New school to face north

School Board hears plans

The Pea Ridge School District Board of Education at its meeting Monday chose the orientation of the new high school building.

The building will be located on a 40-acre tract bordered by Arkansas Highway 94, Hazelton Road and It’ll Do Road. After discussion and looking at drawings, the board voted to have the building face State Hwy. 94 with entrances off Hazelton Road and Ark. Hwy. 94 and potentially a third entrance off It’ll Do Road.

Architect Steve Elliott of LewisElliot Architect and Engineers presented the board members with drawings and gave them information about the building.

Superintendent Rick Neal reported that he and Elliott had visited many schools. He said they are trying to create a college/ career/business center environment.

Before voting to have the building face Ark. Hwy. 94, the board considered having it face the other three directions. They quickly ruled out having it face It’ll Do Road because that way faces west, and it would increase air conditioning costs.

The building will have a gym that seats 2,000 and an auditorium that seats 750. The gym will have boys and girls dressing rooms, and the auditorium will have a dressing room on one side.

The board also discussed the fact that the site will allow for future growth.

The building is expected to cost $20.2 million.

In other business Monday night, the board voted to:

• Hire Wendie Kelley, bus driver; Patrick Brown, Middle School art teacher; Shay Baldwin, Primary School PE teacher/assistant basketball/baseball coach; James Rappe, High School assistant principal; Megan McWilliams, High School biology teacher; Katelin Denny, Intermediate School teacher; Jaylene Strode, Intermediate School teacher; Savannah Reams, Primary School instructional aide; and

• Accepted the resignation of Amy Hume, Intermediate School teacher.