The Dardanelle School District’s 2019-2020 school year has ended, and those of us at the central office want to commend the community for working together during what some would say has been the most challenging time in our lives. Even though this has been difficult, it is obvious that everyone in Dardanelle can do hard things. In fact, we can do them to meet and to exceed expectations.
We, as a community, have taken our circumstances and forged some of the most unique and enjoyable experiences, one of which was celebrating our high school seniors through a graduation parade. While we were not able to perform our usual graduation ceremony, the Dardanelle community in the form of students, parents, school board members, school staff, local officials, businesses, and loved ones came together to provide a fun-filled day and what we hope is a new tradition for our future graduating seniors.
When speaking of exceeding expectations, it is also important to recognize our dedicated staff. In mere hours, Dardanelle educators developed a paper and digital curriculum that was differentiated to meet the needs of students while continuing to stay in constant contact with their students over an entire nine weeks period. Our maintenance and transportation department bolted into action and began sanitizing our buildings and buses to ensure that
essential workers and volunteers were safe at school. The child nutrition staff and delivery volunteers did not miss a beat and continued (and will continue through June) to serve breakfast and lunch to students of Yell County. It is safe to say that these are just a few of the countless acts of leadership from the school community, and we believe that these are reasons why Dardanelle is the best and will continue to be the best.
With all this being said, we know that everyone is anxious about what the fall may bring; however, please know that we are diligently working on a re-entry plan for the 2020-2021 school year that will be safe and will focus on traditional face-to-face learning while incorporating blended learning opportunities. This information will become available at some point in July as we are waiting on guidance from the Division of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) and the Governor of Arkansas to fully complete our plans. Please, do not fear as we strive to do what is best for ALL students.
In closing, we wish everyone a relaxing and healthy summer. Please take this time to reflect on the good in our lives and to think of those who need healing. If you can, help others in the community or simply lend an encouraging word. As always, if you need anything, please call us at 479.229.4111.
Dardanelle strong,
Central Office Staff
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