Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
Couple gives Baptist school $1 million
Mark and Dianne Ross, a Little Rock couple, have donated $1 million to The Baptist Preparatory School, an elementary and secondary school in Little Rock.
The donation is the largest in the school’s 36-year-history, Head of School Laura Bednar said Tuesday.
“Mark and Dianne Ross have a longstanding and special relationship to Baptist Prep,” Bednar said. “Their generous donation … will touch the lives of all of our students.”
The donation will go toward a $2.6 million capital improvement to the system’s two campuses. That work includes construction of a multiuse athletic practice and performing arts center and renovations for the Upper School. The improvements at the Lower School are an 8,000-squarefoot, artificial-turf activity field, playground renovations, an outdoor classroom/amphitheater, and safety and security upgrades.
The multiuse building will be used as a training space for the Upper School’s basketball and volleyball programs as well as a home for the band and choral performances and theatrical productions. More space for play at recess and room for after-school athletic activities will be possible as the result of the improvements at the Lower School.
The Rosses have a son and a daughter who attended Baptist Prep.
“We were blessed to have had the opportunity to send both of our children to Baptist Prep, where they received a great education in a Christ-centered environment, helping prepare them for their life’s journey,” Mark Ross said in a statement.
Mark Ross is a retired president of Bank of the Ozarks. Dianne Ross has been president of the 20th Century Club.