The sun shone brightly at Bismarck Elementary School on March 2.
There were lots of smiles, as well as tears, when faculty, staff, community members, family and students — both past and present — gathered to remember the late Kim Bunn Hopkins. Hopkins was a retired teacher who was killed, along with her husband, Jim Hopkins, in an automobile accident in October 2017. Their daughter, Faith, was also injured.
The memorial included the dedication of a Little Free Library in honor of Kim Hopkins, who lived in the Mount Zion community near Arkadelphia and taught at Bismarck Elementary School for many years. Members of the Malvern/Hot Spring County Chamber of Commerce held a ribbon-cutting ceremony since the Bismarck School District is a member of the chamber.
“Our Ms. Hopkins was an extraordinary teacher who ignited the imagination of every child she touched,” said Lana Hughes of Bismarck, elementary school principal. “She was compassionate and courageous and instilled those characteristics in her students.”
Hopkins’ daughter, Faith, attended the dedication, as did Hopkins’ parents, Horace and Jeane Bell of Arkadelphia, who are now raising 15-year-old Faith. Other family members attended, including Hopkins’ uncle and aunt, Bobby and Pat Bunn. Bobby Bunn built the little wooden library, and the family donated Kim Hopkins’ library collection to be used in the Little Free Library.
The library is located in the butterfly garden on the elementary school campus and is open to the community after school hours during the week and on weekends. Children of all ages are invited to take a book and return it or put another in its place.
Leah Wright, Bismarck Elementary School media specialist, coordinated the dedication.
“Whitney Thornton of Bismarck, who became our art teacher this school year, suggested the Little Free Library as a way to honor Kim,” Wright said. “She came from Oaklawn Visual and Performing Arts Magnet School in Hot Springs, where they dedicated a Little Free Library in memory of a student who passed away.
“I had lots of help with getting the pictures together and the memories. It was a very special day of remembering the good things Kim did.”
Wright grew up in the same neighborhood as Hopkins.
“Kim was pretty special. I grew up with her. She was older than I was. I remember how beautiful she was and how she cared for the people around her. … That was something that certainly never changed,” Wright said.
“She was definitely a role model. All three of my daughters — Brittany, 19, Kalynne, 16, and Hannah, 14 — had her in kindergarten,” she said.
“My daughters helped paint the little library, and my husband, Wesley, helped as well,” said Wright, who now lives in Friendship.
Wright said it was “fitting” that the ceremony was held March 2, which is the birthday of Dr. Seuss and the culmination of Read Across America Week.
“Kim loved dressing up as The Cat in the Hat during Read Across America Week,” Wright said. “She brought so much joy to the students … to all of us.
“She would have been so humbled to know her legacy was continuing through her spirit and her books.”
Prior to the ribbon-cutting ceremony, the school held a program in the cafeteria that included a video presentation and stories by co-workers.
Phyllis Mayo, Bismarck Elementary School counselor, introduced the video with a quote from Dr. Seuss: “Sometimes you will never know the value of a moment until it becomes a memory.”
Faith Hopkins, who recently transferred to the Arkadelphia School District, said her mother “left a legacy here.”
“She would be really, really proud of this,” Faith said, smiling through her tears.
Hot Spring County Judge Dennis Thornton was among those in the audience.
“I grew up here, went to school right here,” he said.
“I knew Kim well … since we were teenagers. She was a fine lady. She will be sorely missed in Bismarck,” he said.
“She was a sweet, sweet lady,” said Thornton, who lives in the New DeRoche community. “Thanks to the Bismarck School District for dedicating this Little Free Library to her.
It’s a very deserving honor.”
Jennifer Eubanks of Bismarck, administrative assistant at the Malvern/Hot Spring County Chamber of Commerce, said Hopkins was “absolutely loved and adored by all her students and co-workers.”
“There was not a more precious woman on the planet,” Eubanks said. “She was my daughter Emma’s kindergarten teacher, and she was simply amazing. My daughter excelled in reading because of Mrs. Hopkins, and we attribute Emma’s high reading scores to Mrs. Hopkins.”
Emma Eubanks, 10, said Hopkins was “a great teacher.”
“She was a good Christian, too, and that’s important to me,” Emma said. “I remember she made soup and let us try it. That was fun.
“I am home-schooled now, and my reading levels are very high. I think that’s because of Mrs. Hopkins.”
The video ended with this quote of unknown origin: “Smiles on your faces and kindness in your hearts.”
Wright said that was what Hopkins “always said to her class when she picked them up from the library right before walking down the hall back to class.
“Ms. Hopkins was one of a kind,” Wright said. “Her legacy will live on for many years.”