Washington County Enterprise-Leader
Superintendent Honors ‘Friends’ Of School
Wright Recognizes Five People At His Last Board Meeting
FARMINGTON — School Superintendent Ron Wright presided at his last school board meeting last week and took advantage of the night to recognize five people for their contributions to the Farmington School District.
Wright, who has served as superintendent for 10 years, has resigned his position and will become director of the Dawson Education Cooperative in Arkadelphia effective July 1.
The school board also took advantage of Wright's last meeting to honor the outgoing superintendent.
The board voted to give the administration office its own name: the Ron Wright Administrative Building of Farmington Schools.
“Mr. Wright has been a great leader,” said President Jeff Oxford in presenting Wright with a proclamation from the school board. “He's truly going to be missed.”
Wright called the five recipients of his awards: “Special Friend to the Farm- ington School District.” He said the five people were ones he wanted to recognize personally.
“A lot of thinking goes on when you're about to leave a place you've been 10 years,” Wright said.
He gave plaques to the following: crossing guards Ken Harvey and Marilyn Terry, Dale Reed with Prairie Grove Telephone Co., Chamber of Commerce President Joe Bailey and former agriculture teacher Roy Hummel.
Harvey and Te r r y have worked as crossing guards through all kinds of weather, Wright said, noting both “have a heart for our kids.”
He thanked Reed and PG Telco for providing its technology assistance to the school district and western Washington County.
“We are the envy of about every school in the state,” Wright said, adding that PG Telco had the foresight to increase its bandwidth to meet the needs of the Farmington School District, along with Prairie Grove and Lincoln schools.
Wright recognized Bailey for his friendship and his support of the Farmington schools.
“I'll miss lots of folks but very few will I miss more than Joe Bailey,” Wright said at the school board meeting.
Lastly, Wright
thanked Hummel for his leadership in finding property for new schools.
Hummel was instrumental in locating and negotiating land purchases for Williams and Folsom elementary schools and for property along Highway 170 for a future high school.
“He knows the history of this community and can communicate and open doors,” Wright said about Hummel. “We have great assets now for this school district and our community. A lot of this was made possible by people who cared for this school.”
Monday, Hummel said he wanted to recognize the others on his land search committee: Candy Williams, Jerry “Pop” Williams, John Sizemore and Bobby Morgan.