School Board Decides On Color Scheme

PRAIRIE GROVE -- When it comes to picking a color of paint for the new concession stand at Tiger Den Stadium at Prairie Grove, the men on the School Board prefer to defer to the only woman on the School Board.

Board member Beth Everett was absent in June when the contractor asked for a color for the roof. The men did not want to choose without Everett's input and suggested Everett go by the superintendent's office and select a color. Superintendent Allen Williams describes the roof color as black. Everett calls it bronze.

Everett also was absent at the July board meeting when the contractor asked for a color to paint the new concession stand, which is a concrete building that also houses the ticket booth and bathrooms, and a color to paint two concrete columns at the front entrance to the football stadium. The other board members were reluctant to make a decision without Everett. They asked Williams to once again contact Everett and ask her to go by his office and decide on the color.

The colors finally selected were whip cream for the outside, shale as an accent color and white for the interior.

The School Board spent the first part of its July 14 meeting in executive session for about 1 1/2 hours discussing personnel changes. The board hired three certified staff members: Jordan Strayhorn for family and consumer science and Mike Ferguson as assistant band director and Kaitlyn Moritz as a high school counselor. It accepted resignations from Christine Arnold, Ashley Gooding, Susan Newman and Adaire Krementz.

Missy Hixson, assistant superintendent, handed out results from spring testing and her report shows that scores from the high school's Advanced Placement tests once again improved.

The high school administered 354 AP tests and of these, 119 students passed their tests with a score of 3, 4 or 5. This was a 33.6 percent passage rate, the second highest over time, Hixson said. The school gave 90 more exams, compared to 2013, and tested 12 AP subjects, ranging from biology, chemistry, statistics to world history.

Hixson also gave out reports from Benchmark tests and End of Course tests but said the results were like comparing apples to oranges. Prairie Grove, like other districts statewide, is teaching the Common Core curriculum but testing to the Arkansas Frameworks. In spring 2015, schools will use new tests for Common Core.

Her report shows the following results (these are percentages scoring proficient or advanced): third grade - 80 percent in math, 76 percent in literacy; fourth grade - 75 percent in math, 82 percent in literacy; fifth grade - 85 percent in math, 91 percent in literacy, 75 percent in science; sixth grade - 73 percent in math, 71 percent in literacy; seventh grade - 79 percent in math, 86 percent in literacy, 51 percent in science; eighth grade - 73 percent in math, 82 percent in literacy.

For End of Course tests, 88 percent scored proficient or advanced for Algebra 1; 82 percent scored proficient or better for geometry; 11th grade literacy, 82 percent proficient or advanced; biology, 43 percent advanced or proficient.

The board also approved handbook changes at the high school and middle school.

The middle school this year will have a homeroom/advisory time of 11-12 minutes. The changes also clarify policies for dress and appearance. The high school handbook changes affect school dances, the annual high school prom and the alcohol and drug abuse policy.

Three school board members were absent at the July meeting: Bart Orr, William Dick, Everett.

General News on 07/30/2014