District returning with educators prepared for students’ needs
“Planting the Seeds of Knowledge That Will Grow For a Lifetime”
If you receive an email from Strong-Huttig school Superintendent Kimberly Thomas, you will likely notice that inspirational quote tagged onto her professional email signature.
The mantra defines Thomas and countless other educators’ philosophy and understanding of the role and responsibility they assume when entering a profession whose purpose is to help train young minds and prepare them for life after school in an ever-changing global landscape.
It is the way Thomas has approached her 23-year career as an educator and the way she leads the Strong-Huttig School District as superintendent — a position she has held since 2019.
The school district that “is small in number but great at heart” is preparing for the 2021/2022 academic year and Thomas said she and her team are excited about getting back to the business of providing a quality educational experience for their students.
“Our goal this year is to continue strengthening the partnership between our district and local agencies and community partners,” Thomas said. “We are always looking for ways to enhance instruction and to improve the overall quality of life for our students and local community.”
Thomas said the SHSD has lots in store this year to ensure that staff and students reach their educational goals.
Strong-Huttig students return for the first day of classes Aug. 16, five days after a district Open House, which is scheduled from noon until 6 p.m. Aug. 11 for current and prospective students.
But first comes professional training and development for teachers. Professional Learning
Community Thomas said the district is committed to implementing the Professional Learning Community educational model for the 2021/2022 school year.
A PLC is made up of a team of educators who share ideas to enhance their instructional practices and create a learning environment in which all students can reach their fullest potential.
PLCs are being adopted by school districts across the country and Thomas said Strong-Huttig teachers have received extensive training in the learning model this summer.
The district will also continue to offer support and resources throughout the PLC implementation process.
Thomas said PLC training that was offered this summer extended from training sessions the SHSD Leadership team began during the 2019/2020 school year.
“As a district, we wanted to implement this last school year but felt that due to the pandemic and limitations with onsite professional development, we were unable to complete the training,” Thomas explained.
“This summer, our professional development plans included training for all of our core teachers in the (PLC model). We believe this is the right work at this time to shift our instructional focus to teaching and learning for all,” she continued.
Road to Resilience The SHSD will introduce another training program this year that calls for a collaborative effort, using community resources, to champion student wellness and success.
On Aug. 9, faculty and staff members will undergo training for Road to Resilience, a partnership with the South Arkansas Children’s Coalition and the SHARE Foundation, both nonprofit organizations that promote and foster partnerships, focusing on the health and well-being of the community.
SACC is an independent, non-profit organization that oversees and administers child welfare programs — 13th Judicial District South Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) and the Children’s Advocacy Center of South Arkansas (CAC) — and serves a four-county area, including Union, Ouachita, Columbia and Calhoun counties.
RTR training will help district employees recognize the impact of Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACES) stress and how such experiences can affect young minds and learning, Thomas said.
“Our faculty and staff will be trained on how to respond appropriately and to ensure our students are equipped with the tools that are necessary to overcome those challenges,” she explained.
Working with, the SHARE Foundation, the district seeks to form an eXtreme peer mentoring program for Strong High School.
The program will be a part of SHARE’s eXtreme Youth Programs series, which channels and directs the energy and creativity of young people and encourages them to work together to create real solutions to build a safe and drug-free community.
Thomas said the eXtreme mentoring program will be open to students in grades seven through 12.
“These students will serve as peer mediators and role models for other students,” she said.
Starting Sept. 7, the day after Labor Day, the SHSD will also resume its afterschool tutoring program, which is free and available to kindergarten through 12-grade students.
Explained Thomas, “We offer small class sizes and a wealth of support and resources for all students.”
West Fraser - Daisy Bates Memorial
Scholarship Thomas said the SHSD is especially looking forward to continuing its association with community partner West Fraser Huttig sawmill, who established a college scholarship in honor of Huttig’s most notable citizen: the late Daisy L. Bates.
Bates was a major figure in the Civil Rights Movement during the mid20th century.
She led the charge for school desegregation, in accordance with the Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, a landmark U.S. Supreme Court ruling in 1954, and served as a leader and mentor for the Little Rock Nine, the first Black students to attend Central High School in Little Rock in 1957.
In 1941, Bates and her husband, L.C. Bates, started a newspaper, Arkansas Free Press, which was published weekly and distributed statewide.
The paper traded in advocacy journalism, with a focus on civil rights and the achievements of African Americans in Arkansas — all in a similar vein to other such publications of the time, including the Chicago Defender, Pittsburgh Courier and The Crisis, a magazine that was published by the NAACP.
Daisy Bates was also the only woman to publicly speak during the March on Washington in 1963, having filled in for Myrlie Evers-Williams — the widow of Medgar Evers.
Medgar Evers was a civil rights leader and field secretary for the NAACP in Mississippi. He was felled by an assassin’s bullet while in his driveway in June of 1963 in Jackson, Mississippi.
Two months later, Myrlie Evers was slated to address the crowd during the historic March on Washington, where the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King delivered his epic “I Have a Dream Speech;” but she was unable to attend.
Daisy Bates was asked to step in in Evers-Williams’s stead and to walk with the wives of Civil Rights leaders who attended the march.
The first West Fraser scholarships in Bates’s honor were doled out to five recipients during Strong High School’s commencement ceremony in May.
Graduating seniors Sariah L. Daniels, Natalie A. Pace, DaNelia K. Riley, Jaisley K. Russell and Chrishunda N. Williams were awarded scholarships of $2,000 each.
“We intend to continue awarding this scholarship annually,” Thomas said.
For more information about the scholarship, visit www.westfraser. com. or call the SHSD at 870-797-7322.