School Facilities Get New Names

— The newly renovated facility for the school district’s Alternative Learning Environment program now has a name.

At A Glance

Alternative Learning Environment

Springdale’s Alternative Learning Environment enrolls about 300 high school students at three sites combined, accepting students who need extra help to curb academic or behavioral problems. The main campus is on Meadow Avenue. Students also attend sites on East Emma Avenue and at Springdale High School.

Source: Staff Report

The School Board on Tuesday unanimously approved Superintendent Jim Rollins’ recommendation to name the facility the John and Velma Archer Learning Center.

The Archers, longtime supporters of education in Springdale and elsewhere, have taken a special interest in children whose backgrounds make success in school more challenging, Rollins said.

“They had a heart for at-risk children,” Rollins said. “They knew many of these children were dealing with a lot of issues in their lives.”

John Archer, a former Springdale resident, lives in Kansas, but he frequently visits this area, Rollins said. Velma Archer died in a car accident in 2008.

This is not the first school named in honor of one of the Archers. A preschool building in Baxter Springs, Kan., was named after Velma Archer in 2009, according to an article in the Joplin (Mo.) Globe.

Rollins said the Archers have been helpful not only with their financial support of the district and alternative education, but in connecting the schools with others who were in a position to help.

Every year the Archers have funded trips to Washington, D.C., for groups of up to 50 Springdale junior high students, Rollins said.

Also on Tuesday, the board agreed to name a new district facility the Jack and Janet Perry Professional Development Center.

The district bought the 12,000-square-foot building at 1457 E. Robinson Ave. in September. The Perrys sold the building to the district for $675,000.

“They’ve been advocates for quality education,” Rollins said about the Perrys. “They have a deep interest in the schools.”

The district is in the process of renovating the building to accommodate its professional development needs.

“That building was just a shell when we bought it,” Compton said. “We’ve completely redone it.”

The district has a budget of $165,000 to complete the renovation. Compton said he expects the final renovation cost to be well below that figure.

About 25 staff members, ranging from the English as a second language coordinator to math and reading specialists, will move in to the new building starting Jan. 14. They now work in the same Meadow Avenue building where alternative learning students work. Compton said the moving process probably will take about a week.

The district performs professional development activities throughout the year, Compton said.

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