School Seeks Former Students For Interviews

FIFTY YEARS OF JONES JAGUARS

By Brett Bennett

Posted: November 18, 2009 at 4:39 a.m.

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SPRINGDALE — Harvey Jones Elementary School is seeking former Jones Jaguars willing to tell their stories to commemorate the school’s 50th anniversary.

The school opened in the 1959-60 school year.

The Jones Center for Families is producing a video about the school to honor the occasion. The producers want to interview former students and staff members about their school experiences, Jones Elementary librarian Cheryl Davis said.

“We’re very interested in finding anyone who attended Jones in 1959,” Davis said.

The school plans to hold a celebration next semester to commemorate the anniversary, Davis said. The details are being worked out.

Those willing to be interviewed can e-mail Davis at cdavis@sdale.org or call 750-8865.

Jones Elementary is at 900 S. Powell St., on the west side of the Springdale Municipal Airport.

Years ago, the land north of the school housed a camp for migrant farm families, and those families sent children to the school, Davis said. The Applegate subdivision is now located there.

In recent years, the school received a variety of technological upgrades in the classrooms, Davis said. The updates included new document cameras and digital projectors.

Jones was the district’s first school named after Harvey and Bernice Young Jones, who owned the Jones Truck Lines in Springdale. The district also operates a Bernice Young Elementary School and a Har-Ber High School.

According to the Jones Center’s Web site, Harvey Jones provided financial help to keep the Springdale School District open in the 1930s.

“When Springdale could not afford to keep the schools open, Harvey rented a church, hired a teacher and paid for school supplies so they could continue teaching the children,” the site said.

Lee Elementary School, built in 1951, is the district’s oldest school.

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