things are going. Very happy to be here. We’ve got a great staff to work with, and the kids here are very nice. I walk around the halls and they seem like they’re getting along and are very polite. They’re learning and doing all the things that they’re supposed to be doing. I’m very impressed.”

ATTENDANCE ON TRACK Two weeks into the school year attendance in the district is around 1,385, Gilmore said.

“We’re pretty similar to where we were last year, but we are a few down in kindergarten,” he said. “We think a lot of those kids will be coming in maybe after Labor Day.

“Last year we ended up right about 1,400. I spoke to Dr. Summers about that and he said that typically our third-quarter enrollment was one of the highest numbers. So, later in the year, more kids seem to come to us for whatever reason.”

NO ACTION ON CELL PHONES

At its monthly board meeting held Tuesday, Aug. 20, the Green Forest School Board opted to take no action on its current cell phone policy.

Many districts in the state are using a grant offered by the Arkansas Department of Education for monies to purchase Yondr-brand pouches for students to store their phones in during the day. If implemented, students would put their cell phones in the pouch each day they arrived at school. Once inside, the pouch is locked and students keep the locked phone with them throughout the day. Students then use a device to unlock the pouch as they leave each day.

However, just like decisions made in Berryville and Eureka Springs, Gilmore said the Green Forest district will focus on enforcing its current policy while taking a wait-and-see approach to see what kind of feedback is given regarding the Yondr program around the state.

“We decided to kind of wait and see how that goes with other districts across the state before we make a decision if we think it’ll help our kids or not,” Gilmore said. “Our current policy is that we cannot see [a student’s cell phone] from the first bell in the morning to the very end of the day. The students should keep it in their backpack, keep it put away.

“We don’t want to see them out during the day at all.”

Gilmore said he communicated with superintendents in Berryville and Eureka Springs about the issue.

“We’re all doing the same thing,” he said. “I’m not sure that anyone in our co-op area is doing the Yondr phone thing. I haven’t heard anybody saying they were doing it.”

NEW JUNIOR HIGH HEAD COACH

Also approved at the Aug. 20 board meeting was the selection of Sean Cash as the new junior high head football coach, Gilmore said.

“Coach Cash is new to us this year, coming to us from Huntsville,” the superintendent said. “Coach Tibbitt wanted to promote him to be the head junior high football coach.”

Cash was hired during the summer as an assistant coach before Tibbitt, the district’s athletic director and head coach of the high school football team, recommended the promotion.

“Coach Tibbitt thought he was doing a good job and felt he was worthy of taking on that head football coach title,” Gilmore said.