BENTONVILLE — A former Bentonville teacher brought hundreds of School District staff members to their feet Friday.
Mary Mae Jones, who taught in the district for 42 years, attended both sessions of a back-to-school celebration for district staff at Bentonville High School’s Arend Arts Center. Michael Poore, superintendent, introduced Jones, for whom an elementary school is named.
Jones, 89, addressed the crowd briefly, telling staff members she appreciated them because she had “walked in their shoes.” Audience members then gave her a standing ovation.
After the event, Jones said she considered the standing ovation as much for the teaching profession as for herself.
“I felt honored,” Jones said. “To me they’re saying, ‘We’re proud of our profession. We’re glad we’re teachers, too.’”
Trey Ferguson, a third-grade aide at Apple Glen Elementary School, said it was an emotional moment.
“Mary is like a rock star,” Ferguson said. “It’s all about Mary. She’s the standard.”
Jones retired from teaching in 2005. She occasionally visits Bentonville schools and said she still gets excited about the first day of school, which is Monday.
The hourlong celebrations — one in the morning for elementary staff members and one in the afternoon for all other staff — also featured music, videos and an explanation of the 2.9-mill tax increase the district will propose next month to build a second high school.
Poore elicited laughs when he showed a slide from a nearly century-old Bentonville yearbook. A page showed all five faculty members at the high school.
He then pointed out the district has hired 350 staff members since he became superintendent two years ago. The district grew by about 800 students to 14,878 last year. As of Thursday the district had 15,329 students.
The business community is showing its support for the millage, Poore said. He read a letter by Susan Chambers, an executive vice president at Walmart, to all Northwest Arkansas-based company employees. In the letter, dated Aug. 14, Chambers encouraged employees to vote in the millage increase election.
“As the largest employer in the area, it is important we are part of the solution, not only for our children today but the children who will move through our educational system tomorrow,” Chambers wrote.
The celebration also included performances by the high school pep band and dance team and the Elm Tree Elementary School choir. The choir, after one song, presented Poore with a birthday-cake hat and led the audience in singing “Happy Birthday to You” to him.
“You never know what’s going to happen when you put kids on stage,” Poore said.
Travis Riggs, School Board president, addressed the audience as well. Riggs is preparing to step down next month after 12 years on the board. He urged staff members to make sure they vote in the millage election.
“My fear is that there may be some complacency out there,” he said.
Stacy Hughes, a first-grade aide at Apple Glen Elementary, moved to Northwest Arkansas from Wisconsin last year. She said she learned a lot from Poore’s presentation.
“There were a lot of ‘wow’ moments, especially related to the millage, school growth and the number of new employees,” Hughes said.
Also at Friday’s event, dozens of area vendors set up booths to advertise their goods and services and met with district staff members.