The Poore Page
Mr. Michael Poore - Superintendent Bentonville School District
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Bentonville Public Schools |
THE POORE PAGE
January 2012
It is hard not to think of January being a very special month for me. I am not sure if you all realize it but exactly one year ago I was offered the position to be your Superintendent of Schools. I can think back through the entire interview process and the excitement I had about the opportunity to join this community. When I finally got offered the position I was so honored and happy.
I still am honored and I still am happy. It is funny that many have joked that I had a short honeymoon. Maybe. I know we have had tough issues to work through and the high school growth issue has elicited some pretty deep passion. Boundaries were no real cup of tea either. Never is, and never will be.
But, all that being said, I can step back and share that I believe I am the luckiest person alive to land here in Bentonville. This is an amazing place! I have never felt more welcomed. It does not matter whether I meet people at Walmart, churches, community walks, restaurants, or social functions people care not only about me but they have an true genuine care about our schools. We have such tremendous business support. We have businesses that have helped us create safer environments at our school, helped us save on energy use, and impact achievement through mentorship, curriculum, and technology donations. We have parents who show up in droves for athletic events as well as spelling bee competitions. Finally, I can’t forget about our kids. The recognitions, honors, and awards they have been brought in after just one semester are staggering. From essay winners, to poster contests, to athletic endeavors, to musicians being selected for honor groups, we have had more students get honored in a semester than most districts hope for in a decade.
If you take all that in, and I mean really take it in, your pride in our schools would be just as outrageous as mine. If I have a worry, it is that we don’t really appreciate this wonderful place like we should. The dissention we have is often over fairly petty things in the big spectrum. If there was another criticism, it might be that some community members when advocating for their own child have made disparaging remarks about other children or schools. These comments have been hurtful to many and show a lack of regard to the over 14,000 students that we all owe our best efforts to support, educate, and celebrate.
So, when you think of the dynamic of an amazing community that sometimes has stepped on itself in awkward ways over the past several months, it might be helpful to slam home the reality of how we really should count our blessings for Bentonville School District. I have had two stories shared with me in the last month that really impacted me and made me realize our issues our really minor. I got to hear the Superintendent Dr. C. J. Huff of Joplin School District share the story of the impact of the May tornado that hit his community. I had forgotten that the tornado hit on their graduation day. Imagine that, celebration in the morning and total devastation and loss of life in the afternoon. Joplin is delivering their high school program at an abandoned mall. It says so much about a school really being about people more than structures. Maybe something to keep in mind as we discuss our future growth needs. The other amazing story that was shared with me was a story about an Indonesian village. The village name is Sanghiang Tanjung. I ask that you Google this and simply type in Indonesian School Children. What you will find is that children there have to traverse everyday across a very dangerous bridge just to get to school. I am talking about a bridge that could be used on one these reality shows, yet this is young children making this dangerous journey each day. As I reviewed the article and the footage it made me hope that we always keep our hunger for education and that we don’t get caught up in minor hurdles such as boundaries, calendar and school size.
Ultimately we have to remember the purpose of the public school system which is to provide the environment and the grounding to support and encourage a child in the discovery of self. And what I have discovered, and will continue to strive for, is that Bentonville can be a unified community that will not let one child go unsupported.
Sincerely,
Michael Alan Poore
Superintendent
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