Inside the Springdale School District

Inside the Springdale School District: Students showcase schools' success

Springdale students showcase schools’ success

These are exciting times for the students, staff, educational partners and patrons of the Springdale School District. Educational excellence is being pursued in every area of the school system. The keys to the progress being made in the pursuit of educational excellence are great teachers, quality building principals, a strong curriculum and outstanding school-community partnerships. Clearly our teachers and building principals are at the center of this work, and each of them would quickly acknowledge that our students, through their academic performance, are "leading the way" to educational excellence. Examples of high performance by our students include:

• Each of the last two years we have had a Springdale student earn a perfect score on the American College Test, more commonly known as the ACT: Rahmlee Reynolds in 2014 and Alex O'Brien in 2015.

• This year the Springdale School District had seven National Merit Semifinalists, the most in our region.

• Our 2014 seniors earned more than $22 million in scholarship offerings to continue their learning in colleges, universities and career/technical institutions.

Those are strong academic indicators that Springdale students are performing at high levels. In addition, Springdale students continue to lead the way in career and technical program achievements. This year Springdale High School, based on student performance, earned the highest national award in career/technical education -- the Platinum High Achievement Award presented under the High Schools That Work initiative of the Southern Regional Education Board. SHS has won the Gold award from the initiative five times in the past. The challenge of ensuring all students are career-ready and/or college-ready is an enormous undertaking, but it is becoming a personal priority for every student.

The pursuit of educational excellence is a pathway rather than a destination. Springdale students are demonstrating exceptional progress. Springdale teachers and principals are continuously leading that progress. At the helm of every building's instructional program is a strong principal. Springdale principals are providing exceptional leadership in every school. Melissa Fink, principal of Jones Elementary School, is an excellent model of professionalism, and she is recognized at all levels for her leadership. Recently she was appointed by the United States secretary of education as a new member of a distinguished leadership team to address school improvement across the nation.

Great teachers and great building principals implementing a strong curriculum in every school in partnership with community leaders -- those are indeed the essential factors in the creation of excellent schools. When you combine those elements with the finest students one can imagine, it is easy to understand why our schools are making significant progress. Thank you, Springdale, for your continuous support.

Jim Rollins is superintendent of Springdale Public Schools. He has served in that capacity since 1982.

NAN Our Town on 01/29/2015

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