El Dorado School District adding wrestling to sports offerings next year
MARCH SCHOOL BOARD MEETING ROUND-UP
The El Dorado School Board met Monday evening, where they discussed several issues ranging from bond refinancing to wrestling.
Choosing officials
The Board voted unanimously to appoint Susan Turbeville to the role of Vice President and Disbursing Officer for the district.
Shaniel Yarbrough previously held the Vice President position, but was defeated in her run for re-election on Super Tuesday, March 3.
The Board also welcomed their newest member, Kenneth Clemons, who represents Zone 2 and was elected on Super Tuesday.
Bond refinancing
The Board voted unanimously to refinance a 2012 bond at 1.92% interest, down from 3.49% interest. Jason Holsclaw, a representative from Stephens, Inc., a private financial services firm based in Little Rock, said the district could see savings of up to $1.6 million from the refinancing.
Holsclaw offered to put out bids to refinance another bond as well, with potential savings of up to $330,000 for the district. The Board voted unanimously to allow him to pursue bids for that bond.
Coronavirus update
El Dorado High School Nurse Janet Scarlett provided an update to the Board about preventative measures district schools are taking to address COVID-19, a novel strain of coronavirus that is rapidly spreading around the world.
Scarlett said that in addition to common preventative measures, those exhibiting symptoms of the virus are segregated from staff and students on campus and asked to stay home otherwise.
She added that students planning to travel for Spring Break, which will take place March 23 through 27, should take their temperature when they return home and stay home if they have a fever.
Superintendent Jim Tucker commended the district’s nursing and custodial staff for their work in preventing student and staff exposure.
National Merit Finalists
Three El Dorado High School students, including one who graduated early and is currently attending college, were recognized during Monday’s meeting for having been selected as National Merit Finalists.
Lorin Utsch, Aidan Price and Scott Ratchford are 2019 National Merit Finalists. Of about 1.6 million yearly entrants, only about 15,000 become finalists.
Utsch is currently attending Brigham Young University has previously contributed to the El Dorado News-Times.
Student and staff members of the month
London Willis, a sixth-grader at Washington Middle School, was recognized as the Student of the Month for March.
“Teachers nominating her said she is a wonderful student who works hard every single day. She goes out of her way to help teachers and make other students feel involved,” School Board member Wayne Gibson said, reading from Willis’s nomination form.
Denise Allgood, a paraprofessional at WMS, was recognized as Classified Employee of the Month.
“She does so much to help struggling learners,” Gibson read. “Fellow coworkers nominating her said she is patient and kind, while keeping high expectations for the students she serves.”
Kari Carelock, a sixthgrade reading and English teacher at WMS, was recognized as Teacher of the Month.
“This is her 19th year teaching,” Gibson read. “She is always willing to give help or advice so her colleagues can become better teachers. You can tell when you watch her interact with her students that she truly loves her content-area and what she does. She is so talented when it comes to teaching.”
Christina Hostetter, a kindergarten through 4th grade English and social studies teacher at Murmil Education Center, was recognized as the Teacher of the Month for February also.
“She goes out of her way to get the best out of her students; even with the toughest, she strives to find the best in them,” Gibson read. “She is a hard worker that has the utmost respect for her colleagues.”
Student Council report
Camille Terry, an El Dorado High School junior and Treasurer for the EHS Student Council, said the year is going well at the high school.
Terry said students recently held their annual Miss-ter EHS pageant with good results. She also said elections for 2020 Student Council officers will be held soon and that a good number of students had expressed interest in running.
Wrestling team
ESD Athletic Department Director Phillip Landsdell proposed adding wrestling to the district’s sports offerings; his proposal was unanimously accepted.
Landsdell said wrestling is one of the fastest growing sports in the state, with only two schools, including EHS, in El Dorado’s football conference not offering the sport.
“It teaches kids tenacity, toughness and grit,” he said. “It’s really monitored, really strict. … You have to weigh in before the match; if you don’t meet your weight class, you’re disqualified, so there’s some diet and nutrition that goes into it too.”
He said Greg Hatcher, known as the “father of Arkansas wrestling” thanks to his role in bringing wrestling to Arkansas colleges, has offered to purchase wrestling mats, which cost about $10,000 each, for the district.
“We’ve talked to a couple of schools around us – Magnolia, Camden – to their superintendents, and they’ve said if we start it, they’re probably going to start it,” Landsdell said. “That would give us some matches close to us.”
Landsdell noted that both boys and girls may compete in wrestling. Girls, he noted, cannot wrestle boys at statewide competitions, but are permitted to wrestle boys during regular matches. He said the sport is highly controlled; after watching integrated matches, he is confident it is safe for both sexes, he said.
Wildcat Wagon
Student Food Service Director Grace George sought approval for the purchase of a food trailer with which the district will serve meals to children under 18 during the summer; her proposal was unanimously approved by the Board.
Caitlan Butler can be reached at 870-862-6611 or cbutler@eldoradonews.com.