LRSD enrollment
down about 466
The Little Rock School District's student count Wednesday was 21,006, not including any prekindergartners who typically number well over 1,000.
The kindergarten-through-12th-grade total is down about 466 compared with the Oct. 1, 2019, enrollment -- which isn't an apples-to-apples comparison largely because of the date differences, but it is an indicator of a more official count to come.
The district's Central High recorded 2,436 students last week, up 33 from last year's Oct. 1 number. The new Southwest High reported 1,930. Southwest replaced J.A. Fair and McClellan high schools that last year had a combined count of 1,393. Southwest also enrolled students previously assigned to Hall High.
The new Hall STEAM Magnet High, which doesn't have a ninth grade yet, reported a count of 401. Last year, the traditional Hall High, grades nine through 12, had an October count of 919.
The year-old Little Rock West High School of Innovation, which has expanded beyond last year's ninth grade only, reported a count of 120 last week, up from 64 last year.
Fadah to serve on
advisory council
Ghaida Fadah, a junior at the Arkansas School for Mathematics, Sciences and the Arts in Hot Springs, has been chosen to serve on the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History Student Advisory Council.
The Gilder Lehrman Student Advisory Council is made up of middle and high school students who provide feedback on the institute's programs and materials while also giving opportunities to do research projects and introduce new projects.
Students are recommended to the council by a teacher based on academic achievements and interest in American history.
Fadah of White Hall previously attended Watson Chapel schools and was nominated by Neil Oatsvall, a history teacher and chairman of the math and science school's humanities department. Oatsvall was recently named the Lehrman institute's History Teacher of the Year for Arkansas.
The student council is typically made up of students in New York City but was opened up nationally this year.
Grant to promote
STEM among girls
The Arkansas Out of School Network has been selected to be a recipient of a multiyear grant to promote interest among girls in science, technology, engineering and mathematics.
The Million Girls Moonshot is a national initiative to engage 1 million school age girls in those STEM subjects.
The Intel Foundation and the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation have joined STEM Next Opportunity Fund and the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation to provide grant funding and in-kind resources to Mott-funded afterschool networks in all 50 states to increase access to hands-on, immersive STEM learning experiences.
The first-year Arkansas grant, just awarded, is for $20,000.
"The future economy of our state and our nation will rely heavily on the STEM fields, and afterschool programs are uniquely situated to help prepare our youth for those career opportunities," said Arkansas Network Director Laveta Wills-Hale.
The Arkansas Out of School Network plans to use the funds to help afterschool programs in the state provide STEM education. The project will particularly use strategies to increase STEM interest and STEM career interest among girls and youths of color.
LRSD celebrates
Parton partnership
The Little Rock School District last week celebrated another year of its partnership with the Pulaski County Chapter of Dolly Parton's Imagination Library, which mails age-appropriate books each month to children newborn through age 5.
The first book of the 60-book series is "The Little Engine That Could."
To be eligible for the books, a family must live in Pulaski County.
Registration forms are available at the Little Rock School District and doctors' offices, among other sites. Registration can also be done online at the following website: www.pcaril.org.