Mary Yvonne Snowden, 43, did not always want to be a teacher.
“I wanted to be a doctor or a lawyer … because of the higher income,” said Snowden, who is beginning her first year as principal at Peake Elementary School in Arkadelphia.
“But my grandfather seemed to have pegged my career,” she said, smiling. “He would always introduce me and my sister as his ‘little school teachers.’”
Snowden said that when she started college at Henderson State University in Arkadelphia, she still wanted to be a doctor. “If not that, then a pharmacist,” she said.
“When my daughter was in kindergarten, I became a volunteer mom and would visit her in the classroom and help with the kids. Suddenly, I realized I loved those kids. … I loved working with them,” Snowden said.
“I had always considered myself a studious student. I loved school. I was the only graduate in my class at Arkadelphia High School with perfect attendance,” she said.
“I changed my major to education,” she said, laughing. “Since then, teaching has become my passion.”
Donnie Whitten, superintendent of the Arkadelphia Public Schools, said the school district “is pleased to welcome Mary Snowden as principal of Peake Elementary School for the 2017-18 school year. After 11 years of teaching experience at Peake, she is familiar with the needs of our fourth- and fifth-grade students and teachers and the educational goals set for them.
“I am confident that Ms. Snowden fosters Arkadelphia Public Schools’ commitment to quality and excellence and will take our students at Peake Elementary School to the next level of excellence.”
Snowden taught literacy and social studies for nine of those 11 years at Peake, and for the past two years, she taught literacy, which, she said, includes language arts, reading, writing and spelling.
“I’m really excited to begin this next chapter in my life as the new principal at Peake Elementary,” Snowden said, adding the school has approximately 300 students in grades four and five.
“I feel very blessed to be chosen to fill such a position,” she said. “I know at Peake I’ll be fully supported, because I know firsthand what an awesome staff our school has. I am looking forward to having a prosperous year this next school year and for many more years to come.”
This year, Snowden said, the focus at Peake Elementary School will be on writing and reading as one way to help improve students’ test scores.
“We are especially interested in trying to implement a writing curriculum,” she said. “Our goal as a district is to get a districtwide writing program in place.
“Good readers write, and good writers read.”
Snowden said the use of technology is important at Peake Elementary School.
“We are not a one-to-one
campus, but we do have two full computer labs and two chrome-book carts that teachers can check out,” she said. “We also have an iPad cart that can be checked out for the students’ use.”
Snowden said students use “trade books,” which are softback books similar to paperback books, rather than traditional hardback textbooks.
“These books are in line with the state standards,” she said. She said two of these books are fiction and two, nonfiction.
“We alternate them,” she said. “We also use computer programs to supplement these trade books.”
Snowden is a daughter of Leotis and Mary L. Snowden of Delight, who celebrated their 45th wedding anniversary in June. Mary Yvonne Snowden has one sister, Amanda Snowden of Arkadelphia, who is a mental-health therapist, and also had a twin sister, Carole Snowden, who died in 2011; Carole Snowden was a nurse.
“I have three nieces from those two sisters,” Mary Yvonne Snowden said.
Snowden is a single parent. Her 20-year-old-daughter, Amarya Jones, is a graduate of Arkadelphia High School and is now a student at Henderson State, where she is majoring in elementary education.
Snowden was born in Prescott, but grew up in Delight
and graduated from Delight High School in 1992. She attended Henderson State University from 1992 to 1995 but dropped out for a while, returning in 2003. She graduated in 2006 with a Bachelor of Science in Education degree, specializing in middle-level education.
She taught one year at Peake Elementary School before beginning to pursue her master’s degree in advanced instrumental studies, specializing in English as a Second Language [ESL). She received that Master’s degree in 2009. She went back to Henderson yet a third time, in 2013, and completed the program of study for building-level administration.
“I was still teaching while I was working on my master’s degree and the educational leadership program of study,” she said. “My support system has always been wonderful.”
Snowden said that professionally, she sees herself “still being in education … period.
“I love interacting with students,” she said.
“Personally, my bucket list includes doing more traveling,” Snowden said. “I took a cruise to Cozumel during spring break.
“I would like to travel more. … I also hope to see my daughter be successful in her life.”