For Larry Newsom, going into education is as much of a calling as becoming a pastor or other kind of servant.
“I feel like my calling was to go into education and work with students and schools,” Newsom said. “Like many, I believe education is a calling. It takes special and specific people to do this job.”
Newsom was recently named the new superintendent for the Ouachita School District. He replaces former superintendent Ronnie Kissier, who left for the same position at the Poyen School District.
“I think it is a good opportunity and also a good challenge to come here and follow Mr. Kissier,” Newsom said. “Always the goal for me is to see the district grow and continue the success they have had and continue upon that.
“It is a great opportunity to make a difference here.”
Newsom was born and raised in Little Rock but moved to Tulsa, Oklahoma, after his dad — a Baptist minister — accepted a new job. Newsom graduated from Tulsa’s Will Rogers High School in 1988. He moved back to Arkansas after high school and graduated from Henderson State University in Arkadelphia in 1993, with a bachelor’s degree in education. He earned a master’s degree from Harding University in Searcy in 2006 and a superintendent certification in 2012.
“Education is the key to everything,” Newsom said. “It is very important that we equip these students with the skills they are going to need to be successful ….
“… That’s the key to success in life. The better we can equip these students, the better opportunity they have. As they go out into college or the workforce, it is extremely important.”
Newsom, who officially started as Ouachita superintendent July 1, has spent the past nine years as principal of Bismarck High School. He also served as the athletic director for the Bismarck School District.
“We had a really good school there, and we are really proud of the accomplishments we did there,” Newsom said. “Hopefully, I want to bring some of those things here. I want to see this district also be at the top and be one of the top districts in the state.”
Newsom said Bismarck was one of the top five high schools in the state, according to www.schooldigger.com, which is based primarily on ACT Aspire test scores.
“We are proud of that accomplishment there,” Newsom said. “Our teachers did a fantastic job of educating our students.
“We were also the No. 5 school district, and I’m very proud of that. I want to get Ouachita up to those numbers.”
The Ouachita School District is ranked 53 of 250, according to the website.
Newsom said that as athletic director, he was able to do a lot of good things with the athletic program as well, including new facilities such as a new baseball and softball complex.
Prior to Bismarck, he was the head boys basketball coach for Prescott High School for 10 years. He was also a coach at Kingston High School in Northwest Arkansas for four years and at Green Forest High School for two years. This marks his 26th year in education.
“Coming out of high school, I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do,” Newsom said. “I knew I wanted to go to college and get a degree. In 1988, computer science and computer programming were popular, and I thought that might be a route, but that didn’t work out so good.
“So I decided that I really always loved sports and loved activities. I decided I would go into teaching and coaching and made that my career.
“It was a very good decision.”
Newsom said that whether it is coaching, teaching or being a principal, he has always had the same goals and same vision.
“I certainly want all my teams to be the very best they can be, and I thought that requires a lot of work, a lot of dedication and a lot of commitment,” Newsom said. “I pretty much rely on three core values in education — relationships, commitment and integrity.
“Those three things are the key to establish a great school and a great district. Those are always the core values I had with my players and my teams. As principal, it is the same thing, when I worked with teachers.”
Newsom said he wants to form relationships with them and understand where they are coming from.
“We are committed to the education of students, and we want the best for them and try to provide the best resources we can,” he said. “And it is very important to do what you say you’ll do and be consistent with it.”
Leah Beckwith, a science teacher at Bismarck High School, said that when Newsom first came aboard, she felt that he was a little pushy.
“It didn’t take long to be the best school, and he had a way of wanting us to be better without being too pushy,” Beckwith said. “Eventually, we got on the boat and rowed in the same direction.
“His heart is in education. He is definitely a leader, the best one I ever had.”
Beckwith said everyone needs someone to offer a professional push.
“To push you without being pushy — Newsom has a gift for that,” Beckwith said. “He was very competitive, and he wanted to take our district to the top.
“At first, we were a little resistant to change. But he made me a better teacher, and I am a much better teacher today than before he arrived. He was my professional push.”
Beckwith said Newsom pushed engagement in every classroom.
“He didn’t cut anybody any slack,” Beckwith said. “The first couple of years, we had some growing pains, but I am a better teacher because of him, and I will say that 1,000 times over.
“I have learned so much under his leadership.”
Newsom said that because this is his first time as a superintendent, he is very excited, but also very honored.
“I feel like it is a privilege to be here and work with these folks,” Newsom said. “I want to try to get the things going that I believe this district can accomplish, so I am very excited about this.
“I am also a little anxious, would be another word for it. I am anxious to get started, to see what the school year will bring and, hopefully, what the years to come will bring.”
Ouachita finished last year with right around 490 students in kindergarten through the 12th grade. Numberwise, Bismarck runs about 1,000, so Ouachita is about half the size of Bismarck, Newsom said.
“One thing we are going to work on with our principals and curriculum coordinators is to get the resources updated to the technology that we have,” Newsom said. “We want to incorporate new curriculum ideas to try to improve upon students’ test scores and also try to improve ACT scores overall.
“So when they leave here, they have a well-rounded and excellent education that they can use as they go forward into college and career,” he said.
Latavia Tart, who served as Newsom’s secretary for all nine years that he was in Bismarck, said Newsom is a very hardworking man who loves what he does.
“As always, when a district gets someone new, of course, at the start, he is not going to be everyone’s friend,” Tart said. “He is not going to appear as a team player and is wanting to change everything.
“That is total opposite of Larry. He is there is make things better to benefit everyone involved. I think he will be a welcome addition to the school district.”
“My belief is that we work in the greatest profession there is,” Newsom said. “In this profession, we’ve got a lot of responsibility to educate these students to the very best of our ability.”
Staff writer Sam Pierce can be reached at (501) 244-4314 or spierce@arkansasonline.com.