Magnet Cove School District
As stated on their district website, “Magnet Cove School District, in collaborative partnership with families and community, will provide a secure environment of educational excellence where all belong, all learn and all succeed.”
And the Magnet Cove School District is doing just that. From putting the final touches on the new elementary building, to garnering numerous administrative and academic distinctions, to going against the grain and keeping the traditional five-day school week, Magnet Cove has conducted business this year with the best interest of its students as the primary focus.
Superintendent Danny Thomas shared that the new elementary school building will be open for business at the start of the next school year. “We’re all excited about that, and so that’s some good news that we would like to share with our patrons,” Thomas stated. “And we’re going to finish that project under budget and on time, so that’s always good news when you can do that.”
Phase 3 of the construction project—the demolition of the old elementary building—will be complete by
Aug. 1, just in time for the 2022-2023 school year.
“We’re really looking forward to returning to what ‘normal’ was before the pandemic and just trying to get back to the way things used to be, in a safe manner,” Thomas stated. “And I am proud of what we have done in the last two years here in Magnet Cove to keep our kids safe as best as we could with them attending on-site, and we were able to keep our doors open all during this school year for that face-to-face instruction.”
“I believe our school board was spot-on on making all these major decisions as far as, you know, a mask mandate or to lift the mask mandate and make it optional, and things of that nature, I really do,” Thomas stated.
Thomas said the district recently voted to keep the traditional five-day school week schedule, even as most other districts in the county voted to move to the four-day week at the beginning of the 20222023 school year in Aug.
“We believe that we want to keep our doors open and have school as many days as possible on-site with our students being able to receive face-to-face instruction and having at least two hot meals a day,” Thomas stated.
“Most of our students wanted for us to continue on a five-day school calendar,” Thomas shared. “And we believe it’s best for our working parents, also, and we’re going to continue to research and look at the different types of school calendars in future years, but we just don’t believe there’s enough evidence at this time to support making such a significant change from our traditional five-day school week to four-day.”
“I think they were spoton this five-day school week calendar too because there’s been a lot of significant educational decisions that have been made in the last two years, for all school districts in regards to the school calendar,” Thomas stated. “I believe our school board’s been spot-on in making the right calls for our kids.”
Other notable news on the Magnet Cove campus includes the Arkansas Farm Bureau’s recognition of Magnet Cove teacher Kristyn Sheets as Arkansas’ Outstanding Ag
Educator at their 87th Annual Convention held at the State House Convention Center in Little Rock on Dec. 1.
Also of note, Magnet Cove High School was recognized by greatschools.org this year as one of only 1,770 in the nation to receive the 4th-annual College Success Award, which is given to schools that are noted for helping their students enroll and succeed in college programs after high school graduation.
The Magnet Cove School Board received the “2021 Outstanding Board Award” from the Arkansas School Boards Association last semester. The certificate states the honor is bestowed, “…to recognize achievement in education excellence and ethical service to students through a shared vision, team effort and unified commitment to ensure the best possible climate and education opportunities in their communities.”
The dedicated faculty, staff, and administration at Magnet Cove School District all work together with the singular goal of educating, protecting, and enriching the lives of students and their families. The district will continue to operate in the best interest of the students and with the goal of making every student reach their ultimate potential in a safe and supportive environment.