Hot Springs superintendent discusses growth, diversity
Hot Springs School District Superintendent Stephanie Nehus told members of Hot Springs National Park Rotary Club last week that she is excited by the district’s growth and diversity, even as it faces the challenge of reopening during a pandemic.
Nehus, a club member, was the guest speaker at the club’s virtual meeting last Wednesday.
“The day that I get to get up and talk about the Hot Springs School District is one of the best days of my life. I love the job that I do. I love this district, and I love to get to share all of the happenings that are taking place,” Nehus said.
She said the district is a “diverse, dedicated and unified” place for everyone. This is the district’s new motto, which it developed in conjunction with the school board over the last couple of years.
“I think that it encompasses all that we are and all that we do,” Nehus said.
The district is working tirelessly to prepare for a safe, effective and successful school year, Nehus said. Students will return to class starting Aug. 24, as will many of the other schools in Garland County, she said.
Nehus said Hot Springs is the second-largest school district by student population in Garland County, behind Lake Hamilton School District, at No. 1, and followed by Lakeside School District, at No. 3.
“Our enrollment this past school year was 3,579 students. We had growth this past year, which was exciting for us,” she said.
There are 14 different languages spoken in the school district, which she said works hard to provide opportunities for its language-challenged students.
“We are proud to have the most diverse student population here in the county. We have 35 percent African Americans, 34 percent Caucasians, about 20 percent Hispanic and about 10
percent other than the majority of the other are two or more races,” she said.
Nehus said that every district across the state had been charged with developing plans that ensure that on-site instruction will take place during the pandemic. Blended learning is incorporated so that the district is ready to be flexible, feasible, practical and they are prepared to pivot to virtual learning at any moment in time.
“We have worked hard to build our curriculum where our students will start with grade-level learning. We’re going to embed the skills that were missed during last spring,” she said.
“We spent a lot of time looking at essential standards that were not taught or mastered in the last nine weeks period when we had to pivot in crisis mode, and to virtual learning for all,” Nehus said.
Nehus said that she feels more confident going into the 2020-21 school year because the district has a solid plan to provide rigorous on grade-level instruction to the students beginning Aug. 24 until school ends on June 8, 2021, in whatever format the students choose to participate.
“If at any point in time we have to pivot as a class, as a school, the entire district to virtual learning, we’ll be ready to do that without skipping a beat. We do have safety precautions in place at every campus and in every classroom,” she said.
The district has been designated as a National Beta Club District of Distinction. The students can start in fourth grade, and it goes all the way to the high school levels, Nehus said.
“We earned this district of distinction award because all of our schools offer Beta Clubs, and they offer it to all grade levels that are possible,” she said.
“We want to meet all of our children where they are. Some of our students are athletically gifted, some of our students are academically gifted and some of our students are gifted in the arts,” Nehus said.
“I feel like we do a fabulous (and) amazing job in providing opportunities for all of our students to be successful in the areas of their interest.”