Mount Vernon-Enola receives $21,720 for achievement

MOUNT VERNON — When the state Department of Education released its list of 175 schools recognized for achievement, Mount Vernon-Enola High School Principal Jennifer Raby was thrilled to see her school made the list. “We’re tickled,” she said. The district received $21,720 for the high school because of its improved graduation rate, Raby said.

“We increased our graduation rate from the year before by at least 5 percent,” she said, adding that the school’s graduation rate was 100 percent in 2018 with 28 graduates.

The high school enrollment this year is 238 students in grades seven through 12.

The Arkansas School Recognition Program, approved in 2017 by the state Legislature, authorizes up to $100 per student who attends a public school or public charter school in the top 5 percent of all Arkansas public schools in student performance or student academic growth, which includes high school graduation rates for secondary schools, according to the Arkansas Department of Education website.

Mount Vernon-Enola Superintendent Larry Walters said a committee will be formed to decide how to spend the money. The committee will include, teachers, parents and the principal, and perhaps a student, he said.

“There are guidelines that go along with it,” Walters said of the money. “It can be spent on things like bonuses, new personnel, technology, materials and supplies.

“I think we got awarded $10,000-something a couple of years ago. We committed to using it on technology — Chromebooks. Technology is such a part of instruction these days, we can’t keep up, can’t ever get enough. It doesn’t really matter to me what direction they go,” Walters said.

He said the teachers, students and staff earned the money, “not me.”

Raby said many ideas will be considered, including technology. Although the district has

Chromebooks, it doesn’t have one for every student.

“We’d love to have one in every kid’s hands,” she said.

“We will form a committee and just look at our needs and what will be best suited to fit the needs of as many students as we can reach,” Raby said. “We will get a committee together after Thanksgiving break, get some input from students and parents.”

Raby praised the high school teachers for the district’s success.

“We just have good teachers who are looking out for our kids, and we’re all the time coming together and having those conversations about kids and what can we do differently and meeting kids where they’re at,” she said.

“The $21,000 — it might not seem like a lot in comparison to other schools — but it will make a huge impact for us,” Raby said. “We’re proud of it and keep working to do better things in the future.”

The complete list of schools receiving awards can be found at https://bit.ly/1Mp0o1d.