Pea Ridge schools are “Rooted In the Ridge” and ready for the new year

Pea Ridge School District (PRSD) is ready to get down to the business of providing a quality education for the students they serve.

“We are excited to welcome our students, parents, and community back into our buildings and classrooms for the 2022-2023 school year,” said School Superintendent Keith Martin. “Our theme across the district this year is Rooted In the Ridge. This phrase signifies the efforts of everyone to ensure the district connects with our students, families, and community.”

This year marks Superintendent Martin’s 25th year in education and he is beginning his third year as superintendent of PRSD.

“A new school year means new opportunities,” he said. “The opportunity for our students to meet new friends and teachers or enroll in a new class. The opportunity for both teachers and students to learn and grow. Opportunities for our students is what excites me the most about the upcoming year.”

The students may be off during the summer months, but the staff and teachers at PRSD have kept busy expanding their knowledge and honing their skills.

“Our faculty and staff have been working throughout the summer to be ready for the upcoming school year,” Martin said. “They have attended professional development opportunities and met as grade level and department teams to ensure they are ready for students on the first day of school. Their commitment to our students is inspiring and I am excited to see their hard work pay off.” Anne Martfeld is Assistant Superintendent at PRSD and she helped develop and head some of the new and exciting summer and year-round programs that were launched this year.

“We have started a new teacher/employee orientation that we call PEP (Professional Enrichment Program),” she said. “It is a monthly getting together to help new staff and new teachers get to know the Pea Ridge community. This is an effort to really connect our newest employees with the community. We think it will help them understand just how important we consider that connection between the school district and the Pea Ridge community, as a whole, is. We also think it will help with retention of teachers and employees.”

In an effort to help prepare the younger elementary students for middle and high school, the district launched the Space program. “We had Space Camp this summer which Assistant Superintendent Martfeld heads up,” Martin said. “It’s a wonderful opportunity for the younger kids comprised of two one-week sessions for kids in grades K through 5th grade. We set up stations that had a ‘space’ theme to pique their interest. The activities addressed some of those learning skills that we want to reinforce throughout the year so that our kids are even more prepared to come back to school in the fall.

“The stations and activities encourage students to work together and collaborate,” Martfeld added. “It was designed to help kids get those skills that they will need once the school year starts. It’s a lot like a jump-start program.”

Over the summer PRSD also introduced SOAR (as in ‘soaring’ like a Blackhawk!)

“This program was developed to address some of that learning loss recovery from COVID,” Martfeld said. “It was targeted toward helping our older learners succeed on their ACT test. Students attended a week-long session, kind of like a boot camp, with specific sessions on strategy, content and tackling that test. “The registration fee for the ACT was covered if they attended the camp,” she continued. “And then the following Saturday we hosted the ACT on our campus which we hadn’t done previously in the summer. In the end it was kind of just a strategic jumpoff for them to help provide an edge when they take the test.”

In addition to these summer programs, The Community Clinic located inside Pea Ridge High School has found more ways to help the community. One is that it is now home to the Blackhawk Food Pantry, open every Thursday.

“It is a space we have set aside for anyone in our community to come in and get some food,” Martin said. “It’s wonderful opportunity for our school to help serve our community. Plus, it’s filling a an important need

We are excited to welcome our students, parents, and community back into our buildings and classrooms for the 2022-2023 school year.

- School Superintendent Keith Martin

in our community.”

“And you don’t have to have a current student in our schools to take advantage of the program,” Martfeld added. “It is open to the entire Pea Ridge area. That said, I would say about 98 percent of the folks we are serving currently have children in our school. The pantry serves an average of 40 families a week.” Both Martin and Martfeld agree that Pea Ridge and Pea Ridge schools are special.

“I may be a little biased, this is my 25th year here,” Martin laughed. “But, I think Pea Ridge is the best place in the world to live and to be part of the community. If you’re looking for a school district who is truly part of the community, Pea Ridge school district is that place. We work hand in hand with our community and we try to serve all of our kids and our community as a whole.” “The thing about PRSD is it’s unique in the way that they we celebrate the individual,” Martfeld added. “Whether it’s a student, a staff or community member, we really rally around those individuals, helping them attain success and their goals. I think a lot of people choose to come into our district, which is exciting. They make a choice when they buy their house here. They make a choice to send their kids here, even when they live outside of our community.”

“If you are new to the district, welcome,” Martin concluded. “If you are returning, welcome back. We look forward to working with you and your child to provide the very best learning experiences. I am excited that you are part of the Pea Ridge School District and I look forward to seeing the great things you accomplish.”